Portrait of Anna Karenina in the novel. Portrait of a literary hero - Anna Karenina

Initially, Anna Karenina (1873-1877) was conceived by Tolstoy as a family novel about an unfaithful wife. In the process of work, the idea deepened and expanded. The writer’s attention was focused not only on family, but also on economic, social, and public relations. On the pages of the novel a wide panorama of Russian life was recreated. One of the heroes of the work, Levin, said: “Now we have... all this has been turned upside down and is just falling into place.” This formula. I. Belinsky considered it a classic characterization of Russian post-reform development.

Everything has been turned upside down: not only the economy, but also the usual ideas about morality, ethics... In this atmosphere of instability, anxiety, self-doubt, distrust of others, and in anticipation of impending disasters, Tolstoy’s heroes live. Hence the intensity of their experiences, the emphasized drama of events - despite the fact that the action takes place in peacetime and is confined to the relatively narrow sphere of family relations.

Tolstoy said that in “Anna Karenina” he loved “family thought” (and in “War and Peace” - “people's thought”). However, in his new novel, family thought is linked, although not always explicitly and directly, with folk thought. The problems of family, everyday life, and personal connections are perceived by the writer in close connection with the question of the state of the entire Russian society at a turning point in its history.

The author did not immediately formulate the image of the main character of the novel. In the process of work, Tolstoy consistently elevated Anna's appearance, endowing her not only with remarkable physical beauty, but also with a rich inner world, an extraordinary mind, and the ability for merciless introspection. This is one of the relatively rare cases in Tolstoy’s artistic practice when in the image of the heroine there is no contradiction between appearance and inner essence. The moral purity and moral decency of Anna, who did not want to adapt, to deceive herself and others in accordance with the “norms” of social life, served as the main reason for her bold decision - to openly leave her unloved husband for Vronsky, which became the source and cause of her sharp conflict with those around her. an environment that takes revenge on Anna precisely for her honesty, independence, and disdain for the hypocritical foundations of a fundamentally false secular society.

In Anna Karenina, Tolstoy avoids clear-cut decisions. In this respect, the new novel differs from War and Peace. There, the author's verdict was usually final; the negative characters were not given in dynamics or evolution. Now Tolstoy’s view is devoid of a certain bias: he knows how to see the truth of his heroine (and instill warm sympathy for her in his readers), but does not exclude Karenin from having his own truth (although this is not so obvious). The polyphony that is usually associated with the name of Dostoevsky is also inherent in Anna Karenina.

Karenin is the embodiment of the St. Petersburg bureaucracy, a dry, callous person, but still a person experiencing grief, suffering, capable of both generosity and cruelty. The remarkable Soviet artist Nikolai Khmelev, the first performer of the role of Karenin in the famous dramatization, which was staged with great success stage of the Moscow Art Theater in the 930s, said: “When I put on Karenin’s uniform and when I touched his sideburns with a lifeless hand, they told me with admiration: here, here, you have found the main thing - the personification of bureaucratic Petersburg, so play! I play like this, but there is no happiness in my soul, no creative happiness. To tell you the truth, I am secretly drawn to Karenin’s drama, because there is drama and even tragedy there...”

Alexei Vronsky also has his own drama, who turned out to be worthy of the high feeling that connected him with Anna. Love elevated and ennobled not only her, but also him. And yet Anna was not happy not only in her first family (with Karenin), but also in her second (with Vronsky). The worst thing is happening - the lack of spiritual unity, mutual understanding, the disintegration of human connections. It is difficult to find one specific culprit in this case. The inhumane secular society with its deceitful morality is to blame, the unfair marriage laws are to blame, Karenin and Vronsky are to blame, Anna herself is to blame.

The epigraph to the novel reads: “Vengeance is mine, and I will repay.” There is ongoing debate in the research literature regarding its interpretation. It is assumed that the threat of imminent punishment contained in the epigraph was connected with the original intention of the novel; Perhaps Tolstoy wanted to say that only God has the right to punish a sinner, but not people. But if this is so, the question of Anna’s guilt still remains. Secular society does not have the moral right to judge Anna, but Tolstoy judges her from the heights of that family thought, which he himself considered the main one in the novel.

The writer, who has seemingly done everything to arouse the reader’s fascination with the heroine of the novel, at the same time does not at all perceive her as an ideal. Only at the very beginning of the work “uncontrollable joy and revival” shine on Anna’s face. Then her state of mind (and the further, the stronger) is marked by completely different signs: suspicion, embitterment, despair, jealousy... This corresponds to the system of epithets used by Tolstoy: “the painful color of shame”; “once a proud, now shameful head”; happiness paid for at the “terrible price of shame,” etc.

