The narrator reminds us of the awkward shape of the school building and all its nooks and crannies. Some of these little alcoves were turned into dormitories, and this is where
William’s double lives.
One night, William gets up when everyone is asleep – he has been plotting a practical joke that will make his double aware of his hatred. He enters the tiny room and when he is sure that his double is asleep, he brings his lamp in and draws back the curtains that surround the boy’s bed. But as the light hits the boy’s face, the narrator cannot believe his eyes. He had always been a perfect replica but now he doesn’t recognize his own double Terrified, William hurries from the closet and leaves the schoolhouse, never to return again.
The facets of the rival William’s character that differ from thenarrator’s character are interesting to collect. The whispering voiceis one example, and here’s another, the fact that the rival Williamsleeps in a closet instead of a normal bedroom, as if he has beenhidden away. Poe cleverly uses our expectations for more and moredoppelganger details and surprises us with the even more horribleidea of finding one’s doppelganger transformed. And William's ownhorror suggests, even as he hates his doppelganger, how much hehas come to rely on it being his doppelganger.After a few months, William starts studying at Eton instead and the strength of the horrible memory fades – he now remembers that night as if remembering a hallucination rather than areal occurrence. And his life at Eton, filled with folly and thoughtless games, promotes his unserious view of life. While at Eton, he passes
years of careless misery, and develops bad habits. One night, he invites some peers to drink with him and their revelry is unbridled, and reaches its peak as the sun begins to rise.
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