A wise professor once said, “Do not characterize someone as crazy until you have just cause.” With those words of wisdom in mind, I began reading Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground with an open mind, refusing to categorize the Underground Man as batty until I stumbled upon justifiable proof. Contrary to popular opinion about the Underground Man’s sanity, I discovered more cause to validate his lucidity than his lunacy. I found the Underground Man to be satisfyingly radical, yet rational and relatable at the same time. His character seemed difficult to simplify, but I finally stumbled upon a fitting classification. Dostoevsky created a character who believes in nothingness, but also recognizes the unattainable somethingness. To put it in academic terms, the Underground Man embodies existential nihilism. Existentialism and nihilism represent similar, but essentially contradictory, philosophies. Existentialism recognizes one’s freedom to create a meaningful life in a meaningless universe while nihilism argues that both the universe and life lack value. Nonetheless, existential nihilism can actually be defined as optimistic nihilism. This philosophical approach suggests that though the world lacks intrinsic meaning, one can create superficial meaning to life. In Notes from Underground, the Underground Man illustrates existential nihilism by acknowledging and rejecting the shallow roles idealistic values play in society.
The Underground Man’s decision to convey his overt consciousness in the form of a mouse provides a judicious example of existential nihilism. Regarding his personal characteristics, the Underground Man states, “if, for example, one takes the antithesis of the normal man, that is, the man of heightened consciousness, who came, of course, not from the bosom of nature but from a retort … this retort man sometimes folds before his antithesis so far that he honestly regards himself as, with all his heightened consciousness, as a mouse and not a man” (Dostoevsky 10). The Underground Man chooses one of the smallest mammals to use as a comparison, which provides a direct reflection of how insignificant he views himself in the entirety of nature. Although the Underground Man perceives himself as minuscule, he still recognizes the small role he plays within society. Even a measly herbivorous mouse holds the ecosystem together by linking predator and plants and sustaining animals of prey. The fact that the Underground Man acknowledges his position in the world, however infinitesimal it may be, suggests existential nihilism rather than simply existentialism or nihilism because he recognizes the somethingness he embodies but does not see it as a position of promotion. The Underground Man’s attitude toward his existence contradicts the way people both within Dostoevsky's time period and in modern society view man’s place in creation, that is, as the dominant figure on earth.
Existential nihilism also manifests itself in the Underground Man’s position on the hindrance and acceptance of the laws of nature. The Underground Man admits, “Nature doesn’t ask your permission … You’re obliged to accept it as it is, and consequently all its results as well. And so a wall is indeed a wall” (Dostoevsky 13). The Underground Man acknowledges the solidity of the laws of nature. After all, a sturdy wall, especially one made of concrete components, provides a barrier that cannot be overcome by a man of mediocre strength. Upon further reasoning, the Underground Man rationalizes, “I won’t break through such a wall with my forehead if I really have not got strength enough to do it, but neither will I be reconciled with it simply because I have a stone wall here and have not got strength enough” (Dostoevsky 13). The Underground Man yields to his incapacity to overcome the laws of nature, thus admitting nature’s hold over man. Nevertheless, he also suggests that nature’s limit on man’s abilities does not utterly negate man’s power. The Underground Man reveals he would not be satisfied with the impossibility of overcoming the wall, permitting himself the power to reason, even if it proves futile. A “normal” man, as Dostoevsky words it, would accept the wall as a wall. Existential nihilism allows the Underground Man to be aware of the wall’s resoluteness, but it does not enable him to be reconciled with the wall’s resistance.
The Underground Man further demonstrates existential nihilism by analyzing and contradicting the principles of mathematics. The Underground Man states, “I agree that two times two is four is an excellent thing; but if we’re going to start praising everything, then two times two is five is sometimes also a most charming little thing” (Dostoevsky 34). The Underground Man concedes to the undeniable fact that two times two equals four. However, similar to his view on the solidity of a stone wall, he disagrees with life being determined by the laws of nature. He believes that man has free will to dispute logic and reason on the basis of not being powerless against natural rules. The Underground Man refuses to console himself with a wall’s durability; neither will he accept mathematical methods solely because they remain established. One indication of existentialism prevails in the Underground Man’s recognition of man’s power to challenge nature. He summarizes his view on man’s capability in this statement: “Consciousness, for example, is infinitely higher than two times two” (Dostoevsky 35). Nihilism also exists in the Underground Man’s ideals because man can believe in irrational concepts like two times two equals five, but it does not grant the surmise any validity against the majority’s belief in reason and order.
Dostoevsky seems to create a character that embraces, with a bitter tongue, man’s superficial desire and need to subject themselves to the caprice of their free will. Notwithstanding, he views the universe as meaningless because the power it contains does not contribute to man’s desires, but only hinders man from overcoming the laws of nature. Readers who scan Notes from Underground on the surface may view the Underground Man as a bit crazy, but dissecting his beliefs sheds light on the basis of his convictions. In the midst of the glories of God’s creation and the profundities of the world, man sometimes feels an overwhelming sense of being a mouse among a herd of elephants. Mankind’s determination to overcome obstacles means that we do not accept a wall as wall, even if it means fighting reason. Not to mention, we argue concrete laws like two times two equals five just for the pleasure of it. So, do not cringe upon finding yourself nodding along to the Underground Man’s relatable claims. It does not mean you will end up bitter, alone, and underground. It just proves that you are a highly conscious being constantly entangled in the struggle between reason and irrationality.
