The first part of Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky was a bit difficult to read but at the same time, it was interesting to decipher the underground man’s thoughts. At first, I dismissed the underground man as being totally crazy because he simply contradicts himself too much and it takes away his credibility. Further into the book however, I realized that it is important to pay attention to his contradictions without easily dismissing his opposing arguments.
As I read, I noticed some similarities between the underground man and other characters I have read about. At one point, the underground man talks about the difficulties he would encounter if he ever wanted to take revenge and he says, “I would certainly never have made up my mind to do anything, even if I had been able to.” (Dostoevsky 9). When I read this I immediately thought of Hamlet because throughout the play he keeps telling himself that he will kill Claudius but it takes him a long time to actually go through with it. Neither Hamlet nor the underground man are men of action because they are very indecisive.
At the end of part one,the underground man reveals that even though he refers to an audience while writing, it is only to make it easier for himself to express his thoughts. Then he moves on to add that a memory from the past has been bothering him and says, “For some reason I believe that if I write it down I will get rid of it.”( Dostoevsky 38). When I read this it reminded me of Esperanza from The House on Mango Street who also resorts to writing in order to escape and free herself from the memories that cause her pain. Both of these characters rely on writing to help rid themselves of their troubled thoughts.
I hope that during the second part of Notes from Underground, the underground man will reveal the memory that has been floating around in his mind.
As I read, I noticed some similarities between the underground man and other characters I have read about. At one point, the underground man talks about the difficulties he would encounter if he ever wanted to take revenge and he says, “I would certainly never have made up my mind to do anything, even if I had been able to.” (Dostoevsky 9). When I read this I immediately thought of Hamlet because throughout the play he keeps telling himself that he will kill Claudius but it takes him a long time to actually go through with it. Neither Hamlet nor the underground man are men of action because they are very indecisive.
At the end of part one,the underground man reveals that even though he refers to an audience while writing, it is only to make it easier for himself to express his thoughts. Then he moves on to add that a memory from the past has been bothering him and says, “For some reason I believe that if I write it down I will get rid of it.”( Dostoevsky 38). When I read this it reminded me of Esperanza from The House on Mango Street who also resorts to writing in order to escape and free herself from the memories that cause her pain. Both of these characters rely on writing to help rid themselves of their troubled thoughts.
I hope that during the second part of Notes from Underground, the underground man will reveal the memory that has been floating around in his mind.
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