Chapter 79
On the balcony Dolly finally turns to Kitty
“Kitty writes to me that there’s nothing she longs for so much as quiet and solitude,” Dolly said after the silence that had followed. “And how is she—better?” Levin asked in agitation. “Thank God, she’s quite well again. I never believed her lungs were affected.” “Oh, I’m very glad!” said Levin, and Dolly fancied she saw something touching, helpless, in his face as he said this and looked silently into her face. “Let me ask you, Konstantin Dmitrievitch,” said Darya Alexandrovna, smiling her kindly and rather mocking smile, “why is it you are angry with Kitty?” “I? I’m not angry…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Re-read a Refusal
Think of a romantic or professional rejection you treated as final. Write what you concluded at the time, then list any constraints the other person may have faced that you did not weigh equally with your own hurt.
Consider:
- •Separate the words spoken from the power or timing imbalance in the situation
- •Ask whether pride closed the story before new information could arrive
- •Note if you later judged unrelated behavior, like Levin judging French lessons, because the core wound was still active
Journaling Prompt
Write about a moment when someone tried to reinterpret a no for you. Did it feel like hope or like rubbing salt in the wound, and why?
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