The ideological content of the story overcoat. Analysis of Gogol's "The Overcoat"

Can one small work revolutionize literature? Yes, Russian literature knows such a precedent. This is a story by N.V. Gogol's "The Overcoat". The work was very popular among contemporaries, caused a lot of controversy, and the Gogolian direction developed among Russian writers until the mid-20th century. What is this great book? About this in our article.

The book is part of a series of works written in the 1830s-1840s. and united by a common name - “Petersburg Tales”. The story of Gogol's "The Overcoat" goes back to an anecdote about a poor official who had a great passion for hunting. Despite the small salary, the ardent fan set himself a goal: at all costs to buy a Lepage gun, one of the best at that time. The official denied himself everything in order to save money, and finally he bought the coveted trophy and went to the Gulf of Finland to shoot birds.

The hunter set sail in the boat, was about to take aim, but did not find a gun. It probably fell out of the boat, but how remains a mystery. The hero of the story himself admitted that he was in a kind of oblivion when he anticipated the treasured prey. Returning home, he fell ill with a fever. Fortunately, everything ended well. The sick official was saved by his colleagues who bought him a new gun of the same type. This story inspired the author to create the story “The Overcoat”.

Genre and direction

N.V. Gogol is one of the most prominent representatives of critical realism in Russian literature. With his prose, the writer sets a special direction, sarcastically called “Natural School” by the critic F. Bulgarin. This literary vector is characterized by an appeal to acute social themes relating to poverty, morality, and class relations. Here the image of the “little man”, which became traditional for writers of the 19th century, is actively being developed.

A narrower direction characteristic of “Petersburg Tales” is fantastic realism. This technique allows the author to influence the reader in the most effective and original way. It is expressed in a mixture of fiction and reality: the real in the story “The Overcoat” is the social problems of Tsarist Russia (poverty, crime, inequality), and the fantastic is the ghost of Akaki Akakievich, who robs passers-by. Dostoevsky, Bulgakov and many other followers of this trend turned to the mystical principle.

The genre of the story allows Gogol to succinctly, but quite clearly, illuminate several plot lines, identify many current social themes, and even include the motif of the supernatural in his work.

Composition

The composition of “The Overcoat” is linear; an introduction and an epilogue can be designated.

1. The story begins with a kind of writer's discussion about the city, which is an integral part of all “Petersburg Tales”. This is followed by a biography of the main character, which is typical for the authors of the “natural school”. It was believed that these data help to better reveal the image and explain the motivation for certain actions.
2. Exposition - a description of the situation and position of the hero.
3. The plot occurs at the moment when Akaki Akakievich decides to acquire a new overcoat; this intention continues to move the plot until the climax - a happy acquisition.
4. The second part is devoted to the search for the overcoat and the exposure of senior officials.
5. The epilogue, where the ghost appears, brings this part full circle: first the thieves go after Bashmachkin, then the policeman goes after the ghost. Or maybe behind a thief?

About what?

One poor official Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, due to severe frosts, finally dares to buy himself a new overcoat. The hero denies himself everything, skimps on food, tries to walk more carefully on the pavement so as not to change his soles again. By the required time, he manages to accumulate the required amount, and soon the desired overcoat is ready.

But the joy of possession does not last long: that same evening, when Bashmachkin was returning home after a festive dinner, robbers took the object of his happiness from the poor official. The hero is trying to fight for his overcoat, he goes through several levels: from a private person to a significant person, but no one cares about his loss, no one is going to look for the robbers. After a visit to the general, who turned out to be a rude and arrogant man, Akaki Akakievich came down with a fever and soon died.

But the story "takes on a fantastic ending." The spirit of Akaki Akakievich wanders around St. Petersburg, who wants to take revenge on his offenders, and, mainly, he is looking for a significant person. One evening, the ghost catches the arrogant general and takes away his overcoat, which is where he calms down.

The main characters and their characteristics

• The main character of the story is Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. From the moment of birth it was clear that a difficult, unhappy life awaited him. The midwife predicted this, and the baby himself, when born, “cried and made such a grimace, as if he had a presentiment that there would be a titular councilor.” This is the so-called “little man,” but his character is contradictory and goes through certain stages of development.
• Overcoat image works to reveal the potential of this, at first glance, modest character. A new thing dear to the heart makes the hero obsessed, as if an idol controls him. The little official shows such persistence and activity that he never showed during his life, and after death he completely decides to take revenge and keeps St. Petersburg at bay.
• The role of the overcoat in Gogol's story it is difficult to overestimate. Her image develops in parallel with the main character: the holey overcoat is a modest person, the new one is the proactive and happy Bashmachkin, the general’s is an omnipotent spirit, terrifying.
• Image of St. Petersburg in the story it is presented completely differently. This is not a lush capital with elegant carriages and flowery front doors, but a cruel city, with its fierce winter, unhealthy climate, dirty staircases and dark alleys.

