When I was in high school, our literature class read a book which made a great impact on me.
It is called Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk district by Nikolai Leskov. The book is about a rich, married woman – Katerina Izmaylova, who fell in love with one of her servants who had a bad reputation – Sergey. The story takes place in Russia in the end of the 19th century. For some time, Katerina and Sergey were having an affair. Then one day, her husband’s father finds about it and threatens Katerina that he will tell everything to her husband. So, with Sergey, Katerina poisons the man, and the two enjoy their love again. But when Sergey starts being jealous of Katerina’s husband, they decide to kill the husband too, and bury him in the backyard. Once this is done, there are no restrictions for the couple to be together. Very soon, the husband’s nephew, to whom the couple owes money, comes to visit. Manipulated by Sergey, Katerina strangles the boy. However, as soon as the boy is killed, the people of the town enter the house and arrest both of them.
Katerina and Sergey are punished by lashes and sentenced to penal servitude, but not together. All that Katerina can think about is having secret meetings with Sergey, but Sergey doesn’t feel the same way and often ignores her attempts. Katerina finds Sergey cheating on her with another convict named Fiona. Furious, Katerina argues with Sergey, but after a while wants to make her peace with him again. She gives him her only pair of woolen socks, because he complains of pain in his feet. But the next day, Katerina sees her socks on another convict, Sonetka. Being deeply offended, she spits into Sergey’s face. The same night, Sergey and his friend beat Karenina up very badly. The next day, Katerina, with a face full of pride, grabs Sonetka’s leg and jumps from the bridge into the river. Both of them drown.
I remember the words of my teacher when we were discussing the book and its lesson. She said: “Isn’t it a shame that the feeling that is one of the great gifts for humanity, the feeling that should inspire us to become better and want to make the world better, has caused so much unhappiness to so many people!“
And she was so right! Real love is pure, and should inspire a person toward great achievement.
Love can be very well described by one of my most favorite quotes: “Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.”
In my opinion, if a love doesn’t have those features, then it probably is not love.