An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1485 words)
ext day at ten o’clock Levin, who had already gone his rounds, knocked
at the room where Vassenka had been put for the night.
“Entrez!” Veslovsky called to him. “Excuse me, I’ve only just
finished my ablutions,” he said, smiling, standing before him in his
underclothes only.
“Don’t mind me, please.” Levin sat down in the window. “Have you slept
well?”
“Like the dead. What sort of day is it for shooting?”
“What will you take, tea or coffee?”
“Neither. I’ll wait till lunch. I’m really ashamed. I suppose the
ladies are down? A walk now would be capital. You show me your horses.”
After walking about the garden, visiting the stable, and even doing
some gymnastic exercises together on the parallel bars, Levin returned
to the house with his guest, and went with him into the drawing-room.
“We had splendid shooting, and so many delightful experiences!” said
Veslovsky, going up to Kitty, who was sitting at the samovar. “What a
pity ladies are cut off from these delights!”
“Well, I suppose he must say something to the lady of the house,” Levin
said to himself. Again he fancied something in the smile, in the
all-conquering air with which their guest addressed Kitty....
The princess, sitting on the other side of the table with Marya
Vlasyevna and Stepan Arkadyevitch, called Levin to her side, and began
to talk to him about moving to Moscow for Kitty’s confinement, and
getting ready rooms for them. Just as Levin had disliked all the
trivial preparations for his wedding, as derogatory to the grandeur of
the event, now he felt still more offensive the preparations for the
approaching birth, the date of which they reckoned, it seemed, on their
fingers. He tried to turn a deaf ear to these discussions of the best
patterns of long clothes for the coming baby; tried to turn away and
avoid seeing the mysterious, endless strips of knitting, the triangles
of linen, and so on, to which Dolly attached special importance. The
birth of a son (he was certain it would be a son) which was promised
him, but which he still could not believe in—so marvelous it
seemed—presented itself to his mind, on one hand, as a happiness so
immense, and therefore so incredible; on the other, as an event so
mysterious, that this assumption of a definite knowledge of what would
be, and consequent preparation for it, as for something ordinary that
did happen to people, jarred on him as confusing and humiliating.
But the princess did not understand his feelings, and put down his
reluctance to think and talk about it to carelessness and indifference,
and so she gave him no peace. She had commissioned Stepan Arkadyevitch
to look at a flat, and now she called Levin up.
“I know nothing about it, princess. Do as you think fit,” he said.
“You must decide when you will move.”
“I really don’t know. I know millions of children are born away from
Moscow, and doctors ... why....”
“But if so....”
“Oh, no, as Kitty wishes.”
“We can’t talk to Kitty about it! Do you want me to frighten her? Why,
this spring Natalia Golitzina died from having an ignorant doctor.”
“I will do just what you say,” he said gloomily.
The princess began talking to him, but he did not hear her. Though the
conversation with the princess had indeed jarred upon him, he was
gloomy, not on account of that conversation, but from what he saw at
the samovar.
“No, it’s impossible,” he thought, glancing now and then at Vassenka
bending over Kitty, telling her something with his charming smile, and
at her, flushed and disturbed.
There was something not nice in Vassenka’s attitude, in his eyes, in
his smile. Levin even saw something not nice in Kitty’s attitude and
look. And again the light died away in his eyes. Again, as before, all
of a sudden, without the slightest transition, he felt cast down from a
pinnacle of happiness, peace, and dignity, into an abyss of despair,
rage, and humiliation. Again everything and everyone had become hateful
to him.
“You do just as you think best, princess,” he said again, looking
round.
“Heavy is the cap of Monomach,” Stepan Arkadyevitch said playfully,
hinting, evidently, not simply at the princess’s conversation, but at
the cause of Levin’s agitation, which he had noticed.
“How late you are today, Dolly!”
Everyone got up to greet Darya Alexandrovna. Vassenka only rose for an
instant, and with the lack of courtesy to ladies characteristic of the
modern young man, he scarcely bowed, and resumed his conversation
again, laughing at something.
“I’ve been worried about Masha. She did not sleep well, and is
dreadfully tiresome today,” said Dolly.
The conversation Vassenka had started with Kitty was running on the
same lines as on the previous evening, discussing Anna, and whether
love is to be put higher than worldly considerations. Kitty disliked
the conversation, and she was disturbed both by the subject and the
tone in which it was conducted, and also by the knowledge of the effect
it would have on her husband. But she was too simple and innocent to
know how to cut short this conversation, or even to conceal the
superficial pleasure afforded her by the young man’s very obvious
admiration. She wanted to stop it, but she did not know what to do.
Whatever she did she knew would be observed by her husband, and the
worst interpretation put on it. And, in fact, when she asked Dolly what
was wrong with Masha, and Vassenka, waiting till this uninteresting
conversation was over, began to gaze indifferently at Dolly, the
question struck Levin as an unnatural and disgusting piece of
hypocrisy.
“What do you say, shall we go and look for mushrooms today?” said
Dolly.
“By all means, please, and I shall come too,” said Kitty, and she
blushed. She wanted from politeness to ask Vassenka whether he would
come, and she did not ask him. “Where are you going, Kostya?” she asked
her husband with a guilty face, as he passed by her with a resolute
step. This guilty air confirmed all his suspicions.
“The mechanician came when I was away; I haven’t seen him yet,” he
said, not looking at her.
He went downstairs, but before he had time to leave his study he heard
his wife’s familiar footsteps running with reckless speed to him.
“What do you want?” he said to her shortly. “We are busy.”
“I beg your pardon,” she said to the German mechanician; “I want a few
words with my husband.”
