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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
challenging
funny
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
funny
sad
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death
Moderate: Infidelity, Classism
Minor: Ableism
This short story by Nicolai Gogol is very well known, it is praised and hailed as the best short story in Russian literature. What makes it special, what is so moving about the story, what is its key message?
Reading the first pages of the story, the reader might wonder where the author wants to take the audience. The behaviour of the bureaucrat is strange, unusual, up to a point where it appears weird. The question arises whether this person has been made like this by socio-cultural influences, that defined his personal and professional roles according to which he now functions, or whether he just has a very special personality structure.
But it gets clearer as the story evolves, that the bureaucrat is a member of a society, with separate and conflicting social classes, also part of a professional public service entity and that he is certainly an active, competent and reliable civil servant who tries his level best, but then at the same also a victim of social structures and their mechanisms as well as machinations.
When the initial focus is on the life, work and livelihood circumstances of the main protagonist, the titular councillor, namely Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin, many interpretations can be undertaken. A person who is dedicated, almost solely to his work, with a tremendous investment in terms of time and effort in a job, revealed as a daily ritual, repetitive copy work, blackening of paper with sterile sentences and statements, confirmed with 'official' stamps, a work involvement which in return does not provide much reward to the protagonist: no recognition, to the contrary - a lot of despise and mockery for his person and behaviour, tasks that do not reveal neither their sense nor much (added) value, a salary which is not helpful in having a proper life, just good enough to shed means to survive over time.
On a higher level, the short story also depicts a dysfunctional society which appears as a microcosm build like a Potemkin village, a figurative construction whose sole purpose is to provide an external façade to a setting that is obviously faring poorly, making people believe that the social organism is supposedly faring better. Many of the ingredients of such a paradigm are present in the plot: social classes and arrogance associated to them, especially in higher spheres of the society, the need to feel important when in reality there is little reason to do so, the lack of morals, ethics, social responsibility, finally the crying underdevelopment of empathy and compassion, depicted and expressed in unfruitful, cold relationships.
Among the multiple instances of the plot, there is the handling of the unexpected death of the civil servant. Only when the person is missing at work, not present to implement his job chores, does the entourage get alerted and takes action. But, the demise of the collaborator is not a problem in this "uncaring" workplace as everyone seems to be replaceable, is just a "number", a "functioning agent", bare of a soul, a personal life, not sensed as a "real" human being with desires and expectations to life and fellow human beings.
The short story "The Overcoat" reflects many aspects of a sick society. Most of the actors suffer from the processes that are engaged in this social set-up, but are not aware of it, may deny, possibly prefer to suffer while keeping the status quo of their cocooned life situation.
Finally, there was the more specific interest in understanding the plot of this famous short story by analysing the storyline on the basis of the author's personality type, which is INTJ (MBTI), and finding matches between the characters of the plot and features of the psychogram of the author. The main protagonist is rated to be ISTJ. One of the main characteristics of the ISTJ personality is the "valuing loyalty in others, while also placing emphasis on traditions."
In his encounter with people, persons in his private and professional lives, Akaky Akakievich had to face members of a changing society where values, as dictated by traditions were disappearing or had changed beyond recognition.
Metaphorically speaking, the main protagonist could not live, ultimately not survive in such a progressively decadent society.
Rating: highly recommended book.
Reading the first pages of the story, the reader might wonder where the author wants to take the audience. The behaviour of the bureaucrat is strange, unusual, up to a point where it appears weird. The question arises whether this person has been made like this by socio-cultural influences, that defined his personal and professional roles according to which he now functions, or whether he just has a very special personality structure.
But it gets clearer as the story evolves, that the bureaucrat is a member of a society, with separate and conflicting social classes, also part of a professional public service entity and that he is certainly an active, competent and reliable civil servant who tries his level best, but then at the same also a victim of social structures and their mechanisms as well as machinations.
When the initial focus is on the life, work and livelihood circumstances of the main protagonist, the titular councillor, namely Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin, many interpretations can be undertaken. A person who is dedicated, almost solely to his work, with a tremendous investment in terms of time and effort in a job, revealed as a daily ritual, repetitive copy work, blackening of paper with sterile sentences and statements, confirmed with 'official' stamps, a work involvement which in return does not provide much reward to the protagonist: no recognition, to the contrary - a lot of despise and mockery for his person and behaviour, tasks that do not reveal neither their sense nor much (added) value, a salary which is not helpful in having a proper life, just good enough to shed means to survive over time.
