Chapter 20
Anna spends the day at the Oblonskys, declining callers while stayi...
The whole of that day Anna spent at home, that’s to say at the Oblonskys’, and received no one, though some of her acquaintances had already heard of her arrival, and came to call the same day. Anna spent the whole morning with Dolly and the children. She merely sent a brief note to her brother to tell him that he must not fail to dine at home. “Come, God is merciful,” she wrote. Oblonsky did dine at home: the conversation was general, and his wife, speaking to him, addressed him as “Stiva,” as she had not done before. In…
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Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"before Kitty knew where she was she found herself not merely under Anna’s sway, but in love with her"
Context: Kitty's first impression of Anna after dinner
Adoration precedes rivalry. Kitty's heart opens to Anna before she understands Anna as a threat to her hopes with Vronsky.
In Today's Words:
You can fall for someone's warmth before you clock them as competition. That double bind makes later betrayal feel doubly cruel because trust came first, and admiration can blind you to the triangle forming under polite conversation about balls, heroes, and the man you expect to marry soon.
"for me there are no balls now where one enjoys oneself,"
Context: Kitty lists balls that are always fun
Anna hints at a life past innocent pleasure. Kitty hears mystery; the reader hears foreshadowing of the station glance and married name.
In Today's Words:
When someone older says the party game is over for them, they may be warning you, not posing. Ask what changed before you assume they are being modest, because the line often marks a cost you have not paid yet and a knowledge they are not ready to share.
"Oh! what a happy time you are at,"
Context: Anna reads Kitty's excitement about the upcoming ball
She names Kitty's innocence with tender irony, remembering the narrowing path from childhood into social trial.
In Today's Words:
People who have already paid a cost often watch younger hope with love and grief mixed. That tone is a clue someone knows more than they are saying, and the kindness may carry a shadow you cannot read yet because they are withholding one crucial detail about him.
"But she did not tell Kitty about the two hundred roubles. For some reason it was disagreeable to her to think of it."
Context: After Anna praises Vronsky's heroism to Kitty
The withheld detail marks Anna's first secret from Kitty about Vronsky. Charity that felt noble now feels too personal to share.
In Today's Words:
When you hide a detail about someone new, you already sense overlap with another person's hopes. Notice what you omit; omission is often the first loyalty split, and silence can protect your feeling more than their future if you are not willing to name the overlap aloud.
Thematic Threads
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin's rejection shakes his sense of self—he questions his worth and his place in the world
Development
Building from earlier confidence to deep self-doubt after Kitty's refusal
In Your Life:
When someone rejects us romantically or professionally, we often question our entire identity rather than just that specific situation.
Class
In This Chapter
Levin notices his peasant workers seem more at peace despite their harder material circumstances
Development
Continues Tolstoy's exploration of how social position affects inner life
In Your Life:
You might notice how people with 'less' sometimes seem more content than those with 'more,' challenging assumptions about what creates happiness.
Work
In This Chapter
Physical labor becomes both escape and torment—it exhausts the body but can't quiet the mind
Development
Introduced here as coping mechanism
In Your Life:
You might throw yourself into work or projects after emotional setbacks, hoping activity will heal what stillness cannot.
Rejection
In This Chapter
Kitty's refusal doesn't just hurt in the moment—it rewrites how Levin sees himself and his future
Development
The aftermath of the rejection from previous chapters
In Your Life:
Rejection often makes you question everything about yourself, not just the specific relationship or opportunity that was denied.
Restlessness
In This Chapter
Levin's manic energy in the fields reveals the desperate need to do something, anything, to feel valuable again
Development
New theme emerging from his emotional state
In Your Life:
After disappointment, you might feel compelled to prove your worth through intense activity or achievement.
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
What changes at dinner when Dolly calls her husband Stiva again?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
Separation talk fades; estrangement remains but Stiva sees a path to explanation and reconciliation.
- 2
How does Kitty respond to Anna before Vronsky is discussed?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
She arrives timid, then falls under Anna's charm, admiring her youth in motion and the serious look in her eyes.
- 3
When have you warmed to someone while leaving out a fact they deserved to know?
application • mediumOne way to read it
One read: Anna hides the donation and her full station meeting while praising Vronsky to Kitty, like sharing almost everything except the detail that changes stakes.
- 4
Why does Anna describe the blue haze of childhood ending when Kitty talks about the ball?
application • deepOne way to read it
She remembers innocence narrowing into social judgment and sees Kitty at that threshold while Anna already stands on the other side.
- 5
What does withholding the two hundred roubles suggest about Anna's tie to Vronsky?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
The gift already feels personal and wrongly shared; omission is her first loyalty split between Kitty's hope and her own new feeling.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Track Your Motion Medicine
Think about the last time you experienced disappointment, rejection, or emotional pain. Make two lists: one of the activities you threw yourself into afterward, and another of the specific thoughts or feelings you were trying to avoid. For each activity, note whether it actually helped you process the situation or just kept you distracted.
Consider:
- •Notice the difference between activities that move you toward a goal versus those that just keep you busy
- •Pay attention to whether the activities required your full mental attention or left room for your mind to wander
- •Consider how your body felt during and after these activities - energized and purposeful, or drained and still restless
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you successfully worked through difficult emotions versus a time when you just stayed busy to avoid them. What made the difference in how you approached the situation?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 21
The charity ball approaches where Kitty expects her life to turn and Anna will walk in wearing the color they chose together. Anna reads the Oblonsky house the way a doctor reads a chart. Dolly emerges for tea with a cool, composed voice; Stiva appears from the other door, cheerful but careful not to look forgiven.
