An encounter before going to sleep: the motif of the double in two stories by Octavio Paz

Abstract

The essay analyzes the stories “Antes de dormir” and “Encuentro” by Octavio Paz, with the aim of explaining how the unfolding of the self is represented in both texts. It is proposed that this representation is based on the motif of the double based on the approaches of Otto Rank and Sigmund Freud. In “Antes de dormir”, the splitting of the self is observed in the speech of the narrator-character, without projecting himself into a physical double. In “Encuentro”, the interaction between the self and its physical double is narrated as an ominous experience in Freud's terms: the fear of impersonation and the loss of identity experienced by the narrator-character is represented.