Traditional medicine

Determining the hero's place among other overcoat characters. The main character of the story

The hero of the story is Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, a small official of one of the St. Petersburg departments, powerless and humiliated man. Gogol describes the appearance of the main character of the story as follows: “short, somewhat pockmarked, somewhat reddish, somewhat blind in appearance, with a small bald spot on his forehead, with wrinkles on both sides of his cheeks.”
His co-workers treat him without respect. Even the guards at the department look at Bashmachkin as if he were an empty place, “as if a simple fly had flown through the reception area.” And young officials laugh at Akaki Akakievich. He is truly an absurd, funny person who only knows how to copy papers. The narrative in "The Overcoat" is structured in such a way that the comic image of Bashmachkin gradually becomes tragic. He wears an old overcoat that can no longer be repaired. In order, on the advice of the tailor, to save money for a new overcoat, he saves: in the evenings he does not light candles or drink tea. Akaki Akakievich walks the streets very carefully, “almost on tiptoe,” so as not to “wear out his soles” ahead of time, and rarely gives his laundry to the laundress. “At first it was somewhat difficult for him to get used to such restrictions, but then he somehow got used to it and things got better; even he completely learned to fast in the evenings; but he ate spiritually, carrying in his thoughts the eternal idea of a future overcoat,” writes Gogol . The new overcoat becomes the dream and meaning of life for the protagonist of the story. And now Bashmachkin’s overcoat is ready. On this occasion, officials organize a banquet. Happy Akaki Akakievich does not even notice that they are mocking him. At night, when Bashmachkin was returning from a banquet, the robbers took off his overcoat. This man's happiness lasted only one day. He turns to the police for help, but they don’t even want to talk to him. Then Akakiy Akakievich goes to the “significant person,” but he kicks him out. These troubles affected the main character of the story so strongly that he could not survive them. He fell ill and soon died. Emphasizing the typicality of the “little man’s” fate, Gogol says that his death did not change anything in the department; Bashmachkin’s place was simply taken by another official.
The story "The Overcoat", despite its realism, ends fantastically. After the death of Akaki Akakievich, a ghost began to appear on the streets of St. Petersburg, taking off the greatcoats of passers-by. Some saw in him similarities with Bashmachkin, others did not notice anything in common between the robber and the timid official. One night the ghost met a “significant person” and tore off his overcoat, frightening the official to the point that he “even began to fear about some painful attack.” After this incident, the “significant person” began to treat people better. This ending to the story emphasizes the author's intention. Gogol sympathizes with the fate of the “little man.” He calls on us to be attentive to each other, and, as it were, warns that a person will have to answer in the future for the insults inflicted on his neighbor. It was not for nothing that one of Bashmachkin’s colleagues heard behind his words: “Leave me alone, why are you offending me?” other words: “I am your brother.”

“We all came out of Gololev’s “Overcoat”” - what does this phrase mean and who said it? These words are often attributed to Dostoevsky, while they were spoken by the French writer and diplomat Eugene Melchior de Vogüe. The author’s description of Akakiy Akakievich Bashmachkin was, at first glance, unambiguous: a small man who can only dream of a new overcoat. But why did Gogol's hero become one of the most significant and important characters in Russian literature?

The story "The Overcoat" was written on the basis of an "office joke". A certain official saved for a long time to buy a gun, the loss of which became a real tragedy for him. “The Overcoat” is a story about a pathetic, downtrodden official. It has typical Gogolian humor, but at the same time it is a deep work, permeated with humanism.

Bashmachkina is given in the first paragraph of the story. He was an unremarkable man, a titular councilor. Here it is worth saying a few words about Bashmachkin’s rank.

In pre-revolutionary Russia there was a classification of ranks. Each rank corresponded to a certain meaning and status. The titular councilor had little opportunity to advance career ladder. His salary was small. So, Bashmachkin received 400 rubles a year, which was barely enough for poor nutrition and living in a modest St. Petersburg apartment. We can say that Bashmachkin was a beggar, like hundreds of petty officials like him.

More important than the titular adviser was the collegiate adviser. The trouble is that this rank was unattainable for Akaki Akakievich. A person of noble origin could become a collegiate adviser. Gogol's hero, apparently, was a commoner.

Characteristics of Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin: a modest, unremarkable official who does not have outstanding abilities, ambition or any aspirations in life. People like him were called “eternal titular advisers.” Bashmachkin was doomed to occupy an insignificant position in the department. But this did not upset him at all.

Bashmachkin's favorite thing

Akakiy Akakievich did simple work from morning to evening: he copied papers. He loved this activity very much and never dreamed of anything else. Bashmachkin took work home. He ate dinner in a hurry and sat down again to rewrite papers. One day, a compassionate boss entrusted him with a more significant task. It was necessary not only to rewrite the document, but also to change the title and several verbs. But Bashmachkin failed. He was all sweaty, nervous, then said: “No, let me rewrite something.”

The characterization of Akakiy Akakievich Bashmachkin will be supplemented by a description of his appearance. He was short, bald, and had a hemorrhoidal complexion. This man worked in the department for a very long time. So long ago that it seemed to young officials that this is how he was born - with a bald head and in a uniform.

"Why are you hurting me?"

This phrase became key in the image of Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. Pushkin was the first to characterize the little man in his story “The Station Warden.” What type of literary character is this? This is the image of a socially unprotected person, unhappy, lonely, pitiful.

