The idea of ​​the work is an overcoat. Overcoat - analysis of the work

The idea for the story “The Overcoat” arose from N.V. Gogol under the influence of a real story told to him. One poor official had been saving money for a very expensive gun for a long time. Having bought it and gone hunting, the official did not notice how the priceless purchase slipped off the boat into the river. The shock of the loss was so strong that the unlucky hunter became seriously ill. The official’s health began to improve only after his friends chipped in and bought him exactly the same gun.

Gogol took this funny incident very seriously. He knew firsthand about the hard life of poor officials. In the first years of his service in St. Petersburg, the writer himself “spent the whole winter in a summer overcoat.”

Combining the main idea from the story about the official with his own memories, in 1839 Gogol began work on “The Overcoat.” The story was completed in early 1841 and first published a year later.

Meaning of the name

The overcoat in the story is not just a piece of clothing. She practically becomes one of the heroes of the work. Not only the happiness of poor Akaki Akakievich, but even his life turns out to be dependent on an ordinary overcoat.

The main theme of the story is the plight of petty officials.

The main character Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin evokes genuine pity for himself. His entire life's path was destined for him from birth. At baptism, the child made such a face, “as if he had a presentiment that there would be a titular councilor.”

Akaki Akakievich is just a cog in a huge bureaucratic machine. The job of an official consists of primitive copying of documents. Akakiy Akakievich is not capable of more.

The authorities treat Bashmachkin “coldly and despotically.” In addition, he serves as a constant target for jokes from his colleagues. Akaki Akakievich does not react to ridicule in any way. Only in extreme cases does he plaintively ask: “Leave me, why are you offending me?”

In the eyes of those around him, Bashmachkin’s life is boring and colorless. Although the official himself sees a “varied and pleasant world” in his copying of papers. Akaki Akakievich does not even notice anything around, completely immersing himself in his monotonous work.

Bashmachkin is brought out of a state of detachment by the “strong enemy” of all minor officials - the Russian frost. Akaki Akakievich realizes with horror that buying a new overcoat is a dire necessity. The required amount could only be accumulated through the most severe savings and limiting expenses. This led Bashmachkin to an even more disastrous financial situation, but, on the other hand, it gave him the first real goal in his life.

Dreaming of a new overcoat, Akaki Akakievich seemed to be born again: “he somehow became more lively, even stronger in character.” “Fire sometimes appeared in the eyes” of the humble titular councilor.

The long-awaited fulfillment of a dream became the most significant event in the life of Akaki Akakievich - “a great solemn holiday.” Thanks to an ordinary overcoat, he felt like a different person and even agreed to go to a colleague’s birthday, which he had never done.

Akaki Akakievich's bliss did not last long. Having been attacked at night and deprived of his fulfilled dream, he fell into despair. Efforts to find the criminal did not help. The only remedy was the help of one “significant person.” However, the harsh reception Bashmachkin received from the general killed his last hope. “Proper scolding” led to fever and quick death.

The figure of the titular councilor was so insignificant that at the service they learned about his funeral only on the fourth day. Replacing the position with another official was completely painless for the work of the institution.

Issues

The main problem of the story is that in Gogol’s era a huge number of people were the same Akaki Akakievichs. Their lives passed without a trace and were of no value. For any higher official, Akaki Akakievich is not even a person, but a submissive and defenseless executor of orders.

The bureaucratic system gives rise to a callous attitude towards people. A striking example is “significant person”. “Compassion was... not alien to this man,” but the position he holds kills the best feelings in him. Upon learning of the death of the poor petitioner, the general experiences remorse, but it quickly passes. The ending of the story with the appearance of the ghost of the official emphasizes that in real life the death of Akaki Akakievich would not have affected the established order in any way.

Composition

The story is the life story of the official Bashmachkin, the main event in which was the purchase of a new overcoat. The end of the work is the fantastic revenge of the deceased titular adviser.

What the author teaches

Gogol knew from his own experience what a negative impact his cramped financial situation has on a person. He calls to pay attention to downtrodden and humiliated people, to take pity on them and try to help, because their lives may depend on it.

Analysis of the story "The Overcoat"

Thinkers and literary scholars often agree that Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol has become the most mysterious Russian writer. In this article we will look at the analysis of the story “The Overcoat” by Nikolai Gogol, trying to penetrate into the subtle intricacies of the plot, and Gogol is a master at building such plots

The story "The Overcoat" is a story about one "little man" named Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. He served as the simplest copyist in an unremarkable county town, in the office. However, the reader can think about what the meaning of a person’s life might be, and a thoughtful approach cannot be done here, which is why we are analyzing the story “The Overcoat.”

The main character of "The Overcoat" So, the main character Akakiy Bashm Achkin was a "little man". This concept is widely used in Russian literature. However more attracts attention to his character, lifestyle, values ​​and attitude. He doesn't need anything. He looks distantly at what is happening around him, there is emptiness inside him, and in fact, his slogan in life is: “Please leave me alone.” Are there such people today? All around. And they are not interested in the reaction of others, they care little about who thinks what about them. But is this right? For example, Akakiy Bashmachkin. He often hears ridicule from fellow officials. They make fun of him, saying offensive words and competing in wit. Sometimes Bashmachkin will remain silent, and sometimes, looking up, he will answer: “Why is that?”

Analyzing this side of the "Overcoat", the problem becomes visible social tension.

Bashmachkin's character

Akaki passionately loved his work, and this was the main thing in his life. He was busy rewriting documents, and his work could always be called neat, clean, and done with diligence. What did this petty official do at home in the evenings? After dinner at home, having returned from work, Akaki Akakievich walked back and forth around the room, slowly living through long minutes and hours. Then he sank into a chair and throughout the evening he could be found writing regularly.

The meaning of a person’s life in work is petty and joyless. Here is further confirmation of this idea. Then, after such leisure time, Bashmachkin goes to bed, but what are his thoughts about in bed? About what he will copy at the office tomorrow. He thought about it, and it made him happy.

The meaning of life This official, who was a “little man” and was already in his sixth decade, had the most primitive thing: take paper, dip a pen in an inkwell and write endlessly - carefully and with diligence. However, another goal in Akaki’s life nevertheless appeared. Other details of the analysis of the story "The Overcoat" Akaki had a very small salary in the service. He was paid thirty-six rubles a month, and almost all of it went towards food and housing. A harsh winter has come - an icy wind blew and frost struck. And Bashmachkin wears worn-out clothes that cannot keep him warm on a frosty day. Here Nikolai Gogol very accurately describes the situation of Akaki, his old shabby overcoat, and the actions of the official. Akaki Akakievich decides to go to the workshop to repair his overcoat. He asks the tailor to fill the holes, but he announces that the overcoat cannot be repaired, and there is only one way out - to buy a new one. For this thing porn calls a gigantic amount (for Akaki) - eighty rubles. Bashmachkin doesn’t have that kind of money; he’ll have to save it, and to do this he’ll have to enter a very economical lifestyle. Doing an analysis here, you might think why this “little man” goes to such extremes: he stops drinking tea in the evenings, doesn’t give laundry to the laundress once again, walks so that his shoes are washed less... Is it really all for the sake of the new overcoat that he then lose it? But this is his new joy in life, his goal.

Gogol is trying to encourage the reader to think, what is most important in life, what to give priority to.

We briefly reviewed the plot, but isolated from it only those details that are needed in order to make a clear analysis of the story "The Overcoat". The main character is spiritually and physically untenable. He does not strive for the best, his condition is poor, he is not a person. After another goal appears in life, other than rewriting papers, he seems to change. Now Akaki is focused on buying an overcoat. Gogol shows us the other side. How callously and unfairly those around Bashmachkin treat him. He endures ridicule and bullying. On top of everything else, the meaning of his life disappears after Akakiy’s new overcoat is taken away. He is deprived of his last joy, again Bashmachkin is sad and lonely. Here, during the analysis, Gogol’s goal is visible - to show the harsh truth of that time. The “little people” were destined to suffer and die; no one needed them and were uninteresting. Just like the death of the Shoemaker was not of interest to those around him and those who could help him. You have read a brief analysis of the story "The Overcoat" by Nikolai Gogol. In our literary blog you will find many articles on various topics, including analyzes of works.
Brief Analysis

Year of writing – 1841.

History of creation– the story is based on an anecdote with a similar plot.

Subject– the theme of the “little man”, a protest against social orders that limit the individual.

Composition– the narrative is built on the principle of “being”. The exposition is a brief history of Bashmachkin’s life, the beginning is the decision about the need to change the overcoat, the climax is the theft of the overcoat and the clash with the indifference of the authorities, the denouement is the illness and death of the main character, the epilogue is news of a ghost stealing the overcoat.

Genre- story. It has a bit in common with the genre of “lives” of saints. Many researchers find similarities between the plot and the life of St. Akaki of Sinai. This is indicated by the hero’s numerous humiliations and wanderings, his patience and refusal of worldly joys, and death.

Direction– critical realism.

In “The Overcoat,” analysis of a work is impossible without the background that prompted the author to create the work. A certain P.V. Annenkov in his memoirs notes an incident when, in the presence of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, a “clerical anecdote” was told about a minor official who lost his gun, for the purchase of which he had been saving for a long time. Everyone found the joke very funny, but the writer became gloomy and deep in thought, this was in 1834. Five years later, the plot will emerge in Gogol’s “The Overcoat,” artistically rethought and creatively reworked. This creation backstory seems very plausible.

It is important to note that writing the story was difficult for the writer; perhaps some emotional, personal experiences played a role: he was able to finish it only in 1841, thanks to the pressure of M. V. Pogodin, a famous publisher, historian and scientist.

In 1843 the story was published. It belongs to the cycle of “Petersburg Tales” and becomes the final and most ideologically rich. The author changed the name of the main character throughout the work on the work Tishkevich - Bashmakevich - Bashmachkin).

The title of the story itself underwent several changes (“The Tale of an Official Stealing an Overcoat”) before the final and most accurate version reached us – “The Overcoat.” Critics accepted the work calmly; during the author’s lifetime it was not particularly noted. Only a century later it became clear that “The Overcoat” had a huge influence on Russian literature, on the historical understanding of the era and the formation of literary trends. Gogol’s “little man” was reflected in the works of many writers and poets, creating a whole wave of similar, no less brilliant, works.

The work is structured in such a way that we trace the entire life of the main character, starting from the moment of birth (where the story of why he was named Akaki is mentioned) and until the most tragic point - the death of the titular adviser.

The plot is based on revealing the image of Akaki Akakievich, his clash with social order, power and the indifference of people. The problems of an insignificant creature do not concern the powers that be; no one notices his life, and even his death. Only after death will justice prevail in the fantastic part of the story - about a night ghost taking away overcoats from passers-by.

Issues“The Overcoat” covers all the sins of a well-fed, soulless world, makes the reader look around and notice those who are just as “small and defenseless” as the main character. Main thought The story is a protest against the lack of spirituality of society, against orders that humiliate a person morally, financially and physically. The meaning of Bashmachkin’s phrase “Leave... why are you offending me?

” – contains both moral, spiritual and biblical context. What the work teaches us: how not to treat your neighbor. Idea Gogol's goal is to show the powerlessness of a small personality in front of a huge world of people who are indifferent to the grief of others.

Composition

The composition is built on the principle of the lives or “walkings” of saints and martyrs. The entire life of the main character, from birth to death, is a painful feat, a battle for truth and a test of patience and self-sacrifice.

The whole life of the hero of “The Overcoat” is an empty existence, a conflict with social order - the only act that he tried to commit in his life. In the exposition of the story, we learn brief information about the birth of Akaki Bashmachkin, why he was called that, about the work and inner world of the character. The essence of the plot is to show the need to acquire a new thing (if you look deeper - a new life, dramatic, bold changes).

The climax is the attack on the main character and his confrontation with the indifference of the authorities. The denouement is the last meeting with a “significant person” and the death of the character. The epilogue is a fantastic (in Gogol's favorite style - satirical and terrifying) story about a ghost who takes overcoats from passers-by and eventually gets to his offender. The author emphasizes the powerlessness of man to change the world and achieve justice. Only in the “other” reality is the main character strong, endowed with power, feared, and he boldly says to the offender’s eyes what he did not have time to say during his lifetime.

Main characters

We wrote a separate article about the heroes of the work - The main characters of "The Overcoat".

The story about the titular adviser is built on the principle of the lives of the saints. The genre is defined as a story, due to the scale of the substantive plan of the work. The story of a titular adviser who fell in love with his profession became a kind of parable and acquired philosophical overtones. The work can hardly be considered realistic, given the ending. She turns the work into a phantasmagoria, where bizarre unreal events, visions, and strange images intersect.

Reasoning
What is indifference?

An example of indifference from N.V. Gogol’s work “The Overcoat” (Unified State Examination in Russian)

What is indifference? I'll try to think about this. I believe that indifference is one of the lowest and most vile feelings, characterized by a complete lack of compassion and understanding for other people. It seems to me that indifference can be attributed to the main signs of a lack of humanism.

