I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been thinking a little about doubles lately, mostly because two other novels I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m currently reading make good use of them. Ned and Paul are the most likely suspects in the Glass Key to be doubles, though there may be some argument for Opal and Janet. Paul is, as much as the reader can see through this narrowly focused novel, one of the characters most deeply involved in the crime world. While the reader sees Ned\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actions in the light of a noble motive \u00e2\u20ac\u201c finding Henry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s killer \u00e2\u20ac\u201c Paul\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s leadership in the crime world, and Ned\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s importance to Paul mirrors how deeply Ned is involved in crime. As this novel is also about the mystery of identity, we can use what we know of Paul to re-read what we know of Ned to shed more light on Ned\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s character. Likewise, if we are going to read Paul as an extreme expression of Ned\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s traits, both positive and negative, more light is shed on Ned\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s relations with Janet. Paul states several times that he is violently, passionately in love with Janet. While the read never sees any actions confirming this statement, Ned action\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s, coupled with Paul\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s statements, would surely seem to denote love, or at the very least, a deep affection. While in this case the two men each display a symptom of love, their respective reactions are typical of their characters. Ned is more taciturn, and Paul speaks his mind without fearing consequences. I wish I could come up with a bit of a better argument of why these two ought to be seen as doubles, rather than simply listing the convenience of reading them as such, but I need a bit more time to think about it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been thinking a little about doubles lately, mostly because two other novels I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m currently reading make good use of them. Ned and Paul are the most likely suspects in the Glass Key to be doubles, though there may be … Continue reading