Chapter 203
The doctor is not yet up
The doctor was not yet up, and the footman said that “he had been up late, and had given orders not to be waked, but would get up soon.” The footman was cleaning the lamp-chimneys, and seemed very busy about them. This concentration of the footman upon his lamps, and his indifference to what was passing in Levin, at first astounded him, but immediately on considering the question he realized that no one knew or was bound to know his feelings, and that it was all the more necessary to act calmly, sensibly, and resolutely to get through this wall…
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Now let's explore the literary elements.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The doctor was not yet up"
Context: Opening delay as Levin arrives for help
Authority absent.
In Today's Words:
The chapter opens with the doctor was not yet up while the footman relays late night and orders not to be waked. Tolstoy establishes bureaucratic gap between panic and professional schedule. Not yet up becomes Levin's first obstacle. Delay stretches husband's helplessness before climax chapters.
"footman was cleaning the lamp-chimneys"
Context: Footman's busy indifference to Levin's crisis
Visible indifference.
In Today's Words:
The footman was cleaning the lamp-chimneys and seemed very busy while Levin's feelings went unnoticed. Tolstoy makes domestic routine absurd against childbirth terror. Lamp chimneys symbolize wall of indifference. Levin must act through it without expecting empathy from servants who owe him nothing emotional at all.
"orders not to be waked"
Context: Explaining why doctor delays
Institutional barrier.
In Today's Words:
The footman reports the doctor had been up late and gave orders not to be waked but would get up soon. Tolstoy shows hierarchy protecting sleep over urgency. Orders not to be waked frustrate Levin's aim while Kitty suffers. He decides to pierce indifference calmly himself and keep gathering what the birth requires.
"Lord, have mercy on us, and succor us!"
Context: Repeated prayer as Kitty's suffering continues
Helpless prayer.
In Today's Words:
Levin falls to repeating Lord have mercy on us and succor us as agony grows and only one hour has passed though he braced for five. Tolstoy replaces country competence with liturgical repetition. Prayer marks fear he will burst into tears or run. Mercy plea is honest fatherhood before birth.
Thematic Threads
Helpless husband
In This Chapter
Levin runs, plans, prays.
Development
Birth arc deepens.
In Your Life:
Love can feel like failing when you cannot fix pain.
Institutional delay
In This Chapter
Doctor not waked.
Development
Medical authority tested.
In Your Life:
Experts may move slower than fear.
Prayer under stress
In This Chapter
Lord have mercy repeated.
Development
Levin's spiritual rawness.
In Your Life:
Crisis can reduce you to simple pleas.
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 is the footman's lamp cleaning important?
analysis • surfaceOne way to read it
It shows indifference that forces Levin to see no one shares his feelings and he must act through institutional calm.
- 2
Why five hours versus one hour?
analysis • mediumOne way to read it
Levin budgets endurance from doctor's norms but Kitty's pain destroys the plan almost immediately, exposing his limits.
- 3
Why does Levin cycle blame and prayer?
application • mediumOne way to read it
Helplessness pushes him to blame Kitty, then her patient smile and worrying you shift him to beseeching God for mercy.
- 4
How does delay shape Levin's character here?
application • deepOne way to read it
Doctor not up teaches him pierce indifference calmly yet emotionally he is rawer than his estate management self.
- 5
When have you felt alone in a shared crisis?
reflection • deepOne way to read it
The lamp chimney pattern names busy world while your panic feels invisible.
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Levin's Waiting Loop
Trace doctor delay, five hour plan, one hour break, prayer and blame cycle.
Consider:
- •Include footman indifference
- •Include Lord have mercy
- •Include I am worrying you
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time an expert's delay made you feel powerless.
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 204
Candles will burn out in the study while Levin listens to the doctor's mesmerizer stories. Levin loses track of time in the study. Candles burned out.
