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Part 5, Chapter 2
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
The church is filled with guests, and everything looks beautiful. The bride and groom are expected at any moment, but they do not enter. Kitty has been ready for a long while, but Levin paces back and forth. As it turns out, Levin’s valet has forgotten a clean shirt. Finally, the servant brings back a shirt, and all is well.
This is a comic moment highlighting the ways that appearance can’t always be trusted. To the guests it seems as if there is some issue that might stop the marriage from occurring. In reality, the bond between Kitty and Levin is as strong as ever and the issue is something minor.
Themes
