Realism

The Underground Man paints a bleak picture of humanity with no pretense of any

inherent goodness or predestined purpose. Dostoevsky utilizes the aspects of Realism, such as

focusing on detail, using plain and transparent language, and utilizing pessimistic and bleak

honesty to convey a critique of society and humanity. The Underground Man is a paradox which

exemplifies the paradoxes of society as well as the conflicting desires we all face. He desires to

be alone yet, yearns for human interaction; he envies the common man yet, believes he is better

than them; he wants redemption yet, refuses to change; he suffers yet, he finds pleasure in his

suffering; he is deeply insecure yet, also narcissistic; he is critical of the issues of society yet,

does not try to resolve these issues because of inertia. Thus, the Underground Man does not need

a name because he is everyone or at least a part of everyone.

The Underground Man does desire human connection and recognition, but he does not

actually try to connect to others. He is illogically driven to push others away and belittle others

while he simultaneously tries to earn the respect and admiration of those same people. His

contradictive nature prevents or destroys and connections he could make with others.

Notes from Underground is a sharp criticism of the idolization of a utopic socialist or

communist society which had become a common dream in pre-Revolutionary Russia.

Dostoevsky challenged the idea that man was rational and enlightened and showed that even in a

utopia, man would not be happy, instead man would destroy his utopia out of spite and boredom.

Dostoevsky ends the text while the Underground Man continues speaking because the text had

cycled back to the same points and opinions presented in the beginning of the text. This forces

the reader to draw conclusions to the irrational and cyclical nature of humanity.
 Ichiyo chose to represent the class inequalities of her time as they truly were, without any

exaggerated plot or disingenuous drama. This focus on reality and the social disparities in it

firmly plant her work in Realism. Her writing shows the varied opinions of the impoverished

working class in Japan during her lifetime. Okyo and Kichizo represent two opposing opinions

on class inequality with Okyo subscribing to a blindly deterministic philosophy and cold logic

and Kichizo holding firm to the ideals of free will and pride. Okyo describes her situation

paradoxically saying both that she has no choice but also that she is tired of washing, sewing,

and wearing drab clothes and yearns for a better life.

Kichizo on the other hand does not waver in his ideology of self-determinism. He states a

core principle of his ideology when he tells Okyo “even if someone came along and insisted on

helping me, I’d still rather stay where I am. Oiling umbrellas suits me fine. I was born to wear a

plain kimono with workman’s sleeves…” Kichizo finds working hard and being poor more

honorable than relying on others to improve one’s station in life. This is the reason he is

disgusted by Okyo’s decision to become a mistress. Her willingness to sacrifice her honor and

friendship for easy comfort is antithetical to Kichizo’s identity.

Punishment analytically addresses the dehumanization and objectification of women in

the Indian culture. It highlights the importance society places on men above women in several

ways, first by focusing on the brothers in the beginning and largely ignoring the wives and again

in the descriptions of the wives, one being deemed more worthy of saving because she is more

attractive and productive for her husband while Radha is described as unsympathetic because her

unhelpful nature and unattractiveness make her more deserving of her fate, and this inequality is

again highlighted in the commenting on the cheap and expendable nature of wives over brothers.
 Chandara’s decision to take the blame and die is one of heroic defiance. Through taking

the blame for Radha’s death she regains power over her life and deprives her husband of the

control he continually seeks to exert over her. She also refuses to sully the honor of Radha who,

despite being a frequent antagonist of hers, was also a victim of both Chandara’s husband and

the systemic gender inequality of their culture.