Poe's Stories brief biography of edgar allan poe
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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. Get hundreds more LitCharts at www.litcharts.com ©2017 LitCharts LLC www.LitCharts.com 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 Download 0.58 Mb. Share with your friends:
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