ANNA KARENIN’S MOTIVATIONS FOR
BREAKING HER EXPECTED GENDER ROLES AS A NOBLE RUSSIAN WOMAN
PORTRAYED IN LEO TOLSTOY’S ANNA KARENIN
A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Selvi Yovina Haryono
Student Number: 081214059
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
vi
I dedicate this thesis to: My mother, Ong Sioe Giok, My sister, Debi Octavia Haryono,
My uncle, Ong Kok Eng My brother, Erwin Haryono,
My close friends,
vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, I would like to thank God. He has given me the power to
believe in myself and pursue my dream in finishing this literature thesis successfully.
I could never have done this without the blessings, the opportunity and the capability
He has given to me.
Secondly, I would like to express my deep thanks to my sponsor, Henny Herawati, S.Pd., M.Hum. for the trust, the insightful discussion, and the valuable advice, for her support during the completion of my study, and especially for her
patience and guidance during the writing process.
Thirdly, I warmly thank and deeply appreciate my mother, Ong Sioe Giok
and my uncle, Ong Ko Eng, for their kindness, their material and spiritual support in all aspects of my life. I would also like to thank my younger sister, Debi Octavia Haryono, my younger brother, Erwin Haryono, and my boyfriend, Lukas Warsono
to give encouragement and bring such happiness in my life.
Fourthly, I would like to thank my friends who have motivated me to finish
this study. My special thanks to Dhyana Paramita for lending me some worth-reading novels such as The Da Vinci Code and Anna Karenin, my classmates both in
viii
Finally, I would like to thank all of my lecturers and friends from Sanata
Dharma University who have given me such precious moments and lessons during
my study there. My gratitude also goes to all people whom I cannot mention one by
one, for their presence and contributions in my life.
I thank them so much. May God bless them and give them all the best in return…
ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
TITLE PAGE ... i
APPROVAL PAGES ... ii
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... iv
PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI ... v
3. Theory of Characterization ... 13
4. Theory of Psychology ... 15
a. Theory of Psychological Approach ... 16
b.Theory of Motivation ... 17
c. Theory of Needs ... 18
x
6. Review on Gender Roles of Victorian Women ... 22
C. Theoretical Framework ... 25 A. The Character Description of Anna Karenin ... 32
1. The Physical and Social Descriptions of Anna Karenin ... 33
a. Beautiful ... 33
b.Young ... 34
c. Aristocratic ... 35
2. The Personality Description of Anna Karenin ... 36
a. Caring ... 36
b.Motherly ... 38
c. Intelligent ... 39
d.Sincere ... 40
e. Heroic ... 41
B. The Motivations of Anna Karenin for Breaking Her Expected Gender Roles ... 43
1. The Intrinsic Motivation of Anna Karenin for Breaking Her Gender Roles ... 43
a. Anna Karenin Wants to Experience the Feeling of Love ... 44
xi
2. The Extrinsic Motivation of Anna Karenin for Breaking Her
Gender Roles ... 51
a. Vronsky Fulfills the Needs of Anna Karenin to Love and Be Loved ... 51
CHAPTER 5. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS A. Conclusions ... 58
B. Suggestions ... 60
1. Suggestions for English Lecturers ... 61
2. Suggestions for Further Researchers ... 62
REFERENCES ... 64
APPENDICES Appendix A : The Summary of Anna Karenin ... 68
Appendix B : Biography of Leo Tolstoy ... 77
Appendix C : Syllabus of Prose Course ... 81
Appendix D : Lesson Plan ... 84
xii
ABSTRACT
Haryono, Selvi Yovina (2008). Anna Karenin’s Motivations for Breaking Her Expected Gender Roles as A Noble Russian Woman Portrayed in Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenin. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Department of Language and Arts Education, Faculty of Teachers Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University.
This study discusses a novel written by Leo Tolstoy entitled Anna Karenin.
This novel pictures the nobles‟ lives of Russia in the late 1800s. Loves, affairs,
hyprocrisy, saving face are keys notes of this enchanting yet powerful novel. Each character is so real that when one reads this work it feels as if one is living in the novel itself. In this study, the writer opts to analyze the motivations of Anna Karenin to break her expected gender roles as a noble Russian woman because there is a compelling story on how Anna struggle to love and live on her own terms, and to be courageously be different from people who have conservative mind on women, love and marriage.
There are two problems discussed in this study: (1) How is Anna Karenin, as the main character, described in Leo Tolstoy‟s Anna Karenin? (2) What are the motivations of Anna Karenin for breaking her expected gender roles as a noble
woman of Russian Royalty in Leo Tolstoy‟s Anna Karenin?
Since the focus of the study is to find out the motivation of the major character to do something, the writer decided to use psychological approach to analyze the problem. The writer also chose a library research as the method of the study, in which a novel entitled Anna Karenin was the primary source and some references from books and internet were the secondary ones. The secondary sources contain some theories related to character and characterization, psychological approach, motivation, gender role, and a review on gender roles of women in Victorian Era.
Based on the analysis conducted, there are two findings which can be drawn
from this study. The first finding describes Anna Karenin‟s characteristics. Based on
the theory of character, Anna is known as a major and a dynamic character. Based on the theory of characterization, it also can be concluded that Anna is physically young, beautiful, and socially is aristocratic. In terms of personality, she is considered as a caring, motherly, intelligent, sincere, heroic woman.
xiii
for breaking the conservative mind of the society. The second is her external motivation in being loved by Vronsky.
In this study, some suggestions are provided for English lecturers and future researchers. The first is for the lecturers. The lecturers can use the novel to teach Prose. To explain how this novel can be used as one of materials in teaching Prose, the writer provides a lesson plan and a worksheet as well. The second is for future researchers. For those who are interested in analyzing the same novel, they can analyze some other aspects of the novel, such as: the relation between Tolstoy‟s life
and the stor, or the influences of industrialization and serfs‟ emancipation toward
Russian Society.
xiv ABSTRAK
Haryono, Selvi Yovina (2008). Anna Karenin’s Motivations for Breaking Her Expected Gender Roles as A Noble Russian Woman Portrayed in Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenin. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Bahasa Inggris, Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa dan Seni, Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Studi ini membahas sebuah novel hasil karya Leo Tolstoy yang berjudul Anna Karenin. Novel ini menggambarkan kehidupan para bangsawan Russia di akhir era 1800an. Cinta, perselingkuhan, kemunafikan, keselamatan nama baik menjadi catatan penting dalam novel yang mempesona namun penuh kuasa ini. Setiap karakter yand ada dalam cerita tampak sangat nyata sehingga orang yang membacanya akan merasa seolah-olah hidup di dalam novel itu. Dalam studi ini, penulis memilih untuk menganalisis motivasi Anna Karenin untuk meninggalkan peran gendernya sebagai seorang wanita bangsawan Rusia karena tertarik pada kisah bagaimana Anna berjuang untuk mencintai dan hidup sesuai dengan caranya sendiri, dan bagaimana Ia berani menjadi seorang individu yang berbeda dari orang-orang yang memiliki pandangan konservatif akan wanita, cinta, dan pernikahan.