To support this, I will give an example from Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s story “The Overcoat”. The main character of the work, Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, who works as a titular adviser, is constantly mocked by his colleagues for the sake of laughter. Timid and whimsical, Akaki Akakievich endures all this and can only fight back if he is prevented from working. Officials do not think about the pain, suffering and insult they cause to a person, thereby revealing their indifference and heartlessness.

An example of indifference can be found in modern society. Increasingly, videos appear in the news, the Internet and social networks in which passers-by simply walk past a person who has become ill on the street, trying not to pay any attention to him. This whole situation is incredibly terrible!!! After all, a person can die because people do not take any measures to provide help. And the scary thing is that many do not realize the full responsibility in such difficult moments. Alas, over time, indifference penetrates more and more into the hearts of people who do not understand, or rather do not want to understand, that it will destroy them. It was not for nothing that Gorky said: “Do not be indifferent, for indifference is deadly to the human soul.”

So, we can say that indifference is one of the most important vices of humanity. I would like to believe that in the future people will become kinder and more responsive to each other. I am sure that only in a society where respect and compassion reign can a person feel happy.

Indifference

Tale by N.V. Gogol's "Overcoat".

Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin is constantly mocked by his colleagues for the sake of laughter. They do not think about the pain, suffering and insult they cause to a person, showing indifference and heartlessness.

The story was written in 1841 and was published in 1843. It was included in the “Petersburg Tales” (1830s - 40s) and gained enormous popularity among enlightened readers. The St. Petersburg stories are united by a common place of action - the city of St. Petersburg and the common problem of the “little man”.

The work was included in the collection “Petersburg Tales” along with the works: “The Nose”, “Nevsky Prospekt”, “Portrait”, “Arabesques”. Gogol's creativity was most fully revealed in this famous cycle. You will learn the most important thing about him from the analysis from the Many-Wise Litrecon.

According to the memoirs of P. V. Annenkov (Russian literary critic, literary historian and memoirist from a noble family), the story was born from an anecdote about a poor hunter who had been saving for a gun for a long time. Having heard it, Gogol even then began to think about creating a story about “an official stealing an overcoat.” This class was incredibly interesting to the author, because in his early days he himself was forced to work in this environment in order to find a means of living. All his observations are “copied” from real people and real circumstances. The work began in 1839, and he finished it in 1842.
The Russian State Library contains an early edition of the beginning of the story (excerpt), which was dictated by M.P. Pogodin. (historian, collector, journalist, fiction writer and publisher) in Marienbad.

Pogodin helped Gogol finish the story while the latter was in Rome and Vienna.
It is important to note that Gogol’s white manuscript has not survived, so it is difficult for literary scholars to determine whether it was censored. Contemporaries said that the story retained its main idea, but many interesting passages remained thrown out of its boundaries by the vigilant guardians of thought from the censorship department.

Genre and direction

In the nineteenth century, a new literary direction - realism - was actively developing and supported by many writers. It is typical for him to touch upon acute social problems, for example, relationships between different classes, poverty and wealth, morality and immorality in the context of the actions and relationships of the heroes.

However, the works from “Petersburg Tales” are characterized by a more specific genre definition - fantastic realism. Within the framework of this direction, the author can more actively influence readers and use certain artistic means of expression (grotesque, hyperbole, author's fiction). Fiction in the story “The Overcoat” is an opportunity to show the hopelessness of the real world, where an ordinary person cannot find control over lawlessness.

There are two worlds in this work - reality (the city of St. Petersburg, the department in which our hero works) and the mystical (the ghost of Bashmachkin on the pavement). Thus the fantastic and the real intertwine and produce new and bizarre forms of literature that impart new meaning to the reader. In reality, we see only injustice and poverty, and only fiction allows people to get even with “officials.” This is the role of fantasy in Gogol's story.

Along with the literary direction of “realism,” the image of the “little man” is also developing, which in a short time became a favorite type for writers of the nineteenth century. The Little Man is a hero of low social status, who has no special abilities and is not distinguished by strength of character, but who does no harm to anyone and is harmless. The first to embody the idea of ​​“little people” was A.S. Pushkin in his story “The Station Agent” in the main character Samson Vyrin.

Taking into account the peculiarities of the direction and genre, Gogol was able to combine fantasy and reality in his story - taking as a basis the problems that were relevant for Russia at that time and, together with a supernatural plot, it was very beneficial to present it to the amazed public.

We can safely say that Gogol is one of the most prominent representatives of realism.