In the department, even the watchman does not respect Bashmachkin. The bosses casually throw papers on his desk, not even bothering to say: “Rewrite, please.” Young officials make fun of Gogol's titular adviser. True, one of them once heard the phrase from Bashmachkin: “Why are you offending me?”, He was deeply amazed. In these words he heard “I am your brother.” The young official no longer allowed himself rude jokes about Bashmachkin. And for a long time he could not forget the image of the little unfortunate man.

In Gogol's story there are two images of Bashmachkin: external and internal. The first is a closed, unsociable official who diligently rewrites papers. Inner man in the image of Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin is completely different. He is cheerful and open. Suffice it to recall the state of the official after purchasing the overcoat.

Bashmachkin's goal

The item of clothing whose name appears in the title of the story deserves special attention. The overcoat here is not just a thing that, if it is sewn well and soundly, saves from the harsh St. Petersburg frosts. This is an image symbolizing the social position of an official. Bashmachkin had a thin overcoat, which did not protect him from bad weather at all. Then he finally decided to order a new one. For a person who receives a salary of four hundred rubles a year, this is not at all easy.

The description of Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin presented above will be complemented by his manner of expressing himself. The official was extremely tongue-tied. He used to express his thoughts with prepositions and adverbs. Often he didn’t finish the sentence at all, saying something like: “that’s absolutely right... right.”

He spewed something similar in the house of Petrovich, the tailor, who had darned his old overcoat more than once. He refused to put on patches again and advised me to sew a new one. So Bashmachkin had a goal.

He started saving for a new overcoat. Akaki Akakievich stopped drinking tea in the evenings, did not light candles, walked more carefully so as not to spoil the soles of his boots, and gave his laundry to the laundress less and less often. At home I wore a robe so as not to wear out my suit and to insure myself against possible expenses.

He dreamed of a new overcoat for so long that he fell in love with it with all his soul. Even before he saved up for cloth and work as a tailor. Every day he went to Petrovich to discuss the new thing. For Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, the overcoat became not just a thing, but a beloved friend, almost a living being.

Happy official

So, Bashmachkin goes hungry for several months: he saves for a new overcoat. Finally, she's ready. Petrovich brings Akaki Akakievich a new thing in the morning. The official goes to the department in a completely festive mood. Surprisingly, everyone there learns about Akaki Akakievich’s new overcoat, and that the old one, which, by the way, was called a hood, no longer exists. Bashmachkin is congratulated, they show attention to him, which has never happened in many years of work in the department. Moreover, the boss invites Akaki Akakievich to his name day.

Tragedy of Bashmachkin

But the little official’s happiness was short-lived. In a new overcoat, he goes to the chief’s name day. Here they again congratulate him on his new clothes and persuade him to drink. After two glasses of champagne, Akaky Akakievich’s life appears in rainbow colors. However, he remembers that it is already late, time to go home. Bashmachkin quietly leaves the chief's house. On his way home he meets robbers who take off his overcoat.

Death of an official

The next day, Bashmachkin went to the department in the well-known hood. Many felt sorry for him and advised him to contact a significant person: perhaps he would help find the robbers who stole the new overcoat. Akaki Akakievich did just that. But the significant person was a very formidable person, or at least he wanted to seem so. The boss did not listen to Bashmachkin; on the contrary, he attacked him so much that he almost lost his spirit right in his office.

Ghost

When the official was gone, no one noticed. The department learned about his death only four days after the funeral. Bashmachkins were found, of course, not only among officials of the 19th century. Similar people, driven, unhappy, unprotected, there are still today.

Gogol concluded the story with a fantastic ending. His hero, as a reward for his inconspicuous life, lived for several days after his death. Soon rumors about a ghost spread throughout St. Petersburg. It was a dead official who was looking for a missing overcoat. He terrified the townspeople, and disappeared only after he met the same general who had terrified him shortly before his death. The ghost took off the greatcoat from his significant face, and then disappeared forever. The boss, a man who was not essentially evil, could not forgive himself for Bashmachkin’s death for a long time.

History of creation

In the mid-30s, Gogol heard a joke about an official who had lost his gun. It sounded like this: there lived one poor official who was a passionate hunter. He saved for a long time for a gun, which he had long dreamed of. His dream came true, but, sailing across the Gulf of Finland, he lost it. Returning home, the official died of frustration.

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”. This cycle includes the stories: “Nevsky Prospekt”, “The Nose”, “Portrait”, “The Stroller”, “Notes of a Madman” and “The Overcoat”. The writer worked on the cycle between 1835 and 1842. The stories are combined by common place events - St. Petersburg. Petersburg, however, is not only the place of action, but also a kind of hero of these stories, in which Gogol depicts life in its various manifestations. 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 “ little man" This topic was first opened by A.S. Pushkin. She becomes the leader in the work of N.V. Gogol.

Genre, genre, creative method

The story “The Overcoat” shows the influence of hagiographic literature. It is known that Gogol was an extremely religious person. Of course, he was well acquainted with this genre church literature. Many researchers have written about the influence of the life of St. Akaki of Sinai on the story “The Overcoat,” including famous names: V.B. Shklovsky and G.P. Makogonenko. Moreover, in addition to the striking external similarity of the destinies of St. Akaki and Gogol’s hero were traced the main common points of plot development: obedience, stoic patience, ability to endure various kinds humiliation, then death from injustice and - life after death.

