Summary
Levin struggles with deep philosophical questions about life's meaning as he works in his fields. Despite his material success and loving family, he feels overwhelmed by existential doubt and the seeming pointlessness of existence. He observes the simple faith of his peasant workers, who seem to possess a natural understanding of right and wrong that eludes his educated mind. This contrast between intellectual complexity and simple wisdom tortures him. He questions whether all his reading and thinking has actually made him less capable of living a meaningful life than those who never learned to read. The chapter shows Levin at his lowest point, consumed by questions that his rational mind cannot answer. His crisis represents the struggle many face when success and security don't automatically bring happiness or purpose. Tolstoy uses Levin's internal battle to explore how overthinking can sometimes distance us from the very truths we're seeking. The irony is painful - the more Levin analyzes life, the less he seems able to simply live it. His peasants work with purpose and sleep peacefully, while he torments himself with unanswerable questions. This moment sets up Levin's spiritual journey toward finding meaning not through intellectual pursuit alone, but through something deeper and more intuitive. The chapter captures that universal experience of having everything you thought you wanted, yet still feeling empty inside.
Coming Up in Chapter 190
Just when Levin's despair seems overwhelming, an unexpected conversation with a simple peasant offers him a completely new way of understanding life's purpose. Sometimes the most profound truths come from the most unlikely sources.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
Before Vronsky’s departure for the elections, Anna had reflected that the scenes constantly repeated between them each time he left home, might only make him cold to her instead of attaching him to her, and resolved to do all she could to control herself so as to bear the parting with composure. But the cold, severe glance with which he had looked at her when he came to tell her he was going had wounded her, and before he had started her peace of mind was destroyed. In solitude afterwards, thinking over that glance which had expressed his right to freedom, she came, as she always did, to the same point—the sense of her own humiliation. “He has the right to go away when and where he chooses. Not simply to go away, but to leave me. He has every right, and I have none. But knowing that, he ought not to do it. What has he done, though?... He looked at me with a cold, severe expression. Of course that is something indefinable, impalpable, but it has never been so before, and that glance means a great deal,” she thought. “That glance shows the beginning of indifference.” And though she felt sure that a coldness was beginning, there was nothing she could do, she could not in any way alter her relations to him. Just as before, only by love and by charm could she keep him. And so, just as before, only by occupation in the day, by morphine at night, could she stifle the fearful thought of what would be if he ceased to love her. It is true there was still one means; not to keep him—for that she wanted nothing more than his love—but to be nearer to him, to be in such a position that he would not leave her. That means was divorce and marriage. And she began to long for that, and made up her mind to agree to it the first time he or Stiva approached her on the subject. Absorbed in such thoughts, she passed five days without him, the five days that he was to be at the elections. Walks, conversation with Princess Varvara, visits to the hospital, and, most of all, reading—reading of one book after another—filled up her time. But on the sixth day, when the coachman came back without him, she felt that now she was utterly incapable of stifling the thought of him and of what he was doing there, just at that time her little girl was taken ill. Anna began to look after her, but even that did not distract her mind, especially as the illness was not serious. However hard she tried, she could not love this little child, and to feign love was beyond her powers. Towards the evening of that day, still alone, Anna was in such a panic about him that she decided to start for the town, but on second thoughts wrote him the contradictory letter that Vronsky...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Overthinking Paralysis
The more we analyze life, the less capable we become of living it effectively.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when thinking becomes a substitute for living and acting.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you research something for more than 20 minutes without making a decision, then force yourself to act on the information you already have.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Existential crisis
A period of intense questioning about life's meaning and purpose, often triggered when external success doesn't bring inner fulfillment. It's the feeling of having everything you thought you wanted but still feeling empty inside.
Modern Usage:
We see this in midlife crises, career burnout, or when people achieve their goals but ask 'Is this all there is?'
Simple faith
An uncomplicated belief system that provides clear guidance without requiring deep philosophical analysis. It's knowing right from wrong through intuition rather than intellectual reasoning.
Modern Usage:
Like people who just know what's right without overthinking it, or those who find peace through basic spiritual practices.
Peasant wisdom
The practical understanding of life that comes from hard work and direct experience rather than formal education. These are insights gained from living close to nature and necessity.
Modern Usage:
Similar to blue-collar workers who often have more common sense about real problems than highly educated experts.