Ada dua persoalan yang dibahas dalam studi ini: (1) Bagaimana Anna Karenin, sebagai tokoh utama, dideskripsikan dalam Anna Karenin karya Leo Tolstoy? (2) Apakah motivasi Anna Karenin untuk meninggalkan peran gendernya sebagai seorang wanita bangsawan Rusia dalam Anna Karenin karya Leo Tolstoy?
Karena fokus studi ini adalah untuk mengetahui motivasi karakter utama untuk melakukan sesuatu, maka penulis memutuskan untuk menggunakan pendekatan psikologi untuk menganalisis persoalan yang ada. Penulis juga memilih penelitian pustaka sebagai metode studi, dimana novel berjudul Anna Karenin sebagai sumber utama dan beberapa referensi dari buku dan internet sebagai sumber sekunder. Sumber sekunder berisi teori-teori yang berhubungan dengan tokoh dan penokohan, pendekatan psikologi, motivasi, peran gender, dan ulasan tentang peran gender wanita pada masa lampau.
Berdasarkan analisis yang telah dilakukan, ada dua temuan yang dapat ditarik dari studi ini. Temuan yang pertama membahas tentang karakteristik Anna Karenin. Berdasarkan teori tentang tokoh, Anna dikenal sebagai tokoh utama dan dinamis. Berdasarkan teori penokohan, dapat disimpulkan bahwa Anna secara fisik muda, cantik, dan secara sosial aristokratis. Dipandang dari segi kepribadian, Anna adalah sosok wanita yang penuh kepedulian, keibuan, cerdas, jujur, dan heroik.
xv
konservatif masyarakat. Motivasi yang kedua adalah motivasi ekstrinsik yang berasal dari cinta Vronsky untuk dirinya.
Pada studi ini, penulis memberikan beberapa saran untuk dosen-dosen Bahasa Inggris dan para peneliti di masa mendatang. Para dosen dapat menggunakan novel ini untuk mengajar Prose. Untuk menerangkan bagaimana novel ini dapat digunakan sebagai salah satu materi untuk mengajarProse, penulis menyediakan sebuah rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaran beserta lembar kerjanya. Saran yang kedua ditujukan kepada para peneliti di masa mendatang. Bagi mereka yang tertarik untuk menganalisa novel yang sama, mereka dapat menganalisa beberapa aspek lain dari novel tersebut, seperti: relasi antara kehidupan Tolstoy dengan cerita novel, atau pengaruh industrialisasi dan emansipasi buruh terhadap masyarakat Russia.
1
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter contains some information related to the background of the
study, problem formulations, objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and also
the definition of terms. The background of the study explains the description of the
study and the reasons of choosing the topic. Problem formulations present the
formulation of problems discussed or analyzed in the study. Objectives of the study
cover the goals of the study. Next, the contribution of the study is identified in the
benefits of the study. The last part is the definition of terms which contains important
key terms mentioned in this study.
A. Background of the Study
According to Connolly (1955), “By reading literature, men can find
themselves and the world they live in. Besides, people can learn the meaning of
personal struggle presented by the characters in the story” (p.1). From this definition,
it can be concluded that literature can be one way to let people see the representative
of their world of living in reality. By reading literature, people can have a greater
understanding on how to deal with the complexity of life. They can also learn to have
a critical thinking in understanding different personalities of each character described
Literature can bring people to criticize every aspect of life and make them
realize how life is working. When reading literature, people should involve their
feeling and sensitivity to grasp the meaning and the valuable lessons of the story.
Since literature is rich of valuable lessons of life, people who read it will be able to
learn some better ways to behave and to live in the future.
Motivation is one of the most interesting topics to be discussed in literary
works. According to Huffman and Vernoy (2000), motivation points at the factors
within individuals, such as: needs, desires, and interests, which guide behavior
toward goals. Motivation emerges emotion as the „feeling‟ response towards the goal
achievement. (p.392). It proves that, when people want to do something, they must
possess needs and eagerness which motivate them to behave toward life satisfaction.
Every person has different interests, desires, and needs to fulfill in life. Hence,
their motivations to comply those three things will also be different from one another.
Different motivations appear as well in breaking the gender roles of a married
woman. Commonly, the motivation of a woman who has been married is to focus on
being the best wife for her husband and the best mother for her children, and she will
be absolutely happy to love and take care of them. However, there is also an example
of a woman who feels burdened being the one responsible to fulfill those two roles.
Such situation can be seen in one of the most valuable literary works entitled
Anna Karenin. It is a best-seller novel written by a Russian writer named Leo
a story about a love triangle between Anna, Karenin and Vronsky. It also has another
plot with Levin and Kitty‟s love and how they are related to Vronsky.
This novel pictures the nobles‟ lives of Russia in the late 1800s. Love, affairs,
hyprocrisy, and saving face are key notes of this enchanting yet powerful novel. Each
character is so real that when one reads this work it feels as if one is actually living in
the novel itself.
Tolstoy also pictures different social lives between the Levin brothers and
how the fate between Anna and her brother, Stiva, are defined based on their attitude
towards love, marriage and family lives. Stiva, although committing adultery, he gets
back to the husband‟s business and becomes more strategic in comparison with Anna
Karenin, who is idealistic and trying to be honest with herself of her love for
Vronsky.
