OngoingRain
asked:
Hello :) So, what is the mataphor of the underground? Is it all the circumstances he is in and the position from which he sees the world? Everyone out there , above him , and he's under them, like watching life appart from them and feeling all those bad and angry feelings that make him happy at the same time? Thank you :)
To answer questions about
Notes from Underground,
please sign up.
James Spencer
No, he's not literally living underground; he's not looking up through the cracks at the rest of the world. I think it is a metaphor for his alienation from society while existing on the fringes of that society. In other words I agree completely with your understanding of Dostoyevsky's use of the phrase.
Rioden
I mean, it can really be both. Though his physical location is largely irrelevant. As others have said, I feel like it definitely symbolizes his isolation as a result of his overwhelming anxiety and self-analysis. I don't know if I necessarily agree with the assertion that such isolation is home only to the "refined and educated" as another poster posited. We certainly find out later that our narrator is anything but refined, I feel. Is he even truly that educated? He obtained the same education as his fellow men at the dinner and he still makes an obnoxious fool of himself.
Timothy De Ryck
Underground is basically a bad translation from russian. Under the floorboard would be a better translation. In russian folklore is the place under the floorboard a place where evil spirits live.
Harrison Wilson
The underground describes the place where those "self-conscious" souls, i.e. the refined and educated people of society, dwell when they behave indecently for the sake of spite. The educated know they act contrary to justice and reason which gives them a sense of guilt--an unclean feeling that is evoked by the metaphor of dirt. But like a mouse (p. 9) the enlightened man who wants to insist that he is a person with a will seems to delight in his filth and revels in it. Dostoevsky wants to underscore that humans will not be reformed simply because it is advantageous to them, and so to posit a philosophy which sees enlightenment of the intellect alone as a definite course to reform society betrays a truncated view of human nature. The narrative resembles the parable of the prodigal son in some features.
Robert
Underground is referring to the depth at which he confronts each and every thought or critique of society that flows into his mind. Today we brush off far too much, and don't introspect enough. We accept what we must value, and are told to reject human nature. He sees this as the main issue facing society, and as a result, dives deep into dealing with this issue head on.
Maria Bullock
Surely it is a metahore..it is used to reveal the narratore's phychology that finds in seclusion a refuge after failing in socializing.
Bezaubernd
What metaphor? He is literally living under ground.
Arch Delaro
Russian authors are particularly introspective. Dostoevsky was also fascinated by the darkness of the soul, which is according to some of his novels, his own experience and Christian writings, a necessary passage to rise above all, to be reborn, to find a new God. I think Notes From the Underground displays this obscurity where everything becomes confusing, contradictory and unequivocal. All seems lost and it becomes easy to blame others, society. The narrator finds it difficult to come out of this obscurity from which his cynicism appears. "Underground" could mean "buried in himself"; Under the floorboard, where evil spirits live, like Timothy De Ryck said above. He is not yet looking for the meaning of such darkness since he is not listening to his soul. He's buried under his consciousness, his ego. Therefore, he's in Hell.
Carl Jung explains this experience really well in The Red Book. I strongly recommend.
Carl Jung explains this experience really well in The Red Book. I strongly recommend.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more