The genre of “The Overcoat” is defined as a story, although its volume does not exceed twenty pages. It received its specific name - a story - not so much for its volume as for its enormous semantic richness, which is not found in every novel. The meaning of the work is revealed only by compositional and stylistic techniques with the extreme simplicity of the plot. 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 beautiful work of art, revealing the eternal problems of existence that will not be translated either in life or in literature as long as humanity exists.

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. Nevertheless, they can hardly be called realistic. The sad story of 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.

Subjects

The ethical or humanistic interpretation was built on the pitiful moments of “The Overcoat”, the call for generosity and equality, which was heard in Akaki Akakievich’s weak protest against office jokes: “Leave me alone, why are you offending me?” - and in these penetrating words other words rang: “I am your brother.” Finally, aesthetic beginning, which came to the fore in twentieth-century works, focused primarily on the form of the story as the focus of its artistic value.

Idea

“Why depict poverty... and the imperfections of our life, digging people out of life, the remote corners of the state?... no, there is a time when otherwise it is impossible to direct society and even a generation towards the beautiful until you show the full depth of its real abomination.” - wrote N.V. Gogol, and in his words lies the key to understanding the story.

The author showed the “depth of abomination” of society through the fate of the main character of the story - Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. His image has two sides. The first is spiritual and physical squalor, which Gogol deliberately emphasizes and brings to the fore. The second is the arbitrariness and heartlessness of others towards the main character of the story. The relationship between the first and second 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. And it makes the reader involuntarily think about the attitude towards the entire 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, but only taking into account his personal qualities and merits.

Nature of the conflict

The idea is based on N.V. Gogol lies in the conflict between the “little man” and society, a conflict leading to rebellion, to the uprising of the humble. The story “The Overcoat” describes not only an incident from the hero’s life. The whole life of a person appears before us: we are present at his birth, the naming of his name, we learn how he served, why he needed an overcoat and, finally, how he died. The story of the life of the “little man”, his inner world, his feelings and experiences, depicted by Gogol not only in “The Overcoat”, but also in other stories of the “Petersburg Tales” series, has firmly entered Russian literature. literature of the 19th century century.

Main characters

Gogol does not hide the limitations, scarcity of interests of his hero, and tongue-tiedness. But something else comes to the fore: his meekness, uncomplaining patience. Even the hero’s name carries this meaning: Akaki is humble, gentle, does not do evil, innocent. The appearance of the overcoat reveals the hero’s spiritual world; for the first time, the hero’s emotions are depicted, although Gogol does not give the character’s direct speech - only a retelling. Akaki Akakievich remains speechless even at the critical moment of his life. The drama of this situation lies in the fact that no one helped Bashmachkin.

An interesting vision of the main character from the famous researcher B.M. Eikhenbaum. He saw in Bashmachkin an image that “served with love”; in the rewriting, “he saw some kind of varied and pleasant world of his own,” he did not think at all about his dress or anything else practical, he ate without noticing the taste, did not indulge in any entertainment, in a word, he lived in some kind of ghostly and strange world, far from reality, was a dreamer in uniform. And it’s not for nothing that his spirit, freed from this uniform, so freely and boldly develops its revenge - this is prepared by the whole story, here is its whole essence, its whole whole.

Along with Bashmachkin in the story important role plays the image of an overcoat. It is also fully correlated with the broad concept of “uniform honor”, which characterized essential element noble and officer ethics, to the norms of which the authorities under Nicholas I tried to introduce commoners and all officials in general.

The loss of his overcoat turns out to be not only a material, but also a moral loss for Akaki Akakievich. Indeed, 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.

Plot and composition

Hopeless need surrounds Akaki Akakievich, but he does not see the tragedy of his situation, since he is busy with business. Bashmachkin is not burdened by his poverty because he does not know any other life. And when he has a dream - a new overcoat, he is ready to endure any hardships, just to bring the realization of his plans closer. The overcoat becomes a kind of symbol of a happy future, a favorite brainchild, for which Akaki Akakievich is ready to work tirelessly. The author is quite serious when he describes his hero’s delight at realizing his dream: the overcoat is sewn! Bashmachkin was completely happy. However, with the loss of his new overcoat, Bashmachkin is overtaken by real grief. And only after death is justice done. Bashmachkin's soul finds peace when he returns his lost item.

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 his overcoat; the death of the 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 overcoat, the “spirit” of the dead Akaki Akakievich calms down and disappears from St. Petersburg squares and streets . Apparently, “the general’s overcoat suited him perfectly.”

Artistic originality

“Gogol’s composition is not determined by the plot - his plot is always poor, rather, there is no plot at all, but only one comic (and sometimes not even comic in itself at all) situation is taken, which serves, as it were, only as an impetus or reason for the development comic techniques. This story is especially interesting for this kind of analysis, because in it a pure comic tale, with all the techniques of language play characteristic of Gogol, is combined with pathetic declamation, forming, as it were, a second layer. Gogol allows his characters in The Overcoat to speak a little, and, as always with him, their speech is formed in a special way, so that, despite individual differences, it never gives the impression of everyday speech,” wrote B.M. Eikhenbaum in the article “How Gogol’s “Overcoat” was Made.”

