Levin

Also known as: Konstantin / Konstantin Dmitrich / Konstantin Dmitrievitch / Konstantin Dmitrievitch Levin / Konstantin Levin / Kostya / Kostya Levin · Family: Levin · Role: landowner · First appears: PART ONE · Chapter 5

In chapter 5, Levin, a landowner, was the friend and companion of Stepan Arkadyevitch’s early youth and the brother of Sergey Ivanovitch Koznishev. After quarreling with the district council, he stopped attending its meetings and later resigned. In chapter 6, after a year in the country, he came to Moscow, realized that Kitty was the sister he loved, and decided to offer her marriage. Their courtship advanced through visits and skating, but in chapters 13–24 Kitty refused him and chose Vronsky, leaving Levin to conclude, “Yes, she was bound to choose him. So it had to be, and I cannot complain of anyone or anything.”

After returning to his estate, Levin resolved to work harder, live with less luxury, and remain ready to help his elder half-brother Nikolay Levin. He personally joined Vassily, Mishka, Tit, and the other peasants in mowing, then reorganized his farming through partnerships with Ivan, Fyodor Ryezunov, and Shuraev. He also continued to care about Nikolay Levin, persuading him to seek treatment and later visiting him with Kitty when his health failed; Nikolay Levin died after their reconciliation.

In chapters 81 and 110–130, Levin recognized that Kitty was the answer to his life, and they renewed their love. They became engaged, reconciled after doubts and quarrels, and married in a church ceremony before leaving for the country. Their early marriage included frequent quarrels, but their life grew smoother; they continued to reconcile after jealousy and disagreement. Levin’s earlier rivalry with Vronsky also ended in chapters 196–200, when they became friends.

After Kitty gave birth to their son Dmitri, Levin’s unresolved questions about faith deepened. He read Plato, Spinoza, Kant, Schelling, Hegel, Schopenhauer, and Homiakov, passed through a severe crisis, and came close to suicide without carrying it out. Through Platon’s example and his own reflections, he found a spiritual purpose: “I have been set free from falsity, I have found the Master.” Later, after fearing for Kitty and Mitya during a storm, he understood his love for Mitya and concluded that life had “the positive meaning of goodness.”