Notes from the Underground, Part I summary

What happens

1. The narrator suspects liver disease but refuses medical help out of spite, knowing that this refusal harms only himself.
2. He recalls enjoying his rudeness toward petitioners and forcing an officer to stop clanking his sword.
3. He retracts his claim to genuine spite and describes conflicting impulses that he deliberately suppresses.
4. He argues that intelligent people cannot become anything definite and mocks the idea of living beyond forty.
5. He explains his retirement after an inheritance, describes his unpleasant room and servant, and insists on remaining in Petersburg.
6. He declares that talking about himself is his chosen subject.

In this part

Quick check