Meaning of the name

For us, the overcoat itself as a piece of clothing has no deep meaning, but for Bashmachkin it became a new meaning of life. He stubbornly saved for it, limited himself in everything, talked about the overcoat with the tailor who sewed it as about a life friend. He was literally obsessed with the “eternal idea of ​​the future overcoat.” Her disappearance became the culmination of the work and the driving force of the plot. It also provided a logical transition from reality to supernatural forces.

In this simple title, Gogol was able to reflect the entire problem of his work and allowed readers to focus on such an unexpectedly valuable item as an overcoat.

Composition

In the story, you can trace the linear composition - highlighting the introduction and epilogue.

1. The work begins with a kind of introduction-exposition - the writer talks about the city that unites all the “Petersburg Tales”.
   This part is replaced by the biography of the main character, which is typical for followers of the “natural school” (realism). This allowed the author to reveal the motivation for his actions and explain the reasons for Bashmachkin’s behavior.
2. Next is the plot (according to the laws of the genre) - the hero lights up with the “idea of ​​a future overcoat.”
3. This idea brings the plot to the climax of the story - the acquisition of Akaki Akakievich ends up in the hands of robbers.
4. The denouement takes place on the street, where the ghost overtook the official and took away his outer clothing.

If we divide the work into two parts, then the first part is a description of Bashmachkin’s life and happy expectations, and the second is devoted to the hero’s misadventures, his attempts to return his overcoat, and communication with a “significant person.”

The main characters and their characteristics

Gogol's author's position deserves special attention. He does not justify or elevate his hero, although he pities him with all his heart. At the beginning, he is clearly ironic about him, but then he sincerely empathizes with his loss, endowing the soul of the deceased with mystical power to implement justice.

1. Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin– the main character of the story “The Overcoat”; a poor titular adviser who earns 400 rubles a year by copying papers. He loves his job very much and deliberately finds it even when it is not needed. But they pay him negligibly little, so every major purchase makes him go hungry. Colleagues from work mock the hero in every possible way and laugh at his ridiculous and submissive appearance, but he cannot stand up for himself. His fate was predetermined a long time ago - even at his birth. The midwife spoke about this: when Akaki was born, he made a grimace, which did not promise him anything good in life, but before us is a character developing spiritually. After all, when Bashmachkin puts on his treasured overcoat, he is transformed: he tries to approach the lady, he becomes bolder. This is the image of the “little man”, which Gogol successfully revealed from all sides and angles.
2. Overcoat image also found its place on the pages of the story. This is not a thing, but a symbol of change in the hero. It was she who gave him self-confidence, becoming a universal calling card of an official, which inspires others to respect the owner. She can just show the duality of Bashmachkin’s character. After all, the hero, with the advent of a new overcoat, begins to see the world differently: brighter, more interesting and updated. The minor official becomes more active, persistent and proactive. It is very significant that the attitude of society changed when changes affected the appearance of the official. This once again proves that it is blind and does not distinguish between the internal qualities of a person. People not only meet you, but also see you off based on their clothes. The overcoat became a reflection of the insignificance of the bureaucratic environment, where form, not content, decides everything.
3. Image of St. Petersburg also did not go unnoticed. In each part of the work he appears before the reader in a different light. Either he is hospitable and friendly, or he is scary and mystical (remember the night when Bashmachkin became a victim of thieves), cruel and merciful. Here Petersburg is more hostile to people than kind. There is a harsh winter here, an unsuitable climate for inhabitants, a very cruel, chilly, dry wind that chills to the bones. Poverty and wealth find their place here. While most people are starving in order to be clothed, the top of society is boasting, humiliating the petitioners. This is St. Petersburg - a cold and indifferent city of contrasts.
4. Images of officials repulsive, because most of them are pathetic people clinging to imaginary power. Bashmachkin’s colleagues are selfish and cruel cowards who are timid in front of their superiors, but humiliate their equals and inferiors. The official is not so clear. At first it kicks out the petitioner, but then it regrets what happened. In this uniform one can still see a man who is ashamed of what his bureaucratic nature allows himself to do.

Themes

The theme of the story is very multifaceted and touches on many acute social and psychological aspects.

