Anna Karenina, Death Foretold Essay, Research Paper

The Understanding of Characters Through Relationships

Relationships create strong holds in novels. They give a sense of what to base a character’s acts and decision’s on. Through how the author uses their tone and descriptions, relating to relationships, a sense of characterization can be developed. “Anna Karenina”, by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Joel Carmichael, and “Chronicle of a Death Foretold”, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, translated by Gregory Rabassa, are no exception to this clause. Relationships form throughout these novels, by incorporating literary elements like characterization romanticism and realism, giving characters a sense of who they are, and the reader a sense of their role and reference to the story.

In “Anna Karenina”, relationships are built throughout the story helping for the reader to understand characters and who they are.

One of the two major relationships taking place in the novel is between Anna Karenina and Levin. Anna Karenina, arguably the most important character to the novel, gets many of her key traits brought forth by relationship problems. Anna’s search through her quest for love is purely emotional, and at the end of her character’s life Anna’s reason fails her. She has too much feeling and emotion, a trait shared by many of Tolstoy’s characters. Her feeling from her relationship tend to overpower her thoughts and opinions, giving the novel a sense of romanticism. She becomes disgruntle. In the end, Anna can’t hold her own wits. Tolstoy uses characterization to present Anna, through the relationships she has it can be understood her attitude and personal qualities.

Levin, one of the main partners in a relationship with Anna, is the hero of Anna Karenina. Through Tolstoy’s tone and description in the interaction between Anna and Levin it is almost gathered that Levin was created to merely point out his superiority, and his relationships with Anna does directly that. Where Anna continually maneuvers hysterically to achieve the perfect romance, Levin strives to find coherence in life and death, love and work. This can be discovered through the characterization directed towards Levin. Anna becomes a portrait of alienation through this relationship. Levin finds harmony with those around him. In Anna, you find a moral collapse, while in Levin, you see Tolstoy’s hopes and joys of his future. Anna and Levin show a variation of character traits brought forth from their relationship.

The second great relationship taking place forms between Vronsky and Kitty. Vronsky, in a relationship with Kitty, is described as a “perfect specimen of Saint Petersburg”. With Vronsky’s interaction and courtship of Kitty you draw the details of just who he is. He is a soldier, a horseman, an aristocrat, and a womanizer, all shown through characterization. Vronsky shows through Kitty that he has charm to burn, and polish throughout. His looks, while being described by Kitty to Anna are able to let us understand that they comrade envy. His interactions with Kitty and description’s by Tolstoy show the reader that he is virtually the ideal man for the time frame. Vronsky’s affair, however, separates him from perfection. His affair gives a sense of realism within the story. Once reaching the discovery of Vronsky’s affair his innocence is shattered and his moral correct nature is shred to pieces. Through his affair with Anna you can gather that Vronsky may be the worst villain in the story. His character due to his relationship with Anna becomes that of limited, baffled, and desperate. These finishing changes within his character due to a relationship interaction seems to virtually not effect Kitty. Kitty finds her deepest happiness in being a wife and mother, a role for women that Tolstoy favored, and showed an understanding of realism. Absolutely clear about her place, she brings harmony to her home and peace of mind to her husband. She has an instinctive appreciation for the human cycle- birth, life, and death- and does not fear it. Though not well read, Kitty is very intelligent and extremely practical. She has abiding faith and trust in the goodness of god.

The relationships cause for boundless relevance within “Anna Karenina” and cause for optimal understanding of characters.

Through the words of Gabriel Garcia Marquez while describing relationships throughout his novel an assessment of the characters can be made.

The Major relationship taking place within this novel revolves around 3 people, Santiago Nasar, Angela Vicario, and Bayardo San Rom n. A seemingly innocent young man, Santiago Nasar, who is named the perpetrator in the loss of Angela Vicario’s virginity takes a terrible spin in the novel from his supposed relationship, and through the assumed event happening an assumption of sin on his behalf is implemented into his character. At first Bayardo San Rom n was a mysterious man, but by the time he had engaged and prepared to wed Angela he was well known and well liked. In the end, when he had gone away, leaving his fianc e, he was said to be one of the major victims of the events linked to the murder. His relationship to his fianc e gives the reader a sense of who he was and acted as. Just a young woman Angela Vicario at the start of the novel was equitably ready to be married. She was prepared for the wedding and everything. However, Bayardo San Rom n quickly jilted her because she had already lost her virginity. This quality shows realism in the story. Her relationship with him then causes for a deepening change in her character, and causing for characterization to play a major role. She writes thousands of letters to Bayardo San Rom n until they are reunited when they have both reached middle age.

The second major relationship that takes place within “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” is between Pedro and Pablo Vicaro. Pedro Vicaro was one of the murderers and the older yet less dominant of the two brothers, who made the initial decision to kill Santiago, but hesitated to sharpen the knives a second time and actually go through with it. His relationship with his brother and his sister is what sparked the murder, and are what cause the reader to find out who he is and his opinions. Pablo Vicaro, the more dominant brother, assumed command when the knives were taken away from them. Pablo’s relationship with Pedro, his brother, forced for the murder to happen. Through the words he says and the opinions he expresses while talking to his brother and sister you can understand the type of character he is.

The characters throughout “Chronicle of a Death Foretold” are formed from the relationships they have, giving them a sense of who they are.

The two novels show how relationships can create keystones in novels. They can show who a character is and how they will react. The Author’s use of tone and description is what gives the characters these qualities. “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Joel Carmichael, and “Chronicle of a Death Foretold”, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, translated by Gregory Rabassa, both use relationships to explain who the characters are. The characters throughout the novel are related to a relationship or relationships of some sort. Because of the author using these relationships to their literary benefit the relationships show a sense of who the characters are.