Themes

• The life of a little man is the main theme of the story “The Overcoat”, so it is presented quite vividly. Bashmachkin does not have a strong character or special talents; higher-ranking officials allow themselves to manipulate him, ignore him, or scold him. And the poor hero only wants to regain what belongs to him by right, but significant persons and the big world have no time for the problems of a little man.
• The contrast between the real and the fantastic allows us to show the versatility of Bashmachkin’s image. In the harsh reality, he will never reach the selfish and cruel hearts of those in power, but by becoming a powerful spirit, he can at least take revenge for his offense.
• The running theme of the story is immorality. People are valued not for their skill, but for their rank, a significant person is by no means an exemplary family man, he is cold towards his children and seeks entertainment on the side. He allows himself to be an arrogant tyrant, forcing those of lower rank to grovel.
• The satirical nature of the story and the absurdity of the situations allow Gogol to most expressively point out social vices. For example, no one is going to look for the missing overcoat, but there is a decree to catch the ghost. This is how the author exposes the inactivity of the St. Petersburg police.

Issues

The problems of the story “The Overcoat” are very broad. Here Gogol raises questions concerning both society and the inner world of man.

• The main problem of the story is humanism, or rather, the lack of it. All the heroes of the story are cowardly and selfish, they are incapable of empathy. Even Akaki Akakievich does not have any spiritual goal in life, does not strive to read or be interested in art. He is driven only by the material component of existence. Bashmachkin does not recognize himself as a victim in the Christian sense. He has fully adapted to his miserable existence, the character does not know forgiveness and is only capable of revenge. The hero cannot even find peace after death until he fulfills his base plan.
• Indifference. Colleagues are indifferent to Bashmachkin’s grief, and a significant person is trying by all means known to him to drown out any manifestations of humanity in himself.
• The problem of poverty is touched upon by Gogol. A person who performs his duties approximately and diligently does not have the opportunity to update his wardrobe as needed, while careless flatterers and dandies are successfully promoted, have luxurious dinners and arrange evenings.
• The problem of social inequality is highlighted in the story. The general treats the titular councilor like a flea that he can crush. Bashmachkin becomes shy in front of him, loses the ability to speak, and a significant person, not wanting to lose his appearance in the eyes of his colleagues, humiliates the poor petitioner in every possible way. Thus, he shows his power and superiority.

What is the meaning of the story?

The idea of ​​Gogol’s “The Overcoat” is to point out acute social problems relevant in Imperial Russia. Using the fantastic component, the author shows the hopelessness of the situation: the little man is weak in front of the powers that be, they will never respond to his request, and they will even kick him out of his office. Gogol, of course, does not approve of revenge, but in the story “The Overcoat” it is the only way to reach the stony hearts of high-ranking officials. It seems to them that only the spirit is above them, and they will agree to listen only to those who are superior to them. Having become a ghost, Bashmachkin takes precisely this necessary position, so he manages to influence arrogant tyrants. This is the main idea of ​​the work.

The meaning of Gogol’s “The Overcoat” is the search for justice, but the situation seems hopeless, because justice is possible only by turning to the supernatural.

What does it teach?

Gogol’s “The Overcoat” was written almost two centuries ago, but remains relevant to this day. The author makes you think not only about social inequality and the problem of poverty, but also about your own spiritual qualities. The story “The Overcoat” teaches empathy; the writer encourages not to turn away from a person who is in a difficult situation and asks for help.

To achieve his author's goals, Gogol changes the ending of the original anecdote, which became the basis for the work. If in that story the colleagues collected enough money to buy a new gun, then Bashmachkin’s colleagues did practically nothing to help their comrade in trouble. He himself died fighting for his rights.

Criticism

In Russian literature, the story “The Overcoat” played a huge role: thanks to this work, a whole movement arose - the “natural school”. This work became a symbol of new art, and confirmation of this was the magazine “Physiology of St. Petersburg”, where many young writers came up with their own versions of the image of a poor official.

Critics recognized Gogol's mastery, and "The Overcoat" was considered a worthy work, but the controversy was mainly conducted around the Gogol direction, opened precisely by this story. For example, V.G. Belinsky called the book “one of Gogol’s deepest creations,” but considered the “natural school” a direction without prospects, and K. Aksakov denied Dostoevsky (who also started with the “natural school”), the author of “Poor People,” the title of artist.

Not only Russian critics were aware of the role of “The Overcoat” in literature. The French reviewer E. Vogüe made the famous statement “We all came out of Gogol’s overcoat.” In 1885, he wrote an article about Dostoevsky, where he spoke about the origins of the writer’s work.

