No way I am attempting to review this ‘Mother of all Classics.’ I simply want to share what I felt after revisiting the book a few weeks ago.
“Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Through this opening sentence in this epic novel, Leo Tolstoy conveys to his readers that his incomparable saga, Anna Karenina, is not just a literary novel; rather it’s a realistic fiction for which the author picks his characters straight from life, peppering it with his philosophical views.
I was pondering over the first part of the statement, “Happy families are all alike,” over and again. As in real life, there is no ideal happy family in this book. All through, one can observe rift between couples due to lack of communication, misunderstanding, adultery, or jealousy – at times irreparable and sometimes mendable. The second part of the sentence, “Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way,” is the universal truth. No two family is unhappy because of similar reasons or situations.
Interwoven into the extramarital affair of the chief protagonists, Anna Karenina, and Count Alexey Vronksy, are lives of the 19th Century Russian Aristocracy with all its grandeur and lowliness. In this epic of two parallel love stories, Anna and Vronsky’s guilt-ridden passion and love takes the centerstage; however, the author gives almost equal space to the tender and ordinary love story of Ekaterina Shcherbatskaya (Kitty) and Konstantin Levin (Kostya) evoking a flood of emotions in the reader.
I never meant to review this book. My rereading was for pure enjoyment; during this time, I started paying more attention to the mental makeup of the central characters, enabling me to marvel at Tolstoy’s exemplary psychoanalytic ability.
Anna Karenina: Elegant Anna is one of the most admired ladies in the society. Deprived of love and passion in her marriage, she loses her mind and soul over a younger man who opens new vistas of intimacy to her. After forsaking her honor and her son for this man, Anna’s absolute passion turns into possessiveness. Her emotions take charge of her – temper, jealousy, lack of self-worth, and disappointment – creating havoc in Anna’s and Vronsky’s lives.
Is it because women of those times never had a profession/occupation that they could be proud of? Anna’s singular fault is finding love and happiness outside the wedlock, and she pays a heavy price for it. I wish she wasn’t so wired about her man. In real life too, insecurity along with jealousy can do worse things even to the smartest.
Alexey Vronsky: This dashing, young Army Officer falls head over heels in love with much-married Anna and woos her to no end. Once the initial passion wears off, he is confused and is incapable of making any strong decision regarding their lives together though he knows what he felt for her is not a passing fancy. When Anna’s jealousy raises its ugly head, Vronsky turns helpless. Though he tries to change for his love, he too has his limitations. He is driven into desperation because of his lady love’s baseless jealousy. Young, debonair Vronsky doesn’t deserve the fate he embraces.
It has been proven time and again that love, passion, and live-in relationships outside the societal norms could wreak havoc in the lives of those involved. Even after a century-and-a-half, nothing much has changed. Life can still be tough for such people.
Alexey Alexandrovich: Married to Anna and with a son, he wants nothing but normalcy in married life and is ready to overlook his wife’s trespassing, provided her rendezvous are not at home. Once that rule is broken, he is all out to destroy her. He is depicted as a man who hates blemishes in his public life. Even with his cultivated façade of rationality and dispassionate behavior towards his wife and child, Karenin may not evoke empathy in the reader; however, it’s tough to hate him. He is complicated and mixed up. Narcissistic or too frightened to lose his place in the society?
All three of them are victims of a repressive society where married men and women and their extramarital affairs had been looked at, differently. Anna’s own brother Stepan could get away with his repeat philandering ways and adultery. Sadly, then (during 19th century) as well as now (21st century), women who stray are not seen through the same looking glass as their male counterparts.
Konstantin Levin: He loves his farm, his life, and his farmers. However, he is of the opinion that anything that is of no use to him, he shouldn’t fret about. An aristocratic farm owner with simple tastes yet complicated in many ways. The silver lining in his life is the presence of Kitty and their undying love for each other.
While Vronsky is flamboyant, self-confident, and an extrovert with leadership qualities, Levin is insecure, modest, and an introvert to boot. He is humble yet unable to appreciate other people at the outset; he is intelligent and hardworking but almost always in self-doubt, confusion, chaos.
In the end, it’s interesting to note that Tolstoy supports and lets thrive the steady love of Kostya and Kitty than the fiery passion between Vronsky and Anna, reflecting the mindset of those times.
Ekaterina Shcherbatskaya: The calming, steady force in Levin’s life. A simple yet intelligent girl who was told that life is complete with marriage and family. With a heart of gold, Kitty is ready to shower her love on anyone who needs it; doesn’t hold a grudge. One can love her, empathize with her, and wish her well all the way.
These few characters do not make Anna Karenina. Anna’s brother Stepan Arkedyich Oblonski, the pleasure-seeking junior official in the Ministry who has no qualms about having an affair with his children’s governess, begging forgiveness from his wife, and starting another one sooner, plays a vital role in the story. He represents the chauvinistic attitude of the society.
Countess Lydia Ivanonvna, a pious woman who uses Christianity and spiritualism to do what she feels is right is the the one-woman army who destroys every chance of a divorce between Anna and her husband. Lydia ensures that Alexey Alexandrovich is totally under her spell and controls his life in the name of Christianity, secretly loving him all the time.
Religious fundamentalism in any form can only make life miserable for people then and now.
Emotions are found in abundance in all relationships in the book ‒ love, passion, jealousy, infidelity, or incompatibility – Is it what Tolstoy observed around him?
Revisiting the book helped me be a part of the emotional roller coaster of the characters and analyzing it brought the realization that almost nothing has changed after centuries.
My only grievance with the book is its ominous volume. Having said that, I didn’t miss out a single sentence as it was my second reading.
Yes, I love the narrative with many complex characters interlinked effortlessly into the tragic love story, making it totally engrossing and enjoyable.
Suggestion: Chances are remote that you haven’t read the book, but for some odd reason if you haven’t, please read at the next opportunity; if you are a Tolstoy fan like me and have read Anna Karenina and War and Peace ages ago, go ahead and revisit the book; get into the mind of the characters, and the joy will be boundless.
Sudhas_Musings 