Poe's Stories brief biography of edgar allan poe



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Edgar-Allen-Poe-Short-Stories-Unlocked
Short Story By Flannery OConnor
The fact that none of the other children notice the rivalry between
William and his double shows how intimately the rivalry is
connected to his own mental state. That no one else notices the
rivalry suggests that the rivalry might only exist in William's own
mind; or it might even suggest that the double himself only exists in
William's mind.
The narrator reveals that he shares so many details of life with the other William that some schoolmates, even older boys,
talked about them, and gossiped that they were brothers. They were even born on exactly the same day. But despite the trouble that his doppelganger causes him, William has some kind of affection for him. They have daily fights in the schoolyard, but they always manage to remain on speaking terms. The narrator can’t quite figure out how he feels sometimes respect,
sometimes hatred, sometimes fondness. But whatever it is,
they are inseparable.
As the number of identical details and coincidences grows, the
character of the second William becomes less clear and the
spotlight turns to William’s imagination as the possible cause of
such an implausible doppelganger, especially when he mentions
their inseparable relationship. Theirs is a more personal rivalry than
one would expect from a pair of children, and the mix of hatred and
love that they share shows that they are more closely connected
than rivals.
This troublesome relationship is the focus of William’s antics and the outlet of his wits. He plays practical jokes on his double that are sometimes violent. But William’s ploys have limited success in taunting his rival, who, it seems, has no weak spot.
But there is one thing that causes the other William embarrassment he cannot speak louder than a whisper.
William’s double is the only figure to cause William to doubt his
superiority, but the other boy seems more a shadow than areal iiperson. This shadow-ness is further enhanced by the whisper that
the other boy speaks in, and again that whisper suggests perhaps
that the boy only exists in William's mind.
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Page 29

Williams double has also found William's weakness, though how the other boy discovered it is beyond William, because he sees it as a small, petty thing. William is embarrassed about his common last name. The fact that the other William shares it makes him even angrier, and whenever they are confused for each other, or he hears the name repeated, his anger grows. As the rivalry grows more and more severe, it becomes obvious how physically identical the boys are too.
William’s embarrassment for his common surname shows an
egotistical attitude – he wants to be the unique and special. Note
how the rivalry seems to make the other boy more real, more similar.
The rivalry, in someways, seems to be what makes the other boy
exist.
William is worried that the older boys at school are talking about this relationship between the two boys, but there is no evidence to suggest they have noticed anything. It is obvious that the second William has noticed their similarity too William can tell because of how he uses it against him. The other
William's favorite trick is to do an imitation of William,
mimicking perfectly his dress, mannerisms, and, apart from the volume, his tone of voice. This imitation tortures William. The only consolation is that no one else seems to have noticed it.
His double seems to really enjoy the effect he’s having. William does not understand why everyone else is ignoring what’s going on. Maybe, he thinks, it's because the imitation is so focused at him that it escapes others notice.
The doubleness of the two Williams becomes increasingly

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