Fyodor Dostoyevsky Notes From The Underground Analysis

The largest contradiction that one will ever find is that which is in the human mind. Within Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Notes from the Underground, one is presented with the idea of a man made of contradictions. The Underground Man—as he has become known as—is full of flaws and contradictions within every aspect of his life. Dostoyevsky very skillfully paints a beautifully tainted picture of the human psyche: through the Underground Man. With this, Dostoyevsky uses the Underground Man in all of his tainted bliss and contradictions to shine a light on human behavior. He uses the Underground Man as a sort of “Moral Agent” through the display of his deep immorality. Each contradiction represents an area of the human mind and behavior as Dostoyevsky sees them.
Within Notes from the Underground, most all of the Underground Man’s contradictions are within his thoughts and wishes in opposition to his actions. The Underground Man begins in a sort of sate of self-loathing, but as the story continues, he switches between this idea of himself and one of superiority. However, at the beginning of the book he brings to light a very significant contradiction. …show more content…
“And what a fool I’ve made of myself in front of them all But I let Ferfitchkin go too far. These numbskulls think they’re doing me an honor by allowing me to sit with them at their table, when they don’t understand that it’s I who’s done then the honor, and not the reverse. ‘How thin I’ve grown! What clothes!’ Oh, these damned trousers! Zverkov’s already noticed the yellow spot on my knee….What’s the use? Right now, this very moment, I should stand up, take my hat and simply leave without saying a single word….Out of contempt! And tomorrow—I’ll even be ready for a duel. Scoundrels! It’s not the seven rubles I care about. But they may think that…To hell with it! I don’t care about the seven rubbles. I’m leaving at once!...” Of course, I stayed (Dostoyevsky