Her friends abandon her, ashamed of her behavior.

Karenin refuses a divorce with Anna, in order that he might deepen her guilt.Īnna's life becomes terrible. He tried to commit suicide by shooting himself, but he, like Anna, did not die. While Anna was sick and Karenin was present at her side, Vronsky was humiliated by what he had done. Yet Anna recovers and forgets quickly about Karenin, once again taking up her torrid affair with the count. Anna swears that is all she wants out of her remaining life. Karenin thinks she is going to die, so he forgives her for everything she did. Anna, meanwhile, runs off with Vronsky.Īfter having Vronsky's baby, Anna becomes seriously ill. Karenin discovers the extent of the affair when he sees Vronsky leaving his house, and helooks into divorce. Yet Anna cannot let go of Vronsky-she continues to see him quite often. He fears the ridicule of society far more than the destruction of his own marriage. He demands that his social pride and honor be preserved throughout the whole matter, and he and Anna pretend nothing is happening. She must, obviously, tell Karenin the news. They have an affair that rips at the threads of their social lives when Anna becomes pregnant. She tries hard to escape his stares, to avoid meeting him, but he is persistent and she is smitten. Shortly, though, Anna meets and falls in love with the dashing Count Vronsky. Their marriage seems stable and united from the start. She is married to the high-ranking, upper class Karenin. Quickly, Anna is understood as a generous person, interested only in benevolence. Anna manages to convince Dolly to forgive him.

Anna's brother Stiva has been caught cheating on his wife, Dolly.

Anna's appearance in the novel represents a rift in the tranquil world which allows physical passion and irrationality to prevail. Levin's relationship to the land and life is contrasted with Anna's enigmatic and destructive passions. The beauty of the seasons and the pragmatic work of harvesting absorb Levin. Levin's story is an expression of Tolstoy's pastoral nature and a reaffirmation of the novelist's vision of the simple life. Anna Karenina has two plots that run side by side throughout the novel: the story of Anna and the story of Levin.

Story of anna karenina by leo tolstoy