Tolstoy Inspiration For TodayBy Professor Andy Kaufman
Anna Karenina: Novel of Wisdom and Hope
“Man lives for himself, but is an unconscious instrument in the attainment of the historic, universal aims of humanity.”
During periods of confusion in my life, I often turn to my family for emotional support, to my God for faith, and to Tolstoy for insight and inspiration. Anna Karenina is one of the greatest guidebooks to positive, everyday living I have encountered. Like any great teacher of life, Tolstoy doesn’t simply give us the answers. Rather he gives us a deep appreciation of the truth of life, and he encourages us to seek out the answers on our own.
Still, Tolstoy provides clear guideposts along the way. By showing us the various consequences of his characters’ life choices, Tolstoy prods us to avoid their mistakes and make the right decisions in our own lives. Some readers feel that Tolstoy is too judgmental in the novel. But if you read closely, you realize that life, not Tolstoy, is the ultimate judge of right and wrong. Tolstoy merely records with utter truthfulness the wisdom of the world that existed long before and that will exist long after him.
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Anna Karenina is a novel of hope. Tolstoy powerfully depicts the harsh truths about human suffering and tragedy, but with an equally strong force he describes the great possibilities for human happiness on earth. Characters experience so much confusion and hurt and loss in this novel. But consider the many moments of bliss and wonder that life gives them at the same time: the sublime love experienced by Kitty and Levin leading up to and during their marriage, Dolly’s overflowing pride towards her children and towards her sister on her wedding day, Levin’s terrified rapture during the birth of his first child, his feelings of ecstasy while mowing with his peasants in the fields, and Karenin’s experience of profound spiritual joy after forgiving Anna.
Courage of the Human Spirit
Tolstoy understands human vice and frailty as deeply as any writer ever did, but he does not sneer at or judge his characters. He respects the dignity of every human being. Even as he brilliantly describes human vice and frailty, he just as brilliantly describes the courage and goodness of the human spirit. Tolstoy never, ever gives up his faith in the human potential for self-transformation. Tolstoy came to this faith the hard way. More than once in his life Tolstoy was on the verge of suicide. In fact, the scene in Part VIII of the novel, in which Levin hides the ropes and rifles so that he won’t kill himself, actually happened to Tolstoy himself. “But Levin did not shoot himself or hang himself and went on living.” (p.798) And so did Tolstoy.
Some powerful inner spark brought both of them back from the brink of despair. What was that spark? It was Tolstoy’s (and Levin’s) conviction that, no matter how difficult things can sometimes become, life is always worth living. Remember, the novel doesn’t end with Anna’s tragedy, but with Kitty’s and Levin’s productive family life in the country. Both of these truths—the suffering and the joys of life—are perfectly intertwined in Anna Karenina. One cannot exist without the other. But happiness wins out in the end. There seems to be a higher justice, a benevolent moral order to Tolstoy’s world. No matter how badly human beings stumble and fall, the majestic beauty of the universe always seems to shines through. Tolstoy has genuine hope for humanity. He inspires us, even in the face of adversity and despair, always to believe in a better tomorrow.
“We should show life neither as it is nor as it ought to be,
but only as we see it in our dreams.”
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