Anna's rebellion against the false morality of the world turns out to be fruitless. She becomes a victim not only of her conflict with society, but also of what is in her from this very society (“the spirit of lies and deceit”) and with which her own moral feeling cannot be reconciled. The tragic feeling of her guilt does not leave her. Reflecting on her relationship with Vronsky, Anna clearly and frankly formulates the very essence of the contradiction, the tragic insolubility of which predetermines the unbearableness of her situation: “If I could be anything other than a mistress, passionately loving only his caresses; but I cannot and do not want to be anything else.”

The origins of Anna's tragedy lie not only in external obstacles, but also in herself, in the nature of her passion, in the inability to escape reproaches of conscience. The problem central to the novel is examined through the example of several married couples: Anna - Karenin, Dolly - Oblonsky, Kitty - Levin. And in all cases, Tolstoy does not find a positive answer to the questions that constantly concern him, which have not just a narrowly intimate, but also a social significance.

Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina is the main character of the novel of the same name by L. N. Tolstoy and one of the most popular female characters in Russian literature. Anna is a young attractive woman from high society, the wife of the famous official A. A. Karenin, the sister of Stepan Oblonsky. She is not just beautiful, but is distinguished by special sophistication and grace. By nature, she is cheerful, kind and pleasant to talk to. Anna has an eight-year-old son, Seryozha, in whom she dotes. Anna's husband is much older than her. Although she never loved him, she always respected him and treated him well. Everything changes in Anna's life after meeting the young Count Vronsky. He falls recklessly in love with her and begins to pursue her in the hope of reciprocity. In the high society of St. Petersburg, flirting and affairs were commonplace, even among married people, but such passion could not hide from prying eyes, much less leave anyone indifferent.

Anna understands that this connection is fatal and will only bring her trouble. For this reason, she initially tries to stay away from Vronsky, but soon cannot withstand his onslaught and falls under his spell. Soon the whole world will know about her romance, and at the same time Anna’s husband, Alexey Alexandrovich Karenin. This news unsettles him. He not only becomes disappointed in all women and in life in general, but also loses interest in his beloved and successful career. In essence, there is almost nothing connecting them with Anna. He is a cold, reasonable person, while she is impulsive, open and straightforward. She tries to save the marriage to the last, because she cannot imagine life without her son Seryozha. But the feeling of guilt before her husband, society and family haunts her.

Karenina and Vronsky begin to live separate lives, outside of society. They soon have a daughter, Anna. They travel a lot, because in St. Petersburg Karenina is burdened by people's gossip and sidelong glances. Vronsky still loves her devotedly and tries to encourage her in every possible way. However, the process of Karenina’s mental crisis is inevitable. Her honest, sincere soul becomes entangled in deceitful and false relationships. As a result, she becomes deeply unhappy and begins to use morphine in Vronsky’s absence. Anna is increasingly having nightmares; it seems to her that Alexei has stopped loving her, that he is cold towards her. Vronsky himself also begins to feel disadvantaged. He lacks freedom and is tired of talking about love. Scandals and hysterics become an integral part of their lives. Unable to withstand these hardships and mental discord, at the end of the novel Anna throws herself under a train. Having failed to build her own happiness at the expense of the misfortune of others and to transgress the moral laws of society, she chose death.

Anna Arkadyevna Karenina- character in L. Tolstoy’s novel “Anna Karenina”

Plunging into the atmosphere of the novel “Anna Karenina” by Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, the reader involuntarily thinks about the difficult fate of a woman, the meaning of her life and the role of love. Characteristic.

The main character of the novel is Anna Karenina appears before us as a secular young woman with a very attractive appearance. She is open, friendly, cheerful. Anna is devoid of all this pretense inherent in society ladies of that time; she is a wonderful mother and loving wife. To those around her, her family seems exemplary. But only Anna knows that behind the ostentatious gloss lies falsehood and pretense. The spouses are not connected by love at all, but only by mutual respect.

Painting by Kramskoy. Prototype of Karenina

A meeting with a fresh wind of change bursts into the life of the main character of the novel. She is fascinated by a surging feeling that she is unable to resist. Anna begins to experience a thirst for life and a need for love. In the end, this passion takes over her completely. At the same time, Anna experiences painful remorse and feels like a traitor. Karenin’s behavior aggravates her condition; he generously forgives the traitor and tries to save the marriage. Anna's feelings for her husband turn from indifference into hatred.

Leaving her husband does not bring Anna Karenina the long-awaited peace of mind. No one and nothing can save Anna from painful thoughts. Her heart ceased to rejoice at both her little daughter and her beloved Vronsky. She is disappointed that her love could not overcome the trials that befell her. The woman begins to blame Vronsky for her troubles:

“My love...everything is becoming more passionate and selfish, but his everything is extinguished and extinguished, and that’s why we disagree, and this cannot be helped.”