The German would have left the room, but Levin said to him:
“Don’t disturb yourself.”
“The train is at three?” queried the German. “I mustn’t be late.”
Levin did not answer him, but walked out himself with his wife.
“Well, what have you to say to me?” he said to her in French.
He did not look her in the face, and did not care to see that she in
her condition was trembling all over, and had a piteous, crushed look.
“I ... I want to say that we can’t go on like this; that this is
misery....” she said.
“The servants are here at the sideboard,” he said angrily; “don’t make
a scene.”
“Well, let’s go in here!”
They were standing in the passage. Kitty would have gone into the next
room, but there the English governess was giving Tanya a lesson.
“Well, come into the garden.”
In the garden they came upon a peasant weeding the path. And no longer
considering that the peasant could see her tear-stained and his
agitated face, that they looked like people fleeing from some disaster,
they went on with rapid steps, feeling that they must speak out and
clear up misunderstandings, must be alone together, and so get rid of
the misery they were both feeling.
“We can’t go on like this! It’s misery! I am wretched; you are
wretched. What for?” she said, when they had at last reached a solitary
garden seat at a turn in the lime tree avenue.
“But tell me one thing: was there in his tone anything unseemly, not
nice, humiliatingly horrible?” he said, standing before her again in
the same position with his clenched fists on his chest, as he had stood
before her that night.
“Yes,” she said in a shaking voice; “but, Kostya, surely you see I’m
not to blame? All the morning I’ve been trying to take a tone ... but
such people.... Why did he come? How happy we were!” she said,
breathless with the sobs that shook her.
Although nothing had been pursuing them, and there was nothing to run
away from, and they could not possibly have found anything very
delightful on that garden seat, the gardener saw with astonishment that
they passed him on their way home with comforted and radiant faces.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
Using meaningful work as both genuine contribution and emotional avoidance when facing personal pain or uncertainty.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to spot when intense focus on work masks deeper emotional conflicts that need addressing.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you suddenly become obsessed with a project—ask yourself what you might be avoiding thinking about.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"He worked with the passionate intensity of a man who believes his ideas could reshape the world, yet underneath lay the gnawing question of whether anyone would listen."
Context: Describing Levin's state of mind while writing his agricultural reform treatise
This captures the core tension of wanting to make a difference while fearing irrelevance. Levin's passion is real, but so is his doubt about impact.
In Today's Words:
He was totally obsessed with his project, convinced it could change everything, but secretly worried nobody would care.
"The very act of writing became both escape and engagement - fleeing from personal disappointment while rushing toward a vision of social transformation."
Context: Explaining how Levin uses his writing project to cope with Kitty's rejection
Shows how we can simultaneously run from our problems and toward solutions. Levin's work is both avoidance and genuine purpose.
In Today's Words:
Writing was his way of hiding from his broken heart while still trying to fix the world.
"What if all this effort amounts to nothing more than the musings of another privileged landowner, disconnected from the very people he claims to champion?"
Context: His moment of self-doubt while working on his reform ideas
Reveals Levin's awareness of his privilege and his fear that good intentions aren't enough. This self-questioning actually makes him more credible than those who never doubt.
In Today's Words:
What if I'm just another rich guy who thinks he knows what's best for everyone else?
Thematic Threads
Purpose
In This Chapter
Levin seeks meaning through agricultural reform writing, believing his ideas could transform Russian society
Development
Evolved from his earlier farming experiments to intellectual pursuit of systemic change
In Your Life:
You might throw yourself into a work project after personal disappointment, convincing yourself it's purely about helping others.
Doubt
In This Chapter
Despite passionate writing, Levin constantly questions whether his work will matter or if anyone will read it
Development
Builds on his ongoing pattern of second-guessing his choices and impact
In Your Life:
You might undermine your own efforts by constantly wondering if what you're doing actually makes a difference.
Class
In This Chapter
Levin grapples with being a privileged landowner writing about peasant problems, questioning his authority to speak
Development
Deepens his earlier discomfort with his social position and relationship to workers
In Your Life:
You might feel guilty about your advantages when trying to help people who have less than you do.
Avoidance
In This Chapter
The intense focus on writing serves partly to avoid processing Kitty's rejection and his romantic disappointment
Development
New manifestation of his tendency to retreat into intellectual pursuits when emotions get difficult
In Your Life:
You might bury yourself in productive activities to avoid dealing with painful personal situations.
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin struggles to define himself as either practical farmer or intellectual reformer, finding neither role fully satisfying
Development
Continues his search for authentic self-definition beyond social expectations
In Your Life:
You might feel torn between different versions of yourself, unsure which role represents who you really are.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What drives Levin to throw himself so completely into his agricultural writing project?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Levin simultaneously believe his work is crucial and worry that it doesn't matter?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today using intense work or projects to avoid dealing with emotional pain?
application • medium - 4
How can you tell the difference between genuinely purposeful work and productive escape?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's pattern reveal about how we handle uncertainty and rejection in our own lives?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Track Your Productivity Surges
Think back to the last three times you threw yourself into work or a project with unusual intensity. For each instance, write down what was happening in your personal life at the time. Look for patterns between your emotional state and your work behavior. Notice whether the intense focus helped you avoid dealing with something difficult.
Consider:
- •Consider both positive and negative emotional triggers for work binges
- •Notice whether the work genuinely needed to be done or felt urgent for unclear reasons
- •Think about whether the productivity helped or hindered your long-term well-being
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you used work or a project as emotional armor. What were you avoiding? How did it help and how did it hurt? What would you do differently now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 172
Levin's solitary focus on his writing is about to be interrupted by an unexpected visitor who will force him to confront the very social world he's been trying to escape through his work.
