Chapter 87
Sappho Shtoltz arrives with Vaska, a young man so well fed he barel...
They heard the sound of steps and a man’s voice, then a woman’s voice and laughter, and immediately thereafter there walked in the expected guests: Sappho Shtoltz, and a young man beaming with excess of health, the so-called Vaska. It was evident that ample supplies of beefsteak, truffles, and Burgundy never failed to reach him at the fitting hour. Vaska bowed to the two ladies, and glanced at them, but only for one second. He walked after Sappho into the drawing-room, and followed her about as though he were chained to her, keeping his sparkling eyes fixed on her as…
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Key Quotes & Analysis
"He walked after Sappho into the drawing-room, and followed her about as though he were chained to her, keeping his sparkling eyes fixed on her as though he wanted to eat her."
Context: Vaska arrives with Sappho Shtoltz
The party's erotic economy is comic and predatory. Admirers orbit women as property and spectacle, setting the tone Anna must navigate without Vronsky present.
In Today's Words:
Vaska barely acknowledges Anna because his attention is entirely chained to Sappho. That is how this circle signals value: you are background until you are the person being devoured with the eyes. Modern rooms work similarly when everyone orbits the charismatic guest and treats the rest as scenery.
"There was in her the glow of the real diamond among glass imitations."
Context: Anna compares Liza Merkalova to the surrounding set
Anna still discriminates authenticity inside a corrupt salon. Liza's sincerity attracts her more than Sappho's brass, which complicates Anna's own position as both judge and participant.
In Today's Words:
Anna can tell who feels real even inside a fake room. Liza's tired, passionate eyes read as honest compared with the louder performances around her. People still make that call at parties: who is performing for the room, and who is actually suffering underneath the smile they were trained to wear.
"“I do nothing,” answered Anna, blushing at these searching questions."
Context: Liza asks how Anna avoids boredom
Anna's answer is both deflection and confession. Her life is consumed by a single hidden drama, not by hobbies or poses, which makes her seem enviably alive to bored socialites.
In Today's Words:
When Liza presses her, Anna says she does nothing and blushes. That is not modesty; it is the gap between public appearance and private catastrophe. Outsiders read it as charm, while Anna knows her energy goes to one secret that would ruin the party if spoken.
"remembering that gesture—terrible even in memory—when she had clutched her hair in both hands—she said good-bye and went away."
Context: Anna chooses to leave despite Stremov and Liza urging her to stay
The salon's flattery loses to bodily memory of despair. Anna prefers the difficult appointment with Vronsky to the ease of being admired without resolution.
In Today's Words:
Stremov tells her she will only feed scandal at Madame Vrede's, and Liza begs her to stay, but Anna remembers grabbing her own hair in anguish at home. That image pulls her out of the soft room. Flattery is easier than truth, yet her body remembers what truth costs.
Thematic Threads
Spectacle versus sincerity
In This Chapter
Sappho's exaggerated body and manners contrast with Liza's enigmatic eyes, which Anna reads as a diamond among glass.
Development
Anna still seeks real feeling inside a set defined by display.
In Your Life:
Notice who in a loud room actually seems tired rather than entertained.
Boredom as luxury
In This Chapter
Liza confesses that the liveliest set is awfully bored; Stremov treats boredom as a mistake in attitude, not circumstance.
Development
Elite emptiness sharpens the contrast with Anna's hidden, consuming affair.
In Your Life:
Ask whether someone's complaint of boredom is really a boast that nothing forces them to choose.
Flattery versus reckoning
In This Chapter
Stremov and Liza urge Anna to stay; she leaves for the painful meeting she arranged.
Development
She chooses the Vrede garden and Vronsky over the salon's temporary elevation.
In Your Life:
When praise makes you want to cancel the hard appointment, check what you are avoiding.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
How does Tolstoy present Sappho Shtoltz when she enters the party?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
Through Vaska chained to her, her extreme dress, and masculine handshake, Tolstoy marks her as a new fashion type built on display and male orbit, not private depth.
- 2
Why does Anna find Liza Merkalova more attractive than Sappho?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
She reads Liza's weary, passionate eyes as sincere, a real diamond among glass imitations, even though Liza shares the same admirer structure as Sappho.
- 3
When have you stayed in flattering company to avoid a harder appointment?
application • mediumOne way to read it
One parallel is canceling a serious talk because friends or colleagues made you feel valued at an event. Stremov and Liza offer Anna that delay disguised as protection.
- 4
What does Stremov gain by telling Anna she should not go to Madame Vrede?
application • deepOne way to read it
He keeps Karenin's wife inside his circle, flatters her away from scandal, and frames staying as noble while serving his own social and political curiosity.
- 5
Why does the memory of clutching her hair override the salon's pleas?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
Flattery cannot touch the bodily memory of despair. Anna knows the explanation with Vronsky cannot wait, even if the drawing room is easier.
Critical Thinking Exercise
List What the Room Offers Versus What It Solves
Think of a gathering where people praised your energy, wit, or calm while you carried a private crisis. Write three compliments you received, three problems that remained unsolved after you left, and what appointment you almost skipped.
Consider:
- •Separate feeling admired from making a decision
- •Note who benefits when you stay longer
- •Identify the bodily memory or fact that finally made you leave
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time praise almost kept you from a necessary confrontation. What did you lose or gain by going anyway?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 88
While Anna leaves the party for a harder reckoning, Vronsky shuts himself in after the races to sort debts, pride, and the cost of an affair that is outrunning his income.