The situation is aggravated by the fact that Anna is forced to be separated from her own son. The heroine begins to feel unhappy, and excessive use of morphine completely aggravates her condition. Anna is tired of feeling guilty and doomed; the heroine is increasingly visited by thoughts of death. Karenina's life collapses in a fit of sincere, truthful and real feelings.

The novel is based on the traditional concept of a woman’s morality. The novel clearly shows one of the main themes of Tolstoy’s work - the alienation of the world from man. Anna Karenina's love for Vronsky was under the powerful influence of public censure. Insincerity and disunity in the family became the main reason for the tragedy that happened to this attractive and sincere woman.

Lev Nikolaevich, being a subtle psychologist, in his novel avoids unambiguous characteristics of the heroes and their actions. This allows the reader to evaluate the situation in which Anna Karenina found herself, independently, relying on her own value system and ideas about “bad” and “good.” The author leaves the answer to the question: “Who is to blame for the death of Anna Karenina?” However, he brings the reader to the realization that the main cause of personality destruction is a disorder of mental balance and moral destruction.

Anna Karenina, a character who will have her prototypes at all times. In modern society there are many women who are forced to fight for their love, enter into confrontation with society and contradict themselves. Cinematic and theatrical productions present us with the image of Anna Karenina, through the prism of our own vision.

The death of the heroine can be viewed as mental weakness, or it can be assessed on the contrary, as strength of character. The depth of feelings, integrity of character and topicality of eternal human problems come to the fore in the novel and are realized in the image of Anna Karenina.

Actresses who played Karenina:

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As you know, the connection between a character and his portrait in a work of art is interdependent. Through the description of the hero's appearance, the author reveals his inner world, his true essence. Thus, in Anna Karenina, a psychological portrait is one of the most important means of creating artistic images. The main feature of Tolstoy the psychologist is his ability to highlight one or another detail, a feature in the hero’s appearance, without which he subsequently cannot even be imagined. Thus, the author emphasizes that Karenin’s gait was such that “he moved his entire pelvis and blunt legs.”

Perhaps, without this characteristic the image of the hero would be incomplete. To achieve the greatest dynamics, again and again draws our attention to individual details of appearance. Every time Anna appears, her "brilliant eyes, thick eyelashes and beautiful little hands" are mentioned, a constant characteristic of Stiva is his beautiful face and, like Anna, sparkling eyes. Therefore, we can talk about the internal similarity of the heroes, because the eyes reflect the spiritual world of a person.

Sometimes portraiture is aimed at reducing the image in the eyes of the reader. Thus, Karenin is often characterized by tired eyes and white hands with swollen veins, and Vronsky is characterized by a red neck overgrown with hair and strong white teeth, which strengthens in our minds the idea of ​​​​his resemblance to a “beautifully fed animal.” Often, turning to the portrait of minor characters (the merchant Ryabinin, who buys timber from Stiva for next to nothing, Mademoiselle Varenka, Karenin’s lawyer), Tolstoy gives them a direct, clear description. Against this background, it seems strange that the main characters of the novel seem to be devoid of portrait features.

Of course, there are portraits of the characters, but they seem to be dissolved in the text or given through the eyes of other characters. For example, about the appearance of Stiva Oblonsky it is written: “On the third day after the quarrel, Prince Stepan Arkadyevich Oblonsky - Stiva, as he was called in the world - at the usual hour... woke up in his office...

he turned his plump, well-groomed body on the springs of the sofa...” This description speaks of certain character traits - the laziness, effeminacy of the master. But the question arises why Tolstoy does not create a direct portrait of his heroes. It’s just that the author doesn’t want to disrupt the dynamism of the narrative or slow down the pace of development of fast-paced events, which is why he highlights the characteristic features of his characters as the action progresses.

But it also happens that Tolstoy cannot do without direct portrait characteristics. As a rule, such a description records the changes that have occurred in the character. Here, for example, is a portrait of Karenin, given through the eyes of Anna: “Anna, who thought that she knew her husband well, was struck by his appearance... His forehead was frowned, and his eyes looked gloomily ahead, avoiding her gaze; the mouth was firmly and contemptuously compressed.

In his gait, in his movements, in the sound of his voice there was a decisive firmness that his wife had never seen in him.” In Tolstoy's novel "" the author uses various artistic means for the psychological disclosure of images: internal monologues, landscape, author's comments, symbolism, etc. But, it seems to me, the most important means of psychologism is still portraiture.

After all, in the novel “Anna Karenina” there are 287 characters, main and secondary, and for each of them their own individual and deeply psychological portrait is outlined. Karenina” is, like all the works of a brilliant writer, not only a story about a family. “Leo Tolstoy,” wrote Stasov, “rose to such a high note that Russian literature has never hit before...