On a higher level, the short story also depicts a dysfunctional society which appears as a microcosm build like a Potemkin village, a figurative construction whose sole purpose is to provide an external façade to a setting that is obviously faring poorly, making people believe that the social organism is supposedly faring better. Many of the ingredients of such a paradigm are present in the plot: social classes and arrogance associated to them, especially in higher spheres of the society, the need to feel important when in reality there is little reason to do so, the lack of morals, ethics, social responsibility, finally the crying underdevelopment of empathy and compassion, depicted and expressed in unfruitful, cold relationships.
Among the multiple instances of the plot, there is the handling of the unexpected death of the civil servant. Only when the person is missing at work, not present to implement his job chores, does the entourage get alerted and takes action. But, the demise of the collaborator is not a problem in this "uncaring" workplace as everyone seems to be replaceable, is just a "number", a "functioning agent", bare of a soul, a personal life, not sensed as a "real" human being with desires and expectations to life and fellow human beings.
The short story "The Overcoat" reflects many aspects of a sick society. Most of the actors suffer from the processes that are engaged in this social set-up, but are not aware of it, may deny, possibly prefer to suffer while keeping the status quo of their cocooned life situation.
Finally, there was the more specific interest in understanding the plot of this famous short story by analysing the storyline on the basis of the author's personality type, which is INTJ (MBTI), and finding matches between the characters of the plot and features of the psychogram of the author. The main protagonist is rated to be ISTJ. One of the main characteristics of the ISTJ personality is the "valuing loyalty in others, while also placing emphasis on traditions."
In his encounter with people, persons in his private and professional lives, Akaky Akakievich had to face members of a changing society where values, as dictated by traditions were disappearing or had changed beyond recognition.
Metaphorically speaking, the main protagonist could not live, ultimately not survive in such a progressively decadent society.
Rating: highly recommended book.
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
(Read in Hungarian)
Gogol has such a charming, ahead of its time writing style. It really lends a conversational, jaded and a little ironic edge to this otherwise dramatic short story that balances out very well. I think everybody knows somebody like Akakievich and can empathize with the motif of the little guy being kicked down and failed at every level of society.
I wish the conclusion was a bit tighter, but I guess that also adds to the vaguely absurdist feel.
Gogol has such a charming, ahead of its time writing style. It really lends a conversational, jaded and a little ironic edge to this otherwise dramatic short story that balances out very well. I think everybody knows somebody like Akakievich and can empathize with the motif of the little guy being kicked down and failed at every level of society.
I wish the conclusion was a bit tighter, but I guess that also adds to the vaguely absurdist feel.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
reflective
fast-paced
slow-paced
4.5
The Overcoat by Gogol is a commentary on the needless bureaucracy and how it eventually affected Akaky. This will always be a timeless classic because where there is inequality, there will be systems in place to further that inequality and mistreatment.
The story kept reminding me of the term, “Kafkaesque” and I found out much later that Nikolai Gogol served as an inspiration for Franz Kafka.
It is just one of those stories that will live on forever! I read it as part of a short stories in Russian Literature pick and I see why it is one of the top picks. Brilliant story and writing. I found out much later that this story was set in aristocratic Russia and was a social commentary on the stifling bureaucracy put in place to control the “peasants.”
The Overcoat by Gogol is a commentary on the needless bureaucracy and how it eventually affected Akaky. This will always be a timeless classic because where there is inequality, there will be systems in place to further that inequality and mistreatment.
The story kept reminding me of the term, “Kafkaesque” and I found out much later that Nikolai Gogol served as an inspiration for Franz Kafka.
It is just one of those stories that will live on forever! I read it as part of a short stories in Russian Literature pick and I see why it is one of the top picks. Brilliant story and writing. I found out much later that this story was set in aristocratic Russia and was a social commentary on the stifling bureaucracy put in place to control the “peasants.”
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No