Original Text(~250 words)
Anna looked at Dolly’s thin, care-worn face, with its wrinkles filled with dust from the road, and she was on the point of saying what she was thinking, that is, that Dolly had got thinner. But, conscious that she herself had grown handsomer, and that Dolly’s eyes were telling her so, she sighed and began to speak about herself. “You are looking at me,” she said, “and wondering how I can be happy in my position? Well! it’s shameful to confess, but I ... I’m inexcusably happy. Something magical has happened to me, like a dream, when you’re frightened, panic-stricken, and all of a sudden you wake up and all the horrors are no more. I have waked up. I have lived through the misery, the dread, and now for a long while past, especially since we’ve been here, I’ve been so happy!...” she said, with a timid smile of inquiry looking at Dolly. “How glad I am!” said Dolly smiling, involuntarily speaking more coldly than she wanted to. “I’m very glad for you. Why haven’t you written to me?” “Why?... Because I hadn’t the courage.... You forget my position....” “To me? Hadn’t the courage? If you knew how I ... I look at....” Darya Alexandrovna wanted to express her thoughts of the morning, but for some reason it seemed to her now out of place to do so. “But of that we’ll talk later. What’s this, what are all these buildings?” she asked, wanting to change the conversation and...
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Summary
Levin throws himself into physical labor on his estate, working alongside his peasants in the fields from dawn to dusk. He's desperately trying to exhaust himself so completely that he won't have energy left to think about his spiritual crisis and suicidal thoughts. The harder he works, the more he hopes to quiet the voice in his head asking what the point of living is. But even as he sweats and aches, cutting hay and hauling grain, the questions follow him. His body gets tired, but his mind keeps churning. The peasants around him seem to have a natural acceptance of life that he envies - they work, they eat, they sleep, they don't seem tortured by questions about meaning and purpose. Levin watches them and wonders how they do it, how they find contentment in simple routines. He's looking for their secret, hoping that if he works hard enough alongside them, some of their peace will rub off on him. This chapter shows how people sometimes try to outrun their problems through busyness and physical exhaustion. Levin thinks he can work his way out of depression, but internal struggles can't be solved with external solutions. His attempt to find meaning through labor reflects a very human tendency to believe that if we just try hard enough, push ourselves far enough, we can escape our own thoughts. The irony is that the harder he works to avoid thinking, the more aware he becomes of what he's trying to avoid.
That's what happens. To understand what the author is really doing—and to discuss this chapter with confidence—keep reading.
Terms to Know
Estate labor
In 19th-century Russia, wealthy landowners like Levin owned vast properties worked by peasants. The landowner typically supervised from a distance, but some chose to work alongside their laborers. This was unusual and often seen as eccentric behavior by the upper class.
Modern Usage:
Today we see this when wealthy CEOs try to work on the factory floor or when privileged people attempt manual labor to 'find themselves.'
Peasant class
The rural working class in Russia who farmed the land for landowners. They lived simple lives focused on survival and seasonal work. Many were serfs (essentially slaves) until 1861, just before this novel was written.
Modern Usage:
Similar to today's working-class people who do physical jobs - construction workers, farm hands, factory workers who focus on getting through each day.
Spiritual crisis
A period when someone questions the meaning and purpose of life, often triggered by loss, depression, or major life changes. In Tolstoy's time, this was often framed in religious terms but could include broader existential doubt.
Modern Usage:
What we now call depression, anxiety, or a 'quarter-life crisis' - when people feel lost and question what they're doing with their lives.
Physical labor as therapy
The belief that hard physical work can cure mental or emotional problems by exhausting the body and occupying the mind. This was a common 19th-century approach to treating melancholy or nervous disorders.
Modern Usage:
Like people today who throw themselves into the gym, work overtime, or stay constantly busy to avoid dealing with their problems.
Class consciousness
Awareness of social and economic differences between groups of people. Levin is acutely aware that he belongs to a different class than his workers, which creates distance even when he tries to connect with them.
Modern Usage:
The awkwardness when wealthy people try to relate to working-class experiences, or when management tries to be 'one of the team.'
Existential questioning
Deep thoughts about why we exist, what our purpose is, and whether life has meaning. This type of philosophical thinking was becoming more common in the 19th century as traditional religious certainties were challenged.
Modern Usage:
The 3 AM thoughts about 'What's the point of it all?' that hit people during tough times or major life transitions.
Characters in This Chapter
Levin
Protagonist in crisis
He's desperately trying to work himself out of depression and suicidal thoughts by doing manual labor alongside his peasants. His attempts to find peace through physical exhaustion show how he's grasping for any solution to his mental anguish.
Modern Equivalent:
The burned-out executive who quits to become a carpenter, thinking manual work will fix their existential crisis
The peasants
Unwitting teachers
They work naturally and seem content with simple routines, which Levin envies and tries to emulate. They represent a way of living that doesn't involve constant self-questioning and doubt about life's meaning.
