Analysis of Gogol's 'the Overcoat'
“The Overcoat”and Slavic Folk Beliefs
In the nineteenth century, much of Eastern Europe had a fascination with Slavic folk beliefs. During this time, people questioned the existence of mythological creatures, especially those which were believed to be somewhere between dead and alive(3). The word “vampire” was introduced in to the Slavic languages in the late eighteenth century and the term “unclean forces” began to be widely recognized by nineteenth century Russian peasants (1). References to Police reports involving different variations of fiends rising from the dead, often to attack local villagers, were not viewed as unrealistic(3). This attraction to the supernatural strongly impacted writers of the nineteenth century and the occurrences of unnatural phenomena became a popular theme in Russian literature. Gogol’s well known short story, “The Overcoat”, is one example of these Slavic folk based stories.
While the majority of “The Overcoat” is an ironic tale about a simple clerk whose obsession with his overcoat eventually causes his death, the ending of the story, where a corpse is believed to begin haunting the town of St. Petersburg is perhaps the most interesting and controversial part of the tale. To readers in the twenty-first century, who are unfamiliar with Slavic folk beliefs, the ending might be viewed as bizarre and unexpected when in fact; the ending to the story is brilliant. Virtually the entire plot of Gogol’s story is conditioned by Slavic folk ideas which can be used to better understand the fantastic ending of “The Overcoat”.
Central to Slavic folk beliefs were “unclean spirits” and the devil. Unclean spirits, which were most commonly viewed as manifestations of the devil, were feared for their ability to take over a person’s soul(4). Not everyone was considered equally susceptible to the evils of these unclean spirits. The way that one lived their life determined their vulnerability. The young, the unmarried, and those who lived
In the nineteenth century, much of Eastern Europe had a fascination with Slavic folk beliefs. During this time, people questioned the existence of mythological creatures, especially those which were believed to be somewhere between dead and alive(3). The word “vampire” was introduced in to the Slavic languages in the late eighteenth century and the term “unclean forces” began to be widely recognized by nineteenth century Russian peasants (1). References to Police reports involving different variations of fiends rising from the dead, often to attack local villagers, were not viewed as unrealistic(3). This attraction to the supernatural strongly impacted writers of the nineteenth century and the occurrences of unnatural phenomena became a popular theme in Russian literature. Gogol’s well known short story, “The Overcoat”, is one example of these Slavic folk based stories.
While the majority of “The Overcoat” is an ironic tale about a simple clerk whose obsession with his overcoat eventually causes his death, the ending of the story, where a corpse is believed to begin haunting the town of St. Petersburg is perhaps the most interesting and controversial part of the tale. To readers in the twenty-first century, who are unfamiliar with Slavic folk beliefs, the ending might be viewed as bizarre and unexpected when in fact; the ending to the story is brilliant. Virtually the entire plot of Gogol’s story is conditioned by Slavic folk ideas which can be used to better understand the fantastic ending of “The Overcoat”.
Central to Slavic folk beliefs were “unclean spirits” and the devil. Unclean spirits, which were most commonly viewed as manifestations of the devil, were feared for their ability to take over a person’s soul(4). Not everyone was considered equally susceptible to the evils of these unclean spirits. The way that one lived their life determined their vulnerability. The young, the unmarried, and those who lived