Isolation In Fyodor Dostoyevski's Notes From The Underground

No story would be complete without some central character, as most stories seem to revolve around one. In Sahara, Clive Cussler creates the adventurous Dirk Pitt for the novel to orbit. Fyodor Dostoyevski uses the unconfident and skewed Underground Man in his writing Notes from the Underground. The Underground Man is the protagonist of Dostoyevski’s novel. He represents the people of this society who “not only may, but positively must, exist in our society, when we consider the circumstances in the midst of which our society is formed” (Dostoyevski 1).He is a civil servant in St. Petersburg during the nineteenth century. He lives in complete isolation from society. The Underground Man thinks he’s cleverer than most people; however, he seems to hate himself and often feels ashamed. His skepticism keeps him from gaining any self-confidence. He second guesses every thought that crosses his mind and not

He says “Oh, gentlemen, do you know, perhaps I consider myself an intelligent man, only because all my life I have been able neither to begin nor to finish anything” (Dostoyevski 9). What he’s saying is an intelligent person cannot find a reason to do the action they want to and will never find one. No matter how simple or difficult, no incredibly smart person should ever be able to make up their mind to start or finish anything. Because the Underground Man is so smart, he can’t seem to make up his mind about anything and has no reason to take any action. The Underground Man is a mysteriously interesting character that Dostoyevski has created. Not only does he struggle with shame and hatred within himself, he believes he’s one of the most intelligent humans in society. He builds up this confidence and then breaks right back down because of his second thoughts and shame. The Underground Man is a fitting name for this character, as he is totally alienated from the world outside of his