A significant person in Gogol's story is the overcoat. Significant person: an image in the story by N.V.
... "significant person"
The visit to the significant person Akaki Akakievich is the climax scene of the story. The techniques and customs of a significant person were respectable and majestic, but uncomplicated. The main basis of his system was rigor. However, he was in the shower a kind person, good with his comrades, helpful, but the rank of general completely confused him. He was somehow confused, lost his way and did not know at all what to do. However, the word “significant” only means a certain level of the hierarchical administrative ladder, significant only relative to the lower level. In the context of this passage, the word "face" loses its “human” content and acquires the meaning of an abstract, administrative person, actually depersonalizing its bearer because it serves not a person, but a system.
In the scene of the hero's visit to a significant person, Gogol uses the technique of antithesis in order to emphasize the insignificance of Akaki Akakievich and the vanity and narcissism of the significant person. The whole scene of the Shoemaker’s visit to the general is also grotesque: the man, his very humility and defenselessness, is presented by the actor as a “significant person” to the viewer (the general’s friend). In this tragically grotesque scene, a timid, defenseless creature, Bashmachkin, was subjected to much more inhuman humiliation by one of the guardians of order than on the deserted outskirts of the city by riotous people.
The acting general did not consider the titular adviser to be a person; “Akaky Akakievich’s humble appearance and his old uniform” seemed to spur the general on in his leadership spirit; he didn’t even “notice that Akakiy Akakievich was already over fifty years old. Bashmachkin’s request for protection only angered the “significant person”: “Do you know who you are telling this to? Do you understand who is standing in front of you? do you understand this? Do you understand this, I’m asking you?” Here he stamped his foot, raising his voice to such a strong note that even Akaky Akakievich would have been scared. Akakiy Akakievich froze, staggered, trembled all over...
How he came down the stairs, how he went out into the street, Akaki Akakievich did not remember any of this.” The indifference of a significant person was combined with the evil cold of the natural elements: “He walked through the blizzard, whistling in the streets, with his mouth open, knocking off the sidewalks; the wind, according to St. Petersburg custom, blew on him from all four sides, from all alleys. Instantly a toad blew into his throat, and he got home, unable to say a single word; he was all swollen and went to bed. Proper scolding can be so powerful sometimes!”
Leaving this life, Bashmachkin rebelled: he “blasphemed, saying scary words”, following “immediately after the word “Your Excellency”.
IN Once again I would like to draw a parallel with the story that served as the primary source for the story, namely the anecdote about a poor official with a Lepage gun. Unlike life story, where the social aspect was vague and vague, Gogol embodied all the rudeness and cynicism of the system in a specific character, namely in a “significant person.” Without such specification there would not have been such an ending as the author intended. Retribution begins. The story of a significant person who scolded Akaki Akakievich repeats almost literally what happened to the latter. All day the important person felt remorse upon receiving the news of the death of his petitioner. But then the general went to see a friend for the evening. There he cheered up, “became pleasant in conversation, amiable.” Like Bashmachkin, he drank two glasses of champagne and on the way home decided to drop in to see a lady he knew. Wrapped in a luxurious overcoat, the general relaxed, recalling with pleasure the fun places of the evening. Suddenly suddenly came gusty wind. He “cut in the face, throwing up scraps of snow there, flapping his greatcoat collar like a sail, or suddenly throwing it over his head with unnatural force.” And, as a continuation of the raging elements, a mysterious avenger appeared, in whom, not without horror, he recognized Akaki Akakievich: “Ah! so here you are at last! Finally I caught you by the collar! It’s your overcoat that I need! you didn’t bother about mine, and even scolded me - now give me yours!”...
Bashmachkin’s meeting with a “significant person” is shown in “The Overcoat” as a clash not with bad person, but with the “usual” order, with the constant practice of “those in power.” Bashmachkin does not suffer from inhumanity individuals, but from the lack of rights in which he was placed by his social status. Portraying a “little” man in “The Overcoat,” Gogol acted as great humanist. His humanism was not abstract and contemplative, but effective, social in nature. The writer defended the rights of those people who are deprived of them in society. The words “I am your brother” were a reflection of the ideas of social justice and social equality.