Stiva remains alive and is still a social butterfly who keeps the family
together. On the contrary, Anna leaves Karenin and her son in order to be with
Vronsky. She has no shame for having a child out of wedlock with Vronsky and takes
pride on her love for him. This eventually makes Anna be a possesive person and it
drives Vronsky away from her. Unable to keep her son, and to believe Vronsky has
left her, she became angry. While society shies away from her, she becomes more and
more depressed. Believing she is no good, the horified, petrified feeling of
abandonements drives her to her death when she throws herself out of desperation
According to Snicket (2008), the central theme of Anna Karenin is "that a
rural life of moral simplicity, despite its monotony, is the preferable personal
narrative to a daring life of impulsive passion, which leads to tragedy.” Based on the
theme of the novel, it can be seen that the novel is all about the impulsive passion of
the main character to have a daring life as a person living within a rural and
conservative life of Russian Society.
There are some reasons why this novel is chosen as the source of the study.
The first reason is because this novel portrays the life of noble women who have
limited opportunity to realize their own dream of living. In the late 1800s, the Russian
society presumed good women as those who were able to be dutiful wives for the
husbands, be good mothers, and good caretakers for the children. Women were also
insisted on accepting an arranged marriage without complaining. If they rejected to
fulfill all of those responsibilities, they would be exiled and considered as outcasts by
the society.
The second reason is because the bravery of Anna Karenin to break her
gender roles is an interesting topic to analyze. Anna Karenin, the main character of
the story, is different from other noble Russian women in general. When the others
come to heel to obey all the hypocrisy and conservative mind of the Russian Society,
Anna Karenin yet attempts to resist them by stepping over the boundaries of her
expected roles as a woman in Russian royalty tradition.
Based on the reasons explained above, this study aims at discussing the
woman. By understanding her motivation, the readers are able to learn that wealth,
high-living standard, and high social status do not always become guaranteed factors
for someone to get happiness and satisfaction in life. The readers can also be
enlightened that the existence of love is one of the most important factors in marriage
and in building a relationship with someone.
B. Problem Formulation
Referring to the background of the study, there are two questions presented to
lead the analysis in this study. The questions are:
1. How is Anna Karenin, as the main character, described in Leo Tolstoy‟s
Anna Karenin?
2. What are the motivations of Anna Karenin for breaking her expected
gender roles as a noble woman of Russian Royalty in Leo Tolstoy‟s Anna
Karenin?
C. Objectives of the Study
The objectives of this study are used to answer the two problems that the
writer has mentioned in the problem formulation. The first objective is intended to
describe Anna Karenin‟s characteristics in the novel. The second objective is to find
out Anna Karenin‟s motivations to break her expected gender roles as a noble woman
D. Benefits of the Study
This study can give benefits to English lecturers and future researchers to
enrich their knowledge on how the Russians in Victorian Era determine the proper
roles and behaviors of women in society, and to learn how a heroic Victorian woman
named Anna Karenin is able to emancipate her position in society.
The first is to the English lecturers. They can use this study to develop
interesting and interactive teaching-learning activities in Prose Class. Through this
study, they can let the students have a greater understanding on gender roles of
Victorian women in Russia. They can also enable the students to make a comparison
and an interrelationship between the roles of women in the past and the role of
women in today‟s era.
The second benefit is addressed to the future researchers. The writer expects
this study can give meaningful contribution to other researchers who want to conduct
further studies on the same novel. The writer also hopes this study can provide the
researchers an additional reference on how to change the conservative mind of the
E. Definition of Terms
In order to avoid misunderstanding, it is important to explain the meaning of
some terms used in this study. The definitions of important terms that will be
explained are: motivation, gender role, and noble.
The first definition of term is motivation. According to Huffman and Vernoy
(2000), motivation is necessity, interests, and willingness of a person which urge
behavior toward goals. In this study, motivation is the needs, interests, and
willingness within Anna Karenin that urge behavior to leave her responsibility as a
married woman and achieve her self-satisfaction.
The second is gender role. In a book titled Gender: Psychological Perspectives,
Brannon (1976) states that gender roles are “…socially encouraged patterns of
behavior exhibited by individuals in specific situations.” (p.168). The meaning of
patterns of behavior here is the appropriate ways of women and men in acting
feminine and masculine. In this study, Anna Karenin, as the main character, should
show her femininity as a woman. After being married to Karenin, Anna should be a
dutiful wife for her husband and take care of her son appropriately. However, she
escapes from those responsibilities to reach her own freedom of loving and living.
The last is noble. According to Cambridge Advanced Learners‟ Dictionary (3rd
Ed.), the word “noble” is defined as “belonging to a high social rank in a society,
especially by birth”. In Russia, the word for noble is “dvoryanin”, which means a
is a princess by birth from Russian Royalty. Therefore, Anna Karenin is called as a
9
CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter consists of three parts, they are; review of related studies, review
of related theories, and theoretical framework. In the review of related studies, the
writer reviews previous works done on the same novel, states her new discovery in
the study, and shows the differences between her study and the other studies. Review
of related theories is used to review the theories which are relevant to the study. The
last part is theoretical framework. In this part, the writer explains the contribution of
theories and reviews in solving the problems of the study.
A. Review of Related Studies
Leo Tolstoy‟s Anna Karenin has been used in three previous studies. The first
study focuses on Anna Karenin‟s character development and motivation to commit
suicide, the second is about the personality changes of Anna and Levin in searching
for the meaning of happiness, and the last discusses the biblical values conveyed
through Anna‟s and Levin‟s characters.
In this study, the writer discovers a new aspect of the novel that has not been
discussed and analyzed in those three previous studies. It is about the motivations of
Anna Karenin, the main character of the novel, to break her expected gender roles as
B. Review of Related Theories 1. Theory of Literature
In Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction, Culler (1997) describes
literature as a fictional work and an aesthetic object. As a fictional work, “literature
separates language from other contexts in which it might be used and leaves the
work‟s relation to the world open to interpretation” (p.32). In addition, literature can
also be assumed as an aesthetic object because “…,with other communicative
functions initially bracketed or suspended, it engages readers to consider the
interrelation between form and content” (p.33).
