DOC PREVIEW
The Implications of Love

This preview shows page 1-2 out of 7 pages.

Save
View full document
View full document
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 7 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience
View full document
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 7 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience
Premium Document
Do you want full access? Go Premium and unlock all 7 pages.
Access to all documents
Download any document
Ad free experience

Unformatted text preview:

Schramm 1Kristen SchrammDISC 1313, MWF 9-9:50Professor ArberyFebruary 17, 2014The Implications of LoveWhen one thinks about romantic love, more times than not, passion and impulse come to mind, but what kind of value does this type of relationship have in society as whole? Anna Karenina, written by the great Leo Tolstoy, is a perfect demonstration of the implications of romantic love. In the novel, Tolstoy shows how a relationship can shape the world around the couple—using a complex web of relationships; both a negative and positive effect are shown. Constantine Dmitrich Levin and Kitty Shcherbatsky are a couple that demonstrate the positive effects that romantic love can have on, not only themselves, but the world around them as well. Through a healthy balance of logical reasoning and impulsive passion, Kitty and Levin seem to become the only couple in Anna Karenina to achieve romantic love, as well as, a positive response from other aspects of their life. Although there are many aspects of Kitty and Levins’ life that their relationship affected: family relationships and obligations, and religious beliefs are two areas that serve to become a large factor in the forming of their relationship.Constantine Dmitrich Levin is an educated man of high standing in Russian society, but he does not match the typical description of his position. He holds certain ideals about how he wants to live his life, and they become the driving force behind everything that he does. Levin decides to reject the norms of those around him by making his living running a farm—in the citySchramm 2farming was seen a job for the poor. Levin had grown up in Moscow, but had moved out to the country to family land that he had inherited. When Levin says, “What vexed him was the repetition of this eternal sloveliness of farmwork, which he had fought against with all his strength for so many years” (p.154), it shows that he tried to become what everyone wanted him to be, but he could never had been truly happy in that life. His feelings toward city life can be seen more prevalently during Levins’ first visit to Moscow; he says to Stepan Oblonsky, a childhood friend of his, “I don’t understand what you do… How can you do it seriously?” (p.20).The previous statement refers to Stepans’ government type job; this statement examples how Levin does not appreciate the value of “paperwork”. (p.21) Although Levin rejects most norms of city life, there is one that he wishes to follow in the worst way—marriage and the building of a family. Levin even describes marriage as the “chief concern of life, on which all happiness depended” (p.95). Another important aspect of Levins’ character is his ability to step back and beable to look at a situation logically—this ability may have delayed his happiness, but in the long run it helped to create it. Although Levin is not the main character in Tolstoys’, Anna Karenina, it could be argued that he serves as the morality behind the entire novel.Ekaterina Alexandrovna Shcherbatskaya—known as Kitty—is a young, inexperienced woman who experiences a transformation during the course of the novel. She represents a theme of good-natured innocence. Kitty is courted, for merely sport, by Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky; sheand her mother, who would like Kitty to marry Vronsky, are ignorant to his intentions. Kitty loses some of her child-like innocence when she is dancing with Vronsky and she thinks, “that look, so full of love, which she gave him then, and to which he did not respond, cut her heart with tormenting shame” (p.80). Before this moment, Kitty had no doubts about whether Vronsky was committed to her—further showing her inexperience. Kitty shows some of her immaturitySchramm 3following her rejection by Vronsky by going into a depressive state. Kitty, buried deep in her self-loathing, says to her sister Dolly, “everything has become vile, disgusting, coarse to me…you can’t imagine the vile thoughts I have about everything” (p.125)—confirming that she does not have the maturity to deal with her heartbreak, and would rather place her discontent on other people. Kitty then travels abroad to Germany to a kind of rehab to try and overcome her heartbreak; it is there that she goes through her most significant transformation. Kitty obtains an “inner tranquility” (p.226) abroad brought on by experiencing suffering much worse than her own. When she says, “she understood that you had only to forget yourself and love others and you would be calm happy and beautiful” (p.224), she is realizing that she must take advantage ofher health, and use it to help others who are not as fortunate. This transformation of character in Kitty brings her out of her childhood, but without completely compromising her innocence.The journey leading up to the engagement of Kitty and Levin was necessary, although difficult, in order for them to be able to function as a successful couple. They are not the perfect example of love at first sight, but instead an example of romantic love in a less dramatic light. Although, this is not to say that they do not possess passion for each other; Levin examples his passion when he says, “The place where she stood seems unapproachably holy…he was so filled with awe” (p.28) upon seeing he for the first time in the novel. Instead of saying they lacked passion, it can be said that they factored in the practical implications of what a takes to be in a stable, happy relationship—including a strong emotional bond. As a couple, Kitty and Levin are able to be friends as well as lovers; this creates an atmosphere where they are constantly in excellent communication with each other—this communication is what keeps their relationship alive. There are certain aspects of Kitty and Levins personalities and experiences that allow for their success together. For example, both Levin and Kitty, at this point in the novel, areSchramm 4compassionate, selfless beings. Kitty shows her overwhelming compassion when Levins brother,Nikolai, is on his death bed. As Levin is describing her care for him dying brother he thought, “Kitty obviously did not think of herself and no time to; she thought about him because she knewsomething” (p.496); what he meant by that “something” was that she knew that, instead of being afraid of death like Levin, she needed to embrace life for Nikolai in his last days. Levin is compassionate to Kitty


View Full Document

The Implications of Love

Download The Implications of Love
Our administrator received your request to download this document. We will send you the file to your email shortly.
Loading Unlocking...
Login

Join to view The Implications of Love and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or
We will never post anything without your permission.
Don't have an account?
Sign Up

Join to view The Implications of Love 2 2 and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or

By creating an account you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use

Already a member?