Intellectual paralysis
When overthinking prevents action or happiness. The more you analyze something, the less able you become to simply experience or enjoy it.
Modern Usage:
Like reading too many relationship advice articles and then being unable to naturally connect with someone.
Russian Orthodox spirituality
A form of Christianity emphasizing mystical experience and simple devotion over complex theology. It values heart knowledge over head knowledge.
Modern Usage:
Similar to people who find meaning through meditation, prayer, or spiritual practices rather than religious study.
Class consciousness
Awareness of the differences between social classes and how education or wealth can create barriers to understanding. Levin sees how his privilege has complicated his relationship with basic truths.
Modern Usage:
When college-educated people realize they've lost touch with practical wisdom their working-class relatives possess.
Characters in This Chapter
Levin
Tormented protagonist
He's having a complete breakdown despite having everything - wealth, land, a loving wife. His education has made him question everything to the point where he can't find meaning in anything.
Modern Equivalent:
The successful professional who has a panic attack in the parking lot after getting promoted
The peasant workers
Contrasting figures
They work Levin's fields with natural purpose and seem to sleep peacefully at night. Their simple faith and clear sense of right and wrong highlight what Levin has lost through overthinking.
Modern Equivalent:
The coworker who never went to college but somehow has their life together better than you do
Key Quotes & Analysis
"What am I living for? What is the meaning of my life?"
Context: He's working in his fields but consumed by these questions
This captures the core of existential crisis - having everything you need materially but feeling spiritually bankrupt. It shows how success without purpose feels hollow.
In Today's Words:
I have everything I thought I wanted, so why do I feel so empty?
"They know what is good and what is bad, and they never doubt it."
Context: He's observing how his peasants seem to have moral clarity he lacks
This highlights how education can sometimes complicate our relationship with basic truths. Simple people often have clearer moral instincts than those who overthink everything.
In Today's Words:
They just know right from wrong without needing to analyze it to death.
"All my knowledge has led me nowhere."
Context: He's reflecting on how his education hasn't brought him peace
This is the painful realization that intellectual achievement doesn't automatically lead to wisdom or happiness. Sometimes the more we learn, the more confused we become about what really matters.
In Today's Words:
All my degrees and reading haven't taught me how to actually live.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Levin envies his peasants' simple wisdom while his education breeds doubt
Development
Evolved from earlier class tensions to show how privilege can become burden
In Your Life:
You might feel that less educated colleagues handle stress better than you do
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin questions whether his intellectual identity actually hinders authentic living
Development
Deepened from surface social identity to core existential questioning
In Your Life:
You might wonder if your professional identity prevents you from being yourself
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Growth through suffering as Levin hits rock bottom before potential breakthrough
Development
Shifted from external achievements to internal spiritual crisis
In Your Life:
You might find that your lowest moments precede your biggest breakthroughs
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Educated people are expected to find meaning through thinking, not faith
Development
Evolved from conformity pressure to intellectual conformity trap
In Your Life:
You might feel pressure to have sophisticated reasons for simple choices
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Levin feels disconnected from both family and workers despite loving them
Development
Progressed from external relationship conflicts to internal isolation
In Your Life:
You might feel lonely even when surrounded by people who care about you
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific contrast does Levin notice between himself and his peasant workers, and how does this make him feel?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Levin's education and ability to think deeply actually seem to make him less happy than people who can't read?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this pattern today - people who overthink themselves into paralysis while others act with simple confidence?
application • medium - 4
When you catch yourself overthinking a decision, what practical steps could you take to break the spiral and move forward?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's struggle suggest about the relationship between intelligence and wisdom, and when might simple approaches work better than complex analysis?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Track Your Overthinking Triggers
For the next week, notice when you catch yourself overthinking instead of acting. Write down three specific situations where you analyzed something to death instead of trusting your gut. For each situation, identify what simple action you could have taken instead, and what you were really afraid would happen if you acted quickly.
Consider:
- •Look for patterns in what types of decisions trigger your overthinking
- •Notice if your overthinking actually leads to better outcomes or just delays
- •Pay attention to how your body feels when you're stuck in analysis mode
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you made a quick, instinctive decision that turned out well. What did you trust in that moment that you might be second-guessing in other areas of your life?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 190
In the next chapter, you'll discover key events and character development in this chapter, and learn thematic elements and literary techniques. These insights reveal timeless patterns that resonate in our own lives and relationships.