Comparison of The Overcoat and The District Doctor - Essay Example

The Overcoat and The District Doctor The overcoat is a short story written by Nikolai Gogol who was born in Ukraine but is a Russian. The story was published in 1842 and is about the life and death of a counselor known as Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin. The story is told using a third person narrative describing the activities surrounding the life of Akaky. The District Doctor, on the other hand, is a story by Ivan Turgenev. It is a story about a traveller who becomes ill and is treated by a local physician known as Trifon Ivanitch who shares a strange story with the traveller. The story is told from a first person narrative point of view. This paper will compare The Overcoat and The District Doctor and develop an argument about the issues observed in the stories, such as the setting, narration and ending. The first observation that has been made in the two stories is the type of narration that is used. The two stories use different types of narration in the sense that The Overcoat uses third person narration while The District Doctor uses first person narration. The narration in the two stories is important in terms of how the thematic development in the two stories is achieved. While it is true that the stories follow the lives of their main characters and the activities that they engage in, the focus is different and the difference in narration is important in the two stories because they bring out the stories better. In The Overcoat, the story focuses on Akaky, his work life and his overcoat that he wears to work. To clearly capture his character, it is important for the author to tell the story from a third person narrative because it is clearly understood that one cannot be objective when describing his own character (Gogol). For instance, the narrator states, “Directors and all sorts of chiefs came and went but he was always to be found at the same place, in the same position and in the same capacity” (Gogol). Therefore, when the reader reads the story using a third person character, he or she learns about Akaky better because it is another person telling the story from an observatory point of view. This means that the third person is not likely to hide a certain detail that the character would want to hide if he were telling the story. This helps the reader to develop a clear understanding of Akaky and be able to relate with his character (Gogol). On the other hand, The District Doctor talks about a life of a doctor whose work is to treat patients. However, the story focuses on the love life of the doctor. The story starts by showing the doctor treating a traveller who fell ill. In this scenario, the doctor tells the traveller a personal and potentially embarrassing story. He is then called by a woman to treat her daughter who is very ill (Turgenev). The doctor goes to the woman’s home where he finds a beautiful 20-year-old woman named Alexandra who is feverish and had been unconscious. The doctor is immediately infatuated by the woman and decides to spend several days caring for her at her home. He says, “In the meantime, I looked and looked at her, and do you know:--well, upon my word, I never before had seen such a face…a beauty, in one word” (Turgenev). Slowly, the two develop feelings for each other and when the woman realizes that she is going to die, she professes her love for the doctor. The doctor also told the woman’s mother about his relationship with the daughter. In such a story, the author chooses to use first person narration, which fits into the storyline. In the development of a theme such as love, the feelings of the characters involved are very important in terms of emotional effects to the story (Turgenev). As such, first person narration provides the opportunity for the character himself to bring this into the story and develop an understanding with the reader. Therefore, despite the fact that The Overcoat and The District Doctor talk about the lives of the main characters, the use of third person and first person narratives respectively help the authors to ensure that the readers develop a deeper understanding of the story. Another observation that is made in the two stories is that their ending is different. The two stories have different lessons that are seen in the end. Therefore, the difference in the ending of the two stories is important towards the development of the lessons. The Overcoat ends with the death of Akaky, which is followed by a ghost, believed to be his, haunting the areas of St. Petersburg (Gogol). In the story, Akaky tries to find justice after his new overcoat is stolen, yet he had worked so hard to get it. The people who are supposed to help him, such as the general mistreat and belittle him instead of helping him. Therefore, after his death, he comes back in form of a ghost to seek for his justice. After he is satisfied, he goes away. In this story, the author wants to show the readers that those who are in the position of ensuring that justice is served should do so without failure because they may also want the same (Gogol). He shows that all people should be treated justly despite the positions they occupy in society. The general was in a position to help Akaky get back his coat, but instead of helping him, he mistreated and belittled him. Therefore, the fact that Akaky’s ghost comes back to haunt and frighten the general shows that justice was not satisfied. The narrator states, “suddenly, the important personage felt someone grab him violently from behind…terrified, he recognized Akaky Akakievich” (Gogol). By haunting the general, Akaky feels satisfied having made him feel the way he did when he was seeking the general’s help. The lesson that the author wants the reader to get from The District Doctor is that love does not choose the kind of a person one is, the amount of wealth one has or the position he or she occupies in society. When the doctor went to treat Alexandra, they loved each other. The doctor’s love towards Alexandra was not clear in terms of whether it was genuine or it was just lust. Alexandra’s love towards the doctor was genuine because even though she knows she is going to die, she decides to reveal this fact to him just to get satisfaction of the basic need to experience love. She says, “but, believe me, I have never loved any one more than I have loved you…do not forget me...take care of my ring” (Turgenev). The doctor told Alexandra’s mother of their relationship but it is not clear if he was telling the truth. However, the doctor married an ill-tempered woman who slept the whole day. It is not clear whether the doctor married because of love, convenience or for money. Here, the reason is not clear but for the sake of the lesson that the author wants to put forth, it shows that the doctor married her for love, since he had lied about his relationship with Alexandra (Turgenev). This ending captures the intention of the author, which shows that love does not choose the type of person, their characteristics or what they have. When one falls in love, it is all that matters. Therefore, the difference in the ending of the two stories has important aspects to contribute to the thematic structure and the meaning of the stories. The two stories also compare in terms of the theme of duty and responsibility. Akaky, a titular councilor is a hardworking person in terms of the duties and responsibilities that he fulfills in his office despite the fact that no one recognizes his hard work. To show this, the author narrator states, “it would be hard to find a man so lived for his job. It would not be enough to say that he worked conscientiously” (Gogol). The younger clerks in the department tease and distract him on several occasions but this does not deter him from doing his responsibilities. The doctor also strives to do his work despite the fact that his infatuation of Alexandra can easily distract him. He does not let this distraction to make him fail from doing his duties. For instance, when Alexandra tells him that she will die, he tells her, “You will live, Alexandra Andreevna; I will cure you. We will ask your mothers blessing on our marriage” (Turgenev). The two authors are from Russia and the theme of duty could be an aspect that shows their background or culture. In conclusion, the issues that I have observed from the two stories, The Overcoat and The District Doctor help the authors to develop a deeper understanding of the characters and understand the thematic structure of the stories and the lessons that they bring forth. The stories also come from Russian authors and this could reveal the thematic structure of the stories based on the backgrounds and experiences of the authors. Therefore, such things are significant in the development of the story. Works Cited Gogol, Nikolai. "Short Stories: The Overcoat by." East of the Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2015. Turgenev, Ivan. S. "The District Doctor." The Literature Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2015. Read More