Original Text(~250 words)
Anna and Vronsky had long been exchanging glances, regretting their friend’s flow of cleverness. At last Vronsky, without waiting for the artist, walked away to another small picture. “Oh, how exquisite! What a lovely thing! A gem! How exquisite!” they cried with one voice. “What is it they’re so pleased with?” thought Mihailov. He had positively forgotten that picture he had painted three years ago. He had forgotten all the agonies and the ecstasies he had lived through with that picture when for several months it had been the one thought haunting him day and night. He had forgotten, as he always forgot, the pictures he had finished. He did not even like to look at it, and had only brought it out because he was expecting an Englishman who wanted to buy it. “Oh, that’s only an old study,” he said. “How fine!” said Golenishtchev, he too, with unmistakable sincerity, falling under the spell of the picture. Two boys were angling in the shade of a willow-tree. The elder had just dropped in the hook, and was carefully pulling the float from behind a bush, entirely absorbed in what he was doing. The other, a little younger, was lying in the grass leaning on his elbows, with his tangled, flaxen head in his hands, staring at the water with his dreamy blue eyes. What was he thinking of? The enthusiasm over this picture stirred some of the old feeling for it in Mihailov, but he feared and disliked this...
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Summary
Levin throws himself into physical labor on his estate, working alongside his peasants in the fields under the blazing sun. He's desperately trying to escape his inner turmoil through exhaustion, hoping that hard work will quiet the dark thoughts that have been consuming him. As he swings his scythe and moves hay, he finds temporary moments of peace when his body takes over and his mind stops racing. The peasants accept him naturally, and he feels a genuine connection to this simple, honest work that contrasts sharply with the artificial world of Moscow society. But even as his muscles ache and sweat pours down his face, Levin can't fully escape the fundamental questions that torment him about life's meaning and his place in the world. The physical labor provides relief but not answers. This chapter shows Levin at a crossroads - he's rejecting the intellectual approach to life's problems and seeking truth through direct experience and connection to the land. It's a pivotal moment where he's stripping away everything complicated and artificial to find something real and grounding. The contrast between his privileged background and his choice to work like a common laborer highlights his genuine search for authentic meaning. His willingness to get his hands dirty, literally and figuratively, shows how far he's willing to go to find peace and purpose. This represents a crucial step in his spiritual journey, even though he doesn't yet realize where it's leading him.
That's what happens. To understand what the author is really doing—and to discuss this chapter with confidence—keep reading.
Terms to Know
Physical labor as spiritual practice
The idea that hard, manual work can provide mental clarity and spiritual insight that intellectual pursuits cannot. In 19th century Russia, many aristocrats believed that working the land connected them to deeper truths about life.
Modern Usage:
We see this in people who find peace through gardening, woodworking, or manual jobs after stressful careers - the 'work with your hands' movement.
Peasant wisdom
The belief that common people who work close to the land possess a natural understanding of life that educated elites have lost. This was a romantic notion popular among Russian intellectuals of Tolstoy's time.
Modern Usage:
Today we might call this 'street smarts' or admiring the practical wisdom of blue-collar workers over book learning.
Estate management
The practice of wealthy landowners personally overseeing their agricultural properties and the serfs or peasants who worked them. This was both an economic necessity and a way for nobles to feel connected to the land.
Modern Usage:
Similar to how some CEOs try to work on the factory floor or wealthy people buy farms to 'get back to basics.'
Scything
Cutting grass or grain with a long-handled blade called a scythe. This was skilled, rhythmic work that required coordination between mind and body. In literature, it often symbolizes the cycle of life and death.
Modern Usage:
We see this rhythm in any repetitive physical work - assembly lines, kitchen prep, even running - where the body takes over and the mind can rest.
Existential crisis
A period of intense questioning about the meaning and purpose of life, often triggered by major life changes or disappointments. Levin is struggling with whether life has any point at all.
Modern Usage:
What we call a 'quarter-life crisis' or 'midlife crisis' - when people suddenly question everything they thought they knew about their purpose.
Artificial society
Tolstoy's critique of upper-class social life as fake and meaningless, full of empty conversations and shallow concerns that distract from real human connection and authentic living.
Modern Usage:
Like criticizing social media culture, networking events, or any environment where people put on fake personas instead of being genuine.
Characters in This Chapter
Levin
Protagonist in crisis
He's desperately trying to escape his depression and existential doubts through exhausting physical labor. His willingness to work alongside peasants shows his rejection of aristocratic pretensions and his search for authentic meaning.
Modern Equivalent:
The burned-out executive who quits to become a carpenter
The peasants
Unwitting mentors
They work naturally alongside Levin without judgment, representing the simple, honest life he craves. Their acceptance of him shows that genuine human connection transcends class boundaries when people work together toward a common goal.
Modern Equivalent:
The crew of experienced workers who welcome the new guy without caring about his background
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches the difference between using physical work to reset your mental state versus using it to indefinitely postpone difficult decisions.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you clean, organize, or take on extra tasks during stressful periods—ask yourself if you're seeking clarity or avoiding action.
You have the foundation. Now let's look closer.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The longer Levin mowed, the oftener he experienced those moments of oblivion when his arms no longer seemed to swing the scythe, but the scythe itself his whole body."