Later, Chernyshevsky accused Gogol of excessive sentimentality and deliberate pity for Bashmachkin. Apollo Grigoriev, in his criticism, contrasted Gogol's method of satirical depiction of reality with true art.

The story made a great impression not only on the writer’s contemporaries. V. Nabokov, in his article “The Apotheosis of the Mask,” analyzes Gogol’s creative method, its features, advantages and disadvantages. Nabokov believes that “The Overcoat” was created for “a reader with a creative imagination,” and for the most complete understanding of the work, it is necessary to get acquainted with it in the original language, because Gogol’s work “is a phenomenon of language, not ideas.”

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He became the most mysterious Russian writer. In this article we will look at the analysis of the story “The Overcoat” by Nikolai Gogol, trying to penetrate into the subtle intricacies of the plot, and Gogol is a master at building such plots. Don't forget that you can also read a summary of the story "The Overcoat".

The story "The Overcoat" is a story about one "little man" named Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. He served as the simplest copyist in an unremarkable county town, in the office. However, the reader can think about what the meaning of a person’s life might be, and a thoughtful approach cannot be done here, which is why we are analyzing the story “The Overcoat.”

The main character of "The Overcoat"

So, the main character Akakiy Bashmachkin was a “little man.” This concept is widely used in Russian literature. However, what attracts more attention is his character, way of life, values ​​and attitude. He doesn't need anything. He looks distantly at what is happening around him, there is emptiness inside him, and in fact, his slogan in life is: “Please leave me alone.” Are there such people today? All around. And they are not interested in the reaction of others, they care little about who thinks what about them. But is this right?

For example, Akakiy Bashmachkin. He often hears ridicule from fellow officials. They make fun of him, saying offensive words and competing in wit. Sometimes Bashmachkin will remain silent, and sometimes, looking up, he will answer: “Why is that?” Analyzing this side of "The Overcoat", the problem of social tension becomes visible.

Bashmachkin's character

Akaki passionately loved his work, and this was the main thing in his life. He was engaged in rewriting documents, and his work could always be called neat, clean, and done with diligence. What did this petty official do at home in the evenings? After dinner at home, having returned from work, Akaki Akakievich walked back and forth around the room, slowly living through long minutes and hours. Then he sank into a chair and throughout the evening he could be found writing regularly.

Analysis of Gogol's story "The Overcoat" includes an important conclusion: when the meaning of a person's life is in work, it is petty and joyless. Here is further confirmation of this idea.

Then, after such leisure time, Bashmachkin goes to bed, but what are his thoughts about in bed? About what he will copy at the office tomorrow. He thought about it, and it made him happy. The meaning of life for this official, who was a “little man” and was already in his sixth decade, was the most primitive: take paper, dip a pen in an inkwell and write endlessly - carefully and diligently. However, another goal in Akaki’s life nevertheless appeared.

Other details of the analysis of the story "The Overcoat"

Akakiy had a very small salary in the service. He was paid thirty-six rubles a month, and almost all of it went towards food and housing. A harsh winter has come - an icy wind blew and frost struck. And Bashmachkin wears worn-out clothes that cannot keep him warm on a frosty day. Here Nikolai Gogol very accurately describes the situation of Akaki, his old shabby overcoat, and the actions of the official.

Akaki Akakievich decides to go to the workshop to repair his overcoat. He asks the tailor to fill the holes, but he announces that the overcoat cannot be repaired, and there is only one way out - to buy a new one. For this thing porn calls a gigantic amount (for Akaki) - eighty rubles. Bashmachkin doesn’t have that kind of money; he’ll have to save it, and to do this he’ll have to enter a very economical lifestyle. Doing an analysis here, you might think why this “little man” goes to such extremes: he stops drinking tea in the evenings, doesn’t give laundry to the laundress once again, walks so that his shoes are washed less... Is it really all for the sake of the new overcoat that he then lose it? But this is his new joy in life, his goal. Gogol is trying to encourage the reader to think about what is most important in life, what to give priority to.

conclusions

We briefly reviewed the plot incompletely, but isolated from it only those details that are needed in order to make a clear analysis of the story “The Overcoat”. The main character is spiritually and physically untenable. He does not strive for the best, his condition is poor, he is not a person. After another goal appears in life, other than rewriting papers, he seems to change. Now Akaki is focused on buying an overcoat.

Gogol shows us the other side. How callously and unfairly those around Bashmachkin treat him. He endures ridicule and bullying. On top of everything else, the meaning of his life disappears after Akakiy’s new overcoat is taken away. He is deprived of his last joy, again Bashmachkin is sad and lonely.

Here, during the analysis, Gogol’s goal is visible - to show the harsh truth of that time. The “little people” were destined to suffer and die; no one needed them and were uninteresting. Just like the death of the Shoemaker was not of interest to those around him and those who could help him.

