Tolstoy is also afraid of death and through his character's development he is able to discover for himself. Tolstoy's Anna Karenina provides a lot of insight into our own lives. We need to look to the past to protect the future, and yet we tend to forget that. Nevertheless, Tolstoy has created a wonderful piece of literature with a intricate plot structure. With regards to the theme, I would be justified to say that it is the keystone, which Tolstoy mentioned about, of the architecture of the book.
Death is an integral part of everybody's life and no matter who it is, everybody fears death.
To come to terms with death is something that takes a lot of courage and a full understanding of oneself. Tolstoy in his novel, has revealed to us the effect that death can have on a person and advocates us to not succumb to the daily life of the world which we live in, because it is all a delusion. Yet if we live as naturally as possible, we can get a better grasp on the true essence of life as Levin does in the novel. He finds joy out of working and enjoying the fruits of his labor, instead of indulging himself in the materialism of the hypocritical aristocrats. Modern culture has lost this aspect of life and we need to check ourselves before we lead our lives into a downfall.