and perversely act against what appears to be his own advantage. Dostoevsky's message is carried in chapter 9 of Part II, so critics who ignore the second part of the book clearly miss the point of the novel. Christianity, to Dostoevsky, defied reason: it wasn't reasonable for Christ to die on the cross, yet His death was the most "beautiful and sublime" thing imaginable. From the introduction, the narrator appears disgruntled and bitter, yet it would be incorrect to limit him to this definition. Here he is simply touching on a quest in which pleasure is of no use–it is the quest for self-determination and self-affirmation. The narrator desires to be accepted by his classmates as he believes this acceptance would serve as affirmation of a satisfactory reality that has previously eluded the character. And man is sometimes extremely fond of suffering too. At one point, he notes that he is intelligent; however, this virtue attracts shame. Personally, this definition seems like an adequate reflection of people in general. This narrator, often referred to as the Underground Man, represents a revolutionary type of protagonist in Russian literature. The most outstanding wrong that the Underground Man does is to remain inactive. The most popular label it has obtained however is being the author’s defense of individualism. The Underground Man suggests that there is one “strange While he was in prison, the ideals of Western Europe penetrated Russian more and more, so that the utopianism of the 1840s with which he had been involved had become integrated into a wider liberal movement by the 1860s. In this regard, his inertia is a mark of his consciousness. We can now sketch out the direct origins of the novel. In 1859, having gotten married, Dostoevsky was allowed to return to St. Petersburg and to start writing. The novel is divided into two central parts, Underground and Apropos of the Wet Snow. What this accomplishes is that it reduces the highly complex philosophies of Underground into relatable and understandable terms. Dostoevsky himself was not in much better shape financially, and his career was in trouble as well. We utilize security vendors that protect and ensure the integrity of our platform while keeping your private information safe. This essay on Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky Literature Analysis was written and submitted by your fellow student. He wrote a novel about his experience in Siberia and then, after visiting Western Europe, wrote another book about his experience there. Unfortunately, your browser is too old to work on this site. Altshuler, Roman. The book is split into … Novelguide.com is the premier free source for literary analysis on the web. As a result of his liberal political leanings, Dostoevsky was sentenced to death along with a group of liberals in 1849. The two parts are intimately linked, and the climax of the first part is bypassed the climax of the second. and laziness. “Reason accounts for twenty-second of human thought,” he declares. He shows the fate of the isolated petty clerk and Dostoevkian dreamer twenty years after, surveying his wasted life in the new spiritual climate of the 1860s and at the same time finding justification for his own grotesque being in the simplistic views of the human nature now current. The novel is divided into two central parts, Underground and Apropos of the Wet Snow. offended him, or forces himself to fall in love. Dostoevsky's writing here is at least partly autobiographical, since he himself had belonged to the ?40s liberal circles. Professional writers in all subject areas are available and will meet your assignment deadline. Part I, Chapters 1-3 Summary and Analysis, Read the Study Guide for Notes from Underground…, The Underground Man and Freedom Beyond Reasons, Characters' Internal Struggles in Dostoevsky's Notes From Underground, Adverse Advantage: An analysis of the Underground Man's ideas, The Archetypes of Outcasts as a Window into Society, View our essays for Notes from Underground…, View the lesson plan for Notes from Underground…, Read the E-Text for Notes from Underground…, View Wikipedia Entries for Notes from Underground…. This aspect explains why he does not visit a doctor for the treatment of his liver problem because suffering is his ‘free will’.