The Hoop of Ritual — Anna Karenina

Part Five opens with the princess insisting the wedding cannot occur before Lent, yet mourning customs and trousseau delays force compromise. She splits the trousseau into immediate and later portions since the young couple will leave for the country after the wedding.

Levin remains in ecstatic passivity, agreeing to everything others arrange. Kitty refuses Stiva's idea of going abroad and insists their home will be in the country where Levin's work lives. Stiva then discovers Levin has not been to confession in nine years and arranges the sacrament.

Levin finds church ceremonies painfully hypocritical yet cannot treat them as empty form either. He goes through liturgy while thinking of Kitty's hand, receives absolution, and returns relieved the ordeal is over without lying. The chapter ends with him comparing his happiness to a trained dog that finally understands the trick.

Lent and mourning customs delay the wedding while Levin agrees to everything in ecstatic passivity. Confession tortures him with hypocrisy he cannot embrace or reject; absolution leaves him relieved and comparing happiness to a dog that finally learned the trick.

Kitty chooses country over Stiva's abroad scheme; Levin's confession ordeal leaves him comparing grace to a trained dog, relieved the lie was not spoken even when the rite felt hollow.