Original Text(~250 words)
It was past five, and several guests had already arrived, before the host himself got home. He went in together with Sergey Ivanovitch Koznishev and Pestsov, who had reached the street door at the same moment. These were the two leading representatives of the Moscow intellectuals, as Oblonsky had called them. Both were men respected for their character and their intelligence. They respected each other, but were in complete and hopeless disagreement upon almost every subject, not because they belonged to opposite parties, but precisely because they were of the same party (their enemies refused to see any distinction between their views); but, in that party, each had his own special shade of opinion. And since no difference is less easily overcome than the difference of opinion about semi-abstract questions, they never agreed in any opinion, and had long, indeed, been accustomed to jeer without anger, each at the other’s incorrigible aberrations. They were just going in at the door, talking of the weather, when Stepan Arkadyevitch overtook them. In the drawing-room there were already sitting Prince Alexander Dmitrievitch Shtcherbatsky, young Shtcherbatsky, Turovtsin, Kitty, and Karenin. Stepan Arkadyevitch saw immediately that things were not going well in the drawing-room without him. Darya Alexandrovna, in her best gray silk gown, obviously worried about the children, who were to have their dinner by themselves in the nursery, and by her husband’s absence, was not equal to the task of making the party mix without him. All were sitting like so many priests’...
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Summary
Anna's mental state continues to deteriorate as she becomes increasingly consumed by jealousy and paranoia about Vronsky's feelings. She obsesses over every detail of his behavior, interpreting his slightest hesitation or distraction as evidence that he no longer loves her. Her thoughts spiral into darker territory as she contemplates how her life has become a prison of her own making. The weight of her social isolation, her separation from her son, and her complete dependence on Vronsky's affection crushes down on her. She realizes she has sacrificed everything for a love that now feels uncertain and fragile. Tolstoy shows us how Anna's mind works overtime, creating elaborate scenarios and meanings from the smallest interactions. Her internal monologue reveals a woman who has lost all sense of security and self-worth outside of Vronsky's love. This chapter is crucial because it shows Anna at a psychological breaking point - she's not just unhappy, she's becoming genuinely unhinged. The tragedy isn't just that she made bad choices, but that those choices have trapped her in a cycle of emotional dependency that's slowly destroying her sanity. We see how isolation and guilt can warp a person's perception of reality. Anna's story serves as a warning about what happens when we build our entire identity around one relationship or one person's approval. Her desperation reflects the limited options available to women of her era, but also speaks to universal human fears about abandonment and worthlessness.
That's what happens. To understand what the author is really doing—and to discuss this chapter with confidence—keep reading.
Terms to Know
Psychological spiral
When someone's negative thoughts feed on themselves, creating a downward cycle where each worry makes the next one worse. Anna's mind creates problems that don't exist, then treats those imagined problems as real threats.
Modern Usage:
We see this in social media anxiety, where someone reads too much into a delayed text response or lack of likes.
Emotional dependency
Building your entire sense of self-worth around one person's approval or love. Anna can't feel good about herself unless Vronsky shows her constant affection and attention.
Modern Usage:
This happens in codependent relationships where someone loses their identity and needs constant validation from their partner.
Social isolation
Being cut off from normal social connections and support systems. Anna's affair has made her an outcast from respectable society, leaving her with nowhere to turn.
Modern Usage:
People experience this after major life changes like divorce, job loss, or moving to a new city where they know no one.
Paranoid thinking
Interpreting neutral or innocent actions as signs of betrayal or rejection. Anna reads sinister meanings into Vronsky's normal behavior and everyday distractions.
Modern Usage:
This shows up when someone constantly checks their partner's phone or assumes coworkers are plotting against them.
Mental imprisonment
When your own thoughts and fears become a prison that traps you more effectively than any external force. Anna is trapped by her guilt, jealousy, and desperation.
Modern Usage:
People create mental prisons through perfectionism, anxiety, or shame that keeps them from taking healthy risks or making changes.
Identity crisis
Losing your sense of who you are when the roles and relationships that defined you are stripped away. Anna no longer knows who she is without her marriage, motherhood, or social position.
Modern Usage:
This happens during major life transitions like retirement, empty nest syndrome, or after leaving a long-term relationship.
Characters in This Chapter
Anna
Tragic protagonist
Shows the complete breakdown of a woman whose mind is consuming itself with jealousy and fear. Her thoughts reveal someone who has lost all sense of reality and self-worth.
Modern Equivalent:
The person who checks their ex's social media obsessively and creates drama where none exists
Vronsky
Unwitting catalyst
Though not physically present in Anna's mental spiral, he remains the center of all her fears and obsessions. His normal human behavior becomes evidence of betrayal in Anna's distorted thinking.
Modern Equivalent:
The partner who doesn't realize their casual behavior is being overanalyzed and misinterpreted
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches you to spot when you've made someone else's approval your entire source of self-worth.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you check someone's social media more than twice in a day, or when you spend more than ten minutes analyzing why someone seemed 'off.'
You have the foundation. Now let's look closer.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"She felt that beside the blessed relief of telling him everything, she would have the satisfaction of revenge."
