Summary
Levin finds himself caught between two worlds as he navigates the social expectations of Moscow society while staying true to his rural values. At a dinner party, he watches the elaborate rituals of upper-class conversation and realizes how different his perspective has become since his time working alongside peasants in the fields. The other guests discuss politics and social issues with the detached air of people who've never actually lived the problems they debate. Levin struggles to participate meaningfully, feeling like an outsider looking in on a performance he no longer understands or respects. This chapter reveals the growing divide between Levin's authentic connection to the land and the artificial world of Moscow's elite. His discomfort isn't just social awkwardness - it's a fundamental shift in his values. Where he once might have tried to impress these people, he now sees their conversations as empty theater. The dinner becomes a mirror showing him how much he's changed, and how little patience he has left for pretense. Tolstoy uses this scene to explore the tension between genuine experience and social performance, showing how real work and connection to the earth can strip away tolerance for superficiality. For Levin, this isn't just about preferring country life - it's about choosing authenticity over status, substance over style. The chapter captures that moment many people face when they outgrow old social circles and realize they no longer fit where they once belonged.
Coming Up in Chapter 99
Levin's growing frustration with Moscow society reaches a breaking point, forcing him to make a decision about where he truly belongs. Meanwhile, the evening's conversations reveal underlying tensions that will soon surface in unexpected ways.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
The carrying out of Levin’s plan presented many difficulties; but he struggled on, doing his utmost, and attained a result which, though not what he desired, was enough to enable him, without self-deception, to believe that the attempt was worth the trouble. One of the chief difficulties was that the process of cultivating the land was in full swing, that it was impossible to stop everything and begin it all again from the beginning, and the machine had to be mended while in motion. When on the evening that he arrived home he informed the bailiff of his plans, the latter with visible pleasure agreed with what he said so long as he was pointing out that all that had been done up to that time was stupid and useless. The bailiff said that he had said so a long while ago, but no heed had been paid him. But as for the proposal made by Levin—to take a part as shareholder with his laborers in each agricultural undertaking—at this the bailiff simply expressed a profound despondency, and offered no definite opinion, but began immediately talking of the urgent necessity of carrying the remaining sheaves of rye the next day, and of sending the men out for the second ploughing, so that Levin felt that this was not the time for discussing it. On beginning to talk to the peasants about it, and making a proposition to cede them the land on new terms, he came into collision with the same great difficulty that they were so much absorbed by the current work of the day, that they had not time to consider the advantages and disadvantages of the proposed scheme. The simple-hearted Ivan, the cowherd, seemed completely to grasp Levin’s proposal—that he should with his family take a share of the profits of the cattle-yard—and he was in complete sympathy with the plan. But when Levin hinted at the future advantages, Ivan’s face expressed alarm and regret that he could not hear all he had to say, and he made haste to find himself some task that would admit of no delay: he either snatched up the fork to pitch the hay out of the pens, or ran to get water or to clear out the dung. Another difficulty lay in the invincible disbelief of the peasant that a landowner’s object could be anything else than a desire to squeeze all he could out of them. They were firmly convinced that his real aim (whatever he might say to them) would always be in what he did not say to them. And they themselves, in giving their opinion, said a great deal but never said what was their real object. Moreover (Levin felt that the irascible landowner had been right) the peasants made their first and unalterable condition of any agreement whatever that they should not be forced to any new methods of tillage of any kind, nor to use new implements. They agreed that the modern plough ploughed...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Outgrowing Your Tribe
When authentic experiences fundamentally shift your values, making previous social circles feel hollow and impossible to genuinely inhabit.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when your core values have fundamentally shifted, making previous goals or environments feel hollow and inauthentic.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you feel drained or uncomfortable in situations that used to energize you—this might signal that your values have evolved beyond your current circumstances.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Social performance
The way people put on an act in social situations, saying what's expected rather than what they really think. In 19th century Russian society, there were strict rules about how to behave at dinner parties and social gatherings.
Modern Usage:
We still do this at work meetings, family dinners, or networking events where we smile and make small talk even when we'd rather be honest.
Class consciousness
Becoming aware of the differences between social classes and how they affect people's lives. Levin develops this after working with peasants and seeing how the wealthy talk about problems they've never experienced.
Modern Usage:
Like when someone from a working-class background goes to college and feels uncomfortable around wealthy classmates who complain about problems that seem trivial.
Authentic living
Living according to your real values and experiences rather than what society expects. Levin's time working the land has shown him what feels genuine versus what feels fake.
Modern Usage:
When people choose careers or lifestyles that feel true to them instead of chasing status or money that doesn't fulfill them.
Peasant labor
Physical work done by poor rural people in 19th century Russia. Levin chose to work alongside his peasants in the fields, which was unusual for a wealthy landowner.
Modern Usage:
Any honest, physical work that connects you to real results - like construction, farming, or manufacturing jobs that wealthy people often look down on.
