Saturday, January 16, 2016
The ________ Man
Though he feels underneath people, at the same time he thinks he is superior to the rest of society... As a result, I find the name "Underground Man" a little ironic but also fitting. It is ironic because UM considers himself to be so intellectually "above" everyone else (but he's an underground man, get it?). He is prideful and thinks he is unique in his psychological dilemma. But it is fitting because this thinking and analysis incapacitates him. The socially inept UM basically lives underground as he secludes himself by choice, seeing reality as something he'll collide with, and constantly overanalyzes everything. The people he tries to interact with are the ones he claims to despise, pushing him further into a life of loneliness and seclusion. Not to mention he has no family or foundation to support him, thus causing him to lack a sense of community. It is unfortunate that UM sees his relationship to the world and other people as some violent confrontation. His "underground" is a refuge from the above human world.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I always thought it was interesting that his name was "The Underground Man." Like I have mentioned in class, i thought he legitimately lived underground. I did not understand it was metaphorical. I pictured him as an old grouchy man who just hated the world because he did not get what he wanted out of life. UM is a grouchy man, I wouldn't say old, but it's not because he did not get what he wanted out of life, it is because he has made himself miserable with the life he gave himself. I think that a better name could have been thought of, like "The Cynical Man" or something like that.
Ashley, I thought he lived underground too! He definitely is underground in the sense that he is secluded in his mine from the "above ground" world. I just didn't get that until halfway through the work.
Post a Comment