Essay about Gogols The Overcoat A Whisper of Change

Gogols The Overcoat: A Whisper of Change At first glance of Nikolay Gogols novel The Overcoat, one would only see a short story about a poor man wishing to survive in a cruel world. However, in looking further into the story, deep symbolism can be found. Gogol lived in Russia during the rise of the communist party, and was a great dissident of communism. He believed the inevitable end of a communist government was total failure. He also criticized the other government of the world for failing to aid Russia in its quest for a better system. Gogol used his creative mind and his writing abilities to speak out against the evils of the Russian government. He used symbolism to prove his points, and often risked exile by his†¦show more content†¦The overcoat gives Akaky a quick glance of happiness, but is quickly stolen by robbers on the street. Gogol uses the new overcoat to make a statement about the communistic government. In the beginning years of communism, the people of Russia believed the system to be efficient and superior to all others, yet the government eventually proved to be a failure, falling far short of the peoples expectations. Akakys fellow workers, the other clerks in the office, are symbolic of other countries. The clerks neglected Akaky and teased him about his old coat, but after he purchased his new overcoat, the other clerks gained much respect for him, admiring his new coat and inviting him to dinner. Akaky was pleased with being treated as an equal. This is representative of the other countries view of Russia. During Russias previous government, the other countries of the world both pitied and laughed at the once great nation. However, after communist took control, Russia was viewed with more respect among the countries. Other nations now recognized Russia as an equal. The Person of Consequence is symbolic of a great democratic nation, possibly the United States. The Person of Consequence is portrayed as an egotistical person, afraid of showing weakness to the lower grades, but always willing to smile and enjoy himself in front of his equals. Here Gogol shows his opinions of the democraticShow MoreRelatedGogol as the Perfect Namesake2097 Words   |  9 Pagesexploration of his namesake, a person finds the name Gogol to be the ideal name for him based on the main character Akaky Akakyvitch in Nikolai Gogol’s The Overcoat; Gogol Ganguli and Akaky Akakyvitch match perfectly because each display a similar identity crisis that originates from their names. At first, it seems that the main character in The Overcoat Akaky Akakyvitch has nothing in common with the bright and handsome Gogol Ganguli of Lahiri’s novel. â€Å"One character is set in a Russian nineteenth