Summary
Levin finds himself in a profound spiritual crisis as he grapples with thoughts of suicide and the meaninglessness of existence. Despite having everything he thought he wanted - a loving wife, a healthy child, a successful estate - he feels consumed by despair and questions whether life has any purpose at all. The weight of these dark thoughts becomes so overwhelming that he removes a rope from his room and avoids carrying his gun, fearing what he might do in a moment of weakness. This chapter reveals how even those who appear to have it all can struggle with deep existential questions. Levin's crisis represents a universal human experience - the search for meaning beyond material success and personal happiness. His struggle shows that external achievements, no matter how significant, cannot fill an internal void or answer the fundamental questions about why we exist and what makes life worth living. The irony is stark: at the moment when Levin should feel most fulfilled, he instead confronts the darkest period of his life. This reflects Tolstoy's own philosophical journey and his belief that true peace comes not from worldly success but from spiritual understanding. Levin's crisis also highlights how isolation can amplify despair - when we're alone with our thoughts, without the distraction of work or social obligations, the big questions about existence can become overwhelming. His contemplation of suicide isn't portrayed as weakness but as the natural result of a thinking person confronting life's apparent meaninglessness without a spiritual framework to provide answers.
Coming Up in Chapter 147
Just when Levin's despair seems insurmountable, an unexpected conversation with a peasant offers him a completely new way of thinking about life's purpose. Sometimes wisdom comes from the most unlikely sources.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
Alexey Alexandrovitch had forgotten the Countess Lidia Ivanovna, but she had not forgotten him. At the bitterest moment of his lonely despair she came to him, and without waiting to be announced, walked straight into his study. She found him as he was sitting with his head in both hands. “_J’ai forcé la consigne_,” she said, walking in with rapid steps and breathing hard with excitement and rapid exercise. “I have heard all! Alexey Alexandrovitch! Dear friend!” she went on, warmly squeezing his hand in both of hers and gazing with her fine pensive eyes into his. Alexey Alexandrovitch, frowning, got up, and disengaging his hand, moved her a chair. “Won’t you sit down, countess? I’m seeing no one because I’m unwell, countess,” he said, and his lips twitched. “Dear friend!” repeated Countess Lidia Ivanovna, never taking her eyes off his, and suddenly her eyebrows rose at the inner corners, describing a triangle on her forehead, her ugly yellow face became still uglier, but Alexey Alexandrovitch felt that she was sorry for him and was preparing to cry. And he too was softened; he snatched her plump hand and proceeded to kiss it. “Dear friend!” she said in a voice breaking with emotion. “You ought not to give way to grief. Your sorrow is a great one, but you ought to find consolation.” “I am crushed, I am annihilated, I am no longer a man!” said Alexey Alexandrovitch, letting go her hand, but still gazing into her brimming eyes. “My position is so awful because I can find nowhere, I cannot find within me strength to support me.” “You will find support; seek it—not in me, though I beseech you to believe in my friendship,” she said, with a sigh. “Our support is love, that love that He has vouchsafed us. His burden is light,” she said, with the look of ecstasy Alexey Alexandrovitch knew so well. “He will be your support and your succor.” Although there was in these words a flavor of that sentimental emotion at her own lofty feelings, and that new mystical fervor which had lately gained ground in Petersburg, and which seemed to Alexey Alexandrovitch disproportionate, still it was pleasant to him to hear this now. “I am weak. I am crushed. I foresaw nothing, and now I understand nothing.” “Dear friend,” repeated Lidia Ivanovna. “It’s not the loss of what I have not now, it’s not that!” pursued Alexey Alexandrovitch. “I do not grieve for that. But I cannot help feeling humiliated before other people for the position I am placed in. It is wrong, but I can’t help it, I can’t help it.” “Not you it was performed that noble act of forgiveness, at which I was moved to ecstasy, and everyone else too, but He, working within your heart,” said Countess Lidia Ivanovna, raising her eyes rapturously, “and so you cannot be ashamed of your act.” Alexey Alexandrovitch knitted his brows, and crooking his hands, he cracked his fingers. “One must know...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Success Without Purpose
Achieving external goals without internal purpose creates existential despair rather than fulfillment.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when external success masks internal emptiness before it becomes a crisis.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when accomplishments feel hollow rather than satisfying—that's your signal to examine whether you're climbing the right ladder.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Existential Crisis
A moment when someone questions the meaning and purpose of their existence, often triggered by success or major life changes. It's the feeling that nothing matters despite having everything you thought you wanted.
Modern Usage:
We see this today when successful people suddenly ask 'Is this all there is?' or when someone achieves their dream job but still feels empty inside.
Spiritual Void
The absence of religious or spiritual beliefs that can provide meaning and comfort during difficult times. Without this foundation, people struggle to find purpose beyond material success.