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: portrait, depiction of 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 style of storytelling itself, when a pure comic tale, built on wordplay, puns, and deliberate tongue-tiedness, is combined with sublime, pathetic declamation, is an effective artistic means.

Meaning of the work

Gogol's works have been repeatedly staged and filmed. One of the last theatrical productions“The Overcoat” was undertaken at the Moscow Sovremennik. On the new stage of the theater, called “Another Stage”, intended primarily for staging experimental performances, “The Overcoat” was staged by director Valery Fokin.

“Staging Gogol’s “The Overcoat” has been my long-time dream. In general, I believe that there are three main works by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol - these are “The Inspector General”, “ Dead Souls" and "Overcoat," said Fokin. I had already staged the first two and dreamed about “The Overcoat,” but I couldn’t start rehearsing because I hadn’t seen the performer leading role... It always seemed to me that Bashmachkin is unusual creature, not female and not masculine, and someone here had to play something unusual, and really an actor or actress,” says the director. Fokin's choice fell on Marina Neelova. “During the rehearsal and in what happened during the work on the play, I realized that Neelova was the only actress who could do what I had in mind,” says the director. The play premiered on October 5, 2004. The set design of the story and the performing skills of actress M. Neyolova were highly appreciated by the audience and the press.

“And here is Gogol again. Sovremennik again. Once upon a time, Marina Neelova said that she sometimes imagines herself as a white sheet of paper, on which every director is free to depict whatever he wants - even a hieroglyph, even a drawing, even a long, tricky phrase. Maybe someone will imprison a blot in the heat of the moment. A viewer who looks at “The Overcoat” may imagine that there is no woman named Marina Mstislavovna Neyolova in the world, that she was completely erased from the drawing paper of the universe with a soft eraser and a completely different creature was drawn in her place. Gray-haired, thin-haired, evoking in everyone who looks at him both disgusting disgust and magnetic attraction.”

“In this series, Fokine’s “The Overcoat”, which opened a new stage, looks like just an academic repertoire line. But only at first glance. Going to a performance, you can safely forget about your previous ideas. For Valery Fokin, “The Overcoat” is not at all where all humanistic Russian literature with its eternal pity for the little man came from. His “Overcoat” belongs to a completely different, fantastic world. His Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin is not an eternal titular adviser, not a wretched copyist, unable to change verbs from the first person to the third, he is not even a man, but some strange creature of the neuter gender. To create such a fantastic image, the director needed an actor who was incredibly flexible and flexible, not only physically, but also psychologically. The director found such a universal actor, or rather actress, in Marina Neelova. When this gnarled, angular creature with sparse tangled tufts of hair on his bald head appears on stage, the audience unsuccessfully tries to guess in him at least some familiar features of the brilliant prima “Contemporary”. In vain. Marina Neelova is not here. It seems that she has physically transformed, melted into her hero. Somnambulistic, cautious and at the same time awkward old man’s movements and a thin, plaintive, rattling voice. Since there is almost no text in the play (Bashmachkin’s few phrases, consisting mainly of prepositions, adverbs and other particles that absolutely do not have any meaning, serve rather as speech or even sound characteristics character), the role of Marina Neelova practically turns into a pantomime. But the pantomime is truly fascinating. Her Bashmachkin settled comfortably in his old giant overcoat, as if in a house: he fumbles around there with a flashlight, relieves himself, settles down for the night.”

Gogol's story “The Overcoat”: issues and image of the main character

“The Overcoat” is a story from the cycle of St. Petersburg stories by N.V. Gogol, written in 1842. This cycle also includes “Nevsky Prospekt”, “The Nose”, “Portrait” and “Notes of a Madman”. “The Overcoat” is a continuation of the theme of the little man, discovered by A. S. Pushkin. The first image of the little man was Samson Vyrin, the main character of Pushkin’s story “The Station Warden,” written in 1830.

Gogol thought about writing this story back in the 30s, but he was inspired to create the work by an anecdote about a poor official who denied himself everything for a very long time and saved up for an expensive gun. Having bought the desired item, he went duck hunting in the Gulf of Finland, but, putting the gun on the bow of the boat, he did not notice how the new thing was pulled into the water by reeds. The official was never able to recover from the loss and, upon arriving home, fell ill with a fever and never got up again.

Gogol perfectly understood the bitterness of such a loss, since he himself had once been an official (in 1829 he joined the department of state economy and public buildings of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and from 1830 to 1831 he served in the department of appanages). Then in a letter to his mother he wrote: “It’s unlikely that anyone lives in St. Petersburg more moderate than me. I still wear the same dress that I made upon my arrival in St. Petersburg from home, and therefore you can judge that my tailcoat, in which I wear every day, must be quite shabby and also worn out quite a bit, meanwhile how until now I have not been able to make a new, not only a tailcoat, but even a warm raincoat necessary for the winter. It’s good that I got a little used to the frost and got through the whole winter in a summer overcoat.”

Therefore, Gogol, when creating “The Overcoat,” could almost accurately convey the experiences of the main character, relying on his own experience.

