Indifference in the story of Gogol's overcoat. “Human cruelty towards a poor official (according to the story N

He became the most mysterious Russian writer. In this article, we will analyze the analysis of the story "The Overcoat" by Nikolai Gogol, trying to penetrate the subtle intricacies of the plot, and Gogol is a master in building such plots. Do not forget that you can also read the summary of the story "The Overcoat".

The story "The Overcoat" is a story about one "little man" named Akaky 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 may be, and one cannot do without a thoughtful approach, which is why we are analyzing the story “The Overcoat”.

The main character "Overcoat"

So, the main character Akaki Bashmachkin was a "little man". This concept is widely used in Russian literature. However, his character, way of life, values ​​and attitude attract more attention. He doesn't need anything. He detachedly looks 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 what anyone thinks about them. But is it right?

For example, Akaki Bashmachkin. He often hears ridicule addressed to him by fellow officials. They tease him, saying hurtful words and competing in wit. Sometimes Bashmachkin will remain silent, and sometimes, raising his eyes, he will answer: "Why is that?". Making an analysis of this side of the "Overcoat", the problem of social tension becomes visible.

Bashmachkin's character

Akaki passionately loved his work, and this was the main thing in his life. He was engaged in rewriting documents, and his work could always be called neat, clean, done with diligence. And what did this petty official do at home in the evenings? After dinner at home, after returning from work, Akaky Akakievich paced up and down the room, slowly living through long minutes and hours. Then he sank into an armchair and throughout the evening he could be caught writing another scribble.

An analysis of the story "The Overcoat" by Gogol includes an important conclusion: when the meaning of a person's life in work is petty and bleak. Here is another confirmation of this idea.

Then, after such leisure activities, Bashmachkin goes to bed, but what are his thoughts in bed about? About what he will copy in the service in the office tomorrow. He thought about it, and it pleased him. The meaning of the life of this official, who was a "little man" and who was already in his sixties, was the most primitive: take paper, dip a pen into the inkwell and endlessly write - carefully and with zeal. However, another goal in the life of Akaki, nevertheless, appeared.

Other details of the analysis of the story "The Overcoat"

Akakiy had a very small salary in the service. He was paid thirty-six rubles a month, and almost all of them went to food and housing. Here came the harsh winter - an icy wind blew and frost hit. And Bashmachkin walks in worn-out clothes that cannot 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 fix the holes, but he announces that the overcoat cannot be repaired, and there is only one way out - to purchase a new one. For this thing he calls porn a gigantic sum (for Akaki) - eighty rubles. Bashmachkin does not have such money, he will have to save it, and for this it is worth entering a very economical mode of life. Analyzing here, one might think why this "little man" goes to such extremes: he stops drinking tea in the evenings, once again does not give his laundry to the laundress, walks so that his shoes are less washed ... Is it really all for the sake of a new overcoat, which he wears? then lose? But this is his new joy in life, his goal. Gogol tries to encourage the reader to think about what is most important in life, what to give priority to.

conclusions

We have briefly examined the plot incompletely, but have singled out from it only those details that are necessary 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, different from rewriting papers, it seems to change. Now Akaki is focused on buying an overcoat.

Gogol shows us the other side. How heartlessly and unfairly others treat Bashmachkin. He suffers ridicule and bullying. In addition, the meaning of his life disappears after Akaki's new overcoat is taken away. He loses 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. "Little people" were destined to suffer and die, they were of no use to anyone and uninteresting. Just as the death of the Shoemaker did not interest his entourage 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.

Why is indifference dangerous? To answer this question, you need to parse the term itself. In my opinion, indifference is an indifferent attitude to people, to the environment, to what is happening. People with this quality met at all times. The reasons for indifference are different, but it is safe to say that it is directly related to selfishness. People who are indifferent to everything cannot but be selfish. And now we will try to understand why indifference is still dangerous.

In literature, we can see many examples of human indifference, as well as its consequences. In addition, there are situations in which people show their indifference, and, perhaps, the internal torment of the selfish heroes of the works.

Let's look at a couple of examples from fiction.

The theme of indifference is raised in the work of N.V. Gogol "The Overcoat". In this story, the author presented the image of a little man with his little desires and possibilities. The dream of an overcoat for Akaky Akakievich was the only joy of life. In order to earn money for her, he saved on everything: he even went to bed early so as not to spend money on light. Finally, having bought an overcoat, the main character is immensely happy, everyone praises his purchase. But, returning home late in the evening, Akaky Akakievich is left without an overcoat. He is robbed and left in a snowdrift. The people who committed this atrocity, I am sure, are the most selfish. They didn’t care what kind of person he was, how he scrupulously saved up money for an overcoat, how important it was to him. They thought only of themselves, and their indifference will continue to push the thieves to new atrocities.