Weltanschauung as cited by Rene Wellek and Austin Warren (1956) says that,
“Among the arts, literature, specifically, seems also to claim „truth‟ through the view
of life which every artistically coherent work processes.” (p.34). Moreover, Connolly
(1955) also supports the idea above that “By reading literature, men can find
themselves and the world they live in. Besides, people can learn the meaning of the
personal struggled presented by the characters in the story.” (p.1)
From those three definitions, the writer can understand that literature is the
representative of human life in reality. Through literature, people can see the scenes
of life which contain characters, emotions, struggles, and feelings. Therefore, by
reading Anna Karenin, people can also get a better understanding of how life works
2. Theory of Character
Character is one of the main elements needed in a novel. Without the
existence of characters, the story will not be meaningful and interesting. Characters
make the story alive. They help the readers to imagine and feel the atmosphere of the
story through actions and dialogues. Abrams (1999) defines characters as:
“The persons represented in a dramatic or narrative work, who are interpreted by
the reader as being endowed with particular moral, intellectual, and emotional qualities by inferences from what the persons say and their distinctive ways of saying it—the dialogue—and from what they do—the action.” (p.33).
Abrams believes that dialogues and actions which are presented by each character in
the story help the readers to find out the motives and the values lay behind what they
say and do.
In addition, Rohrberger and Woods (1971) states that “Characters have particular
personalities and physical atrributes that distinguish them from other characters.”
(p.20). From their point of view, it can be concluded that characters in the story, the
same as human beings in real life, have their own unique personality and appearance,
which make them different from one another.
Koesnosoebroto (1988) differentiates two types of characters. They are: major
and minor characters. Major characters are those who become the center of the story.
They always emerge from the beginning to the ending of the story. The heart of the
story is emphasized from their life experiences. On the other hand, minor characters
only appear in certain parts of the story. Their roles are less important than the major
Forster (1974) also distinguishes characters into two types, flat and round
characters. Flat characters are those who being undeveloped in the story. They only
show up in some particular scenes to support the role of main characters. They are
rarely able to give astonishment to the readers. On the contrary, round characters are
the dynamic and progressive ones. They always show changes from scene to scene.
The readers usually find it easier to mention the personalities and appearances of the
round characters. It is because round characters have more complex behaviors than
the flat ones (p.46).
In Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, Perrine (1974) distinguishes the
character into two types, namely: static character and dynamic character.
1) Static character
Static character does not undergo a change. This kind of character will have the
same characteristics from the beginning to the end of the story (p.71).
2) Dynamic character
Dynamic character is a developing character. This kind of character will change
in certain conditions and can be developed under some possibilities. Dynamic
character undergoes a permanent change in some aspects of his or her character,
personality or outlook. The changes may be in a large or small portion, and may
be better or worse, which are important or basis (p.71).
Based on the theory of character above, the writer can identify which types of
3. Theory of Characterization
In order to be able to analyze characters in the novel, it is necessary to know
characterization, which explains about how the characters are presented by the author
in the story. In Understanding Unseen: An Introduction to English Poetry and the
English Novel for Overseas Students, Murphy (1972) states that there are nine ways
to understand how the characters presented by the author in the story. They are:
1) Personal description
The author can describe a person‟s appearance or clothing. The author can
describe clearly using his skillful voice about what the characters look like and
he can also tell the readers about the characters in details (pp. 161-162).
2) Characters as seen by another
The author can describe a character through the opinions, attitudes, views and
comments of other characters instead of describing a character by himself.
The readers will catch a reflected image of the characters the author means
(p.162).
3) Speech
The author can explain a character through the way she or he speaks and the
language she or he uses in a conversation with another, whenever she or he puts
forward an opinion, so readers will get an insight into the characteristics
4) Past life
Using the past life the author can present a clue to events that help to shape
characteristics by giving the readers the character‟s past life. This is reasonably
helpful to analyze the motives that a character has when he has a particular
characteristic or does something extraordinary (p.166).
5) Conversation of others
The author can provide an explanation about a character through the
conversation of other characters and what they say about him or her. Through
this, the readers will learn that what others say about the character may reveal
what kind of character he or she is (pp.167-168).
6) Reactions
The author can describe the characteristics by displaying the way a character‟s
responses or reactions to various situations and events in a story. The reaction
7) Direct comment
The author can give the readers a way to imagine the characteristics of the
character when he or she gives comments and descriptions on it directly. By
recognizing it, the readers will know what the author precisely wants to reveal
(pp.1970-1971).
8) Thoughts
The author can give the readers a direct knowledge of what a certain person and
what different person is thinking about (pp.171-172).
9) Mannerism
A person‟s mannerism, habits or idiosyncrasies can also be characterized by the
author to tell the readers something about the character‟s characteristics both in
negative and positive ones (p.173).
Based on the theory explained above, the writer can see how Leo Tolstoy presents the
main character analyzed in this study through character as seen by another, speech,
thought, and reactions.
4. Theory of Psychology
In The Psychology of Human Behavior, Kalish (1973) defines psychology as
“the science that attempts to understand, describe, predict, and influence behavior—
particularly human behavior.” (p.4). Huffman and Vernoy (2000) also promotes
psychology as a scientific study of behavior and mental processes which describe the
From those two definitions, it can be concluded that psychology studies
someone‟s behavior, which is developed from time to time, to find out the motivation
underlying the behavior itself. By understanding psychology in literature, a person
can observe the behavior of life-like characters, and try to find out the motivations
behind their thought, feeling, and actions written in the story.
a. Theory of Psychological Approach
Rohrberger and Woods (1971) states that literature is an aesthetic work which
contains values and beauty. In order to grasp the values and the beauty attached in
literary works, a person should use a critical approach to literature. It shows the
person the ways to read, to give reasonable and logical judge, and to understand what
literature is. By using a critical approach, a person will know how a literary work is
created, what the purpose of the work is, and what messages or lessons are conveyed
in it. (p.3)
In this study, the critical approcah used by the writer is psychological
approach. According to Kennedy and Gioia (2005), psychological approach focuses
on analyzing the character‟s motivations or behaviors in the work. Psychological
criticism believes that literature is the representative of human life in reality.
In addition, Peter Barry (2009) states that a psychological approach focuses
on unconscious motives and feelings which come from the author or the characters
depicted in the work. (p.100). From those two definitions, it can be concluded that
psychological approach is used to find out the motivations of characters in
b. Theory of Motivation
In real life, human beings must have a motivation to make life purposeful and
interesting. To make the story of a novel interesting, the characters in it should also
have a motivation. Without any motivation, the characters will not become „alive‟
and the story will be boring. On the contrary, if there are various motivations
possessed by different characters, different perceptions, actions, and conflicts will
come up throughout the story, and they will bring interests to the readers when
reading the story.
