A Matter of Trust

         When a reader picks up a book and meets the narrator, he expects the narrator to be trustworthy. Because he is the central voice, the reader automatically believes what he says and looks to him for guidance. This relationship between a narrator and a reader is based on trust and an automatic bond—a bond that the reader expects to continue throughout the story. Fyodor Dostoevsky, however, takes a different approach with his narrator when he writes his story. In Notes from Underground, the narrator repeatedly contradicts himself and proves that he has an unreliable character, making him untrustworthy and revealing how readers view the world in the process.  

         Throughout the story, Fyodor Dostoevsky allows the Underground Man to consistently contradict himself. The Underground Man introduces himself to the readers by telling them that he is a “sick man…A wicked man. An unattractive man” (Dostoevsky 3). He follows this statement by explaining that he was once in the civil service where he was “a wicked official” who was “rude and took pleasure in it” (Dostoevsky 4). After he has established this unflattering reputation with his readers, he abruptly changes his previous statement about himself and says that he “lied out of wickedness;” he was actually not a wicked official (Dostoevsky 4). He then says that he is, in fact, not wicked at all. Because he is overly conscious of himself and incapable of making a decision or committing to a side, he cannot bring himself to be wicked or good. He would like to be wicked so that he can be passionate about it and allow it to become his all-encompassing good. Yet, he remains undecided as he cannot claim goodness or wickedness as an identity. Within the first few pages, the Underground Man blatantly lies to his readers about taking the side of wickedness. His contradictions lead readers to wonder if they can trust their narrator. Later in the story, the Underground Man says that he “sank down into murky subterranean, vile debauch” when he could no longer be friendly to his colleagues (Dostoevsky 48). He further explains that he has “a hysterical thirst for contradictions” whenever he is in anguish (Dostoevsky 48). While telling his readers that he is not trying to justify himself with all of his talking, he interrupts himself. “But no! that’s a lie!” he says (Dostoevsky 48). He does want to justify his actions and give an explanation for his behavior. Even this minor self-contradiction proves that whatever he says, no matter how insignificant, might not be the truth. 

         Not only does the Underground Man contradict himself, but his character itself is unreliable, causing readers to doubt and mistrust him even more. At one point in the story, the Underground Man wanders into a tavern where he stands in the way of an officer (Dostoevsky 49). Because the officer wants to pass, “he [takes] [the Underground Man] by the shoulders and silently…move[s] [him] from where [he] [stands] to another place, and then passe[s] by as if without noticing” (Dostoevsky 49). He ignores the Underground Man completely, which leads the Underground Man to feel insignificant and to obsess over revenge. For years, he stalks the officer, his “spite…strengthening” (Dostoevsky 50). He writes an exposé about the officer but when it is not published, he thinks about sending a letter to invite him to a duel. Eventually deciding against it, he creates an alternative plan where he will meet the officer and will “deliberately not step aside” when he steps in the officer’s way (Dostoevsky 53). After several failed attempts, the Underground Man finally bumps into the officer, saying that he has “achieved [his] purpose” and “placed [himself] publicly on equal social footing with him” (Dostoevsky 55). One can see how Dostoevsky allows his narrator to wholly obsess over revenge when he is wronged, but he also subtly slips in other signs that the narrator is unreliable. When the Underground Man writes a letter to one of his friends, he cannot help but lie. He tells his friend that wine was the reason for his inappropriate behavior the previous night (Dostoevsky 108). However, right after, he explains that it was not the wine. “I lied to Simonov,” he says, “lied shamelessly; and even now, I’m not ashamed” (Dostoevsky 108). He stretches the truth again when he is with Liza by embellishing a story so that he can bend her to his will (Dostoevsky 89). He tells her that he saw people carrying a coffin earlier that morning. The dead girl was a prostitute and though she had consumption, she worked until the day she died. Because of the snowy day, she was buried in a watery grave while people laughed at her (Dostoevsky 90). He tells Liza this story so that she will leave the brothel and make his dreams of having a family come true. Although these lies and exaggerations are not as climatic as seeking revenge on an officer, they demonstrate how unreliable the narrator’s character truly is. The Underground Man’s frequent contradictions lead readers to be skeptical of their narrator. His behavior and actions, though, confirm their suspicions and label him as untrustworthy. 

By presenting the Underground Man as untrustworthy, Dostoevsky shows that his narrator is at war with himself. Thus, Dostoevsky’s narrator is a representation of all humanity. In the real world, there are contradictions, contrasts, and even people who do not rationalize logically. Like the Underground Man, humans have a desire for something real. Humans crave meaningful relationships and a place in society. When the Underground Man finally moves towards humanity, he perverts and destroys it, which is an accurate representation of how mankind sometimes behaves. When one reads Notes from Underground, he can read it cynically, believing that the narrator is not capable of change. After all, the Underground Man tells his readers that he is a liar from the beginning, and his contradictions and deceptions in the story can confirm this information (Dostoevsky 4). These readers who are prone to believe the negative see the worst in people. On the other hand, people who are prone to believe the positive could read this story believing that the Underground Man can change. They think that the Underground Man possesses a glimmer of humanity and will stop engaging in self-sabotaging behavior. When the narrator is unreliable and readers do not know where he stands, readers project their beliefs onto him, thus revealing more about themselves than the narrator. 

Because the narrator frequently contradicts himself and possess an unreliable character, readers view him as untrustworthy and question everything he says. Although the narrator’s lies and self-sabotaging behavior can be confusing at first, readers soon realize that he represents mankind. When readers are confronted with an untrustworthy narrator, they must read the text carefully and form conclusions about what to believe. Dostoevsky brilliantly gives readers the option to choose whether they see the narrator as vile or as having the potential to change, which can reveal a great deal about how the readers view the world.