Akaky himself is really an excuse for the writer to describe in some detail the bureaucracy itself, which means that the background and setting are not implied but may be as important to the significance of the story as Akaky is himself. He is the little man crushed by the economic and political injustice. The focus of this story, apart from Akaky, is his new overcoat. The overcoats in this story signify rank. The rich have marten and silks on their coats to show their rank while the poor make do with other materials. Akaky’s old coat is referred to as the dressing gown by the other clerks who make fun of him. He is looked down upon, ignored and mistreated. But when he gets his new coat the same staff congratulates him and accepts him. They act as if he has been promoted and the new overcoat signifies this rise in stature. New doors open up for him and he is invited to a party. His entire routine changes that day as he does not work at home after dinner as he usually does, and walks the streets of the better part of town.
The systems’ flaws are evident when other people tell Akaky that he should go straight to the district commissioner as the local police officer would deceive him or better still he should go see an important official to get his work done. Even Akaky’s new overcoat and status afford him little protection from the world around him since rank is relative. The Person of Consequence, whom Akaky goes to for help to get his coat back, is more important in comparison. Here he represents the bureaucrats who take themselves so seriously that they are simply a step away from comparing themselves to God. His actions and behavior are examples of the absurdity of rank and power. Gogol's satire is particularly sharp in his presentation of the Person of Consequence, and the way he ill-treats and exploits Akaky to make a show of his control and importance while ignoring Akaky’s need and his duty represents the failure of his class to understand and empathize with the plight of the lower-class. Akaky is driven to his miserable end by the very realization that even with his new overcoat and his new status he is still vulnerable to the abuse of others. In his death he is able to break free of the system of ranks.
The supernatural twist at the end of the story, when the ghost returns to haunt the people, is a hint that Gogol’s tale is not only an attempt to inspire empathy or just a satire of the state. The ghost embodies the consequence of the people who will eventually suffer due to their mistreatment and neglect of the weak and needy. This is where the story takes on a revolutionary character and warns the bureaucrats that they must pay for their abuse. Akaky escapes the system through death, and breaks away from rank barriers. He is now able to steal overcoats from people regardless of their position. He stops appearing after he has avenged himself by stealing the coat from the Person of Consequence to show that in death he is so free that even the bureaucrat can’t control him.
Gogol denounces the horrors of entire rank driven ‘system’ in this story. While initially serving as exposure for the concerns of the generation and stirring change in the social structure of a society, in the end The Overcoat warns those responsible that the humble victims will avenge themselves. He uses literature as means of social awakening; to tell people that the existing system must be changed and the power must be taken away from such unjust bureaucrats.
Harleen Guraya
Revolutionizing through Literature
Jennifer Reimert
ENG 106-02
April 10, 2003
