![]() The “insignificant” image he sees contrasts with the “far-off kingdom” he dreamt of upon awaking. ![]() ![]() Despite the many thoughts that fill the opening scene, Golyadkin moves to his mirror as if to affirm his existence. The first scene of the novel is marked by a tension that exists throughout the novella: the interior versus the exterior. This may seem a bit obvious, but it is a subtle point: Golyadkin’s double is an extension of Golyadkin, developed from his interior. This is important as Golyadkin’s double doesn’t exist without Golyadkin. Besides creating general uncertainly, this first scene establishes Golyadkin as a strong force onto the narrative. It is, after all, a “Petersburg Poem.”Īlex’s point regarding the uncertainly established in the first few pages moved me to reread that opening sequence. It would be a mistake, however, to think of The Double as divorced from the social. Indeed, a “double” of Devushkin simply isn’t in the realm of possibility in Poor Folk. ![]() One’s initial impression of The Double may be that Dostoevsky abandoned the elements of realism that made Poor Folk such a social novel. It seems clear why a literary circle that loved Poor Folk would so strongly dislike The Double. ![]()
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