Poe's Stories brief biography of edgar allan poe
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Short Story By Flannery OConnor
| dominate his parents as a young child foretells future trouble. William recalls his school, in a misty, Gothic village with shadowy avenues and a haunting church bell. He recalls the place with pleasure, but then says it's ridiculous for one so evil to take relief in memories. But because these memories are of such an important time in his development, William decides to indulge. Even William’s most beloved childhood memories are made suspicious and tainted with the Gothic atmosphere that now haunts his thoughts and the guilt that follows him around as a condemned man. The schoolhouse was surrounded by a thick wall. The children were permitted beyond the wall on Saturday and Sunday, when they paraded to church. Young William watches with wonder each time the reverend, who is also the principal of the school, steps up to the pulpit and assumes such a figure of authority. The wall of the school was broken only by an impressive gate and its grounds were extensive and comprised of various nooks. The house itself is similarly winding and large, full of quaint crannies and illogical stories, so that one never felt quite at home. The schoolroom was the largest room in the house and held several enclosures used by the principal and other fellows. Poe creates the architecture of William’s world so that it mirrors the eccentricity and disturbing nature of the events that take place inside. Its winding, uneven and untraditional spaces form dark corners and secret places, adding to the Gothic mood that hangs over William’s childhood. Get hundreds more LitCharts at www.litcharts.com ©2017 LitCharts LLC www.LitCharts.com Page 28 This is where William spent his youth. His youth, he says, didn’t need grand events. Even the monotony of his childhood’s days were more impressive than the crimes and passions of his later eras. He calls himself unusual, in that he remembers vividly even though there is little to remember. The emotions and sensations caused by those tedious daily events have stamped an eternal mark on William’s mind. The vibrancy of William’s childhood goes beyond the ordinary vibrancy of childhood memories, because William’s childhood stands in stark contrast to his adulthood, which we are told is hellish but is craftily kept a mystery by Poe. William’s energetic character sets him apart from his schoolmates and he finds himself able to dominate the playground, with the exception of one boy, who coincidentally has the same first and last name as our narrator. Because this original name is so hateful to him, William’s rival will also be known as William Wilson. This rival rebels from William’s followers and competes with him in everything he does. William’s identity becomes more confused when we are introduced to this double character who, having the same name as William (though William of course has already explained that William Wilson is not his real name) must also be known by the alias William Wilson. The levels of remove from the man telling the story are many at this point, completely blurring the identity of the characters. It's as if William not only has a double in the other boy, but is now a double of himself. Outwardly, William treats this rebellion with bravado, but he is scared of it, fearing that the ease with which his rival equals him signifies the other boy's superiority. Strangely, none of his other friends seem to notice the rivalry. It is almost a private game, and the rival’s efforts mirror William’s so precisely that it seems to be his sole purpose to embarrass him. Sometimes, an affectionate side to the battle can be detected, and William puts this down to a certain protectiveness and almost narcissism of a doppelganger. Download 0.58 Mb. Share with your friends:
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