The Overcoat by Gogol - Book Report/Review Example

Eng Wjs The story, The Overcoat, has lessons to learn from it. The story shows how material possession makes one. Akakiys new overcoat allows him a coat to become human instead of a bureaucratic tool as his co-workers used to view him. While he reports to the department in the new cloak, the colleagues started noticing and complimenting him on his coat and this makes him venture into a social world. Before, they co-workers used to make fun of him when he used to wear his old torn cloak. On that same day, he wore the new one; one of the senior workmate invited everyone to his house to have a cup of tea. The story revolves more on humanity; it is evident how people treat others through judging one on the material one owns and how materials bring people together. For example, when Akaky went to the senior personage to report about the stolen cloak, he is sent away. The senior personage looked at his appearance that created a negative picture in his mind as he wore old tattered clothes. It is evident how material possession boosts ones humanity from the way Akakiys self-esteem is due to owning the new cloak. His interest in women is after acquiring the cloak. “Akaky even started to run, without knowing why after some lady." He also,” out of curiosity, halted in front of the window shop to stare at a picture representing a beautiful woman baring her whole foot in a beautiful way” (Gogol, paras,13-16). The story has such an ending where Akakiys ghost appears to haunt people by stealing their cloaks so as people can learn to treat people with humanity. From that incidence, the senior personage started treating his seniors in a human way. In addition, upon him receiving news that Akakiy had died; guilt haunts him as he realized that he did not do the right thing by chasing him away. From the story, one can learn that, one should always do well to others and treat all people in a human way. The bad deeds will always haunt ones conscience (Gogol, para, 20-24). The author created such a character to bring out how poverty can determine how others will treat one and how one’s life is. Akaky used to live in an area that was less affluent, unlike the workmate who lived in an affluent area. Akaky wore torn clothes because he did not have enough money to buy new ones. For him to own the new cloak, it was after the tailor convinced him that the old piece was beyond repair. He had to sacrifice a lot so that he could get half of the money that was required in making of the new cloak. “ Akakiy thought and though, and decided that it would needed to curtail for at least one year, his ordinary expenses, to dispense tea in the evening, he would not burns. In addition, if there were some copying that he must do, he would into his landlady’s room to work by her light. When he went in the street, he must walk as cautiously and lightly as he could, upon the stones, almost upon tiptoe. This decision was not to wear his heels down in too short time. In addition, he must take off his clothes, as soon as he got home and wear only his cotton dressing gown in order not to wear them off” (Gogol,para.17). The author developed such a character to show that one should work with zeal and love in duties delegated. Akakiy loved his job; it would not be easy to a man, who lived so entirely for his duties. “It is an understatement say Akakiy labored with zeal: no, he worked with love. In copying, he found a varied and agreeable employment” (Gogol, paras 6-7). Akakiys family was called Bashmatchkin, a name derived from the shoe. It is interesting that the family wore boots that had new heels two or three times a year. Akakiy always wore his old boots to the workplace. It is also interesting that no one could remember when and how he entered the department and who appointed him. He always remained in that position even when the other workers were changed or promoted areas. It is also interesting to how one director offered Akakiy a better position, but he requested to maintain his copying job.” So he was told to make a report of another department concluded affair, the duty consisting solely of changing the headline and altering a few words to the third person. The new duty caused him so much toil that broke into a perspiration, rubbed his forehead, and finally said, o, give me rather something to copy”. It is interesting when Akakiy goes to Petrovichs room and finds his wife cooking some fish that had filled the room with smoke.“ The door was open where the mistress was cooking some fish and had raised a lot of smoke in the kitchen that made everything invisible”(Gogol, para.3). The story is interesting in the part where Akakiy decided to visit the tailor again on a Sunday morning as he thought that the one-eyed tailor would not see clearly that the old cloak was too old for repair. Akakiy thought that he would not see clearly after drinking on Saturday night. To his surprise, the tailor insisted that the piece was too old to be. When he reported to the department wearing his new cloak, it is interesting how he blushed and smiled after the co-workers complimented him. He even laughed alone due to the satisfaction of owning the new cloak that was warm and beautiful. It is interesting when Akakiy halted in front a window of the shop to look a picture representing a woman, and he starts to laugh while shaking his head. It is also interesting where Akakiy started running, without knowing why, when a woman past him as he was going home from the party. These interesting things give a reader the urge to continue reading the story, looking forward to learning how the story goes on (Gogol, para.26). The story, however, has some weird things in it. It is weird how the mother settles at naming her child. It was the only name that she thought of, so it was impossible to give him another name. It is weird that Akakiy had nothing interesting outside the copying job, “he had nothing interesting apart from copying. He did not think of his clothes: his undress uniform was not green, but a sort of rusty metal color”. It is also weird how he swallowed his food and soup quickly in that he could not notice their taste or even gulping flies that came at that moment (Gogol, paras.26-29). After the Akakiy dies, and he was buried, his goes appeared in the streets where it would steal cloaks from people. For instance, the ghost appeared to senior personage as he was leaving a party and steals his cloak, “Suddenly the important personage felt some one clutch him firmly by the collar. Turning around, he perceived a man short stature, in an old, worn, and recognized without terror, Akakiy Akakievtch”. It is weird for one to reappear inform of a ghost after one had died. It is also weird that the senior personage had a family with two children and a beautiful wife, but he was seeing another woman. It is not right to have outside affairs, it is not clear why he had made such a decision as he had a happy family, and his wife was even more beautiful than that woman was. The weird things caught my attention, and I had to read the story until the end to satisfy my eagerness to know what came to happen at the end (Gogol, paras.30-32. Conclusion The author of this story brought a clear picture of how people relate material ownership to humanity. The story has a great lesson to the readers that one should treat other people well without looking at their level of wealth. Works cited Gogol.N. (n.d).The Overcoat. [01.05.2015] Retrieved Read More