The image of a “disaster” as an everyday fact merges with the description of “extraordinary” incidents - the theft of an overcoat, a meeting with a “significant person”. Each of these events constitutes, as it were, a culmination individual parts narratives. The development of the plot and action in “The Overcoat” goes from pictures of the hero’s resigned, everyday vegetation to scenes of his clashes with a representative of the ruling elite of society.
In his relations with the “inferior”, in his social practice, the “significant person” expresses the prevailing “norms”; his personal qualities do not play any significant role in this. “He was a kind person at heart, good with his comrades, helpful...”, “but as soon as he happened to be in a society where there were people at least one rank lower than him, he was simply out of hand.”
“The Overcoat” was by no means written in the techniques of skaz; however, in a number of places Gogol subtly notes language features narrator: “... Akaki Akakievich was born against the night, if memory serves, on March 23... Mother was still lying on the bed opposite the doors, and right hand stood the godfather, a most excellent person, Ivan Ivanovich Eroshkin, who served as the head of the Senate, and the godfather, the wife of a quarterly officer, a woman of rare virtues, Arina Semyonovna Belobryushkova”; “In such a state, Petrovich usually very willingly gave in and agreed, every time he even bowed and thanked. Then, however, the wife came, crying that her husband was drunk and therefore took it cheaply; but sometimes you add one kopeck, and it’s in the bag.”
Akaki Akakievich is depicted as a man who dutifully carries his heavy cross in life, without raising his voice of protest against the cruelties of society. Bashmachkin is a victim, not aware of the tragedy of his situation, not thinking about the possibility of a different life. In the original edition of the epilogue of the story, the writer bitterly noted Bashmachkin’s submission to fate and resignation. “The creature disappeared and hid, unprotected by anyone and dear to no one, not interesting to anyone, who did not even attract the gaze of the observer and only meekly endured clerical ridicule and never uttered a murmur in his entire life.
“The Overcoat” is one of those works in which the writer resorts to the technique of narration on behalf of the narrator. But the narrator in “The Overcoat” is not at all like Rudy Panka, who brings with him a special, sharply expressed manner of narration; He also doesn’t look like the narrator from the story about a quarrel, who is distinguished by his bright “characteristics.” In “The Overcoat” the narrator is not highlighted, but at the same time this image is clearly felt in the story. “Unfortunately, we cannot say where exactly the official who invited us lived: our memory is beginning to fail us greatly, and everything that is in St. Petersburg, all the streets and houses, have merged and mixed up so much in our heads that it is very difficult to get anything decent from there. form." While retaining the features of some external simplicity, the narrator in “The Overcoat” is far from the “spontaneity” of narrators belonging to the patriarchal world.
Very strong impression The effect of this scolding on Bashmachkin causes the complete satisfaction of the “significant person.” He is intoxicated by the thought that “his word can even deprive a person of his feelings.” The scenes depicting a “significant person” expand and generalize the impact of the social order, which predetermined the course of Akaki Akakievich’s entire life and led to his death. One of the editions of “The Overcoat” contains the following lines: “And we, however, completely ignored main reason of all misfortune, it is a significant person.” There is no doubt that this passage was modified by the writer under the pressure of censorship requirements; in the printed text it acquired a different edition. “But we, however, completely left out one significant person, who, in fact, was almost the reason for the fantastic direction, however, of a completely true story.”
The personification of brute and cruel force, the “significant person” cares only about the inviolability of the “foundations”, that there is not even a hint of free thoughts. Bashmachkin’s appeal to a “significant person” for help provokes the anger of a high-ranking person. When Bashmachkin timidly remarks: “...I dared to trouble your Excellency because the secretaries of that... are unreliable people...” - a storm of indignation falls on him. “What, what, what? - said a significant person. -Where did you get such spirit? Where did you get these thoughts from? what kind of rioting has spread among young people against their superiors and superiors!”
