This book has been reviewed by Thriving Family, a marriage and parenting magazine published by Focus on the Family.
This book has been reviewed by Thriving Family, a marriage and parenting magazine published by Focus on the Family.
During the 1870s in Moscow, Prince Stepan Arkadyevitch Oblonsky is in trouble for having an affair with his children’s former governess. Stepan is not repentant, but he is sorry that he did not do a better job of hiding his adultery from his wife. Stepan receives a telegram saying that his sister, Anna Arkadyevna Karenina, will visit him the following day. Stepan’s servants hope that Anna will be able to reconcile Stepan and his wife, Darya Alexandrovna, “Dolly.”
Dolly loves her husband but can’t bring herself to forgive him for his infidelity. Dolly locks herself in her room and refuses to tend her children or take care of other household matters. Stepan leaves the house to go to his government job. At work, Stepan’s childhood friend Konstantin Dmitrievitch Levin arrives for a visit. Levin lives in the country and does not understand how Stepan can enjoy city life. Levin has come to ask how Kitty Shcherbatsky, Dolly’s sister and Stepan’s sister-in-law, is doing. Levin is in love with Kitty and plans to propose marriage to her.
Levin finds Kitty ice-skating with her family at the Zoological Gardens. Kitty invites Levin to skate with her, and she enjoys his company until she senses that his feelings for her have grown romantic. Kitty distances herself from Levin, who is hurt by the idea that the woman he loves will likely reject his proposal. Levin shares a meal with Stepan, who encourages him to propose to Kitty but also warns him that Kitty has another suitor, Count Alexey Kirillovitch Vronsky. When Levin calls on Kitty and asks her to marry him, she politely refuses him because she likes Levin but prefers Vronsky.
Levin meets Vronsky while both men are visiting the Shcherbatskys. Vronsky seems very interested in Kitty, but he is not considering marriage.
Vronsky goes to the train station to welcome his mother to Moscow. As he is getting off the train, he notices a high society woman. Vronsky’s mother introduces him to this woman, Anna Karenina. Anna is a young wife and mother who has come to Moscow to visit her brother Stepan Oblonsky, who is Vronsky’s friend. At the station, Vronsky and Oblonsky see the dead body of a guard who fell into the path of the train. Bystanders imply that the guard threw himself in front of the train on purpose. Vronsky sends a servant to give money to the guard’s widow when he hears that the man was the sole provider for his family.
Anna goes to see Stepan’s wife, Dolly. Anna assures Dolly that Stepan has only been physically unfaithful and that his heart is still loyal to Dolly and his children. Anna meets and befriends Kitty when the younger woman visits the Oblonskys’ house. Dolly and Stepan reconcile, and Anna is pleased to be the cause of their reunion.
The next week, Anna, Kitty and Vronsky all attend a high society ball. Vronsky dances with Kitty, but Kitty is disappointed that he chooses to save the last dance of the evening for Anna. Kitty notices that Vronsky and Anna already look at each other with complete adoration, and she knows that her hopes for marrying Vronsky are over.
Levin returns to his country home. Anna leaves Moscow to return to her home in St. Petersburg. Vronsky meets Anna at the train platform in St. Petersburg, and she knows he has followed her because he has fallen in love with her. Anna is delighted by Vronsky’s attention, but she tells him to leave her alone. Anna soon meets with her husband, Karenin, and Vronsky rushes to introduce himself. Karenin agrees to let Vronsky come visit their home at a later date.
In Moscow, Kitty’s health deteriorates from the emotional trauma of refusing Levin and being abandoned by Vronsky. Kitty’s family decides to send her to Europe for a foreign tour to lighten her spirits.
In St. Petersburg, Anna stops spending time with her religious friend Countess Lydia and begins a friendship with the fun and frivolous Betsy Tverskaya, who is Vronsky’s cousin. Vronsky frequently meets with Anna at society gatherings, and although she does not encourage his courtship, she is always delighted by his attention. Anna finally tells Vronsky to go back to Moscow and reunite with Kitty, but he makes another declaration of his love for Anna. Anna’s husband, Karenin, arrives at the party where Anna and Vronsky are talking, but he joins another conversation and does not disturb their private talk. Everyone in the room seems to notice their flirtation. Karenin grows suspicious of Anna’s relationship with Vronsky only because other people are suspicious of them. He advises her to be more cautious in her behavior toward Vronsky in the future.
