The Doppelganger and the Parallel Universe

 

doppelganger - noun - double of a living person (Google).

The other day as I was reading Amor Towles's recent release Lincoln Highway, I was reminded of a term that I haven't heard in a while: doppelganger. The professorial character of Abacus suggests that Ulysses, a heroic presence whose aim is to locate his missing wife and son after he (Ulysses) returns from military service in World War II, is the realization of Homer's fictive character in the epic adventure The Odyssey and ergo, his doppelganger. Abacus's epiphany is perhaps the most intelligent moment in a novel that is otherwise mediocre YA posing as adult fiction. The idea of an alter ego also arises in Mary Shelley's classic 19th century Frankenstein as the creature inhabits many qualities of his creator, Victor Frankenstein. (If you haven't read either tome, choose Shelley's over Towles's if you are looking to read something that is truly well written.)

There are a few people out there who feel as though somewhere in the world or universe, they have a doppelganger, someone who is their body double. I, personally, haven't gone this distance. I have a hard enough time dealing with myself as a sole entity as it is. Knowing that I have a twin running around out there would cause me additional stress. Of course, I jest. 

What may be even harder to imagine is a parallel universe of doppelgangers who are living our lives elsewhere in another galaxy. To tell you the truth, I have an easier time picturing a parallel universe here on Earth. Although I cannot fathom the possibility of another New Jersey somewhere else on the planet, there are days when the weather here matches the weather in L.A. although it is not supposed to. For example, on Christmas, it was 55 degrees and raining in both places. Maybe climate change will cause more of these meteorological anomalies to appear more often? Who knows? Stay tuned.

The point, at least I think so, is that originality is not commonplace. If it were, we would not prize it as much as we do. The truth is, we might have met someone very similar to ourselves already: a soulmate, the near doppelganger (and perhaps didn't especially care for the person), or have been to a place that gave us strong feelings of deja vu. When in that situation, we might wonder if it is possible that we are reliving a past life in the present. Now that's a whole other nut to crack. Maybe next time...:)

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