Closing+Scene

Closing Scene
At the end of the novel, we see Levin and his family in their everyday lives. Levin is constantly frustrated with religion and the fact that he does not have faith, does not believe in God even when he wants to. Throughout the entire chapter he seems to be questioning his life, life in general, and what the true purpose of it all really is. At one point he even mentions the thought of killing himself due to this obsession he seems to have grasped. In the earlier chapters of the novel Levin did not seem concerned with religion nor did he want to have anythign to do with it. He found it uncomfortable and did not believe in any of it, therefore finding it to be qutie a waste of his time. As time passes he seems to grow comfortable with the idea of religion and begins to inquire about it. Somewhere along the way things seemed to have blown way out of proportion and he began to constantly wonder about it and could not find peace until he discovered some sort of truth. This desire to understand and have faith in a religion could be due to Kitty's beliefs. Kitty is religious and firmly believes in God, perhaps Levin has grown accustomed to the idea of it and wants to believe in it himself. He also seems to find no meaning in his life, no purpose in it all. Longing for an answer, he has turned to religion, believing it is the right thing to do.

As the chapter goes on, the storm arrives and leaves Kitty and her son stranded. Levin rushes out and finds them under a tree; out of fear he cries "Oh God! Oh God! Only not them!" (735) This desperate plea for help helps Levin later understand that he really does believe and has faith. During the whole ordeal, he also finds proof that he does love his son since when the boy was first shown to Levin, he felt no joy but only wariness. The trauma turned out to be a joy for Levin since in the end he found peace with himself and also found love for his son. In the last paragraph of the novel, we see Levin leaning on the balustrade gazing at the sky. He is finally at peace but knows that this will not bring him any new happiness, nor will it change his life dramatically. He mentions that even though he does not understand why he prays, he will do it anyway and will always know that he has an unquestionable meaning of goodness that he has the power to invest.