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Into the Abyss of Nihilist Absurdism: Critical Analysis of Dostoevsky’S the Dream of a Ridiculous Man

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Into the Abyss of Nihilist Absurdism: Critical Analysis of Dostoevsky’S the Dream of a Ridiculous Man PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION (2021) 58(3): 1790-1795 ISSN: 00333077 Into the Abyss of Nihilist Absurdism: Critical Analysis of Dostoevsky’s The Dream of a Ridiculous Man Sajjad Ahmad, Lecturer, Department of English, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, (Correspondence author email: [email protected] ) Sana Aziz, Lecturer, Department of English, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, [email protected] Umar Sajjad, Lecturer, Department of English, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda Sharjeel Ahmad, Research Scholar, Department of English, NUML Islamabad, Pakistan [email protected] Asfandyar Shah, Lecturer, Department of English, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda Husamullah, Lecturer, Department of English, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda, [email protected] Abstract This paper explores the impacts of nihilism and absurdism in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s short story The Dream of a Ridiculous Man which was originally written in Russian and mostly dedicated to the philosophy of nihilism and absurdism. This research is based on the notion that this whole universe is meaningless and purposeless; without any true meaning, but still, one must not inculcate the thoughts of suicide in mind. Searching for meaning is the meaning itself. This research highlights the events of nihilism and absurdism in the story and mainly focuses on the internal character of the Ridiculous Man and his psychological conflicts that attracted him to nihilism first and then to absurdism. Brain Gilbert’s Nietzsche and Nihilism (1999) and Albert Camus’s The Myth of Sisyphus (1942) have been used as a theoretical framework for this study. Key Words: Nihilism, Absurdism, Psychological Conflict, Suicide, Optimistic Nihilism, Meaninglessness, Horrible Ideas, Destructive Philosophy. Article Received: 18 October 2020, Revised: 3 November 2020, Accepted: 24 December 2020 Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the greatest in which he has killed himself and then transported to novelists and finest short story writer in the world a place similar to earth in space. The idea of isolation lived in Russia and famous for his dense writings that as far as The Ridiculous man is concerned is quite gives deep psychological penetration into the human obvious; he sits alone, walks alone, and having no mind. Dostoevsky’s novels and short stories are company to talk to. Furthermore, the people were mostly known for deep psychological insights, and making fun of him and called him a ridiculous man sometimes he is considered as one of the best rational which is also one of the prominent reasons for his psychological thinkers in the history of world physical and psychological alienation. As there is a literature. He was a specialist in exploring the reference to the failed suicide attempt of the psychopathological states of the human mind that Ridiculous Man, this paper is going to explore the leads to madness, suicide, irrationality, murder, and in reasons behind suicidal thoughts which is constantly the exploration of the humiliated emotions, self- compelling for ending his life and also highlights his destruction, cruel domination, and homicidal rage. resistance and coping mechanism for survival. The Dream of a Ridiculous Man is a story of a Nihilism is a depressive philosophy that denies any lonely man, who is fed up with his life and does not meaning of life and claims the purposelessness of the care about his biological existence. He decides to whole universe. Fredric Nietzsche a German commit suicide and bought a revolver and placed it in philosopher is the pioneer of the nihilistic school of front of him on a table while sits on an armchair. He thought and most often gives the example of nihilism falls asleep and has experienced an interesting dream which is directed to destruction and depression. 1790 www.psychologyandeducation.net PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION (2021) 58(3): 1790-1795 ISSN: 00333077 “Nietzsche attempts to not give up on empirical mechanism for dealing with suicide. Nihilism can be reality…but to attack philosophic abstractions” easily dealt with absurdism. This paper is an attempt (Gilbert, 1999). He is denying any kind of objective for exploring the grim issues of nihilism and suicide. reality or truth and is of the view that philosophy The study is delimited to only one literary text i.e., constructed problems that could be solved only Dostoevsky’s The Dream of a Ridiculous Man. The through death and paves a way for committing suicide theoretical framework used for the analysis has been which urges all human beings. taken from Albert Camus’s essays The Myth of Absurdism means something nonsensical, Sisyphus (1942) and the book of Brian Gilbert purposeless, foolish, and confusing. The absurd is of Nietzsche and Nihilism (1999). the view that though life is meaningless and A brief review of