Byron Chicklis Akaky Akakievich and the Tragedy of The Overcoat The hero of “The Overcoat”‚ Akaky Akakievich‚ engenders both hatred and pity from the reader. His meekness and his pathetic life deserve sympathy‚ while his utter detachment from his peers and his singular obsession with a coat are often despised. He is drastically different from any of his peers‚ but there is a certain purity in his way of life which the overcoat defiles. Akaky’s world is completely devoid of any excitement; his
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The Characters of Hermann‚ Akaky Akakyevich‚ and the Underground Man and their conflict with the world around them In the present paper I plan to analyze the characters of Hermann from Alexander Pushkin’s "Queen of Spades"‚ Akaky Akakyevich from Nocolai Gogol’s "The Overcoat"‚ and the Underground Man from Dostoevsky’s "Notes From the Underground". The characters will be looked at from the perspective of a conflict each of them has with their surrounding reality. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin
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“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
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is plain as is Akaky Akakievich. He never does anything even halfway exciting. Most of the time he sits around copying things to practice for his job‚ which is by coincidence being a copier. The old coat is boring and so is Akaky Akakievich. His agenda is normally get up and go to work and then come back home and go to bed. The old coat is about to fall apart as is Akaky Akakievich. However‚ he is about to fall apart mentally the coat is falling apart physically. Akaky Akakievich is going to fall
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man. Each one highlighting the corruption of man in their own unique way. The social hierarchy is a key part to the wickedness of mankind. This is a major part of the “The Overcoat” plot. Before obtaining the new overcoat‚ the main character Akaky Akakievich‚ is bullied in his work place for his poorly made overcoat: ”The young clerks laughed at him and made fun of him” (Gogol
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First of all‚ there was a lot of inequality in the society of Akaky because people were judged according to their appearances and material belongings. [Subtopic] Gogol describes Akaky’s appearance which is used as a metaphor of his struggle fitting with the higher class people in the society. Furthermore‚ we see that he lived in a corrupted society where people were judged from the outside and not the inside. Therefore‚ Akaky was treated harshly everyday by his materialistic co-workers and was
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objects are portrayed in the story. Akaky‚ the main protagonist of the story‚ showed many of his problems such as class and his longing for his stolen overcoat. The overcoat is: the personification of Akaky‚ the materialization of his class status and an agent of change. The overcoat is related to Akaky primarily because it displays his features. It is told in the story that Akaky’s overcoat is old‚ very worn out and not visually appealing. One might see Akaky and not give him a second look because
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In truth‚ the Russian government was against the free-thinking man‚ and so was against Gogol. Akaky himself is used as a symbol of the Russian people. The communists were against any sort of free-thinking‚ and respected any man who performed his duties without question. Akaky is described in the story as being a quiet‚ hard-working man. He keeps mostly to himself‚ having very little to do with the outside world. His entire life centers
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"The Overcoat" tells the story of Akaky Akakyevich‚ an impoverished government clerk who lives a solitary life. One day he realizes that his winter overcoat has become worn out. He takes it to the tailor to be mended but is told that it cannot be repaired and that he will have to have a new one made. Akaky undergoes extreme deprivation in order to save money for a new overcoat. In the process‚ the coat begins to take a central role in his life and he begins to view the garment as the key to his future
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Gogol created Akaky Akakevich as a character who is devoted to his work as a clerk who copies letters and other written works. In this story‚ Akaky is the character who receives the brunt of the abuse that is created when a person needs to show their superior status and their level of perceived popularity. In The Overcoat‚ Akaky does not have many friends and is often taunted and pestered by the other clerks whom he works with but Akaky wants to be friends and be a part of
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