# XVII explained — Anna Karenina

> Chapter companion for Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

## What happens

Vronsky and Oblonsky meet at the train station, each awaiting a different arrival. Their conversation reveals Vronsky's growing interest in Kitty and his vague, dismissive impression of Karenin. Oblonsky hints at Levin's failed proposal to Kitty, which secretly delights Vronsky. The arrival of the train, carrying Vronsky's mother, interrupts their talk.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Marriage

The chapter centers on the romantic rivalry for Kitty. Vronsky's concealed delight upon hearing of Levin's rejection positions him as the victor in this social contest, reducing courtship to a matter of competitive success.

### Hypocrisy and Social Pretense

Vronsky's internal monologue reveals the gap between his obligatory external respect for his mother and his true internal indifference, exemplifying the performative nature of social and familial duty.

## Character check-ins

### Count Alexey Kirillovitch Vronsky

Meets his mother at the station. His conversation with Oblonsky reveals his triumphant feelings about Kitty after learning of Levin's rejection. He internally acknowledges a lack of genuine love or respect for his mother.

### Stepan Arkadyevitch Oblonsky

Awaiting his sister Anna's arrival. He acts as a social conduit, teasing Vronsky about being in love and revealing Levin's failed proposal to Kitty, showing his shifting sympathies.

### Anna Arkadyevna Karenina

Is arriving on the train from Petersburg to visit her brother Oblonsky. Her imminent arrival is the reason for Oblonsky's presence at the station.

## Key lines

> "I know a gallant steed by tokens sure, And by his eyes I know a youth in love," declaimed Stepan Arkadyevitch...

Oblonsky recites poetry to teasingly point out that Vronsky is visibly in love.

_Highlights Oblonsky's role as a social observer and the open secret of Vronsky's feelings for Kitty._

> "I think I do. Or perhaps not... I really am not sure," Vronsky answered heedlessly, with a vague recollection of something stiff and tedious evoked by the name Karenina.

Vronsky dismissively claims to barely know Anna, associating her name with boredom and rigidity.

_Foreshadows their meeting and establishes Vronsky's initial, superficial impression of Anna through her husband._

> Vronsky stood still and asked directly: "How so? Do you mean he made your belle-sœur an offer yesterday?"

Vronsky stops walking and bluntly asks Oblonsky if Levin proposed to Kitty.

_Shows Vronsky's intense personal interest in the outcome of Levin's courtship._

> What he had just heard about Kitty excited and delighted him. Unconsciously he arched his chest, and his eyes flashed. He felt himself a conqueror.

Learning of Levin's rejection fills Vronsky with triumphant joy and a sense of victory.

_Reveals Vronsky's competitive and possessive view of love, and his lack of regard for Levin's feelings._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-i-xvii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/anna_karenina_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters