Plot the Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol - Essay Example

The plot of Overcoat centers on a single, introverted man named Akakiy Bashmachkin; a Russian civil servant, who is extremely devoted to his job and often jeered at by his coworkers.

The story entails an exposition that defines the initial premise of the story and Akakiy’s character, a passive civil servant, who is highly skilled in what he does but due to his appearance and aloof nature is often mocked by his superiors and inferiors alike. The focus of the story is then shifted towards Akakiy’s overcoat which has immense significance in the story to the protagonist because the coat was symbolic of social acceptance and a new life for him. However, the overcoat also serves as the main source of conflict and complication in the story, as all the other characters of the story do not understand the significance of the coat to Akakiy. Other characters deem it as an ordinary object, which on the other hand was symbolic of social acceptance for Akakiy as mentioned earlier. Akakiy’s old overcoat is ragged and does not help to protect Akakiy from the icy cold weather of St. Petersburg.

Akakiy’s overcoat becomes ragged beyond repair and as a result, he is persuaded by the tailor Petrovich to buy a new overcoat. The new overcoat brings not only admiration from the staff but the very same day Akakiy is invited to a party as well. However, Akakiy’s happiness is short-lived and on the same night, he is beaten by a group of hooligans, who leave him injured and then steal his brand-new coat. He reports it to the local police but to no avail and they do not pay much attention to his complaint as the coat is too trivial for investigation and fail to understand the importance of the overcoat to Akakiy. Akakiy becomes extremely restless, and this point in the story is referred to as Rising action, whereby the protagonist is overwhelmed with tension and explores every option to get his coat back. Upon the suggestion of a coworker, Akakiy goes to see a high-ranking official to help him find his coat; however, Akakiy enters into a confrontation with him and gets a bitter scolding that causes him to faint.

This aspect of the story is referred to as a moment of crisis, where Akakiy strives hard and reaches the conclusion that if he will plead and beg the official, he may soften and be willing to help him. However, this only ends up as a false resolution for Akakiy and the official does not help him at all. Akakiy becomes sick and in a delirious state hallucinates that he is back in front of the official and in the last moments of his life, Akakiy curses him. The story then shifts to a supernatural note and a few days after Akakiy’s death, people start talking about a ghost scaring people in St. Petersburg and stealing people’s coats. The ghost has an appearance similar to Akakiy and then the climax is reached when the same official, who scolded Akakiy visits the same place and is confronted by Akakiy’s spirit. The ghost scares him and makes him realize how his arrogance had brought about his death. (Gogol, 1985)

This is the climactic point in the story, whereby Akakiy’s spirit attains peace after scaring the official and is never seen or heard afterward and Akakiy steals his coat in return which fits him perfectly. For the official, this moment is a reversal of fortune as he is extremely shaken by Akakiy’s ghost, loses his coat, and is forced to reevaluate various traits of his personality. In the final moments of the story, there is a new ghost haunting the St. Petersburg square, however, it is hinted that it is the ghost of one of the hooligans, who had mugged Akakiy earlier. (Gogol, 1985)