Probably most people today (and apparently in Tolstoy’s day
too) are victims of a particular kind of cognitive dissonance. They think that they can live a dissolute
lifestyle when young, indulging in a series of short-lived relationships where
they view their partner as little more than an instrument of pleasure, then do
a 180 degree turn on their wedding night to become the perfect, virtuous,
considerate spouse who never loses sight of their husband or wife as a full
human being just like themselves, to be treated with due respect. In The Kreutzer Sonata,
Tolstoy gives his answer to that proposition: Not. Going. To Happen.
The protagonist, a wealthy young aristocrat named Pozdnyshev,
dreams of the ideal marriage to a virtuous woman, while at the same time living
it up with the other debauchees of his social circle. When he finally does fall in love with a beautiful,
virtuous woman and marries her, he finds that the corruption of mind and soul in
which he has been marinating himself for years are impossible to get rid of, influencing
his behavior and how he thinks about his wife, ultimately bringing them both to
tragedy.
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