According to Huffman and Vernoy (2000), motivation is elements within an
individual which consist of needs, desires, and interests to encourage behavior toward
a goal, which emerges emotion as the „feeling‟ response (para.1). It means that
without possessing interests, needs, and desires, people will not have motivation to
act. If people do not have motivation to act, they will not have any achievement or
satisfaction in their life.
Another theory of motivation comes from Adair (2006). He states that people
will have motivation when they want to do something. Motivation embodies the
reasons which encourage people to act either positively or negatively (p.89). From his
statement, the writer can understand that motivation is the foundation for people to do
positive or negative actions.
According to Ryan and Deci (2000), there are two types motivation: intrinsic
1) Intrinsic Motivation
Intrinsic motivation is the doing of an activity for its inherent satisfactions rather
than for some separable consequence. If a person is intrinsically motivated, he or
she will be encouraged to act for fun or challenge entailed rather than because of
external prods, pressures, or rewards (p.56).
2) Extrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic motivation is a construct that pertains whenever an activity is done in
order to attain some separable outcome (p.60).
From those two definitions, it can be concluded that instrinsic motivation is an
internal desire of an individual to act because it gives pleasure or satisfaction within
himself or herself. On the other hand, external motivation is the one that comes from
external factors which encourage an individual to do particular actions.
c. Theory of Needs
In Goble‟s The Third Force (1971), Abraham H. Maslow states that human
motivations are in relation with human needs. According to him, human beings are
motivated to do activities because of the urge of needs. Therefore, he creates a
hierarchy which consists of seven needs. They are; physiological needs, safety needs,
love and belongingness needs, esteem needs, self-actualization needs, the desire to
1) Physiological Needs
Physiological needs become the first stage of the hierarchy as it contains the
physical needs of human beings to survive in this world, such as food, sleep, and
oxygen. For example, a person who is lacking of food will seek food first before
they fulfill other needs (p.38).
2) Safety Needs
When the physiological needs are sufficiently satisfied, the safety needs emerge.
Every human being living in this world needs to feel secure, safe and out of
danger. They surely always attempt to avoid dangerous things, especially when it
comes to physical violence (p.40).
3) The Belongingness and Love Needs
When the psychological and safety needs are met, needs for love and affection,
and belongingness emerge. According to Maslow, love is a healthy, affectionate
relationship between two people which include mutual trust. Love requires the
act of giving and receiving the love itself, from someone to love and from
someone who love. (pp.40-41).
4) Esteem Needs
Maslow divides esteem needs into two categories. They are esteem and
a) Self-esteem includes desire for confidence, competence mastery, adequacy,
achievement, independence and freedom.
b)Self respect includes prestige, recognition, acceptance, attention, status,
reputation and appreciation from other people.
Maslow says that “…when self-esteem is inadequate, the individual has feeling
of inferiority and helplessness, which may result in discouragement and possible
neurotic behavior” (p.42).
5) Self-Actualization Needs
Self-actualization needs is “the identification of the psychological need for
growth, development, and utilization of potential…the desire to become more
and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming”
(p.42).
6) The Desire to Know and Understand
According to Maslow, curiosity is a characteristic of mutual health. The process
of curiosity has ben phrased by some as the search of meaning, that is to
undestand, to systemize, to analyze, to look for the relation and meanings, to
7) Aesthetic Needs
Maslows says that the need of human beings for beauty is very deep, and
ugliness makes them sick (p.44).
By understanding the theory of needs, the writer can examine what the main character
trully needs in her life, and how the needs motivate her to do particular action.
5. Theory of Gender Role
In an article titled Gender Terminology, USAID (2007) gives an explanation on
what gender role is:
“Communities and societies create social norms of behavior, values, and attitudes that are deemed appropriate for men and women and the relations between them. These roles are assigned by social criteria rather than biological. For example, childbearing is a female sex role because men cannot bear children. Although
both men and women can rear children, these duties are socially assigned.”
(source: http://www.usaid.gov)
From the definition above, it can be concluded that the function of gender role
is to assign what roles both men and women should have in social life. Gender of
men and women are different from one another. Men have roles to finance and give
protection to the family, while women have to bear children and take care of the
family and households. It is an obligation for men and women to fulfill their roles in
family life and in society.
Robert Brannon, as cited by Linda Brannon (1996), also gives an explanation
on gender role. He says that gender role looks like a script that men and women
gender role as “…socially encouraged patterns of behavior exhibited by individuals in
specific situations. Thus, a person acts to fulfill a role by behaving in the expected
way in the appropriate situation.” (p.168). Gender role is not created by innate
reasons, but by the activities which are associated with men and women, whether
being feminine or masculine.
6. Review on Gender Roles of Victorian Women
This study focuses on gender role of a noble Russian woman in the late 1800s.
Therefore, to make it clear and more specific, the writer would like to add some
reviews related to the gender role of women, especially in Victorian Era. In her blog
titled Life of Women in the Victorian Era, Nickson (2009) states that the role of
women in Victorian Era was really limited. Their life was forced to fulfill family
commitments. Their only roles were to get married, raise children, and look after the
households. The groomed young ladies should be innocent, virtuous, biddable and
dutiful in a marriage. They were obliged to learn French, dancing, drawing and
singing to help them get a perfect suitor.
According to Soames (2004) in a website titled Marriage in the Victorian Era,
women married because they had limited options. They were not formerly educated
and were only encouraged to find a man to marry and to have children. It shows that
women only have to fulfill their domestic duties as a wife and as a mother.
In his book titled Sex and Suffrage in Britain 1860-1914, Kent (1990) writes
women were not allowed to make their own living, they had to be depending on the
husbands‟ income. A husband had a complete control under his wife‟s and his
childrens‟ body, rights, identity and property (p.86). He also states that marriage was
considered by the Victorian Society as both the expected duty and the best position of
women (p.91).
In Victorian Families in Fact and Fiction, Kane (1995) says that “to be even
considered as a potential wife, women had to be not only virgins, but were expected
to remain innocent and “free from any thought of love or sexuality”. (p.97).
Moreover, Vickery (1993) thought that women were considered as dishonorable
human beings by men in Victorian period. He said:
In reality women held an important position as wives since they took care of the household, any servants, helped with their husband‟s work, and managed
the finances, however from the male‟s point of view, women were nothing
more than overly emotional and mindless creatures ruled by their sexuality, or
simply “the Sex” (p.389).
