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Part 3, Chapter 11
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Anna Karenina, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Marriage and Family Life
Adultery and Jealousy
Physical Activity and Movement
Society and Class
Farming and Rural Life
Compassion and Forgiveness
Summary
Analysis
Levin feels enveloped in simultaneous merriment and yearning when he hears the peasants’ singing. He wonders if marrying a peasant girl is the best way to join this lifestyle. As he muses, he sees Kitty go by in a passing carriage, and his love for her returns. No matter how tantalizing the life of the peasant seems, he still desires Kitty.
Levin longs to be part of the peasants’ life, although as a noble he cannot fully integrate himself. Just as he begins to idly dream of marrying a peasant woman, Kitty goes by, and he cannot help but feel the old surge of love, and he knows he cannot abandon his current life.
Themes