You have read a brief analysis of the story "The Overcoat" by Nikolai Gogol. In our literary blog you will find many articles on various topics, including analyzes of works.

General characteristics of the N.V. cycle Gogol "Petersburg Tales". Analysis of the story by N.V. Gogol's "Overcoat" ».

The stories about Ukrainian landowners revealed the uniqueness of Gogol’s talent: the ability to show “the vulgarity of a vulgar man.” The same features of Gogol’s artistic method were revealed in the stories published in Arabesques in 1835. The author explained its title as “confusion, mixture, porridge” - in addition to stories, the book includes articles on various topics. These works connected two periods of the writer’s creative development: in 1836 the story “The Nose” was published, and the cycle was completed by the story “The Overcoat” (1839 - 1841, published in 1842). In total, the cycle “Petersburg Tales” included five small works: “Nevsky Prospekt”, “Nose”, “Portrait”, “Overcoat”, “Notes of a Madman”. All these stories are united by a common theme - the theme of the image of St. Petersburg, a big city, the capital of the Russian Empire. The unity of the cycle is determined not only by the subject of the image, but also by the content of the stories, their social meaning, and their place in the writer’s work. Separated from other St. Petersburg stories by a large period of time and enriched by the experience of Gogol’s work on “The Inspector General” and “Dead Souls,” the wonderful story “The Overcoat” concentrates in itself all the ideological and artistic power of Gogol’s works about St. Petersburg in Nikolaev.

Precisely determining the time and sequence of creation of the St. Petersburg stories presents great difficulties. Work on the cycle began in the second half of 1833 and especially in 1834, when Gogol was experiencing a creative upsurge.

The official-bureaucratic spirit of the capital, the social inequality of the big city, its “boiling commercialism” (Gogol’s expression in a sketch of 1834) resonated painfully in the soul of the dreamer who came to St. Petersburg with the noble intention of benefiting the state. Gogol experienced the clash of dreams and reality - one of the main motives of the Petersburg Tales - painfully, but this was a necessary moment in the ideological and artistic development of the writer.

The stories, different in plot, theme, and characters, are united by one place of action - St. Petersburg. Gogol created a vivid image-symbol of the city, both real and illusory, fantastic. In St. Petersburg, reality and fantasy easily change places. The daily life and fate of the inhabitants of the city are on the verge of the plausible and miraculous, that a person can even go crazy.

Living things turn into things (such are the inhabitants of Nevsky Prospekt). A thing, object or part of the body becomes a “face”, an important person (“Nose”). The city depersonalizes people, distorts their good qualities, highlights their bad ones, and changes their appearance beyond recognition. Rank in St. Petersburg replaces human individuality. There are no people - there are positions. Without a rank, without a position, a St. Petersburger is not a person, but neither this nor that, “the devil knows what.”

Gogol, depicting St. Petersburg, uses a universal artistic device - synecdoche. The replacement of the whole by its part is the law by which both the city and its inhabitants live. It is enough to say about the uniform, tailcoat, overcoat, mustache, sideburns to characterize the motley St. Petersburg crowd. Nevsky Prospekt - the front part - of the city represents the whole of St. Petersburg. The city exists as if by itself, it is a state within a state - and here the part crowds out the whole.

The meaning of Gogol’s image of St. Petersburg is to point out to a person from a faceless crowd the need for moral insight and spiritual rebirth. Gogol believes that the human will still defeat the bureaucratic.

In “Nevsky Prospekt” the writer provides a title sequence for the entire cycle of stories. This is both a “physiological essay” (a detailed study of the main “artery” of the city and the city “exhibition”), and a romantic short story about the fate of the artist Piskarev and Lieutenant Pirogov. They were brought together by Nevsky Prospekt, the “face” of St. Petersburg, changing depending on the time of day. It becomes sometimes businesslike, sometimes “pedagogical,” sometimes “the main exhibition of the best works of man.” This is a city of officials. The fates of the two heroes allow us to show the essence of the city: St. Petersburg kills the artist and is favorable to the official; both tragedy and farce are possible in the city. Nevsky Prospekt is deceitful, like the city itself.

In each story, St. Petersburg opens up to us from a new side. In “Portrait” it is a seductive city that ruined the artist Chartkov with money and fame. In “Notes of a Madman,” the city is shown through the eyes of the titular councilor Poprishchin, who has gone mad, etc. The result is deception everywhere. Poprishchin imagines himself as the Spanish King FerdinandVIII. This is a hyperbole that emphasizes the passion of officials for ranks and awards.