In addition, the story “The Man in the Case” by A.P. Chekhov. The protagonist of the work is Belikov, a teacher of the Greek language. He was known throughout the city because of his "case" considerations. Belikov always tried to protect himself from everything, and he treated any deviations from the norm negatively. It so happened that a new teacher was appointed to the gymnasium, who arrived with his sister, who immediately made an impression on everyone in the gymnasium, including Belikov. The main character walks with her, falls in love. However, the caricature on which he is depicted makes a very heavy impression on him, and then the laughter of his beloved, which hurt Belikov very much. Arriving home, he goes to bed, and a month later he dies. And in this work, we clearly see how society does not understand and does not accept the considerations of a single person. It treats him indifferently, indifferently, which ultimately destroys the main character.

Summing up, we can say with confidence that the consequences of people's indifference are often very tragic, and this is confirmed by a huge number of examples from life and literature. Indifference is one of the worst qualities of a person, which destroys not only himself, but also all those around him.

The work of N.V. Gogol had a great influence on Russian literature. The democratism and humanism of his works, the appeal to everyday phenomena of life, the creation of vivid typical characters, the combination of lyrical and satirical motifs made his legacy truly invaluable. Thus, his story “The Overcoat” is filled with enormous social and humanistic content, where he develops the theme of human defenselessness in the surrounding unjust and cruel world that has long worried him. The main idea of ​​the work is the idea of ​​a "little" man, crippled and robbed by the state.

The story of Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin, "the eternal titular adviser," is the story of the life and death of a person under the power of social circumstances. The bureaucratic system brings the hero to complete stupefaction, limiting the whole meaning of his existence to rewriting ridiculous government papers. It is not surprising that Bashmachkin, placed in such conditions, experiences a kind of “enlightenment” in the story of the overcoat, which became his “ideal goal”, filled his existence with meaning. Starving in order to save up money for sewing an overcoat, he "on the other hand ate spiritually, carrying in his thoughts an eternal idea." The overcoat was the light of his life. What a blow it was for the hero that he was deprived of this value, this light. "Intolerably misfortune falls" on the poor man's head. An evil, indifferent element is approaching Bashmachkin: the deserted streets become duller, the lights on them flicker less frequently. Akaky Akakievich is in distress because of the rampant elements and wants to find protection from the State. Unwilling to put up with having to take a step back and return to a meaningless existence, he decides to fight. Bashmachkin goes to the “private person”, and then directly to the general, the “significant person”. However, in his old "hood" he causes discontent and suspicion of the general: the appearance of the victim does not really correspond to the statement about the rich overcoat. With his "baiting" he put the hero in his place, which he could not bear. Thus, in the person of the servants of the law, the hero is faced with complete indifference to his fate. His request for protection only inflamed the proud arrogance of the general: “Do you know to whom you are talking? Do you understand who is standing in front of you? do you understand it, do you understand it? I'm asking you". After such an attitude, Bashmachkin became ill. The indifference of the "significant person" merged with the evil cold of nature, and he returned home completely exhausted and sick.

A terrible emotional shock from human injustice and cruelty leads to the fact that the hero falls ill and dies: "A creature disappeared and disappeared, protected by no one, dear to no one, not interesting to anyone." But in his dying delirium, he experiences another "enlightenment", utters "the most terrible words" never heard from him before.

With the death of the hero, the plot of the story does not end. Now retribution begins, the elements that have come to the surface of life are raging. The deceased Bashmachkin turns into an avenger and rips off the overcoat from the general himself. The author resorts here to fiction in order to reveal more deeply the protesting, rebellious principle lurking in a timid and intimidated person, a representative of the "lower class" of society.

Gogol's story is filled with symbolic images that help to most clearly reveal the main idea of ​​​​the work - callousness, indifference, inaction of the authorities in relation to the common man. Thus, the image of the general depicted on Petrovich's snuffbox is symbolic, "the general, which one, is unknown, because the place where the face was was pierced with a finger and then sealed with a quadrangular piece of paper." This is a symbol of power that has lost face, that has lost the "image of God." Characteristic is the image of the watchman, who saw with his own eyes, “as it seemed because of one house a ghost ... he did not dare to stop him, but he followed him like that ...” This image is the image of the guardian of power at the lowest, but also its most restless level, passively wandering after the raging elements - is also deeply symbolic.

Gogol later develops the main idea of ​​this story in Selected passages from correspondence with friends. This helps us to better understand the intention of the work: “... a rare of us had so much love for good that he decided to sacrifice because of it both ambition and pride, and all the little things of his easily irritated egoism and put himself in an indispensable law - serve his land, and not himself, remember every minute that he took a place for the happiness of others, and not for his own. Thus, this conclusion, contained in the subtext of The Overcoat, concerns not only a small person, a petty official, not only a “significant person”, but the entire Russian State, headed by the Sovereign himself.

Pain for a person or a mockery of him? (based on the novel by N.V. Gogol "The Overcoat")

Many writers and artists addressed the theme of the "little man". The first writer who touched on this topic in his works is A.S. Pushkin. It is his “Belkin's Tale” that is the beginning of the development of the “little man” and a representative of a new, realistic approach to depicting a “simple” hero.

