# The Gray Hare explained — The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories > Chapter companion for The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories by Leo Tolstoy. ## What happens A gray hare's nocturnal journey is described, from its cautious emergence and crossing of a busy winter highway to its playful interactions with other hares at a threshing-floor, before it returns to its lair at dawn. ## Themes in this chapter ### Rural Life and the Landowner The chapter vividly portrays the harsh, quiet, and laborious winter existence of a peasant village, seen from the perspective of the natural world. ## Key lines > The snow lay in waves and glistened like sugar. Over the hare’s head hovered a frost vapour, and through this vapour could be seen the large, bright stars. The winter landscape is depicted as both beautiful and severe, with the hare moving under a cold, starry sky. _Highlights the stark, crystalline beauty of the natural setting._ > On the highway the runners could be heard squeaking, and the horses snorting, and seats creaking in the sleighs... Their beards, moustaches, and eyelashes were white. Steam rose from their mouths and noses. The busy human world of peasant travel is described, emphasizing the intense cold and the physical exertion of men and animals. _Contrasts the silent, observant world of the hare with the noisy, laborious world of humans._ > In the village everything was quiet; the fires were out. All one could hear was a baby’s cry in a hut and the crackling of the frost in the logs of the cabins. Deep night in the village is characterized by stillness, broken only by a faint human sound and the natural noise of the contracting cold. _Emphasizes the pervasive, penetrating cold and the quiet intimacy of village life at night._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se/chapters/the-gray-hare - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/leo_tolstoy_short_fiction_se/chapters