Moscow society
The wealthy, educated elite of Russia's capital city who set social trends and political opinions. They lived very differently from rural people and often had little understanding of common struggles.
Modern Usage:
Like the political and cultural elite in Washington D.C. or Hollywood who make decisions affecting regular people but live in bubbles.
Social alienation
The feeling of no longer belonging to a group you once fit into. Levin feels like a stranger among people who used to be his peers because his values have changed.
Modern Usage:
When you outgrow old friends or feel disconnected from family members because you've changed and they haven't.
Characters in This Chapter
Levin
protagonist
He's the main character struggling with feeling like an outsider at this Moscow dinner party. His discomfort shows how much he's changed since working with peasants and connecting to authentic labor.
Modern Equivalent:
The person who grew up working-class, got successful, but feels fake at fancy business dinners
Moscow dinner guests
social representatives
They represent the artificial world of upper-class society that Levin no longer respects. They discuss serious issues like politics without any real understanding or personal stake.
Modern Equivalent:
The privileged people at cocktail parties who debate social issues they've never actually lived through
Key Quotes & Analysis
"He felt like a man who has been long imprisoned and suddenly finds himself free, but does not know what to do with his freedom."
Context: Describing Levin's mental state as he observes the dinner conversation
This shows how Levin's new perspective has liberated him from caring about social expectations, but also left him unsure how to navigate these situations. Freedom from pretense comes with its own challenges.
In Today's Words:
He felt like he'd been playing a game his whole life and suddenly realized it was pointless, but now he didn't know how to act.
"They talked of everything except what they knew about."
Context: Levin's observation about the dinner conversation
This captures how the wealthy guests discuss abstract political and social issues without any real experience. It highlights the disconnect between intellectual discussion and lived reality.
In Today's Words:
They were all experts on problems they'd never actually faced.
"The very thing that had once seemed to him so important now appeared utterly trivial."
Context: Levin reflecting on the social rituals around him
This shows how real work and authentic experience have shifted Levin's priorities. What once impressed him now seems meaningless because he's found something more substantial.
In Today's Words:
All the stuff he used to think mattered now seemed like a complete waste of time.
Thematic Threads
Authenticity
In This Chapter
Levin's genuine connection to rural work makes Moscow's social performance feel false and meaningless
Development
Evolved from his earlier struggles with identity to a clear preference for substance over style
In Your Life:
You might feel this when returning to old friend groups after a major life change or personal growth experience.
Class
In This Chapter
The dinner party reveals the gap between those who debate problems and those who live them
Development
Developed from Levin's physical labor experiences into a fundamental shift in class consciousness
In Your Life:
You see this when educated people discuss poverty, healthcare, or work without having experienced these realities themselves.
Social Expectations
In This Chapter
Levin struggles to perform the expected role of engaged dinner guest when the conversations feel empty
Development
Progressed from trying to fit in to actively questioning the value of social conformity
In Your Life:
You might experience this at work events or family gatherings where you're expected to engage with topics that feel trivial.
Personal Growth
In This Chapter
Levin's transformation through honest labor has made him incompatible with his former social world
Development
Culmination of his journey from restless aristocrat to someone grounded in meaningful work
In Your Life:
You might feel this after therapy, sobriety, spiritual growth, or any experience that fundamentally changes your priorities.
Identity
In This Chapter
Levin sees himself reflected in the dinner party and realizes he no longer belongs in this world
Development
Final stage of his identity evolution from confused aristocrat to authentic individual
In Your Life:
You experience this when looking around a room and realizing you've become fundamentally different from who you used to be.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific behaviors at the dinner party made Levin feel like an outsider, and how did his reactions differ from his past self?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does authentic experience with manual labor and rural life make it harder for Levin to tolerate abstract political discussions among the elite?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see this same pattern today - people who've had real experiences struggling to relate to those who only discuss issues theoretically?
application • medium - 4
If you found yourself in Levin's position, outgrowing your social circle due to changed values, what strategies would you use to handle the transition?
application • deep - 5
What does Levin's discomfort reveal about the relationship between authentic experience and our ability to tolerate superficiality?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Values Evolution
Think of a significant experience that changed your perspective - a job, relationship, challenge, or learning opportunity. Write down three specific ways your values shifted because of this experience. Then identify one social situation or relationship that now feels different or uncomfortable because of these changes.
Consider:
- •Focus on concrete value shifts, not just preference changes
- •Consider both what you gained tolerance for and what you lost tolerance for
- •Think about how this affects your current relationships and social choices
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you outgrew a social circle or found yourself unable to relate to people you once connected with easily. What had changed in you, and how did you navigate the resulting loneliness or awkwardness?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 99
Moving forward, we'll examine key events and character development in this chapter, and understand thematic elements and literary techniques. These insights bridge the gap between classic literature and modern experience.