# Ivan Parmenov — Anna Karenina character guide

> Ivan Parmenov in Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** Ivan

**First appearance:** 0108-part-iv-viii

## Who they are

A peasant on Levin's estate who represents Levin's idealized view of peasant life.

## In the story

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iii-v)

Referred to as 'the old man' and 'Tit,' he is Levin's skilled and good-humored guide in mowing. His ease, strength, and connection to the land and his family (picking mushrooms for his wife) embody the dignified, harmonious peasant life Levin admires.

### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iii-xi)

A young peasant loading hay with his wife. Levin observes his vigorous, careful work and the evident, freshly awakened love between them.

### [Chapter XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iii-xii)

His interaction with his young wife serves as a catalyst for Levin, presenting a concrete, enviable image of the 'laborious, pure, and socially delightful life'.

### [Levin's Agricultural Experiment](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iii-xxix)

The cowherd who seems to grasp Levin's proposal and becomes a partner in the cattle-yard, but resists changes to established practices and shows no real interest in the profit-sharing principle.

### [Levin's Work and the Prospect of Travel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-iii-xxx)

Mentioned as a peasant who has begun looking after the cattle better, a sign of progress in Levin's system.

### [Chapter XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/chapters/part-viii-xiv)

The coachman whom Levin initially resolves to treat differently, but whose practical instruction about the road immediately irritates Levin, shattering his idealistic resolution.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/characters/ivan_parmenov
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/anna_karenina_se/characters