Original Text(~250 words)
Stepan Arkadyevitch’s affairs were in a very bad way. The money for two-thirds of the forest had all been spent already, and he had borrowed from the merchant in advance at ten per cent discount, almost all the remaining third. The merchant would not give more, especially as Darya Alexandrovna, for the first time that winter insisting on her right to her own property, had refused to sign the receipt for the payment of the last third of the forest. All his salary went on household expenses and in payment of petty debts that could not be put off. There was positively no money. This was unpleasant and awkward, and in Stepan Arkadyevitch’s opinion things could not go on like this. The explanation of the position was, in his view, to be found in the fact that his salary was too small. The post he filled had been unmistakably very good five years ago, but it was so no longer. Petrov, the bank director, had twelve thousand; Sventitsky, a company director, had seventeen thousand; Mitin, who had founded a bank, received fifty thousand. “Clearly I’ve been napping, and they’ve overlooked me,” Stepan Arkadyevitch thought about himself. And he began keeping his eyes and ears open, and towards the end of the winter he had discovered a very good berth and had formed a plan of attack upon it, at first from Moscow through aunts, uncles, and friends, and then, when the matter was well advanced, in the spring, he went...
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Summary
Levin finds himself alone with his thoughts after Kitty falls asleep, wrestling with the profound questions that have consumed him since his brother's death. The reality of mortality weighs heavily on his mind - not just the fact that everyone dies, but the seeming meaninglessness of life in the face of inevitable death. He thinks about his daily routines, his work on the estate, his love for Kitty, and wonders what any of it matters if it all ends in nothing. This isn't just philosophical pondering - it's a man staring into an abyss of despair. Levin realizes he's been living automatically, going through the motions without understanding why any of it has value. The chapter captures that universal moment when someone suddenly sees their life from the outside and questions everything they've taken for granted. Tolstoy shows us how existential crisis doesn't announce itself dramatically - it creeps in during quiet moments when our usual distractions fall away. Levin's struggle represents something deeply human: the need to find meaning beyond our immediate concerns and daily survival. His anguish isn't abstract or academic - it's visceral and urgent. He's a man who has everything he thought he wanted but feels hollow because he can't answer the fundamental question of why any of it matters. This internal crisis sets up what will become Levin's spiritual journey toward finding authentic meaning in life, not through grand gestures but through understanding his place in something larger than himself.
That's what happens. To understand what the author is really doing—and to discuss this chapter with confidence—keep reading.
Terms to Know
Existential crisis
A moment of intense anxiety when someone questions the meaning and purpose of their entire existence. It's not just feeling sad or worried - it's a fundamental doubt about whether life has any point at all.
Modern Usage:
We see this when people hit midlife and suddenly wonder if their career or marriage actually matters, or when someone successful still feels empty inside.
Nihilism
The belief that life has no inherent meaning or value, that nothing we do ultimately matters. It's the philosophical position that existence is fundamentally pointless.
Modern Usage:
Shows up in modern culture as 'nothing matters anyway' thinking, or when people feel their work or relationships are meaningless in the bigger picture.
Russian Orthodox spirituality
The dominant religious tradition in 19th century Russia, emphasizing community, tradition, and finding God through suffering and humility. It shaped how Russians thought about life's purpose and meaning.
Modern Usage:
Similar to how people today turn to religion, meditation, or spiritual practices when they're searching for deeper meaning beyond material success.
Landed gentry
Wealthy landowners in 19th century Russia who didn't have to work for survival but struggled with finding purpose when basic needs were met. Levin belongs to this class.
Modern Usage:
Like modern wealthy people who have financial security but still feel lost about what their life should be about.
Mortality salience
When awareness of death becomes overwhelming and affects how you see everything else in life. It's not just knowing you'll die, but feeling haunted by that fact.
Modern Usage:
Happens after losing a parent, surviving an accident, or during health scares when death suddenly feels real and changes how you view your daily routine.
Philosophical melancholy
A deep sadness that comes from thinking too much about life's big questions rather than from specific problems. It's depression caused by ideas, not circumstances.
Modern Usage:
When people get depressed not because anything bad happened, but because they're overthinking whether their life has meaning or purpose.
Characters in This Chapter
Levin
Protagonist in crisis
He's experiencing a complete breakdown of his worldview, questioning everything he previously found meaningful. His brother's death has triggered an existential crisis that makes him see his comfortable life as potentially meaningless.
Modern Equivalent:
The successful guy who has everything but feels empty inside
Kitty
Sleeping wife
She represents the normal, unconscious way most people live - focused on immediate concerns and relationships without questioning deeper meaning. Her peaceful sleep contrasts with Levin's torment.
Modern Equivalent:
The partner who's content with daily life while you're having a breakdown
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when you're going through the motions without examining why your activities matter to you personally.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you feel busy but not fulfilled—pause and ask yourself what you're actually trying to accomplish and why it matters to you.
