What does the little man's overcoat mean? Essay “The theme of the little man in the story “The Overcoat.” Essay The image of a little man in Gogol's story The Overcoat

Can one small work revolutionize literature? Yes, Russian literature knows such a precedent. This is a story by N.V. Gogol's "The Overcoat". The work was very popular among contemporaries, caused a lot of controversy, and the Gogolian direction developed among Russian writers until the mid-20th century. What is this great book? About this in our article.

The book is part of a series of works written in the 1830s-1840s. and united by a common name - “Petersburg Tales”. The story of Gogol's "The Overcoat" goes back to an anecdote about a poor official who had a great passion for hunting. Despite the small salary, the ardent fan set himself a goal: at all costs to buy a Lepage gun, one of the best at that time. The official denied himself everything in order to save money, and finally he bought the coveted trophy and went to the Gulf of Finland to shoot birds.

The hunter set sail in the boat, was about to take aim, but did not find a gun. It probably fell out of the boat, but how remains a mystery. The hero of the story himself admitted that he was in a kind of oblivion when he anticipated the treasured prey. Returning home, he fell ill with a fever. Fortunately, everything ended well. The sick official was saved by his colleagues who bought him a new gun of the same type. This story inspired the author to create the story “The Overcoat”.

Genre and direction

N.V. Gogol is one of the most prominent representatives of critical realism in Russian literature. With his prose, the writer sets a special direction, sarcastically called “Natural School” by the critic F. Bulgarin. This literary vector is characterized by an appeal to acute social themes relating to poverty, morality, and class relations. Here the image of the “little man”, which became traditional for writers of the 19th century, is actively being developed.

A narrower direction characteristic of “Petersburg Tales” is fantastic realism. This technique allows the author to influence the reader in the most effective and original way. It is expressed in a mixture of fiction and reality: the real in the story “The Overcoat” is the social problems of Tsarist Russia (poverty, crime, inequality), and the fantastic is the ghost of Akaki Akakievich, who robs passers-by. Dostoevsky, Bulgakov and many other followers of this trend turned to the mystical principle.

The genre of the story allows Gogol to succinctly, but quite clearly, illuminate several plot lines, identify many current social themes, and even include the motif of the supernatural in his work.

Composition

The composition of “The Overcoat” is linear; an introduction and an epilogue can be designated.

The story begins with a unique writer's discussion about the city, which is an integral part of all “Petersburg Tales”. This is followed by a biography of the main character, which is typical for the authors of the “natural school”. It was believed that these data help to better reveal the image and explain the motivation for certain actions.
Exposition - a description of the situation and position of the hero.
The plot occurs at the moment when Akaki Akakievich decides to acquire a new overcoat; this intention continues to move the plot until the climax - a happy acquisition.
The second part is devoted to the search for the overcoat and the exposure of senior officials.
The epilogue, where the ghost appears, brings this part full circle: first the thieves go after Bashmachkin, then the policeman goes after the ghost. Or maybe behind a thief?

About what?

One poor official Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, due to severe frosts, finally dares to buy himself a new overcoat. The hero denies himself everything, skimps on food, tries to walk more carefully on the pavement so as not to change his soles again. By the required time, he manages to accumulate the required amount, and soon the desired overcoat is ready.

But the joy of possession does not last long: that same evening, when Bashmachkin was returning home after a festive dinner, robbers took the object of his happiness from the poor official. The hero is trying to fight for his overcoat, he goes through several levels: from a private person to a significant person, but no one cares about his loss, no one is going to look for the robbers. After a visit to the general, who turned out to be a rude and arrogant man, Akaki Akakievich came down with a fever and soon died.

But the story "takes on a fantastic ending." The spirit of Akaki Akakievich wanders around St. Petersburg, who wants to take revenge on his offenders, and, mainly, he is looking for a significant person. One evening, the ghost catches the arrogant general and takes away his overcoat, which is where he calms down.