Akakiy Akakievich and the “significant person”
in the storyN.V. Gogol"Overcoat".
Fantasy in the work.
In the lesson you will reveal the meaning of the opposition between Akaki Akakievich and “meaning”body", signs of the hagiographic genre in the story, the difference between the storyand lives, and also spendindependent research work with text.
In Gogol's collected works, the phrase new overcoat was printed in different ways: sometimes in italics, sometimes in quotation marks. In Academic full meeting works, the form of writing the first collected works of Gogol was adopted, i.e. in quotes. It is obvious that the author emphasizes this word, puts emphasis on it, thereby denoting it special meaning. The story clearly distinguishes two periods in the hero’s life, which can be conventionally designated as the “hood period” (or rewriting) and the “new overcoat period.” The “hood period” and the “new overcoat period” are contrasted according to a number of significant characteristics.
Open your notebook and write down the date and topic of the lesson. Draw a table.
(To enlarge, left click)
« Construction" of the overcoat is caused domestic reason- offensiveI eat frost, at the same time the element of cold in the story is the main plotmetaphor. This is easy to see by paying attention to the duration"winter time" in "Overcoat".
Gogol indicates in detail the specific time frame for replacing the old capoand a new overcoat: “The director assigned Akakiy Akakievich... as much as sixty rubles... Another two or three months of a small government-money - and Akaki Akakievich had, for sure, about eighty rubles.” It took the tailor “only two weeks” to complete the job. Soway is determined specific date“construction” of the overcoat - sixand a half months.
All this time the narrative space is getting colderand colder. Cold has no everyday meaning. This is one of the centralimages of the story. The “physical space” of cold in the story does not correspond towearable with calendar time. The St. Petersburg northern frost becomes a devilish temptation, which Akaki Akakievich is not able to overcome.
With the advent of the dream of an overcoat and a new overcoat in the life of Akaki Aka-Kievich everything changes. The overcoat becomes the heroine of the story, definingsharing all the twists and turns of the plot. All characters are connectedprecisely by their attitude towards the overcoat. This is emphasized by the title of the story.sti. That is why N.V. Gogol abandoned the title “The Tale of Officials”ke, stealing an overcoat,” replacing it with “Overcoat.”
Research work with text. Zfill out right side tables in a notebook (see table above).
The new overcoat becomes part of his existence, a friend of his life.The overcoat forces the ascetic and the recluse Akakiy Akakievich to make a number of irreparable fatal mistakes, pushing him out of his blissful statethe state of closed happiness in the anxious outside world, in the circle of officials and the night street. Akakiy Akakievich, thus, betrays himself“internal” person, preferring the “external”, vain, subjecthuman passions and vicious inclinations.
Akaki Akakievich becomes like other officials: he barelydoes not make mistakes during rewriting, changes previous practiceshabits and goes to a party, suddenly runs after an unfamiliar lady, drinks champagne, eats “vinaigrette with cold veal, pate and pastry pies."
What episode is depicted in the illustration by Yu. Ignatiev?
What emotions did the hero experience during the robbery? Is the robbery of Akaki Akakievich accidental?
This event occurs precisely when Akaki Akakievich ceases to be an “inner” person. Robbery is retribution for betrayal of one’s career.
The hero loses all his quiet meekness, commits actions out of character with his character, he demands understanding and help from the world, actively advances, achieves his goal. So, Akakiy Akakievich shouts to the watchman, “that he is sleeping and isn’t watching anything, doesn’t see how a person is being robbed,” confuses the landlady with a “terrible knock on the door,” goes to the private bailiff, threatens the clerk, lies, that he came on official business. For the only time in his life, Akakiy Akakievich misses his presence. On the advice of officials, Akakiy Akakievich goes to a “significant person.”