One year later, the story skips to a time shortly after Anna and Vronsky have committed adultery for the first time. Anna cries and feels ashamed, while Vronsky tries to console her.
Vronsky gains the respect of many young men who think his conquest of Anna is very brave. The young women around Anna treat her with disdain for her degraded morals.
In the countryside, Levin spends his time tending to his farm and trying to recover from Kitty’s rejection. Stepan Oblonsky comes to visit Levin, and tells him that Kitty is very sick and has been sent to Europe to recover from her illness.
Vronsky continues his affair with Anna, and also pursues his passion of horseracing. He buys a mare named Frou-Frou and enters a steeplechase for military officers. Before the race, Vronsky goes to visit Anna, who tells him that she is pregnant. Vronsky tells Anna that she must leave her husband so the two of them can move away. He leaves for the steeplechase, but during the race he accidentally breaks his mare Frou-Frou’s back by shifting in his saddle as the horse is jumping. After Vronsky is injured in the race, Anna tells her husband, Karenin, that she loves Vronsky. Karenin tells her to maintain the outward appearance of propriety until he can decide what to do about their situation.
Kitty Shcherbatsky and her parents are staying at a spa in Germany to help improve Kitty’s fragile health. Kitty becomes friends with Madame Stahl, a pious woman confined to a wheelchair, and Varenka, Madame Stahl’s young ward. Kitty tries to imitate Varenka’s selfless habit of thinking only of others’ needs. Kitty’s father, Prince Shcherbatsky, is unimpressed with Madame Stahl’s religious fervor. He tells Kitty that Madame Stahl is not truly an invalid; she simply stays hidden in her wheelchair because she has short, unattractive legs. Kitty is very disillusioned with Madame Stahl, whose apparent virtues she had once admired.
Levin continues to work hard on his estate in the countryside. He receives a letter from Stepan Oblonsky, asking him to go and visit Dolly, who has moved to a rustic house nearby and is having a difficult time managing a country life with her six children. Dolly is living in the country to lower the Oblonsky family’s expenses while Stepan is enjoying a rich life in St. Petersburg. Levin enjoys visiting Dolly and the children. Dolly tells Levin that her sister Kitty will be coming to stay with her in the summer, and Levin admits that he once proposed to Kitty and was refused. Dolly encourages Levin not to give up on the idea of marrying Kitty, but Levin says that he will not think of Kitty romantically again.
Anna’s husband, Karenin, decides to punish her infidelity by not granting her the divorce she desires. Karenin does not love his wife and is no longer jealous over her adultery, but he does want to see her punished for insulting his honor. Anna is angry that Karenin will not divorce her. She wants to leave him and take their son, Seryozha, with her, but she decides against such a drastic move. Anna believes that she will never have enough resolve to leave her husband and her place in society in order to live with Vronsky as his mistress.
Vronsky finds himself in debt because his mother does not approve of the way he has been neglecting his military career in order to spend most of his time with Anna. He is now unsure whether Anna should leave her husband and come to live with him. Vronsky feels that he needs more money in order to support Anna, and he thinks he may also need to retire from the military if he and Anna set up housekeeping together. Anna wants to be with Vronsky but does not want to leave Seryozha with Karenin. Karenin only demands the outward appearance of virtue from Anna and does not mind if she keeps seeing Vronsky, so long as Vronsky never visits their home.
Anna continues living with Karenin, but the two of them rarely speak. Anna grows suspicious of Vronsky’s activities and fears that he is seeing other women. Vronsky knows he can never leave Anna, but he is no longer happy with her. Anna is due to give birth to Vronsky’s child soon, and she tells Vronsky that she expects to die in childbirth because she has had a bad dream foretelling her death.
