Thursday, January 10, 2013
Notes from Underground
I definitely found the second part of Notes from Underground to be a bit more interesting to read than the first. In part 1 I was initially intrigued by the narrator's distinct voice, but after a while I felt like I was reading the same things over and over again. It did remind me of stream of consciousness work, like that of Virginia Wolfe, which I also sometimes found myself struggling to get through. But part 2 read more like a novel. The underground man's experience with Liza was intriguing and prompted me to continue on. Today during class I wasn't entirely convinced as to whether the underground man is actually insane or not, but after finishing the novella and reading about his encounters with Liza, I feel more certain about my opinion- that being that he is, in fact, insane. His about extreme outbursts of emotion and irrational actions were like that of a madman.
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In part 2 of Notes from Underground, I found myself getting more emotionally invested in the story. I didn't realize how into it I was until I noticed myself getting mad at the narrator when he yelled at and demeaned Liza. I honestly wasn't expecting to get invested in the narrator's life, but his cruel outbursts frustrated me and I really just wanted to slap him for being so cold-hearted and overcomplicating things so much that he hurt other people.
I think that part two was just an easier and more enjoyable read. I found myself having trouble wrapping my head around some of the things he said in part 1 because they were so repetitive and rehashed. I also liked to see how he developed into who he was in part one. I was able to see his personality shine through and I could see parallels between both characters (by "both characters" I mean his past and future self.) Even though part two was longer I did not find it took any more time to read than part 1, and I attribute that to my enjoyment of part 2
While I agree with Madeline that the underground man was at times uncomfortably cold-hearted,I found myself sympathizing with him at times. I know that his isolation is self-imposed, but Dostoevsky purposefully shows where the man's isolation stems from: a very difficult youth. So while I often do get frustrated with UM, I do find myself feeling almost pity for him.
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