Poe's use of doubles in dreams

Poe’s Use of Doubles in Dream States Doublings and feelings of de ja vu exist in life everywhere. Yet when coincidences become too much to believe, one questions if the experience is really happening or if it is a dream. In “The Black Cat” and “William Wilson”, Poe uses doubling to illustrate the dream-like state in which these stories take place. William Wilson’s double is also named William Wilson. The two Wilsons meet …

…Doubling is present in reality every day. Coincidences are usually not completely unbelievable. Yet when they reach into the realm of the uncanny, as Poe’s characters experience, it is difficult to decide what is reality and what is a dream. The use of doubles helps Poe create the feeling that the stories are too unbelievable to be true, yet the detail with which the narrator tells the story makes it difficult to question it.