The Symbolism in Gogols The Overcoat - Essay Example

Analyze the symbolism in Gogol’s “The Overcoat” Gogol’s “The Overcoat” contains a plethora of symbols at every turn the story takes. The four main symbols identified in the story are the protagonist himself, his overcoat, the bureaucracy and the protagonist’s ghost that returns from the dead. There are two main characters, the protagonist and the narrator. The story starts with a description of the protagonist, Akakiy Akakievitch. Here too, Gogol employs extensive symbolism. The protagonist symbolizes the lower class of Russia in the era this short story was written in. As a symbol of the common man of the lower class, Akakiy is portrayed as a man with a menial bureaucratic job, limited means, no elaborate dreams and no other interests or social life apart from his job. He keeps his head down and goes from home to work and back and the only pleasure he derives from life is from his work. There is no place for love and fun in his life and yet, he is content; every day he comes back home from work, has his meager meal, writes for a bit and then goes to sleep. People at work make fun of him and insult him regularly to which he doesn’t normally retaliate, apart from that, others and his superiors take no special notice of him, he doesn’t stand out from the crowd, he is not exceptional or important and thus he doesn’t garner much respect from his coworkers or superiors. Even Akakiy’s name is a symbol of what he represents as a person. As the narrator tells us the story of how his mother got around to choosing that name for him, the reader realizes that Akakiy’s name means he is Akakiy, son of Akakiy which is a symbol of the fact that he is no different from his lineage, none of them were from the noble class, none who led illustrious lives, none who were important or respected in society, but all who were exactly like Akakiy; nonentities, meek, poor, not respected and completely unimportant as a part of society. A second most important symbol in this story is Akakiy’s overcoat itself. The overcoat as a symbol represents the class system and the means available to these classes in Russia at that time. Before an explanation is provided about the use of the overcoat as a symbol, it is important to note that the harsh, cold weather conditions depicted in the story are representative of the living conditions for people in Russia at that time. The old overcoat is worn and torn and offers Akakiy no protection from the adverse weather conditions. This overcoat is a symbol of the lower class; they have no protection or comfort from the worsening living conditions but they just go on about their nondescript lives and quietly bear the pain and discomfort that comes along with belonging to the lower class. As people in Akakiy’s office who were better off than him made fun of him and his overcoat, so do people in real life. This shows that there is a very deep class divide in Russia at that time. The affluent class makes fun of and looks down on the lower class and disapproves of any mingling with the lower class and wants them to stay in their place instead of aspiring to cross the class divide. Akakiy’s new overcoat is a symbol of prosperity and the affluent class. As shown by the perils Akakiy goes through to procure the new and fancy overcoat (Romero), we can see how Gogol symbolizes the struggle of the lower class in the pursuit of prosperity and bettering their lives. Often, like in the case of the protagonist, in order to achieve prosperity or better living conditions, the lower class has to save up furiously, even by cutting basic expenditures like food. Since they don’t have any substantial savings, they also need loans and the help of their superiors when they want to better themselves. Since the new overcoat is a symbol of prosperity and effluence as mentioned earlier, it provides Akakiy better protection against the cold. This signifies that the elite class has the means that make their lives easier and more pleasant compared to those of the lower class even though both live in the same place and the same era. In the same vein, the overcoat becomes a source of comfort and confidence for Akakiy. When he wears the coat and goes to work, he is a changed man. Suddenly he has the courage to stand up to others and nothing seems to get to him as long as he has his overcoat. This is a symbol of how the lower class knows that they are weak when they have no money or other means, but once they acquire some, it works to strengthen them internally and they feel that since they now possess these means they amount to something more substantial than they previously did. The overcoat, thus, is a symbol of hope for the lower class and once it is acquired, a source of comfort. The story takes a pivotal turn when the new overcoat that Akakiy so loves is stolen from him. This theft is a strong symbol used to signify the fact that he is put down in his place. Without the overcoat, the protagonist amounts to nothing and belongs back in the lower class from where he came. This also shows that the privileged class disapproves of the lower class trying to cross the divide and bettering their social standing. Thus the coat is stolen from Akakiy and he is returned to his former nonentity self. Akakiy is distraught with the theft of his beloved overcoat and goes to report the theft. Herein comes in the third main symbol used by Gogol in this story. The Russian bureaucratic system is portrayed as inefficient and unproductive (Brombert, 569-575). Nobody helps out Akakiy who is a person of no importance. There are two major symbols that become evident during this process. One, that there is a lot of red tape in the Russian bureaucratic system and two, that the bureaucratic system is also reflective of the social class system. The upper class looks down on the lower class, rich people are given importance and their concerns heard, while poor people like the protagonist are given no importance and their voice isn’t even heard. The last major use of symbolism in this story is through the portrayal of the ghost of the protagonist who returns from the dead. After Akakiy’s unceremonious death, not long after his coat is stolen and the bureaucracy refuses to help him (and most likely as a direct consequence of that) his ghost starts to appear in the city. People report that the ghost steals the overcoats of rich people. Although there is a lot of debate on what this last symbol signifies, it seems a probable explanation that Akakiy’s ghost is a symbol of the lower cast fighting back against the injustice of the class system and the oppression they face at the hands of the privileged class. It is in effect the protagonist taking back what was stolen from him as a measure of correcting social injustice and teaching a lesson to the hard hearted privileged class of Russia. In sum, Gogol’s “The Overcoat” uses allegorical instances throughout the story to talk about a political and social agenda of that time through his literature. This was a common practice of people in this field in that era. The use of symbols and metaphors is such that, on the face of it, it seems that the story is about a man and his new overcoat but a little scrutiny and just under the surface lays the true meaning which can be accessed using the orgy of symbols utilized by Gogol in this work of art. Works cited Brombert, Victor. "Meanings and Indeterminacy in Gogol's "The Overcoat"." Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 135. 4 (1991): 569-575. . Gogol?, Nikolai Vasil?evich. The overcoat. New York: Norton, 1965. Print. Romero, Augusto. "An Account of Common Motifs in Gogol‘s ?The Overcoat?, Benedetti‘s The Truce and Melville‘s ?Bartleby, the Scrivener?." (2001): . Read More