Karenin sees Vronsky visiting his home, and this sight convinces Karenin to divorce Anna. After meeting with a lawyer, Karenin learns that it may be difficult to gain a divorce from Anna without definitive proof of her infidelity. Karenin still wants a divorce, but is unsure of how to proceed.
Karenin visits Moscow and accidentally meets with Stepan and Dolly Oblonsky. Stepan throws a dinner party and invites Karenin, as well as Kitty and Levin, who meet each other formally for the first time since Kitty refused Levin’s marriage proposal. Kitty and Levin sit next to each other at dinner and share an enjoyable conversation, which proves that they both have romantic feelings for each other. Levin proposes to Kitty again, and she accepts. Kitty’s parents approve of the match, and arrangements are made for the wedding.
Karenin receives a letter from Anna, who begs him to forgive her. Anna is having a difficult labor with her second child, and she believes she is dying. Karenin returns to St. Petersburg to find Anna in a feverish state after giving birth to her daughter. Karenin forgives Vronsky for his affair with Anna, and Vronsky feels ashamed. Vronsky’s humiliation is so extreme, he tries to commit suicide by shooting himself in the chest. However, his attempt is unsuccessful, and his sister-in-law nurses him back to health.
Anna makes a surprise recovery from her illness. Karenin realizes that he still loves her, and he forgives and pities her. Karenin also begins to love baby Annie, his wife’s illegitimate child. Anna is disgusted with Karenin and still hates him, despite his kindness. Anna decides not to get a divorce from Karenin, but she no longer wants to live with him. Vronsky retires from the military, and he, Anna and Annie leave St. Petersburg to travel abroad.
Preparations for Levin and Kitty’s wedding continue. Levin feels unworthy of Kitty’s love and begins to question whether Kitty truly loves him or if she merely wants to be married. Kitty reassures him of her affection, and the wedding proceeds. Kitty and Levin move immediately to Levin’s home in the countryside.
Anna and Vronsky travel in Italy and settle down in a rented palazzo house. Anna is very happy with her life in Italy, but Vronsky is less content. Now that all of Vronsky’s desires have been fulfilled, he misses having an unattainable desire. The two of them become bored of their life in Italy and resolve to return to St. Petersburg.
Levin and Kitty have been married for three months, and although they have many small fights over domestic matters, both of them are happy. Levin hears that his brother Nikolai is dying, and he and Kitty leave for Moscow to visit Nikolai. Kitty and Levin look after Nikolai until he dies. Kitty learns that she is pregnant.
Karenin has been living alone in St. Petersburg with his son, Seryozha. Without Anna, he lives a sad and humiliated existence. Anna and Vronsky return to St. Petersburg, but they begin to realize that no high society people will speak to Anna or associate with her. One night, Anna goes out to see the opera and is insulted by one of her old acquaintances. Anna and Vronsky leave for the countryside.
Dolly Oblonsky and her children stay with Kitty and Levin for the summer. Levin’s brother Sergei and Kitty’s friend Varenka also stay with them for a while. Sergei contemplates proposing to Varenka but decides against it. Dolly goes to visit Anna, and as she travels, she thinks about her own unhappy life and wonders whether Anna might have chosen the best path in life by leaving her husband.
Anna is thrilled to receive Dolly, and she confesses that she is again completely happy in her life with Vronsky. Vronsky and Anna are living in great luxury, and Vronsky is undertaking some charity projects and helping the local peasants by building a hospital for them. Vronsky is worried that his daughter, Annie, is technically a Karenina since Anna has not obtained a divorce from Karenin. Dolly tries to convince Anna to ask Karenin for the divorce so that she can marry Vronsky. After a long period of deliberation, Anna does write to Karenin for the divorce, and she and Vronsky move to Moscow.
Kitty and Levin move to Moscow for Kitty’s confinement so that she can be near the best doctors. Kitty briefly meets with Vronsky, and she is pleased by the fact that she is no longer in love with him and can now speak to him calmly. Levin and Vronsky become friends. Stepan Oblonsky invites Levin to come with him to meet Anna, and Levin is charmed by Anna’s wit and beauty. Anna wonders why Vronsky is no longer as charmed by her as new acquaintances are, and she fights with Vronsky over his freedom to move about in society while she is bound to him and can rarely leave their home. Kitty gives birth to a healthy son, Dmitri.