There is something diminutive in the surname of the main character - Bashmachkin (due to the suffix “chk”). Gogol seems to deliberately make his hero unsightly: “the official cannot be said to be very remarkable, short in stature, somewhat pockmarked, somewhat reddish, somewhat blind in appearance, with a small bald spot on his forehead, with wrinkles on both sides of the cheeks and a complexion that is called hemorrhoidal ." One might think that the author is creating a degrading portrait, from which it is even impossible to determine how old the hero is, that is, Bashmachkin is a man without age. Only towards the end of the work does the reader learn that “Akaky Akakievich was already over fifty years old.” The narrator speaks about the hero as if he has known him for a long time: “Akaky Akakievich was born against the night, if memory serves, on March 23.”

The hero's name - Akaki Akakievich - is unusual even for the 19th century and is not at all euphonious; it was not given to him from great love to my father. They called him that simply because there was nothing better in the calendar: “... that, apparently, is his fate. If so, it would be better for him to be called like his father. The father was Akaki, so let the son be Akaki.” Further the author adds (not without irony): “. this happened completely out of necessity and it was impossible to give another name.” The name Akaki, although it sounds unpleasant, is perfectly suited to the hero in meaning (translated from Greek - “doing no evil,” “not bad,” “kindly”).

Gogol emphasizes that Akaki Akakievich allegedly had neither childhood nor youth at all: “. He, apparently, was born into the world completely ready, in a uniform and with a bald spot on his head.” Nobody notices him, but, strangely enough, he loves his job: “It’s unlikely that anywhere you could find a person who would live like that in his position. It is not enough to say: he served zealously - no, he served with love. There, in this rewriting, he saw his own diverse and pleasant world.”

Gogol, with great attention to detail, draws the tiny closed world of Akaki Akakievich: “No one could say that they had ever seen him at some evening. Having written to his heart's content, he went to bed, smiling in anticipation at the thought of tomorrow: will God send something to rewrite tomorrow? Thus passed the peaceful life of a man who, with a salary of four hundred, knew how to be satisfied with his lot.” Gogol depicts this world precisely in order to tell readers that we, as Christians, must love every person, even the smallest and most invisible. But Akaki Akakievich himself is not able to formulate this thought, when his colleagues laugh at him, he does not try to defend his dignity, he is a meek person. All he can say is “Leave me alone, why are you hurting me?” This is almost the only articulate phrase of Akaki Akakievich in the entire work. His speech is poor, but it characterizes his inner world very well. Gogol conveys this phrase as repeated (“he uttered”), that is, it happened more than once. To speak a word means to comprehend something; in “The Overcoat,” the author himself takes the floor for Akaki Akakievich (“I am your brother”).

In “The Inspector General” Gogol shows people without honor, but here he says that in a person one must first of all see an equal to oneself and as if he specially chooses someone like Akaki Akakievich.

The hero is absent-minded, his thoughts constantly hover in planes far from everyday life, he does not notice that something is stuck to him (“there was always something stuck to his uniform: either a piece of hay, or some kind of thread”), not even notices the taste of food (“Coming home, he sat down at the table that very hour, quickly slurped up his cabbage soup and ate a piece of beef with onions, not noticing their taste at all, ate it all with flies and with everything that God sent to that it's time") and ". Moreover, he had a special art, walking along the street, of keeping up with the window at the very time when all sorts of rubbish was being thrown out of it.” Here the reader should discern not satirical laughter, but the author’s bitter irony. Akaki Akakievich has no leisure, he does not have fun.

Almost the only dialogue in the entire story took place with Petrovich, the one-eyed tailor (another sad irony), to whom Bashmachkin comes to order an overcoat. But this, in essence, cannot be called a dialogue, since “Akaky Akakievich expressed himself mostly in prepositions, adverbs and, finally, particles that absolutely do not have any meaning.” Strong emotion appears in the speech only when Petrovich names the price of the product: “One and a half hundred rubles for an overcoat! - cried poor Akaki Akakievich, cried out, perhaps for the first time in his life, for he was always distinguished by the quietness of his voice. What follows is the internal monologue of Akaki Akakievich, which also certainly deserves attention. But internal speech is not too different from external speech: it contains adverbs, prepositions, interjections in abundance - in general, everything except the clear words: “So and so!” That's exactly what's unexpected. There’s no way that’s possible... some kind of circumstance!”

Bashmachkin dreamed of a new overcoat, saved on everything (“he completely learned to go hungry in the evenings; but he ate spiritually”), saved money, it seems he did not rest at all, but since then it was as if his very existence had become more meaningful: “Since these It was as if his very existence had become somehow fuller. as if he was not alone, but some pleasant friend of life had agreed to walk the path of life with him - and this friend was none other than the same overcoat with thick cotton wool, with a strong lining without wear and tear. He somehow became more alive, even stronger in character, like a man who had already defined and set a goal for himself.”

The most interesting thing in this story is that Gogol keeps readers on the verge of a smile, but he himself does not smile at all. He draws in detail this world of Akaki Akakievich, but it seems main goal The author's goal was for readers to be more attentive and for the hero to be loved. It is important for Gogol that readers be able to sympathize with such a hero. Pushkin in " Bronze Horseman" and in " Stationmaster“sought the same thing, because Eugene’s world in “The Bronze Horseman” is small, but, in comparison with Akaki Akakievich, Eugene is more developed and educated, because he belonged to an ancient but impoverished family. And Akaki Akakievich does not even have this dignity.