The writer's irony in the stories also reaches unprecedented levels: only something fantastic can bring a person out of moral stupor. Only the insane Poprishchin remembers the good of humanity. If the nose had not disappeared from the face of Major Kovalev, he would still be walking along Nevsky Prospect with his nose and in his uniform. The disappearance of the nose makes it individual, because with a “flat spot” on the face one cannot appear in public. If Bashmachkish had not died, it is unlikely that this petty official would have appeared to a “significant person.” Thus, St. Petersburg as depicted by Gogol is a world of familiar absurdity, disorder and everyday fantasy.

The manifestation of St. Petersburg absurdity is human madness. Each story has its own madmen: Piskarev (“Nevsky Prospekt”) and Chartkov (“Portrait”), Poprishchin (“Notes of a Madman”), Kovalev (“The Nose”), Bashmashkish (“The Overcoat”). Images of madmen are an indicator of the illogicality of social life. Residents of the city are nobody; only madness can make them stand out from the crowd, because only by losing their minds do they stand out from the crowd. Madness is a rebellion of people against the omnipotence of the social environment.

The theme of the “little man” is presented in the stories “The Overcoat” and “Notes of a Madman.”

The world of Gogol's St. Petersburg stories called for humanism and sensitivity, exposed the tyranny and inhumanity of a terrible world, spoke about the problems of the “little man” and his great rights to a decent life.

Analysis of the story by N.V. Gogol's "Overcoat" »

When, in the immortal “The Overcoat,” he gave himself the freedom to frolic on the edge of a deeply personal abyss, he became the greatest writer that Russia has produced so far. Gogol’s “The Overcoat” is a grotesque and dark nightmare, punching black holes in the vague picture of life. A superficial reader will see in this story only the ponderous antics of an extravagant jester; thoughtful - will not doubt that Gogol’s main intention was to expose the horrors of the Russian bureaucracy. But both those who want to laugh to their heart’s content and those who crave reading that “makes you think” will not understand what “The Overcoat” is written about. This is what V. Nabokov said, and he was right, in order to understand the work, one must not only read it carefully, but also, based on the life of that time, comprehend it.

In the mid-30s, Gogol heard a clerical joke about an official who had lost his gun. It went like this: there lived a poor official who was a passionate bird hunter. He saved for a long time for a gun, which he had long dreamed of. Soon this dream came true, he saved up 200 rubles in banknotes and bought a gun, but while sailing along the Gulf of Finland, he lost it. Returning home, the official fell ill from frustration, went to bed and did not get up. And only his comrades, having learned about the grief and bought him a new gun, were able to bring the official back to life. Everyone laughed then, but Gogol had no time to laugh, he listened carefully to the joke and lowered his head... This joke was the first thought for creating the wonderful story “The Overcoat,” which was completed by Gogol in 1842.The first draft of the story was called “The Tale of an Official Stealing an Overcoat.” In this version, some anecdotal motives and comic effects were visible. The official's last name was Tishkevich. In 1842, Gogol completed the story and changed the hero's surname. The story is published, completing the cycle of “Petersburg Tales”. Typically, writers, when talking about St. Petersburg life, illuminated the life and characters of the capital's society. Gogol was attracted to petty officials, artisans, and poor artists—“little people.” It was no coincidence that St. Petersburg was chosen by the writer; it was this stone city that was especially indifferent and merciless to the “little man.”

The genre of “The Overcoat” is defined as a story, although its volume does not exceed twenty pages. The work received its specific name - story - not so much for its volume, but for its enormous semantic richness. The meaning of the work is revealed only by compositional and stylistic techniques with the extreme simplicity of the plot. A simple story about a poor official who invested all his money and soul into a new overcoat, after the theft of which he dies, under the pen of Gogol found a mystical denouement and turned into a colorful parable with enormous philosophical overtones. “The Overcoat” is not just an accusatory satirical story, it is a wonderful work of art that reveals the eternal problems of existence.Sharply criticizing the dominant system of life, its internal falsehood and hypocrisy, Gogol’s work suggested the need for a different life, a different social structure. The great writer’s “Petersburg Tales,” which include “The Overcoat,” are usually attributed to the realistic period of his work. However, they can hardly be called realistic. The sad story about the stolen overcoat, according to Gogol, “unexpectedly takes on a fantastic ending.” The ghost, in whom the deceased Akaki Akakievich was recognized, tore off everyone’s greatcoat, “without discerning rank and title.” Thus, the ending of the story turned it into a phantasmagoria.

In “The Overcoat” the theme of the “little man” is raised - one of the constants in Russian literature. Gogol reveals in the most prosaic character the capacity for love, self-denial, and selfless defense of his ideal. Gogol also raises social, moral and philosophical problems in his work. On the one hand, he criticizes the society that turns a person into Akaki Akakievich, protesting against the world of those who laugh at the “eternal titular advisers.” But on the other hand, he appeals to all of humanity to pay attention to the “little people” who live next to us. After all, in fact, Akaki Akakievich fell ill and died not because his overcoat was stolen, but because he did not find support and sympathy from people. Consequently, the main theme of the work is the theme of human suffering, predetermined by the way of life.

