The Overcoat Sparknotes

Nikol Al Gogol’s short story “The Overcoat” creates a hyper-realistic world that contains evidence of marvelous elements. By doing so, Gogol constructed an ongoing conflict between the real and the supernatural. awakens; thus the paradox is left for the reader to solve. Tzvetan Todorov, copying, stated in his book The Fantastic, "the fantastic . . . lasts only as long as a certain hesitation common to reader and character, who must decide whether or not what they perceive derives from “reality” as it exists in the common opinion” (Todorov 41). The sense of contradiction and doubt is created by a certain narrative device in the literature. In this case, the overcoat itself is the main and the ultimate source of fantasy in the story. It is an
The ghost indeed serves as a source of the fantastic because the intention of Akaky’s returning from death can be read from two contrasting perspectives. He either comes back to revenge because of his narrow mind and selfishness, or he comes back as a hero who wishes to stand up against the corruption and the absolute power of the Russian government. The contradiction is provided by Gogol, but not the solution. However, as a work of fantastic literature, “The Overcoat” presents evidence that confuses the real world for the supernatural one earlier on in the text. If the story is being interpreted a step more deeply, the reader can discover traces of fantasy not only from the supernatural ghost but also from the appearance and the effect of the overcoat
Desire, like perfection, creates fleeting happiness. In Akaky’s case, this experience only lasts one day. He abandons his divine and spiritual devotion and aims for material desire. The overcoat leads him to the biblical fall from grace. As a result, Akaky is morally corrupted by such material desire. He describes the new overcoat as something that has “two profits: one that it was warm, the other that it was good” (Gogol 409). He not only portrays his overcoat as warm, which is a common description for a material product, he also uses the word “good,” as if the overcoat has a moral virtue. Akaky makes a mistake in seeing the overcoat as a moral being. To that end, he himself is dragged down to the tragedy of human nature by misunderstanding the definition of morality. Because of his lack of clear comprehension of moral definition and guidelines, Akaky cannot distinguish the difference between morality and material goods. The evidence can be seen in the descriptive word “good” that he chooses. In other words, he confuses “a comfortable life” with “a good life.” In short, Akaky’s spiritual and moral downfall starts with the obtaining of the new overcoat, which introduces him to human nature and desire. But the overcoat eventually leads him to his death. Examples can be seen in his emerging interest in women when “he stopped