The history of the creation of Gogol's work "The Overcoat"

Gogol, according to the Russian philosopher N. Berdyaev, is “the most mysterious figure in Russian literature.” To this day, the writer’s works cause controversy. One of such works is the story “The Overcoat”.
In the mid-30s. Gogol heard a joke about an official who lost his gun. It sounded like this: there lived one poor official who was a passionate hunter. He saved for a long time for a gun, which he had long dreamed of. His dream came true, but, sailing across the Gulf of Finland, he lost it. Returning home, the official died of frustration.
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”. This cycle includes the stories: “Nevsky Prospekt”, “The Nose”, “Portrait”, “The Stroller”, “Notes of a Madman” and “The Overcoat”. The writer worked on the cycle between 1835 and 1842. The stories are united by a common place of events - St. Petersburg. Petersburg, however, is not only the place of action, but also a kind of hero of these stories, in which Gogol depicts life in its various manifestations. 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.” This topic was first opened by A.S. Pushkin. She becomes the leader in the work of N.V. Gogol.

Genre, genre, creative method

Analysis of the work shows that in the story “The Overcoat” the influence of hagiographic literature is visible. It is known that Gogol was an extremely religious person. Of course, he was well acquainted with this genre of church literature. Many researchers have written about the influence of the life of St. Akaki of Sinai on the story “The Overcoat,” including famous names: V.B. Shklovsky and GL. Makogonenko. Moreover, in addition to the striking external similarity of the destinies of St. Akaki and Gogol's hero were traced the main common points of plot development: obedience, stoic patience, the ability to endure various kinds of humiliation, then death from injustice and - life after death.
The genre of “The Overcoat” is defined as a story, although its volume does not exceed twenty pages. It received its specific name - a story - not so much for its volume, but for its enormous semantic richness, which is not found in every novel. 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 that will not be translated either in life or in literature as long as humanity exists.
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. Nevertheless, they can hardly be called realistic. The sad story of 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.

Subject of the analyzed work

The story raises social, ethical, religious and aesthetic problems. Public interpretation emphasized the social side of “The Overcoat.” Akaki Akakievich was viewed as a typical “little man”, a victim of the bureaucratic system and indifference. Emphasizing the typicality of the “little man’s” fate, Gogol says that death did not change anything in the department; Bashmachkin’s place was simply taken by another official. Thus, the theme of man - a victim of the social system - is brought to its logical conclusion.
The ethical or humanistic interpretation was built on the pitiful moments of “The Overcoat”, the call for generosity and equality, which was heard in Akaki Akakievich’s weak protest against office jokes: “Leave me alone, why are you offending me?” - and in these penetrating words other words rang: “I am your brother.” Finally, the aesthetic principle, which came to the fore in the works of the 20th century, focused mainly on the form of the story as the focus of its artistic value.

The idea of the story "The Overcoat"

“Why depict poverty... and the imperfections of our life, digging people out of life, from the remote corners of the state? ...no, there is a time when otherwise it is impossible to direct society and even a generation towards the beautiful until you show the full depth of its real abomination,” wrote N.V. Gogol, and in his words lies the key to understanding the story.
The author showed the “depth of abomination” of society through the fate of the main character of the story - Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. His image has two sides. The first is spiritual and physical squalor, which Gogol deliberately emphasizes and brings to the fore. The second is the arbitrariness and heartlessness of those around them towards the main character of the story. The relationship between the first and second 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. And it makes the reader involuntarily think about the attitude towards the entire 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, but only taking into account his personal qualities and merits.

Nature of the conflict

The idea is based on N.V. Gogol lies in the conflict between the “little man” and society, a conflict leading to rebellion, to the uprising of the humble. The story “The Overcoat” describes not only an incident from the hero’s life. The whole life of a person appears before us: we are present at his birth, the naming of his name, we learn how he served, why he needed an overcoat and, finally, how he died. The story of the life of the “little man”, his inner world, his feelings and experiences, depicted by Gogol not only in “The Overcoat”, but also in other stories of the “Petersburg Tales” series, became firmly entrenched in Russian literature of the 19th century.

The main characters of the story “The Overcoat”

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 has not gone beyond copying papers, has not risen to a rank higher than a titular councilor (a civil servant of the 9th class, who has no 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.
Gogol does not hide the limitations, scarcity of interests of his hero, and tongue-tiedness. But something else comes to the fore: his meekness, uncomplaining patience. Even the hero’s name carries this meaning: Akaki is humble, gentle, does no evil, innocent. The appearance of the overcoat reveals the hero’s spiritual world; for the first time, the hero’s emotions are depicted, although Gogol does not give the character’s direct speech - only a retelling. Akaki Akakievich remains speechless even at the critical moment of his life. The drama of this situation lies in the fact that no one helped Bashmachkin.
An interesting vision of the main character from the famous researcher B.M. Eikhenbaum. He saw in Bashmachkin an image that “served with love”; in the rewriting, “he saw some kind of varied and pleasant world of his own,” he did not think at all about his dress or anything else practical, he ate without noticing the taste, he did not indulge in any entertainment, in a word, he lived in some kind of ghostly and strange world, far from reality, he was a dreamer in uniform. And it’s not for nothing that his spirit, freed from this uniform, so freely and boldly develops its revenge - this is prepared by the whole story, here is its whole essence, its whole whole.
Along with Bashmachkin, the image of an overcoat plays an important role in the story. It is also fully correlated with the broad concept of “uniform honor,” which characterized the most important element of noble and officer ethics, to the norms of which the authorities under Nicholas I tried to introduce commoners and all officials in general.
The loss of his overcoat turns out to be not only a material, but also a moral loss for Akaki Akakievich. Indeed, 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.