• The main theme of the work is the fate of the little man. The story is dedicated to revealing his image. N.V. Gogol in “The Overcoat” expressed his attitude towards this type of people and added to their large gallery. In the book, he described the character, morals, aspirations and life of this character. If in Pushkin’s “The Station Agent” Samson was not fully revealed, then in Gogol the entire plot is dedicated to Bashmachkin alone. The theme of the little man is the key to understanding the author's intention: the writer wanted to show the tragedy of the fate of a limited and weak member of society in order to awaken compassion for him in our hearts.
• Theme of compassion and love for one's neighbor is also central to the text. Gogol was a believer and in every book he found a place for a moral lesson. It is the indifference and selfishness of people that contribute to misfortune and grief, and only mercy and kindness can be opposed to them. You need to feel sorry and love not for merit or benefit, but just like that, without reason or reward. Only in this way can we defeat the social problems that weigh on society to this day. In fact, the official did not need an overcoat, but the support of the environment that looked down on him.
• Another important topic is immorality. It is the fact of immorality that can explain most of what happens in the story. For example, the fact that everyone is indifferent to Bashmachkin’s grief, no one wants to help him. Or that the main character was robbed, or that a person is, in principle, valued not for his skills, personal qualities and achievements, but for his rank and wealth. Until Bashmachkin had his overcoat, they didn’t notice him at all, and when he disappeared, they stopped. Therefore, we can conclude that the theme of immorality follows at all turns of the plot.
• Dream theme in the work it is revealed in the image of an overcoat and its significance for the main character. Bashmachkin saved on everything, ate little, didn’t light candles, didn’t drink tea, and didn’t even take his linen to the laundry, and at home he wore a dressing gown so that his clothes wouldn’t wear out. He talked about the overcoat with rapture, dreamed of it as a life friend. Here we first encounter the hero’s persistence, with his strong desire to try for something. Perhaps, if it were not an overcoat, but something more (spiritual), we would have seen a completely different Akaki Akakievich. However, he cut all his usual expenses in order to wear this overcoat and did everything to make his dream come true. However, we should not forget that before the obsessive “idea of ​​a future overcoat” appeared, he had another hobby. Every time he came home from work, he dreamed of doing it again. He sometimes even copied papers on purpose because he really liked it. Every day he copied papers, and he loved it, for him it was a dream job.
• It is also impossible not to pay attention theme of the humiliated and insulted. This theme is directly related to the image of the main character. In the service they kick and push him, but he forgives everything and won’t say a word to anyone, unless in a voice breaking with pity he asks to be careful. He does not complain, does not experience any deep emotions or strong feelings. The hero lives in a small, cold apartment, which is more like a room, does not take care of himself, partly because he does not need it, he is very quiet and unobtrusive. Maybe he was a ghost during his lifetime?
• Theme of retribution is clearly visible in the epilogue of the story, when many see the ghost of Bashmachkin on the pavement (in particular, the significant person to whom Bashmachkin turned for help). And this theme continues and is transformed into a didactic author’s conclusion. When a significant person gets what he deserves from a ghost, he concludes that one cannot be very strict with his subordinates and spread rot on people just because they are not high-ranking.
• Also interesting theme of fate in the story. Even from childhood, it became clear that Akaki would have the fate of a quiet, peaceful titular adviser, who would not live particularly happily, but calmly and stably.

Problems

The story has very global issues. Within its framework, the author explains to readers the moral problems of humanism, poverty, social inequality, and indifference. The tragedy of the little man is at the top of their list. Let us specify it in other, narrower directions:

• The problem of humanism- the main one in “Overcoat”. Absolutely all the characters in the work are petty in character and selfish. In pursuit of material security, they ignore morality and ethics. They don't need them, since it's an extra hassle. Why help a petty titular adviser if his life hasn’t turned out well anyway? Thieves on the pavement are also pure anti-humanism. Akaki himself, having become a ghost, also becomes a thief; he cannot rest until he quenches his desire for revenge.
• The problem of indifference stems from the problem of lack of humanism. Nobody helps Bashmachkin, because no one cares. No one responds to his requests for help. The official, who, according to his official duty, was supposed to help the petitioner, pushed him out the door to show his power to other people. If he had taken proper measures, no one would have been harmed.
• The problem of poverty runs like a ghost through the entire work. It is invisible, but at the same time it is very well felt at almost every stage. Bashmachkin is very poor. Earning 400 rubles a year isn’t going to get you anywhere much. He lives in a small room with broken, creaking floorboards, it is damp and cold. To buy an overcoat, he abandons the basic rules of hygiene and health familiar to every person: washing clothes in the laundry, wearing underwear, eating healthy and nourishing food. He doesn't even light a candle or drink tea. Poverty is not a vice, but in an overcoat it takes on very ugly shapes.
• The problem of social inequality also appears throughout the story. A significant person ignores Bashmachkin and humiliates him because, in his opinion, he came in an inappropriate manner. He tries to build up the already poor Akaki, scolding him for his appearance. Although he himself only recently became this significant person. But despite this, he shows his superiority and higher rank.

