Notes from Underground

The Underground Man is 24 and works in a government office. He is painfully antisocial and is convinced that everyone looks down on him; he believes this because he resents himself and feels that everyone else must, too. He dislikes his appearance and is afraid that he looks “stupid,” despite his intelligence. He tries to affect an intellectual look but ends up feeling humiliated. On several occasions, he befriends his coworkers, but these associations do not last long, as he inevitably returns to his antisocial ways. He spends most of his time reading. Due to depression and loneliness, he begins to frequent “brothels.”

The Underground Man digresses about Russia’s romantic writers and poets, claiming that they are “absolutely and directly opposed to the transcendental European type” (40), whom he sees as foolish and sentimental. He blames Russia’s literary critics and journalists for falsely equating Russian and European Romanticism and claims that Russia’s romantics see the world in more realistic terms than the realists do.

One night, the Underground Man goes into a tavern where a fight is taking place: “I was in such a mood at the time, that I actually envied the gentleman thrown out of the window […]. ‘Perhaps,’ I thought, ‘I’ll have a fight, too, and they’ll throw me out of the window’” (42). Instead, when he enters, he is standing in the way of the billiard table, and an officer physically picks him up and moves him out of the way, barely noticing him: The Underground Man is small, while the officer is over six feet tall. This humiliates the Underground Man, and he stews on it for two years. He writes a satirical novel about the officer but fails to get it published; he also writes an extensive letter challenging the officer to a duel but never sends it. When he sees the officer walking along Nevsky Prospect, he resents the fact that the officer always shoulders past him, while he always moves out of the way “in a most unseemly fashion, like an eel” (44).

Eventually, the Underground Man works up the courage not to step out of the officer’s way. He borrows money from his supervisor, Anton Antonitch Syetotchkin, and buys a fashionable outfit and a new fur collar for his coat to make him look like he is on equal social footing with the officer. He visualizes his vindicating event dozens of times, even in his sleep. Once, he trips and falls in front of the officer, having lost his nerve at the last moment. Finally, after he has decided to abandon his plan, he makes one last attempt and succeeds in bumping into the officer. Of course, the officer hardly notices him, but the Underground Man feels vindicated. Shortly after this incident, the officer is transferred, and the Underground Man never sees him again.

After the Underground Man’s triumph over the officer, he becomes ill and eventually falls into a pattern of spending three months feeling terrible, during which he immerses himself in reading and fantasizing about love and lofty ideals—the “sublime and beautiful,” a phrase that is repeated throughout the book (8). He builds up a need to socialize and eventually begins a pattern of going to visit one of his two acquaintances: Syetotchkin, if it is Tuesday; otherwise, his old schoolmate Simonov. Syetotchkin lives in a modest apartment with his two daughters, ages 13 and 14, and their aunt. When the Underground Man visits, he sits and listens to Syetotchkin and one or two of his colleagues discuss politics and the economy. After a four-hour visit, during which the Underground Man is “overcome by a sort of paralysis” (50), his urge for socializing is sated, and he goes back to his underground.

Simonov is one of several of the Underground Man’s old classmates who live in Saint Petersburg, but the Underground Man avoids everyone from school but him. He suspects Simonov is uncomfortable around him; they used to be close, but Simonov does not like to be reminded of those times. One Thursday, one year since the Underground Man last saw Simonov, he decides to visit him, though he fears Simonov will not be happy to see him.

When the Underground Man enters Simonov’s apartment, he is surprised that two of his old schoolmates, Ferfitchkin and Trudolyubov, are already with him. They are planning a going-away party for the following evening. The party is for a fourth friend, Zverkov, an officer in the military who is being transferred to a distant location. At first, no one notices the Underground Man; when they do, his presence annoys them. They are discussing how much they should each contribute for the party and decide that seven rubles from each of them, making a total of 21 rubles, will be enough to pay for the dinner. The Underground Man invites himself to the party, saying he will contribute another seven rubles to make 28. Ferfitchkin and Trudolyubov protest because they do not want him to come: The Underground Man was never on good terms with any of them, particularly Zverkov. In school, Zverkov was handsome, athletic, sociable, and well-connected, and everyone flocked to him. This made the Underground Man despise him, mostly from jealousy. Ferfitchkin and Trudolyubov leave. The Underground Man lingers, but the subject of money is awkward: He already owes Simonov 15 rubles, and Simonov knows the Underground Man doesn’t have any money. Simonov makes an excuse that he is going out and tells the Underground Man to be at the Hotel de Paris at five o’clock the following evening.

