Home > Anna Karénina Summary & Study Guide > Anna Karénina Group > Discussion Board

what i feel is,she had two options..

1.To kill her respect  in society to get her love

2.To suppress herself forever under the falsehood of her life.

Both had pain in  them...but she chose the first one..

Do you think she was right?plz justify.

Stories such as "the Storm" believe that passion is uncontrollable and almosta  force of nature to be reckoned with.  In most circumstances, literature does not deal with the psychological stress of adultery because to most it is just "something to do."

I wouldn't say that Anna is right or wrong, it was just her decision to do it. It would be possible to find evidence both pro and con, so at this time, I would have to agree with the character, but not necessarily with her actions.

Anna was definitely looking for a way out of her situation.  When the opportunity came along in the form of Vronsky, she saw it as a kind of liberation.  However, in order to gain her freedom, she had to sacrifice everything: her position in society, her home, even her son.  As a mother, there is no possible way I could pursue my own personal joy by leaving my son, even if I did hate the life I had.  Anna is selfish and absorbed in her own life problems.  She takes for herself with little consideration for the people around her, just like her brother, Count Oblonsky. 

Tolstoy contrasts the relationship of the selfish Anna and Vronsky with the loving but imperfect Levin and Kitty.  Their marriage is also difficult at times, and they go through their own share of trying situations, but instead of turning inward to focus on their own self-centered desires, they turn to each other for help and hope.

With that being said - No, I don't think Anna is justified in commiting adultery.  Yes, her husband is fairly awful and she is surpressed in her situation, but there is almost no excuse for abandoning your child to follow your own selfish impulses.