Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground - Exposing the...

Dostoevsky’s Notes from the Underground - Exposing the Unseen Depths of the Human Mind The lights are on but nobody’s home. My elevator doesn’t go to the top. I’m not playing with a full deck. I’ve lost my marbles. †¦.cause I am cra-a-zy! Just like yooou! -Barenaked Ladies Crazy. That is how Dostoevsky’s man from the underground is referred to as he writes his notes-- his paradox on life. Is he crazy? Are his ramblings only the cries of a madman? Many would like to think so and our narrator would probably agree that they are only normal in thinking that. They are decent people. And yet, maybe there is a bit of truth in these notes. Perhaps we are all crazy. No? Ok, we are all decent people who function effectively in society.†¦show more content†¦This awkward conversation continued to be strange, yet somehow relaxed. The narrator speaks to Liza distantly at first, but soon begins spinning stories and painting pictures as though he took it right out of a book. It is easy for a person to slip into conformity, speaking of things existentially related to oneself. Entertaining ideas unrelated to oneself is much more comfortable than acknowledging those that are close to the heart. In a debate, we are trained to say what is expected to be hea rd. To take a unique angle or stand is frightening for it opens the door to be vulnerable. Vulnerability is an emotion that humans strive to avoid, yet it is opening up that allows for growth: it allows for love. When a person is vulnerable, one lets another person or idea enter into one’s reality. The narrator begins to do this with Liza, but he has been trained for so long that he does not know how: That’s how I’ll get to you, I thought, with just such pictures, although, I swear, I spoke with feeling (p114). Even when he thinks he is being truthful, he is only reciting lines that are not truly unique. He cannot remove his mask that has been painted on for so long. All humans have this tendency to mask vulnerability. Love is not about saving someone else, but letting someone save you. What a unique thought. We are taught that we are strong individuals who do not need anyone else; we are taught we are perfectly capable of total independence. We are self-reliant . Look