The Double

“Nitwit! Can’t you say…‘Yes, they’ve bought them, sir’?”

Golyadkin attempts to construct and ratify his identity through his acrimonious interactions with Petrushka. The servant shows a lack of respect for his employer, which contravenes Golyadkin’s idea of himself as a wealthy individual of a certain higher-class status. This idea may not be real, but Golyadkin wants Petrushka to indulge him. When Petrushka is rude to Golyadkin, he undermines Golyadkin’s view of himself, highlighting Delusion and Conspiracy.

“Or should I pretend it’s not me, but someone else remarkably like me, and look as if nothing were the matter?”

In a socially awkward situation, Golyadkin immediately imagines a reality where he is no longer himself. He does not want to speak to his superior, Andrey Filippovich, and he wonders what might happen if “someone else remarkably like [him]” were to exist in this situation instead, highlighting Tension and Anxiety in Duality. Golyadkin conjures up the idea of a double as a means of navigating social anxiety, willing the double into existence rather than suffer a mundane conversation with his superior. The double arrives in Golyadkin’s life in these circumstances before taking over everything.

“In a sense you must radically transform your character.”

When he visits his doctor, Golyadkin is given a radical suggestion. In addition to the medicine he has already been prescribed, Golyadkin is told to completely change his character.