An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1162 words)
efore Betsy had time to walk out of the drawing-room, she was met in
the doorway by Stepan Arkadyevitch, who had just come from Yeliseev’s,
where a consignment of fresh oysters had been received.
“Ah! princess! what a delightful meeting!” he began. “I’ve been to see
you.”
“A meeting for one minute, for I’m going,” said Betsy, smiling and
putting on her glove.
“Don’t put on your glove yet, princess; let me kiss your hand. There’s
nothing I’m so thankful to the revival of the old fashions for as the
kissing the hand.” He kissed Betsy’s hand. “When shall we see each
other?”
“You don’t deserve it,” answered Betsy, smiling.
“Oh, yes, I deserve a great deal, for I’ve become a most serious
person. I don’t only manage my own affairs, but other people’s too,” he
said, with a significant expression.
“Oh, I’m so glad!” answered Betsy, at once understanding that he was
speaking of Anna. And going back into the drawing-room, they stood in a
corner. “He’s killing her,” said Betsy in a whisper full of meaning.
“It’s impossible, impossible....”
“I’m so glad you think so,” said Stepan Arkadyevitch, shaking his head
with a serious and sympathetically distressed expression, “that’s what
I’ve come to Petersburg for.”
“The whole town’s talking of it,” she said. “It’s an impossible
position. She pines and pines away. He doesn’t understand that she’s
one of those women who can’t trifle with their feelings. One of two
things: either let him take her away, act with energy, or give her a
divorce. This is stifling her.”
“Yes, yes ... just so....” Oblonsky said, sighing. “That’s what I’ve
come for. At least not solely for that ... I’ve been made a
Kammerherr; of course, one has to say thank you. But the chief thing
was having to settle this.”
“Well, God help you!” said Betsy.
After accompanying Betsy to the outside hall, once more kissing her
hand above the glove, at the point where the pulse beats, and murmuring
to her such unseemly nonsense that she did not know whether to laugh or
be angry, Stepan Arkadyevitch went to his sister. He found her in
tears.
Although he happened to be bubbling over with good spirits, Stepan
Arkadyevitch immediately and quite naturally fell into the sympathetic,
poetically emotional tone which harmonized with her mood. He asked her
how she was, and how she had spent the morning.
“Very, very miserably. Today and this morning and all past days and
days to come,” she said.
“I think you’re giving way to pessimism. You must rouse yourself, you
must look life in the face. I know it’s hard, but....”
“I have heard it said that women love men even for their vices,” Anna
began suddenly, “but I hate him for his virtues. I can’t live with him.
Do you understand? the sight of him has a physical effect on me, it
makes me beside myself. I can’t, I can’t live with him. What am I to
do? I have been unhappy, and used to think one couldn’t be more
unhappy, but the awful state of things I am going through now, I could
never have conceived. Would you believe it, that knowing he’s a good
man, a splendid man, that I’m not worth his little finger, still I hate
him. I hate him for his generosity. And there’s nothing left for me
but....”
She would have said death, but Stepan Arkadyevitch would not let her
finish.
“You are ill and overwrought,” he said; “believe me, you’re
exaggerating dreadfully. There’s nothing so terrible in it.”
And Stepan Arkadyevitch smiled. No one else in Stepan Arkadyevitch’s
place, having to do with such despair, would have ventured to smile
(the smile would have seemed brutal); but in his smile there was so
much of sweetness and almost feminine tenderness that his smile did not
wound, but softened and soothed. His gentle, soothing words and smiles
were as soothing and softening as almond oil. And Anna soon felt this.
“No, Stiva,” she said, “I’m lost, lost! worse than lost! I can’t say
yet that all is over; on the contrary, I feel that it’s not over. I’m
an overstrained string that must snap. But it’s not ended yet ... and
it will have a fearful end.”
“No matter, we must let the string be loosened, little by little.
There’s no position from which there is no way of escape.”
“I have thought, and thought. Only one....”
Again he knew from her terrified eyes that this one way of escape in
her thought was death, and he would not let her say it.
“Not at all,” he said. “Listen to me. You can’t see your own position
as I can. Let me tell you candidly my opinion.” Again he smiled
discreetly his almond-oil smile. “I’ll begin from the beginning. You
married a man twenty years older than yourself. You married him without
love and not knowing what love was. It was a mistake, let’s admit.”
“A fearful mistake!” said Anna.
“But I repeat, it’s an accomplished fact. Then you had, let us say, the
misfortune to love a man not your husband. That was a misfortune; but
that, too, is an accomplished fact. And your husband knew it and
forgave it.” He stopped at each sentence, waiting for her to object,
but she made no answer. “That’s so. Now the question is: can you go on
living with your husband? Do you wish it? Does he wish it?”
“I know nothing, nothing.”
“But you said yourself that you can’t endure him.”
“No, I didn’t say so. I deny it. I can’t tell, I don’t know anything
about it.”
“Yes, but let....”
“You can’t understand. I feel I’m lying head downwards in a sort of
pit, but I ought not to save myself. And I can’t....”
“Never mind, we’ll slip something under and pull you out. I understand
you: I understand that you can’t take it on yourself to express your
wishes, your feelings.”
