"Happy families have the same happiness, while unhappy families have their own misfortunes." At the beginning of this novel, Tuo Weng wrote this classic saying handed down from generation to generation.
The protagonist Anna is smart, elegant, sincere, brave and positive. She is an aristocratic woman with higher education. In the Russian aristocratic bourgeois society in the19th century, she is like a wonderful flower in the weeds, simple, quiet, calm and noble, and absolutely gorgeous no matter where she appears. As a married lady, Anna, the mother of an 8-year-old boy, Seryosha, came across Wolinski, a handsome and charming single aristocrat. They fell in love at first sight, sparked love and began to stage a vigorous love contest.
Anna's initial marriage was not happy. She married a man she didn't love, a slightly greasy middle-aged uncle karenin-Alexei Aleksandrovich, who was nearly twenty years older than her. Although in the eyes of outsiders, karenin has a successful career, occupies an important position and is generous. But in Anna's eyes, he is just a hypocritical bureaucrat, a person who has no feelings and no interest in life. He has ugly ears and a shrill voice. Anyway, he is an unpleasant person, and he gets bored at first sight. If I hadn't met Volynski, maybe Anna wouldn't have left karenin for her lovely son. Will always be so calm, living her marriage life like a stagnant pool. However, she met Wolinski, which ignited the love fire in her heart. So in pursuit of love, Anna ran away from home and abandoned her son at all costs. How brave and free and easy he looks. Volynski gave up her bright future for Anna, and they thought that having each other was the greatest happiness in life. But then what? The more you care, the more entangled you are, the more boring you are. Then, quarreling and mutual suspicion ... After the shelf life of love has passed, you begin to care about the situation and whether that love is worth dying for ... So, finally desperate Anna chose the tragic sleeper. ...
Concealed meditation, if Anna is not dead, will she be happy?
She loves her son Seryosha, misses him, and even tries her best to see her lovely son. Her son is a concern that she can't let go of all her life. Although she and Wolinski also have a lovely daughter, Anna's feelings for that girl are extremely complicated and obscure. Even between the lines of the book, she can see that she is a little tired of her daughter ... If she dies, karenin won't agree to divorce, and one day she and Wolinski will have no love. If she chooses to go back to her original home, she will be very happy because she misses her son Xie very much. Even if generous karenin accepted her return, even if she could get along with her son day and night, how could Anna face karenin after so many storms? What attitude will karenin take? Don't you pretend to be calm and kind on the surface, but you are more cruel to Anna inside? Besides, Anna has long been tired of the lifeless family life, the boring loveless karenin in her eyes, and the loveless marriage. With Anna's character, no matter what, she won't choose to go back.
So, can Anna go back to the countryside with Volynski, as she once longed for, and live a quiet pastoral life away from the aristocratic circles that brought her endless pressure? Just like gentle Levin and clever Kitty, they are happy and stable from now on? Anna can, Wolinski can? In Toon's works, Volynski has begun to resist all the shackles brought by Anna, and began to look for his former social circle. Will he be willing to be lonely and away from downtown for Anna? What's more, Anna was tortured by the real situation to be close to paranoia and fantasy. Rejected by the top, guided by public opinion, and the disappearance of her son Seryosha made her miserable. The only happiness is Wolinski's love. Therefore, she is like a drowning person grasping at straws, Volynski, making unwarranted guesses, quarrels and temptations ... Wolinski can't understand Anna's emotions. Although he still loves Anna, he also wants his relative freedom. If he agreed to live in the country for her, but Anna's ex-husband karenin refused to divorce, then under the historical background at that time, Wolinski and Anna's children would never inherit Wolinski's surname and Wolinski's property. Such an outcome, Volynski is certainly unwilling, unwilling to have differences, differences will be disputes. It is conceivable that Anna, who regards love as the only goal in life, will still not be happy. ...
What if Anna leaves Wolinski? In this social background, how can a woman live without a family and an independent source of income? It depends on her debt-ridden brother Stepan Al Katik (a smooth man with no sense of family responsibility, who hangs out in aristocratic circles every day for fun. ) and sister-in-law Dolly (the mother of five children, who lives frugally, has always admired Anna, but when she really walked into Anna and Wolinski's house, she saw the unknown misfortune behind Anna's happy surface. ) An unfortunate family like an elder sister-in-law is not a place where noble Anna can live. In this way, Anna will naturally not be happy.
Then, if Anna is not dead, even if she can't hold hands with Volynski happily, with her beauty, intelligence and good upbringing, she will still meet admirers and followers, and she will also meet the vigorous "love" she expected. However, after a storm with Volynski, Anna has become an abandoned child and a laughing stock in the aristocratic circle. Besides, all love has a shelf life. Once the shelf life has passed, life will be dull and tasteless. Anna, who pursues high spirits and always has love, will still not be happy. ...
If Anna hadn't died, from today's perspective, she could have started her own business. She has her own talent. She has sufficient foundation and background in painting, literature, French and architecture. Even if she is a teacher, it is more than enough. However, in those days, women did not have the space and opportunity to start their own businesses, especially aristocratic women. Except for their families, society will not give them opportunities for economic independence. However, this book also repeatedly mentions tutors. It's just that the arrogant Anna would rather die for love than let herself "down and out" to that extent. ...
I have imagined countless endings, and I don't want Anna to die, but no matter which ending, it seems that Anna will not be happy. Character determines fate, and fate determines life. A woman, no matter how beautiful and elegant, is walking a tightrope if she only regards love as the only thing in her life. Sooner or later, she will be in danger and will eventually go to despair. ...
I can't help thinking of the biography of Lin I read a while ago. Throughout Lin's life, in the face of the pursuit of three gifted scholars, Xu Zhimo, Liang Sicheng and Jin, Lin rationally chose Liang Sicheng, who was calm all his life. Some people say that she is a 99-degree woman, always one degree away from the boiling point. Subtract one point from sensibility and increase one point from rationality. The more rational a woman is, the more advanced her life is. You can keep the temperature at 99 degrees, but if you want to live a better life, you must turn your last sensibility into rationality. In the choice of love and marriage, women must not be willful. If she were more rational, her life would not be so out of control. ...
Back to Anna, Tuo Weng created such a perfect woman, but chose such a tragic ending, which was shocking. It is not that Anna should be condemned for pursuing inner love, but that Anna overestimates love too willfully, thinking that with love, there will be complete happiness.
Lu Xun said that tragedy is to tear up beautiful things for people to see. Without Anna's stunning beauty, there would be no love between Volynski and Anna, and there would be no broken family in karenin ... Although as a reader, I don't want to see beautiful Anna choose tragic ashes, I have always longed for Anna to survive. But as an art, there is no doubt about Tuo Weng's handling of characters. The description of the characters' hearts is delicate, true and profound. ...
Maybe a wrong start doomed a tragedy. ...