What I Took from Part Five of Anna Karenina

A New Phase

Part Five begins with Levin and Kitty preparing for their wedding. The ceremony takes place early in this part and is followed by their first days together as a married couple. The tone is a mix of joy and unease. They are happy, but both are aware that life together will take more than affection to work smoothly.

Meanwhile, Anna and Vronsky are living abroad in Italy. They have stepped away from Petersburg society and the gossip that surrounded them, but distance does not solve everything. The freedom they wanted feels different now that they have it.

Levin and Kitty Adjust to Marriage

The early days of Levin and Kitty’s marriage are full of small discoveries, some pleasant and some frustrating. They enjoy each other’s company, but they also find themselves adjusting to differences in habits, expectations, and temperaments.

Levin’s self-doubt and tendency toward sudden shifts in mood do not disappear. Kitty learns to navigate them, sometimes with patience, sometimes with open disagreement. When they return to Levin’s estate, they settle into rural life, and Kitty soon becomes pregnant. The news adds warmth to their relationship, even as Levin continues to wrestle with questions about work, faith, and his place in the world.

Anna and Vronsky in Italy

Anna and Vronsky’s time in Italy is comfortable and full of beauty, but it also shows the limits of their escape. Anna misses her son deeply, and the separation weighs on her. Vronsky enjoys painting and meeting new people, but this sometimes leaves Anna feeling left out and unsure of her place in his life.

With no social battles to fight and no outside pressure keeping them united, the differences between them become clearer. Their life together is no longer defined by the thrill of secrecy, and the silences between them start to matter.

Karenin and the Divorce Question

In Russia, Karenin remains in an unresolved position. He does not take steps toward divorce, partly because of legal difficulties and partly because of the scandal it would cause. This leaves Anna unable to see her son and keeps Vronsky from committing to a future that would give them stability.

Karenin’s decision, or lack of one, keeps all three of them tied to the past. It is a choice that avoids conflict in the short term but leaves no room for real change.

Closing Thoughts

Part Five feels like a pause between storms. The characters are not in the middle of dramatic events, but they are living with the results of what has already happened. Levin and Kitty are learning how to share a life and seem to be building something that could last. Anna and Vronsky are surrounded by beauty but are beginning to see the limits of what they have. Karenin remains caught in a life he will not alter.

The story has shifted from decisions to consequences. Each character is finding out what it means to live with the choices they have made, and none of them seem entirely at ease.