Anna Karenina Part 3, Chapter 5 Summary

  • After lunch, Levin started mowing next to an old man, and a newly married young man who just and was mowing for the first time.
  • The longer Levin mows, the better he gets at it.
  • Occasionally, the three have to shift their movements to accommodate areas in the landscape. The old man does this easily, while Levin and the young peasant have trouble.
  • When it's time for dinner, peasant children bring over food for the men.
  • Levin sits with them and eats some of the old man's dinner. The two men chat about their lives, and Levin feels closer to the old man than he does to his own brother.
  • Levin then has a nap. When he sits up, Levin is impressed by how much he and the other men have mowed. He wants to mow even more.
  • They continue mowing. They make it their goal to finish mowing Mashka's Knoll, with vodka as an incentive to finish the job.