Karenin changes his mind about granting Anna a divorce. Anna and Vronsky’s relationship grows more and more strained. Anna is constantly jealous of Vronsky although he gives no indication that he is being unfaithful to her, and Vronsky is constantly exasperated with Anna. After one particularly bitter argument, Anna begins to imagine that death will solve all her problems. By dying, Anna will no longer feel the shame of her fallen state, the pain of being separated from her son, Seryozha, or the anxiety of wondering whether Vronsky still loves her.
Vronsky briefly leaves Anna to go visit his mother, and Anna goes to meet him at the train station. At the train station, Anna’s thoughts of suicide become all consuming, and she jumps in front of an oncoming train. She briefly regrets her decision, but it is too late to avoid the train’s impact, and Anna is killed.
A few months after Anna’s death, Vronsky volunteers in the Russian army, which is mobilizing to help liberate the Slavs in Serbia. Vronsky’s mother tells Levin’s brother Sergei that Vronsky wouldn’t speak to anyone for six weeks after Anna’s death and that his family kept him on a suicide watch for that period of time. Karenin adopts Annie.
Sergei goes to visit Kitty and Levin in the country. Kitty is glad to see him because she thinks his visit might improve Levin’s mood. Levin has been contemplating the meaning of life and reading philosophical books, and Kitty is worried about his gloomy attitude. Levin has a conversion experience and becomes a Christian. A storm strikes the countryside, and Levin worries about Kitty, who has taken their infant son, Dmitri, out into the woods. He finds his wife and baby unharmed by the storm, and Kitty is grateful that Levin finally seems to have some genuine love for his son. Levin looks forward to the future, knowing that he is not perfect but that he has found meaning in his life.
The Oblonskys’ nurse, Matryona Filimonovna, tells Stepan that he must apologize to his wife again for his infidelity. She says that Stepan should pray to God because God is merciful and may help him obtain forgiveness from Dolly. Dolly says that the concept of Christian forgiveness is not applicable in her situation with Stepan’s adultery. Stepan does not like enduring long church services and does not understand why people want to talk about heaven when life on earth is so enjoyable. Stepan is said to have friends who are ministers.
When Levin is trying to propose to Kitty, he asks God to help him and guide him. Stepan mentions Jesus’ connection with Mary Magdalene when Levin expresses his dislike for sexually immoral women. Prince and Princess Shcherbatsky make the sign of the Cross over each other before they go to sleep. Princess Shcherbatsky and Kitty both pray for God to have mercy on them during the difficult time of finding a husband for Kitty.
Levin’s brother Nikolai was once religiously devout and attended as many church services as possible. Nikolai’s friends and brothers mocked him for being so religiously devoted. When Nikolai is sick and dying, he alternately calls out the names of God and the Devil. Before he dies, Nikolai takes the sacrament and receives absolution. One woman misquotes a Bible verse from the Beatitudes in the book of Matthew. She thinks the verse is simply a common saying and does not know it is from the Bible.
Anna thanks God when she leaves Moscow, glad to be going back to her ordinary life and leaving Vronsky. Anna notices that her very religious friend Countess Lydia is always angry and always talking about her many enemies. Karenin says to Anna that they have been joined in marriage not by man but by God himself.
Madame Stahl is said to be a very religious woman, though no one knows whether she is Protestant, Catholic or Greek Orthodox. Madame Stahl gives Kitty a copy of the four Gospels in French, and Kitty reads them with interest. As a result of Madame Stahl and Varenka’s religious influence, Kitty’s interest in actions of Christian charity, such as feeding the poor and caring for the sick, reaches an extreme level. Kitty’s generosity seems to be more inspired by her own need to be needed by others than by a genuine spiritual transformation. Prince Shcherbatsky finds it strange that Madame Stahl thanks God for everything, even unfortunate events like her husband’s death.
