The idea of the story "The Overcoat" arose from N.V. Gogol under the influence of the story told to him real history. One poor official had been saving up money for a very expensive gun for a long time. Having bought it and went hunting, the official did not notice how the priceless purchase slipped from the boat into the river. The shock of the loss was so strong that the unlucky hunter became seriously ill. The official's health began to improve only after his friends chipped in and bought him exactly the same gun.
Gogol took this amusing incident very seriously. He knew firsthand about the hard life of poor officials. In the first years of service in St. Petersburg, the writer himself "took off the whole winter in a summer overcoat."
By uniting main idea from a story about an official with his own memories, in 1839 Gogol began work on The Overcoat. The story was finished at the beginning of 1841 and first published a year later.
The meaning of the name
The overcoat in the story is not just a piece of clothing. She practically becomes one of the heroes of the work. Not only the happiness of poor Akaky Akakievich, but even his life, turn out to be dependent on an ordinary overcoat.
The main theme of the story is the plight of petty bureaucracy.
Main character Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin evokes unfeigned pity. Whole life path was destined for him from birth. At baptism, the child made such a face, "as if he had a presentiment that there would be a titular adviser."
Akaky Akakievich is just a cog in a huge bureaucratic machine. The work of an official consists in the primitive rewriting of documents. Akaky Akakievich is not capable of more.
The authorities treat Bashmachkin "coldly and despotically." In addition, he serves as a constant target for jokes from colleagues. Akaky Akakievich does not react in any way to ridicule. Only in extreme cases does he plaintively ask: “Leave me, why do you offend me?”.
In the eyes of those around him, Bashmachkin's life is boring and colorless. Although the official himself sees "a diverse and pleasant world" in his rewriting of papers. Akaki Akakievich does not even notice anything around, completely immersed in his monotonous work.
The “strong enemy” of all petty officials, the Russian frost, brings Bashmachkin out of his state of detachment. Akaki Akakievich understands with horror that buying a new overcoat is a severe necessity. The required sum could be accumulated only by the most severe economy and limitation of expenses. This led Bashmachkin to an even more disastrous situation. financial situation, but, on the other hand, gave him the first real purpose in his life.
Dreaming of a new greatcoat, Akaki Akakievich seemed to be born again: "he became somehow more alive, even firmer in character." “Fire was sometimes shown in the eyes” of the obedient titular adviser.
The long-awaited realization of the dream became the most significant event in the life of Akaky Akakievich - "a great solemn holiday." Thanks to an ordinary overcoat, he felt like a different person and even agreed to go to a colleague's birthday, which he never did.
The bliss of Akaky Akakievich did not last long. Being attacked at night and having lost his dream, he fell into despair. The efforts to find the criminal did not help. The only means was the help of one "significant person". However, the sharp reception given to Bashmachkin by the general killed his last hope. "Proper scolding" led to a fever and an early death.
The figure of the titular adviser was so insignificant that in the service they learned about his funeral only on the fourth day. The replacement of the place by another official was completely painless for the work of the institution.
Issues
The main problem of the story lies in the fact that in the era of Gogol a huge number of people were the same Akaki Akakievich. Their lives passed without a trace and did not represent any value. For any higher official, Akaki Akakievich is not even a person, but a submissive and defenseless executor of orders.
The bureaucratic system breeds a soulless attitude towards people. A striking example is the “significant person”. This person "compassion was ... not alien", but the position he holds kills the best feelings in him. Upon learning of the death of the poor petitioner, the general feels remorse, but it quickly passes. The finale of the story with the appearance of the ghost of an official emphasizes that in real life the death of Akaky Akakievich would not have affected the established order in any way.
Composition
The story is a life story of the official Bashmachkin, the main event in which was the purchase of a new overcoat. The end of the work is the fantastic revenge of the deceased titular adviser.
What does the author teach
Gogol knew from his own experience what a negative impact on a person his cramped financial situation has. He calls to pay attention to the downtrodden and humiliated people, to pity them and try to help, because their lives may depend on it.
