Losing her attribute as a grande dame and getting negative judgements from her surroundings become endurable burdens for Anna as long as Vronsky loves her.
2. The Extrinsic Motivation of Anna Karenin for Breaking Her Gender Roles
According to Ryan and Deci 2000, extrinsic motivation is “a construct that pertai
ns whenever an activity is done in order to attain some separable outcome” p.60. They also state that
“a person who has extrinsically motivated behaviors is usually valued by significant others to whom they feel or would like to feel
connected, whether that be a family, a peer group, or a society” p.64.
In brief, it can be concluded that external motivation comes from external factors or surroundings which encourage an individual to do particular actions. In this
study, the external factor which motivates Anna to break her gender roles is the feeling of love from Vronsky to her.
a. Vronsky Fulfills the Needs of Anna Karenin to Love and Be Loved
In the novel, Vronsky is depicted as an aristocratic soldier with a handsome face and a well-built body.
Vronsky was a dark, squarely-built man of medium height, with an exceptionally tranquil and firm expression on his good-natured, handsome
face. Everything about his head and figure, from the closely-cropped black hair and freshly-shaven chin to loosely fitting, brand-new uniform, was simple
and at the same time elegant p.64.
From the quotation above, it can be seen that, unlike Karenin who looks old and cold, Vronsky is physically attractive and charming. Therefore, many women, including
Anna, can easily fall their hearts to him. When Vronsky meets Anna for the first time at the train station in Moscow,
he is constantly struck by her beauty and falls in love with her at once. Then she drew herself up again and, with the same smile hovering between
lips and eyes, gave her hand to Vronsky. He pressed the little hand offered to him, and the energetic grip with which she boldly and vigorously shook his
filled him with joy, as if it were something special p.77.
From the very first time, Vronsky has got so much interest in Anna, and he has felt that there is something special between him and her. When there is a ball hold in
Moscow, Vronsky meets Anna for the second time and he cannot take his eyes off of her, “every time he turned towards Anna, he bowed his head a little, as if wanting to
fall at her feet in adoration, and his eyes held only submission and fear” pp.95-96. Vronsky is totally carried away by Anna‟s charm and beauty.
In order to get closer to Anna, Vronsky gives an offer to Anna to dance with him at the ball and she accepts it. While dancing together, they talk to each other
enthusiastically, “Every time he spoke to Anna, her eyes lit up joyously and a smile of happiness parted her red lips” p.95. This quotation proves that Vronsky has been
able to make Anna become a blissful person. From that moment, Anna has been always thinking of Vronsky. “They were
all good and pleasant. She recalled the ball and Vronsky and the look of slavish adoration in his eyes, recalled what had passed b
etween them” p.115. Anna cannot
get rid of her recollections with Vronsky in Moscow until the time she goes back to Petersburg.
Since then, Vronsky cannot erase memories with Anna from his mind too. He has been so much in love with her. Therefore, he decides to go after Anna to
Petersburg to confess his feeling, “You know that I have come to be where you are…I can‟t help myself” p.118. This quotation proves that Vronsky has been
whole-heartedly giving his love to Anna. Knowing the fact that Vronsky falls in love with her, Anna feels both
frightened and happy p.118. She is afraid of admitting her love to Vronsky because she is fully aware of her position as a married woman and a mother of an eight-year-
old boy, and she does not want to ruin it. Yet, she also feels happy for knowing that finally she can accomplish her dream to love and be loved in return.
At the beginning, Anna decides to reject Vronsky‟s love, “You should not say that, and I beg you, if you are a gentleman, to forget it, as I will f
orget it” p.118. She attempts to hide her feeling from Vronsky by pretending that she is able to forget him
and asking him to do so. However, Vronsky disagrees with what Anna says because he knows that Anna actually also loves him in return, and he knows the fact that she
does not love her husband. He saw husband and wife meet and noted with a lover‟s insight the signs of
slight reserve with which she spoke to her husband. „No, she does not love him, she cannot love him‟,…he noticed with joy that she was aware of his
approach and made to look round, and on recognizing him turned to her husband again p.121.
Therefore, instead of eschewing himself from Anna, Vronsky attempts to keep approaching her, “Vronsky went wherever there was a chance of meeting Anna and
whenever he could spoke to her of his love” p.143. He always seeks opportunities to make Anna believe in his feeling toward her.
When there is a public gathering of Peterburg society, Vronsky attempts to show up to find Anna then to speak of his feeling for her for the umpteenth time,
“Don‟t you know that you are my life? But I know no peace and cannot give it to you. My whole being, my love…yes. I cannot think of you and myself apart. To me,
you and I are one” p.155. From this quotation, it can be seen that Vronsky even nerves himself to confess his love for Anna in public.
His persistence to approach Anna has gradually melt her heart and made her unable to restrain her true feeling any longer,
At first Anna sincerely believed that she was displeased with him for daring to pursue her, but soon…she distinctly realized that she had been deceiving
herself and that his pursuit was not only not distasteful to her, but was the whole interest of her life” p.143.
The quotation above shows that, Anna, who initially prioritizes her position as a married woman and disregards the way Vronsky insisting on loving her, at last
decides to let herself feel pleased at loving and being loved by Vronsky. Since then, Anna always looks for a chance t
o meet Vronsky, “Anna went into society as usual, frequently visiting Princess Betsy and meeting Vronsky
wherever she went” p.164. Anna also starts to reproach and defy her cold and indifferent husband. When Karenin reminds her of her improper behavior with
Vronsky in public, Anna gives him a forceful answer, “You are always like that…First, you don‟t like me to be dull, then you don‟t like me to enjoy myself. I
was not dull this evening. Does that offend you?” p.162. Knowing that his wife has an affair with another man, Karenin becomes so
worried. However, his worry is not intended to the future of his household, but to his carreer and reputation as a stateman, “My aim is to safeguard my reputation, which is
essential for the unhampered pursuit of my work” p.303. For Karenin, his official
duties are more important than his family. Therefore, to save his face and his good reputation in society, Karenin
proscribes Anna to meet Vronsky at their home, I want not to meet that man here, and for you to conduct yourself so that
neither society nor the servants can find anything to say against you…for you not to see him…In return you will enjoy all the privileges of a respectable
wife without fulfilling the duties of one p.343.
Knowing that her husband utters those words to her in order to save his honour as a statesman, Anna defies his offer. It is because she does not want to be a deceitful wife
only for the sake of getting respect from other people. “Our relations cannot be the same as always…I cannot be your wife” pp.342-343. This quotation shows that
Anna opts to be honest to face the fact that she can no longer endure an unbearable burden given by her husband.
Vronsky feels happy that Anna at last confesses their affair to Karenin and decides
to go on loving him, “forgive me, but I rejoice at it…I rejoice, because things cannot cannot possibly remain as he supposes” p.339. Knowing that Anna will feel