Dolly attends Catholic Mass and takes communion with her children. She is careful to observe outward religious rituals. Dolly implores Karenin to forgive Anna of her adultery, because he is a Christian. Mirroring Dolly’s earlier attitude toward her own cheating spouse, Karenin says that forgiveness will not help in this instance. Later, Karenin does forgive Anna and Vronsky, and he cites the Scripture about turning the other cheek. Karenin feels a deep sense of spiritual peace after forgiving Anna and Vronsky.
After committing adultery, Anna knows that she cannot find consolation in religion. She does not doubt the truth of Christianity, but she knows that the only way she can live properly according to Christian rules is to give up her relationship with Vronsky, which she is unwilling to do. Anna says that God created her to love and to live, and her husband has always crushed her will to love.
Levin’s friend Sviazhsky does not believe in God or the Devil, but he is concerned about improving the Russian clergy, and he helps maintain the church in his village. Levin is an agnostic, and though he is not sure if he believes in the existence of God, he is not a Christian. Kitty is a Christian, but she is not bothered by her husband’s lack of devotion to religion. Levin must go to confession before being permitted to marry in a Catholic ceremony. Although he is not a Christian, he attends a few masses in preparation for his confession, to get into the right mindset for taking part in a sacrament. In confession, Levin tells the priest that he doubts all of the doctrines of the church. The priest tells Levin to pray to God to strengthen his faith. The priest is concerned that Levin’s children may not grow up in the church if Levin himself does not follow the tenets of Christianity. Kitty and Levin are married in a Catholic ceremony. Levin prays to God for His mercy when Kitty goes into labor with their child.
In Italy, Vronsky and Anna admire a painting of Jesus Christ and Pontius Pilate. Karenin becomes a much more sincere and devout Christian after Anna leaves him, because his only remaining consolation in life comes from his faith. Karenin quizzes Seryozha on his knowledge of the New and Old Testaments, but the boy’s memory and understanding of Scripture is limited. Karenin is disappointed that Seryozha cannot list the names of all the biblical patriarchs who lived before the Flood. A countess has an argument with Stepan Oblonsky about faith versus works. She says that a Christian is saved through faith, while Stepan asserts that good works are a requirement of salvation.
Prior to her suicide, Anna says to herself that the outward observances of religion, such as attending church, only exist to conceal the fact that all people hate each other. In the moments before she is killed, Anna crosses herself and asks God to forgive her. At the end of the novel, Levin has a conversion experience and becomes a Christian.
Stepan reads a liberal newspaper, which says that religion is merely a tool to keep the lower class citizens well behaved. Stepan makes a joke about evolution.
Dolly has a very accurate sense of intuition, and her impressions are regarded as predictions of the future. She predicts Kitty and Levin’s marriage long before there is any reason to suspect they will marry. Dolly also believes in some theory of soul transmigration, which is never fully explained.
A countess believes in spiritualism and discusses table rapping, an exercise where people sit in a circle and try to communicate with dead spirits by listening for tapping sounds from their table. Levin dismisses the countess’s beliefs as superstition, and he compares her occult beliefs with those of Russian peasant women, who believe in things like the evil eye, witchcraft, omens and goblins. Vronsky tries to salvage the conversation by saying that no one truly understands the force of electricity, so why shouldn’t there be an unknown spiritual force in the world, which human minds do not understand? Levin replies that certain steps will always produce electricity, whereas table rapping does not always produce results, therefore the spiritual forces the countess likes cannot be a natural phenomenon, but a hoax. To make Levin angry, the countess says that he would make a good spiritual medium. A clairvoyant named Landau is famous for giving people advice in his sleep.
Anna Karenina says that it is an evil omen when a train kills a guard as she arrives in Moscow. Anna and Vronsky have an identical nightmare of an old peasant man saying frightening things in French. Anna believes the dream means she will die in childbirth. Anna has the dream on the night before her suicide.
