Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Notes From Underground

The interest in how humans develop their ideas and their emotions has spurred whole fields unto themselves that try to understand the whys, the whats, and the hows of the human condition. The use of art to explore the inner recesses of the human mind can be seen in various works across art, literature, and theatre. Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Notes from Underground is primarily an account from a nameless man about his beliefs and his life. The Underground Man is isolated from those around him, and for a time, isolated from himself. Dostoevsky’s character created an archetype, of the alienated anti-hero, that inspired Paul Schrader’s Travis Bickle. The film Taxi Driver, directed by Martin Scorsese, is heavily influenced by Notes from Underground. The
The Underground Man states “I was a terrible dreamer; I dreamt for three months in a row, tucked away in my littler corner…I suddenly became a hero” (Dostoyevsky 1172). He goes on to elaborate, saying “However, everything always ended in a most satisfactory way by a lazy and intoxicating transition into art, that is, into beautiful forms of being, ready-made, largely borrowed from poets and novelists, and adapted to serve every possible need. For instance, I would triumph over everyone; naturally, everyone else groveled in the dust and was voluntarily impelled to acknowledge my superiority, while I would forgive them all for everything” (Dostoyevsky 1172). The Underground Man’s alienation has spurred the development of adolescent fantasies, where he receives the adoration that he believes he is entitled to. His preoccupation with these fantasies causes him to reject reality. He claims “‘Real life’ oppressed me–so unfamiliar it was–that I even found it hard to breathe.” (Dostoyevsky 1212). The Underground Man experiences difficulty when having to deal with reality, the same way Travis struggles with dealing with reality. Travis claims to breathe in the real world and suffers painful headaches because of it. Both men experience discomfort when dealing with reality, so much so that it borders on physical pain when they take it all in. Travis’
As both men write their thoughts down onto the page, and interact with the society that rejects them, their inner most traits are revealed. As the Underground Man notes, there is an aggressive devotion to remaining in the Underground. The dark, isolated corners of the rooms the men inhabit is their home, not the reality outside of it. Nurtured by these desolate, lonely homes, Travis and the Underground Man develop emotions and ideas that they would not be able to do otherwise. This causes them to reject the outside world before it can reject them. Despite this constant struggle with the outside world and reality, both men long to connect with it and understand it, but are too invested in their alienation to succeed in doing