Modern Equivalent:
Coworkers who seem genuinely happy with their simple jobs while you're having a quarter-life crisis
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when excessive busyness is actually emotional avoidance in disguise.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you suddenly get 'too busy' to deal with something—that's often your mind trying to outrun a problem that needs direct attention.
You have the foundation. Now let's look closer.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"He wanted to forget himself in sleep, in the work, in anything that would prevent him from thinking."
Context: As Levin pushes himself harder in the fields
This reveals the desperate nature of his attempt to escape his thoughts. He's not working to accomplish something positive, but to run away from his inner turmoil. The phrase 'forget himself' shows how completely he wants to disappear from his own consciousness.
In Today's Words:
He just wanted to stay so busy he couldn't think about his problems.
"The old peasant worked on steadily, without haste, without rest, as if play."
Context: Levin observing how naturally the peasants work
This contrast highlights what Levin is missing - the ability to work without internal struggle. The peasant's work flows like play because he's not fighting himself mentally while doing it. This natural rhythm is what Levin desperately wants but can't achieve.
In Today's Words:
The old guy just worked steadily, like it was no big deal, while Levin was making it way too complicated.
"The harder he worked, the more clearly he felt that the questions that tormented him remained unanswered."
Context: After hours of exhausting labor
This is the crushing realization that his strategy isn't working. Physical exhaustion can't solve mental problems. The irony is that his desperate attempt to not think actually makes him more aware of what he's trying to avoid.
In Today's Words:
No matter how tired he got, the thoughts that were eating at him wouldn't go away.
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Outrunning Yourself
The belief that physical exhaustion can silence emotional or mental turmoil.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Levin envies the peasants' apparent contentment and natural acceptance of life's routines
Development
Continues his idealization of working-class simplicity as solution to aristocratic overthinking
In Your Life:
You might romanticize others' lives, thinking they have some secret to happiness you lack
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin tries to transform himself through physical labor, hoping to become someone who doesn't question existence
Development
His identity crisis deepens as he attempts to escape rather than integrate his intellectual nature
In Your Life:
You might try to become a completely different person instead of working with who you actually are
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Levin mistakes avoidance for progress, believing that working harder equals growing stronger
Development
Shows how growth often requires facing discomfort rather than fleeing from it
In Your Life:
You might confuse staying busy with making actual progress on your problems
Human Relationships
In This Chapter
Levin observes the peasants from the outside, seeking their peace but remaining fundamentally separate
Development
Highlights how isolation compounds suffering and how connection might offer real solutions
In Your Life:
You might try to solve internal struggles alone when reaching out to others could provide perspective
Modern Adaptation
When the Overtime Won't Stop
Following Anna's story...
Anna picks up every available overtime shift at the hospital, working sixteen-hour days until her feet bleed and her hands shake from exhaustion. She volunteers for the hardest cases, the most demanding patients, anything to keep her mind occupied. She's trying to work herself into such complete physical collapse that she won't have energy left to think about David, the paramedic who makes her heart race every time their eyes meet. She tells herself that if she can just stay busy enough, tired enough, the feelings will disappear. But even as she charts medications at 3 AM with burning eyes, even as she lifts patients until her back screams, the thoughts of David follow her. She watches her coworkers—how do they seem so content with their routines, their simple lives? How do they not feel this constant internal storm? Anna believes that if she can exhaust herself completely, she can silence the voice telling her she's falling in love with someone who isn't her husband.
The Road
The road Levin walked in 1877, Anna walks today. The pattern is identical: believing that physical exhaustion can silence emotional turmoil, that we can outwork our own thoughts.
The Map
This chapter shows Anna that avoidance through busyness only amplifies what she's trying to ignore. The harder she works to not think about David, the more present he becomes in her mind.
Amplification
Before reading this, Anna might have believed she could work her way out of her feelings. Now she can NAME the exhaustion escape, PREDICT that it will fail, and NAVIGATE toward addressing her actual conflict directly.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What is Levin trying to accomplish by throwing himself into physical labor with the peasants?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Levin believe that exhausting his body will quiet his mind, and why doesn't this strategy work?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today using busyness or physical exhaustion to avoid dealing with emotional problems?
application • medium - 4
When you're trying to avoid difficult thoughts or feelings, what healthier strategies could you use instead of just staying busy?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's failed attempt to outwork his problems reveal about the difference between physical and emotional healing?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Avoidance Patterns
Think about the last time you felt overwhelmed or upset about something important. Write down what you did instead of addressing the problem directly. Did you clean obsessively? Work extra hours? Binge-watch shows? Exercise until you dropped? Now trace the pattern: What were you really trying not to think about?
Consider:
- •Notice the difference between productive activity and avoidance activity
- •Consider whether your 'solution' actually made the original problem better or worse
- •Think about how much energy you spent avoiding versus how much it would have taken to face the issue directly
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you successfully faced a difficult situation head-on instead of trying to outrun it. What made the difference in your approach, and what did you learn about yourself?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 176
As the story unfolds, you'll explore key events and character development in this chapter, while uncovering thematic elements and literary techniques. These lessons connect the classic to contemporary challenges we all face.