5-7 pages, with MLA citations and a Works Cited

Quote from the book as well as outside critics

How is Notes from Underground by Dostoevsky emblematic of the “unreliable narrator” concept, and what is Dostoevsky’s point in making him so “unreliable”? “In literature and film, an unreliable narrator (a term coined by Wayne C. Booth in his 1961 book The Rhetoric of Fiction) is a literary device in which the credibility of the narrator is seriously compromised. This unreliability can be due to psychological instability, a powerful bias, a lack of knowledge, or even a deliberate attempt to deceive the reader or audience. Unreliable narrators are usually first-person narrators, but third-person narrators can also be unreliable.” —— THIS IS THE QUESTION AND TOPIC OF THE ESSAY

Below is my rough draft — the final draft needds to be 5-7 pages with works cited

Analysis of The Unreliable Narrator in Notes from the Underground

If history were to award the most significant psychologist in the field of literature, Fyodor Dostoevsky, by default, would claim such honour. Writing in a unified language that addresses all nations, Dostoevsky delineates the essence of novelist work. He uses a surgical knife and a pen to dissect human psychology in ways unequalled to capabilities of his contemporaries. Particularly, Dostoevsky uses an unreliable narrator as a striking method in his novel Notes from the Underground. This essay illustrates the use of this literary device to reveal the conflicting duality of the protagonist in Dostoevsky’s piece. Confusing duality consists of self, other and uncertainty of decisions, attitudes and feelings in the whole novel (Al-Hiba et al. 81).

Dostoevsky reveals the unreliable narrator through the polemics of the protagonist, the Underground Man, with supporting characters and their indecision. The unreliable narrator reveals a subjective illustration of his character. The Underground Man has withdrawn from the world because of his social unsuitability. However, the protagonist remains open for the readers to distinguish his subjective imaginations from objective truths despite his disrespect for the society and murmuring of self-destruction. Dostoevsky takes readers through the novel subjectively, allowing them to decode one interpretation and offer a subjective response through the unreliable narrator. An example of the unreliable nature of the narrator occurs when the protagonist meets Liza and invites the woman to his house. Consequently, the Underground Man offers Liza tea against her wish. This incident reveals that the protagonist interprets the woman’s no as a yes. When he realizes that Liza fails to drink her tea, he yells “drink your tea” (Dostoevsky 95) then gets angry and wish to kill the woman. The minute exchange triggers a ruthless and scathing response. This dichotomy of subjective and objective illustration reveals the troubled mind of the protagonist. The Underground Man twists what readers would understand as a standard reaction from Liza into a reaction that attacks his generosity and character, to confirm his unreliability.

Unreliability of the Underground Man is also exemplified through his internal logic. He changes his stand on almost every topic. The first sentence in the novel reveals his indecisiveness. The narrator states ” I am sick… I am spiteful” (Dostoevsky 1). This sentence starts as a sign of sympathy, then an ellipsis alters the narrator’s tone into an illustration of resentment. That is, the narrator seems to reflect his internal duality through a juxtaposition of the two sentences. The confusing opinion in the opening line is replicated in the whole narrative. As readers navigate through the shaky consciousness of the unreliable narrator, they are compelled to question all statements of the narrator since he reinforces a point in a single paragraph and changes mind in subsequent illustrations. His inability to make effective decisions make readers make little of his character. The unreliable narrator seems to be a chaotic pile of confusing emotional impulses. This conflict appears as his pursuit to determine his character. The narrator says, “I did not realize how to become anything…” (Dostoevsky 6). This illustration reveals the troubled mind of the protagonist. Therefore, readers cannot predict his thoughts or reactions to different situations.

To sum up, Notes from the Underground is a perfect illustration of the pursuit of the Underground Man to make effective decisions in different situations. Inner problems put the narrator in the position of an outsider from the rest of society. The use of an unreliable narrator in the novel affects both readers and the main character to strike a sufficient balance.

Works Cited

Al-Hiba, Mohammed, et al. “A Psychological Critical Analysis into Dostoevsky’s Notes from Underground: The Underground Man as an Outsider.” Journal of Humanities and Social Science 20 (2015): 81-85.

Dostoevsky, Fyodor, Notes from the Underground, New York: Norton, 2001