The character of Anna Sergeyevna first appears in the novel when Arkady and Bazarov are visiting Matvei Ilyitch the town of X. Evdoksya Kushkina mentions her when she is asked if there are any good-looking women in the town. The two young men meet her at the Governor’s ball a few days later and are immediately impressed by her astonishing beauty and by the natural grace and tranquility with which she carries herself.
Anna was educated in Saint Petersburg but moved to the country after her gambling father ruined himself playing cards. Both her mother and father had died by the time she reached the age of twenty, and her situation became very difficult. Her exceptional education was not suited to domestic country life, and she was forced to live with her cruel and stingy old aunt. However, Anna’s lot changed when Odintsov, a very wealthy man of forty-six, fell in love with her and asked her to be his wife. She lived with him for six years until his death, upon which all of his property was passed on to her. After spending some time abroad with her sister, she decided to settle on her favorite estate, Nikolskoe, which is not far from the town of X.
The reader learns more about her after she invites the young travelers to stay as guests in her country-house. Anna Sergeyevna leads a very structured but leisurely life; however, things are so easy that she often finds herself falling victim to boredom. When she is alone and has nothing to do, she lets her imagination wander, dreaming and musing on life to as a remedy to listlessness. Her guests bring a greatly appreciated change of pace that temporarily increases her life’s excitement, and although Bazarov differs quite sharply from her in his background and personal tastes, she very much enjoys his company and finds his unusual views refreshing and interesting. She expresses her preference for Bazarov when she hears of his plans to leave, saying, “You may think what you like, but I shall be dull when you go away” (77). Arkady never receives such positive attention from her. Anna Sergeyevna’s largest flaw, if she has any, is her inability to love or be satisfied. Although she flirts with Yevgeny Vassilyitch, who is very interesting to her, she is unable to reciprocate when he bashfully articulates his love. She lacks passion for life, and as a result, none of her actions are reinforced by genuine sentiment. Her coolness and detachment lead to the end of her friendship with the young nihilist; all subsequent interactions between them are strained and uncomfortable after her refusal.
Anna redeems herself somewhat at the end of the novel when she goes to see Bazarov on his deathbed. Though she is very uncomfortable in the situation, she listens to his feverish ramblings and grants him his dying wish: a single kiss on the forehead. Turgenev’s final chapter presents her with rather positive future. She marries again out of good sense, this time to a young and ambitious lawyer. It is possible that she will experience the love and passion that had previously eluded her.