Modern Usage:
Many people today feel this emptiness when they realize money, career success, or relationships alone don't provide lasting fulfillment.
Russian Orthodox Influence
The dominant religious tradition in 19th century Russia that emphasized spiritual salvation and divine purpose. Tolstoy was questioning these traditional beliefs while searching for his own spiritual truth.
Modern Usage:
Similar to how people today might question the religion they grew up with while still seeking something to believe in.
Suicidal Ideation
Persistent thoughts about ending one's life, often accompanied by detailed planning or removing means of self-harm. It's a serious mental health crisis that requires immediate attention.
Modern Usage:
Today we recognize this as a medical emergency and have suicide prevention hotlines and mental health resources to help people through these dark periods.
Isolation Amplification
How being alone with your thoughts can make depression and despair much worse. Without distractions or human connection, negative thinking patterns spiral out of control.
Modern Usage:
We see this today in social media isolation, remote work depression, or how people feel worse when they're home alone too much.
Material Success Paradox
The ironic situation where achieving everything you thought would make you happy actually leads to deeper questions about life's meaning. Success can trigger existential crisis rather than satisfaction.
Modern Usage:
Think of celebrities or wealthy people who seem to have everything but struggle with addiction, depression, or public breakdowns.
Characters in This Chapter
Levin
Protagonist in crisis
He's experiencing a complete breakdown despite having achieved everything he wanted - marriage to Kitty, a son, successful farming. His thoughts of suicide show how external success can't fill internal emptiness.
Modern Equivalent:
The successful entrepreneur who built their dream company but can't sleep at night wondering what it's all for
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Without knowing what I am and why I am here, life's impossible; and that I can't know, and so I can't live."
Context: He's alone, contemplating the meaninglessness of existence despite his outward success
This captures the core of existential crisis - the inability to function when you can't answer the fundamental questions about your purpose. Levin has everything but lacks the spiritual framework to make sense of it all.
In Today's Words:
I can't figure out who I am or why I'm here, and without knowing that, I can't keep going.
"He could not live, because all life had lost its meaning for him."
Context: Describing Levin's mental state as he removes the rope and avoids his gun
This shows how depression and existential crisis can make even basic survival feel impossible. When nothing has meaning, even the will to live disappears.
In Today's Words:
He felt like there was no point to anything anymore, and that made it impossible to want to keep living.
"And there is no answer to the question: 'What for?'"
Context: He's questioning the purpose of all his activities and achievements
This represents the central question of existential philosophy - the search for purpose. Levin realizes that worldly success doesn't provide answers to life's deepest questions.
In Today's Words:
Everything I do just makes me ask 'What's the point?' and there's no good answer.
Thematic Threads
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin's identity as successful landowner and family man doesn't protect him from questioning his entire existence
Development
Evolution from Levin seeking identity through work and love to discovering these aren't enough
In Your Life:
You might feel lost even when everyone else thinks you have it all figured out
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Levin's crisis represents a necessary stage of growth—questioning everything to find authentic meaning
Development
Continuation of Levin's journey from external validation to internal understanding
In Your Life:
Your darkest moments of doubt might be preparing you for your next level of understanding
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Society's definition of success (family, property, status) proves insufficient for Levin's deeper needs
Development
Ongoing tension between what society values and what actually provides meaning
In Your Life:
You might feel guilty for being unhappy when you 'should' be grateful for what you have
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Even loving relationships with wife and child cannot fill Levin's spiritual emptiness
Development
Recognition that love, while essential, cannot be the sole source of life's meaning
In Your Life:
You might put too much pressure on relationships to provide all your happiness and purpose
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific actions does Levin take to protect himself from his dark thoughts, and what does this tell us about his mental state?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Levin feel suicidal despite having everything he thought he wanted - a loving wife, healthy child, and successful estate?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern today - people who seem successful on the outside but struggle with purpose and meaning?
application • medium - 4
If you were Levin's friend and noticed him removing ropes and avoiding his gun, how would you approach helping him through this crisis?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's crisis reveal about the relationship between external achievement and internal fulfillment?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Purpose Beyond Success
Create two lists: one of your current achievements or goals (job, relationships, possessions), and another of what gives your life meaning beyond personal gain (helping others, creating something, solving problems). Look for gaps between what you're pursuing and what actually matters to you. Identify one small action you could take this week to align your daily life more closely with your deeper sense of purpose.
Consider:
- •Success without purpose often feels hollow - this isn't a character flaw
- •Meaning often comes from how we impact others, not what we accumulate
- •Small daily actions aligned with values can prevent larger existential crises
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you achieved something you wanted but felt unexpectedly empty afterward. What was missing? What would have made that achievement more meaningful?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 147
The coming pages reveal key events and character development in this chapter, and teach us thematic elements and literary techniques. These discoveries help us navigate similar situations in our own lives.