Anna Karenina: Day the Second

Life goes on, reading goes on, and Anna certainly isn't getting any less interesting.

I am, however, going back to my original idea of this being closer to Jane Austen than anything else. People are getting married, breaking up, talking for pages about how they don't know if they're in love with someone anymore, that sort of thing. I don't fault them for it, honestly, but it's getting a bit old.

Now, allow me for a moment, to talk about one of the main themes of the book: Religion. Almost all of the characters in the novel talk incessantly about God and at least go through the trappings of religion. However, most of the characters either don't seem to follow what they're saying or they just plain don't care. For example, Dolly notes that her children haven't taken communion for a year. Anna's husband worries at first, not about her immortal soul, but about how society will see Anna's infidelity. He sees religion not as something to be believed, but something to be known, something to do because society tells him to. This starts to change for him where I currently am in the book, as he seems to turn more to belief and practice, however, there is still an underlying belief that religion is necissary in society.

This is not the place to discuss religion in society, however, I am very intrigued by the contrast between the characters who seem to actually believe and act on those beliefs and those who seem to go through the motions for society's sake. Another stark contrast is at Levin and Kitty's wedding, where Levin is thinking Kitty knows and understands everything the priest says, and her actual thoughts are somewhere closer to 'ooooh, the pretty poetry'. Levin is struggling with his beliefs, trying to actually understand what is going on, and Kitty is more caught up in the emotional moment, and not really understanding anything. Another example is where Kitty's friend Varenka helps people at the spa because she feels that is what she should do. Kitty tries, but fails, mostly because she isn't fully into it. Some of this might change in the last three parts, as I am not really certain where it is going, but it is very interesting to note at the very least.

This time period (contemporary for Tolstoy) was a time where religion was a strong and important part of society. He does seem, however, to be noting distinctly the difference between people who actually practice what they believe and people who just go through the motions.

So, if you'll excuse me for getting slightly controversial, that issue just begged to be spoken about.

Onward and upward! Hopefully next time I'll actually have the book done!

Days: 362
Books 100 (Still!)