I came to know about ‘The Overcoat’ a short story of Nikolai Gogol in Jhumpa Lahiri’s debut novel ‘The Namesake’ as she didn’t speak about the story anywhere in the book it grew my curiosity to read that story but unfortunately it took nearly 3 months for me to complete it . The story is little big but worth to spare your precious time. I would rate it as the best short story I ever had read.
The story is very simple it revolves around Akakiky Akaievitch, he buys an overcoat which is robbed in the very same day. He tries to restore the stolen overcoat but the bureaucracy and its indifferent attitude send him into self-isolation he recurrently think about the overcoat and the events which followed which costs his life ultimately. The author didn’t want to end the story there itself he extends by sending Akakiy’s ghost to roam in the streets of St.Petersburg in search of its overcoat.
What’s special in this simple story one might ask it is the way the author describe the Akakiy’s character, his colleagues and the bureaucrats. He depicted the mental level of Akakiy vividly if the reader has good observational skills he would have come across one such Akakiy in his life and definitely most of us are like his colleagues. The bureaucrat/ important personage’s characterization shows one that irrespective of time frame and nationality the bureaucracy remains the same, the author should be praised for having such a keen eyes and portraying the nature of bureaucracy with the same effect. The author delicately speaks about the personality dilemma in the introduction of the important personage and also in the aftermath of his encounter with Akakiy, a dilemma which exists in every human mind though not similarly.
Akakiy never cared much when teased by his colleagues it is not because of his inability to retaliate but of his nature he accept it and occasionally he express his protest weakly and sympathetically I hope you would have come across someone like that in your life somewhere. When the tailor says Akakiy has to buy a new overcoat Gogol gives you a natural reaction of Akakiy the way he begs to the tailor to mend the coat its classic. Also, the night when Akakiy lose his overcoat the author asks the readerto put himself in Akakiy's shoes to think how he would have spent his night in bed. Apart from Akakiy the important personage is an important character in the story because Gogol’s intention in this story is not an overcoat alone he wants to show us how people try to change or get changed when their status/rank changes, at the same time how their nature and new face struggle between each other to lead in the front unfortunately the new face wins for many but here author put the important personage in the few. The minor details of various characters in the story should be observed keenly to enjoy the story like the landlady, Akakiy’s colleagues intention to contribute etc., The thing I wonder about the story is how a simple overcoat like this could be neatly and stylishly sewn for all the readers, the author is really a surprise for me I am interested in knowing him more. At the same time I curse myself for wasted all my life stupidly without reading much despite having enough access to books.
