Anna Karennina strikes one as a blend of a mature woman deftly taking on the stark responsibilities as a bureaucrat’s wife
and as of a lost child craving for love thereby nursing a strong desire to run away from the mundane demands of home and a very formal and demanding society. It is a heartwarming story of a beautiful woman torn between
loyalties and love. One is drawn to Anna like a butterfly to a flower. As the story meanders along the dignified Anna appears childish and careless in way too many ways. Watching her play the role of a caring and loving mother and the longing desire of wanting to love her much far too stiff and rule driven husband who, takes for granted that Anna had to play the role of a stereotype wife weaves her into a destiny probably even she didn’t dream of. Probably the bond, their son, Alex, could no more hold the strings together when a dashing Vronsky makes an entry into Anna’s life. Anna's husband loved her and tried to prevent a scandal by not divorcing her. But the magnetic Vronsky was too much of an obstacle. Throwing away caution to the wind and ignoring the pain she was causing numerous people with her ill eligible relationship with Vronsky, Anna forged on. It seems like Anna cared for both husband and lover in different ways. Probably being starved of love and besotted by being a devoted wife Anna could never do justice to both. It is irony that she loved her son by her husband but never took to the daughter, begotten by love, she had with Vronsky. The guilt and suspicion then took centre stage and that’s why the tragic end, of being unmercifully trampled over by a train of course an un-coincidental suicide. But in a final
reconciliation, Karennin her husband, brings little Anna under his wing.