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Part 3, Chapter 8
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Anna Karenina, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Marriage and Family Life
Adultery and Jealousy
Physical Activity and Movement
Society and Class
Farming and Rural Life
Compassion and Forgiveness
Summary
Analysis
Dolly and the children return from the bathing house to find that Levin has arrived. Although Levin feels somewhat uncomfortable that Oblonsky has sent him, he is tactful, and Dolly is happy to see him. The children all like and trust Levin. After dinner, Dolly tells Levin that Kitty is coming to spend the summer; although they then talk about cows, it is clear they both want to talk about Kitty.
When Levin arrives, he feels awkward that Oblonsky has sent him, but Dolly is happy that he has come, particularly because he can see she is managing well. The children see that Levin is an honest man without pretense; children in the novel have a kind of no-nonsense ability to see who deserves their love. When Levin hears that Kitty is coming, she immediately begins to preoccupy his thoughts.
Themes
