An excerpt from the original text.(complete · 1442 words)
n Monday there was the usual sitting of the Commission of the 2nd of
June. Alexey Alexandrovitch walked into the hall where the sitting was
held, greeted the members and the president, as usual, and sat down in
his place, putting his hand on the papers laid ready before him. Among
these papers lay the necessary evidence and a rough outline of the
speech he intended to make. But he did not really need these documents.
He remembered every point, and did not think it necessary to go over in
his memory what he would say. He knew that when the time came, and when
he saw his enemy facing him, and studiously endeavoring to assume an
expression of indifference, his speech would flow of itself better than
he could prepare it now. He felt that the import of his speech was of
such magnitude that every word of it would have weight. Meantime, as he
listened to the usual report, he had the most innocent and inoffensive
air. No one, looking at his white hands, with their swollen veins and
long fingers, so softly stroking the edges of the white paper that lay
before him, and at the air of weariness with which his head drooped on
one side, would have suspected that in a few minutes a torrent of words
would flow from his lips that would arouse a fearful storm, set the
members shouting and attacking one another, and force the president to
call for order. When the report was over, Alexey Alexandrovitch
announced in his subdued, delicate voice that he had several points to
bring before the meeting in regard to the Commission for the
Reorganization of the Native Tribes. All attention was turned upon him.
Alexey Alexandrovitch cleared his throat, and not looking at his
opponent, but selecting, as he always did while he was delivering his
speeches, the first person sitting opposite him, an inoffensive little
old man, who never had an opinion of any sort in the Commission, began
to expound his views. When he reached the point about the fundamental
and radical law, his opponent jumped up and began to protest. Stremov,
who was also a member of the Commission, and also stung to the quick,
began defending himself, and altogether a stormy sitting followed; but
Alexey Alexandrovitch triumphed, and his motion was carried, three new
commissions were appointed, and the next day in a certain Petersburg
circle nothing else was talked of but this sitting. Alexey
Alexandrovitch’s success had been even greater than he had anticipated.
Next morning, Tuesday, Alexey Alexandrovitch, on waking up, recollected
with pleasure his triumph of the previous day, and he could not help
smiling, though he tried to appear indifferent, when the chief
secretary of his department, anxious to flatter him, informed him of
the rumors that had reached him concerning what had happened in the
Commission.
Absorbed in business with the chief secretary, Alexey Alexandrovitch
had completely forgotten that it was Tuesday, the day fixed by him for
the return of Anna Arkadyevna, and he was surprised and received a
shock of annoyance when a servant came in to inform him of her arrival.
Anna had arrived in Petersburg early in the morning; the carriage had
been sent to meet her in accordance with her telegram, and so Alexey
Alexandrovitch might have known of her arrival. But when she arrived,
he did not meet her. She was told that he had not yet gone out, but was
busy with his secretary. She sent word to her husband that she had
come, went to her own room, and occupied herself in sorting out her
things, expecting he would come to her. But an hour passed; he did not
come. She went into the dining-room on the pretext of giving some
directions, and spoke loudly on purpose, expecting him to come out
there; but he did not come, though she heard him go to the door of his
study as he parted from the chief secretary. She knew that he usually
went out quickly to his office, and she wanted to see him before that,
so that their attitude to one another might be defined.
She walked across the drawing-room and went resolutely to him. When she
went into his study he was in official uniform, obviously ready to go
out, sitting at a little table on which he rested his elbows, looking
dejectedly before him. She saw him before he saw her, and she saw that
he was thinking of her.
On seeing her, he would have risen, but changed his mind, then his face
flushed hotly—a thing Anna had never seen before, and he got up quickly
and went to meet her, looking not at her eyes, but above them at her
forehead and hair. He went up to her, took her by the hand, and asked
her to sit down.
“I am very glad you have come,” he said, sitting down beside her, and
obviously wishing to say something, he stuttered. Several times he
tried to begin to speak, but stopped. In spite of the fact that,
preparing herself for meeting him, she had schooled herself to despise
and reproach him, she did not know what to say to him, and she felt
sorry for him. And so the silence lasted for some time. “Is Seryozha
quite well?” he said, and not waiting for an answer, he added: “I
shan’t be dining at home today, and I have got to go out directly.”
“I had thought of going to Moscow,” she said.
“No, you did quite, quite right to come,” he said, and was silent
again.
Seeing that he was powerless to begin the conversation, she began
herself.
“Alexey Alexandrovitch,” she said, looking at him and not dropping her
eyes under his persistent gaze at her hair, “I’m a guilty woman, I’m a
bad woman, but I am the same as I was, as I told you then, and I have
come to tell you that I can change nothing.”
“I have asked you no question about that,” he said, all at once,
resolutely and with hatred looking her straight in the face; “that was
as I had supposed.” Under the influence of anger he apparently regained
complete possession of all his faculties. “But as I told you then, and
have written to you,” he said in a thin, shrill voice, “I repeat now,
that I am not bound to know this. I ignore it. Not all wives are so
kind as you, to be in such a hurry to communicate such agreeable news
to their husbands.” He laid special emphasis on the word “agreeable.”
