OngoingRain asked this question about Notes from Underground:
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 :)
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 alienatio…moreNo, 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.(less)
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