The spiritual and physical squalor, which Gogol deliberately emphasizes and brings to the forefront of the story and the arbitrariness and heartlessness of those around him in relation to the main character, determines the humanistic pathos of the work: even a person like Akaki Akakievich has the right to exist and be treated fairly. Gogol sympathizes with the fate of his hero. He makes the reader think about his attitude towards the world around him, and, first of all, about the sense of dignity and respect that every person should arouse towards himself, regardless of his social and financial status.The idea is based on N.V. Gogol lies in the conflict between the “little man” and society. For Akaki Akakievich, the goal and meaning of life becomes a thing.

The hero of the story is Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, a petty official of one of the St. Petersburg departments, a humiliated and powerless man “of short stature, somewhat pockmarked, somewhat reddish, somewhat blind in appearance, with a small bald spot on his forehead, with wrinkles on both sides of his cheeks.” The hero of Gogol's story is offended by fate in everything, but he does not complain: he is already over fifty, he did not go beyond copying papers, did not rise in rank above the titular councilor (a civil official of the 9th class, who does not have the right to acquire personal nobility - unless he born a nobleman) - and yet humble, meek, devoid of ambitious dreams. Bashmachkin has neither family nor friends, he does not go to the theater or to visit. All his “spiritual” needs are satisfied by copying papers: “It is not enough to say: he served zealously, - no, he served with love.” Nobody considers him to be a person. “The young officials laughed and made jokes at him, as much as their clerical wit was enough...” Bashmachkin did not answer a single word to his offenders, did not even stop working and did not make mistakes in the letter. All his life Akaki Akakievich serves in the same place, in the same position; His salary is meager - 400 rubles. per year, the uniform has long been no longer green, but a reddish flour color; Colleagues call an overcoat worn to holes a hood.

However, the author not only reduces, but also elevates his hero. On the one hand, the wretchedness of Bashmachkin’s interests is brought to the limit: his dream and ideal is the overcoat. On the other hand, he has the traits of a romantic hero: he selflessly serves his ideal, overcoming all obstacles along the way. He sees in the overcoat a friend, a protector, a warm intercessor in a cold world. Collecting money for a new overcoat, he turns from dinners, candles in the evenings, washing clothes with a washerwoman, even on the street he tried to walk carefully so as not to wear out the soles of his boots. This is almost monastic self-restraint. It is no coincidence that his fate is often correlated with the “Life of Saint Akakios of Sinai.” They are united by resignation, humility, renunciation of worldly goods, they both go through trials and martyrdom. But this still looks more like a parody. The day with a new overcoat became the biggest and most solemn holiday for Bashmachkin. Happiness disrupted the usual course of his life. “He had lunch cheerfully and after dinner he didn’t write anything, no papers, but just sat back and sat on his bed for a little while.” In the evening, for the first time in his life, he went to a friend’s dinner to buy a new overcoat, and at the party he even drank two glasses of champagne.

In the scene of the loss of his overcoat, Gogol exalts the hero. The suffering that Akaki Akakievich experiences after losing his overcoat is compared with the suffering of the “kings and rulers of the world.” He wants to find protection, but is faced with complete indifference to his fate. His request for protection only angered the “significant person.”

The loss of his overcoat turns out to be not only a material, but also a moral loss for Akaki Akakievich. After all, thanks to the new overcoat, Bashmachkin felt like a human being for the first time in a departmental environment. The new overcoat can save him from frost and illness, but, most importantly, it serves as protection for him from ridicule and humiliation from his colleagues. With the loss of his overcoat, Akaki Akakievich lost the meaning of life.

Leaving this life, Bashmachkin rebels: he utters terrible words.

But this is where retribution begins. The story of the “significant person” who scolded Akaki Akakievich is repeated with him. All day long the “significant person” felt remorse upon receiving the news of the death of his petitioner. But then he goes to a friend's house for the evening. There he had fun, drank two glasses of champagne and on the way home decided to stop by a lady he knew. Suddenly a gusty wind blew and a mysterious avenger appeared, in whom the “significant person” recognized Akaki Akakievich. The ghost said: “Ah! so here you are at last! Finally I caught you by the collar! It’s your overcoat that I need! You didn’t bother about mine, and even scolded me - now give me yours!”

After Bashmachkin's death, justice triumphs. His soul finds peace when he returns his lost overcoat.