Context: Anna contemplates confronting Vronsky about her suspicions
This reveals how Anna's pain has twisted into a desire to hurt Vronsky back. She wants relief from her torment, but she also wants him to suffer like she's suffering.
In Today's Words:
She wanted to dump all her feelings on him and make him feel as bad as she did.
"Yes, I am very much changed, and I know it."
Context: Anna's moment of self-awareness about her deteriorating mental state
This shows Anna has some insight into her condition, which makes it even more tragic. She knows she's becoming someone she doesn't recognize but feels powerless to stop it.
In Today's Words:
I know I'm not myself anymore, and that scares me.
"If he does not love me, but treats me kindly and gently out of a sense of duty, without love, then that would be a thousand times worse than hatred!"
Context: Anna's fear that Vronsky's affection has become mere obligation
This captures the terror of realizing someone might be staying with you out of pity or duty rather than genuine love. Anna would rather be hated than pitied.
In Today's Words:
I'd rather he dump me than stay with me because he feels sorry for me.
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Emotional Dependency
Building your entire self-worth around one person's approval creates a cycle of paranoia and desperation that destroys both the relationship and your sanity.
Thematic Threads
Identity
In This Chapter
Anna has completely lost her sense of self outside of Vronsky's love—she exists only as his beloved or his burden
Development
Evolved from her initial confidence to complete self-erasure
In Your Life:
You might catch yourself defining your worth entirely by how one person treats you
Isolation
In This Chapter
Anna's social exile has left her with no other sources of connection or validation beyond Vronsky
Development
Deepened from initial scandal to complete social death
In Your Life:
You might find yourself cutting off friends and family to please one important person
Control
In This Chapter
Anna desperately tries to control Vronsky's feelings through constant analysis and emotional manipulation
Development
Escalated from subtle influence to obsessive monitoring
In Your Life:
You might find yourself trying to manage someone else's emotions instead of your own
Fear
In This Chapter
Terror of abandonment drives Anna to create the very scenarios she's trying to avoid
Development
Intensified from worry to paralyzing panic
In Your Life:
You might sabotage relationships by constantly testing whether people really care about you
Sacrifice
In This Chapter
Anna realizes her sacrifices—her son, her social position, her independence—have left her with nothing if Vronsky leaves
Development
Culminated from romantic gestures to devastating losses
In Your Life:
You might realize you've given up so much for someone that you've lost yourself completely
Modern Adaptation
When Love Becomes Your Only Job
Following Anna's story...
Anna sits in her car outside Marcus's apartment building at 2 AM, watching his windows for signs he's texting someone else. She's been here three times this week. During her lunch break, she drove past his construction site to see if he smiled at the female safety inspector the way he used to smile at her. She analyzes every text delay, every shortened phone call, every time he seems tired after work. She's stopped calling her sister, stopped going to her son's soccer games, stopped doing anything that doesn't revolve around reading Marcus's mood. Her legal career, once her pride, feels meaningless compared to whether he'll be happy to see her tonight. She's created elaborate theories about why he seemed distant last Tuesday, replaying conversations for hidden meanings. The woman who used to negotiate million-dollar deals now spends hours crafting the perfect casual text, then deleting it because it might seem needy. She knows she's losing herself, but she can't stop monitoring his every gesture for proof she still matters.
The Road
The road Anna Karenina walked in 1877, Anna walks today. The pattern is identical: sacrificing your entire identity for one person's love, then living in constant terror of losing it.
The Map
This chapter maps the warning signs of emotional dependency before it destroys you. Anna can recognize when she's making someone else's feelings her full-time job.
Amplification
Before reading this, Anna might have thought her obsessive monitoring was just 'caring deeply.' Now she can NAME emotional dependency, PREDICT it leads to paranoia and self-destruction, NAVIGATE it by rebuilding her independent life.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific behaviors and thoughts show Anna's mental state deteriorating in this chapter?
analysis • surface - 2
Why has Anna become so completely dependent on Vronsky's approval for her sense of self-worth?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern of emotional dependency playing out in modern relationships - romantic, workplace, or family?
application • medium - 4
If you had a friend spiraling into this kind of paranoid dependency, what practical steps would you suggest to help them rebuild their independence?
application • deep - 5
What does Anna's story reveal about the difference between healthy love and destructive emotional dependency?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Dependency Risk Factors
Create a simple chart with three columns: 'Sources of Self-Worth,' 'Risk Level,' and 'Backup Plan.' List all the things that make you feel valuable - your job, relationships, achievements, hobbies. Rate each as low, medium, or high risk (how devastated would you be if it disappeared tomorrow?). For high-risk items, write one concrete backup plan.
Consider:
- •Be honest about which relationships or achievements you've built your identity around
- •Notice if most of your self-worth comes from just one or two sources
- •Consider what you used to enjoy before your current major commitments took over
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you felt your worth depended entirely on someone else's approval. What warning signs did you miss, and how could you diversify your sources of self-worth now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 111
As the story unfolds, you'll explore key events and character development in this chapter, while uncovering thematic elements and literary techniques. These lessons connect the classic to contemporary challenges we all face.