“I shall ignore it so long as the world knows nothing of it, so long as
my name is not disgraced. And so I simply inform you that our relations
must be just as they have always been, and that only in the event of
your compromising me I shall be obliged to take steps to secure my
honor.”
“But our relations cannot be the same as always,” Anna began in a timid
voice, looking at him with dismay.
When she saw once more those composed gestures, heard that shrill,
childish, and sarcastic voice, her aversion for him extinguished her
pity for him, and she felt only afraid, but at all costs she wanted to
make clear her position.
“I cannot be your wife while I....” she began.
He laughed a cold and malignant laugh.
“The manner of life you have chosen is reflected, I suppose, in your
ideas. I have too much respect or contempt, or both ... I respect your
past and despise your present ... that I was far from the
interpretation you put on my words.”
Anna sighed and bowed her head.
“Though indeed I fail to comprehend how, with the independence you
show,” he went on, getting hot, “—announcing your infidelity to your
husband and seeing nothing reprehensible in it, apparently—you can see
anything reprehensible in performing a wife’s duties in relation to
your husband.”
“Alexey Alexandrovitch! What is it you want of me?”
“I want you not to meet that man here, and to conduct yourself so that
neither the world nor the servants can reproach you ... not to see him.
That’s not much, I think. And in return you will enjoy all the
privileges of a faithful wife without fulfilling her duties. That’s all
I have to say to you. Now it’s time for me to go. I’m not dining at
home.” He got up and moved towards the door.
Anna got up too. Bowing in silence, he let her pass before him.
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Let's Analyse the Pattern
Using intense activity or work to temporarily quiet unbearable thoughts or emotions rather than directly addressing underlying problems.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when intense activity serves as emotional avoidance rather than genuine problem-solving.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you suddenly feel compelled to reorganize, deep-clean, or take on extra work—ask yourself what you might be avoiding thinking about.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
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: Describing Levin's experience of losing himself in the rhythm of farm work
This captures the meditative state that comes from repetitive physical work. Levin finds temporary escape from his tortured thoughts by becoming one with the labor.
In Today's Words:
The harder he worked, the more he got into the zone where his body just took over and his mind finally shut up.
"He felt a pleasant weariness. This was not the weariness that comes from idleness, but the weariness that comes from good work done."
Context: Levin reflecting on how physical exhaustion differs from mental fatigue
Tolstoy distinguishes between the empty tiredness of depression and the satisfying exhaustion of useful labor. This suggests work can be medicine for the soul.
In Today's Words:
He was tired, but it was the good kind of tired you get from actually accomplishing something real.
"Work was the one thing that saved him from despair."
Context: Explaining why Levin desperately throws himself into farm labor
This reveals that Levin is using work as a lifeline, not a solution. The word 'saved' suggests he's drowning in his own thoughts and work is his only way to stay afloat.
In Today's Words:
Staying busy was the only thing keeping him from falling apart completely.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Levin attempts to bridge class divide by working alongside peasants, finding their simple acceptance of hardship both foreign and appealing
Development
Continues exploration of how different social classes process suffering and find meaning
In Your Life:
You might notice how people from different backgrounds handle stress—some through activity, others through community, others through substances.
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin experiments with defining himself through physical labor rather than intellectual pursuits or social position
Development
His ongoing search for authentic self continues through trying on different roles
In Your Life:
You might find yourself trying on different versions of yourself during crisis—the athlete, the student, the helper—searching for what feels real.
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Physical exhaustion becomes both escape mechanism and potential path to deeper understanding about life's meaning
Development
Levin's growth continues through experiential learning rather than pure contemplation
In Your Life:
You might discover that sometimes you have to tire your body to quiet your mind enough to hear what you really need.
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Simple acceptance from peasant workers provides comfort that intellectual relationships couldn't offer
Development
Explores how different types of human connection serve different emotional needs
In Your Life:
You might find that sometimes you need people who just work alongside you without trying to fix or analyze your problems.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific activities does Levin use to escape his dark thoughts, and what physical effects does he experience?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does physical exhaustion provide relief from mental anguish for Levin? What does this reveal about how our minds and bodies interact during crisis?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today using intense activity or work to avoid dealing with painful emotions or difficult life situations?
application • medium - 4
How can someone tell the difference between healthy coping through activity and unhealthy avoidance? What warning signs should they watch for?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's experience teach us about the relationship between social class and how people process emotional pain?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Escape Routes
Think about the last time you faced a difficult emotional situation. List three activities you used to cope - whether consciously or unconsciously. For each activity, identify whether it helped you process the problem or avoid it. Then design one healthy 'bridge activity' that could help you work through similar challenges in the future while staying productive.
Consider:
- •Consider both positive activities (exercise, work, hobbies) and potentially harmful ones (excessive shopping, social media, drinking)
- •Think about the difference between activities that tire you out versus those that actually move you forward
- •Notice patterns in your own behavior during stress - do you tend to get busier or shut down completely?
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when staying busy actually helped you work through a problem rather than avoid it. What made that experience different from times when activity was just escape?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 93
Levin's physical exhaustion brings an unexpected moment of clarity that will change everything. A simple conversation with an old peasant opens a door he never knew existed.