Plan
1. Introduction
2.History of creation
3. The meaning of the name
4. Genus and genre
5.Theme
6. Issues
7.Heroes
8. Plot and composition
NV Gogol is the founder of critical realism in Russian literature. His "Petersburg Tales" had a huge impact on F. M. Dostoevsky. This cycle includes the story "The Overcoat", in which the problem is sharply posed " little man". V. G. Belinsky considered the work "one of the deepest creations of Gogol."
P. V. Annenkov recalled that Gogol was told a funny story about a poor official who saved up everything for a very long time and managed to save up money to buy an expensive gun. Having gone hunting with a precious weapon, the official drowned it by negligence. The shock of the loss was so great that the official came down with a fever. Concerned friends formed up and bought the poor man a new gun. The official recovered, but until the end of his life he could not recall this incident without a shudder. Gogol was not funny. He very subtly felt the suffering of the "little man" and, as Annenkov assures, conceived the story "The Overcoat". Another source of the story was the personal memoirs of the writer. In the first years of his life in St. Petersburg, the petty official Gogol himself spent the whole winter in a summer overcoat.
The meaning of the name The overcoat underlies the whole story. In fact, this is another main acting character. All the thoughts of poor Akaky Akakiyevich are concentrated on this piece of clothing. The long-awaited purchase was the happiest day of his life. The loss of the greatcoat ultimately led to his death. The idea of returning the overcoat was even able to fantastically resurrect Akaky Akakievich in the guise of a ghost of an official.
Genus and genre. Tale.
Main topic works - the humiliated position of a petty Petersburg official. It - heavy cross, which were forced to carry many generations of residents of the capital. The author's remark at the beginning of the story is characteristic. At birth, Akaki made such a face, "as if she had a presentiment that there would be a titular adviser." The life of Akaky Akakievich is boring and aimless. His only calling is to rewrite papers. He can't do anything else, and he doesn't want to. Buying a new overcoat was the official's first real goal in life. This acquisition literally inspired him, gave him the courage to communicate with other people. The night attack and the loss of his overcoat shattered the new position of Akaky Akakievich. His humiliation increased many times over when trying to get the overcoat returned. The apogee was a conversation with a "significant person", after which the official took to his bed and soon died. Akaky Akakievich was such an insignificant "creature" (not even a person!), that the department learned about his death only on the fourth day after the funeral. A man who has lived in the world for more than fifty years has left no trace behind him. Nobody remembered him with a kind word. The only joy in life for Akaki Akakievich himself was the short possession of an overcoat.
Main problem of the story lies in the fact that the material situation of a person inevitably changes his spiritual world. Akaky Akakievich, receiving more than a modest salary, is forced to limit himself in everything. The same restriction is gradually imposed on his communication with other people and on the level of spiritual and material needs. Akaky Akakievich is the main object of jokes for his colleagues. He is so used to it that he takes it for granted and does not even try to fight back. The official's only defense is the pitiful phrase: "Leave me, why are you offending me?" So says a man who is over fifty years old. Years of thoughtless copying of papers had a serious impact on the mental abilities of Akaky Akakievich. He is no longer capable of any other work. Even changing the form of verbs is beyond his power. The plight of Akaky Akakievich leads to the fact that the simple acquisition of an overcoat becomes for him the main event in life. This is the whole tragedy of the story. Another problem lies in the image of a "significant person". This is a person who has just been promoted. He is still getting used to his new position, but he does it quickly and decisively. The main method is to increase your "significance". Basically, it's good kind person, but due to the beliefs established in society, he strives for maximum unreasonable severity. Akaky Akakiyevich's "breakdown" was caused by a desire to show his friend his "significance".
Heroes Bashmachkin Akaki Akakievich.
Plot and composition The poor official Akaki Akakievich, limiting himself in everything, orders a new overcoat from the tailor. At night, thieves attack him and take away his purchase. Appeal to a private bailiff does not give results. Akaky Akakiyevich, on advice, goes to a "significant person", where he receives "scoldling". The official gets a fever, he dies. Soon the ghost of an official appears in the city, ripping off the overcoats from passers-by. A "significant person" is also attacked, recognizing Akaky Akakievich in the ghost. After that, the spirit of the official disappears.
