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The narrator in Dosteovskys Notes From Underground has many frustrated desires. While these desires remain unchanged through the course of the novel, his ability to actively pursue these desires deteriorates in the sixteen years between Part II and Part I. The narrators unsuccessful and traumatic actions in Part II lead him to an incapacitated state in Part I where he constantly fears rejection and builds a protective wall to prevent further trauma. This wall keeps him underground, where he can avoid public interaction and can suffer no further rejection. While the wall is built for protection, in reality it just serves to throw a thin veil over the Underground Mans desires for attention, recognition, and equality.
The Underground Man craves attention from, and physical contact with, other people. His desire for attention is so great that he would rather be hurt than be overlooked by others. This overpowering desire for attention causes the Underground Man to become offended when the officer in Part II fail[s] to notice (43) him instead of throw[ing him] out of the window at the bar. The Underground Man prefers the an of being thrown through a window to the humiliation of being ignored. Even in Part I, the Underground Man presents pain as a positive alternative to neglect.
This skewed value system is shown when he says, It may be reactionary, but corporal punishment is still better than nothing (31). While the setting of his life has shifted from the public arena to the underground between Parts II and I, he still prefers physical pain to dismissal. Although the Underground Man still desires attention in Part I, he is trying his best to suppress this desire through his relocation to the underground. His use of the underground as a protective wall is shown by his declaration to the imaginary reader that if you wont deign to give me your attention, then, after all, I wont speak to you, I do still have my underground (32). Even though his attempt at receiving attention through getting thrown out of a window and running into someone on the street may seem silly in our estimation, and though he realizes he is as sensitive as a mouse (10), that does not matter. He has been denied in his search for attention in the past and cannot face the world and risk another rejection.
In addition to simple attention, the narrator also craves recognition. The Underground Man considers himself cleverer (8) than those around him, and wants credit for his superior intellect. In Part II, his desire for literary recognition can be seen through his information when the Annals of the Fatherland fails to print his satire exposing (45) the indifferent officer that offended him. The Underground Man is upset because his presumably superior literary work has gone unheralded. The narrator also desires intellectual accreditation in Part I. He tries to tailor his notes in Part I to possible readers by predicting every doubt they might have.
He also expresses fear that the reader will not favor him with his or her shout (28) and apologizes to the reader for philosophizing (25). These devices show that the narrator is trying his best to make Part I well suited for any potential readers; even so, he still writes defensively in Part I. His feigned hostility towards the reader can be seen when he chides his imaginary reader and says, But can you really be so credulous as to think that I will print all this and give it to you to read too? (34). He also claims that he doesnt care if anyone reads his notes, yet the Underground Mans defensive writing reveals that he living in fear of further rejection.
By retreating to the underground and away from the public arena, the narrator makes sure that he is the most superior intellect in his environment and that his works cannot be rejected by others. The last brick in the Underground Mans wall of protection suppresses his desire for equality and respect. When the officer passes him on the street, he wants the officer to have the common courtesy to move out of the way. The Underground Man wants the officer to acknowledge not only his presence, but also to respect his equality.
The Underground Man even tries to dress like the elite public superfly (47) so the officer will respect him as an equal. The Underground Mans desire for social equality stretches to situations that would be harmful to him physically, as when he says, It seemed that I was not even equal to being thrown out the window (43). The narrators actions in Part II reflect an eagerness to be treated, even mistreated, like others. The narrators desire for respect still exists sixteen years later in Part I, when he seeks the approval of his imaginary reader. He tells us that he would remember their affronts down to the smallest, most shameful detail (10). The narrator anticipates insults as opposed to praise for the imaginary reader because of his prior rejections.
The Underground Man tries to cover up his fear of rejection by the imaginary reader by implying superiority, like when he says I am sure you did not grasp that (16), and generally talking down to the reader with the excessive use of the word gentlemen as in You see, gentlemen, reason, gentlemen (25). The Underground Man is trying to convince himself that he does not need to be treated as an equal by others, even his own imaginary reader, because he is in fact superior. While the Underground Man learns to hide his desires between the actions of Part II and the writing of Part I, his desires still exist. The Underground Man simply places a protective wall, namely the Underground, between himself and the world to prevent further torment and rejection. This wall, however, also constrains the Underground Mans actions by preventing him from stepping into the public arena and attaining his desires.
The Underground Man has built his protective wall so high that he no longer can recognize his own true desires. Dostoevsky is warning us that if we fail to adapt to the society in which we live, we too can be driven into the depths of the underground.
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Research essay sample on Underground Man Part Ii
