The Overcoat - Nikolai Gogol - Essay Example

Analysis of The Overcoat - Nikolai Gogol There has been a long standing debate as to the origin of criminal and deviant behavior. Some blame society, claiming that those who act out do so because of the past oppression or suffering that they have undergone. Others claim that criminals have some fundamental flaw in their behavioral patterns or ways of thinking, going so far as to link these behaviors with bodily chemical level and inherited genes. The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol poses the very applicable real life question or the origin of deviant behavior, giving insight into the reality of deviant behavior by suggesting that abuse and oppression by authority detaches individuals from the reality of their society.

The portrayal of the protagonist supports the idea that environmental oppression impacts the individual, which may result in the formation of deviant behavioral patterns. Early in the work, the protagonist’s appearance is describes as ordinary and rather sallow, stating “There is nothing we can do about [the protagonist appearance], it is all the fault of the St. Petersburg climate” (Gogol 234). While this statement at surface value seems to refer to the weather, it closely parallels the bureaucratic climate that, much like the weather, is a large and dismal force that the protagonist feels powerless to alter.

Even the name of the character, Akaky Akakyevich, closely resembles the Russian term ‘okakat’ meaning to smear with excrement, or the term ‘caca’, which is of Greek origin but refers to excrement in many modern languages (Paul 1). A parallel is drawn between the oppression of the bureaucratic system, wherein a designated rank oppresses societal classes, and the oppression of the individual by his personal designation, in this case the character’s given name. This is supported by in the text by statements such as “with us, rank is something that must be stated before anything else”, highlighting the oppressive qualities of personal designations, such as rank (Gogol 234).

Oppression on many levels shapes the traits of the protagonist, suggesting that environmental influences are responsible for future deviant behavior.The protagonist at first negotiates a reality filled with oppression with acceptance; however, when his expectations are made higher by the prospect of a new overcoat, symbolic of a rise in the societal hierarchy, the character develops deviant personality traits, ultimately leading to his death and the wrath of his angry spirit. The author describes the Very Important Person as a character that “seemed lost” in the presence of those of other rank than himself, using this secondary character to demonstrate that oppression generates deviant behavior, in the form of mistreatment of Akaky, in not just the protagonist, but those in all levels of society (Gogol 261).

The protagonist’s transition from a man of quite acceptance to a deviant whose only goal is to climb the bureaucratic ladder is symbolized in the fact that after stealing the general’s overcoat it is states that “he was very pleased with the general’s overcoat, which must have fitted him perfectly”, suggesting that the role of higher rank is the only thing that could calm the ghost. (Gogol 271). A single taste of power, that seemingly held by the higher ranks, is all it takes to corrupt an otherwise healthy individual, leading to deviant and ultimately criminal behavior.

Deviant behavior is engendered in the story by oppression. This oppression is an external influence that is shown to occur at all levels, resulting in a bleak reality wherein individuals at all levels of the societal hierarchy are shown to feel powerless. Much like cornered beasts, these individuals lash out at others in desperate attempt to climb the bureaucratic ladder, towards a perceived state of greater happiness that is shown to be a mere illusion. The Overcoat, by Nikolai Gogol suggests that in reality, deviant behavior and the criminal behavior that sometimes follows is a result of oppression that occurs at all levels within a society, from the family structure to the bureaucratic system.

Works CitedGogol, Nikolai Vasilevich. The Overcoat and Other Tales of Good and Evil. Third Printing Edition. New York, NY:W. W. Norton & Company, 1965.Paul, Holly. Lecture 2: Gogol’s Overcoat. 2010. University of Toronto. Retrieved 18 October 2010 from