An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1640 words)
“ell, was it nice?” she asked, coming out to meet him with a penitent
and meek expression.
“Just as usual,” he answered, seeing at a glance that she was in one of
her good moods. He was used by now to these transitions, and he was
particularly glad to see it today, as he was in a specially good humor
himself.
“What do I see? Come, that’s good!” he said, pointing to the boxes in
the passage.
“Yes, we must go. I went out for a drive, and it was so fine I longed
to be in the country. There’s nothing to keep you, is there?”
“It’s the one thing I desire. I’ll be back directly, and we’ll talk it
over; I only want to change my coat. Order some tea.”
And he went into his room.
There was something mortifying in the way he had said “Come, that’s
good,” as one says to a child when it leaves off being naughty, and
still more mortifying was the contrast between her penitent and his
self-confident tone; and for one instant she felt the lust of strife
rising up in her again, but making an effort she conquered it, and met
Vronsky as good-humoredly as before.
When he came in she told him, partly repeating phrases she had prepared
beforehand, how she had spent the day, and her plans for going away.
“You know it came to me almost like an inspiration,” she said. “Why
wait here for the divorce? Won’t it be just the same in the country? I
can’t wait any longer! I don’t want to go on hoping, I don’t want to
hear anything about the divorce. I have made up my mind it shall not
have any more influence on my life. Do you agree?”
“Oh, yes!” he said, glancing uneasily at her excited face.
“What did you do? Who was there?” she said, after a pause.
Vronsky mentioned the names of the guests. “The dinner was first rate,
and the boat race, and it was all pleasant enough, but in Moscow they
can never do anything without something ridicule. A lady of a sort
appeared on the scene, teacher of swimming to the Queen of Sweden, and
gave us an exhibition of her skill.”
“How? did she swim?” asked Anna, frowning.
“In an absurd red costume de natation; she was old and hideous too.
So when shall we go?”
“What an absurd fancy! Why, did she swim in some special way, then?”
said Anna, not answering.
“There was absolutely nothing in it. That’s just what I say, it was
awfully stupid. Well, then, when do you think of going?”
Anna shook her head as though trying to drive away some unpleasant
idea.
“When? Why, the sooner the better! By tomorrow we shan’t be ready. The
day after tomorrow.”
“Yes ... oh, no, wait a minute! The day after tomorrow’s Sunday, I have
to be at maman’s,” said Vronsky, embarrassed, because as soon as he
uttered his mother’s name he was aware of her intent, suspicious eyes.
His embarrassment confirmed her suspicion. She flushed hotly and drew
away from him. It was now not the Queen of Sweden’s swimming-mistress
who filled Anna’s imagination, but the young Princess Sorokina. She was
staying in a village near Moscow with Countess Vronskaya.
“Can’t you go tomorrow?” she said.
“Well, no! The deeds and the money for the business I’m going there for
I can’t get by tomorrow,” he answered.
“If so, we won’t go at all.”
“But why so?”
“I shall not go later. Monday or never!”
“What for?” said Vronsky, as though in amazement. “Why, there’s no
meaning in it!”
“There’s no meaning in it to you, because you care nothing for me. You
don’t care to understand my life. The one thing that I cared for here
was Hannah. You say it’s affectation. Why, you said yesterday that I
don’t love my daughter, that I love this English girl, that it’s
unnatural. I should like to know what life there is for me that could
be natural!”
For an instant she had a clear vision of what she was doing, and was
horrified at how she had fallen away from her resolution. But even
though she knew it was her own ruin, she could not restrain herself,
could not keep herself from proving to him that he was wrong, could not
give way to him.
“I never said that; I said I did not sympathize with this sudden
passion.”
“How is it, though you boast of your straightforwardness, you don’t
tell the truth?”
“I never boast, and I never tell lies,” he said slowly, restraining his
rising anger. “It’s a great pity if you can’t respect....”
“Respect was invented to cover the empty place where love should be.
