Anna Karenina Relationship Essay
The reality of love is that it is both inevitable and unpredictable. The sensation of infatuation is bound to occur in an individuals mind at some point in his or her existence, but used rashly or carelessly, love can evolve into a perilous force that can cause torment and destruction in a persons life. The ability to harness love between a couple cannot be mastered. However, the broad view of affection has been categorized into classifications, separating different levels of love into groups. These classifications compound to create a theory of love that was developed by Robert Sternberg. This model is composed of three major concepts: passion, commitment, and intimacy. Sternberg has defined intimacy as an emotional connection that involves the revealing of intense, personal information between the partners of a relationship. Passion is the motivational drive in a relationship that involves sexual attraction and the longing for sexual intimacy. Passion is both easily aroused and easily depressed. Commitment can be defined as the feeling of faithfulness and loyalty between the partners in a relationship. Different combinations of these three concepts develop the formula of Sternbergs classifications of love. It is quite possible to relate this model to the various healthy and unhealthy relationships in Anna Karenina. Tolstoy is very successful in creating a work of literature that exposes the reader to a variety of feelings that love entails. The constant array of both successful and unsuccessful relations in this dramatic novel can be appropriately evaluated by applying Sternbergs theory.
One of the most devastating and disheartening love affairs in Anna Karenina occurs between Anna and Karenin. Anna is a beautiful, intelligent, and respected woman of high society. She is both spiritual and affectionate, and her pursuit for honesty in both love and emotion, is what ultimately leads to her demise. Anna respects and believes in love, not only between a man and a woman, but also within the family that they create. She despises fakery, fraud, and dishonesty. This both helps and hinders her in high society. Karenin, however, is a man of pure business. His primary motivation derives from his will to support not to nurture. He can be viewed as having an empty soul, and this is due to his fulfillment of marital and family duties without pride. Karenin spends the majority of his hours carrying out his duties as a high-ranking government official. His success as a governmental minister is what gains him respect, and the Russian high-society tends to look beyond his social flaws. Anna, however, cannot help but recognize his lack of tenderness towards her and their son. He represents the one thing that Anna refuses to accept, and in the end, separation is the only way to resolve these conflicts.
Upon the introduction of these two characters in the story, the reader can sense the blandness of their relationship. Anna and Karenin seem to be in a state of constant turbulence, and the lack of passion and intimacy between them is obvious. The warmth and emotion in their love begins to whittle away. The couple struggles their way through the highly judgmental Russian society. They put on a false sense of happiness and affection when greeting their rich, highly decorated friends. It soon becomes apparent that Anna can no longer live in this manner. She can sense the lack of feeling in the way Karenin greets her on a daily basis. Anna begins to venture farther and farther away from her husband and their estate. They become utter strangers under the same roof. Karenin avoids dining with his wife, and for months they force themselves to see each other on a daily basis, like a normal couple should do. It is not long until Anna becomes captivated by another man. This man is Vronsky, a wealthy and dashing military officer, and he introduces a new aspect of love that Anna could not experience with Karenin. With Vronsky, Anna begins to experience sexual intimacy towards this handsome, successful man. Annas love affairs do not go long unnoticed by Karenin, and he soon confronts Anna with his concerns. Karenin expresses to Anna, I should like to warn you, that through recklessness and light-mindedness you may be giving people an occasion to discuss you. Your excessively lively conversation today with Count Vronsky has attracted some attention. Karenin acquires this suspicious attitude, when he becomes aware that it is unnatural for Anna, as a married woman, to concentrate so much attention on another man, with whom she is not married. It is after this confrontation that their relationship departs into a downwards spiral, with no chance of recovery.
It is quite clear that the relationship between Anna and Karenin fits under the classification of empty love. Empty love occurs when a stronger love deteriorates into empty love, in which the commitment remains, but the intimacy and passion have died. It is apparent that there is no longer any vehemence in the attraction of this dying love. The sexual pleasures that Anna and Karenin may have experienced at the birth of their marriage, are now a thing of the past. The only adhesive that binds them together is commitment. Why is their commitment in a relationship, in which love has deceased? Well, Anna and Karenin have obligations that they must fulfill as a couple. One of these duties is raising their son, and for some time the Karenins stay together for the sake of him. As Annas hatred grows more furious towards Karenin, however, Seryozha can no longer secure and bandage his parents relationship. Amongst a heated argument, Anna divulges, Yes, Ive even lost my son because hes associated with my loathing for you. Anna begins to show strong, negative feelings towards Karenin and everything associated with their marriage. The only reason divorce is not an option, is for the fear of the destruction of their image. The Russian high society is for wealthy, important, and happily married couples. It is a community of perfection, flawlessness, and idealism. Divorce, affairs, and break-ups are all frowned upon within their network of friends and associates. They hide their broken, imperfect love to sustain their position in society, and maintain their lavish lifestyle.
