| Chunk | Chapters | Pages | What to look out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 – 3 | 27 | Social awkwardness & first hints of doubling |
| 2 | 4 – 6 | 34 | Public humiliation → uncanny first encounter |
| 3 | 7 – 9 | 44 | Ascendant double, foggy reality, rising satire |
| 4 | 10 – 13 | 63 | Identity crisis peaks; satire nears tragedy |
| Lens | Why it matters | Key symbol or motif |
|---|---|---|
| Identity vs self-doubt | Golyadkin’s shifting self-image under social pressure | Mirrors & reflections |
| Bureaucracy & rank | Satire of Tsarist “Table of Ranks” | Official papers & signatures |
| Reality & hallucination | Blurred line between outer events and inner psyche | Night-fogged Petersburg streets |
| Social masquerade | Performative civility hides anxiety | Clothing & carriage rides |
| Name | One-line cue |
|---|---|
| Yakov P. Golyadkin Sr. | Nervous mid-level clerk, desperate for approval |
| Yakov P. Golyadkin Jr. | Charming look-alike who outshines the original |
| Andrey Filippovich | Department chief. Arbiter of office status |
| Olsufy Ivanovich Berendeyev | Well-connected patron hosting key soirée |
| Klara Olsufyevna | Berendeyev’s daughter. Polite society’s focal point |
| Dr Krestyan Ivanovich Rutenspitz | Physician who diagnoses “nerves” |
| Petrushka | Long-suffering servant. Silent witness to decline |
| Chunk | Chapters | Question |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 – 3 | Which early inner monologues foreshadow self-fragmentation? |
| 2 | 4 – 6 | What makes the double’s entrance believable inside Yakov’s mind? |
| 3 | 7 – 9 | How do minor characters reinforce Yakov’s isolation? |
| 4 | 10 – 13 | Which symbol recurs most in the climax? Possible meaning? |