Summary
Levin throws himself into physical labor on his estate, working alongside his peasants in the fields as harvest time approaches. He finds deep satisfaction in the rhythmic, mindless work of mowing hay, losing himself completely in the physical effort. The harder he works, the more peaceful he feels - his body aches, but his mind quiets. This isn't about proving anything to anyone; it's about finding a way to exist that feels real and honest. While he works, Levin notices how naturally the peasants move, how they seem to understand something about life that he's been missing despite all his education and wealth. The physical exhaustion brings him a kind of clarity he's never experienced in his study or drawing room. He realizes that all his intellectual wrestling with life's meaning has been keeping him from actually living. There's something profound in this simple truth: sometimes the answers we're desperately seeking can only be found when we stop looking so hard. The chapter shows Levin beginning to understand that meaning might not come from thinking about life, but from fully participating in it. His connection to the land and the rhythm of physical work offers him what philosophy and books never could - a sense of belonging and purpose that feels bone-deep and authentic. This marks a turning point in Levin's spiritual journey, suggesting that wisdom often comes through our hands and bodies, not just our minds.
Coming Up in Chapter 169
As Levin continues his work in the fields, a chance encounter with an old peasant will spark a conversation that changes everything he thought he knew about faith and happiness. Sometimes the most profound truths come from the most unexpected sources.
Share it with friends
An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
When Levin and Stepan Arkadyevitch reached the peasant’s hut where Levin always used to stay, Veslovsky was already there. He was sitting in the middle of the hut, clinging with both hands to the bench from which he was being pulled by a soldier, the brother of the peasant’s wife, who was helping him off with his miry boots. Veslovsky was laughing his infectious, good-humored laugh. “I’ve only just come. _Ils ont été charmants_. Just fancy, they gave me drink, fed me! Such bread, it was exquisite! _Délicieux!_ And the vodka, I never tasted any better. And they would not take a penny for anything. And they kept saying: ‘Excuse our homely ways.’” “What should they take anything for? They were entertaining you, to be sure. Do you suppose they keep vodka for sale?” said the soldier, succeeding at last in pulling the soaked boot off the blackened stocking. In spite of the dirtiness of the hut, which was all muddied by their boots and the filthy dogs licking themselves clean, and the smell of marsh mud and powder that filled the room, and the absence of knives and forks, the party drank their tea and ate their supper with a relish only known to sportsmen. Washed and clean, they went into a hay-barn swept ready for them, where the coachman had been making up beds for the gentlemen. Though it was dusk, not one of them wanted to go to sleep. After wavering among reminiscences and anecdotes of guns, of dogs, and of former shooting parties, the conversation rested on a topic that interested all of them. After Vassenka had several times over expressed his appreciation of this delightful sleeping place among the fragrant hay, this delightful broken cart (he supposed it to be broken because the shafts had been taken out), of the good nature of the peasants that had treated him to vodka, of the dogs who lay at the feet of their respective masters, Oblonsky began telling them of a delightful shooting party at Malthus’s, where he had stayed the previous summer. Malthus was a well-known capitalist, who had made his money by speculation in railway shares. Stepan Arkadyevitch described what grouse moors this Malthus had bought in the Tver province, and how they were preserved, and of the carriages and dogcarts in which the shooting party had been driven, and the luncheon pavilion that had been rigged up at the marsh. “I don’t understand you,” said Levin, sitting up in the hay; “how is it such people don’t disgust you? I can understand a lunch with Lafitte is all very pleasant, but don’t you dislike just that very sumptuousness? All these people, just like our spirit monopolists in old days, get their money in a way that gains them the contempt of everyone. They don’t care for their contempt, and then they use their dishonest gains to buy off the contempt they have deserved.” “Perfectly true!” chimed in Vassenka Veslovsky. “Perfectly! Oblonsky, of course, goes...
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
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Physical Truth
When mental analysis becomes a substitute for lived experience, physical engagement often provides the clarity that thinking cannot deliver.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when mental effort is making problems worse instead of solving them.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you're thinking in circles about a problem—then do something physical with your hands for 20 minutes before returning to the issue.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Physical labor as spiritual practice
The idea that working with your hands and body can bring mental peace and spiritual insight in ways that pure thinking cannot. For Levin, mowing hay becomes a form of meditation that quiets his anxious mind.
Modern Usage:
We see this today in people who find peace through gardening, woodworking, or exercise - activities that get them out of their heads and into their bodies.
Peasant wisdom
The understanding that people who work the land often possess practical knowledge about life that educated elites lack. Tolstoy suggests that formal education can sometimes distance us from fundamental truths.
Modern Usage:
This shows up when blue-collar workers understand things about resilience and community that white-collar professionals struggle with despite their degrees.
