Anna Karenina · Chapter
Levin Confides in Oblonsky explained
Levin and Oblonsky dine at a restaurant.
What happens
Levin and Oblonsky dine at a restaurant. Levin is consumed by thoughts of Kitty and his intention to propose. He anxiously seeks Oblonsky's opinion on his chances, and Oblonsky reassures him, revealing that his wife Dolly believes Kitty is certain to marry Levin. Overwhelmed with emotion, Levin describes his feelings as a force outside himself and confesses his sense of unworthiness due to his past.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Marriage
The entire conversation revolves around the prospect of marriage. Levin's intense, almost spiritual passion contrasts with Oblonsky's more pragmatic view of marriage as 'one of the pleasures of life.'
Search for Meaning
Levin describes his love not as a simple feeling but as an external force that gives his life purpose, stating 'there's no living without it.' His confession of past sins and unworthiness adds a moral and existential dimension to his pursuit.
Characters to notice
- Konstantin Dmitrievitch Levin
Agitated and hopeful about proposing to Kitty. Seeks Oblonsky's counsel and confesses his feeling of unworthiness due to his past sins.
- Stepan Arkadyevitch Oblonsky
Acts as a confidant and encourager for Levin. Reveals Dolly's prediction about Kitty and Levin's marriage, showing his supportive, worldly nature.
- Darya Alexandrovna Oblonskaya
Mentioned as having a 'gift of foreseeing things' and being 'on your side,' predicting Kitty will marry Levin.
- Kitty Shcherbatskaya
The central subject of Levin's hopes and fears. Her potential acceptance or refusal is the 'question of life and death' for him.
- Nikolay Dmitrievitch Levin
Mentioned in passing; Levin had forgotten about his brother due to his own overwhelming happiness.
Key passages
“" 'I know a gallant steed by tokens sure, And by his eyes I know a youth in love,' "”
Oblonsky quotes poetry to point out that Levin's love for Kitty is obvious from his radiant expression.
Highlights Oblonsky's perceptive and literary nature, and underscores Levin's transparent emotional state.
“"It's not my feeling, but a sort of force outside me has taken possession of me."”
Levin explains that his desire to marry Kitty feels like a powerful external compulsion, not just a personal emotion.
Emphasizes the overwhelming, destined quality Levin attributes to his love, elevating it beyond ordinary romance.
“"it's awful that we—old—with a past … not of love, but of sins … are brought all at once so near to a creature pure and innocent; it's loathsome, and that's why one can't help feeling oneself unworthy."”
Levin feels disgust and unworthiness at the idea of his sinful past approaching Kitty's purity.
Reveals Levin's deep moral self-scrutiny and the idealized, almost sacred place Kitty holds in his mind.