The main characters and their characteristics

The main character of the story is Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. From the moment of birth it was clear that a difficult, unhappy life awaited him. The midwife predicted this, and the baby himself, when born, “cried and made such a grimace, as if he had a presentiment that there would be a titular councilor.” This is the so-called “little man,” but his character is contradictory and goes through certain stages of development.
Overcoat image works to reveal the potential of this seemingly modest character. A new thing dear to the heart makes the hero obsessed, as if an idol controls him. The little official shows such persistence and activity that he never showed during his life, and after death he completely decides to take revenge and keeps St. Petersburg at bay.
The role of the overcoat in Gogol's story it is difficult to overestimate. Her image develops in parallel with the main character: the holey overcoat is a modest person, the new one is the proactive and happy Bashmachkin, the general’s is an omnipotent spirit, terrifying.
Image of St. Petersburg in the story it is presented completely differently. This is not a lush capital with elegant carriages and flowery front doors, but a cruel city, with its fierce winter, unhealthy climate, dirty staircases and dark alleys.

Themes

The life of a little man is the main theme of the story “The Overcoat”, so it is presented quite vividly. Bashmachkin does not have a strong character or special talents; higher-ranking officials allow themselves to manipulate him, ignore him, or scold him. And the poor hero only wants to regain what belongs to him by right, but significant persons and the big world have no time for the problems of a little man.
The contrast between the real and the fantastic allows us to show the versatility of Bashmachkin’s image. In the harsh reality, he will never reach the selfish and cruel hearts of those in power, but by becoming a powerful spirit, he can at least take revenge for his offense.
The running theme of the story is immorality. People are valued not for their skill, but for their rank, a significant person is by no means an exemplary family man, he is cold towards his children and seeks entertainment on the side. He allows himself to be an arrogant tyrant, forcing those of lower rank to grovel.
The satirical nature of the story and the absurdity of the situations allow Gogol to most expressively point out social vices. For example, no one is going to look for the missing overcoat, but there is a decree to catch the ghost. This is how the author exposes the inactivity of the St. Petersburg police.

Issues

The problems of the story “The Overcoat” are very broad. Here Gogol raises questions concerning both society and the inner world of man.

The main problem of the story is humanism, or rather, the lack of it. All the heroes of the story are cowardly and selfish, they are incapable of empathy. Even Akaki Akakievich does not have any spiritual goal in life, does not strive to read or be interested in art. He is driven only by the material component of existence. Bashmachkin does not recognize himself as a victim in the Christian sense. He has fully adapted to his miserable existence, the character does not know forgiveness and is only capable of revenge. The hero cannot even find peace after death until he fulfills his base plan.
Indifference. Colleagues are indifferent to Bashmachkin’s grief, and a significant person is trying by all means known to him to drown out any manifestations of humanity in himself.
The problem of poverty is touched upon by Gogol. A person who performs his duties approximately and diligently does not have the opportunity to update his wardrobe as needed, while careless flatterers and dandies are successfully promoted, have luxurious dinners and arrange evenings.
The problem of social inequality is highlighted in the story. The general treats the titular councilor like a flea that he can crush. Bashmachkin becomes shy in front of him, loses the ability to speak, and a significant person, not wanting to lose his appearance in the eyes of his colleagues, humiliates the poor petitioner in every possible way. Thus, he shows his power and superiority.

What is the meaning of the story?

The idea of Gogol’s “The Overcoat” is to point out acute social problems relevant in Imperial Russia. Using the fantastic component, the author shows the hopelessness of the situation: the little man is weak in front of the powers that be, they will never respond to his request, and they will even kick him out of his office. Gogol, of course, does not approve of revenge, but in the story “The Overcoat” it is the only way to reach the stony hearts of high-ranking officials. It seems to them that only the spirit is above them, and they will agree to listen only to those who are superior to them. Having become a ghost, Bashmachkin takes precisely this necessary position, so he manages to influence arrogant tyrants. This is the main idea of the work.

The meaning of Gogol’s “The Overcoat” is the search for justice, but the situation seems hopeless, because justice is possible only by turning to the supernatural.

What does it teach?

Gogol’s “The Overcoat” was written almost two centuries ago, but remains relevant to this day. The author makes you think not only about social inequality and the problem of poverty, but also about your own spiritual qualities. The story “The Overcoat” teaches empathy; the writer encourages not to turn away from a person who is in a difficult situation and asks for help.

To achieve his author's goals, Gogol changes the ending of the original anecdote, which became the basis for the work. If in that story the colleagues collected enough money to buy a new gun, then Bashmachkin’s colleagues did practically nothing to help their comrade in trouble. He himself died fighting for his rights.

Criticism

In Russian literature, the story “The Overcoat” played a huge role: thanks to this work, a whole movement arose - the “natural school”. This work became a symbol of new art, and confirmation of this was the magazine “Physiology of St. Petersburg”, where many young writers came up with their own versions of the image of a poor official.