And if you don’t love me any more, it would be better and more honest
to say so.”
“No, this is becoming unbearable!” cried Vronsky, getting up from his
chair; and stopping short, facing her, he said, speaking deliberately:
“What do you try my patience for?” looking as though he might have said
much more, but was restraining himself. “It has limits.”
“What do you mean by that?” she cried, looking with terror at the
undisguised hatred in his whole face, and especially in his cruel,
menacing eyes.
“I mean to say....” he was beginning, but he checked himself. “I must
ask what it is you want of me?”
“What can I want? All I can want is that you should not desert me, as
you think of doing,” she said, understanding all he had not uttered.
“But that I don’t want; that’s secondary. I want love, and there is
none. So then all is over.”
She turned towards the door.
“Stop! sto-op!” said Vronsky, with no change in the gloomy lines of his
brows, though he held her by the hand. “What is it all about? I said
that we must put off going for three days, and on that you told me I
was lying, that I was not an honorable man.”
“Yes, and I repeat that the man who reproaches me with having
sacrificed everything for me,” she said, recalling the words of a still
earlier quarrel, “that he’s worse than a dishonorable man—he’s a
heartless man.”
“Oh, there are limits to endurance!” he cried, and hastily let go her
hand.
“He hates me, that’s clear,” she thought, and in silence, without
looking round, she walked with faltering steps out of the room. “He
loves another woman, that’s even clearer,” she said to herself as she
went into her own room. “I want love, and there is none. So, then, all
is over.” She repeated the words she had said, “and it must be ended.”
“But how?” she asked herself, and she sat down in a low chair before
the looking-glass.
Thoughts of where she would go now, whether to the aunt who had brought
her up, to Dolly, or simply alone abroad, and of what he was doing
now alone in his study; whether this was the final quarrel, or whether
reconciliation were still possible; and of what all her old friends at
Petersburg would say of her now; and of how Alexey Alexandrovitch would
look at it, and many other ideas of what would happen now after this
rupture, came into her head; but she did not give herself up to them
with all her heart. At the bottom of her heart was some obscure idea
that alone interested her, but she could not get clear sight of it.
Thinking once more of Alexey Alexandrovitch, she recalled the time of
her illness after her confinement, and the feeling which never left her
at that time. “Why didn’t I die?” and the words and the feeling of that
time came back to her. And all at once she knew what was in her soul.
Yes, it was that idea which alone solved all. “Yes, to die!... And the
shame and disgrace of Alexey Alexandrovitch and of Seryozha, and my
awful shame, it will all be saved by death. To die! and he will feel
remorse; will be sorry; will love me; he will suffer on my account.”
With the trace of a smile of commiseration for herself she sat down in
the armchair, taking off and putting on the rings on her left hand,
vividly picturing from different sides his feelings after her death.
Approaching footsteps—his steps—distracted her attention. As though
absorbed in the arrangement of her rings, she did not even turn to him.
He went up to her, and taking her by the hand, said softly:
“Anna, we’ll go the day after tomorrow, if you like. I agree to
everything.”
She did not speak.
“What is it?” he urged.
“You know,” she said, and at the same instant, unable to restrain
herself any longer, she burst into sobs.
“Cast me off!” she articulated between her sobs. “I’ll go away tomorrow
... I’ll do more. What am I? An immoral woman! A stone round your neck.
I don’t want to make you wretched, I don’t want to! I’ll set you free.
You don’t love me; you love someone else!”
Vronsky besought her to be calm, and declared that there was no trace
of foundation for her jealousy; that he had never ceased, and never
would cease, to love her; that he loved her more than ever.