Context: As Levin loses himself in the rhythm of mowing
This describes the meditative state that comes from repetitive physical work - when conscious thought disappears and the body takes over. It's exactly what Levin needs to escape his racing, tormented mind.
In Today's Words:
The work became so automatic that he wasn't even thinking - his body just knew what to do.
"He felt as if some external force were moving him, and he experienced a joy he had never known before."
Context: Levin discovering peace through physical labor
This moment of transcendence through work represents Levin's first real relief from his spiritual crisis. The 'external force' suggests he's connecting to something larger than his individual suffering.
In Today's Words:
For the first time in forever, he felt like he was in the zone and actually happy.
"The peasants accepted him simply, without surprise or special deference, as one of themselves."
Context: How the workers treat Levin during the harvest
This acceptance is crucial for Levin's healing - he's finally experiencing genuine human connection without the artificial barriers of class and social position that have isolated him.
In Today's Words:
The guys just treated him like he belonged there, no big deal.
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Authentic Grounding
When overwhelmed by mental complexity or artificial pressures, we instinctively seek authentic grounding through direct, physical experience.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Levin crosses class boundaries by working alongside peasants, finding genuine connection through shared labor rather than social position
Development
Evolution from earlier themes of class consciousness to active rejection of class barriers
In Your Life:
You might find deeper connections with coworkers when you focus on shared challenges rather than job titles or backgrounds
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin temporarily abandons his intellectual identity to discover who he is through action and physical work
Development
Deepening of his ongoing identity crisis, now actively experimenting with different versions of himself
In Your Life:
You might discover new aspects of yourself when you step outside your usual role and try something completely different
Authenticity
In This Chapter
Physical labor represents genuine experience contrasted with the artificial world of Moscow society
Development
Introduced here as Levin's method of seeking truth through direct experience
In Your Life:
You might feel most like yourself when engaged in simple, honest activities that don't require performing for others
Escape
In This Chapter
Hard work becomes a temporary refuge from tormenting thoughts and existential questions
Development
Continuation of Levin's pattern of seeking external solutions to internal struggles
In Your Life:
You might use physical activity or routine tasks to quiet anxiety or overwhelming emotions
Connection
In This Chapter
Natural acceptance by peasants creates genuine human bonds based on shared work rather than social status
Development
Builds on earlier themes about authentic relationships versus superficial social connections
In Your Life:
You might form your strongest friendships through shared activities or challenges rather than just talking
Modern Adaptation
When the Overtime Stops Working
Following Anna's story...
Anna throws herself into back-to-back double shifts at the hospital, volunteering for every overtime opportunity and extra assignment. She's running from the chaos in her head—the affair with Marcus, the divorce papers she hasn't signed, the custody battle looming. She scrubs floors until her knees ache, organizes supply closets that don't need organizing, stays late to help with admissions paperwork. The other nurses don't question it; they know the look of someone working through pain. For hours at a time, focused on IVs and medication schedules, her mind goes quiet. Her hands know what to do, her body finds its rhythm, and the constant noise of guilt and fear fades. But when she finally sits down in the break room at 3 AM, it all comes flooding back. The work provides relief but no answers. She's discovered something real in the simple act of caring for patients, something that feels more honest than the legal world she's abandoning, but she still doesn't know how to untangle the mess her life has become.
The Road
The road Levin walked in 1877, Anna walks today. The pattern is identical: when life becomes unbearably complex, we instinctively seek grounding through honest, physical work that demands our full presence.
The Map
This chapter provides the navigation tool of recognizing when work becomes refuge versus escape. Anna can use this to understand that her overtime isn't solving her problems—it's giving her space to breathe so she can face them.
Amplification
Before reading this, Anna might have felt guilty about 'hiding' at work or confused about why she keeps volunteering for extra shifts. Now she can NAME the grounding reflex, PREDICT when she'll need it most, and NAVIGATE toward using that clarity for actual decision-making.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does Levin choose to work in the fields with his peasants instead of staying in his comfortable house?
analysis • surface - 2
What does Levin hope to achieve through physical exhaustion, and why might this approach appeal to someone in emotional turmoil?
analysis • medium - 3
When have you seen people turn to physical work or simple tasks when they're stressed or overwhelmed? What activities do you or others use this way?
application • medium - 4
If someone you cared about was using physical work to avoid dealing with serious problems in their life, how would you approach the situation?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's story suggest about the relationship between our minds and bodies when we're searching for meaning or peace?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Own Grounding Activities
Create a personal 'grounding menu' by listing physical activities that help you feel centered when life gets overwhelming. Think about tasks that require your hands, engage your body, or produce immediate, visible results. For each activity, note when you typically turn to it and what specific relief it provides.
Consider:
- •Include both indoor and outdoor options for different circumstances
- •Consider activities that take 5 minutes versus those that take an hour
- •Think about what makes certain physical tasks more grounding than others
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you instinctively turned to physical work or simple tasks during a difficult period. What were you avoiding or trying to process? How did the activity help, and what did you learn about yourself?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 137
The coming pages reveal key events and character development in this chapter, and teach us thematic elements and literary techniques. These discoveries help us navigate similar situations in our own lives.