Characters Discussed
Last Updated November 8, 2023.
Anna Arkadyevna Karenina
Anna Karenina is a passionate and independent aristocrat who defies societal norms, setting her apart from more conventional women of her era, such as her sister-in-law Dolly, who embodies traditional female roles. She is a romantic idealist who believes in the power of love, even if it is dangerous or destructive. Tolstoy describes her as beautiful with dark hair and a "full, graceful figure," but he does not provide additional physical details.
Anna's character is defined by her loveless marriage to Alexei Karenin, an older man more concerned with social appearances than emotional connection. Her unhappiness in this marriage drives her to seek love and fulfillment elsewhere, leading to her affair with Count Vronsky. However, this affair results in her becoming a social outcast, facing judgment from the Russian aristocracy.
Anna is also a mother, and her relationship with her son, Seryozha, is essential to her character. Her guilt and longing for her son conflict with her passionate love for Vronsky.
Anna yearns for a life filled with passion, freedom, and personal fulfillment. She is dissatisfied with the societal norms that limit her and wishes for a life where she can fully engage in living rather than passively observing from the sidelines.
Anna Arkadyevna read and understood, but it was distasteful to her to read, that is, to follow the reflection of other people's lives. She had too great a desire to live herself.
Unfortunately, Anna experiences intense emotional turmoil, ultimately descending into depression. In the end, she takes her own life because her desires remain unfulfilled.
Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky
Vronsky is a charming aristocrat and a skilled cavalry officer. He is ambitious and aspires to achieve recognition in both the military and society. Vronsky is described as a dark, handsome, and elegant man whose good looks and social status attract the attention of many women in Russian high society.
Vronsky was a squarely built, dark man, not very tall, with a good-humored, handsome, and exceedingly calm and resolute face. Everything about his face and figure, from his short-cropped black hair and freshly shaven chin down to his loosely fitting, brand-new uniform, was simple and at the same time elegant.
His affair with Anna is a defining aspect of his character and the novel's plot. Despite his love for Anna, Vronsky struggles with inner conflict, leading to a range of emotions, including guilt, frustration, and a sense of responsibility.
He even tries to end his own life when Anna's husband forgives them for their affair and declares that he won't leave his wife under any circumstances. Fortunately, he survives the gunshot to his chest.
He ...took a revolver, looked round him, turned it to a loaded barrel, and sank into thought. ...pulling the revolver to the left side of his chest, and clutching it vigorously with his whole hand, ...he pulled the trigger. ...he knew he had shot himself.
"Idiotic! Missed!" he said, fumbling after the revolver.
As the story progresses, his character changes, and he serves as a foil to Anna, highlighting their differing experiences as they deal with the aftermath of their love affair. Following Anna's death, he commits himself to military service and entrusts Karenin with the care of his daughter.
Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin
Karenin is an influential government official in the Russian bureaucracy. He is characterized by his strong sense of duty and rigid moral code. Karenin is an intelligent, reserved man who values his career and public image. He is assumed to be in his mid-40s and lacks physical attractiveness. Tolstoy describes him as a man with a "frigid and imposing figure,"...
(This entire section contains 1167 words.)
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ears that "stick out strangely," and "weary eyes."
As a husband, he is emotionally distant and primarily concerned with maintaining the appearance of a respectable marriage, even though his marriage to Anna is loveless. He is often portrayed as cold, but those who know him well understand that despite his coldness, "he could not hear or see a child or woman crying without being moved."
Throughout the story, Karenin struggles with the consequences of Anna's affair with Vronsky. His primary concern is not that his wife does not love him or is having an affair; instead, his main worry is the potential damage to his reputation.
Karenin is not necessarily bad, but he is too preoccupied with what people might think. He is less enthusiastic about pursuing freedom, passion, and satisfaction in life than Anna is. He wishes to live a stable, comfortable life without drama or scandals. Ultimately, he even adopts Anna and Vronsky's daughter as his own, demonstrating that despite his coldness and rigidity, he possesses kindness.
Konstantin Dimitrich Levin (Kostya)
Levin is characterized by his honesty and strong aversion to selfishness and hypocrisy, which are some of the primary reasons he dislikes the Russian aristocracy and city life. He is a kind-hearted farmer deeply connected to the land and nature, finding purpose in agriculture.
Though not as wealthy, he is considered "a man of good family, rather rich than poor." However, due to his low self-esteem and ordinary appearance, he sees himself as an "ugly, good-natured," and unremarkable man.
This self-perception leads him to believe he is an unsuitable match for Kitty, whom he deeply loves. Ultimately, he marries Kitty, with whom he has a child, and they experience a life filled with happiness and fulfillment.
He has a brother named Nikolai, who is ill with tuberculosis. His brother's suffering only deepens his confusion about the meaning of death, but he comes to realize that despite death, he must continue to live and love. Levin finds solace in faith and is the only character in the novel who learns to genuinely appreciate the beauty of life and the human experience.
In spite of death, he felt the need of life and love. ...I shall still be as unable to understand with my reason why I pray, and I shall still go on praying; but my life now, ...every minute of it is no more meaningless, as it was before, but it has the positive meaning of goodness, which I have the power to put into it."
Katerina Alexandrovna Shcherbatsky (Kitty)
At the beginning of the novel, Kitty is portrayed as a young, sensitive woman, "unconsciously religious and good," caught up in the societal expectations of the Russian aristocracy. She initially hopes for a romantic relationship with Vronsky, but her dreams are shattered when he falls in love with Anna Karenina.
After being rejected by Vronsky, she experiences a period of despair and self-reflection. However, she gradually matures, gains a more realistic perspective on love and life, and marries Levin.
While Anna's life falls apart due to her pursuit of passion and societal rebellion, Kitty finds greater fulfillment in a peaceful, family-centered life. She represents the idea that happiness can be found in simpler, more traditional values, in contrast to the turbulent and tragic life of Anna. Her transformation from a naive girl to a mature, loving wife and mother signifies her personal growth.