Notes from Underground: Binding Limits Essay

Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment is a psychologically charged novel in which the primary element that plagues the protagonist, Rodion Raskolnikov, is not a person but rather an idea; his own idea. Raskolnikov has an unhealthy obsession with rendering himself into what he perceives as the ideal, supreme human being, an übermensch. Raskolnikov forms for himself a theory in which he will live purely according to his own will and transcend the social norms and moralities that dominate society. Raskolnikov suggests that acts commonly regarded as immoral are to be reserved for a certain rank of “extraordinary” men. Raskolnikov’s faith

This quote marks the turning point when Equality turns away from collectivism by claiming the tunnel as his own and vowing to fight for it until death. Deciding to enter the tunnel alone displays his curiosity and fearlessness, as well. It

As the story of the “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison continues the theme changes from invisibility to opportunity and rebirth. It is in the chapters 7-14 that the theme of the book takes an unexpected turn. The once invisible man who desired to be seen for he was rather than by the stereotypes given to him was now a new man. By using real life scenarios and detail the author conveys his message of how invisibility was defeated by one’s aspirations to be greater.

This rejection of reasons as a basis for autonomy stems from his belief that freedom is virtually impossible in a largely deterministic and evolutionary universe, where everything is determined by the 'laws of nature' to which he constantly refers. The Underground Man believes that the feeling of freedom engendered by acting for a reason as opposed to acting blindly is an illusion. He says of men with limited consciousness that ìthey take immediate and secondary causes for primary ones, and in this way they are more quickly and easily convinced than others that they have discovered an indisputable basis for their activityî (19). In other

What he seems to be saying in this extraordinary novel is not only that the 1911 revolution has come to a dead end, but also (and more important) that, given man’s nature, Marxist solutions are facing the same blank wall. He proposes an existentialist way out, but his sense of courage is greater than his suggested submission to man’s apparent destiny. (Adams)

The Man Who Lived Underground by Richard Wright is full of symbols. The story is that of a man who after being accused of a murder starts living in underground sewers, in an attempt to escape the law. There are several themes in the story, however, underground life is a powerful major theme in it that has several meanings and implications in the context of the story. Underground can be seen as a potent symbol meaning an escape from the social institution and its bondage, as a relief from inequality and racial divisions, as solitude and self-discovery and many more similar things. Underground is also the stage for the most of the drama that takes place as a part of the story. However, underground also appears as a symbol of repulsion and revolt. Overall, the writer has used the symbol of underground to expose the corruption and chaos in the society in a brilliant manner.

Notes from Underground and Dostoevsky shows us again and again that the action of complete and opposite reaction to what is seen as normal and acceptable is not that of free will but the illusion of free will. There are any good examples of this and the first is when Dostoevsky introduces the reader to the Underground man's first example of pain suffering and consciousness with the paragraph about the Underground Man's toothache:

Plato in his famous Allegory of Cave compared the ordinary human existence to that of chained prisoners in a cave. According to Plato, we are all stuck in a false reality in this world like prisoners in a cave. His cave theory still applies today in the sense that the people are influenced and controlled by the world around them. They do not want to realize or seek the truth; instead they wish to live in the comfort zone inside the cave.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky paints Underground man as someone who is tortured in his novel Notes From Underground. Despite everything that Underground man says he is lost and has no sense of his identity. When the character of Liza is introduced the reader gains some hope that the Underground man can find love. Although Underground man ultimately pushes Liza away, he really loved her through his own idea of love. Underground man shows this love for her through his first conversation with Liza, his trying to save Liza, and, ironically, through his cruelty towards Liza.

The Allegory of the Cave has many parallels with The Truman Show. Initially, Truman is trapped in his own “cave”; a film set or fictional island known as Seahaven. Truman’s journey or ascension into the real world and into knowledge is similar to that of Plato’s cave dweller. In this paper, I will discuss these similarities along with the very intent of both of these works whose purpose is for us to question our own reality.

my capacity for life” (Dostoyevsky, 19) By using himself as an example, and describing reason as only “one twentieth” of a person’s capabilities of life, the Underground Man emphasized the small role that reason plays.

I don’t consult a doctor for it, and never have” (Dostoyevsky 91). Later on the Underground Man described his reluctance to seek medical help came from him believing he did not need it due to the fact that he was tough enough to endure the pain it brought. The Underground Man uses his free will to decide for himself not to seek assistance. This free will came from wanting to

Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s novel, Notes from the Underground Man, uses the idea of a modern dystopia by depicting a story that revolves around a distressed older man. Throughout the novel, the main character has a narcissistic belief that he is better than everyone else because of his acute sense of consciousness. His awareness however, also causes him to believe not only are people ignorant to the world around him but that they are also against him. In contrast, critics believe that the main character, the underground man, actually suffers from psychological disorders that causes him to reason this way. Psychological disorders are defined as a wide range of conditions that can affect mood, behavior and thinking, and based on his conduct in the novel, the underground man presents himself as an individual who is subjected to obsessive compulsive behavior, social repression and paranoia.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Notes from the Underground (1864/2008) comes across as a diary penned by a self-described “spiteful” and “unattractive” anonymous narrator (p. 7). The narrator’s own self-loathing characterized by self-alienation is so obvious, that he is often referred to by critics as the Underground Man (Frank 1961, p. 1). Yet this Underground Man is the central character of Dostoyevsky’s novel and represents a subversion of the typical courageous hero. In this regard, the Underground man is an anti-hero, since as a protagonist he not only challenges the typical literary version of a hero, but also challenges conventional thinking (Brombert 1999, p. 1).

The late 19th century was a time where the world was full of constraint, and there were many violations of libertarian principles. Though liberty was not deemed with high value, some people nevertheless offset conforming to the limitations of freedom. In “Notes From The Underground,” by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and “A Doll’s House,” by Henrik Ibsen, both authors utilize the protagonists to highlight motivation from freedom of choice. Ibsen uses demeaning non-genderless language and irony through the interactions of Nora and Torvald. In addition to this, Dostoevsky utilizes situational irony when the protagonist makes several irrational decisions. Both Ibsen and Dostoevsky express the limitations of choice and freedom to shed light on the impact of universal societal pressures experienced during the late 19th century. Moreover, both works influence readers to reject social constructs and express freedom through individualism.