Notes from Underground

The unreliable narrator of this short novel, dives deep into his conscious to give you, the reader, a little slice of his brain, thoughts, and ego. I think anyone who reads this will find the narrator a bit on the rockers, but upon further inspection find their own brain nodding along with the musings and thoughts that come out.

These range from criticizing society, his own ugliness, revenge and its motivation, power, humiliation and revelry of it, to class differences and more…How men count their grief, but never their happiness, how we relinquish power to those around us, and even defines Man as a being with two legs and is ungrateful.

He’s so full of spite and hate and self-loathing.. its astonishing to read and glimpse into, and then yell at yourself for sympathizing.

One of the thoughts that cross his mind, mine, and - I found out - many of my friends, was the one contemplating whether someone will move out of the way for you when walking on the same side of the road. If you move, is that relinquishing some power? If you don’t move and the other person does move for you, does he even notice or think about, or are only you thinking about it? Because you think about it, that makes you the one who is weaker?

Dostoyevsky is a mad genius, read this if you already enjoy his other works, are a cynic or a philosopher, and are interested in reading what many will claim is ‘required’ reading.