When reading After the Ball by Leo Tolstoy, the impression that ideology shapes judgment, or perception of the world, is conveyed in the first line. The concept that good and evil can only be a matter of perspective is an important part of this tale, especially in how your "environment" or ideology leads you to evaluate things differently. In this article I will try to explore how the ideological sign-exchange value of objects in Ivan Vasilyevich's experience at the ball, as well as in life, can have multiple meanings and how such values ​​influence an individual's stature in the class structure. Assigning cultural value to objects is done in both positive and negative ways, and the value of things can change based on their actual use, how a box can be used to store items, and what you leave the office with when you get fired. , for example. However, in that case, value is assigned based on how it reflects status, and losing a job automatically puts you in an unemployed class, where storing things could represent hoarding. This is important when watching After the Ball, since in the first half of his recollection as “his whole life was changed by a single night (Tolstoy, 595), the references to how he values ​​certain objects and positions people associated with them are using the same concept. When Ivan first arrives and describes the ball, among other pleasantries he refers to the enchanting nature of the ballroom, but makes sure to mention that the singers and musicians were serfs, belonging to a certain landowner. His representation of the dance already takes on the noble characteristics of a sumptuous evening, and with the music provided by the "possessed" lower class, who lends itself to parties for fun, it does nothing but encourage the im...... middle of paper.. ....that since he did not discover the truth behind the life of this class by himself, but discovered by pure chance, that he was not worthy of participating in their customs. The changing value of sign exchange is an extremely interesting development within After the Ball and plays an important role in how we look at ideologies in the world. Everything has multiple meanings, and our perspectives are often based on our partially informed perception of what we see. Often the truth comes to us by accident, as Ivan Vasilyevich explains, and when it does, it often causes us conflicts by allowing us to see our position in life in different ways. While the common expectation when we see the dark side of our expectations of the world may be to reject it, often, as in this story, we are left conflicted and unsure about our place within the ideology, where perhaps we do not belong..