The book is directed against the selfishness and indifference of people, especially in the service, where they must fulfill not only moral, but also official duty.

The main idea and meaning of the ending

• The meaning of the ending and the meaning of the blizzard. Gogol wanted to show all the acute social problems that worried him. To show that there is no justice for lazy and unprincipled officials. And if there is, then only superiors. Having become a ghost at the end of the story, Bashmachkin just takes on the desired form and exacts his revenge as punishment for the indifference of high-ranking officials. But this, as the writer emphasizes, is possible only in the field of mysticism. Perhaps the overcoat lover became an instrument of the highest and righteous judgment of God, in which Gogol believed. All this action, it is worth noting, is accompanied by such an artistic detail as the wind. The blizzard, which pierces St. Petersburg residents to the bone, in my opinion, symbolizes animal fear, elemental fear that makes even immoral officials tremble. This is part of justice from above, which will overtake everyone, regardless of rank. And although Gogol is against revenge, in this story he saw it as the only way to administer justice.
• main idea: The author demonstrates the need for high moral values ​​and beliefs for a person. Each of us ceases to be small when we acquire a higher purpose. Morality and humanism are what should unite and equalize all people, destroying class differences. The main character did not need an overcoat, but recognition in the team, respect and support. It was not his fault that he could receive such an attitude only because of the acquisition of an overcoat. His fixation on outerwear is to blame for his environment, which is ready to accept only those who come “in proper form.” Thus, the point of "The Overcoat" is to show the true values ​​of human nature and separate them from false and harmful prejudices.

What does it teach?

Of course, the work teaches us to be responsive, kind, and merciful. Seeing the horror of the situation from the outside, the reader is able to distinguish good from evil and realize that showing a desire to help or really help is a very valuable quality. It can prevent many troubles. This is the conclusion from the text read.

The author inclines us to think that the world is responsible for any evil with evil. One way or another, having done something bad, a person will receive it in double amount. Therefore, you should be responsible for your words and actions, and also be prepared for the fact that retribution will definitely come. And if no one is capable of punishing, then supernatural forces are certainly capable of paying tribute to their superiors. This is the moral in Gogol’s story “The Overcoat”.

What Gogol laughs at is unpleasant and funny to every sane person. The baseness and limitations of man, his slavish submission to fate and environment, his infantility and reluctance to develop - all this is in the image of a little man. The author does not idealize him, but ridicules him for his weakness and indulgence in social vices.

Criticism

In the journal “Physiology of St. Petersburg,” many writers spoke about “The Overcoat,” which really revolutionized the literary space of that time and opened a new direction in the “natural school.”
V.G. Belinsky, for example, called the work “one of Gogol’s deepest creations.” And many critics joined this opinion.

The famous phrase: “We all came out of Gogol’s overcoat,” which, by the way, belongs not to Dostoevsky, but to the French resident Vogüe, tells us not only that Gogol masterfully coped with his task and conveyed his idea to the reader as much as possible, but also that Gogol was known even abroad.

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is one of the most significant figures in Russian literature. It is he who is rightly called the founder of critical realism, the author who clearly described the image of the “little man” and made it central in Russian literature of that time. Subsequently, many writers used this image in their works. It is no coincidence that F. M. Dostoevsky uttered the phrase in one of his conversations: “We all came out of Gogol’s overcoat.”

History of creation

Literary critic Annenkov noted that N.V. Gogol often listened to jokes and various stories that were told in his circle. Sometimes it happened that these anecdotes and comical stories inspired the writer to create new works. This happened with “Overcoat”. According to Annenkov, Gogol once heard a joke about a poor official who was very fond of hunting. This official lived in deprivation, saving on everything just to buy himself a gun for his favorite hobby. And now, the long-awaited moment has arrived - the gun has been purchased. However, the first hunt was not successful: the gun got caught in the bushes and sank. The official was so shocked by the incident that he came down with a fever. This anecdote did not make Gogol laugh at all, but, on the contrary, gave rise to serious thoughts. According to many, it was then that the idea of ​​writing the story “The Overcoat” arose in his head.

During Gogol's lifetime, the story did not provoke significant critical discussions and debates. This is due to the fact that at that time writers quite often offered their readers comic works about the life of poor officials. However, the significance of Gogol’s work for Russian literature was appreciated over the years. It was Gogol who developed the theme of the “little man” protesting against the laws in force in the system and pushed other writers to further explore this theme.

