Facets of life: The tale of Anna Karenina

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all."

Oscar Wilde

Such is the tale of Anna Karenina, a lady blessed with the beauty and charm of an angel, embellished with a heart of pure innocence. Her persona reflects her inner beauty embodying kindness and forgiveness and her positive outlook towards life. But as it is said: Life is simple, its just not easy. This classic by Tolstoy represents the mosaic of romance and tragedy that reveals the truth of life; led by some, and mere existence for others.

Anna is a woman of immense admiration. She is a part of the affluent society surrounded by the well-to-do crowd, and is a dignified personality. Less do others know about her sufferings in personal life. Married to an aristocrat, much older than her, she is not so fortunate to receive enough love, care or attention from her husband. Mother to a very charming son, she devotes all her time to him, trying to forget her pain. There comes a moment in her life when things change; love enters her life in the form of Vronsky, a noble squire, who loves her truely and deeply. She falls for him and leaves her family, with high hopes of finding joy and love in future life. What confronts her is the price she pays for the want of love.

The story also unfurls the life of Levin, a country man, simple and somewhat unorthodox, who looks out for love in his life and is successful to find one, inspite of several downfalls. Even with his life complete as one can imagine, he is not happy, not content and seeks for a purpose in his life; a reason to live.

This classic not only draws out parallel between the lives of these two characters, but also contemplates the issues that are deep-rooted in the 'world of norms' called society. There is this lady, who choses love over a dormant relation, who sacrifices her celebrated image and becomes an emblem of mockery; and then there is her brother, who maintains his noble stature in the same society with the life of a philanderer. The way a woman is punished for her preferences in life and made to suffer is brought out very well through small instances.

There are illustrations of the relations between a master and his peasants, between men and women holding different statures in society, between brothers and sisters, between mother and child. Each case makes you ponder on the essence of the relation, where people make mistakes and how a relation evolves with the surrounding circumstances. It is a beautiful portray of the human disposition in different roles played in life.

As the story proceeds, there are changes in the lives of Anna and Levin, and both of them end up in a similar situation, where they struggle in finding answer to a question: "What is the purpose of my life?" They both find solutions, one in living it, one in leaving it.

"Sometimes questions are more important than answers"....so rightly stated by Nancy Willard, makes me think how important the question was in their lives that compelled them to take separate paths; and it is amazing to see how distinct the answers could be to the same question. The novel is an epitome of classic literature, surmising both the beauty and the hideousness of every human heart, which collectively builds the society. More than all, it makes you feel lucky, to be born as a part of the new generation, and aware of at least one reason which drives your dreams. If not, you can still find a purpose, because life, thats how it is. It just goes on.