With a wonderful sculptor’s hand, he knows how to sculpt types and scenes that no one had known before in all of our literature... “Anna Karenina” will remain a bright, huge star of talent forever and ever.” Reactionary critics had a completely different attitude towards the novel. At first they praised Tolstoy, thinking that he would describe the old noble life in the novel and glorify the legends of deep antiquity.

But each new chapter of “Anna Karenina” alarmed and disappointed the zealots of antiquity. They soon became convinced that Tolstoy’s novel was directed against what was dear and dear to them, and they began to denigrate him. What was it about Tolstoy’s new work that frightened reactionary critics so much? They were frightened by the harsh truth with which the writer showed Russian life of that time with all its acute contradictions.

They were frightened by the sharp condemnation of the “dishonest reality” in which such wonderful people as the heroine of the novel Anna Karenina live, suffer, struggle, suffer and die. They were frightened by the mercilessly bright light directed by the artist to that side of the life of the bourgeois-noble society, which they themselves preferred to remain silent about. We are, of course, talking about the family theme of the novel.

“Anna Karenina” begins with the words: “All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” And further: “Everything was mixed up in the Oblonskys’ house.” Then we see an even more unhappy family - the Karenins.

Before our eyes, a third similar family, devoid of peace and happiness, is being created and born - Anna and Vronsky. And only the family of Konstantin Levin and Kitty are shown happy. But how much excitement and grief Levin and Kitty experienced before they started their family!

And Levin’s happiness was not serene. He is full of worry and anxiety for the future - of his family, his neighborhood, and all of Russia. Levin is a deeply feeling and thinking person.

At the same time, he is a man of action, of action. A well-born nobleman, a landowner, he sees that all his efforts to preserve and organize his economy are doomed to failure, that noble land ownership will soon come to an end, that a new era is coming, pushing new forces into the arena of social struggle. Levin knows the people well and loves them in his own way. He has no doubt that the interests of the peasants are “the fairest.”

However, he still does not dare to break with the nobility and go over to the side of the people. He never found an answer to the questions: how to live, how to manage, what kind of relationship to establish with the peasants? Tolstoy writes that Levin was possessed by “a feeling of inner anxiety and expectation of an imminent resolution” - the resolution of all the conflicts and contradictions that he encountered in reality.

The writer put into Levin’s mouth an eloquent description of the post-reform system with the collapse of the old order and the search for new ways. “For us... all this has been turned upside down and is just settling down,” says Levin.

Konstantin Levin spends most of his life in the village. Describing his affairs and days, Tolstoy widely showed rural Russia - the Russia of the landowner and peasant. The novel shows how Russian society lived during this period, how the “old foundations” that had been established over the long years of serfdom were broken. Anna/Karenina's entire life was spent in the city, and she appears most often in those chapters of the novel that depict St. Petersburg and Moscow aristocratic society.

The life of this society is shown by the writer as artificial, far from real human interests and goals, full of hypocrisy and falsehood. However, these unsightly features are covered with external shine and gloss, and they are not so easy to see. And even Anna Karenina, such a sensitive and subtle person, did not immediately understand what kind of people surrounded her. The fate of the heroine of the novel is deeply sad.

When Anna was a young girl, her aunt married her to Karenin - a dry, callous man, a prominent official who was pursuing a career. A soulless, cold egoist, he even speaks to his son in the language of office orders. “This is not a person, but a machine, and an evil machine,” is his wife’s assessment. Reading the chapters of the novel dedicated to Anna, we clearly see that the reasons for her death lie not only in her passionate and proud character, but also in the social bonds that bind a woman in a bourgeois-noble society.

The “laws” of this society deprive a woman of all independence and place her in complete subordination to her husband. The fate of the heroine of the novel is tragic. Konstantin Levin is full of anxiety for the future.

And yet the novel does not evoke a feeling of hopelessness in the reader. There is a wonderful scene in “Anna Karenina” where it is told how, while hunting, Levin, walking through the forest, noticed old, dry leaves moving. It was the needle-sharp sprouts of young grass that pierced them from below. “What!

You can hear and see the grass growing,” Levin said to himself. By depicting the spring renewal of nature, Tolstoy instills in the hearts of his readers the belief that the forces of life are irresistible. He affirms the beauty of living life, its victory over the forces of evil and darkness. Completing the novel “Anna Karenina,” Tolstoy came to a sharp change in his views, which had been preparing and brewing for a long time.

A new period has begun in his life and work, “a revolution that has long been preparing in me and the makings of which have always been in me. What happened to me was that the life of our circle - the rich, the learned - not only became disgusting to me, but lost all meaning... The actions of the working people, creating life, seemed to me to be the only real thing... I renounced the life of our circle, admitting that this was not there is life...

“Tolstoy proclaimed as his ideal “the life of simple working people, those who make life, and the meaning that they give to it.”