The Importance Of Rebirth In Levin's Anna Karenina

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In Anna Karenina, scenes often switch from taking place in the city to setting in the country. The city and country contrast in many ways, and impact the way characters behave and think, as well as reflecting their morals and motivations and impacting how the characters interact with one another. In the country, characters are generally calmer and happier, while in the city, chaos often arises and illness occurs. One theme that comes up several times is that of rebirth, particularly for Levin. Rebirth is something that is done much easier and successfully in the country. Levin feels out of place in the city and that he does not belong, therefore he is more comfortable and confident in the country. Levin turns to his work, particularly …show more content…
He is more concerned with material things, which are not found in the country. Vronsky gets bored in the country. “When he first united his life with hers and donned civilian clothes, he felt the deligth of freedom… but not for long. Soon he felt rising in his soul a desire for desires-boredom…” (418). The characters of Anna Karenina who lack morals prefer the city, where they feel less restricted and often fall to sin. Affairs tend to be accepted more in the city, so Stiva is content here. Anna and Vronsky are better off in the city because they will be outcast in the country due to Anna’s affair. City life is more focused on material things, such as money and status. This ties back into why Levin isn’t as happy with city folks: their lack of morals and materialism goes against his character and what he stands for. The country and city settings in Anna Karenina sets the tone for how characters will interact, as well as what their fate will be. Where the characters find themselves determines what will happen to them in the end. Tolstoy uses these settings to set up events surrounding the characters and to reflect their morals and how they differ from one

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