The image of the overcoat is very important in the development of the plot of the work. The plot of the story revolves around the idea of ​​sewing a new overcoat or repairing an old one. The development of the action is Bashmachkin’s trips to the tailor Petrovich, an ascetic existence and dreams of a future overcoat, the purchase of a new dress and a visit to the name day, on which Akaki Akakievich’s overcoat must be “washed.” The action culminates in the theft of a new overcoat. And finally, the denouement lies in Bashmachkin’s unsuccessful attempts to return the overcoat; the death of a hero who caught a cold without his overcoat and yearns for it. The story ends with an epilogue - a fantastic story about the ghost of an official who is looking for his overcoat.The story about the “posthumous existence” of Akaki Akakievich is full of horror and comedy at the same time. In the deathly silence of the St. Petersburg night, he tears off the greatcoats from officials, not recognizing the bureaucratic difference in ranks and operating both behind the Kalinkin Bridge (that is, in the poor part of the capital) and in the rich part of the city. Only having overtaken the direct culprit of his death, “one significant person”, who, after a friendly official party, goes to “a certain lady Karolina Ivanovna”, and, having torn off his general’s greatcoat, the “spirit” of the dead Akaki Akakievich calms down, disappears from St. Petersburg squares and streets . Apparently, the overcoat was just right.

The narration in “The Overcoat” is told in the first person. The narrator knows the life of officials well and expresses his attitude to what is happening in the story through numerous remarks. “What to do! the St. Petersburg climate is to blame,” he notes regarding the hero’s deplorable appearance. The climate forces Akaki Akakievich to go to great lengths to buy a new overcoat, that is, in principle, directly contributes to his death. We can say that this frost is an allegory of Gogol’s Petersburg. All the artistic means that Gogol uses in the story: a portrait, an image of the details of the environment in which the hero lives, the plot of the story - all this shows the inevitability of Bashmachkin’s transformation into a “little man.”

The St. Petersburg stories appeared in the darkest times.

IN AND. Lenin, characterizing this era, noted:

“Serf Russia is downtrodden and motionless. A tiny minority of nobles protest, powerless without the support of the people. But the best people from the nobles helped awaken the people.”

N.V. himself Gogol never called the cycle of these stories “Petersburg Tales,” so the name is purely businesslike. The story “The Overcoat” also belongs to this cycle, which, in my opinion, is the most significant of all the others.

Its importance, significance and meaningfulness compared to other works are increased by the theme touched upon in “The Overcoat”: the little man.

Brute force and lawlessness of those in power reigned and dominated the destinies and lives of little people. Among these people was Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin.

“Little people” like our hero and many others seem to have to fight for a normal attitude towards them, but they do not have enough strength, either physical, moral, or spiritual.

Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin is a victim who is not only under the yoke of the surrounding world and his own powerlessness, but does not understand the tragedy of his life situation. This is a spiritually “erased” personality. The author sympathizes with the little man and demands attention to this problem.

Akaki Akakievich is so inconspicuous and insignificant in his position that none of his colleagues remembers “when and at what time” he entered the service. You can even talk about him vaguely, which, by the way, is what N.V. does. Gogol: “Served in one department.”

Or maybe by this he wanted to emphasize that this incident could have happened in any department or work establishment. To say that there are very, very many people like Bashmachkin, but no one notices them.
What is the image of the main character? I think there are two sides to the image.

The first side is the spiritual and physical failure of the character. He doesn't even try to achieve more, so at the beginning we don't feel sorry for him, we understand how wretched he is. You can’t live without perspective, without realizing yourself as an individual. You cannot see the meaning of life only in rewriting papers, but consider the purchase of an overcoat as the goal, the meaning. The idea of ​​acquiring it makes his life more meaningful and fills it. In my opinion, this is brought to the fore to show the personality of Akaki Akakievich.

The second side is the heartless and unfair attitude of others towards Akaki Akakievich. Look at how people around him treat Bashmachkin: they laugh at him, mock him. He thought that by purchasing an overcoat he would look more noble, but this did not happen. Soon after the purchase, misfortune “unbearably befell” the downtrodden official. “Some people with mustaches” took away his barely bought overcoat. Together with her, Akaki Akakievich loses the only joy in life. His life becomes sad and lonely again. For the first time, trying to achieve justice, he goes to a “significant person” to tell him about his grief. But again he is ignored, rejected, exposed to ridicule. No one wanted to help him in difficult times, no one supported him. And he died, died from loss, grief.

N.V. Gogol, within the framework of the image of one “little man,” shows the terrible truth of life. The humiliated “little people” died and suffered not only on the pages of numerous works covering this problem, but also in reality. However, the world around them remained deaf to their suffering, humiliation and death, just as cold as a winter night, arrogant Petersburg remains indifferent to the death of Bashmachkin.

N.V. Gogol is considered the most mystical writer in Russian literature. His life and work are full of secrets and mysteries. Gogol's story “The Overcoat” is studied in literature lessons in the 8th grade. A full analysis of the work requires familiarity with the work and some biographical information of the author.

