In Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, one of the main characters, named Levin, says; “I believe that the main reason for all our actions is, ultimately, our personal happiness.” In this quote Levin states what he believes to be the meaning of life; believes that everyone's goal in life is to find their own personal happiness. Being happy is the motivation you have to act or behave in a particular way. I believe there are many characters in Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina who demonstrate Lenin's vision of life, which is to find personal happiness above all else; these characters consist of Vronsky, Oblonsky, and our eponymous heroine, Anna. Vronsky is one of the main characters in the novel who does most things for personal happiness. At the beginning of the novel, Vronsky is a bachelor and realizes his most primitive desires. An example of this is Vronsky's attitude towards Kitty, which is captured in a quote“He did not know that this way of behaving towards Kitty had a definite character, that he courted girls without intending to marry, and that such courtship is one of the common evil deeds among bright young men like him. It seemed to him that he was the first to discover this pleasure, and he was enjoying the discovery (55).” In this quote, the narrator explains that Vronsky courted Kitty for fun, almost as if it were a game, and had no intention of marrying her, which was unacceptable in Russian society at the time. This “game” gave him great pleasure and happiness, but at the expense of Kitty's happiness. This shows that his main motive was his own happiness, rather than anyone else's. Later in the novel, Vronsky shows a desire for her own personal design… in the middle of the paper… she is hopeless, ashamed and depressed. Since he kills himself for the purpose of escaping the misery of life and finding happiness through death, this shows that his motivation for these actions was to find happiness. She kills herself for selfish purposes and, in turn, hurts everyone who loved her. This shows his motivation for personal happiness. In conclusion, these main characters find motivation through the pursuit of their own personal happiness. All of these characters are at risk of destroying their lives as they were because they were unhappy. They take these risks to try to get this idea of happiness. This quote that Levin says also shows the human nature of being selfish. To find happiness these characters had to ignore the feelings and happiness of others. This led them to only care about their own desires for happiness.
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