Juan Pino's second post (friday)

This past section of the book that I have read has cleared some things up for me. After some analysis, I realized that when Dostoyevski speaks of a mouse who doubts himself, who “torments itself with its own imagination,” he is truly speaking of the human mind. The mouse is simply a metaphor that aids in the realization of how humans behave. For example, often times I have experienced situations that I have played out in my head after. When I think back to the moment immediately I think of how it could have played out and I cringe due to the fact that I missed an opportunity.  Subsequently, I like how Dostoyevski comments on the pleasure that comes from despair. While contradictory, this statement does in fact make sense as despair leads to hopelessness, and when a man is hopeless he stops caring about anything, bringing about a sort of relief.