Dostoevsky’s The Double follows Golyadkin, a man of low rank in 1800s Petersberg, who deteriorates socially and mentally in a dishonest, self centered mindset, particularly when his double comes on scene and meddles with his life. This double appears to be a figment of his imagination at first and at other times a new coworker who he believes to be his double. Eventually Golyadkin “comes to his senses” and seeks to repent like that of the prodigal’s son, but is denied this love and is instead cast out and endures the passion.

The Struggle

A few things appear to lead Goliadkin to struggle and disintegrate. We learn he is socially isolated and dishonest about himself -- to both others and to himself. While he is dealt a tough hand, Goliadkin never takes responsibility for any of his blunders and blames destiny instead. He is also hyper focussed on others’ conception of him. This latter point raises an image worth mentioning: if our conception of ourselves is relational, how different it is / would be to have one’s fundamental understanding of one’s self as in relation to God instead of just in relation to man.

At the risk of over speculating, it seems that Dostoevsky may have endured parallel struggles and experiences.

Dostoevsky was sent to an engineering school in Petersberg. He didn’t enjoy it or felt like he fit in. It was one big machine -- all cogs, heady and shallow, no humanity, highly bureaucratic, focussed on appearance, and metal. He retreated into himself.

Additionally, later in life after a very successful first book, he becomes prideful and his literary friends shun him and make comedies of him. In this time and around the time of the writing of The Double, he writes a letter to his brother and laments a disconnect between how he feels and how he acts. That his nerves do not obey him. And because of this he is “laughable and disgusting” and “because of that [he] suffer[s] constantly from an unfair conclusion about [himself]”.

Dostoevsky is writing of himself. He wrestles with the chasm that is between his true intentions / feelings and his outward appearance / actions. This is something I sure have experienced at times and is worth thinking on.

Attempt of redemption

5/6ths of the way through the novella Goliadkin finds himself in a horrid place -- even his servant has left him. He’s deeply in his head, “reasoning in despair”. And then we get direct lines and plot out of the prodigals son:

“Suddenly coming to his senses” he noticed where he was -- the weather, the place -- a place of “universal death”. He cries out “Oh, Lord God!” He goes toward where there looks to be a carriage, pondering a journey. “No, here’s what I’ll do: I’ll go, fall at his feet, if I can, I’ll humbly beg. I’ll say thus and so; into your hands I put my fate, into the hands of my superiors'; say, Your Excellency, be a benefactor …. do not destroy me, I take you as a father, do not abandon me … save my pride, my honor, my name… save me from a villain, a depraved man; he’s separate and I’m also my own man … I entrust myself to you.”

When he goes to do this, he is met by the guards at the door, and only eventually finds a way in. While he isn’t completely turned away by “Your Excellency”, he is misunderstood and no where near embraced as was the prodigals son in the biblical passage.

This structure indicates the following: that Goliadkin fell as the prodigals son did in a narcissistic dissent that left him in a disintegrated life and in deep despair. And when he repents in humility, and seeks forgiveness and love, he is misunderstood and rejected.

Then, seemingly out of the blue, Goliadkin encourages the hired carriage man to look for a “good man”, and provides a stark, out of place definition of one. Goliadkin states, “they’ll wash you, feed you, and give you a drink.”

In the final pages, there is a second great biblical parallel, this time to the passion of Christ. He spends a period of time next to the wood stack. Not long later he carries a great weight on his shoulders as the crowd presses in on him. His double, Goliadkin Jr., gives him a ringing, treacherous kiss, named specifically as “Judas’ kiss”. An unknown figure enters with a cross around his neck and takes him away. And as he’s led away, his heart aches and he gasps for air.

This novella does not finish in a happy ending. But it does provide a rather beautiful, though flawed, model of the prodigals son. It urges us to reject self-centeredness, dishonesty, and neglectfulness of our responsibilities. It urges us to instead embrace the moments when we come to our senses and embrace the humbling journey home. To go to God in these moments instead of anything less. And to embrace the friend, the child, the stranger who comes to us in need with the mercy and understanding that knows no limits -- that same mercy God has given to us.