Throughout literature, there are characters who seem to exist with a polar opposite within or beside them. These are the so-called gothic doubles, a dramatic device that has become a mainstay in much of gothic literature.

These doppelgangers are used to explore humanity’s dual nature—of how we can be good and evil, selfish and selfless, optimists and pessimists.

What Is a Gothic Double?

In Gothic fiction, gothic doubles refer to a pair of characters who are connected in some significant way. They are either extremely similar to each other, or exact opposites.

This “doubling” is most often seen in a literal sense. It’s a physical representation of the division of the self, with two sides representing the good and evil dynamic. As such, this manifests into an evil twin situation, where the protagonist, who is usually the good one, must confront their evil double.

Perhaps the most famous example of this is in Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The kind and respected doctor creates a serum he believes will repress his evil urges. Instead, he begins to transform into Edward Hyde, the physical and mental manifestation of his darker side. Things spiral out of control as Hyde becomes the dominant personality.

In terms of the supernatural, gothic writers often make their monsters the evil side of the pair, though the distinction between them can be blurred. Take a look at Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Van Helsing represents the rational world, believing in modern science and operating through logical thinking. Meanwhile, Dracula is of the irrational world, representing superstitions and acting on primal desires.

And yet, despite being opposites, their personalities converge in some way. Throughout the novel, Dracula can be seen as lonely and misunderstood, much like how Van Helsing stands out as an outsider among the other characters. And in times of action, Van Helsing displays a sinister side that is more attributed to Dracula.

The Function of the Gothic Double

In many of the novels where gothic doubles are used, the replica is so similar to the original that they begin to overlap. Their lives begin to merge and it becomes increasingly difficult to separate the two. In some cases, the replica invades and eventually replaces the original. They flourish under these false lives while the original struggles to prove that they’re the real ones.

The gothic double is often also interchanged with the concept of the doppelganger—a look-alike of a living person believed to be evil or a harbinger of bad luck. This is explored in Edgar Allan Poe’s short story William Wilson, which is about a boy who meets another boy with the same name, birthday, and appearance as him.

As the titular character grows, he dabbles in many sinful acts, such as cheating at cards or seducing a married woman. However, his double always appears and stops his attempts. The way the story is written suggests that the double is his conscience, which flips the doppelganger concept as William takes on the evil role. In the end, William fatally stabs his doppelganger, realizing too late that he has killed a part of himself.

Gothic doubles are used to draw parallels, create conflict, and explore the relationships between two opposing forces. Each opposing force magnifies the other, creating characters that are greater as a pair than when they are alone.

A recurring theme is the symbiosis between these forces and their relation to the human psyche, and how attempts to separate them end up with terrible consequences.

Examples of Gothic Doubles

There are many examples of gothic doubles in literature, with some novels containing more than one. And while they’re most prominent in gothic literature, they also appear in other genres. Below are just a few examples.

1. Heathcliff and Edgar in  Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights

In the novel, Heathcliff and Edgar are both vying for the affection of Catherine Earnshaw. They’re polar opposites, with the former wild and passionate and the latter, sophisticated and cautious.

The only thing they share is their love for Catherine, though their way of showing it is very different. In the end, Catherine chooses Edgar because of his higher social status, which ends up in disaster for everyone involved.

2. Golyadkin Sr. and Golyadkin Jr. in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s The Double 

Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin is a low-level bureaucrat struggling to succeed. After being kicked out of a party, he encounters a man (Goldyadkin Jr.) who looks exactly like him.

The two become friends, but Goldyadkin Jr. slowly tries to take over Sr.’s life. And because his social skills are better, he’s more well-liked by Sr.’s office colleagues. The story ends with Goldyadkin Sr. hallucinating multiple versions of himself and being locked into an asylum.

3. Dorian Grey and his Portrait in Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray concludes that beauty is the only worthwhile thing to pursue in life and wishes that his portrait would age instead of himself. Granted eternal youth and beauty, he pursues a life of extreme hedonism.

Meanwhile, his portrait continues to age and decay based on his amoral exploits, becoming so hideous that the painter can only identify it by his signature. In the end, Dorian stabs the painting, killing himself. The servants find an old, withered man, and the portrait is restored to its original beauty.

4. Frankenstein and the Creature in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

As creator and the created, Frankenstein and his creature are intertwined by fate. Both are incredibly lonely people; Frankenstein is alienated by his zealous pursuit of science, the creature by its physical appearance. The only people who know them well are each other, thus leading to a mutual and destructive obsession.

Both also lead opposite lives. While Frankenstein enjoyed a happy childhood, the creature’s is filled with anguish. Throughout the novel, Frankenstein becomes increasingly irrational while the opposite is true for the creature. And finally, the creature yearns to enter society, while Frankenstein rejects it.

5. Thad Beaumont and George Stark in Stephen King’s The Dark Half

Thad Beaumont, an unsuccessful writer of cerebral fiction, begins writing highly successful crime novels under the pen name George Stark. When his identity is found out, he and his wife hold a mock burial for his alter ego—who promptly rises from the grave in physical form and goes on a killing spree.

It’s unclear whether Stark is the malevolent spirit of his parasitic twin absorbed in utero or Beaumont manifesting an alternate personality. What’s clear though is that he represents Beaumont’s darker side, with him admitting that a part of him liked Stark.

Gothic Doubles in Modern Fiction

While doubling and the doppelganger started out with gothic fiction’s fascination with the human psyche, the concept has since expanded to other genres in its literal, metaphorical, and supernatural sense.

Science fiction has aliens taking over and masquerading as humans. In The Thing, researchers encounter a hostile lifeform that can assimilate and imitate other organisms. Its mimicry eats into the group’s mental state, making them more paranoid and desperate, essentially bringing out their darker sides.

Superhero fiction has partnerships between a normal person and a being of otherworldly or extraterrestrial origin. Venom, with its same visual motif and powers as Spider-man, is regarded by many as the dark reflection of the hero. And while being bonded to Peter Parker, the symbiote’s nefarious nature and Parker’s own sense of justice often collide.

Fantasy has the evil counterpart of the hero. In The Magicians, many parallels are drawn between Quentin Coldwater and the Beast. Both are talented magicians, used Fillory as an escape from their miserably mundane lives, and caused their friends and family a lot of trouble because of their obsessions.

Even crime fiction has its version of the gothic double. It’s mostly seen in the young, firebrand cop and his older, more calculated partner (like in Se7en).

The main goal is to juxtapose characters to better illustrate their strengths and failings. This creates characters with more complete characterization, which ultimately leads to a stronger narrative.

Did you enjoy reading this post? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

 

If you enjoyed this post, then you might also like:

• Exploring Gothic Horror: A Brief History and Examples
• The Shaggy Dog Story: Subverting the Punchline
• The Frame Story: Why Writers Write Stories Within Stories
• The Idiot Plot: Why Characters Often Make Dumb Decisions