Themes of life and death in Anna KareninaThe novel Anna Karenina parallels the moral and social conflicts of its heroine, Anna Karenina, with the struggle internal work of Constantin Levin to find the meaning of life. . There are many other underlying themes that connect the novel as a whole, but many critics at the time were only interested in its critical view of Russian life. Henry James called Tolstoy's novels "loose, baggy monsters" of style, but Tolstoy said of Anna Karenina ".....I am very proud of its architecture - its vaults are joined in such a way that 'you can't even notice where the keystone is. " This is absolutely correct, because in Anna Karenina there are many themes that all tie together to create such a wonderful work. Critics tend to miss the role that the theme of life plays and of death in Tolstoy's Anna Karenina Despite this, Its apparent meanings, these two themes are intertwined in the novel and form the backbone of some of the other existing themes. With a masterful touch, Tolstoy is able to use these two. themes to show the characters in their true forms in both stages the characters live in a state of illusion, and as the characters find themselves in near-death situations or on their deathbeds, they are able to honestly reveal themselves. Many characters in the novel are able to show their "true self" and at the moment of death, there is a point of reversal in the characters. This is particularly evident in the scene of Anna's near death experience during. his illness. This event brings about a change in Karenin and even Vronsky as they swap positions. Karenin suddenly becomes human and is no longer hidden from life by her administrative regulations. His shell cracks, and... middle of paper...... it's part of everyone's life and no matter who it is, everyone is afraid of death. Accepting death requires a lot of courage and full self-understanding. Tolstoy, in his novel, revealed to us the effect that death can have on a person and advises us not to succumb to the daily life of the world in which we live, because it is all an illusion. Yet if we live as naturally as possible, we can better grasp the true essence of life, as Levin does in the novel. He finds joy in working and enjoying the fruits of his labor, instead of indulging in the materialism of hypocritical aristocrats. Modern culture has lost this aspect of life and we must control ourselves before leading our lives towards downfall. Works cited: Tolstoy, Leo. Anna Karenina, trans. Constance Garnett (New York: The Modern Library, 1993).