Part 8, Chapter 14 Summary
Levin observes his carriage and sees his coachman stop to talk to a herdsman before moving on toward the barn. He is so “buried in his thoughts,” however, that he does not even wonder why the coachman has come for him until the man shouts that Kitty wants him to come home. He also learns his brother and another gentleman have arrived.
Levin drives home, but it as if he is waking from a long sleep and he has trouble collecting his thoughts. Soon he realizes that Kitty must be uneasy at his long absence, and remembers that Sergey Ivanovitch had promised to come; he wonders who the other visitor could be. All three of them seem different to him now, just as his relationships with everyone will be different now. There will be no arguing with his brother, Levin will never again quarrel with Kitty, and he will be friendly and nice to the visitor. The same will be true toward the servants and everyone else; it will all be different.
Looking at his coachman, Levin longs to share a friendly conversation but does not know where to begin. When Ivan warns him to watch out for a stump and pulls on the reins Levin is holding, Levin gets angry at the interference and speaks a few unkind words. Levin had assumed that his spiritual condition would immediately change him; clearly this contact with reality demonstrates that this is not true.
Several of Dolly’s children run to greet the carriage and Levin finally sees the visitor. He recognizes Katavasov immediately and remembers all the intellectual discussions they have had; he immediately decides that he will not, at any cost, argue with him or speak his own views without serious consideration. After he greets the two men, Levin asks about Kitty. Dolly tells him that she took the baby to a nearby copse because it was cooler, and Levin is displeased because he has always told Kitty that the woods are a dangerous place for a child.
The entire group walks toward the bee-house and Sergey Ivanovitch walks beside his brother. He will only be able to stay for two weeks, as he has much to do in Moscow. More than anything, Levin wants to have an open, affectionate relationship with his brother; but there is an awkwardness between them and he drops his eyes, not knowing what to say.
To avoid talking about the Serbian war, Levin asks him about his book. Sergey Ivanovitch dismisses the question and things are once again not-quite-hostile but certainly distant between them, the very tone Levin had been hoping to avoid. Levin then starts a conversation with Katavasov. When the professor asks if he finished a certain book, Levin tells him he no longer needs to read it because he will never find the solutions to his problems in books. He remembers his resolution, though, and promises Katavasov they will talk later.
Levin enters the bee-house alone and enjoys a moment of complete peace to recover from the real life which has already invaded his contentment. For a moment, he doubts that anything has changed but realizes that reality has merely cast a shadow of gloom over his spiritual peace. He is still strong.
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