The Underground Man was sent to the school in Petersburg by “distant relations” (56) with whom he no longer has any connection. He did not have a happy childhood: “[T]hey sent me there a forlorn, silent boy, already crushed by their reproaches, already troubled by doubt, and looking with savage distrust at everyone” (57). At school, the Underground Man was an outcast but gained recognition for his scholastic achievements, though this did not help him socially. He had one friend but treated him poorly; he wanted only to have power over him. Upon graduating, the Underground Man declined a promising job offer in order to get away from his classmates. Now, he doesn’t understand why he insists on seeing them again.

The next day, the Underground Man leaves work early to prepare for the party. He knows that the best course of action is not to attend: He owes his servant, Apollon, seven rubles for his monthly wages, which he was supposed to pay him that day, and he could avoid the awkwardness of the whole affair by staying home. However, he is intent on going out of a twisted impulse to punish himself. Though his clothes are shabby and stained, he gets into an expensive cab and goes to the hotel.

When the Underground Man arrives at the Hotel de Paris at five o’clock, the others are not there. He learns that the dinner was moved to six o’clock, so he waits for the others to arrive. They are surprised that Simonov did not tell him the time changed, and the Underground Man realizes that Simonov did this on purpose.

Zverkov is friendly but condescending toward the Underground Man; he asks how much money the Underground Man makes at his job and points out his shabby appearance. An argument ensues, and the Underground Man begins drinking. Zverkov and the others disregard him, and Zverkov begins telling a story about his romantic exploits. The Underground Man interrupts the discussion to make a drunken toast to Zverkov, in which he insults Zverkov’s character. The others take offense, and the Underground Man challenges Ferfitchkin to a duel. The Underground Man is so drunk, though, that the others laugh this off. They move to the lounge to continue to drink and chat, leaving the Underground Man at the table.

From eight o’clock until eleven o’clock, the Underground Man paces up and down the room while the friends talk among themselves. Finally, Zverkov rises and suggests they go to a “brothel,” declaring his interest in a sex worker named Olympia. The Underground Man is in a state of heightened anxiety: “I was in a fever; my hair, soaked with perspiration, stuck to my forehead and temples” (68). He apologizes to Zverkov and Ferfitchkin for insulting them, but Zverkov scoffs: “Insulted? You insulted me? Understand, sir, that you never, under any circumstances, could possibly insult me” (68). The Underground Man is desperate to fix the situation, and he begs Simonov to lend him six rubles so that he can accompany them to the “brothel.” Simonov tries to refuse, but the Underground Man persists. Finally, Simonov gives in, saying, “Take it, if you have no sense of shame!” (69). The Underground Man follows them to the “brothel.”

Outside the hotel, the Underground Man does not see the other men, but he gets into a sledge and follows them to the “brothel.” On the way, he thinks that everything could be solved if he just went home, but he decides to execute: He is going to give Zverkov “a slap in the face” (70) and challenge him to a duel. Then, Zverkov will be honor-bound to acknowledge him.

When he enters the “brothel,” which is a millinery shop by day, the room is empty. He realizes the friends already split off into rooms, and he is relieved that he does not have to face Zverkov. A girl comes in, and the Underground Man is immediately drawn to her: She has “a fresh, young, rather pale face, with straight, dark eyebrows, and with grave, as it were wondering, eyes that attracted me at once” (73). She is tall, strong, and plainly dressed. The Underground Man sees himself in the mirror and realizes he looks ragged and “revolting” (74). He decides that he likes the fact that she will find him distasteful.