Raskolnikov and The Underground Man

I know Mr. Shaprio had told us that NFTU was the base of many of Dostoevsky’s works, but there is a strong relationship between NFTU and Crime and Punishment. There are so many similarities between the theories presented in both books about how each class system should work or how intelligent people tend to be left alone with their thoughts since they feel that they are above everyone else. What really intrigued me was that The Underground Man and Raskolnikov seem to be almost the same person with a few different characteristics.

             Both Raskolnikov and the Underground Man find comfort in their dreams after thinking about what they have done that is wrong. They both sleep for days on end and when they feel completely isolated, they decide to go out and seek company only to return back to their home and wish they never had left. Also, the two characters think in the same way. They both over analyze every little detail. For example, when The Underground Man was planning out his confrontation with the officer, he made sure everything was thought out and nothing was over looked in the same way that Raskolnikov carefully planned out his murder on Alyona to the time. When The Underground Man took the brush from his friend, he carefully removed it so the other man would not notice it being gone. This is exactly the same way Raskolnikov “borrowed” the axe he used to kill the pawnbroker.

            Besides the theories and the connection between Raskolnikov and The Underground Man, other characters such as Razumikhin and Luzhin are portrayed through Simonov and Zverkov respectfully.