The Double

This section explores more of Petrushka’s character, who does not talk much throughout The Double but speaks to Tension and Anxiety in Duality, and Delusion and Conspiracy. Petrushka reveals his character through his refusal to treat his employer with the deference he demands, which furthers Golyadkin’s sense of shame and rejection. Golyadkin implores Petrushka to address him formally, but Petrushka barely addresses Golyadkin at all. After the introduction of the double, Petrushka’s silence becomes increasingly condemnatory. Golyadkin is infuriated by his servant’s quietness, though he must continue to depend on his insolent servant because there is no one else in his life who can help him. When Golyadkin sends Petrushka out with a letter, Petrushka returns drunk. In the few words Petrushka mutters while under the influence, the servant comes close to revealing his moral position concerning his employer’s actions. Petrushka alludes to an immorality on Golyadkin’s part and talks scathingly of deception and things that come in twos, seemingly condemning Golyadkin’s relationship with his double. The deliberate obfuscation of explicit facts creates an aura of uncertainty, as well as suggests that Petrushka recognizes the existence of the double, unlike Golyadkin’s colleagues and superiors, which further suggests that those of the higher classes that Golyadkin aspires to enter are somehow less attuned to his true state, let alone the cause of his fractured identities. Through Golyadkin, the atmosphere of the text grows increasingly uncertain and surreal; like Petrushka’s drunken ramblings, the text and form itself linger in the uncertainty of what is deliberate and what is random, as well as what is real and what is not. Both the content and form of the novel layer the theme of Tension and Anxiety in Duality, as the sense of unreliability extends to the narrator, who expresses bias toward Golyadkin.

For Golyadkin, the situation becomes increasingly worse. He has tried to help and befriend his double, overcoming his initial trepidation through the vague hope that he might have a peer who is sympathetic to his cause. Through their interactions, however, there is a clear difference between the public and the private version of the double. In private, the double knows exactly what to do and say to sway Golyadkin to his side, even referring to him as a brother. In public, such as in the office, he infuriates and insults Golyadkin, often through seemingly innocuous actions. This Tension and Anxiety in Duality between public and private presentation of character is especially maddening to Golyadkin, who is a private, withdrawn person who struggles to operate in public spaces and criticizes those who wear masks to hide their true selves. Golyadkin’s confusion fuels the speed at which he is replaced, however. Golyadkin is not an effective employee, as he is increasingly distracted by his own anxieties. At the same time, the double seems to quickly earn the trust and sympathy of everyone in the office. In just a few days, the double not only insults Golyadkin but—through the speed at which he integrates—reveals Golyadkin’s social inadequacies. His existence and his success further loosen Golyadkin’s grip on reality, as the double seems to exist merely to show Golyadkin what he has failed to become. The double is exactly what Golyadkin’s doctor hoped he could become, further blurring the reality of the text, and suggesting a split of the self when alienated from society.

Golyadkin writes to Vakhrameyev to seek information about the double. Even though it passes through the unreliable hands of the drunk Petrushka, the letter plays a significant role in the narrative. For once, this letter provides an outside, objective opinion of Golyadkin’s actions. While the narrator is sympathetic to Golyadkin, and many other characters are openly antagonistic, the letter is supposedly from a friend. Despite this friendship, the letter is scathing. Vakhrameyev writes of the deep insult that Golyadkin has caused, an insult which seems to have completely escaped the attention of Golyadkin himself. This letter functions as an illustration of how Golyadkin’s social interactions are increasingly damaging his social standing and his friendships, while also showing his unawareness of the destructiveness of his own behavior. The letter is a document of the thoroughness of Golyadkin’s social alienation, demonstrating how little he understands how far he has pushed people away from him. It further serves as a tool of foreshadowing, as Golyadkin’s removal from Saint Petersburg looms.