The image of Akaki Akakievich is closely connected with another image of the story, namely with the image of a “significant person”. To simplify somewhat, we can say that it is on the collision of these two images that “The Overcoat” is built.
Remember how the hero met with"significant person" P After Bashmachkin left, the general “felt something like regret.” The memory of him troubled him, and he even sent an official to inquire about his affairs. The news of Bashmachkin's death shocked the general. He “heard the reproaches of his conscience.” Which hero of the story experiences similar feelings when confronted with Akaki Akakievich?
There are obvious similarities in the story internal states general and "one young man", who accidentally offended Akaki Akakievich at the beginning of the story.
The difference between Akaki Akakievich and a “significant person” is enormous at first glance, but there is a connection between them.
Fill out the right side of the table.
No matter how great the difference between Akaki Akakievich and the “significant person” is, it is not so great that the undoubted connection between them disappears. The misfortune of Akaki Akakievich also befalls the general, thereby equalizing them, two tiny figures, equal in the face of the Almighty. This idea, in particular, is served by the obvious echo of the scenes of the loss of the overcoat in Akaky Akakievich and in the “significant person”.
The unrighteous elder is the persecutor of St. Akakia, locatedhe has both obedience and subordination to the “significant person”Akakiy Akakievich is playing, and a “significant person” performs in the finale of hispersecutor. As in the Life of St. Akakiya there is an awakening of consciencean “unrighteous elder” under the influence of a conversation with the deceased novice Akaki, and a “significant person” after a meeting with a “living dead”Akaki Akakievich is changing for the better.
The life of Akaki Akakievich is not an ordinary “life”, but a “life”. Aka-kiy Akakievich - “martyr of the 14th class.” The martyr's earthly existence was surrounded by legendary details after death.
Death " little man"acquires the features of a cosmic cataclysm in Gogol. The fate of Akaki Akakievich is the fate of man in general in the face of God and the universe. Its main and it seems the only talent was the ability to be content with what he has. This helps him overcome all the contradictions of life and, to some extent, becomes a manifestation of “dispassion.” With the loss of this property, Akaki Akakievich loses life itself.
His behavior before his death is completely contrary to humility. In his dying delirium, Akaki Akakievich utters angry, angry words. This is another moment of contact with “The Ladder.”
It would seem that using the example of “The Overcoat” we can say that the writer inherits the tradition of the hagiographic genre in it. However, the comparison of the text of the story and the text of the life is more complicated than a simple parallel. In the case of Akaki Akakievich, one cannot talk about holiness.
The ending of the story also sounds like a “triumph of truth”, like a depiction of Bashmachkin’s posthumous rebellion against “significant persons”, that is, as a formidable possibility of rebellion, and not its implementation, as a struggle not of the hero, but of the author against despotism powerful of the world, as an expression of both revenge and retribution of the weak. Researchers associated the meaning of the ending not only with the image of Bashmachkin, but also with the image of a “significant person.” And it often turned out that the story was written only to show the general’s repentance.
Lesson summary.
In the story of Akaki Akakievich, Gogol did not show a movement towards good,climbing the “ladder” of virtues, and reverse movement, downladder: from the ascetic to the “little man.”
N.V. Gogol turns in “The Overcoat” to the very process of enslavementAkaki Akakievich's passion goes with the hero along the path that leads him to fall. Movement towards good is possible only through overcoming temptation. niy evil.
“Significant persons must feel guilty for the tragicthe fate of Akaki Akakievich. That is why his image grows after deathinto a hostile, terrible and ominous symbolic figure, alarmingtheir conscience."
Homework
Write an essay on one of the topics: ““Significant person” and A.A. Bashmachkin in the storyN.V. Gogol's "The Overcoat"", ""External" and "internal" man in the imageAkakiy Akakievich Bashmachkin.”
In Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s story “The Overcoat,” the main character is Akaki Akakievich, a petty official. The man Akaki Akakievich is very modest, even downtrodden, everyone makes fun of him and mocks him. He cannot defend himself, because Akaki Akakievich’s character is too soft; those around him see this, so they behave this way towards him. Only in rare moments he loses his temper and asks not to mock him, but this looks more like a pitiful groan than strength of character.
Nikolai Vasilyevich in his story feels sorry for Bashmachkin and urges that you should not make fun of a person just because he is soft by nature. Akakiy Akakievich’s old overcoat is leaky, but due to his service he is obliged to wear it and he decides to save money to sew a new one. Bashmachkin has to give up a lot, he remains hungry in the evenings, takes things to the laundry less often and saves the soles so that he doesn’t have to buy things ahead of time. Akaki Akakievich’s goal is to sew a new overcoat; Gogol even writes that he has become more cheerful and brave, and has a twinkle in his eyes.
Akaki Akakievich quickly gets used to a modest life and lives only with the thought of his new overcoat. The day has come when Bashmachkin puts on a new overcoat and goes to the department, where everyone notices the new attire of the titular adviser. There was even a celebration on this occasion, at which everyone continued to make fun of Akaki Akakievich.
Bashmachkin, inspired by the new thing, enjoys his appearance, but the happiness did not last long. On the way home, thieves take off Akaki Akakievich's overcoat. Wherever he turned, no one wanted to help him; when he contacted the police, they said that I couldn’t do anything. Then Bashmachkin goes to a “significant person” and he completely kicks him out of his house.
In connection with these events, Akakiy Akakievich falls ill and dies, no one even noticed the disappearance of a man who no one needed. Only a ghost makes everyone shudder. After the ghost takes off the overcoat from the “significant person,” he thinks about it and begins to address people better.
Option 2
Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin is the main character of the work.
Akaki Akakievich is a man of about fifty, bald, wrinkled, short in stature, with reddish hair and poor eyesight.
The writer presents him in the image of an inconspicuous and ordinary civil servant who does not have the right to receive nobility, serving as a petty copyist of documents in one of the departments. His colleagues don’t even remember how Akaki Akakievich got this position, which does not require basic ingenuity and intelligence.
The hero unquestioningly carries out the instructions of his superiors and will not think about anything else. Entrusting him with other tasks, in which there is a need for thoughtful study, plunges Akaki Akakievich into great excitement and anxiety. At one point, he even refuses the proposed promotion, because he is not sure of own strength and timid.
In addition, Akaki Akakievich is tongue-tied and is able to express himself only in adverbs and prepositions.
The events of the story unfold around the protagonist's long-standing dream of a new overcoat. Old clothes Akakiia Akakievich is worn out to holes, has a reddish-floury color and can no longer be repaired or repaired.
Akaki Akakievich decides to sew a new overcoat and for this he begins to save on literally everything, just to collect the amount necessary for this. The man practically does not eat, does not use dark time day candles, does not send dirty laundry to the wash.
And finally, the official’s dream comes true; he acquires a new uniform with a warm lining and a fur collar. On this occasion, Akaki Akakievich’s colleagues, who constantly teased him because of his leaky overcoat, are organizing a small buffet. Bashmachkin is happy and cannot hide the contented sparkle in his eyes.
Unfortunately, that same evening Akakiy Akakievich loses his new clothes after being robbed by hooligans. Having turned to a passerby, the police, and even an influential person for help with a request to find the loss, Bashmachkin is faced with indifference and rudeness. Forced to wear a shabby overcoat again, Akaki Akakievich catches a severe cold and dies.
However, the story does not end there; the main character appears in the form of a ghost who wanders around the bridge at night and takes overcoats from passing people. One day, the ghost of Bashmachkin meets an influential person who refused to help him and deprives him of expensive clothes. After this incident, a significant person changes his worldview, becomes more attentive and hospitable to others.
Essay Characteristics and image of Akaki Akakievich
Tale by N.V. Gogol's "The Overcoat" was written in 1842. The main character of the work is Bashmachkin Akaki Akakievich.