Stepan’s wife, Dolly, has six living and two deceased children. She is said to be a devoted mother, and Stepan considers her good parenting techniques to be her only virtue. Dolly says that she is the only one who truly thinks of her children’s welfare, while Stepan only plays with them. Stepan is said to think like a bachelor. Although he makes occasional brief efforts to be a good family man, he has difficulty remembering that he should think of his wife’s and children’s needs.
Stepan is very concerned about his children running wild after his wife becomes depressed. Stepan’s favorite child is his oldest daughter, Tanya, and he and Tanya share a happy, affectionate relationship. Stepan does not love his youngest son, Grisha, as much as Tanya, and although Stepan tries to be kind to the boy, Grisha knows that his father does not truly love him.
Levin likes the Shcherbatsky family because they have a warm, sophisticated home life, which he has always missed, being an orphan with no siblings close to his age. Levin dreams of having a large, happy family of his own.
Kitty’s parents, Prince and Princess Shcherbatsky, both want to arrange the best possible marriage for their youngest daughter, although they disagree about which man will be the best husband for Kitty. Kitty’s father favors Levin, while her mother prefers Vronsky. The Shcherbatskys seek out the best medical care they can find for their daughter once she becomes ill. They take her to Europe to help her recuperate from her emotional trauma. When Kitty accepts Levin’s proposal of marriage, both her parents are thrilled with her decision, and they welcome Levin into their family.
Somewhat like Levin, Vronsky has never truly experienced family life. He barely remembers his father, and his mother is an immoral woman well known for her many extramarital affairs. Because of her immorality, Vronsky does not respect his mother. He does not even love his mother, although his outward behavior toward her is obedient and respectful.
At the start of the novel, Anna Karenina is concerned about leaving 8-year-old Seryozha while she goes to visit her brother Stepan in Moscow. Anna is a kind and attentive aunt to her nieces and nephews. When she sees Seryozha after her trip to Moscow, Anna feels disappointed in him because he is not as delightful as she remembered him. Anna does not want to abandon her husband because she thinks her son will not be able to respect her if she abandons his father. Anna tries to improve her relationship with Seryozha when she realizes that she might lose both her husband and Vronsky. It is not clear whether her renewed love for her son is genuine, or whether it is the result of guilt or the fear of being left alone.
Karenin was once an attentive father to his son, Seryozha, but after Anna begins her affair with Vronsky, he treats Seryozha coldly. Seryozha has always been shy around his father, but this coldness makes him almost afraid of Karenin. Seryozha looks to Anna for comfort when Karenin’s presence makes him uncomfortable. Karenin tells Anna that he will take their son from her, even though he no longer loves the boy, whom he associates with Anna’s disgrace. After Anna nearly dies in childbirth, Karenin regains his compassion for his son. Karenin also feels tenderness toward his wife’s illegitimate child, and he visits Annie in her nursery several times a day. Karenin worries about his wife’s lack of attention to her own baby when he himself is so delighted by the child.
Kitty helps nurse all six of Dolly’s children when they are sick with scarlet fever. Dolly loves her children and is proud of them. She always looks out for their well-being and tends to their physical and emotional needs. Dolly has to ask Stepan for money to buy their children winter coats, but he says to purchase the coats on credit. Stepan has money for the coats, but he used it to buy a coral necklace for his new mistress.
After Anna moves to Italy with Vronsky, she almost entirely forgets about Seryozha. She enjoys spending time with her daughter, and the presence of her new child makes her think less about her older child. When Anna returns to St. Petersburg, she is anxious to see Seryozha. The two of them have a joyful reunion, although Anna cannot stay with him for very long. Anna tells Seryozha to love his father because Karenin is a good man and a better person than Anna herself. Anna begins to feel that she loves Seryozha more than she can ever love Annie. Dolly is shocked at how little care Anna seems to have for Annie, and Dolly is also concerned that Anna has hired unqualified, sullen nurses to care for the child. When Annie gets sick, Anna only tends to the child because she has nothing else to occupy her time, and she finally admits to herself that she does not and cannot love Annie.
God’s name is used with sake, my and in __ name. Profanities such as h—, d—n, and d–nation are used occasionally.
