Over in "Writing Style," we talk about how Karl loves to tell stories and how Tales of the Madman Underground isn't just about this pivotal five-day period in his life, but the unity of the therapy kids as a whole. So here, we'd like to talk about subcultures.
See, the late 1960s and early '70s were full of groups with their own distinct customs and rules that existed within the realm of "normal" society. There are lots of examples—hippies, communes, the Manson Family, Rolling Stones fans—you get the idea. In a way, Lightsburg High School is a microcosm of what America was like at the time the book takes place: a bunch of different groups vying for special interests, trying to be heard.
That's why the title of this book is so significant. It's not just Karl's story—it's the story of the whole group, a total, unabridged confession of the crazy adventures, personal heartbreaks, and friendships that make up their subculture. Think about it this way: If Karl doesn't trust other adults to know the truth about his and his friends' lives, why is he trusting us? Maybe it's the anonymity of writing it down, or maybe it's that we readers aren't part of his insular Lightsburg universe.
Or, maybe it's just that Tales of the Madman Underground is a better title than Five Crazy Days With Karl Shoemaker.
One last thing. Ever heard of a book called Notes From the Underground? The title sounds kind of similar to our book's, doesn't it? We highly doubt this is a coincidence. See, Notes From the Underground, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, is a ridiculously famous book written way before Tales of the Madman Underground. Like Notes, Tales is filled with flashbacks and written from the perspective of a social outsider. So, we're thinking the title is definitely a shout-out to its famous forebear.