What is the underground in Notes from Underground?
Notes from the Underground is a fictional, first-person “confession” told by a hateful, hyper-conscious man living “underground.” Fyodor Dostoevsky, a Russian thinker living in St. Petersburg, wrote Notes in 1864.
What is the point of Notes from the Underground?
As a monologue or a confession, the man from underground can use it to reveal directly his innermost thoughts. These thoughts are made more dramatic by the fact that he is addressing them to an imaginary audience which is opposed or hostile toward his views and toward him.
Why does the underground man not go to the doctor?
The Underground Man describes himself as “sick” and “spiteful.” He refuses to see a doctor about his medical condition from “spite.” He’s “superstitious,” too, even though he’s educated. This guy is clearly a little off his rocker—and that’s the point.
What happens at the end of Notes from Underground?
Here the Underground Man decides to end his notes. In a footnote at the end of the novel, Dostoevsky reveals that the Underground Man fails to make even this simple decision to stop writing, as Dostoevsky says that the manuscript of the notes goes on for many pages beyond the point at which he has chosen to cut it off.
What was the underground mans job?
We meet the Underground Man when he is forty years old, having retired from his civil service job and secluded himself in a shabby apartment. By this point, he is a complete nihilist: he has no desire to interact with others, and he has total contempt for society and everyone who is part of it.
How does Notes from the Underground end?
Is the underground man happy?
The Underground Man constantly analyzes and second-guesses every thought and feeling he has. He is therefore incapable of making decisions about anything. This humiliation actually gives the Underground Man a sense of satisfaction and power, as he has brought about the humiliation himself.
Who is the narrator of notes from underground?
Notes from Underground The anonymous narrator of Notes from Underground is a bitter, misanthropic man living alone in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the 1860s. He is a veteran of the Russian civil service who has recently been able to retire because he has inherited some money.
What happens at the end of the Underground Man?
Here the Underground Man decides to end his notes. In a footnote at the end of the novel, Dostoevsky reveals that the Underground Man fails to make even this simple decision to stop writing, as Dostoevsky says that the manuscript of the notes goes on for many pages beyond the point at which he has chosen to cut it off.
Why is the Underground Man so miserable in the book?
He is a well-read and highly intelligent man, and he believes that this fact accounts for his misery. The Underground Man explains that, in modern society, all conscious and educated men should be as miserable as he is. He has become disillusioned with all philosophy.