Summary
Levin throws himself into physical farm work with desperate intensity, trying to exhaust his body so his mind will stop torturing him with thoughts of Kitty's rejection. He works alongside his peasants in the fields, swinging a scythe under the blazing sun until his shirt is soaked with sweat and his hands are raw with blisters. The harder he works, the more his emotional pain seems to fade into the background - replaced by the simple, honest ache of tired muscles. His foreman and the other workers watch him with a mixture of respect and confusion, wondering why their master is driving himself like a common laborer. But Levin finds something pure in this physical exhaustion that his privileged life has never offered him. When he collapses at the end of the day, too tired to think about anything but sleep, he experiences his first real peace since Kitty turned down his proposal. This chapter reveals how differently people cope with heartbreak - while some might drink or rage or retreat into self-pity, Levin chooses the path of honest labor. Tolstoy shows us that sometimes the best medicine for emotional wounds isn't talking or thinking, but simply working until your body demands rest. There's wisdom in Levin's instinct to tire himself out completely - it's a form of self-care that doesn't require money or education, just the willingness to push through physical discomfort. The chapter also highlights the gap between social classes, as Levin temporarily abandons his gentleman's life to find healing in peasant work.
Coming Up in Chapter 119
Levin's physical exhaustion brings unexpected clarity about his life's direction, but a chance encounter threatens to disrupt the fragile peace he's found through hard labor.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
Unconsciously going over in his memory the conversations that had taken place during and after dinner, Alexey Alexandrovitch returned to his solitary room. Darya Alexandrovna’s words about forgiveness had aroused in him nothing but annoyance. The applicability or non-applicability of the Christian precept to his own case was too difficult a question to be discussed lightly, and this question had long ago been answered by Alexey Alexandrovitch in the negative. Of all that had been said, what stuck most in his memory was the phrase of stupid, good-natured Turovtsin—“_Acted like a man, he did! Called him out and shot him!_” Everyone had apparently shared this feeling, though from politeness they had not expressed it. “But the matter is settled, it’s useless thinking about it,” Alexey Alexandrovitch told himself. And thinking of nothing but the journey before him, and the revision work he had to do, he went into his room and asked the porter who escorted him where his man was. The porter said that the man had only just gone out. Alexey Alexandrovitch ordered tea to be sent him, sat down to the table, and taking the guidebook, began considering the route of his journey. “Two telegrams,” said his manservant, coming into the room. “I beg your pardon, your excellency; I’d only just that minute gone out.” Alexey Alexandrovitch took the telegrams and opened them. The first telegram was the announcement of Stremov’s appointment to the very post Karenin had coveted. Alexey Alexandrovitch flung the telegram down, and flushing a little, got up and began to pace up and down the room. “_Quos vult perdere dementat_,” he said, meaning by _quos_ the persons responsible for this appointment. He was not so much annoyed that he had not received the post, that he had been conspicuously passed over; but it was incomprehensible, amazing to him that they did not see that the wordy phrase-monger Stremov was the last man fit for it. How could they fail to see how they were ruining themselves, lowering their _prestige_ by this appointment? “Something else in the same line,” he said to himself bitterly, opening the second telegram. The telegram was from his wife. Her name, written in blue pencil, “Anna,” was the first thing that caught his eye. “I am dying; I beg, I implore you to come. I shall die easier with your forgiveness,” he read. He smiled contemptuously, and flung down the telegram. That this was a trick and a fraud, of that, he thought for the first minute, there could be no doubt. “There is no deceit she would stick at. She was near her confinement. Perhaps it is the confinement. But what can be their aim? To legitimize the child, to compromise me, and prevent a divorce,” he thought. “But something was said in it: I am dying....” He read the telegram again, and suddenly the plain meaning of what was said in it struck him. “And if it is true?” he said to himself. “If it is true...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Productive Pain
Channeling emotional suffering into purposeful physical work that breaks destructive mental loops and creates forward momentum.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter shows how to distinguish between coping mechanisms that build something versus those that just numb pain.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you're hurting—ask yourself, 'Will this activity create something useful or just help me avoid feeling?'
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Physical labor as therapy
The practice of using hard physical work to heal emotional wounds or mental distress. In 19th century Russia, this was often the only form of mental health treatment available, especially for men who couldn't express feelings openly.
Modern Usage:
We see this today in people who hit the gym hard after breakups, throw themselves into home renovation projects during divorce, or take up intense hobbies to cope with depression.
Class boundary crossing
When someone temporarily abandons their social position to live or work like someone from a different class. In Tolstoy's time, a nobleman working alongside peasants was shocking and almost unthinkable.
Modern Usage:
Similar to when wealthy people volunteer at soup kitchens, CEOs work factory floors, or privileged kids take minimum-wage jobs to 'find themselves.'
Scythe work
Cutting grain or grass with a long curved blade - backbreaking farm labor that required rhythm, endurance, and skill. This was the hardest physical work available on a Russian estate.
Modern Usage:
The equivalent today would be construction work, warehouse labor, or any job that leaves you completely physically drained by the end of the day.
Peasant wisdom
The practical knowledge and life philosophy of working-class rural people. Tolstoy believed peasants understood life's essentials better than educated nobles because they lived closer to basic human needs.
