Anna Andreyevna Character Analysis

Anna Andreyevna is the mayor’s wife and mother of Marya Antonovna. Anna is vain and self-centered. She must always look her best, demands to be in the know, talks long-windedly, and constantly fusses and complains. She bickers incessantly with her daughter and often rebukes Marya unkindly. Anna is also easily caught up in the excitement about the government inspector’s arrival. Instead of fearing the reason for the inspector’s visit, she’s immediately curious about the inspector’s looks and rank. Her focus on superficial things reflects her own petty shallowness. After Anna is introduced to Khlestakov, she enjoys Khlestakov’s flattery and is taken in by his ridiculous boasting. Even while her daughter is being congratulated for her recent engagement to Khlestakov, Anna makes herself the center of attention, as if she’s the bride-to-be instead of Marya. Furthermore, once she believes Marya will soon be married to a very important man, Anna is quick to fantasize about leaving behind her provincial home, disregarding the coarse and uncultivated people with whom she currently lives, and mixing with polite society in St. Petersburg. Like the mayor, she sets her sights over-ambitiously on attaining social prestige and living a luxurious life.