Summary
Levin throws himself into physical labor on his estate, working alongside his peasants in the fields as harvest season approaches. He finds genuine satisfaction in the rhythm of manual work - mowing grass, stacking hay, feeling his body tire in honest ways. This isn't just gentleman farming; Levin is searching for something authentic in a world that feels increasingly artificial to him. As he works, he observes the natural cooperation between the peasants and feels a deep connection to the land and its cycles. The physical exhaustion brings him a kind of peace he can't find in Moscow drawing rooms or philosophical debates. Tolstoy shows us a man trying to ground himself through work, seeking meaning in sweat and soil rather than society's expectations. This chapter reveals Levin's core conflict: he's educated and wealthy enough to live without working, but he's spiritually hungry for purpose that only comes through genuine effort. The contrast between Levin's authentic struggle and the artificial dramas of Anna's world becomes sharper. While Anna spirals deeper into passion and deception, Levin digs deeper into earth and truth. His relationship with the land mirrors his search for authentic relationships with people - both require patience, respect, and genuine engagement rather than manipulation or performance. The harvest imagery suggests both literal and metaphorical reaping: Levin is harvesting insights about what makes life meaningful. This isn't romantic idealization of peasant life, but recognition that meaningful work creates meaning itself.
Coming Up in Chapter 88
Levin's philosophical reflections during his physical labor lead him toward a spiritual breakthrough that will reshape his understanding of faith and purpose. Meanwhile, the contrast between his grounded existence and Anna's increasingly desperate situation becomes impossible to ignore.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
They heard the sound of steps and a man’s voice, then a woman’s voice and laughter, and immediately thereafter there walked in the expected guests: Sappho Shtoltz, and a young man beaming with excess of health, the so-called Vaska. It was evident that ample supplies of beefsteak, truffles, and Burgundy never failed to reach him at the fitting hour. Vaska bowed to the two ladies, and glanced at them, but only for one second. He walked after Sappho into the drawing-room, and followed her about as though he were chained to her, keeping his sparkling eyes fixed on her as though he wanted to eat her. Sappho Shtoltz was a blonde beauty with black eyes. She walked with smart little steps in high-heeled shoes, and shook hands with the ladies vigorously like a man. Anna had never met this new star of fashion, and was struck by her beauty, the exaggerated extreme to which her dress was carried, and the boldness of her manners. On her head there was such a superstructure of soft, golden hair—her own and false mixed—that her head was equal in size to the elegantly rounded bust, of which so much was exposed in front. The impulsive abruptness of her movements was such that at every step the lines of her knees and the upper part of her legs were distinctly marked under her dress, and the question involuntarily rose to the mind where in the undulating, piled-up mountain of material at the back the real body of the woman, so small and slender, so naked in front, and so hidden behind and below, really came to an end. Betsy made haste to introduce her to Anna. “Only fancy, we all but ran over two soldiers,” she began telling them at once, using her eyes, smiling and twitching away her tail, which she flung back at one stroke all on one side. “I drove here with Vaska.... Ah, to be sure, you don’t know each other.” And mentioning his surname she introduced the young man, and reddening a little, broke into a ringing laugh at her mistake—that is, at her having called him Vaska to a stranger. Vaska bowed once more to Anna, but he said nothing to her. He addressed Sappho: “You’ve lost your bet. We got here first. Pay up,” said he, smiling. Sappho laughed still more festively. “Not just now,” said she. “Oh, all right, I’ll have it later.” “Very well, very well. Oh, yes.” She turned suddenly to Princess Betsy: “I am a nice person ... I positively forgot it ... I’ve brought you a visitor. And here he comes.” The unexpected young visitor, whom Sappho had invited, and whom she had forgotten, was, however, a personage of such consequence that, in spite of his youth, both the ladies rose on his entrance. He was a new admirer of Sappho’s. He now dogged her footsteps, like Vaska. Soon after Prince Kaluzhsky arrived, and Liza Merkalova with Stremov. Liza Merkalova was a thin...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Authentic Work
Humans require work that connects them to tangible outcomes and serves something larger than themselves to find genuine fulfillment.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when professional success masks spiritual emptiness and how authentic effort creates genuine satisfaction.
Practice This Today
This week, notice which tasks leave you energized despite being tired, and which leave you drained despite being easy—that's your internal compass pointing toward meaningful work.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Estate farming
When wealthy landowners directly managed agricultural operations on their property, often working alongside peasant laborers. In 19th century Russia, this was unusual for aristocrats who typically left such work to overseers.
Modern Usage:
Like when a CEO decides to work on the factory floor to understand the business better.
Peasant labor
Agricultural workers who were bound to the land and worked for wealthy landowners. They had deep knowledge of farming techniques passed down through generations and worked in cooperative groups.
Modern Usage:
Similar to blue-collar workers who have specialized skills and strong workplace camaraderie.