“Anna, why distress yourself and me so?” he said to her, kissing her
hands. There was tenderness now in his face, and she fancied she caught
the sound of tears in his voice, and she felt them wet on her hand. And
instantly Anna’s despairing jealousy changed to a despairing passion of
tenderness. She put her arms round him, and covered with kisses his
head, his neck, his hands.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
The Success Trap - When Having Everything Feels Like Nothing
External achievements without internal purpose create a prison of emptiness disguised as success.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when achievements create emptiness rather than satisfaction, revealing the difference between what society rewards and what actually brings meaning.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you feel hollow after accomplishing something you thought you wanted—that's your signal to ask what would make you feel genuinely fulfilled instead.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
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: During his darkest moment of existential questioning
This captures the core of existential crisis - when the fundamental questions about identity and purpose become so overwhelming that life itself feels impossible to continue. Levin has reduced his despair to its essential elements.
In Today's Words:
I don't know who I am or what the point of anything is, and without knowing that, I can't keep going.
"I shall go on in the same way, losing my temper with Ivan the coachman, falling into angry discussions, expressing my opinions tactlessly."
Context: When he realizes that even spiritual revelation won't change his daily struggles
This shows the gap between spiritual insight and practical living. Even when we find meaning, we still have to deal with ordinary human frustrations and personality flaws.
In Today's Words:
I'll still get road rage and argue with people online and say stupid things, even if I figure out what life means.
"The rope in his pocket and the gun he had been avoiding seemed to him now the only way out."
Context: Describing how close Levin has come to suicide
This reveals how seriously Tolstoy treats mental health crisis. Levin isn't being dramatic - he's genuinely at risk and has been planning his death, making his spiritual journey literally life-or-death.
In Today's Words:
He'd been carrying around the means to kill himself and seriously considering using them.
Thematic Threads
Meaninglessness
In This Chapter
Levin contemplates suicide despite having everything society says should make him happy
Development
Culmination of his spiritual searching throughout the novel
In Your Life:
You might feel this when promotions or achievements leave you feeling more empty than fulfilled
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Levin's despair is heightened by the gap between how his life appears and how it feels
Development
Evolved from earlier chapters about fitting into society's molds
In Your Life:
You might experience this when others envy your life while you feel trapped by it
Spiritual Crisis
In This Chapter
Levin questions fundamental purpose and meaning while avoiding methods of self-harm
Development
Deepened from his earlier philosophical questioning into active despair
In Your Life:
You might face this during major life transitions when old sources of meaning no longer satisfy
Internal vs External
In This Chapter
Perfect external circumstances contrast sharply with internal torment and emptiness
Development
Intensified from earlier themes about appearance versus reality
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when your social media life looks great but your private moments feel hollow
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin struggles with who he is beyond his roles as husband, father, and landowner
Development
Evolved from his earlier search for authentic self-expression
In Your Life:
You might feel this when your job title or family roles feel like costumes rather than expressions of your true self
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What external signs of success does Levin have in his life, and why don't these things protect him from his crisis?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does having everything he thought he wanted make Levin's despair feel worse rather than better?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today who seem successful on the outside but might be struggling with meaning on the inside?
application • medium - 4
If someone you cared about was in Levin's position - successful but empty - what practical steps would you suggest to help them find purpose?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's crisis reveal about the difference between achieving goals and finding meaning in life?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Success Audit - Mapping Achievement vs. Fulfillment
Create two columns: 'Things I've Achieved' and 'Things That Give Me Energy.' List 5-7 items in each column. Look for patterns - which achievements also energize you? Which accomplishments feel hollow? This exercise helps you distinguish between external validation and internal fulfillment, so you can make choices that align with what actually matters to you.
Consider:
- •Notice which achievements you're proud of versus which ones just look good to others
- •Pay attention to activities that make you lose track of time - these often point toward genuine purpose
- •Consider whether your current goals are your own or borrowed from family, society, or social media
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you achieved something important but felt surprisingly empty afterward. What was missing from that success, and what would have made it more meaningful?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 214
Just when Levin seems lost to despair, an unexpected conversation with a simple peasant begins to shift something fundamental in his understanding. A chance encounter might hold the key to the meaning he's been desperately seeking.