You have the foundation. Now let's look closer.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"What am I living for? What is the meaning of my existence? And I get no answer."
Context: Levin is alone with his thoughts after Kitty falls asleep
This captures the core of existential crisis - having everything you thought you wanted but still feeling completely lost. It's the moment when all your achievements feel hollow because you can't answer the fundamental 'why' question.
In Today's Words:
I have no clue why I'm doing any of this or what the point is.
"Death will come, if not today, then tomorrow, and nothing will remain."
Context: He's contemplating the inevitability of death and its impact on meaning
This shows how awareness of mortality can make everything feel pointless. When you truly grasp that everything ends, it can make your daily concerns seem absurd and meaningless.
In Today's Words:
We're all going to die anyway, so what's the point of anything?
"I have been living, living well and happily, but now I see that I know nothing, understand nothing."
Context: Reflecting on how his comfortable life suddenly seems meaningless
This captures how existential crisis can hit people who seem to have it all figured out. Success and happiness don't protect you from questioning everything when mortality becomes real.
In Today's Words:
I thought I had my life together, but now I realize I don't understand anything about what really matters.
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Automatic Living
Going through the motions of life without examining the deeper purpose behind our actions, mistaking busyness for meaningful living.
Thematic Threads
Existential Crisis
In This Chapter
Levin confronts the meaninglessness he feels despite having everything he thought he wanted
Development
Building from his brother's death and previous spiritual questioning
In Your Life:
You might feel this when success feels hollow or when you question why your daily routine matters
Mortality
In This Chapter
Death's inevitability makes all of Levin's activities feel pointless and temporary
Development
Deepening from his brother Nikolai's death earlier in the novel
In Your Life:
You might feel this after losing someone close or reaching a milestone birthday
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Levin's crisis represents the beginning of deeper self-examination and spiritual seeking
Development
Evolving from his earlier practical focus to deeper philosophical questioning
In Your Life:
You might experience this when external achievements don't bring the satisfaction you expected
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin questions who he really is beyond his roles as husband, landowner, and brother
Development
Building from his earlier struggles with social expectations and class position
In Your Life:
You might feel this when you realize you've defined yourself entirely through your job or relationships
Modern Adaptation
When the Night Shift Gets Too Quiet
Following Anna's story...
Anna sits in her car outside the law firm at 2 AM, engine off, staring at the empty parking garage. She's just finished another 16-hour day preparing for a major case, and her phone shows three missed calls from her husband and one from her babysitter asking about pickup times she forgot again. The promotion to senior associate is within reach—everything she's worked for since law school. But sitting in the silence, she realizes she can't remember the last conversation she had with her 8-year-old daughter that wasn't about schedules. She thinks about her mentor who made partner and then had a heart attack at 45. Anna goes through her daily routine mechanically: court, depositions, client meetings, billable hours. She's good at her job, respected, well-paid. But right now, in this quiet moment, she can't shake the feeling that she's sleepwalking through a life she's not sure she actually wants. The partnership track that once excited her now feels like a treadmill she can't step off. She's been so focused on the next milestone that she's never stopped to ask why any of it matters beyond the paycheck and prestige.
The Road
The road Levin walked in 1877, Anna walks today. The pattern is identical: achieving external success while feeling internally hollow, going through the motions without examining deeper purpose.
The Map
This chapter provides the Automatic Living Detection System—recognizing when busyness has replaced intentional living. Anna can use it to pause and question whether her daily actions align with her actual values.
Amplification
Before reading this, Anna might have pushed through the emptiness, assuming more success would fill the void. Now she can NAME the pattern of automatic living, PREDICT where it leads to burnout and regret, and NAVIGATE toward more intentional choices about her career and family priorities.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific realization hits Levin as he lies awake, and how does it change his view of his daily life?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does having everything he thought he wanted make Levin's existential crisis worse rather than better?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today going through the motions without questioning why - at work, in relationships, or in their routines?
application • medium - 4
If you found yourself in Levin's position, questioning the meaning of everything you do, what would be your first step toward finding authentic purpose?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's crisis reveal about the difference between being busy and living meaningfully?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Automatic Behaviors
List five activities that take up significant time in your week. For each one, write down why you do it - not the obvious reason, but the deeper purpose it serves in your life. Then identify which ones you do automatically versus consciously. Look for patterns in where you're sleepwalking through your choices.
Consider:
- •Be honest about activities you do because you think you should versus because they align with your values
- •Notice which activities energize you versus drain you - this often reveals conscious versus automatic living
- •Consider whether you'd miss these activities if they disappeared, and what that tells you about their true importance
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you realized you were going through the motions in some area of your life. What woke you up to this pattern, and what did you do about it?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 207
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.