XXIV explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Hypocrisy and Social Pretense

  The court society openly mocks and finds fault with Karenin while maintaining a facade of civility. Karenin himself engages in pretense, believing his zealous project work is pious service, blind to his own irrelevance and the hostility around him.

• Isolation and Misunderstanding

  Karenin is profoundly isolated, surrounded by a 'sea of hostility and jeering.' He misunderstands his social and professional position entirely, and his rigid, theoretical approach to his son's education highlights his emotional disconnect and misunderstanding of the boy's heart.

• Search for Meaning

  Following his wife's departure, Karenin seeks purpose and moral justification in zealous bureaucratic work and a Scripture-guided life. He cites the Apostle Paul to frame his unmarried state as an opportunity to serve the Lord, attempting to find transcendent meaning in his personal ruin.

Characters to notice

• Alexey Alexandrovitch Karenin

  Oblivious to the end of his political career, he focuses on bureaucratic projects and his son's education. He reacts with stoic resignation to the news of Anna's return to Petersburg, finding his only solace in Countess Lidia Ivanovna.

• Countess Lidia Ivanovna

  Karenin's devoted and ecstatic supporter. She delivers the painful news of Anna's presence in Petersburg and discusses Seryozha's education with him, serving as his 'island' of love in a hostile world.

• Seryozha Karenin

  Discussed in his absence. Karenin expresses dissatisfaction with his son's 'coldness' toward important spiritual questions, despite Lidia Ivanovna's praise for his 'father's heart.'

• Anna Arkadyevna Karenina

  Mentioned as being in Petersburg, seen publicly with Vronsky. Her presence is the 'painful' subject Lidia Ivanovna must broach with Karenin.

• Count Alexey Kirillovitch Vronsky

  Mentioned in gossip as being seen with Anna Karenina in Petersburg, 'bras dessous, bras dessous' (arm in arm).

• Stepan Arkadyevitch Oblonsky

  Not directly present, but the gossip about Karenin's stalled career and his wife's affair echoes the scandal that began with Oblonsky's own domestic crisis.

Key passages

• “"He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: but he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife," says the Apostle Paul”

  Karenin justifies his newfound dedication to work by citing scripture, believing that being free from marital concerns allows him to serve God more fully.

  Highlights Karenin's attempt to rationalize his personal catastrophe as a spiritual opportunity, framing his bureaucratic projects as religious duty.

• “For him she was the one island not only of goodwill to him, but of love in the midst of the sea of hostility and jeering that surrounded him.”

  Countess Lidia Ivanovna is Karenin's only source of affection and support in a social world that uniformly scorns and mocks him.

  Emphasizes Karenin's extreme isolation and the crucial, perhaps possessive, role Lidia Ivanovna plays as his sole emotional anchor.

• “His career was at an end. He still filled a position of consequence... but he was a man whose day was over, and from whom nothing was expected.”

  Everyone in official circles recognizes that Karenin's political influence has finished, though he himself remains completely unaware of this fact.

  Illustrates the stark contrast between public perception and Karenin's self-delusion regarding his status and effectiveness.