“While a wife‟s adultery was sufficient cause to end a marriage, a woman could divorce her husband only if his adultery had been compounded by another
matrimonial offense, such as cruelty or desertion.” p.40. Soames 2004 supports the idea above that Victorian women were difficult to
obtain a divorce. They were able to get a divorce if there was an adultery reason with a supplement of proving their husbands engaged in incest and crime. Women, as
wives and mothers, were considered unnatural to commit adultery because, they should be the moral guides for the children.
C. Theoretical Framework
This study provides some theories to support the analysis and to answer the two problems presented in the first chapter. They are; theory of character and
characterization, theory of psychological approach, theory of motivation, theory of needs, theory of gender role, and a review on Gender Roles of Women in Victorian
Era. The first is theory of character and characterization. It is used to answer the
first problem formulation, which is to identify how Anna Karenin described in the novel. The theory of character is used to find out what sort of character Anna Karenin
is. In addition, the theory of characterization is used to know how the author makes the character understandable in the story.
The second is theory of psychological approach, motivation, and needs. In this study, the writer uses the theory of psychological approach, motivation, and needs to
find out the needs, interests, and desires which motivate Anna Karenin breaking her gender roles as a dutiful wife and mother through her behavior.
The third is theory of gender roles. This theory is used to help the writer understand how the roles of men are different from the roles of women, and how men
and women should show proper attitude and behavior according to the social criteria. The last is the review on gender roles of women in Victorian Era. It helps the
writer to understand why the role of women in Victorian Era was really limited. The review also assists the writer in finding out how a married woman in that era should
behave in front of her family and society, why they should obey the custom in society, how they are regarded in the society, and what the consequences that women
should bear if they escape from all of her responsibilities.
