Nikolay Gogols The Overcoat. The Conclusion - Essay Example

Model paper 272991 The conclusion to "Nikolay Gogol's short story, "The Overcoat" is essential to the story because it brings closure that we can describe as successful and justified. While the ending of the story is fantastical, this does not hinder the story's meaning in any way. In fact, the supernatural addition to the story gives it more power as we digest the entire meaning of the story. Without the supernatural ending, we are left with the notion that world is a bleak place to live. With the inclusion of Akaky's ghost exacting revenge upon the Person of Consequence, we see that there is justice in the world and that the world is guided by forces that lurk beyond the human realm. Gogol's fantastic ending is surprising and delightful and this adds to the depth of the story because it offers hope. "The Overcoat" makes more sense when it is considered in the way it is presented - a tale of truth. The story is often discarded when readers reach the conclusion because they feel that it remove any substantial meaning. The way to read the story, however, is to take it at face value. Gogol wanted this ending to his rather realistic tale for a reason. He wanted readers to stop and consider supernatural occurrences in this tangible world in which we live. Victor Peppard observes that there are two ways that the story can be interpreted and maintains that "The Overcoat" has a "definite and tremendously significant relationship to the genre of the supernatural tale, particularly those tales about corpses and ghosts who have, or seem to have, returned from the dead" (Peppard). He believes that the story is meant to be "instructive" (Peppard) because of Gogol's literary predecessors. He also adds that it is "helpful to establish to what extent Gogol models his story on the generic requirements of the supernatural tale and to what extent he modifies them for his own purposes" (Peppard). Either way, "The Overcoat" plays out to be a supernatural story with a very moral message. This interpretation allows the ghost that appears at the end of the to be "even more persuasive than the guilty conscience of the significant personage" (Peppard). It must also be noted that the guilty conscious of the Person of Consequence is secondary to his conversion at the conclusion of the story. When we consider the ghost as a real character, the story not only makes sense, but it serves a real purpose. The supernatural ending of the story is also intended to make the reader relate to Akaky's experience and rejoice with him that he did receive justice in the end. This is the only way that the story can end without the tale being a complete tale of travesty for the "little guy." Akaky is, in fact, the Person of Consequence's victim for a very long time. Gogol has spent much of the story allowing us to see Akaky's life and how he lives it. There can be no doubt that he is a simple man living a simple life. There can also be no doubt that he is a bit quirky and, as such, is the butt of many jokes. It is also important to notice that Akaky lives his life quiet peacefully. He does not impose upon anyone else and it appears that his only sin is the lust he develops for the new overcoat. From this perspective, we can determine that Akaky needs the supernatural ending as much as anybody does because that is the only way that he will see justice. We are forewarned of this when the narrator states that no one could have "imagined that this was not there was to tell" (Gogol 245) about Akaky. Then we are told that the story does have a "fantastic ending" (245). From this we can gather that Gogol wanted us to believe in the supernatural aspects of this tale and not only believe but take issues to heart. In short, there is justice in the world. In addition, the conclusion of "The Overcoat" is significant because it is unique when it is examined against the rest of the tale. The supernatural ending to the story is actually the only fantastical element in "The Overcoat." Because the rest of the story is realistic, the conclusion shouts at us even louder. The conclusion is unique and, therefore, reinforces the story's theme of compassion being a very basic human need. Akaky did not receive this compassion while he was living and, for this, we can all feel for him. The ghost of Akaky, however, intends to exact revenge upon the Person of Consequence and does so quiet well. As a result, the Person of Consequence becomes a better person and no one has to suffer from his outbursts anymore. The ghost not only does Akaky a favor, but all that are associated with the Person of Consequence. In addition, for the spiritual, we can believe that the spirit of Akaky can now rest in peace. This appears to be what occurs in the story since we do not see or hear from the apparition again. The supernatural allows the ending to be more powerful because it does suggest a life force outside of our own and that force demands justice just as we do. By placing this type of conclusion in such a realistic framework, Gogol ensures that it will remain with us because we can see it happening in the world around us. Gogol alludes to this when the narrator of the story ponders that someone such as Akaky was "destined for a few days to make a noise in the world after his death" (245). The world Gogol has presented to us is very real and filled with detail and this ghost is made to fit right in with those details because we believe the story. The conclusion of "The Overcoat" is believable because it gives us hope. Without this supernatural ending, the story would be a rather bleak exposition on mankind and have very little point. Gogol goes into describing every aspect of Akaky's life so we can cheer with the ghost when it steals the Person of Consequence's coat. Had the story ended at Akaky's death, we would not feel that any justice had been served and that the narrator is revealing to us a dark and dreary fact of life - that man is not worth the coat that hangs on his shoulders. It should also be considered that this ending does not remove any of the meaning or validity of the story; in fact, it enhances it. The supernatural ending allows the reader to imagine a world where forces are at work and those forces are beyond human control. Karma would probably be the best word to describe this phenomenon but it works in this story because Akaky's name and cause are avenged. Michael Sonkowsky agrees with this notion, adding, that the story is able to "encompass a multiplicity of meanings" Sonkowsky) because the tale is told in first-person and therefore it leaves the "final, authoritative statement of the story's significance" (Sonkowsky) to the reader. Sonkowsky maintains that Gogol "distances himself from the narrator and creates the impression that the story is being told by another St. Petersburg office-worker" (Sonkowsky). In this way, the conclusion of the story forces us to consider the story on another level. Sonkowsky also believes that the supernatural ending of the story works better because it reveals something about the "human experience in a world characterized by radically competing ideas and large bureaucratic structures" (Sonkowsky). This conclusion and what it leads us to believe is what keeps the story timeless. The human experience is something we all share and we have all been mistreated and we all know what it feels like to be ostracized. As a result, we also know what it feels like to cheer for this ghost, for it is doing what Akaky could never do. The ghost, however, can sneak up on the Person of Consequence and take whatever it wants from him and even frighten him to death. This is significant because the Person of Consequence comes out of the story changed and this is not only a symbol of hope for the person of Consequence but for all of mankind. The conclusion to "Nikolay Gogol's short story, "The Overcoat" may seem a bit outlandish but when we look at it as part of the story that Gogol is trying to tell not just about one man but mankind, we can see that it fits perfectly within the tale and makes absolute sense. In the immortal words of John Lennon, "Instant karma is gonna get you" and that is exactly the message Gogol wants to convey. Akaky did not deserve the treatment the Person of Consequence dumped on him; in fact, it could be said that no one deserves to live in such an environment. We can also say that the Person of Consequence had something like this coming and there was absolutely no one better to do it to him than not Akaky, but Akaky's ghost. The power in a frightful ghost bearing the resemblance of Akaky is far more commanding than Akaky the man. Gogol knew this when he wrote the story and he knew that the punch at the end of the story would provide a sense of restoration within in the world and, finally, a sense of hope. Works Cited Gogol, Nikolay. "The Overcaot." Six Great Modern Short Novels. New York: Dell Publishing. 1954. pp. 213-50. Peppard, Victor. "The Overcoat." South Atlantic Review. 1990. GALE Resource Database. Information Retrieved February 13, 2009. Sonkowsky, Michael. "An overview of The Overcoat." Exploring Short Stories. 1998. GALE Resource Database. 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