According to Kent (1990), being a mother was formally considered as a sacred
and honored position in that era. A mother was seen as „the angel of the house‟, and
motherhood was „the crowning achievement of a woman‟s life‟ (p.33). However,
Holmes and Nelson (1997) say that motherhood is not assumed more respected than
marriage. According to their finding, sex for any other excuses than creating children
was judged as a dirty and scandalous action which desecrated the sexless image of
The theory above means that to be a truly appreciated mother, a woman should
be religious and free from sexual lust. Holmes and Nelson also said that, “a mother
who lacked religious faith could not instill sexual propriety in her daughter, and thus
was unfit to be a mother at all.” (p.21). It implies that being virginal and religious was
more important than the role of being a mother.
Mothers were socially valued if they could become good mothers based on
rigid moral standards of propriety both in behavior and opinion. Thus, in a website
titled Women as “the Sex” During the Victorian Era, Zeltser(2004) says that:
Thus mothers were viewed by men as angelic only if they seemed to eschew sex, were meek, submissive, and conforming. Mothers, men kept in mind, were also women controlled by their emotions, and were socially accepted as long as they stayed in their sphere of submissiveness and passivity.
From the theory above, it can be seen that like marriage, motherhood was also aimed
at limiting women‟s roles in society. To be as sexually free as men, women should
escape from motherhood and violate the convention of the society and and the rules
made by men.
In Victorian Era, women were not able to get justice by herself. Their justice
was determined by the point of view of men as Perkin (1993) says that, “Justice was
administered according to a male view of her rights, and of how she ought to behave.
It seemed appropriate that justice was portrayed as a blindfolded woman, since her
scales were so tilted in favor of men.” (p.113).
The same as the effort of getting justice, the desire of women to get a divorce
“While a wife‟s adultery was sufficient cause to end a marriage, a woman could
divorce her husband only if his adultery had been compounded by another
matrimonial offense, such as cruelty or desertion.” (p.40).
Soames (2004) supports the idea above that Victorian women were difficult to
obtain a divorce. They were able to get a divorce if there was an adultery reason with
a supplement of proving their husbands engaged in incest and crime. Women, as
wives and mothers, were considered unnatural to commit adultery because, they
should be the moral guides for the children.
C. Theoretical Framework
This study provides some theories to support the analysis and to answer the
two problems presented in the first chapter. They are; theory of character and
characterization, theory of psychological approach, theory of motivation, theory of
needs, theory of gender role, and a review on Gender Roles of Women in Victorian
Era.
The first is theory of character and characterization. It is used to answer the
first problem formulation, which is to identify how Anna Karenin described in the
novel. The theory of character is used to find out what sort of character Anna Karenin
is. In addition, the theory of characterization is used to know how the author makes
the character understandable in the story.
The second is theory of psychological approach, motivation, and needs. In this
find out the needs, interests, and desires which motivate Anna Karenin breaking her
gender roles as a dutiful wife and mother through her behavior.
The third is theory of gender roles. This theory is used to help the writer
understand how the roles of men are different from the roles of women, and how men
and women should show proper attitude and behavior according to the social criteria.
The last is the review on gender roles of women in Victorian Era. It helps the
writer to understand why the role of women in Victorian Era was really limited. The
review also assists the writer in finding out how a married woman in that era should
behave in front of her family and society, why they should obey the custom in
society, how they are regarded in the society, and what the consequences that women
27
CHAPTER 3
METHODOLOGY
In this chapter, there are three parts of methodology. They are object of the
study, approach of the study, and method of the study. Object of the study elaborates
the physical description of the novel studied. Approach of the study states a
psychological approach discussed in the study. The method of the study describes the
procedures of analyzing the study.
3.1 Object of the Study
The object of this study is Anna Karenin, a novel which is written by Leo
Tolstoy, a famous Russian writer in 1800‟s. Leo Tolstoy had written Anna Karenin
for five years (1864-1869). It was originally written in Russian language. In this
study, the writer uses the English translation version of Rosemary Edmons. This
novel was first published by Oxford University Press in 1918 and revised in 1939.
Anna Karenin consists of 852 pages and it is divided into eight parts. Part I
consists of 34 chapters, part II consists of 35 chapters, part III consists of 32 chapters,
part IV is 23 chapters, part V is 33 chapters, part VI is 32 chapters, part VII is 31
Anna Karenin is a novel telling about a triangle love between three
characters named Anna Arkadyevna Karenin, Count Alexis Kirillovich Vronsky, and
Alexei Alexandrovich Karenin. In this novel, there is also another plot about
Konstantin Levin and Katerina (Kitty) Alexandrovna Scherbatsky. In this novel, Leo
Tolstoy depicted the life of Russian nobles in the late 1800‟s which involved love,
affairs, saving face of the family, and hypocrisy.
In Anna Karenin, Leo Tolstoy also describes the roles of noble women in
Russia. At that time, women only had three main roles in the society: as a wife, as a
mother, and as the one who were responsible saving the family face. Tolstoy saw
women‟s main responsibility was only to be with their families. They were not
allowed to have a divorce in a marriage without being permitted by her husband.
Anna Karenin, as the main character of the story, was a noble Russian
woman. She is beautiful, smart, kind, and reserved. Since she has been falling in love
with a man named Vronsky, she stepped out the moral boundaries of the royal society
and broke out her expected gender role as a good wife of Karenin and a good mother
of her son. Because of her being deviant, she was being outcasted by the society.
3.2 Approach of the Study
This study applies a psychological approach to answer the two presented
research problems. Based on the theories explained before, psychological approach is
studies what kind of motivation that can encourage human beings to do particular
actions.
This approach is suitable to be applied in the study because it is able to help
the writer identify the needs and strong interests of Anna Karenin in her life, then to
find out her motivation to break her expected gender roles as a dutiful wife and
mother in her noble family. It is an interesting topic and it will be further analyzed in
the following chapter of the study.
3.3 Method of the Study
In this study, the writer used library research as the method to obtain both the
primary and secondary data for the study. According to Virginia Tech (2008), there
are seven steps to do a library research, they are: choosing the topic, finding
background information, finding books on the topic, using databases/indexes to find
periodical articles on the topic, evaluating what have been found, writing the paper,
then formatting the bibliography.
(source: http://www.lib.vt.edu/instruct/seven/sevensteps.html#%29).
