Anti-hero is a literary term that entered in literature in 19th century with Dostoevsky and its usage has flourished since then into the second half of the 20th century. The term has been used to describe protagonist characters in Greek drama and stories. The idea of “hero” sets a base for the definition of an anti-hero. The number of anti-heroes in contemporary literature and the society are growing. Currently, the gap between the heroes and the anti-heroes is narrowing in terms of their moral codes, personality and value judgments. The narrowing of the gap could be caused by the sociological, political and economic issues such as war. The authors have presented a perspective of failure, despair, uncertainty and inaction through the use of anti-hero characters as opposed to the presentation of valor and heroism. The term, “anti-hero,” is, therefore, used to refer to characters, authors or narrators who perpetrate despair and failure, especially in existentialist, absurdist and realist works after and during the second world war. The paper defines the meaning of being an anti-hero and justifies why the narrator in Notes from Underground is an anti-hero.
In the novel, the narrator can be deemed to be an anti-hero according to the perspective of presentation of the key points that touch on his memoirs. Brombert notes that the antihero in the novel is the central character and the narrator too (1). The narrator and the protagonist in the final part of the novel say that he made a mistake by writing the accounts or memoirs because there was no reason for expressing how spoilt his life was. Dostoyevsky confesses that the novel needs a hero and that all the traits of an antihero have been expressed in the novel (152). The anti-hero dominates the novel but does not impress the readers still.
The anti-heroism nature of the narrator is also depicted by the fact that the Underground Man frequently interrupted himself to editorialize upon his actions and thoughts. In the instance when he was lamenting on the conflicts between Liza and him, he admits that he was almost going to lie but restrained himself. The self-awareness that is witnessed in him serves to isolate him further. In this aspect, the Underground Man is isolated not only from himself but the society as well. The constant reflections and speculations about himself show that the narrator does not know himself to a satisfactory level. It is evidence of failure and absurdity that qualifies the narrator to be termed as an anti-hero in the novel.
The structure of the book also strengthens the ideas of the narrator being an anti-hero as the skewed reality of the Underground Man is presented. The initial half of the novel covers the Man’s discourse against the society and himself. Leatherbarrow and Gary Adelman say note that he presents a description of suffering and wickedness together with the ills of the society around him (4). It is like the narrator thought it wise to open up in the introduction of the topic of misfortunes in his life before he began fully to reveal the details of the story. The narrator does not use the traditional structure and sets his hero to the limelight and fully expresses his somber. The story begins with episodic results with the Underground Man drifting through many encounters with friends and hapless prostitute. The outcome is a snapshot of rage and misery that further depicts the narrator as an anti-hero.
In conclusion, the term antihero has been used extensively to depict narrators or characters who further failure and absurdity in contemporary literature and novels. In the novel, Notes from Underground, the narrator can be deemed to be an anti-hero based on the presentation of his memories of failure and the harsh experience that he has encountered in life. The structure of the novel that gives episodic rage of misery of the narrator’s life stress on the same postulation.
Works Cited
Brombert, Victor H.. In praise of antiheroes: figures and themes in modern European literature, 1830-1980. Chicago, Ill.: University of Chicago Press, 1999. Print.
Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Notes from underground,. New York: T.Y. Crowell Co., 1969. Print.
Leatherbarrow, W. J., and Gary Adelman. "Retelling Dostoyevsky: Literary Responses and Other Observations." The Modern Language Review 97.3 (2002): 780. Print.