literature has been given to purposeless but human is still longing and searching focus on the nihilistic ideas of humans in general and for meaning. Albert Camus a French philosopher is the implication of absurdism as a need of the hour for the pioneer of this school of thought, which is isolated and alienated folks. Elizabeth Trahan (1959) somehow related to existentialism. “There is but one focused on the step-by-step psychological truly serious philosophical problem, and that is developments in the life of the protagonist. He has suicide” (Camus, p.4). Camus has discussed his focused on the psychological dilemma; however, he philosophy of absurdism in his famous essay The is of the view that the final solution to such problems Myth of Sisyphus (1942). He is of the view that one cannot be given, rather the individual will search for must not commit suicide in this meaningless life but himself to go deep down to his psyche. Furthermore, will try to enjoy the limits of this life. Trahan discussed the Ridiculous Man’s vision of the Nihilistic thoughts often lead to depression and Golden Age and paradise in which he dreamed to end in suicide, which results from the feeling of believe in God but also searched for sin. Roger isolation and alienation combined with the thinking of Philipsin his article has discussed major ambiguities meaninglessness and purposelessness of life. In in the story and the paradoxes of its essential enigma. Dostoevsky’s story The Dream of Ridiculous Man the He further discussed that there are three types of protagonist is experiencing the same situations, and ambiguities inside the story, one exists the psyche of his thoughts are constantly compelling him to end his the narrator, the second is concerned with the outside life which leads him to a state of a psychological reality and the third is related to metaphysical and conundrum. Although much research has been moral considerations. Alan Woolfolk in his article conducted on the issue of suicide the scholar is unable The Two Switchmen of Nihilism: Dostoevsky and to find any related work to the selected text. This Nietzsche (1989) analyzed the two close related joints research endeavors to achieve the research objectives of nihilism because they both denied the Christian of highlighting the thinking patterns and reasons faith and platonic reason. Both Dostoevsky and behind the nihilistic views of Ridiculous Man and Nietzsche are rejecting any objective reality and analyzing the absurd ways adopted by him for permitted everything as lawful. Gerald J. Sabo (2009) preventing himself from committing suicide. The analyzed the dream in the story from the perspective research paper attempts to answer the following of Christian hope for the societal setup in research questions. How the Ridiculous Man does Dostoevsky’s time and mostly analyzed from a was obsessed with depressive and destructive ideas of textual and subjective point of view. Denis nihilism, and influenced by the meaninglessness of Crnković (2012) in his article described this story life? And secondly, in what ways does the Ridiculous from the perspective of the inner realization of human Man fight with the horrible idea of suicide, and what evil or goodness. is the role of absurdism in his life? This study is This research is reflexive in nature and qualitative significant because it draws attention towards in approach which is based on textual analysis of highlighting depressive and destructive thinking Dostoevsky’s novella The Dream of a Ridiculous patterns of nihilism in the story The Dream of a Man. As qualitative research is based on personal Ridiculous Man. Further, it will bring forth into interpretations of the researcher the same has been people’s consciousness the efforts of standing against used by the scholar as well and also mentioned the such destructive thoughts and give insights into opinions, ideas, and researches of other scholars for Camus’s philosophy of Absurdism as a coping adding value to the conclusion of the study. For 1791 www.psychologyandeducation.net PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION (2021) 58(3): 1790-1795 ISSN: 00333077 analyzing the text,The Dream of a Ridiculous Man how painful it is to be the only one to know the truth! two major perspectives have been used as a But they won’t understand this” (p.179). Nihilism is theoretical framework. The First perspective has been a destructive and depressive philosophy because its used to analyze the nihilistic thoughts of the consequences are very bad. Here in the story, one can protagonist, their origin, and their influence upon his imagine the indifference of the protagonist from the psychological state. The book which the scholar used people but he is upset with them because they cannot for highlighting nihilism is Brian Gilbert Nietzsche understand the truth about life which is in his view and Nihilism (1999). Second is the idea of absurdism meaninglessness. “Nietzsche is itself telling about a which has been embraced by the protagonist and reality, the more you know about yourself and life the decided not to commit suicide. The framework used more you will come close to your destruction like for analyzing absurdity in the protagonist’s character Oedipus” (Gilbert, p.81).
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