Vronsky and Oblonsky see the mutilated corpse of a guard, who falls under a moving train. The man’s body has been cut in half. Levin’s brother Nikolai once tried to raise a little boy, but he beat the boy in a fit of rage, and he was sued for causing bodily damage to the child. After seeing Vronsky visit his house, Karenin grabs Anna’s arm hard enough to leave red marks on her skin. After Anna’s suicide, Vronsky recalls seeing her bloody body lying in the cloakroom of a train station.
Stepan has an affair with a French governess. He says that there is something very vulgar about making love with a governess. A few weeks after their reconciliation, Stepan’s wife, Dolly, suspects him of infidelity. A year after his affair with the governess, Stepan makes it clear to his friend Levin that he is courting women other than his wife. Stepan kisses a ballet dancer who is his new mistress.
Levin says that he despises fallen women, by which he seems to mean women who have committed either fornication or adultery. Vronsky says that most men prefer prostitutes to high society women, because if a man can’t interest a prostitute, it simply means that he doesn’t have enough money to pay her, while a well-bred woman can destroy a man’s ego and dignity if she refuses his courtship.
Levin recalls that his brother Nikolai lived like a monk during college, avoiding any kind of sexual activity. After college, Nikolai went wild with debauchery. In the present, Nikolai lives with Marya, a woman he rescued from a brothel. Nikolai tells everyone to respect Marya as if she were his wife, although they are not married. Nikolai himself refers to Marya as a whore. Later, Nikolai breaks up with Marya, but Marya reunites with Nikolai and cares for him on his deathbed. Levin is disgusted by the idea of a former prostitute like Marya meeting his pure wife, Kitty.
Kitty’s doctor is a young man who insists that his young female patients be naked when he examines them. Kitty is very embarrassed by his examination, which is not described.
The high society of St. Petersburg views Vronsky’s quest to win Anna as something noble. A man failing to win the love of an unmarried girl would be laughed at, but they believe that a man desperately trying to lure a married woman into adultery has a sense of grandness about him. At the opera, a girl named Betsy Tverskaya intentionally pulls down the neckline of her dress to expose as much of her skin as possible. Betsy is a married woman, but she is having an affair with a man named Tushkevich.
After Anna and Vronsky commit adultery for the first time, Anna cries and feels ashamed. Vronsky kisses her face and shoulders to console her. Anna has a recurring dream that Karenin and Vronsky are both her husbands and that each of them are in bed touching her. Vronsky’s mother initially approves of her son’s affair with Anna. She thinks that an affair in high society will distinguish her son, but she is disappointed when she learns that Vronsky is desperately in love with Anna and is turning down important career opportunities in order to stay near her.
Vronsky’s military friend Serpuhovskoy kisses another soldier on the lips, although the context seems platonic rather than homosexual.
A woman wears a very low-cut dress, and Levin tries and fails to avoid staring at the woman’s chest as she sits across from him at dinner. Vronsky entertains a foreign prince who enjoys spending time with actresses and ballet girls, and who has visited a harem during his travels. Levin and Kitty kiss before their marriage. After Kitty and Levin’s engagement, Kitty’s parents are so joyful that they exchange several passionate kisses.
Levin wants Kitty to understand that he has not been chaste before marriage, because he does not want to keep secrets from her. Before their marriage, Levin gives Kitty his diaries, which reveal his past affairs. Kitty forgives Levin for his moral failings, but she is still heartbroken to read the accounts. After he marries Kitty, Levin looks down on his brother-in-law Stepan for being unfaithful to Kitty’s sister, Dolly, when Levin himself would never consider being unfaithful to his wife. Dolly daydreams about leaving her husband and having an affair like Anna’s.
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Tobacco: Characters smoke cigarettes and cigars.
Alcohol: Characters drink champagne, wine, vodka and other forms of alcohol. Levin’s brother Nikolai is an alcoholic and his vodka-drinking habit harms his health.
Drugs: After moving to the countryside with Vronsky, Anna continually takes morphine at night to help her sleep.
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