Harvest season
The crucial time when crops are gathered, requiring intense physical work and community cooperation. In Russian agricultural society, this was literally a matter of survival through winter.
Modern Usage:
We still talk about 'reaping what you sow' and 'harvest time' to describe getting results from our efforts or facing consequences.
Intellectual paralysis
The state of being so caught up in thinking and analyzing that you become unable to act or find peace. Levin has been overthinking life's meaning instead of living it.
Modern Usage:
This happens today when people get stuck in analysis paralysis, researching decisions endlessly instead of just making them and moving forward.
Rhythmic work
Repetitive physical tasks that create a meditative state through their steady, predictable patterns. The swing of the scythe becomes almost hypnotic for Levin.
Modern Usage:
People find this same peace in repetitive activities like running, knitting, or even washing dishes - the rhythm quiets mental chatter.
Estate labor
In 19th century Russia, wealthy landowners typically supervised work rather than participating. Levin's choice to work alongside peasants was unusual and socially significant.
Modern Usage:
This is like a CEO choosing to work on the factory floor or in customer service to understand the business from the ground up.
Characters in This Chapter
Levin
Protagonist seeking meaning
He abandons his intellectual approach to finding life's purpose and throws himself into physical labor. This marks his spiritual breakthrough - discovering that meaning comes through doing, not thinking.
Modern Equivalent:
The burned-out professional who finds peace working with their hands
The peasant workers
Levin's teachers
They work naturally and efficiently, showing Levin what it looks like to be fully present in physical work. Their ease and rhythm demonstrate the wisdom he's been missing.
Modern Equivalent:
The experienced coworkers who make difficult jobs look effortless
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The longer Levin went on mowing, the oftener he experienced those moments of oblivion when his arms no longer seemed to swing the scythe, but the scythe itself his whole body."
Context: As Levin loses himself in the rhythm of mowing hay
This describes the meditative state that comes from complete absorption in physical work. Levin stops being self-conscious and becomes one with the activity itself.
In Today's Words:
The more he worked, the more he got into the zone where everything just flowed naturally.
"He felt as if some external power were moving him, and he experienced the joy of work."
Context: When Levin reaches a state of flow in his work
This captures the spiritual dimension of physical labor - when work becomes effortless and joyful rather than burdensome. It's the opposite of his previous mental struggles.
In Today's Words:
It felt like he was in the zone, and the work became pure joy instead of effort.
"The grass cut of itself, and laid itself in even rows."
Context: Describing Levin's experience when he achieves perfect rhythm
This shows how mastery feels from the inside - when you're completely skilled and present, difficult work seems to happen by itself. It's a moment of perfect harmony.
In Today's Words:
Everything was working so smoothly it felt like the job was doing itself.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Levin finds wisdom in peasant work that his education couldn't provide
Development
Evolving from earlier chapters where he struggled with his privileged position
In Your Life:
You might discover that people you consider 'less educated' understand things about life that your formal training missed.
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin's sense of self shifts from intellectual to physical, from thinker to doer
Development
Continuing his journey from confused aristocrat toward authentic self
In Your Life:
Your identity might feel most solid when you're doing meaningful work, not when you're thinking about who you are.
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Growth comes through physical labor and presence, not intellectual analysis
Development
Building on his earlier failed attempts to find meaning through books and philosophy
In Your Life:
Your biggest breakthroughs might happen when you're focused on tasks, not when you're trying to have breakthroughs.
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Levin abandons aristocratic expectations to work alongside peasants
Development
Deepening his rejection of his class's lifestyle and values
In Your Life:
You might find peace by ignoring what people expect from someone in your position and doing what actually feels right.
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Levin connects with peasants through shared work rather than conversation
Development
Learning that connection can happen through action, not just words
In Your Life:
Your deepest connections might form when you're working alongside someone, not when you're trying to talk your way to closeness.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific changes does Levin experience when he starts working physically alongside the peasants?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does physical labor quiet Levin's mind when years of intellectual study couldn't?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today getting stuck in overthinking instead of taking action?
application • medium - 4
When you're feeling overwhelmed or confused, what physical activities help you think more clearly?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter suggest about the relationship between our bodies and our minds in finding life's meaning?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Physical Reset
Think of the last time you felt mentally stuck or overwhelmed. Now identify three physical activities that consistently help you feel calmer and think more clearly. For each activity, write down when you last did it and what specifically about that activity quiets your mind. Consider why you might avoid these activities when you most need them.
Consider:
- •Notice if you tend to think your way through problems instead of moving through them
- •Consider whether the activities that help you most are the ones you resist when stressed
- •Pay attention to which activities engage your hands and demand your full attention
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you were overthinking a problem and physical activity helped you see it differently. What did your body teach you that your mind couldn't figure out?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 169
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.