Chapter 167
Veslovsky drives so smartly they reach the great marsh too early wh...
Vassenka drove the horses so smartly that they reached the marsh too early, while it was still hot. As they drew near this more important marsh, the chief aim of their expedition, Levin could not help considering how he could get rid of Vassenka and be free in his movements. Stepan Arkadyevitch evidently had the same desire, and on his face Levin saw the look of anxiety always present in a true sportsman when beginning shooting, together with a certain good-humored slyness peculiar to him. “How shall we go? It’s a splendid marsh, I see, and there are hawks,” said…
Public-domain chapter text, formatted for reading.
Master this chapter. Complete your experience
Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature
Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"Mind you don’t shoot one another."
Context: Levin remembers her parting words while Veslovsky splashes behind him
Safety fear revived.
In Today's Words:
Levin cannot help troubling over where Veslovsky's gun points after the earlier accidental discharge near Kolpensky marsh. Kitty's parting warning Mind you don't shoot one another returns as interior prayer while Laska works the reeds. Tolstoy ties domestic anxiety to masculine display: jealousy has cooled but physical danger from a careless guest remains. The phrase frames the marsh as marriage worry translated into gun safety.
"killing nothing, and not in the slightest abashed by his ill success."
Context: On Veslovsky popping away while Levin misses repeatedly
Shame without embarrassment.
In Today's Words:
The narrator says Veslovsky kept popping away merrily and indiscriminately, killing nothing, and not in the slightest abashed by ill success. Levin feels disgraced in the guest's eyes while the guest feels no shame at all. Tolstoy contrasts temperaments on a bad day: one man's failure deepens with audience, another's cheer survives every miss. The asymmetry drives Levin's feverish shooting.
"Allons, c’est curieux_."
Context: When peasants invite them to vodka in the meadow
Bait for exile.
In Today's Words:
Veslovsky answers Levin's invitation to join the peasants with Allons, c'est curieux, and Levin sends him off while crying you go, you'll find the way to the mill. Tolstoy shows guile in service of solitude: Levin hopes vodka will remove the companion who ruins his focus. The French phrase marks Veslovsky's lightness against Levin's grim hunt. Sending him away fails to restore luck.
"flung his gun and his hat on the ground."
Context: After a disgraceful miss near the end of the marsh
Despair made physical.
In Today's Words:
The narrator says after a disgraceful miss Levin flung his gun and his hat on the ground before telling himself he must control himself. Tolstoy externalizes sportsman's shame as thrown objects, then immediate discipline. Sweat, powder taste, and boot full of water have accumulated into this snap. Five birds in the bag cannot match Oblonsky's fourteen; the gesture is the day's truest verdict.
Thematic Threads
Performance shame
In This Chapter
Levin's first misses ruin the whole marsh day.
Development
Contrasts tomorrow's lucky dawn in next chapters.
In Your Life:
One bad start can poison a whole outing you cared about.
Guest as obstacle
In This Chapter
Levin schemes to send Veslovsky to peasants.
Development
Builds toward later reconciliation after hunt success.
In Your Life:
You may need space even from people you will forgive later.
Marriage echo
In This Chapter
Kitty's shooting warning returns in the reeds.
Development
Pairs with jealousy arc from earlier chapters.
In Your Life:
A partner's fear can linger in your head during risky play.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
This is not a test. Five prompts guide you through the chapter, from how it opens to how it closes, so you notice context and rhythm rather than facts to memorize. Sit with each question in your own words. When you see "One way to read it," treat it as a starting point, not the only answer.
- 1
Why does Levin want Veslovsky to join the peasants for vodka?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
He hopes removing the guest will let him hunt freely and recover his luck after feeling disgraced by Veslovsky's careless shooting beside him.
- 2
What does killing nothing reveal about Veslovsky's character?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
He fires merrily without hitting game yet feels no abashment, which contrasts with Levin's deepening shame and makes the companion feel like an insult.
- 3
Why does Levin fling his gun and his hat?
application • mediumOne way to read it
After repeated misses on a day that always turns bad when he starts wrong, a final disgraceful miss breaks his self control before he forces himself to pick them up.
- 4
How does Kitty's warning shape Levin's mood in the marsh?
application • deepOne way to read it
Mind you don't shoot one another keeps him acutely aware of Veslovsky's gun after the earlier accident, adding fear to performance shame.
- 5
When have you let an early failure ruin the rest of an important day?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
The shame spiral pattern names how one miss can become a story about your whole worth unless you interrupt the temper.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Track Levin's Marsh Day
List Levin's plan, what goes wrong with Veslovsky present, what happens when he is alone, and the final bird count.
Consider:
- •Include Mind you don't shoot one another
- •Include killing nothing
- •Include flung his gun and his hat
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time early failure made you perform worse because you could not reset.
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 168
At the peasant hut Veslovsky will already be laughing over vodka and bread while Levin and Stiva argue justice in the hay barn. Levin and Stepan Arkadyevitch reach the hut to find Veslovsky enthroned amid muddy boots, praising peasant bread and vodka. After supper the gentlemen lie in the hay barn talking guns until Oblonsky describes capitalist Malthus's preserved moors and luncheon pavilions.