The first step is choosing the topic. Initially, the writer read Leo Tolstoy‟s
Anna Kareninin Rosemary Edmond‟s translation (as the primary source of the study)
for several times to get a deeper understanding about the plot and the moral values of
the story. Having a deeper understanding of the story, the writer then chose a topic
that made the writer interested to analyze, that was a motivation of the main character
The second is finding background information. To find the background
information, the writer searched for notes, articles, and readings related to the topic.
The writer then summarized all of them in the form of mind mapping. According to
Buzan (1994), mind mapping is:
an expression of Radiant Thinking and is therefore a natural function of the human mind. It is a powerful graphic technique which provides a universal key to unlocking the potential of the brain. The Mind Map can be applied to every aspect of life where improved learning and clearer thinking will enhance human performance (p.86).
By using mind mapping, the writer could easily organize and generalize the
chronological thinking and ideas from various information which are in relation with
the topic of the study, such as time, places, and people.
The next two steps are finding books and using databases/indexes to find
periodical articles on the topic. In this part, the writer found some sources used as the
theories or the backbone of the study. The sources were in the form of books and
online articles or journals. Afterwards, the writer listed down both the theories used
in the study and the citations of the sources in the mind mapping.
The theories used in the study were; the theory of literature, the theory of
character and characterization, the theory of psychological approach, the theory of
motivation, the theory of needs, the theory of gender roles, and the review on gender
roles of women in Victorian Era.
The fifth step is evaluating what have been found. After finding some relevant
that had been gathered, and then made a relation between the sources with the topic
and two problems presented in the study.
After evaluating what have been found and making a relation between the
sources and the study, the writer started writing her thesis which consists of five
chapters. They are: introduction, review of related literature, methodology, analysis,
and conclusions.
The last step is formatting bibliography. After writing her thesis, the writer
decided the format of the bibliography and then listed down all of the citations which
32
CHAPTER 4 ANALYSIS
This chapter aims at analyzing the work of the novel and answering the two
problems presented in the study. Firstly, the analysis focuses on the description of
Anna Karenin‟s character in the novel. Secondly, the analysis concentrates on the
motivations of Anna Karenin to break her gender roles.
A. The Character Description of Anna Karenin
Koesnosoebroto (1988) states that major characters are those whose life
experiences are the emphasis and the heart of the whole story (p.23). Generally, those
who become major characters can also be called as dynamic characters. According to
Perrine (1974), dynamic character is a developing character that undergoes better or
worse changes in some of her character, outlook, or personality (p.71).
In Anna Karenin, Leo Tolstoy presents a noble woman named Anna Karenin
as both the major and dynamic character of the story. He describes Anna Karenin as a
woman whose character is rich in complexity. In order to have deeper understanding
on the character description of Anna Karenin, the theory of character and
characterization should be applied in this study.
The first is the theory of character. In the previous chapter, Abrams (1999)
describes characters as the imaginative persons with moral, intellectual and emotional
Rohrberger and Woods (1971) says that every character in the story has different
appearance and personality from one another. (p.20). This theory helps the study to
analyze how the physical appearance and the moral, intellectual, and emotional
values of Anna Karenin make her special and different from other characters in the
story.
The second theory is the theory of characterization from Murphy (1972). He
clarifies how the author presents characters in the story through nine aspects, which
consist of; personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life,
conversation of others, reactions, direct comment, thought and mannerism. This
theory supports the writer to analyze how the author depicts the appearance and the
personality of Anna Karenin in the novel.
By applying the theory of character and characterization, this study is able to
find out the answer of the first problem, that is how Anna Karenin, as the main
character, described in the story. In order to give clear and complete answer to the
first problem, the description of Anna Karenin‟s character will be divided into two
parts. The first part is the description of physical and social appearances of Anna
Karenin and the second is the description of her personality in the story.
1. The Physical and Social Descriptions of Anna Karenin a. Beautiful
In the beginning of the story, Leo Tolstoy describes Anna Karenin as a
fascinated at her. This kind of fascination can be seen through Vronsky‟s admiration
on Anna when they first meet in the train station.
He must have another look at her—not because of her beauty…but because of something tender and caressing in her lovely face. Her brilliant grey eyes, shadowed by thick lashes, gave him a friendly, attentive look….her sparkling eyes and the slight smile curving her red lips (p.75).
Vronsky‟s mother also experiences the same admiration as Vronsky when she
talks to Anna along their journey to Moscow.
I could travel round the world with you and never be dull. You are one of those sweet woman with whom it is nice to be silent as well as to talk. Let me
have a kiss of your pretty little face…let me confess that I have lost my heart to you (pp. 76-77).
Vronsky‟s mother regards Anna as an attractive woman who can be a nice companion
to talk. Anna owns enchantment and hospitality in the way she speaks and behaves,
and it makes Vronsky‟s mother falls in love with Anna. In the eyes of her friend,
Anna is also such a dear and sweet person that can melt everyone‟s heart (p.152).
b.Young
Although Anna has already been a mother of an eight-year-old boy named
Seriozha, she still looks young and impressive. Kitty, both Dolly‟s younger sister and
Vronsky‟s lover, admires Anna‟s youth and beauty. Her admiration to Anna is so big
that make her constantly fall in love with Anna at the first impression.
According to Kitty, Anna is different from any other women she has ever met
Her lithe movements, her freshness, and the persistent animation of her face…have
made her look more a girl of twenty” (pp.85-86).
c. Aristocratic
Anna is a wife of an honorable statesman in St. Petersburg named Karenin. As
a wife of a noble official statesman, Anna is surely well-known in society, “Dolly did
not forget that Anna, her sister in-law, was the wife of one of the most important
pesonages in Petersburg and a grande dameof Petersburg society” (p.80).
Being dubbed as a grande dame means that Anna Karenin is highly
appreciated by the society. Since she is a distinguished woman who becomes the
limelight of everybody, the ways she dresses up and behaves are different from other
women in general.
Her charm lay precisely in the fact that she stood out from whatever she was wearing, that her dress never conspicuous on her. And the black velvet, with its rich lace served only as a frame. It was Anna alone, simple, natural, elegant (p.93).
The way she talks to other people shows her courtesy as an aristocratic
woman, and it makes everybody, including Levin, impressed on her.
