About the author
Prior to being
involved in English Language Teaching (ELT) , author David A.Hill was a
primary school teacher in the United Kingdom and has worked in Italy and
Serbia, teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Among the ELT
areas he is interested in are the teaching of young learners and
teenagers, materials development , literature in language teaching and
teacher training. David also writes,publishes and translates peotry.
He has written two
novels for learners of English published by Cambidge University Press
and they are A Matter of Chance (1999) and How I Met Myself (2006).
Since 1998,David
A.Hill has been a freelance consultant for the International Association
of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language (IATEFL). The job requires
him to work with students,teachers,ministries and the British Council
worldwide.he is currently the Coordinator of the Literature ,Media and
Cultural Studies Special Interest Group (SIG) of the IATEFL and works
out of Budapest , Hungary.This influenced the setting of the novel How I
Met Myself, where the story takes place in Budapest,Hungary.
Synopsis
This story is about a man who met his doppelganger; a ghostly double of a living person.
John Taylor was an
English computer programmer who worked in Budapest,Hungary, and lived
there with his wife, Andrea, and daughter,Kati.He was walking home from
work one day when he bumped into his doppelganger.John believed the
doppelganger had come to give him a message.
John did some research
and found that a man, with a name similar to his, had lived in that
area many years ago along with a wife and daughter – whose names were
also Andrea and Kati.The person's wife and daughter were killed in a
tragedy.The timely warning from John's doppelganger saved John's wife
and daughter from a similar fate.
Setting
Time:-
This story is set in the modern are.However,reference are made to events that had happened during World War II in 1945
Place:-
This story takes place
in Budapest,Hungary.The places frequently mentioned are John and
Andrea's flat, the address 7 Felka utca and a cafe at Gergely utca.Other
places mentioned are John's office, the Budapest City Library, the
Public Records Office,the Hungarian countryside and John's parent's home
in a village near Swindon,England.
Plot
Exposition:-
John was walking home
from work one everning when someone ran into him,causing him to fall
into the snow on the ground.When John looked up, he saw that the person
looked exactly like him.John felt very afraid.He decided to follow the
person but was unable to track him down as he seemed to have
disappeared.John also realised that the person did not leave any
footprint in the snow.He did not know what to do.
Rising Action :-
John began having
dreams about that evening.This resulted in him losing concentration at
work, staying out late and having arguments with his wife,
Andrea.Finally, John decided to tell Andrea about the incident. At
farst, she was supportive. However, once their daughter ,Kati, was born,
Andrea was constantly angry at him for paying more attention to his
doppelganger than to his family.John had no choice but to find out more
about his doppelganger on his own.
John discovered that
not only did he look like his doppelganger, they also shared the same
name.Even the names of their wives and children were the same. John felt
uncomfortable with these similarities, especially when he learnt that
his doppelganger's wife and child were killed in a cellar that was
destroyed during the war.
Climax:-
A similar incident
that had happened to the doppelganger and his family years ago occurred
exactly on the same date. When John heard a very loud noise that sounded
like an explosion, he realised that Andrea and Kati were at the same
cafe where his doppelganger's wife and daughter were killed.He rushed
over and saw that the place had been destroyed again.
Falling Action :-
John tried to get into
the ruins of the destroyed cafe to find and rescue his wife and
daughter but a fireman prevented him from going in.The place was full of
gas and was too dangerous.John was told to go home as there was nothing
else he could do to help.He was heartbroken.He realised that he should
have paid more attention to the message his doppelganger was trying to
tell him.
Resolution:-
As was
walking home, he saw his doppelganger again.His doppelganger pointed to
two figures at a distance.John was overjoyed to see that his wife and
daughter were alive!Andrea told John that his doppelganger had saved
them by preventing them from entering the cafe.
Themes
Determination:-
When John first met
his doppelganger, he was very afraid . He did not know whether what he
had seen was real or he was imagining things.However,when John became
convinced of the doppelganger's existence, he became determined and
persevered to solve the mysteries of the doppelganger.
Even
though Andrea did not support John and thought he needed to see a
doctor, John did not give up. He knew his doppelganger had appeared for a
reason and was trying to tell him something. He was focused and
determined to do all he could to find out what the message was about.
Fear of the unknown :-
From the moment John
first saw the doppelganger, his life changes and he lived in fear.He was
afraid because he could not understand what was happening to him and
his thoughts were constantly on the doppelganger.At work,his performance
suffered as he forgot important things that he should have remembered.
Furthermore, his fear took a turn for the worse when he started having
nightmares about the doppelganger. He began to feel terrified and so did
Andrea. This fear of the unknown caused a strain in their relationship
and their marriage suffered.
Being open-minded
John was open-minded.
This encouraged him to search and gather information from various
sources to solve the mystery of his ghostly encounter with someone who
looked like him.It was this attitude that forms the basis of the
story.When John first met his doppelganger, he did not feel that it was
just an illusion.His willingness to accept new ideas and information
provided him with the knowledge that doppelgangers do exist and that
they appear to forewarn people of danger.
Moral values
Persistance:-
We should always be
persistent in our endeavours and not give up whenever we face obtacles.
It is only with persistence that we can achieve what we want.
John was an extremely
persistent person.No matter what obtacles stood in his way or what
difficulties he faced in his marriage , he never gave up trying to find
out more about his doppelganger. He did a lot of research and questioned
several people to get the information he needed. In the end, his
persistence paid off and he found out a lot about his doppelganger.
Family support and trust :-
It is very important that members in a family support and trust one another, especially in times of trouble.
If Andrea had
supported and trusted John wholeheartedly, she would have co-operated
with John and this might have prevented Andrea and Kati from getting
into danger.
Thinking outside the box:-
A person must be able
and willing to think beyond their usual ways and look at things from
different perspectives.This would enable them to find answers or
solutions.
John took every
opportunity to question and find out why the doppelganger
appeared.Finally, he managed to solve the mystery because he was willing
to think outside the box.
Characters
Main characters:-
John Taylor:-
*An English computer programmer
*34 years old,
*nearly two metres tall\
*Light brown hair with a moustache
*Working in a multinational company in Bristol
*Sent by company to head a young Hungarian team at Budapest office, Hungary
*Met Andrea, a pretty teacher and married with her 18 months later.
*Met his doppelgänger - initially had difficulty understanding the phenomenon
*Feared for wife and daughter but finally relieved they were safe.
Andrea Taylor :-
*John’s wife and a teacher of Hungarian
* Pretty with dark brown hair, blue eyes and a beautiful smile.
*Taught John and fell in love before getting married 18 months later.
*Did not understand
John’s problem – feels John too obsessed with thephenomenon - eventually
understand message of doppelgänger – grateful
Minor character:-
Kati Taylor :-
*John and Andrea’s cute baby daughter,
*born on 16 th September
*born on 16 th September
*Saw John’s doppelgänger at Zsolt’s bar
*Recognised and told Andrea it was not John who was blocking their way to the cellar bar.
