The Overcoat

“And so, in a certain department there was a certain clerk, a clerk of whom it cannot be said that he was very remarkable; he was short, somewhat pock-marked, with rather reddish hair and rather dim, bleary eyes, with a small bald patch on top of his head, with wrinkles on both sides of his cheeks and the sort of complexion which is usually described as hemorrhoidal.”

These expository details set the scene for the reader to understand the mundanity as well as the unassuming nature of the protagonist, Akaky Akakievich. The hyperbolic drabness of Akaky Akakievich’s life, reflected in his appearance, is the backdrop against which his unusually good-liking and well-made coat stands out.

“The baby was christened and cried and made sour faces throughout the ceremony, as though he foresaw that he would be a titular councilor.”

Gogol utilizes humor to lighten the tone of “The Overcoat,” allowing what could be a sorrowful story to read sometimes like a comedy. This playful mood also counterbalances a sense of inexorable fate for the protagonist.

“No one was able to remember when and how long ago he entered the department, nor who gave him the job. Regardless of how many directors or higher officials came and went, he was always seen in the same place, in the same position, at the very same duty, precisely the same copying clerk, so they used to declare that he must have been born a copying clerk, uniform, bald patch, and all.”

Hyperbole, or exaggeration, is used to comedic effect in “The Overcoat.” It also highlights how much Akaky Akakievich is defined by his job, making him the perfect representative through which to critique bureaucracy as a whole.

“There is in Petersburg a mighty foe of all who receive a salary of about four hundred rubles.”

This phrasing has the feel of an adage. The “foe” to which Gogol refers is the weather. The fact that Akaky Akakievich cannot afford a new overcoat, despite quite literally living for his work, is a central irony of the story.

“I must note that Akaky Akakievich’s overcoat had also served as the butt of the jokes for the clerks. It had even been deprived of the honorable name of ‘overcoat’ and referred to as a dressing gown.”

“The Overcoat” features a somewhat mysterious omniscient narrator who speaks in the first person and seems to know every detail of what happens in Akaky Akakievich’s office. The reader never finds out who is telling this story, heightening both the absurd and supernatural feeling of the tale. The story is a skaz (a written work that mimics a spontaneous folktale), and the narration uses elements of oral communication like recanting a statement and searching for the right word.

“The door was open, because Petrovich’s wife was frying some fish and had so filled the kitchen with smoke that you could not even see the cockroaches.”

Gogol employs unexpected moments of humor and sarcasm throughout “The Overcoat.” These passages lighten the mood of the story and add interest, yet they also introduce moral ambiguity. The central events of the story focus on cruelty and injustice—which are not typically laughing matters.

“It must be noticed that Akaky Akakievich for the most part explained himself by apologies, vague phrases, and meaningless parts of speech which have absolutely no significance whatsoever.”

This description of Akaky Akakievich’s speech patterns characterizes him further as ineffective and impotent. Furthermore, it serves to foreshadow his inability to stand up for himself in front of the Person of Consequence. It makes his vengeance as a corpse especially notable, as it is a reversal of his previous inadequacies and vague speech.

“Then Akaky Akakievich saw that there was no escape from a new overcoat and he was utterly depressed.”

Akaky Akakievich’s “no escape” takes on a double meaning when we consider his demise. This comedic phrasing foreshadows Akakievich’s death, which is tied to the theme of fate. It also further characterizes him by highlighting his weaknesses, as he is tied to whatever his tailor Petrovich decides is the best course of action.

“He even became quite accustomed to being hungry in the evening; on the other hand, he had spiritual nourishment, for he carried ever in his thoughts the idea of his future overcoat. His whole existence became fuller, as if he had married, as though some other person were present with him, as though he were no longer alone but some agreeable companion had consented to walk the path of life hand in hand with him, and that companion was none other than the new overcoat with its thick padding and its strong, durable lining.”

This hyperbole allows Gogol to critique materialism and the role it plays in the characters’ lives. Akaky Akakievich is so nourished by the idea of this material object that it provides him both spiritual and physical sustenance: He feels as if he is married, and he can forgo food.

“Soon the deserted streets, which are not very cheerful by day and even less so in the evening, stretched out before him.”

Gogol’s writing takes on a foreboding tone as Akakievich walks down empty streets late at night with what the reader knows is most precious to him: his new overcoat. This obvious foreshadowing alerts the reader to the upcoming theft.

“What precisely was the nature of the functions of the Person of Consequence has remained a matter of uncertainty.”

Like the Department, the Person of Consequence remains a mystery. This allows Gogol to lampoon bureaucracy as a whole. Likewise, the Person of Consequence can stand in for any person who believes themself to be better than others and acts that way. The impersonality of the Department and the Person of Consequence reflect the impersonality of bureaucracies and their ability to harm disadvantaged people without consequence.

“In an instant it had blown a quinsy into his throat, and when he got home he was not able to utter a word; he went to bed with a swollen face and throat. That’s how violent the effects of an appropriate reprimand can be!”

This passage highlights the ridiculous nature of Akaky Akakievich’s situation. His overcoat is his most valued possession both because of the warmth it provides and the aspirations it symbolizes. And yet, when it is stolen, he cannot bring himself to challenge the reprimand by the Person of Consequence. While its tone is humorous and lighthearted, the chill that he catches leads to his death the next day.

“Rumors were suddenly floating around St. Petersburg that in the neighborhood of the Kalinkin Bridge and for a little distance beyond, a corpse had begun appearing at night in the form of a clerk looking for a stolen overcoat, and stripping from the shoulders of all passers-by, regardless of grade or calling, overcoats of all descriptions.”

“The Overcoat” is a satire that uses elements of the supernatural. While many people consider “The Overcoat” to be a seminal work of Russian realism, as it examines the mundane habits of an everyday clerk, it also contains elements of the macabre and grotesque that reflect the Romantic movement in European literature, such as the appearance of Akakievich’s corpse.