Anna Karenina Part 1, Chapter 29 Summary

  • Anna feels relieved to be settling down in the train with her maid, Annushka. She's looking forward to tomorrow, when she will see her son and husband again, and all shall be as it was before.
  • She begins to read an English novel. Suddenly—inexplicably—she begins to feel ashamed.
  • Analyzing this feeling of shame, Anna concludes that, based on her actions in Moscow, she has absolutely nothing to be ashamed about. But as soon as she thinks of Vronsky, she begins to feel shameful indeed.
  • She tries to read again, but can't concentrate.
  • Objects in the train take on eerie shapes because of the snowstorm outside—all the shapes turn out to be quite ordinary when she looks again, but she feels uncertain for a moment whether she is still herself, or whether she has become a stranger.
  • The train stops and everything seems normal again. Anna goes out and stands on the platform to get fresh air.