Marriage is a sacred bond between two people that should never be broken—or at least that's the traditional thinking. Yuri Zhivago, on the other hand, tries being "married" to three different women in this book, even though he's never technically divorced from his first (and only) legal wife, Tonya. It's not like Zhivago doesn't love Tonya. He just also happens to love Lara Antipova (who also happens to love her husband). And when push comes to shove, he chooses Lara.
Marriage. What's love got do with it?
Actually, in Doctor Zhivago, that's a really tough question to answer.
Questions About Marriage
- Do you think Zhivago makes any effort at all to save his marriage with Tonya, or does he just let it go without a fight?
- Why do you think Zhivago chooses to have an affair with Lara? Is it because he believes in free love? Use specific evidence from the text to support your answer.
- Why does Pasha Antipov leave his wife Lara and their daughter Katenka to go off to war? What is it about married life that makes him restless?
- Based on Doctor Zhivago, do you think Boris Pasternak respects the institution of marriage, or does he just think it's silly?
Chew on This
In Doctor Zhivago, Pasternak suggests that marriage is an unrealistic thing because it's very difficult for two people to love each other and no one else.
At the end of the day, Doctor Zhivago shows us that the heart wants what the heart wants, whether a person is married or not.