Introduction
Fyodor Dostoevskys 1864 novella Notes from the Underground is widely considered the worlds first existentialist novel Written in two distinct parts it serves as a powerful critique of western rationalism human nature and the idea of enlightened self interest
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Part 1 Underground
The book opens with the famous line I am a sick man I am a spiteful man The narrator known only as the Underground Man is a bitter isolated 40 year old former civil servant living in a miserable basement apartment in St Petersburg He addresses an imaginary audience and spends this entire section explaining his worldview and philosophy
The Curse of Consciousness
As seen in image_954ca8.png he argues that being highly intelligent and overly conscious is a disease It leads to overthinking which makes it impossible to take any real action in life
Critique of Rationalism
He aggressively attacks the popular 19th century idea that humans are naturally rational and will always act in their own best interest if given the facts
The Philosophy of Free Will
He argues that humans do not want to be cogs in a machine To prove their free will people will deliberately act against their own self interest doing things that are destructive painful or completely irrational simply to prove they can
Part 2 Apropos of the Wet Snow
The second part shifts from philosophy to memory The Underground Man takes us back 16 years to when he was 24 showing how his underground mindset ruined his actual interactions with society
The Dinner Party with Old Schoolmates
Desperate for validation but filled with self loathing the Underground Man forces his way into a farewell dinner for an old school acquaintance named Zverkov During the dinner he swings wildly between trying to make them like him and insulting them He gets drunk makes a complete fool of himself walks up and down the room for hours while they ignore him and eventually follows them to a brothel determined to slap Zverkov
Liza and the Tragedy of Cruelty
At the brothel he meets Liza a young girl who has recently been forced into prostitution Seeking to feel powerful after his humiliation he delivers an incredibly moving speech to Liza about the horrors of her future He moves her to tears and gives her his address feeling like a heroic savior A few days later Liza actually shows up at his squalid apartment full of hope and love Terrified of real intimacy and humiliated that she has seen his poverty the Underground Man snaps He admits he was only using her to feel powerful insults her and forces money into her hand Liza leaves leaving the money behind He immediately regrets his cruelty and runs after her but she is gone forever
Conclusion
The novel ends back in the present with the Underground Man returning to his isolation unable to function in the real world Dostoevsky champions the messy chaotic nature of human freedom over a perfectly calculated logical life
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