Notes from Underground

The unnamed Underground Man is the story’s narrator. He is 40 years old, small in stature, and describes himself as “unattractive” (5). The Underground Man is a retired collegiate assessor—a petty bureaucratic official—who lives in a small apartment on the outskirts of town. In his later years, he has a servant who is an old woman. In his younger years, his servant is the elderly Apollon, whom the Underground Man thinks is haughty.

The Underground Man spends most of his time reading books. He likes people and the world in theory, but he is unable to deal with human emotions and any but the most cursory interactions. He socializes only when he can no longer bear his isolation, and when he does so, he always has a bad time. He grew up among distant relatives and fantasizes about having a family, but he is too cowardly to risk loving another person.

The Underground Man’s main characteristics are spite and self-loathing. His narrative voice is sarcastic, and he has a negative opinion about every facet of society. The worst of his vitriol he reserves for himself, and he acts in a self-defeating way, putting himself in situations that inevitably lead to his embarrassment.