Following the near termination of all romantic ties amidst the relationship of Anna and Karenin, Anna directs her amatory devotions to a new man, Vronsky, who offers a newly welcomed sense of passion in Annas life. Like Anna, Vronsky hails from a society where being elegant, handsome and bold is more desirable than being kind and nonjudgmental. Among this artificial, sanctimonious community, the only showings of passion and intimacy are those behind closed doors. The measurement of success in this lifestyle is based on the size of the individuals bank account, not on his attitude towards life and love. Vronsky, a military man, frees himself from the grasp of high society when he departs from Moscow. He steps into a world of affection. He is soon joined by Anna, who abandons her virtuous circles in Petersburg to join Vronskys world. For a portion of the book, it is a game of cat and mouse between this couple, as they sneak their love affairs and romantic rendezvous. Vronsky becomes especially consumed by love and pride for his beloved Anna. To him, it is he and Anna against the world. Aside from this new amorous lifestyle, Vronsky gains a contradicting feeling of loathing for himself, his previous life, and for Karenin. This abhorrence is born from his hatred for having to lie, deceive and scheme to conceal his love for Anna. He begins to become concerned by the sacrifices that Anna has to make for him, and his career and social standing begin to suffer. Although affairs are common in his social society, they are only acceptable when gone unnoticed from the publics eye. Their encounters, however, do not go unnoticed. Their behavior in public, especially directly in front of Karenin, is what starts a chain of gossip. The fear arises that Vronsky is jeopardizing his high paying, highly decorated military job. He receives warning from both his mother and brother about his dicey actions. The relationship between this once infatuated pair then enters a path that ends in complete and utter destruction of their love.
A very momentous event occurs involving Anna and Vronsky that proves to test the roots of their relationship. This is the birth of their child. Vronsky, a confirmed bachelor, has never known a family life. He neither requests marriage nor confirms commitment upon the news of Annas pregnancy, but he does ask for her to divorce Karenin. Time goes on, and there is a lasting standstill of Annas divorce. It seems as if Vronsky loses an amount of interest in Anna. Anna is afraid of losing her son, Seryozha, and Vronsky tries to make her leave her previous family to become a part of their newly created one. Upon his lovers refusal, Vronsky loses pride for Anna. She isnt the passionate, lively, loving woman that he had come to know so well. She spirals into a downturn of craziness and loss: loss of love, friendship, and personal confidence. She begins to accuse Vronsky of loving other women, escaping their home to get away from her, and of living a false love. Overwhelmed by doubt, Anna utters, Respect was invented to cover the empty place where love should be. But if you dont love me, it would be better and more honest to say so. Similar to her actions with Karenin, Anna seeks truth from Vronsky. She proposes that they flee to the country scene to live without the social pressures of the city, and she fights with Vronsky to do so. In a final act of vengeance, Anna jumps in front of a train to take her own life. It was a sad, pitiful ending to a woman who could have had a thriving future without the interference of love.
It can be said, with great certainty, that the relationship of Anna and Vronsky evolved throughout the book. While Anna is still in the process of removing herself from Karenins clutches, they have an infatuated love for each other. At the first moment of attraction between Anna and Vronsky, Tolstoy writes, In that brief glance Vronsky had time to notice the restrained animation that played over her face and fluttered between her shining eyes and the barely noticeable smile that curved her red lips. It was as if a surplus of something so overflowed her being that it expressed itself beyond her will, now in the brightness of her glance, now in her smile. These two lovers have a love at first sight mentality at this point in the novel, which gives them the false idea that they are worthy matches for each other. Their adulation is based on their intense passion and sexual encounters. They both come from periods of pressured commitment, and when they exit this life, they enter the world of sexual intimacy and helpless love. They lose sight of commitment, and their relationship is that of a high school couple. As they spend more and more time together, their passion begins to mellow, and when Anna becomes pregnant, they have no choice but to be committed to each other. They become true companions, with dying passion, but they still have a longing to be intimate and together. Anna and Vronskys bond evolves once again after the longing divorce and Annas questioning attitude that causes Vronsky to stray from their love. He loses an aspect of commitment that they were just beginning to develop. At this point in their relationship, they no longer have any aspects of love. All of their deep affection towards each other is now only in their memories, and a new sense of hatred and annoyance takes its place. Vronsky and Anna are in a state where they are forced to be together, but no longer are in love. This situation causes depression, anxiety, and horror to overtake Anna, and it results in a very disappointing, despairing way.
Reaching the culmination of Annas existence, it is hard not to question her approach to life. It is above doubt that Anna possesses all the aspects of life that a woman could possibly desire at the opening of the novel. She is, however, below the readers conscience, lacking two very important qualities that can define true success. The first is happiness, and it is quite evident that Anna is not of the highest spirits at any point in the book. She has a family, to which she does not feel like she belongs, and a husband, to whom she cannot stand the sight of. Worst of all, she is forced to live in this state of deceit by her own will. The second quality that she becomes deprived of is love. It can be argued that Anna doesnt procure the knowledge of how to truly and consummately love another human being. She fabricates bonds between two men of high class and wealth. She respects their success and lavishing lifestyles. Anna is, however, idiotic to think that either one of these men would make proper companions. Karenin, a man lacking warmth and benevolence, and Vronsky, a man whose fiery passion hides his broken soul, do not hold the necessary requirements to suffice Annas confounding personality. Looking upon these two, seemingly flawless men, comes the question if Annas needs are too great and complex. Are there honest, captivating men in the world? Can men be both passionate and committed? It is this fastidious complexion that costs Anna her life. At the conclusion of her second relationship, Anna is stripped of love, success, friendship, and wealth. She is left in a state of anxiety, with the only escape being death. Anna Kareninas failure to find fully consummate love, which is defined by Robert Sternberg as being complete, is what causes her to venture down an avenue of devastation.
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