Reaction

I really like the excerpt on the last page because it ties both stories together. Dostoyevsky emphasizes that we attach ourselves to ideals and norms presented in books and would not be able to live without them. I think that these respective books are pop culture media sources in today’s society. Without the “mainstream”, we would be lost and confused about knowing how to present ourselves and relate to others. We would not know what trends (food, clothing, political movements) to follow without pop culture. People obsessed with celebrity gossip that live through these media sources deceive themselves to feel equal with the celebrities that we have chosen to idolize and label as important.  Dostoyesky also focuses on the human behavior to desire aspects that you currently don't experience. On page 90 the narrator asks, “which is better—cheap happiness or exalted sufferings?”. I think a suffering person will always want to seek happiness in its simplest form while a happy person will seek different aspects that cause suffering, like advancement or change. A person can’t exist experiencing both extremes, but rather will desire their opposite and waste a lifetime plagued by this pursuit.