Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina

by

Leo Tolstoy

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Anna Karenina: Part 7, Chapter 16 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
As Levin talks to Kitty’s father and Oblonsky, all he can think about is Kitty and his son, Mitya (a nickname for Dmitri), and he leaps up to see them. The midwife cleans the baby and hands him to Levin, but Levin feels oddly squeamish and distant. He’s so afraid for this new vulnerability that has entered his life that he barely notices the joy and pride he feels when the baby sneezes.
As when Levin fell in love with Kitty, or as when Nikolai died, Levin is thrown into an extreme state of emotional turmoil with the birth of his son, and it takes a long period of adjustment before he is able to consider the day-to-day practicalities of life again—even to adjust to the fact that he has a son.
Themes
Marriage and Family Life Theme Icon
Compassion and Forgiveness Theme Icon