“There’s nothing, nothing I wish ... except for it to be all over.”
“But he sees this and knows it. And do you suppose it weighs on him any
less than on you? You’re wretched, he’s wretched, and what good can
come of it? while divorce would solve the difficulty completely.” With
some effort Stepan Arkadyevitch brought out his central idea, and
looked significantly at her.
She said nothing, and shook her cropped head in dissent. But from the
look in her face, that suddenly brightened into its old beauty, he saw
that if she did not desire this, it was simply because it seemed to her
unattainable happiness.
“I’m awfully sorry for you! And how happy I should be if I could
arrange things!” said Stepan Arkadyevitch, smiling more boldly. “Don’t
speak, don’t say a word! God grant only that I may speak as I feel. I’m
going to him.”
Anna looked at him with dreamy, shining eyes, and said nothing.
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
As an Amazon Associate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Let's Analyse the Pattern
When mental overthinking creates anxiety loops, physical engagement can restore clarity and peace that pure thought cannot achieve.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when thinking becomes destructive and how to use physical action as an emotional reset button.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when your mind starts looping on problems—then immediately find something physical to do with your hands for ten minutes.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The longer Levin mowed, the oftener he felt the moments of unconsciousness in which it seemed not his hands that swung the scythe, but the scythe mowing of itself."
Context: As Levin gets into the rhythm of mowing and loses himself in the work
This describes the meditative state where conscious effort disappears and you become one with the activity. It's the opposite of his usual mental struggle and represents a different way of being in the world.
In Today's Words:
The work was so absorbing that he stopped thinking and just let his body take over.
"He felt a pleasant coolness, and wiped the streaming sweat from his face and looked about him."
Context: During a brief rest while mowing in the heat
This simple physical sensation grounds Levin in the present moment. The sweat and coolness are real, immediate experiences that contrast with his abstract philosophical worries.
In Today's Words:
He was hot and sweaty but felt surprisingly good about it.
"The grass cut with a juicy sound, and was at once laid in high, fragrant rows."
Context: Describing the satisfying results of the mowing work
The sensory details - sound, smell, visual results - show how physical work engages all the senses and creates tangible accomplishment. This immediate feedback satisfies in ways intellectual work often doesn't.
In Today's Words:
Every swing of the blade made a satisfying sound and left neat rows of sweet-smelling grass.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Levin finds acceptance and wisdom working alongside peasants, discovering their direct relationship with labor holds truths his privileged education missed
Development
Evolution from earlier class anxiety—now seeing working-class knowledge as valuable rather than inferior
In Your Life:
You might discover that coworkers with different backgrounds have practical wisdom your formal training never taught you
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin's identity shifts from anxious intellectual to capable laborer, finding himself through doing rather than thinking
Development
Continuation of his search for authentic self, now through physical rather than philosophical means
In Your Life:
You might find your truest self emerges not in quiet reflection but when you're fully engaged in meaningful work
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Growth comes through surrendering mental control and trusting bodily wisdom, finding peace in physical rhythm
Development
Major shift from seeking growth through intellectual struggle to finding it through embodied practice
In Your Life:
Your biggest breakthroughs might come not from thinking harder but from engaging your whole being in focused activity
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Levin defies aristocratic expectations by doing peasant work, finding authenticity by ignoring social pressure about 'appropriate' activities
Development
Continued rebellion against class expectations, now through direct action rather than just mental rejection
In Your Life:
You might find peace by ignoring others' opinions about what work is 'beneath you' or 'not your job'
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Natural acceptance emerges between Levin and peasants through shared labor, creating connection without words or social performance
Development
New theme showing how authentic relationships form through shared meaningful activity rather than social positioning
In Your Life:
Your deepest connections might form not through conversation but through working alongside others toward common goals
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What changes in Levin when he starts working with his hands in the fields, and how does his relationship with the peasants shift?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does physical labor quiet Levin's anxious thoughts more effectively than all his philosophical thinking?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today finding peace through hands-on work, and what kinds of activities seem to create this same mental clarity?
application • medium - 4
When you're stuck in overthinking or worry, what physical activities could you turn to, and how would you know if they're actually helping?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's discovery suggest about the relationship between our minds and bodies, and why might our culture undervalue physical work as a source of wisdom?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Embodied Reset Triggers
Think about the last time you felt mentally stuck or anxious. Now identify three different physical activities you could have done instead of trying to think your way out. For each activity, write down: what your hands would be doing, why it requires your full attention, and how you'd know it was working. Test one of these activities the next time your mind starts spinning.
Consider:
- •The activity needs to demand enough attention that your mind can't wander to worries
- •Simple, repetitive motions often work better than complex tasks that create new stress
- •Notice the difference between distraction (avoiding the problem) and reset (changing your mental state)
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when physical work or activity helped you see a problem more clearly. What was your mental state before and after? What did your body teach you that your mind had missed?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 123
But Levin's moment of peace can't last forever, and soon the demands of his social position and personal relationships will pull him back into the complicated world he's trying to escape. The question becomes whether he can hold onto what he's learned in the fields when he returns to drawing rooms and dinner parties.
