Apollon Character Analysis in Notes from Underground

The underground man’s defiant, disobedient servant. The underground man tries to exercise his power over Apollon by withholding his wages and forcing him to ask for the money. However, Apollon merely stares at the underground man, driving him crazy, until he gives him his wages. More strong-willed than his master, Apollon is a source of humiliation for the underground man, who calls him his “executioner.”

Apollon Quotes in Notes from Underground

The Notes from Underground quotes below are all either spoken by Apollon or refer to Apollon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

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But in those days I was so embittered by everyone that I decided, heaven knows why or for what reason, to punish Apollon by not paying him his wages for two whole weeks. . . . I resolved to say nothing to him about it and even remain silent on purpose, to conquer his pride and force him to be the first one to mention it. Then I would pull all seven rubles out of a drawer and show him that I actually had the money and had intentionally set it aside, but that “I didn’t want to, didn’t want to, simply didn’t want to pay him his wages, and that I didn’t want to simply because that’s what I wanted,” because such was “my will as his master,” because he was disrespectful and because he was rude.

Related Characters: The Underground Man (speaker), Apollon

Page Number and Citation: 79-80

Explanation and Analysis:

Apollon Character Timeline in Notes from Underground

The timeline below shows where the character Apollon appears in Notes from Underground. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...has no money—what little money he does have he has to pay to his servant Apollon, whom he promises to tell his readers about later. (full context)

...lie—yet I’m not ashamed of it even now.” He gives the letter to his servant Apollon to deliver to Simonov. (full context)

The underground man describes his servant Apollon, whose rudeness distracts him from thinking about Liza. He talks of the mutual hatred between... (full context)

The underground man wanted Apollon to have to ask for his wages, but the plan never worked. Apollon would come... (full context)

The underground man finally confronts Apollon, calling him a “torturer,” and demands that Apollon show him respect before getting his money.... (full context)

...“I’m poor, but noble. . . . One can be poor and noble.” He sends Apollon to go get tea for Liza and him. Apollon ignores him for a few minutes... (full context)

The underground man suddenly shouts that he will kill Apollon and refers to him as his executioner. He bursts into tears, shocking Liza. He asks... (full context)