Double take

Instances of duality are prolific in James Hogg’s The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, or simply Memoirs. Duality is so interwoven into the story that it not only appears in the novel, but as part of the novel. It is written in two distinct voices in three sections. The first and third sections are told by simply “the editor”, and though the third includes a letter from James Hogg, the voice doesn’t change. The second section is penned by the hand of the protagonist, Robert and occurs as a journal. The two voices are an important part of the novel, and readers may at some point wonder if the demonic entity Gil-Martin might be the very editor, but the reader will simply have to wonder. The double authorship simply shows how intrinsic duality is to this novel, and thus how deeply ingrained in Scottish identity. Hoggs Memoirs reflects a Scotland bifurcated by both national loyalty and religious fanaticism. The novel’s three separate evil personalities, or doubles, are indicative of the problems facing Scotland in that day: internal conflict, religious fanaticism, and the failure to resolve the past. The first instance of duality seen in the novel is when Gil-Martin imitates Drummond in the lead up to George’s death. The Drummond dual duel allows for Robert’s treachery toward his brother. This image of two Scotsmen fighting serves to remind the reader of the Jacobite wars and how the dissentions between the Scotts lead to their defeat at the hands of the English (Sanky and Szechi 91). Scotland has had a long history of infighting. Clan wars and differences between highland and lowland Scotts kept the inhabitants of the land from rebutting the English invasion. Divisions and distrust between clans kept them from being able to back one leader or one plan, and not until British conquest would the country be united. Fighting between clans had been