Overcoat

Nikolai Gogol · Nikolai Vasil'evich Gogol

oct 2006 · ReadHowYouWant.com

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It is the story of a sincere young clerk who makes great sacrifices to attain an âeoeovercoatâe of untold value and power. Representing the mighty bureaucracy, Akaky dies of a broken heart when his beloved smart coat is stolen. The story takes an interesting turn when he returns for his coat from the buyer. This story symbolizes the reprisal of lower class against the dominance of the ruling class.

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Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol was born in 1809 in the Ukraine. His father was an amateur playwright who had a small estate with a number of serfs. From the ages of 12 to 19, young Gogol attended a boarding school where he became known for his sharp wit and ability to amuse his classmates. After school he worked as a government clerk. He soon began writing memories of his childhood. His quaint depictions of the Ukrainian countryside marked his style and helped to make him famous. Gogol quickly gained fame and formed a friendship with the influential poet, Aleksandr Pushkin. Gogol is largely remembered for his realistic characterizations, his rich imagination, and his humorous style. His works include Mirgorod, a collection of short stories including Taras Bulba. Gogol's wit is evident in his short story, The Nose, where a man's nose wanders off around town in a carriage. Gogol's masterpiece is the novel Dead Souls. In this work, a swindler plots to buy from landowners their dead serfs. Towards the end of Gogol's life, his creative powers faded and he fled to Moscow. Here, he came under the power of a fanatical priest. Ten days before his death he burned some manuscripts of the second part of Dead Souls. He died of starvation in 1852, on the cusp of madness.