A quiet and modest, unremarkable person, Akaki Bashmachkin lived very modestly, if not poorly. Years of hard and diligent work yielded an unenviable result: the hero of the story received the rank of titular councilor. The salary he received was so small that the official barely had enough for food. The clothes he wore had long since lost their original appearance. It was impossible to even tell what color it was when it was new.
The hero's mental abilities were insignificant. For many years he was engaged in rewriting documents, he could not do anything else and did not want anything else. Once, when he was offered a minor promotion, Bashmachkin refused it. He did his work with great diligence and diligence. Work that would require the use of mental abilities frightened him.
Akaki Akakievich was a lonely person in life. He lived in rented housing with his landlady. At work he was also lonely: no friends, no acquaintances. He was not respected either among his colleagues or his superiors. His plight financial situation made him stand out from everyone else. And it served as a reason for endless ridicule from colleagues.
Bashmachkin received the most sophisticated ridicule and bullying from his young colleagues. Not only did he amuse them appearance hero, they came up with all sorts of ridiculous stories. And this was also a reason for bullying. Akaki Akakievich endured all this in silence. And only when it became completely unbearable for him, he asked his colleagues to stop ridiculing.
The only joyful event in the hero’s life was the day when he could afford to sew a new overcoat. The old overcoat was very worn out and no longer protected from the cold St. Petersburg climate. But Bashmachkin’s happiness did not last long. The very first day he put on his new clothes, they took them away from him on the street. Akakiy Akakievich turned to the bailiff for help, and after him to a high-ranking official. The bailiff did nothing to help, and the “high” official was rude to him and kicked him out. On the way home, the hero of the story caught a severe cold and fell ill. He died soon after.
Essay on the topic: “A significant person” and Akaki Akakievich in N. V. Gogol’s story “The Overcoat”
At all times, there has been a problem of confrontation between “small” people and “big” ones. More than one work is devoted to the inequality of these social levels, and N.V. Gogol’s story “The Overcoat” examines this issue. Main character The story is Bashmachkin Akaki Akaievich, a poor titular councilor and citizen of St. Petersburg.
Akaky Akakievich had a big problem - an overcoat, which he saved with such difficulty the required amount money was taken from him on the street in a cruel manner. The hero of the story threw all his strength into searching for help - he turned first to a private bailiff, a meeting with whom was unsuccessful, and then to a “significant person.” His name does not appear on the pages of “The Overcoat,” but it is not important to the reader, because the image this character summarizes the images of many high-ranking people, both at the time the work was written and in our days.
The contrast between the “little man” - Bashmachkin and the “significant person” is very expressive, about which the “significant person” immediately shouts to Akakiy Akakievich, reproaches him for irregular shape addressing him and even rudely stamping his foot. Although in life a high-ranking employee “...is a kind person at heart, good with his comrades, helpful...”. This turn of events plunged Bashmachkin into shock, and he became so ill from worries and because of his old, worn-out thin overcoat that he soon died.
With the help of this episode the writer sharpens the problem social vices and the cruelty of the authorities towards ordinary people. The story also deals with the problem of personal responsibility and the responsibility of everyone before conscience. The significant person felt something vaguely reminiscent of regret, he even sent an official to Bashmachkin to still try to provide help and was shocked by the news of the poor fellow’s death.
The punishing conscience did not leave the offender for a long time - the image of Akaki Akakievich “rising from the grave” haunted him, even in the robber who took his overcoat from him, the high-ranking character saw the ghost of a poor titular adviser who had passed into another world without achieving justice.
So it is in life - for all the insults and sins, for all the injustices committed, everyone will ultimately receive what they deserve - this is the moral of this episode and the entire story. But every such person who served as the prototype of a “significant person” was also an insignificant person before that. It is in this transition from “lower” to “higher” that those terrible metamorphoses occur human essence, but first of all, a person must remain a Human, no matter what high-ranking positions he holds.