Brief Analysis

Year of writing – 1841.

History of creation– the story is based on an anecdote with a similar plot.

Subject– the theme of the “little man”, a protest against social orders that limit the individual.

Composition– the narrative is built on the principle of “being”. The exposition is a brief history of Bashmachkin’s life, the beginning is the decision about the need to change the overcoat, the climax is the theft of the overcoat and the clash with the indifference of the authorities, the denouement is the illness and death of the main character, the epilogue is news of a ghost stealing the overcoat.

Genre- story. It has a bit in common with the genre of “lives” of saints. Many researchers find similarities between the plot and the life of St. Akaki of Sinai. This is indicated by the hero’s numerous humiliations and wanderings, his patience and refusal of worldly joys, and death.

Direction– critical realism.

History of creation

In “The Overcoat,” analysis of a work is impossible without the background that prompted the author to create the work. A certain P.V. Annenkov in his memoirs notes an incident when, in the presence of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, a “clerical anecdote” was told about a minor official who lost his gun, for the purchase of which he had been saving for a long time. Everyone found the joke very funny, but the writer became gloomy and deep in thought, this was in 1834. Five years later, the plot will emerge in Gogol’s “The Overcoat,” artistically rethought and creatively reworked. This creation backstory seems very plausible.

It is important to note that writing the story was difficult for the writer; perhaps some emotional, personal experiences played a role: he was able to finish it only in 1841, thanks to the pressure of M. V. Pogodin, a famous publisher, historian and scientist.

In 1843 the story was published. It belongs to the cycle of “Petersburg Tales” and becomes the final and most ideologically rich. The author changed the name of the main character throughout the work on the work Tishkevich - Bashmakevich - Bashmachkin).

The title of the story itself underwent several changes (“The Tale of an Official Stealing an Overcoat”) before the final and most accurate version reached us – “The Overcoat.” Critics accepted the work calmly; during the author’s lifetime it was not particularly noted. Only a century later it became clear that “The Overcoat” had a huge influence on Russian literature, on the historical understanding of the era and the formation of literary trends. Gogol’s “little man” was reflected in the works of many writers and poets, creating a whole wave of similar, no less brilliant, works.

Subject

The work is structured in such a way that we trace the entire life of the main character, starting from the moment of birth (where the story of why he was named Akaki is mentioned) and until the most tragic point - the death of the titular adviser.

The plot is based on revealing the image of Akaki Akakievich, his clash with social order, power and the indifference of people. The problems of an insignificant creature do not concern the powers that be; no one notices his life, and even his death. Only after death will justice prevail in the fantastic part of the story - about a night ghost taking away overcoats from passers-by.

Issues“The Overcoat” covers all the sins of a well-fed, soulless world, makes the reader look around and notice those who are just as “small and defenseless” as the main character. Main thought The story is a protest against the lack of spirituality of society, against orders that humiliate a person morally, financially and physically. The meaning of Bashmachkin’s phrase “Leave... why are you offending me?

” – contains both moral, spiritual and biblical context. What the work teaches us: how not to treat your neighbor. Idea Gogol's goal is to show the powerlessness of a small personality in front of a huge world of people who are indifferent to the grief of others.

Composition

The composition is built on the principle of the lives or “walkings” of saints and martyrs. The entire life of the main character, from birth to death, is a painful feat, a battle for truth and a test of patience and self-sacrifice.

The whole life of the hero of “The Overcoat” is an empty existence, a conflict with social order - the only act that he tried to commit in his life. In the exposition of the story, we learn brief information about the birth of Akaki Bashmachkin, why he was called that, about the work and inner world of the character. The essence of the plot is to show the need to acquire a new thing (if you look deeper - a new life, dramatic, bold changes).

The climax is the attack on the main character and his confrontation with the indifference of the authorities. The denouement is the last meeting with a “significant person” and the death of the character. The epilogue is a fantastic (in Gogol's favorite style - satirical and terrifying) story about a ghost who takes overcoats from passers-by and eventually gets to his offender. The author emphasizes the powerlessness of man to change the world and achieve justice. Only in the “other” reality is the main character strong, endowed with power, feared, and he boldly says to the offender’s face what he did not have time to say during his lifetime.

Main characters

Genre

The story about the titular councilor is based on the principle of the lives of the saints. The genre is defined as a story, due to the scale of the substantive plan of the work. The story of a titular adviser who fell in love with his profession became a kind of parable and acquired philosophical overtones. The work can hardly be considered realistic, given the ending. She turns the work into a phantasmagoria, where bizarre unreal events, visions, and strange images intersect.

Work test

Rating Analysis

Average rating: 4.2. Total ratings received: 2119.