Description of the work

The main character of Gogol's work is the junior civil servant Bashmachkin Akaki Akakievich, who was constantly unlucky. Even in choosing a name, the official’s parents were unsuccessful; in the end, the child was named after his father.

The life of the main character is modest and unremarkable. He lives in a small rented apartment. He occupies a minor position with a meager salary. By adulthood, the official never acquired a wife, children, or friends.

Bashmachkin wears an old faded uniform and a holey overcoat. One day, severe frost forces Akaki Akakievich to take his old overcoat to a tailor for repairs. However, the tailor refuses to repair the old overcoat and says it is necessary to buy a new one.

The price of an overcoat is 80 rubles. This is a lot of money for a small employee. In order to collect the necessary amount, he denies himself even small human joys, of which there are not many in his life. After some time, the official manages to save the required amount, and the tailor finally sews the overcoat. The acquisition of an expensive item of clothing is a grandiose event in the miserable and boring life of an official.

One evening, Akaki Akakievich was caught up on the street by unknown people and his overcoat was taken away. The upset official goes with a complaint to a “significant person” in the hope of finding and punishing those responsible for his misfortune. However, the “general” does not support the junior employee, but, on the contrary, reprimands him. Bashmachkin, rejected and humiliated, was unable to cope with his grief and died.

At the end of the work, the author adds a little mysticism. After the funeral of the titular councilor, a ghost began to be noticed in the city, which took overcoats from passers-by. A little later, this same ghost took the overcoat from that same “general” who scolded Akaki Akakievich. This served as a lesson for the important official.

Main characters

The central figure of the story is a pathetic civil servant who has been doing routine and uninteresting work all his life. His work lacks opportunities for creativity and self-realization. Monotony and monotony literally consume the titular adviser. All he does is rewrite papers that no one needs. The hero has no loved ones. He spends his free evenings at home, sometimes copying papers “for himself.” The appearance of Akaki Akakievich creates an even stronger effect; the hero becomes truly sorry. There is something insignificant in his image. The impression is strengthened by Gogol's story about the constant troubles befalling the hero (either an unfortunate name, or baptism). Gogol perfectly created the image of a “little” official who lives in terrible hardships and fights the system every day for his right to exist.

Officials (collective image of bureaucracy)

Gogol, talking about Akaki Akakievich’s colleagues, focuses on such qualities as heartlessness and callousness. The unfortunate official's colleagues mock and make fun of him in every possible way, without feeling an ounce of sympathy. The whole drama of Bashmachkin’s relationship with his colleagues is contained in the phrase he said: “Leave me alone, why are you offending me?”

"Significant person" or "general"

Gogol does not mention either the first or last name of this person. Yes, it doesn’t matter. Rank and position on the social ladder are important. After the loss of his overcoat, Bashmachkin, for the first time in his life, decides to defend his rights and goes with a complaint to the “general”. Here the “little” official is faced with a tough, soulless bureaucratic machine, the image of which is contained in the character of a “significant person”.

Analysis of the work

In the person of his main character, Gogol seems to unite all the poor and humiliated people. Bashmachkin's life is an eternal struggle for survival, poverty and monotony. Society with its laws does not give the official the right to a normal human existence and humiliates his dignity. At the same time, Akaki Akakievich himself agrees with this situation and resignedly endures hardships and difficulties.

The loss of the overcoat is a turning point in the work. It forces the “little official” to declare his rights to society for the first time. Akaki Akakievich goes with a complaint to a “significant person”, who in Gogol’s story personifies all the soullessness and impersonality of the bureaucracy. Having encountered a wall of aggression and misunderstanding on the part of a “significant person,” the poor official cannot stand it and dies.

Gogol raises the problem of the extreme significance of the rank, which took place in the society of that time. The author shows that such attachment to rank is destructive for people with very different social status. The prestigious position of a “significant person” made him indifferent and cruel. And Bashmachkin’s junior rank led to the depersonalization of a person, his humiliation.

At the end of the story, it is no coincidence that Gogol introduces a fantastic ending, in which the ghost of an unfortunate official takes off the general’s greatcoat. This is some warning to important people that their inhumane actions may have consequences. The fantasy at the end of the work is explained by the fact that in the Russian reality of that time it is almost impossible to imagine a situation of retribution. Since the “little man” at that time had no rights, he could not demand attention and respect from society.