Have you ever been stunned by a movie? Did it feel like you took a breath only when the credits started rolling? I’ve gotten the same feeling before but it was stronger after reading a novel. So far three novels fall in this category; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Les Misérables by Victor Hugo, and my last read, Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.
In hindsight, I find there is a common thread between these classic works of literature-there is a struggle of faith in the main or its supporting characters. Jane comes out as long suffering but her trust in providence remains steadfast and she is the better for it; Valjean, Oh Valjean, mine heart is warmed at his remembrance, yes he was one of those, hard to forget, long suffering as well but it is his capacity to love even the very wretched of the earth as he once was that really moved me. And lastly Levin or Kotsya as his wife Kitty fondly called him. A man of nobility, a farmer at heart, loved by the common man, intriguing to his fellow noblemen and his struggle with belief in God from the very beginning reeled me into his journey of faith. How joyful I was when he finally found it.
However, when I really think about why I was so struck by Anna Karenina, I must admit that perhaps it is because it saved my marriage. Allow me to elaborate.
The heroine of the novel as the title suggests is Anna Karenina, a beautiful, extraordinary beautiful woman. There are some people you meet and when introduced you cannot help but stare. They seem to know this quality about them, and some take this staring gracefully. Their self-effacing nature helps in deflecting the focus away from them to some mundane subject as the weather or politics. Such persons are few and far between. A majority takes advantage of their gift and leaves a trail of tears in their wake. Anna swung between these two categories at different stages of her life.
Perhaps her marriage would have been blissful if her husband loved her rightly. Alexei Alexandrovich did not, and it is not entirely false to conclude that this half-hearted, societal-dependent love drove Anna to infidelity. I saw a bit of myself in Alexei; keeping up public appearance when my private world is falling apart. I saw this of me in him and realized the consequences of such can be disastrous. Perhaps it is the reason why lately, I have been more open to friends and colleagues. If I am struggling, I am struggling. period. I might need help. It is not cowardly to seek help when one has struck rock bottom. On the other hand, it is prudent and courageous.
Nonetheless, there is no excuse for infidelity. No matter how much one justifies it, there is simply no excuse. Perhaps this is why the good book allows divorce only on account of infidelity. This is the line once crossed, it takes the hand of God to come back and even then, relationships never remain the same. Once that circle of trust is broken, it is very hard to amend it. Darya Alexadrovna demonstrates this truth when her flippant husband, Prince Stepan Arkadyich had an affair with their French governess. (Tolstoy in introducing these two characters gives us one of the best opening lines in literature-‘All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way’). Well they made up thanks to Anna’s intervention (showing her complex character) but mistrust clouded their marriage since the affair. Darya hangs on only for the sake of the children.
There are a lot of ills of infidelity; children disillusionment, family separation but perhaps the most potent is its effect on mental health, of the philanderer and the aggrieved. Tolstoy demonstrates this remarkably well in the novel. The interiority in how he presents Alexei, Anna and her lover Vronksy is simply superb. One has to read it to appreciate Tolstoy’s mastery of human nature and the written word.
Enough said. Walk into a reputable bookshop and pick up this fine read. It just might save your life and your marriage.
Migrations 