Classics Without All the Class discussion

Please keep your discussion to these chapters. Spoilers are allowed within these chapters so readers beware!

Well, I had some frustration with this part, particularly with the characters. I was really hoping for Sergei and Varenka to hook up, as much as Kitty was. Le sigh, in my alternate ending they get married and it is lovely, lol.

This Veslovsky fellow brought out a negative response in myself. I didn't think it was possible to dislike someone more than Vronsky but I was proven wrong. He reminded me of what, today, I would call an immature frat boy. He craved and thrived on getting whatever attention he could from someone young, female and claimed. His actions towards Kitty were accepted in the society at this time. However they were disgusting to me. Every time Levin would get upset about his anger towards the young man, I would remind myself that the society was different. Still, I really wanted Levin to grow some balls and punch the guy in the face. But we can't have every ending we want.

Dolly's home situation continues to break my heart. I want nothing but happiness for her. I love the moments when she realizes she does have happiness and it's in her children. Her desire to take some positivity from the unhappy marriage she is in makes me have a certain respect for her. I don't have this respect for any other character in the book. She complains but always ends her inner turmoil with a positive outlook so she won't be beaten down. While Stepan is not the ideal picture of a loving husband, there are some other faults too. His lack of concern for his and Dolly's financial situation really concerns me. His high societal reputation and sexual conquests are more importnat than not only his wife but the well-being of his children. This realization made me like Vronsky just a small bit. At least Vronsky realized this about himself and didn't plan to marry.

This brings me to him and Anna...I still don't believe there is any love there. If any thing, as this story has progressed it continues to show the unhappiness that is surrounding the two of them. In this section it talks, numerous times, about how Anna dresses and concerns herself with her looks. She believes this is the only way she will keep Vronsky. His boredom and desire for "masculine freedom" seem typical of the men in this novel. I think my concern came about when he mentions being tired of Anna's responses to him. It's like he feels smothered by her. They put on a good show of love and greatness when friends are around but that doesn't hold up when they are alone. I predict a downward spiral.

My favourite part in this part is that Dolly's self-confrontation she had while travelling for her visit to Anna. She has temporary enlightenment during that self-confrontation. However, it does not last long and ends because of a bad image provided by Anna and Vronsky. I felt frustrated.

Another frustrating incident was the never-happening marriage proposal. I felt sorry for Varenka.

I think Anna and Vronsky's relationship ends in theory when Vronsky thinks about being married soon so that he could be nominated in the following elections. I think Anna's letter is the death sentence of their relationship.

There are many things I admire about Levin's character, and he's probably the one I like the best (Sergei possibly interests me the most, and I was a little disappointed when he didn't go after Varneka but it also kind of made me laugh), but I literally threw my hands in the air and cheered when Levin acted on his right as a husband and didn't take "social conventions" as an excuse for unacceptable actions from Veslovsky. I think that just goes to show a lot of the emphasis on "the way things were back then" is bunk. Granted, enviroment and social expectations play a big role, but wrong is wrong across time and space.

Susan wrote: "There are many things I admire about Levin's character, and he's probably the one I like the best (Sergei possibly interests me the most, and I was a little disappointed when he didn't go after Var..."

I agree. I was so glad he actually responded to the situation. While, I wanted a physical altercation, that is just not who Levin is. He is a peaceful person. Even after when Stepan and Kitty's mom are upset with him for his response, he holds true to his character and doesn't let it get him upset/ think he made a bad decision. That was a great moment, for sure!

Where is the "like" button? :)

Did anyone else laugh at the idea that before there was drunk dialing and drunk texting, there was drunk telegraphing? :-) (Stepan to Dolly, after the election, in the last pages of this section.) Just shows that no matter how much we progress, some of our behavior patterns never change!

Lol, I didn't even notice that Michelle! That's funny!

I loved how Levin tossed Veslovsky out of his home after he and "Kate" (Kitty) talked. It is interesting to me how of all the characters in the book, they are the only ones that seem to be able to cut through the protocols of the day and really talk about how they are feeling. It will be interesting to see what happens to their relationship once the baby is born.

Anna, oh Anna, what a mess! She is pushing Vronsky away in every possible way. Clearly she is self-destructing between her clinginess and morphine usage. Not to get too psycho-analytical but it seems like in a subliminal way that she is punishing herself for the choices she has made. I have to wonder if this has always been a part of her nature and that is possibly why Karenin always held her at arms length.