Modern Usage:
We see this in how blue-collar workers often have more practical life skills and emotional resilience than office workers, or how 'street smarts' can be more valuable than book learning.
Emotional exhaustion through physical exhaustion
The strategy of working your body so hard that your mind has no energy left for painful thoughts. It's a form of self-medication that uses physical tiredness to quiet mental anguish.
Modern Usage:
People today do this through intense workouts, long hiking trips, or taking on physically demanding projects when they're going through emotional trauma.
Gentleman farmer
A wealthy landowner who usually supervised farm work from a distance rather than doing manual labor. For such a person to actually work in the fields was considered beneath their station.
Modern Usage:
Like a CEO who normally sits in boardrooms suddenly working on the factory floor, or a trust fund kid taking a job at McDonald's.
Characters in This Chapter
Levin
Heartbroken protagonist
He throws himself into brutal physical farm work to escape the mental torture of Kitty's rejection. His desperate need to exhaust himself shows how deeply the rejection wounded him and reveals his instinct to find healing through honest labor rather than self-pity.
Modern Equivalent:
The guy who starts going to the gym at 5am every day after his girlfriend dumps him
The foreman
Confused observer
He watches Levin work with bewilderment, unable to understand why his wealthy master is driving himself like a common laborer. His confusion highlights how unusual Levin's behavior is for someone of his social class.
Modern Equivalent:
The middle manager who can't figure out why the company owner is suddenly working overtime in the warehouse
The peasant workers
Respectful witnesses
They work alongside Levin with a mixture of respect and confusion, seeing their master suffer and sweat like they do every day. Their presence shows the class divide while also demonstrating the universal nature of hard work.
Modern Equivalent:
The regular employees who watch their boss suddenly start doing entry-level work and don't know what to make of it
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The harder he worked, the more he felt that the burden of his thoughts was lifted from him."
Context: As Levin pushes himself through grueling farm work to escape thoughts of Kitty
This reveals the therapeutic power of physical exhaustion and shows Levin discovering that sometimes the body can heal what the mind cannot. It's Tolstoy's insight that honest labor can be more effective than overthinking.
In Today's Words:
The more he wore himself out, the less his heartbreak hurt.
"His shirt stuck to his back with sweat, and he felt a strange satisfaction in this physical discomfort."
Context: Describing Levin's state during the intense farm work
The 'strange satisfaction' shows how physical pain can actually feel good when it replaces emotional pain. Levin is finding relief in something real and immediate rather than the abstract torture of rejection.
In Today's Words:
He was soaked in sweat and somehow that felt better than feeling sorry for himself.
"When evening came and he could barely lift his arms, his mind was finally quiet."
Context: At the end of Levin's day of brutal farm work
This shows the goal achieved - Levin has successfully exhausted himself into peace. The quiet mind is what he was seeking all along, and physical exhaustion delivered what emotional processing could not.
In Today's Words:
By the time he was completely wiped out, his brain finally stopped torturing him.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Levin temporarily abandons his gentleman's lifestyle to work alongside peasants, finding healing in manual labor
Development
Continues exploration of class boundaries and the value of different types of work
In Your Life:
You might find that the 'lower status' work in your life—cleaning, physical tasks—actually grounds you more than prestigious activities
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin discovers a different version of himself through physical labor, one that feels more authentic than his privileged social role
Development
Builds on earlier themes of characters struggling to find their true selves
In Your Life:
You might realize your most healing moments come when you step outside your usual role or job title
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Levin learns that sometimes growth comes through physical challenge rather than intellectual reflection
Development
Expands the theme to show that growth isn't always about thinking or talking
In Your Life:
You might find that your biggest breakthroughs come when you stop analyzing and start doing
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Levin connects with workers in a new way, earning their respect through shared labor rather than social position
Development
Shows how authentic connection can transcend class barriers
In Your Life:
You might discover that working alongside others creates deeper bonds than just socializing with them
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Levin defies expectations of how a gentleman should behave after rejection, choosing labor over leisure
Development
Continues theme of characters rejecting prescribed social roles
In Your Life:
You might realize that healing your way, not society's expected way, is what actually works for you
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What does Levin do to cope with his heartbreak, and how does his body respond to this choice?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does physical exhaustion help Levin more than sitting around thinking about his rejection?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today using physical work to deal with emotional pain? What jobs or activities serve this purpose?
application • medium - 4
When you're dealing with stress or heartbreak, what physical activities help you think more clearly? How do you know when to push through versus when to rest?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's choice to work in the fields reveal about the relationship between our minds and bodies when we're hurting?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Design Your Own Productive Pain Strategy
Think of a current stress or disappointment in your life. Create a specific physical work plan that could help you process this emotion while accomplishing something useful. List three concrete activities you could do this week, noting what each would require and what you'd gain besides emotional relief.
Consider:
- •Choose work that serves others or improves your environment, not just burns energy
- •Consider what physical resources and time you actually have available
- •Think about work that matches your current emotional intensity level
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when physical work helped you through a difficult period. What did you learn about yourself? How did your relationship to that type of work change afterward?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 119
Moving forward, we'll examine key events and character development in this chapter, and understand thematic elements and literary techniques. These insights bridge the gap between classic literature and modern experience.