The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy - Book Report/Review Example

The letter he found from his wife telling of the children and Troukhatchevsky was full of innocence such that she would not have mentioned of him had she had an affair with him owing to the fact that she was aware of his jealousy of him. It had yet come from his words that "among other things, as if it were perfectly natural, that Troukhatchevsky had been at the house, and had brought her the promised scores. He had also proposed that they play again, but she had refused." ("Chapter XXIV", para 1) Pzdnischeff was already blinded with jealousy even at the onset of their marriage.

As a man who had gone through numerous experiences with women had become a different person who vowed into celibacy against other women. Yet, a changed man himself, he had at the same time become a jealous husband who was blinded with idealism concerning how a man and a woman should be inside marriage. He was even jealous of their firstborn when his wife insisted on nursing her baby even if her doctors deprived her of it. Yet alone with the five more of them, he had become jealous of them. "Thanks to that, she reawakened in me the torments of jealousy which I had formerly known, though in a much slighter degree.

" (Chapter XIV, para 8) He blames his wife for awakening his jealousy that he had kept for the time he had promised to devote himself to her. Pozdnischeff's reaction to the various situations is but mere illustrations of a man who had been deeply in love yet blinded with which. Monogamy was what he had pledged of himself by realizing he was in love with his wife. However, as a sane man, he has not been able to escape the opposite equivalent of being deeply in love - that is jealousy. There was too much pride in him since he was brought up by a wealthy and well-respected family (even with debauchery).

He "was especially proud of the fact that, while others married with an intention of continuing their polygamic life as bachelors, it was my firm intention to live after my engagement and the wedding, and my pride swelled immeasurably." (Chapter X, para 1) Confusion first enveloped him when his wife showed discontentment in their relationship a few days after their marriage. Gradually, as their arguments become more frequent and profanities had been uttered, the confusion turned into anger, and soon into a rage.

He had imagined things that had not been existent and dwell on them, thus releasing his fury eventually by killing his wife.