The work of N.V. Gogol's "The Overcoat" is connected with Pushkin's story, which was written a decade earlier. Gogol in his story showed with his own eyes, leading his hero through ordeals and bureaucratic red tape. It was as if he pushed the little man Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin against the state machine and showed how hostile it was to his interests.

For Gogol, a “little man” is a person on a small social plane, because he is not rich, has no voice in society, does not stand out in any way: “As for the rank (for we, first of all, need to announce the rank), then he was what is called the eternal titular adviser ... ". Gogol's character is just a petty official with a meager salary. He is also “small” because his inner world is rather limited. Akaki is a very diligent and diligent worker, but at the same time he does not even think about what he is doing. In addition, the hero has lost confidence in himself so much that he does not even try to change something, to improve.

The only meaning of Akaky Akakievich is to raise money to buy an overcoat. He becomes happier even at the very thought of fulfilling this dream: “From now on, it’s as if his very existence has become somehow fuller, as if he were married, as if some other person was present with him.” Therefore, it is not surprising that the theft of the wonderful overcoat, which he acquired with such difficulty, became for Bashmachkin the tragedy of his whole life. The people around him only laughed at his loss. No one even tried to understand this person, let alone help. But the worst and most terrible thing in this story was that no one even noticed his death, and no one remembered him after.

The episode of the resurrection of the protagonist in the epilogue of the story is also remembered. Now he wanders the streets of St. Petersburg and rips off overcoats and fur coats from passers-by. This is his revenge. The character calms down only when he manages to tear off the overcoat from the “significant person”, which greatly influenced his life: “Ah! so here you are at last! finally I caught you by the collar! I need your overcoat! didn’t bother about mine, and even scolded it - now give yours!”. Only after that Akaky Akakievich grows in his own eyes.

The author is sure that in the life of even the most insignificant person there are moments when he can become a strong personality who can stand up for himself. With his work, he urges us to treat such people with understanding and sympathy. Therefore, it can be said for sure that the writer expresses pain for a person, but does not laugh at him.

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

History of creation

Literary critic Annenkov noted that N.V. Gogol often listened to anecdotes and various stories that were told in his environment. Sometimes it happened that these anecdotes and comical stories inspired the writer to create new works. So it happened with the "Overcoat". According to Annenkov, once Gogol heard a joke about a poor official who was very fond of hunting. This official lived in hardship, saving on everything just to buy a gun for his favorite hobby. And now, the long-awaited moment has come - the gun has been purchased. However, the first hunt was not successful: the gun caught on the bushes and drowned. 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, led to serious reflections. According to many, it was then that the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bwriting the story "The Overcoat" was born in his head.

During Gogol's lifetime, the story did not arouse 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 reveal this topic.

Description of the artwork

The protagonist of Gogol's work is the junior civil servant Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, who was constantly unlucky. Even in choosing a name, the official’s parents were not successful, as a result, the child was named after his father.

The life of the protagonist is modest and unremarkable. He lives in a small rented apartment. Occupies a small position with a beggarly salary. By adulthood, the official never acquired a wife, children, or friends.

Bashmachkin wears an old faded uniform and a holey overcoat. One day, a severe frost forces Akaky Akakievich to take his old overcoat to the tailor for repair. However, the tailor refuses to mend the old overcoat and talks about the need to buy a new one.

The price of the 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, which are not many in his life anyway. After some time, the official manages to save up the required amount, and the tailor finally sews an overcoat. The acquisition of an expensive piece of clothing is a grandiose event in the miserable and boring life of an official.

One evening, unknown people caught up with Akaky Akakievich on the street and took away his overcoat. The frustrated official goes with a complaint to the "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. 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 the same "general" who scolded Akaky Akakievich. This served as a lesson for the important official.

main characters

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

Officials (collective image of bureaucracy)

Gogol, talking about the colleagues of Akaky Akakievich, focuses on such qualities as heartlessness, callousness. Colleagues of the unfortunate official in every possible way mock and make fun of him, not feeling a single gram of sympathy. The whole drama of Bashmachkin's relationship with his colleagues lies in the phrase he said: “Leave me, why are you offending me?”.

"Significant Person" or "General"

Gogol does not name either the name or the surname of this person. Yes, it doesn't matter. Important rank, position on the social ladder. 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". This is where the “small” official faces 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, degrades his dignity. At the same time, Akaki Akakievich himself agrees with this situation and meekly 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 the "significant person", who in Gogol's story personifies all the soullessness and impersonality of the bureaucracy. Having run into 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 importance of the rank, which took place in the society of that time. The author shows that such attachment to the rank is fatal for people with very different social status. The prestigious position of a "significant person" made him indifferent and cruel. And the junior rank of Bashmachkin led to the depersonalization of a person, his humiliation.

At the end of the story, it is not by chance that Gogol introduces a fantastic ending in which the ghost of an unfortunate official removes the overcoat from the general. This is some kind of warning to important people that their inhumane actions can 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.