Plot and composition

“The plot of “The Overcoat” is extremely simple. The poor little official makes an important decision and orders a new overcoat. While she is being sewn, she turns into the dream of his life. The very first evening he puts it on, his overcoat is taken off by thieves on a dark street. The official dies of grief, and his ghost haunts the city. That’s the whole plot, but, of course, the real plot (as always with Gogol) is in the style, in the internal structure of this... anecdote,” this is how V.V. retold the plot of Gogol’s story. Nabokov.
Hopeless need surrounds Akaki Akakievich, but he does not see the tragedy of his situation, since he is busy with business. Bashmachkin is not burdened by his poverty because he does not know any other life. And when he has a dream - a new overcoat, he is ready to endure any hardships, just to bring the realization of his plans closer. The overcoat becomes a kind of symbol of a happy future, a favorite brainchild, for which Akaki Akakievich is ready to work tirelessly. The author is quite serious when he describes his hero’s delight at realizing his dream: the overcoat is sewn! Bashmachkin was completely happy. However, with the loss of his new overcoat, Bashmachkin is overtaken by real grief. And only after death is justice done. Bashmachkin's soul finds peace when he returns his lost item.
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 overcoat, the “spirit” of the dead Akaki Akakievich calms down and disappears from St. Petersburg squares and streets. Apparently, “the general’s overcoat suited him perfectly.”

Artistic originality

“Gogol’s composition is not determined by the plot - his plot is always poor; rather, there is no plot at all, but only one comic (and sometimes not even comic in itself at all) situation is taken, which serves, as it were, only as an impetus or reason for the development comic techniques. This story is especially interesting for this kind of analysis, because in it a pure comic tale, with all the techniques of language play characteristic of Gogol, is combined with pathetic declamation, forming, as it were, a second layer. Gogol doesn’t allow his characters in “The Overcoat” to speak much, and, as always with him, their speech is formed in a special way, so that, despite individual differences, it never gives the impression of everyday speech,” wrote B.M. Eikhenbaum in the article “How Gogol’s “Overcoat” was Made.”
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: portrait, depiction of 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 style of storytelling itself, when a pure comic tale, built on wordplay, puns, and deliberate tongue-tiedness, is combined with sublime, pathetic declamation, is an effective artistic means.

Meaning of the work

The great Russian critic V.G. Belinsky said that the task of poetry is “to extract the poetry of life from the prose of life and to shake souls with a faithful portrayal of this life.” N.V. is precisely such a writer, a writer who shakes the soul by depicting the most insignificant pictures of human existence in the world. Gogol. According to Belinsky, the story “The Overcoat” is “one of Gogol’s most profound creations.” Herzen called “The Overcoat” “a colossal work.” The enormous influence of the story on the entire development of Russian literature is evidenced by the phrase recorded by the French writer Eugene de Vogüe from the words of “one Russian writer” (as is commonly believed, F.M. Dostoevsky): “We all came out of Gogol’s “The Overcoat.”
Gogol's works have been repeatedly staged and filmed. One of the last theatrical productions of “The Overcoat” was staged at the Moscow Sovremennik. On the new stage of the theater, called “Another Stage”, intended primarily for staging experimental performances, “The Overcoat” was staged by director Valery Fokin.
“Staging Gogol’s “The Overcoat” has been my long-time dream. In general, I believe that Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol has three main works: “The Inspector General,” “Dead Souls” and “The Overcoat,” Fokin said. — I had already staged the first two and dreamed of “The Overcoat,” but I couldn’t start rehearsing because I didn’t see the leading actor... It always seemed to me that Bashmachkin was an unusual creature, neither female nor male, and someone... then here an unusual person, and really an actor or actress, had to play this,” says the director. Fokin's choice fell on Marina Neelova. “During the rehearsal and in what happened during the work on the play, I realized that Neelova was the only actress who could do what I had in mind,” says the director. The play premiered on October 5, 2004. The set design of the story and the performing skills of actress M. Neyolova were highly appreciated by the audience and the press.
“And here is Gogol again. Sovremennik again. Once upon a time, Marina Neelova said that she sometimes imagines herself as a white sheet of paper, on which every director is free to depict whatever he wants - even a hieroglyph, even a drawing, even a long, tricky phrase. Maybe someone will imprison a blot in the heat of the moment. A viewer who looks at “The Overcoat” may imagine that there is no woman named Marina Mstislavovna Neyolova in the world, that she was completely erased from the drawing paper of the universe with a soft eraser and a completely different creature was drawn in her place. Gray-haired, thin-haired, evoking in everyone who looks at him both disgusting disgust and magnetic attraction.”
(Newspaper, October 6, 2004)