Harvest season
The crucial time when crops must be gathered quickly before weather ruins them. Everyone worked together intensively, and the success determined survival through winter.
Modern Usage:
Like crunch time at work when everyone pulls together to meet a critical deadline.
Gentleman farming
When wealthy men played at agriculture as a hobby rather than necessity, often romanticizing rural life without understanding its harsh realities.
Modern Usage:
Like wealthy people who buy farms as weekend retreats but don't actually depend on them for income.
Spiritual hunger
The deep need for meaning and purpose that can't be satisfied by wealth, status, or pleasure. Tolstoy believed this was a universal human condition requiring authentic engagement with life.
Modern Usage:
What people feel when they have everything they thought they wanted but still feel empty inside.
Authentic work
Labor that produces real value and connects you to something larger than yourself, as opposed to artificial or meaningless tasks done only for money or status.
Modern Usage:
The difference between a job that feels meaningful and one that's just a paycheck.
Characters in This Chapter
Levin
Searching protagonist
Works in the fields seeking authentic purpose through physical labor. His hands-on approach contrasts with typical aristocratic detachment and represents his quest for genuine meaning.
Modern Equivalent:
The successful person having a midlife crisis who quits their corporate job to do something 'real'
The peasants
Collective mentor figures
Work alongside Levin with natural cooperation and deep knowledge of the land. They represent authentic connection to meaningful work that Levin envies and wants to understand.
Modern Equivalent:
The experienced workers who know their craft inside and out
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The longer Levin mowed, the oftener he felt the moments of unconsciousness in which it seemed not his hands that swung the scythe, but the scythe mowing of itself."
Context: As Levin loses himself in the rhythm of manual labor
This describes the psychological state of 'flow' where self-consciousness disappears during meaningful work. Levin finds peace by becoming one with his task rather than overthinking his life.
In Today's Words:
When you're so focused on your work that you lose track of time and everything just flows naturally.
"He felt a peculiar sense of progress in the work and satisfaction in its quality."
Context: Describing Levin's feelings while working in the fields
Physical labor gives Levin measurable accomplishment and pride that his intellectual pursuits lack. This tangible progress contrasts with the circular nature of his philosophical worries.
In Today's Words:
There's something satisfying about work where you can actually see what you've accomplished.
"The old man worked as though he were playing, so smoothly and easily did his strong arms swing the scythe."
Context: Levin observing an experienced peasant worker
True mastery makes difficult work look effortless. The peasant's skill represents the kind of authentic competence Levin admires and wants to develop in his own life.
In Today's Words:
Watching someone who's really good at their job makes it look easy, even when it's not.
Thematic Threads
Authenticity
In This Chapter
Levin seeks genuine connection through physical labor rather than artificial social performance
Development
Deepened from his earlier discomfort with Moscow society
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when small talk feels exhausting but helping someone move feels energizing
Class
In This Chapter
Levin works alongside peasants, breaking down social barriers through shared labor
Development
Evolved from observing class differences to actively bridging them
In Your Life:
You might see this when you connect better with coworkers during hands-on projects than in meetings
Purpose
In This Chapter
Physical exhaustion brings spiritual satisfaction that intellectual pursuits cannot provide
Development
Introduced here as counterpoint to his philosophical searching
In Your Life:
You might feel this when fixing something broken gives you more satisfaction than scrolling social media
Connection
In This Chapter
Working the land creates deeper bonds than social conversation ever could
Development
Builds on his struggle to form meaningful relationships
In Your Life:
You might notice this when working on a project with others creates instant camaraderie
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does Levin choose to work in the fields alongside his peasants instead of just managing from a distance?
analysis • surface - 2
What's the difference between the satisfaction Levin finds in physical labor versus the emptiness he feels in Moscow society?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today finding meaning through hands-on work, even when they could afford to avoid it?
application • medium - 4
How would you evaluate whether your own work creates genuine value versus just keeping you busy?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's search for authentic work reveal about why humans need to feel useful rather than just comfortable?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Audit Your Work for Meaning
List the main activities that fill your typical week - both paid work and personal tasks. For each activity, ask: Does this create something tangible? Does it help someone else? Can I see the direct impact? Mark each activity as 'meaningful work,' 'necessary maintenance,' or 'busy work.' Look for patterns in what energizes you versus what drains you.
Consider:
- •Even small tasks can be meaningful if they serve others or create lasting value
- •Some 'busy work' might be necessary but shouldn't dominate your time
- •The goal isn't to judge your current situation but to understand what feeds your sense of purpose
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you felt most useful and satisfied with your work. What made that experience different from tasks that feel empty or pointless? How could you create more opportunities for that kind of meaningful contribution?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 88
What lies ahead teaches us key events and character development in this chapter, and shows us thematic elements and literary techniques. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.