A summary of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s "The Double"

The story, subtitled "A Petersburg Poem" by the author, was written in 1845 and first published in 1846 in the journal "Otechestvennye Zapiski." Here, Dostoevsky combines everyday satire on the mores of the capital’s bureaucracy with a profound psychological analysis of the spiritual decay of a minor official crushed by social hierarchy. The book was adapted into a well-known film abroad: in 2013, British director Richard Ayoade made the film "The Double," starring Jesse Eisenberg.

Morning preparations and a strange visit to the doctor

Titular Councilor Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin wakes up around eight o’clock in the morning in his apartment on Shestilavochnaya Street. He relishes counting the banknotes hidden in his green wallet — a substantial sum of 750 rubles. Having hired a smart blue carriage for the day and dressed his servant, Petrushka, in a rented livery with gold braid, the official sets out for Nevsky Prospect.

On the way, the hero spots his fellow soldiers and the department chief, Andrei Filippovich. Golyadkin, painfully embarrassed, hides in a corner of the carriage, and mutters to himself that it’s better to pretend he’s a stranger.

Suddenly, the official orders the coachman to turn onto Liteynaya Street to see Dr. Krestyan Ivanovich Rutenshpitz. The doctor advises his patient to change his lifestyle, frequent cheerful company, and not shy away from wine. Golyadkin fumbles, protesting his modesty and disdain for social compliments. Suddenly, he bursts into tears, complaining of secret envy. He recounts rumors that he signed a pledge to marry a German cook, Karolina Ivanovna, to pay off a dinner debt. The conversation ends in mutual misunderstanding, and the official hurries away.

An uninvited guest at the Berendeyevs’ party

Golyadkin spends the rest of the morning bustling about. He sells expensive dinnerware and sets at Gostiny Dvor and furniture stores, promising merchants quick deposits, but in reality only buying perfume and gloves. After a snack at a restaurant, the official drives to the Izmailovsky Bridge for a birthday dinner for Klara Olsufyevna, the daughter of his benefactor, State Councilor Olsufy Ivanovich Berendeyev.

The servants at the entrance categorically refuse the guest’s entry. Golyadkin makes his way to the back staircase and hides among screens and junk, where he spends more than two hours in the cold. When the pantry is empty, he secretly enters the elegant hall.

The official’s appearance causes general confusion. Golyadkin attempts to propose a toast to the birthday girl, but is lost under Andrei Filippovich’s indignant gaze. After the dance, the official rushes to the tired Klara Olsufyevna, grabs her hand, and awkwardly stamps his feet, attempting a polka. The girl screams, and the guests are outraged. The servants push the confused hero into the entryway, pull his overcoat over him, and escort him out into the courtyard.

The appearance of a double on the Fontanka embankment

At precisely midnight, a shaken Golyadkin runs along the Fontanka embankment through a November snowstorm. Having lost his galoshes in the mud, he stops in despair at the railing. Suddenly, the official notices a lone pedestrian, dressed exactly like himself and mincing along with a short, hurried gait.

The companion runs ahead, enters Golyadkin’s house on Shestilavochnaya Street, and easily runs up to the fourth floor. In his own bedroom, the owner finds a stranger sitting on his bed. The stranger turns out to be the official’s exact twin in height, face, voice, and demeanor.

Everyday life and apparent agreement

In the morning, Golyadkin heads to work, hoping to dismiss the night’s events as a figment of his imagination. However, yesterday’s newcomer enters the department. Andrei Filippovich seats the new official at the desk directly across from the hero. The newcomer’s name is Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin. The head clerk, Anton Antonovich Setochkin, and the other employees see nothing strange in this, assuming the newcomer to be a fellow countryman or a namesake.

After the service, Golyadkin Jr. timidly approaches his elder brother on the street. He tearfully recounts his poverty, the intrigues of provincial officials, and asks for his patronage.

A touched Golyadkin Sr. takes his guest to his home. The host treats his namesake to dinner, offers him punch, and shares his professional secrets, inviting them to live together. Golyadkin Jr. writes a touching quatrain, vows eternal friendship, and goes to sleep on chairs.

Betrayal and mockery of an opponent

The next morning, the elder Golyadkin discovers that his guest has vanished without a trace. At the department, the twin behaves brazenly: he intercepts an important document that has been corrected, takes it to the director, and receives a commendation from his superiors.

The elder Golyadkin tries to stop the offender in the hallway. In response, his namesake publicly grabs him by the cheek, flicks his stomach, and mockingly calls him a Russian "Phoblaz." The officials around him burst into laughter.

The disgraced hero returns home and writes a harsh letter to his rival demanding an explanation. He sends his servant, Petrushka, to the department to see Secretary Vakhrameev to deliver the message and obtain the impostor’s address.

Growing Anxiety and a Love Message

Petrushka returns that night, dead drunk. He’s rude to the master and declares that honest men never live in pairs. On Golyadkin’s desk, he finds a letter from Vakhrameyev. The secretary accuses him of inappropriate behavior with Karolina Ivanovna, demands the return of the two rubles for the razors, and openly admires Golyadkin Jr.’s pleasant personality.

At night, the senior official is plagued by nightmares: he dreams of crowds of identical Golyadkins filling all of St. Petersburg. During the day, he unsuccessfully seeks sympathy from the clerks Ostafyev and Pisarenko.

At a restaurant, Golyadkin catches his double eating a dozen pies before his eyes and making his elder brother pay. The namesake mocks him again, wipes his fingers with a handkerchief after shaking hands, and disappears in a drozhky.

Soon, the hero reads a letter supposedly written by Klara Olsufyevna. In it, the young lady calls him a noble sufferer, complains of family oppression, and schedules their escape for two o’clock in the morning, asking for a carriage to be brought to her windows.

Madness and arrest in the Berendeevs’ house

Golyadkin tries to seek protection from his director. He forces his way into the general’s office, loses heart, and stammers out a plea to be saved from the treacherous impostor. The officials present and the general dismiss his words as nonsense and escort him out onto the stairs.

In desperation, the hero hires a carriage and sets off for the Berendeevs’ house. He hides in the courtyard near a pile of firewood, shivering from the cold and damp. Suddenly, movement begins in the windows: the guests notice the official and invite him into the house. Golyadkin Jr. runs into the courtyard and obsequiously drags the elder into the hall.

The entire high society has gathered in the hall. Olsufy Ivanovich shakes his gray head tearfully, while the officials express their sympathy. The authorities bring the two Golyadkins together, suggesting a reconciliation. The younger one kisses the older one with a hypocritical grimace.

Dr. Krestyan Ivanovich Rutenshpitz appears at the door. The doctor takes the patient by the hand and leads him through the hushed crowd to the exit. A double, holding a candle, gallops ahead and helps push the older man into the carriage.

The carriage races through dark, dense forests. The doctor, with a chilling German accent, announces to Golyadkin: "You’re getting government housing, with firewood, a cab, and a servant, which you don’t deserve." The unfortunate official screams, realizing he’s being taken to a mental hospital and there’s no hope of salvation.