Love lessons from ‘Anna Karenina’

My favorite book is Anna Karenina by Count Leo Tolstoy. In my mind, I see variations of the same theme from some of the most romantic and tragic novels I have read and seen on screen, from DH Lawrence’s The Rainbow to June Flaum Singer’s The Debutantes and to Michael Ondaatje’sThe English Patient. By far, Anna is the most famous tragic figure in literature of all times.

It’s not that lives of married women and their lovers are my favorite subjects but the intricacies of the mess they get into are mind-boggling. With the changing times and climes, illicit affairs have become more and more prevalent, and people have gotten used to the idea that they do exist like sore spots in relationships which have paved the way for broken marriages, broken homes and exhorbitant fees for lawyers handling annulment cases mutually agreed by both parties to be based on grounds of psychological incapacity.

Some men and women jump into backstreet relationships without thinking of the other people they hurt because of the excitement of the forbidden.

Anna Karenina fell for the handsome Count Vronsky. They could not understand their deep attraction for each other knowing that anything further was wrong for she was very much married. As though their fates were sealed, they finally dug themselves into their tempestuous affair, disregarding what others would say and what would happen in their place in society losing everything – even Anna’s son which was the most painful result of Anna’s infidelity.

It is not for me to pass judgment on men and women who stray from their vows but the spoils could have been avoided if husbands and wives regard their partners with more respect than anything else.

The story of Anna and Vronsky is the best example of what to avoid in relationships – the pitfalls and the consequences we have to face because of indiscretion.

Reading Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina made a book addict out of me. Halfway through the novel, I was hooked feeling mixed emotions for Anna – first, awe at her beauty, thrill at her meeting with Vronsky, then, anger for the pain she had caused her husband and son, pity for what she had become and in the end, numb due to the circumstances of her death.

The book has taught me more about a person’s psyche when presented with a very desirable and tempting stimulus and its response. The lessons I have learned from Anna’s life are both heartwarming and mentally stimulating, creating a lasting impression that however exciting and fascinating a love story or a how strong one’s passion is, an adulterous relationship still hurts people. In these modern times, more and more illicit affairs are flaunted in the open so that people have become numbed and tolerant when they hear about them. But in Anna’s time, she knew how wrong it was, yet she was too weak to resist it, and however happy she was with her love for Vronsky, the guilt and her conscience drove her to madness, ruining her life, her lover’s, her husband’s and her children’s lives in the process.

The times may be different now and people’s perceptions have changed as the result of progress but what was wrong then remains wrong today and no amount of rationalization could alter that fact.

My life revolves around teaching kids how to read and appreciate books. It takes a very good book with a fascinating story to spark their interests but once I have tapped into the source of their concerns, they become receptive to the idea that reading can be a lot of fun.

Booklovers all around find solace in their favorite books. We are given the opportunity to learn about places and characters which will touch our lives. We somehow even get to probe into the author’s mind as he reveals more of himself and his insights through writing. Surely, Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina deserves its rightful place on our bookshelves.