Critics recognized Gogol's mastery, and "The Overcoat" was considered a worthy work, but the controversy was mainly conducted around the Gogol direction, opened precisely by this story. For example, V.G. Belinsky called the book “one of Gogol’s deepest creations,” but considered the “natural school” a direction without prospects, and K. Aksakov denied Dostoevsky (who also started with the “natural school”), the author of “Poor People,” the title of artist.

Not only Russian critics were aware of the role of “The Overcoat” in literature. The French reviewer E. Vogüe made the famous statement “We all came out of Gogol’s overcoat.” In 1885, he wrote an article about Dostoevsky, where he spoke about the origins of the writer’s work.

Later, Chernyshevsky accused Gogol of excessive sentimentality and deliberate pity for Bashmachkin. Apollo Grigoriev, in his criticism, contrasted Gogol's method of satirical depiction of reality with true art.

The story made a great impression not only on the writer’s contemporaries. V. Nabokov, in his article “The Apotheosis of the Mask,” analyzes Gogol’s creative method, its features, advantages and disadvantages. Nabokov believes that “The Overcoat” was created for “a reader with a creative imagination,” and for the most complete understanding of the work, it is necessary to get acquainted with it in the original language, because Gogol’s work “is a phenomenon of language, not ideas.”

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In Russian literature there are often unhappy and insignificant characters. They evoke irony and pity in readers. The cruelty towards them is outrageous. But the prototypes of these heroes are not always recognized in real life and they are rarely sympathized with. But the Devushkins, Bashmachkins and station guards are everywhere. They are alive. The image of the little man in the story “The Overcoat” is not a satirical character or a fairy-tale ghost. This is the hero of a cautionary tale about stupid heartlessness and evil indifference.

Gogol: “father” of Bashmachkin

The great goal of true literature is the creation of images and plots that never lose relevance anywhere. Russia has always been rich in talented writers capable of fulfilling this mission. One of them was Nikolai Gogol. The image of a little man created by this writer is a clear confirmation of this.

In almost every human society there is an unrequited and weak personality. A strange, pathetic person, unable to stand up for himself, living in his own, incomprehensible and closed world. Those around them subconsciously rejoice that they are different and not at all like this pitiful creature. And in order to prove this to themselves and each other, they insult and humiliate the renegade in every possible way. The reason for the dissimilarity of this person, who has become an outcast among his kind, can be anything. But most often it lies in the low. For the first time this problem was illuminated by Gogol, using the image of a “little man” in the story “The Overcoat”.

Akaki Akakievich

Bad luck haunts him all his life. It began immediately after birth, when Bashmachkin received the most dissonant name. With such a name and patronymic, a person cannot be respectable and significant. And Akaki Akakievich is small in everything: in height, in abilities, and in social status. The officials make fun of him and tease him, like little children, competing in clerical wit. In response, he can only cry out pitifully: “Leave me alone!”

Gogol created the image of a little man almost by accident. “The Overcoat” was originally conceived by the author as a small satirical work based on an anecdotal story heard somewhere. But after some revision, a real philosophical parable came out about an unfortunate man who was able to take revenge on his offenders only after death.

Everything in his life is small and pathetic. Both appearance and position. His work is monotonous and uninteresting. But he doesn't notice it. For Bashmachkin, there is no more enjoyable activity than rewriting documents. His life is empty, but measured. And let his colleagues mock him. He doesn't care about them. He lives in a world where, apart from papers and ink, there is nothing: no entertainment, no friends, no family. He has been there for a long time and is already afraid to get out. The image of the little man in the story “The Overcoat” serves as confirmation of the cruelty of a society in which there is no place for the weak and harmless.

Overcoat

A sweet desire appears in the life of Akaki Akakievich. The old overcoat was completely frayed. He decides to order a new one. In addition, frosts have begun, and awards are expected for the holiday. Now in his life, the exciting rewriting of papers is replaced by dreams of a new overcoat. He thinks about her day and night, and sometimes visits the tailor to discuss the upcoming new thing. And one day, receiving a prize, he fulfills the dream of recent months and becomes the owner of a new wonderful thing. For the main character, the overcoat became a “pleasant friend of days” (as Gogol put it). The image of a little man evokes special pity also from the realization of how insignificant the reason for his boundless joy is.

