The Double

The theme of Tension and Anxiety in Duality is explored through the protagonist, Golyadkin, a man who is perpetually caught between opposing forces. Golyadkin finds himself caught between a litany of dualities, including the real and the fake, the profound and the superficial, the rich and the poor, and the working class and the bourgeoisie. These dualities and the tension they represent create a distinction in Russian society, as depicted in the novel, between those on the inside and those on the outside. Golyadkin, a member of the latter category, is socially ostracized. He feels himself on the outside, covetously peering into the inner workings of society. He tries to exist on the boundaries between these worlds, often invoking performance to appear as something he is not. For example, Golyadkin changes his money into smaller denominations so that his wallet appears fuller, rides in a carriage that he likely cannot afford, and sneaks into upper-class social events, only to be removed because he has no invitation. Golyadkin exists on the boundaries of dualities: He performs his identity for so long that he is left alienated from his actual identity, causing anxiety to fester within him as he cannot resolve the inherent tensions caused by the ever-present dualities in the world around him.