Which features does Dostoevskys underworld share with the others with which youre familiar,

and which are unique to his work?

The House of the Dead begins at the end, and ends at the beginning. Goryanchikov
finally gains freedom, new life, resurrection from the dead, and yet we cannot cheer for him
because time is his enemy, as time tends to be in many underworld sagas. Houses chronology is
distorted because we knowingly enter a dead mans tale. As such, Goryanchikovs choppy telling
of events makes sense. The future shapes the present, while the past follows the present.
Departed convicts are brought up repeatedly as if theyre still living, and it becomes hard to keep
track of deaths scorecard. This puzzle-piecing, semi-biographical narration is highly reminiscent
of The Country Doctors Notebook, down to the allegorical references to Russia and doubling of
the seemingly innocent narrator with alter egos that hint at something more sinister. The Doctor
has himself, and occasionally other doctors, for a double; Goryanchikov has other fellow
inmates.
What makes House stand out from other underworld tales, though, are the philosophical
tangents on human nature. Why are we so capable of such atrocities? Why do some retain their
sanity, while others descend to insanity? Is going through hell and back worth it, and is there
even such a thing as the light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel? Goryanchikov seems to
emerge a changed man, but his journey towards reformation is hardly enviable. He also strays
from the traditional hero archetype and instead embodies the role of omnipresent eyes. He
watches, and he observes, but never does he suffer a beating, never does he attempt to smuggle
vodka, and never does he start a quarrel with someone. Bulgakovs Doctor at least actively
participates in his own surgeries. Goryanchikov, on the other hand, assumes a quieter role, much
like a ghost who comes out occasionally to haunt. He is, after all, described by the editor as an
exceedingly pale, thin man, small and frail-looking, who could hardly be called old.