Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Name Course Instructor Date Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky The Underground Man appears miserable, frustrated, sickly, irritable and superstitious, and while the readers hear his voice, but his messages mainly reflect his inner world and thoughts that only he can explain well. The man is also unhappy and his attempts to get revenge based on his belief about being wronged further make him unhappy. Nonetheless, the pursuit of happiness is possible when people know about their interests and pursue them (Dostoevsky 28). The Underground Man is a an admirable, but disaffected hero who is isolated and even as he experienced self-hatred he sought to understand the world around him better and believed and freedom and choice to live as he pleased. The narrator is a hero and anti-hero who understands his unique emotional and psychological characteristics since he is self-conscious. In the monologue the man reiterates that he knew he was and he is able to narrate his situation and the world around him. In the first part of the book there is more focus on inquiry and self reflection, as the Underground man seeks to understand himself better. What sets the narrator apart from others he encounters is that he is willing to follow his will more than them because he knows himself. As such, he is a realist hero since he wanted to make his actions acceptable to others, even as he shunned social relations. Nonetheless, even as he remained isolated, by exposing some of his inner thoughts he seems more believable. Exercising free individual will without necessarily considering their well-being and the...