Two of Dostoyevski's shorter works
I'm glad that I'm not the only person that found this book hard to follow at times, but since it is a collection of thoughts from a man who is trapped in his own feelings of self-worthlessness it is understandable. Dostoyevsky is a writer that one needs to be able to focus on to be able to read and understand clearly, if it is possible to clearly understand much of his writings. It is not to say that he is not fpr he seems to be able to catch the essence of the human condition, particularly being a Russian living in the 19th century who spent time in the Russian Gulags. The critics say that there is a distinct difference between Dostoyevsky's writings from before his time in the Gulag and afterwards. These two stories do capture that.
However, The Double, which is the second story in this collection is about a man who is haunted by a younger double. I guess it is something that we all face as we grow up and begin to see the younger go getters beginning to take the kudos that we have been so used to receiving for so long. However, one needs to be able to balance the energy and drive of the youth with their lack of experience. While knowledge may be one thing, experience is something that adds to one's self-worth.