Great loss

The department admires the overcoat. Bashmachkin is congratulated on his acquisition. His happiness risks being overshadowed by the proposal of his colleagues to organize a festive evening for such an important event. But eyes suddenly turn to the topic of the upcoming dinner party.

He had never been so filled with happiness as during that short time when his new overcoat warmed him. But the happiness ended suddenly when, on the way home after a festive dinner, robbers tore off something dear to his heart.

He tried in vain to bring her back. All attempts were in vain. In addition, the evil official humiliated him cruelly in order to show off in the eyes of his friend. Bashmachkin returned home in deep sadness and suddenly died. The image of the little man in the story “The Overcoat” acquires a strong effect because after death the main character does not disappear. Bashmachkin's soul wanders somewhere in the wasteland for a long time in search of its loss. And only after meeting his offender and tearing off his greatcoat does he disappear forever.

Mystic

At the end of the story, Gogol uses a mystical motif, since only with the help of this technique can the main character become, at least for a short time, strong and scary. It is as if he is taking revenge for himself and for all those offended. The event that happened to the boorish official was not accidental. The author emphasizes that after meeting the ghost, this one became more humble and quieter.

The image of a little man appears in different variations in literature. In Dostoevsky, he is noble, poor, and insulted to the depths of his soul. Pushkin's stationmaster is a man who, due to his low social status, cannot resist cynicism and immorality. Gogol's unique character is pitiful and unhappy to such an extent that he himself does not realize it. But all these heroes are united by vulnerability to the cruelty that prevails in every society.

The image of the “little man” in N. V. Gogol’s story “The Overcoat”

This is not a rule, but in life it often happens that cruel and heartless people who insult and humiliate the dignity of others end up looking weaker and more insignificant than their victims. Democritus once said that “he who commits injustice is more unhappy than the one who suffers unjustly.”

The same impression of spiritual meagerness and fragility from the offenders of the petty official Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin remains with us after reading Gogol’s story “The Overcoat”, from which, in the figurative expression of Dostoevsky, all Russian literature came.

“No, I can’t stand it anymore! What are they doing to me!.. They don’t understand, don’t see, don’t listen to me...” Many of the great writers responded to this plea of the hero of Gogol’s story, in their own way comprehended and developed the image of the “little man” in their work. This image, discovered by Pushkin, after the appearance of “The Overcoat” became one of the central ones in the literature of the 40s. The topic opened the way for the depiction of Akaki Akakievich’s “followers” in the works of Saltykov-Shchedrin, Nekrasov, Ostrovsky, Tolstoy, Bunin, Chekhov, Andreev. Many of them tried to see in the “little man” their little hero, “their brother” with his inherent feelings of kindness, gratitude and nobility.

What is a “little man”? In what sense is “small”? This person is small precisely in social terms, since he occupies one of the lower steps of the hierarchical ladder. His place in society is little or not noticeable. This person is also “small” because the world of his spiritual life and human aspirations is also extremely narrowed, impoverished, surrounded by all kinds of prohibitions and taboos. For him, for example, there are no historical and philosophical problems. He remains in a narrow and closed circle of his life interests.

Gogol characterizes the main character of his story as a poor, mediocre, insignificant and unnoticed person. In life, he was assigned an insignificant role as a copyist of departmental documents. Brought up in an atmosphere of unquestioning submission and execution of orders from his superiors, Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin was not used to reflecting on the content and meaning of his work. That is why, when he is offered tasks that require the manifestation of elementary intelligence, he begins to worry, worry and ultimately comes to the conclusion: “No, it’s better to let me rewrite something.”

Bashmachkin's spiritual life is in tune with his inner aspirations. Collecting money to purchase an overcoat becomes for him the goal and meaning of life, filling it with happiness in anticipation of the fulfillment of his cherished desire. The theft of an overcoat, acquired through such great hardships and suffering, becomes truly a disaster for him. Those around him only laughed at his misfortune, but no one helped him. The “significant person” shouted at him so much that the poor fellow lost consciousness. Almost no one noticed the death of Akaki Akakievich, which followed shortly after his illness.

