Anna Karenina Part 3, Chapter 12 Summary

  • The peasant women begin singing, and Levin feels enveloped in gaiety. After they leave, Levin feels a painful yearning due to his solitude, physical idleness, and alienation from the world.
  • By this point, all the peasants have forgotten that they tried to cheat Levin.
  • For the first time, Levin feels a full yearning to live the peasant life—social and full of hard work.
  • Levin is lying on a haystack, looking at the stars, and there he spends the night.
  • He resolves to renounce his old life and his useless education, but gets hung up on the best way to achieve that. Is it by marrying a peasant girl?
  • In the early morning, Levin hears the tinkling of little bells signaling a carriage. He sees the carriage and glances inside.
  • A young girl who just woke up looks at Levin. Her eyes light up at the sight of Levin.
  • It's Kitty, who is probably on her way to see Dolly.
  • All the resolutions Levin made last night disappear. He recalls them with disgust. No matter how good that other life of the peasantry might appear, Levin can't abandon his current life because of his love for Kitty.