Examples Of Imagery In Anna Karenina

It is a known fact that society undoubtedly fears change. Whether it is fear of the unknown or fear of being vulnerable, society as a whole does not like the idea of change. However, that is simply not the case for the author of Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy. Unlike the rest of society during his time Leo Tolstoy sees change as the only method to improving society. Many people in Russian society are, in fact, afraid of change and are more concerned with how they appear to others than what positive effect they could potentially have on society. Throughout Anna Karenina a few characters allow society to influence their behavior, beliefs or actions in a negative manner. Tolstoy believes people need to speak up for how they feel or what they believe

Anna Karenina, who was originally married to Karenin, causes immense conflict among characters. Through Tolstoy's use of imagery, Anna is presented as a beautiful young woman. Thus, men have no issue falling head over heels for her. The first example of the interesting web of relationships is when, Anna ends up cheating on Karenin, with a wealthy young man named, Vronsky. Being disloyal to your spouse at this time was against all norms of Russian culture. Karenin says “her whole character is so corrupt, and so deprived…” (473), when asked about Anna after the infidelity. A second example of awkward positions is when the news spreads of Anna’s actions to the rest of society, she struggles going out anywhere without getting nasty looks or the cold shoulder. Which is a motif Tolstoy presents about Anna having others looking down upon her. Anna was tired of hiding from society and allowing others to dictate her life, in result, she chose to go see a play. Both, Anna, and Vronsky felt uncomfortable by the looks they received at the play, but this is what society wanted them to feel like. A third example of the mixed relationships is before Anna and Vronsky met. This is because Anna and Karenin had a boy named Seryozha. Seryozha loves his mother and never listened to the rumors he heard about her. However, while Anna is cheating on Karenina with Vronsky she gets pregnant with

In Russian culture, the majority of women are stay at home moms. Many women in Anna Karenina are in fact housewives, which means that they clean the house and tend to the children. One example of a housewife is, Dolly Oblonsky. She is a loving mother of six children and portrayed as the perfect wife. “Dolly drove to mass for all her children...”, so that her children would grow up with proper faith and good spirits (313). One iconic theme Tolstoy writes about is the idea that moms will do close to anything in order to better their children. Another person in Anna Karenina that promotes change in Russian society is Kitty Shcherbatskaya, who is a very young and bubbly woman, which brings me to my second example. Kitty and Levin meet at a dinner party that Stiva Oblonsky hosts, and soon thereafter Levin falls in love with Kitty. When the two met there was an instant connection, Levin describes Kitty as “frightened, timid...and consequently even more charming” as a result (460). Levin and Kitty end up being married, but more than marriage they are companions and best friends. A third example would be when Kitty's family takes her to a German Spa, to bathe in the Soden waters of bath. The purpose of this spa is to help Kitty find her true self, and find out what she needs in her life. At the German Spa, Kitty ends up falling in love with the actions of Varenka. She admires anything Varenka does and tries to mirror her. With