Analysis
The Underground Man’s cheerfulness the morning after he
writes the letter to Simonov indicates the degree to which he has
learned to delude himself about the realities of life. Convinced
of his own virtues as a letter-writer, the Underground Man believes
he has set everything right with his friend. This complacency not
only demonstrates the Underground Man’s egotism, but also shows
how the he finds ways to cope with frequent humiliation.
In characteristic fashion, the Underground Man alternates between
looking forward to Liza’s visit and dreading the fact that she will
see the shabbiness of his apartment. As we have seen, the Underground
Man has an extraordinarily delicate ego, alternately exulting in
his own intelligence and then plunging into shame. This tendency,
combined with the fact that the Underground Man has never had a
mutually respectful and pleasant relationship with anyone, supports
the opinion the Underground Man has already expressed about love—that
love means dominating someone until they have totally submitted.
When the Underground Man considers his relationship with Liza, he
feels that either he or she inevitably will have to be humiliated.
Though he feels confident about his dominant role as the prostitute-rescuer
at a brothel, he feels vulnerable to judgment and derision in his
own apartment.
The Underground Man’s burning hatred of Apollon stems
from a similar desire for domination. The Underground Man wants
to feel he can dominate Apollon completely, as Apollon is his servant
and depends on him for wages. The Underground Man’s attempts to make
Apollon submit to his will are no more successful than his attempt
to bump into the officer in the park. The Underground Man perhaps
attributes some of his own strange pride to Apollon, just as some
of his hatred of Apollon perhaps comes from his hatred of anyone
he imagines is able to look down on him.
