"And truly Levin had never drunk any liquor so good as this warm water with green bits floating in it, and a taste of rust from the tin dipper. And immediately after this came the delicious, slow saunter, with his hand on the scythe, during which he could wipe the streaming sweat, take deep breaths of air, and look about at the long string of towers and at what was happening around in the forest and the country.
The longer Levin mowed, the oftener he felt the moments of unconsciousness in which it seemed not his hands that swung the scythe, but the scythe mowing of itself, a body full of life and consciousness of its own, and as though by magic, without thinking of it, the work turned out regular and well-finished of itself. These were the most blissful moments." (Tolstoy 237)
This is one of my favorite passages for several reasons. The natural setting automatically wins me over. However, what is truly magical is the way Tolstoy weaves the natural background with the character. He meshes Levin and nature together. The repeated use of the word "consciousness" emphasizes that feeling of being caught up in the moment, being present in the act of hard labor while simultaneously rejoicing in one's surroundings. Tolstoy is trying to get us to see the unspeakable and effortless beauty that is created when we place ourselves in a position to commune with the natural world. For example, Levin partakes of nature's gifts when he drinks the fresh stream water and he feels like he is a part of the natural environment. Tolstoy is stripping life down to the bear minimum of necessities and communicates to the reader that all we need is hard work and fresh air to really add meaning to our existence.
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