Levin recognized and admired the manners of a woman of high society, always self-possessed and natural…she spoke easily and without haste. Anna talked not merely naturally and cleverly, but cleverly and without pretence, attaching no value to her own ideas and giving great weight to the ideas of the person she was speaking to (pp.729-730).
From the quotation above, the writer can understand that when Anna has a
significance. It makes other people feel happy and do not easily get bored to talk to
her.
2. The Personality Description of Anna Karenin a. Caring
Anna Karenin is a caring person. She cares about the problems existed in
Oblonsky‟s household. When her brother‟s household is threatened collapsed caused
by his affair with the children governess, Anna Karenin with good intention comes
from Petersburg to Moscow to reconcile Oblosnsky with his wife, Dolly, “Anna
Arkadyevna, Oblonsky‟s beloved sister, might effect a reconciliation between
husband and wife” (p.17).
Anna really feels sorry for Dolly‟s disappointment to her beloved husband,
“Dolly dear, I do not want to speak up for him, or try to console you; that would be
impossible. But, dearest, I am just sorry for you—sorry with all my heart!” (p.81).
Her utterance makes Dolly realize that there is someone who still able to understand
her painful position as a betrayed wife.
Although Anna knows that Dolly has been sinked into deep sorrow, she keeps
reminding Dolly that there is no use to make herself more miserable, for it will only
drive her to take the wrong solution (p.83). To actualize a reconciliation between
Dolly and Oblonsky, she explains how Oblonsky feels guilty to Dolly and to the
and that, loving you—yes, yes, loving you more than anything else in the world”
(p.83).
Anna also attempts to seek a chance of Dolly forgiving her husband by
reminding the existence of her love for Oblonsky,
Dolly, dearest, I fully appreciate your sufferings, only there is one thing I do
not know…how much love there still is in your heart for him. You alone know whether there is enough for you to be able to forgive. If there is, then
forgive him!‟ (p.84).
To support a reconciliation between both of them, Anna also attempts to remind how
meaningful Dolly is for her husband, “I know that the longer he has lived with you
the higher you have raised in his esteem…You always were and still are goddess in
his eyes” (p.85).
By giving an understanding to Dolly that both she and her husband still have a
possibility to love each other; Dolly finally decides to forgive Oblonsky and they are
reunited again as a happy intact family. Both Oblonsky and Dolly feel so thankful to
Anna.
Besides caring about her brother‟s households, Anna also pays much attention
to her own husband. Although her marriage with Karenin is only based on respect,
and Karenin rarely spares time to be with her, Anna knows in details what kind of
person Karenin is. She knows what he likes and he does not like.
She knew that in spite of his official duties, which swallowed up nearly all his time, he considered it incumbent on him to keep abreast of everything of importance that appeared in the intellectual world. She knew that in politics, philosophy and theology he had his doubts and uncertainties; but on questions
Although Anna loves Vronsky, she keeps denying her love for him in the
beginning of the story. It is because Anna cares about Kitty. Anna knows that
coincidentally she has hurt Kitty‟s feeling when she dances with Vronsky, “She is
jealous of me. I have spoiled…It was because of me that the ball was a torture instead
of a joy to her” (p.113). Therefore, Anna asks Vronsky to stop ceasing her and to
apologize to Kitty, “I want you to go to Moscow and beg Kitty‟s forgiveness”
(p.155).
b.Motherly
As a mother, Anna Karenin has an unlimited love for her son, Seriozha. Anna
cannot stand for a long time separated from him. When she is still in Moscow, what
she thinks about almost all the time is Seriozha.
It was toward ten o‟clock—the time she generally said good-night to her son and often tucked him into bed herself before going to a ball—and she felt sad at being so far from him; and whatever they talked about her thoughts kept returning to her curly-headed Seriozha. She longed to look at his photograph and talk about him (p.89).
For Anna, Seriozha is the only reason she holds on living within The
Karenins. When she looks at Seriozha, she feels that all her burdens are suddenly
dissapeared and happiness fills in her heart, “Anna felt an almost physical pleasure in
his nearness to her, in his caresses, and it was a moral solace to meet his artless,
trusting, loving gaze and listen to his naïve questions” (p.123). According to Anna,
(p.123). There will be no one who can defeat the power of love from Anna to
Seriozha.
Anna does not only treat her own son but also Dolly‟s children with a lot of
love and kindness, “She could remember not only all their names but exactly how old
the children were, their characters, and what ailments they had had; Dolly could not
help being touched” (p.81). The way Anna pays attention to Dolly‟s children shows
that she is a good-hearted woman with maternity.
Besides being a loving mother and aunt, Anna also becomes a good-hearted
teacher for children. She teaches Russian for senior high school boys and for a girl
she has brought home, and she even contributes her knowledge and time to write
children‟s book (p.728).
c. Intelligent
Anna is a perceptive woman. She is good at noticing things that people in
general do not notice. She knows how the whole life of Petersburg Society goes on.
She knew each one‟s habits and weaknesses and where the shoe pinched this
or that foot, knew their relations with one another and with the head authorities, knew who sided with whom, and how and by what means each
supported himself, and who agreed and disagreed with whom and why”
(p.142).
From the quotation above, the writer can see that Anna is so intelligent that she is
able to observe the people surrounds her accurately in a short time. She is a thorough
Besides being a good observer, Anna is also a knowledgeable person. She is
fond of reading various kinds of books. “She spent a great deal of her time reading,
both novels and such serious literature. She ordered all the books favourably
reviewed in the foreign papers and magazines she took in” (p.674).
Her hobby of reading and her ability to make a special study from various
sources help Vronsky easily find his subject interests on particular fields. “He amazed
at her knowledge and her memory” (p.674). Anna‟s capability to memorize many
things from the books she has read makes Vronsky impressed on her.
d.Sincere
In the society, Anna makes friends with everybody. Since her husband owns
the highest esteem in the government set, Anna is highly exalted by the people
surrounds her. However, she does not feel comfortable being in such position. “It
seemed to her that she and all of them were insincere, and she began to feel so bored
and ill at ease with them” (p.142). For Anna, having a good reputation by being
deceitful in front of the public will only gain burdens for someone‟s life.
In the first chapter, it has been explained that Anna and Karenin‟s marriage is
arranged by her aunt. Being forced to accept an arranged marriage makes Anna live
under opression and hypocrisy. Therefore, to release herself from opression and
deceits, she opts to be honest to herself and to her husband, “…I could not help being
