The Double

Golyadkin leads his double into his apartment, wondering how Petrushka will react to the sight of him. When they enter, however, Petrushka barely reacts. The double becomes nervous, suddenly fumbling and showing his nerves. When Golyadkin drops his hat, the double leaps to pick it up from the ground and place it back in Golyadkin’s hands. The men eat supper and then have a drink together. As they drink rum punch, the double reveals that they share a name: They are both called Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin. Their similarities are the reason why the double has come to ask for the favor of Golyadkin’s “friendship and protection” (182). The double tells Golyadkin his life’s story.

The double came to Saint Petersburg after receiving a large inheritance from his aunt. He struggled to find a job in the city, however, and lived a “life of drudgery and misery” (183). Many days, he only ate a crust of stale bread. He was lucky enough to receive help from a religious man, who helped the double to get his life back together. The double asks for writing implements and, when given a pen and paper, jots down a short verse akin to an adolescent yearbook entry.