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Part 7, Chapter 7
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
Kitty’s father asks Levin how he likes the idle life at the club. He points out all the old “sloshers,” or men who have spent too much of their lives at the club. They go to the “clever room,” where men are discussing politics, but Levin is bored and goes off to find Oblonsky and other friends. Oblonsky is discussing Anna with Vronsky, and Oblonsky insists that Levin and Vronsky be friends. After playing cards, Oblonsky insists that he and Levin pay a visit to Anna. Levin pays his bill and his gambling losses, and they leave.
Levin’s amicability towards Vronsky suggests that Levin is finally, after all these years, learning to calm his emotions and to trust his marriage. The episode with Veslovsky allowed Levin to play out some of the old jealousies again, and his mastery over Veslovsky gave Levin confidence. Even though Levin claims to dislike the habits of the dandified, city lifestyle, he has still managed to rack up some gambling debts, demonstrating that he is not completely immune to the lures of urban life.
Themes
