Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina, written in 1877, tells the story of the tragic love of a married lady, Anna Karenina. In his book, the author managed to present a large-scale picture of the life and customs of the Moscow and St. Petersburg nobility in the second half of the 19th century.
The events of the novel take place in the 1870s in Russia, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, as well as abroad.
The main characters
- Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky – a count, a brilliant young officer, an enviable groom.
- Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin – Anna’s husband, a respected official.
- Anna Arkadyevna Karenina – a woman of high society, Alexei Alexandrovich’s wife.
- Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky (Stiva) – Anna’s own brother, a lovable and volatile man.
- Daria Oblonsky (Dolly) – Stiva’s wife, mother of many children, Anna’s friend.
- Konstantin Dmitrievich Levin – a successful landowner, Kitty’s husband.
- Katerina Shcherbatskaya (Kiti) – Dolly’s younger sister, who becomes Levin’s wife.
Other characters
- Sergei Ivanovich Koznyshev – writer, Levin’s older brother.
- Lydia Ivanovna – an old countess, a good friend of Karenin.
- Betsy Tverskaya – a socialite, a friend of Anna.
- Varenka – a friend of Kitty.
- Seryozha – Anna’s eight-year-old son.
And what is the result?
- Anna Karenina – throws herself in front of a train to get rid of her worries and earn Vronsky’s remorse for his indifference.
- Alexei Vronsky takes Anna’s death to heart and volunteers for the war against the Turks in Serbia.
- Alexei Karenin – takes over the upbringing of Anna and Vronsky’s orphaned daughter.
- Stepan Oblonsky (Stiva) – asks Karenin for a raise and divorce for Anna.
- Daria Oblonsky (Dolly) – after visiting Anna she realises that they have grown very far apart.
- Konstantin Levin – rethinks his attitude to faith.
- Katerina Shcherbatskaya (Kitty) raises her son Dzmitry. She is happy about her motherhood.
Conclusion
In his work, Lev Nikolayevich stresses that it is impossible to build happiness on the basis of the destruction of the family and the suffering of loved ones. Blind adherence to passion is destructive and cannot make a person truly happy.
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