What does the author teach Gogol convincingly proves that a cramped financial situation gradually turns a person into a downtrodden and humiliated creature. Akaky Akakievich needs very little to be happy, but even a reprimand from a higher official can kill him.
Petersburg stories appeared in the darkest time.
IN AND. Lenin, describing this era, noted:
“Fortified Russia is packed and immobile. An insignificant minority of nobles protests, powerless without the support of the people. But the best people from the nobles helped wake the people.
Sam N.V. Gogol never called the cycle of these stories "Petersburg Tales", so the name is purely business. This cycle also includes the story "The Overcoat", which, in my opinion, is the most significant of all the others here.
Its importance, significance and meaningfulness in comparison with other works is increased by the theme touched upon in The Overcoat: a small man.
Brute force, the lawlessness of those in power reigned and dominated the fates and lives of little people. Among these people was Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin.
A “little man” like our hero and many others, it seems, should fight for a normal attitude towards them, but they do not have enough strength either physical, moral or spiritual.
Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin is a victim who is not only under the yoke of the world around him and his own powerlessness, but who does not understand the tragedy of his life situation. This is a spiritually "erased" person. The author sympathizes with the little man and demands attention to this problem.
Akaky Akakievich is so inconspicuous, 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. Gogol: "He served in one department."
Or maybe by this he wanted to emphasize that this incident could happen in any department, workplace. To say that there are a lot of people like Bashmachkin, but no one notices them.
What is the image of the main character? I think that the image has two sides.
The first side is the spiritual and physical failure of the character. He does not even try to achieve more, so at the beginning we do not feel sorry for him, we understand how miserable he is. It is impossible to live without a perspective, while not realizing oneself as a person. It is impossible to see the meaning of life only in rewriting papers, but to consider the purchase of an overcoat as the goal, the meaning. The idea of acquiring it makes his life more meaningful, fills it. In my opinion, this is brought to the fore in order to show the personality of Akaky Akakievich.
The second side is the heartless and unfair attitude of others towards Akaky Akakievich. Look at how others relate to Bashmachkin: they laugh at him, mock him. He thought that by purchasing an overcoat, he would look more noble, but this did not happen. Shortly after the purchase, misfortune "unbearably fell" on 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. Nobody wanted to help him Hard time, no one supported. And he died, died of 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 to their suffering, humiliation and death remained deaf, how indifferent to the death of Bashmachkin remains cold, like a winter night, arrogant Petersburg.
He became the most mysterious Russian writer. In this article, we will analyze the analysis of the story "The Overcoat" by Nikolai Gogol, trying to penetrate the subtle intricacies of the plot, and Gogol is a master in building such plots. Do not forget that you can also read the summary of the story "The Overcoat".
The story "The Overcoat" is a story about one "little man" named Akaky 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 may be, and one cannot do without a thoughtful approach, which is why we are analyzing the story “The Overcoat”.
The main character "Overcoat"
So, the main character Akaki Bashmachkin was a "little man". This concept is widely used in Russian literature. However, his character, way of life, values and attitude attract more attention. He doesn't need anything. He detachedly looks 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 what anyone thinks about them. But is it right?
For example, Akaki Bashmachkin. He often hears ridicule addressed to him by fellow officials. They tease him, saying hurtful words and competing in wit. Sometimes Bashmachkin will remain silent, and sometimes, raising his eyes, he will answer: "Why is that?". Making an analysis of 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, done with diligence. And what did this petty official do at home in the evenings? After dinner at home, after returning from work, Akaky Akakievich paced up and down the room, slowly living through long minutes and hours. Then he sank into an armchair and throughout the evening he could be caught writing another scribble.
An analysis of the story "The Overcoat" by Gogol includes an important conclusion: when the meaning of a person's life in work is petty and bleak. Here is another confirmation of this idea.
