tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29433853322125298.post692819524901884563..comments2011-07-18T01:30:27.821-05:00Adam Keipernoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29433853322125298.post-31257651816595369452011-07-16T23:52:59.737-05:002011-07-16T23:52:59.737-05:00This novel is about ego. Self-destruction is the inevitable end of a narcissist. Hope for the one who struggles against ego. Plain and simple.<br />Careful reading of the novel reveals that Anna is first and foremost a narcissist. She loathes every person she sees before her end. She kills herself to punish Vronsky. Tolstoy&#39;s realistic style is very scientific: all these specimens of human souls come to different places within themselves and society. It is an internal struggle, not external. This novel is not about adultery and punishment for crimes. It isn&#39;t about moral justification. It is simply a demonstration of what happens to a person when her personality is overcome by her ego. I think our society&#39;s fascination with the whole idea of adultery (like sex in movies) makes it seem center stage when in fact it is only a symptom of a much larger, deeper and more important illustration of human life. Simply said, our disposition, our actions, our intentions lead us somewhere, regardless of the societal mores, values, etc. This novel confuses Western audiences because people tend to focus on the events of the adulterous love affair rather than the internal world of the characters in the story. I don&#39;t think Tolstoy was ever that sophomoric.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29433853322125298.post-44245848868097983732010-02-03T07:48:13.299-06:002010-02-03T07:48:13.299-06:00Jay, I&#39;m very encouraged to hear it! I am convinced that what Tolstoy believes we <em>should</em> think is, &quot;He who is without sin among you, cast the first stone at her&quot; — but he knows that what many people <em>do</em> think is what Vronsky&#39;s mother says. And — to keep quoting Scripture — what measure you measure out, it will be measured to you.Alan Jacobshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06777218862490842180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29433853322125298.post-56655953229422437952010-02-02T21:03:03.771-06:002010-02-02T21:03:03.771-06:00I just finished reading Anna Karenina and had been puzzling over how to interpret the ending in something other than a narrow-minded &quot;she died because she was bad&quot; point of view. <br /><br />I like your interpretation a whole lot more, especially making sense of the epigraph.Jaynoreply@blogger.com