“In this series, Fokine’s “The Overcoat”, which opened a new stage, looks like just an academic repertoire line. But only at first glance. Going to a performance, you can safely forget about your previous ideas. For Valery Fokin, “The Overcoat” is not at all where all humanistic Russian literature with its eternal pity for the little man came from. His “Overcoat” belongs to a completely different, fantastic world. His Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin is not an eternal titular adviser, not a wretched copyist, unable to change verbs from the first person to the third, he is not even a man, but some strange creature of the neuter gender. To create such a fantastic image, the director needed an actor who was incredibly flexible and flexible, not only physically, but also psychologically. The director found such a versatile actor, or rather actress, in Marina Neelova. When this gnarled, angular creature with sparse tangled tufts of hair on his bald head appears on stage, the audience unsuccessfully tries to guess in him at least some familiar features of the brilliant prima “Contemporary”. In vain. Marina Neelova is not here. It seems that she has physically transformed, melted into her hero. Somnambulistic, cautious and at the same time awkward old man’s movements and a thin, plaintive, rattling voice. Since there is almost no text in the play (Bashmachkin’s few phrases, consisting mainly of prepositions, adverbs and other particles that absolutely do not have any meaning, serve rather as a speech or even sound characteristic of the character), the role of Marina Neyolova practically turns into a pantomime. But the pantomime is truly fascinating. Her Bashmachkin settled comfortably in his old giant overcoat, as if in a house: he fumbles around there with a flashlight, relieves himself, settles down for the night.”
(Kommersant, October 6, 2004)

This is interesting

“As part of the Chekhov Festival, on the Small Stage of the Pushkin Theater, where puppet productions often tour and the audience can accommodate only 50 people, the Chilean Theater of Miracles played Gogol’s “The Overcoat.” We don't know anything about puppet theater in Chile, so one could expect something very exotic, but in fact it turned out that there was nothing specifically foreign in it - it was just a good little performance, made sincerely, with love and without any special ambitions. What was funny was that the characters here are called exclusively by their patronymics and all these “Buenos Dias, Akakievich” and “Por Favor, Petrovich” sounded comical.
The Milagros Theater is a sociable affair. It was created in 2005 by the famous Chilean TV presenter Alina Kuppernheim together with her classmates. Young women say that they fell in love with “The Overcoat,” which is not very well known in Chile (it turns out that “The Nose” is much better known there), while they were still studying, and they all studied to become drama theater actresses. Having decided to make a puppet theater, we spent two whole years composing everything together, adapting the story ourselves, coming up with a set design, and making puppets.
The portal of the Milagros Theater, a plywood house that barely accommodates four puppeteers, was placed in the middle of the Pushkinsky stage and a small curtain-screen was closed. The performance itself is performed in a “black room” (puppeteers dressed in black almost disappear against the backdrop of a black velvet backdrop), but the action began with a video on the screen. First there is a white silhouette animation - little Akakievich is growing up, he gets all the bumps, and he wanders - long, thin, big-nosed, hunched over more and more against the background of the conventional Petersburg. The animation gives way to a torn video - the crackling and noise of the office, flocks of typewriters flying across the screen (several eras are deliberately mixed here). And then, through the screen, in a spot of light, the red-haired man himself, with deep bald patches, Akakievich himself gradually appears at a table with papers that are kept being brought to him.
In essence, the most important thing in the Chilean performance is the skinny Akakievich with long and awkward arms and legs. It is led by several puppeteers at once, some are responsible for the hands, some for the legs, but the audience does not notice this, they just see how the doll becomes alive. Here he scratches himself, rubs his eyes, groans, with pleasure straightens his stiff limbs, kneading every bone, now he carefully examines the network of holes in the old overcoat, ruffled, stomps around in the cold and rubs his frozen hands. This great art to work so harmoniously with a puppet, few people can master it; Just recently at the Golden Mask we saw a production by one of our best puppet directors who knows how such miracles are made - Evgeniy Ibragimov, who staged Gogol's The Players in Tallinn.
There are other characters in the play: colleagues and superiors looking out from the doors and windows of the stage, the little red-nosed fat man Petrovich, the gray-haired Significant Person sitting at the table on a dais - all of them are also expressive, but cannot be compared with Akakievich. With how he humiliatingly and timidly huddles in Petrovich’s house, and how later, having received his lingonberry-colored overcoat, he giggles embarrassedly, turns his head, calling himself handsome, like an elephant on parade. And it seems that the wooden doll even smiles. This transition from jubilation to terrible grief, which is so difficult for “live” actors, comes out very naturally for the doll.
During the festive party that colleagues threw to “sprinkle” the hero’s new overcoat, a sparkling carousel was spinning on the stage and small flat dolls made from cut out old photographs were spinning in a dance. Akakievich, who was previously worried that he did not know how to dance, returns from the party, full of happy impressions, as if from a disco, continuing to dance and sing: “boom-boom - tudu-tudu.” This is a long, funny and touching episode. And then unknown hands beat him and take off his overcoat. Further, a lot will happen with running around the authorities: the Chileans expanded several Gogol lines into a whole anti-bureaucratic video episode with a map of the city, which shows how officials drive from one to another a poor hero trying to return his overcoat.
Only the voices of Akakievich and those who are trying to get rid of him are heard: “You should contact Gomez on this issue. - Please Gomez. — Do you want Pedro or Pablo? - Should I Pedro or Pablo? - Julio! - Please Julio Gomez. “You need to go to another department.”
But no matter how inventive all these scenes are, the meaning is still in the red-haired sad hero who returns home, lies down in bed and, pulling the blanket, for a long time, sick and tormented by sad thoughts, tosses and turns and tries to nestle comfortably. Completely alive and desperately alone.”
(“Vremya Novostey” 06/24/2009)

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