Then, after such leisure activities, Bashmachkin goes to bed, but what are his thoughts in bed about? About what he will copy in the service in the office tomorrow. He thought about it, and it pleased him. The meaning of the life of this official, who was a "little man" and who was already in his sixties, was the most primitive: take paper, dip a pen into the inkwell and endlessly write - carefully and with zeal. However, another goal in the life of Akaki, 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 them went to food and housing. Here came the harsh winter - an icy wind blew and frost hit. And Bashmachkin walks in worn-out clothes that cannot 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 fix the holes, but he announces that the overcoat cannot be repaired, and there is only one way out - to purchase a new one. For this thing he calls porn a gigantic sum (for Akaki) - eighty rubles. Bashmachkin does not have such money, he will have to save it, and for this it is worth entering a very economical mode of life. Analyzing here, one might think why this "little man" goes to such extremes: he stops drinking tea in the evenings, once again does not give his laundry to the laundress, walks so that his shoes are less washed ... Is it really all for the sake of a new overcoat, which he wears? then lose? But this is his new joy in life, his goal. Gogol tries to encourage the reader to think about what is most important in life, what to give priority to.
conclusions
We have briefly examined the plot incompletely, but have singled out from it only those details that are necessary 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, different from rewriting papers, it seems to change. Now Akaki is focused on buying an overcoat.
Gogol shows us the other side. How heartlessly and unfairly others treat Bashmachkin. He suffers ridicule and bullying. In addition, the meaning of his life disappears after Akaki's new overcoat is taken away. He loses 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. "Little people" were destined to suffer and die, they were of no use to anyone and uninteresting. Just as the death of the Shoemaker did not interest his entourage and those who could help him.
You read brief analysis story "The Overcoat" by Nikolai Gogol. In our literary blog you will find many articles on various topics, including analyzes of works.
The writing
The story was a favorite genre of N.V. Gogol. He created three cycles of stories, and each of them became a fundamentally important phenomenon in the history of Russian literature. "Evenings on a farm near Dikanka", "Mirgorod" and the so-called St. Petersburg stories are familiar and loved by more than one generation of readers.
Gogol's Petersburg is a city striking with social contrasts. The city of poor workers, victims of poverty and arbitrariness. Such a victim is Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin, the hero of the story "The Overcoat".
The idea of the story came to Gogol in 1834 under the impression of a clerical anecdote about a poor official who, at the cost of incredible efforts, fulfilled his old dream of buying a hunting rifle and lost it on the very first hunt. But in Gogol, this story did not cause laughter, but a completely different reaction.
"The Overcoat" occupies a special place in the cycle of St. Petersburg stories. Popular in the 30s. the story of an unfortunate, needy official was embodied by the author in a work of art, which Herzen called "colossal". Gogol Bashmachkin "had what is called an eternal titular adviser, over whom, as you know, various writers taunted and sharpened plenty, having a commendable habit of leaning on those who cannot bite." The author, of course, does not hide his ironic grin when he describes the spiritual limitations and poverty of his hero. Akaky Akakievich was a timid, wordless creature, meekly enduring the "clerical mockery" of his colleagues and the despotic rudeness of his superiors. The stupefying work of a copyist of papers paralyzed any spiritual interests in him.
Gogol's humor is soft and delicate. The writer does not for a single moment leave his ardent sympathy for his hero, who appears in the story as a tragic victim of the cruel conditions of modern reality. The author creates a satirically generalized type of person - a representative of the bureaucratic power of Russia. The way the authorities behave with Bashmachkin, all "significant persons" behave. The humility and humility of the unfortunate Bashmachkin, in contrast to the rudeness of "significant persons" evoked in the reader
not only a feeling of pain for the humiliation of a person, but also a protest against the unjust ways of life, in which such humiliation is possible.
The accusatory orientation of Gogol's work was revealed with great force in the St. Petersburg stories. Man and the anti-human conditions of his social existence is the main conflict that underlies the entire cycle. And each of the stories was a new phenomenon in Russian literature.
The mournful tale of the stolen overcoat, according to Gogol, "unexpectedly takes on a fantastic ending." The ghost, in which the deceased Akaky Akakievich was recognized, ripped off everyone's overcoat, "without disassembling the rank and title."
Sharply criticizing the ruling system of life, its internal falsity and hypocrisy, Gogol's work suggested the need for a different life, a different social order.
