Anna Karenina Summary: Plot, Characters and Ending
Anna Karenina follows Anna, a beautiful, married aristocrat in nineteenth-century Russia who falls passionately in love with the dashing officer Count Vronsky. Her choice to follow her heart costs her her son, her place in society and finally her life. In a parallel story, the landowner Levin searches for love and meaning in the countryside.
The novel famously begins with a line about happy and unhappy families.
| Character | Who they are |
|---|---|
| Anna Karenina | Married St. Petersburg society woman |
| Alexei Karenin | Anna's cold, correct husband, a senior official |
| Count Alexei Vronsky | Officer Anna falls in love with |
| Konstantin Levin | Thoughtful country landowner |
| Kitty Shcherbatskaya | Young woman Levin loves |
| Stiva Oblonsky | Anna's charming, unfaithful brother |
| Dolly | Stiva's wife, Kitty's sister |
| Seryozha | Anna's beloved son |
How does Anna meet Vronsky?
Anna travels to Moscow to patch up the marriage of her brother Stiva, who has had an affair. At the station she meets Count Vronsky, and a railway worker is crushed by a train, which she sees as a bad omen. Kitty, Dolly's young sister, has just turned down a proposal from Levin, hoping Vronsky will propose. At a ball, Vronsky falls for Anna instead, and Kitty is heartbroken and falls ill.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens between Anna and Vronsky?
Vronsky follows Anna to St. Petersburg. Their affair begins, and society gossips. At a steeplechase, Vronsky's horse falls and breaks its back, and Anna's terror gives her away. She confesses to her husband, Karenin, who cares most about appearances and insists she keep up the marriage.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens when Anna gives birth?
Anna gives birth to Vronsky's daughter and nearly dies of fever. At her bedside Karenin forgives her and Vronsky. Humiliated, Vronsky tries to end his own life but survives. Once Anna recovers, she leaves her husband and son and goes abroad with Vronsky and the baby.
↑ Back to the topWhat happens to Levin and Kitty?
Levin throws himself into farm work and life with the peasants, mowing alongside them. He and Kitty meet again, understand each other and marry. They care for Levin's dying brother Nikolai, and Kitty gives birth to a son. Levin is happy but tormented by questions about the purpose of life.
↑ Back to the topHow does Anna Karenina end?
Back in Russia, Anna is shut out of society while Vronsky moves freely. Karenin will not give her a divorce or her son. She grows isolated, jealous and dependent on morphine, convinced Vronsky no longer loves her. After a quarrel, in despair, she goes to the railway station and ends her life under a train. Vronsky, devastated, leaves to fight as a volunteer in Serbia. Levin, watching a storm over his estate, decides that living for goodness, and for others, gives his life meaning.
↑ Back to the topMore about Anna Karenina
This summary reveals the whole plot, including the ending.