Anna Karenina · Chapter
Vronsky's Return to Petersburg explained
Vronsky, elated and sleepless after his journey with Anna, returns to Petersburg.
What happens
Vronsky, elated and sleepless after his journey with Anna, returns to Petersburg. He observes the world with haughty detachment, consumed by his feelings for her. At the station, he sees Anna reunited with her husband, Karenin, and feels a sharp, possessive jealousy. He notes the reserve in Anna's manner towards Karenin and is heartened by a brief flash in her eyes when she sees him. After a tense, formal exchange with Karenin, Vronsky secures an invitation to call on them, while Karenin and Anna depart together.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Marriage
The chapter contrasts Vronsky's passionate, all-consuming love with the cold, proprietary, and jesting formality of Anna's marriage to Karenin, highlighting the conflict between romantic desire and marital obligation.
Infidelity and Betrayal
Vronsky's possessive feelings and his deliberate pursuit of Anna, even in her husband's presence, mark a clear step towards betrayal. Karenin's obliviousness (or willful ignorance) to the tension underscores the impending crisis.
Characters to notice
- Count Alexey Kirillovitch Vronsky
In a state of intense, haughty elation after the journey. He feels his life has new meaning centered on Anna. His first clear, jealous recognition of Karenin as her husband occurs at the station, souring his happiness momentarily.
- Anna Arkadyevna Karenina
Appears weary but exchanges a meaningful glance with Vronsky. She speaks to her husband with slight reserve, which Vronsky interprets as a lack of love. She is conscious of Vronsky's presence and manages the tense social situation.
- Alexey Alexandrovitch Karenin
Meets Anna at the station. His cold, self-confident manner and sense of property over Anna annoy Vronsky. He speaks in a jesting, sarcastic tone to both Anna and Vronsky, formally inviting Vronsky to call while dismissing him.
Key passages
“He felt himself a king, not because he believed that he had made an impression on Anna—he did not yet believe that—but because the impression she had made on him gave him happiness and pride.”
Vronsky's sense of power comes not from conquering Anna, but from being conquered by his own feelings for her.
Highlights the transformative and empowering effect Anna has on Vronsky's previously dissipated life.
“Only now for the first time did Vronsky realize clearly the fact that there was a person attached to her, a husband... especially when he saw this husband calmly take her arm with a sense of property.”
The abstract concept of Anna's husband becomes painfully real to Vronsky when he witnesses Karenin's physical and proprietary claim on her.
Marks a pivotal moment of jealous recognition, framing Karenin as an obstacle to Vronsky's desire.
“Vronsky’s composure and self-confidence here struck, like a scythe against a stone, upon the cold self-confidence of Alexey Alexandrovitch.”
The interaction is a clash of two different kinds of arrogance: Vronsky's passionate assurance versus Karenin's rigid, formal certainty.
Uses metaphor to describe the fundamental incompatibility between the two men's worldviews and claims on Anna.