“The Overcoat”; a Story of Meaningless Misfortune
“The Overcoat”; a Story of Meaningless Misfortune
In Nikolai Gogol’s short story “The Overcoat”, one sees that in life, bad things can happen to undeserving people, with no rhyme or reason. Justice is not a prevalent force in the world that Gogol describes. Hard work and diligence count for nothing in the eyes of fate. In this world, misfortune falls upon any victim, with little--if any--positive outcome.
The story follows one Akakii Akakievich through his daily life as a government clerk. He performs his duties extraordinarily well, yet never obtains a higher position in life, nor does he desire one. He lives on a meager salary that is so poor, that when his coat starts to fall apart from wear, he must endure months of hardship and deprivations to save up enough money to purchase a new coat. Almost as soon as he obtains the coat it is stolen from him in the streets. Akakii seeks help from the guard, and from government officials, but no help is to be found. With only his old worn out garment, Akakii falls ill and dies. His office finds out that he is dead only because he failed to show up for work.
The most blatant sign that life is cruel is the very fact that Akakii has his coat stolen just as soon as he gets it (94). This is a particularly cruel twist for several reasons. Firstly, Gogol makes a point to mention that the new coat had arrived just in time for the bitterest cold of the season (90). Secondly, Akakii was returning from a party that he had been invited to expressly for the purpose of celebrating his new coat (91). Finally, Akakii had endured many months of deprivation to be able to afford the new coat that he barely had any time to enjoy (88).
Akakii’s misfortune does not end with the loss of his coat. He seeks redress from the guard that was on duty--only to find that he was not paying attention at the moment of the crime (94). Akakii then attempts to see the Superintendent, but leaves confused and not sure that his case will be given any attention at all (95). Akakii next seeks aid from a man identified by Gogol only as a Prominent Personage: Akakii is now desperate for...