Despite the “uniqueness” of the image of Bashmachkin created by Gogol, he does not look lonely in the reader’s mind, and we imagine that there were a great many of the same small, humiliated people sharing the lot of Akaki Akakievich. This generalization of the image of the “little man” reflected the genius of the writer, who satirically presented society itself, which gives rise to arbitrariness and violence. In this environment, the cruelty and indifference of people to each other is increasing more and more. Gogol was one of the first who spoke openly and loudly about the tragedy of the “little man,” respect for whom depended not on his spiritual qualities, not on his education and intelligence, but on his position in society. The writer with compassion showed the injustice and despotism of society towards the “little man” and for the first time called on him to pay attention to these inconspicuous, pitiful and funny people, as it seemed at first glance.

“There can be no close relationship between us. Judging by the buttons on your uniform, you must serve in another department.” This is how the attitude towards a person is determined immediately and forever by the buttons of a uniform and other external signs. This is how the human personality is “trampled.” She loses her dignity, because a person not only evaluates others by wealth and nobility, but also himself.

Gogol called on society to look at the “little man” with understanding and pity. “Mother, save your poor son!” - the author will write. And indeed, some of Akaki Akakievich’s offenders suddenly realized this and began to experience pangs of conscience. One young employee, who, like everyone else, decided to make fun of Bashmachkin, stopped, amazed by his words: “Leave me alone, why are you offending me?” And the young man shuddered when he saw “how much inhumanity there is in man, how much hidden ferocious rudeness...”.

Calling for justice, the author raises the question of the need to punish the inhumanity of society. As revenge and compensation for the humiliations and insults suffered during his life, Akaki Akakievich, who rose from the grave in the epilogue, appears as a passer-by and takes away their overcoats and fur coats. He calms down only when he takes away the overcoat from a “significant person” who played a tragic role in the life of a little official.

The meaning of the fantastic episode of the resurrection of Akaki Akakievich and his meeting with a “significant person” is that even in the life of the most seemingly insignificant person there are moments when he can become a person in the highest sense of the word. Tearing off the greatcoat from a dignitary, Bashmachkin becomes, in his own eyes and in the eyes of millions of humiliated and insulted people like him, a hero, capable of standing up for himself and responding to the inhumanity and injustice of the world around him. In this form the revenge of the “little man” on the bureaucratic Petersburg was expressed.

The talented depiction in poetry, literature, as well as in other forms of art, of the life of the “little man” revealed to a wide range of readers and viewers that simple, but close truth that the life and “twists” of the souls of “ordinary people” are no less more interesting than the lives of outstanding personalities. Penetrating into this life, Gogol and his followers, in turn, discovered new facets of human character and the spiritual world of man. The democratization of the artist’s approach to the depicted reality led to the fact that the heroes he created could become on a par with the most significant personalities at critical moments in their lives.

In his story, Gogol concentrated his main attention on the fate of the personality of the “little man,” but this was done with such skill and insight that, empathizing with Bashmachkin, the reader involuntarily thinks about his attitude towards the entire world around him, and, first of all, about his sense of dignity and respect that every person should arouse towards himself, regardless of his social and financial status, but only taking into account his personal qualities and merits.

Bibliography

To prepare this work, materials were used from the site http://www.coolsoch.ru/

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We often encounter the image of the “little man” in Russian and foreign fiction. To us, Russian readers, brought up on examples of Russian literature, the image of the “little man” is painfully familiar. The first meeting with him happens in Gogol’s story “The Overcoat” by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol.

What is a “little man”? The answer is simple: this is a person of low social status and low origin, unremarkable and inconspicuous, not distinguished by outstanding abilities, weak-willed, humble and harmless.

This is exactly how we meet the main character of the story “The Overcoat,” the poor titular adviser Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. It is interesting to note that Nikolai Vasilyevich very skillfully approached the choice of the name of his literary hero: the word “Akaky” translated from Greek means “doing no evil.”

The author compares his hero to a fly to show how petty this man is. Akaki Akakievich has both positive and negative qualities. On the one hand, Bashmachkin is a person without interests and hobbies, without family and friends, which speaks of his certain isolation and self-restraint from the world around him. On the other hand, he is devoted to his work, performs it reverently and carefully, he is hardworking, patient and modest, does not pay attention to the insults of his colleagues, and does not start quarrels. For a person like Akaki Akakievich, the most insignificant thing can become the asset of his whole life.

The treasure of Bashmachkin’s life was a new overcoat, sewn for a holiday bonus. With the advent of the new thing, Bashmachkin’s character and the attitude of his colleagues towards him change. Their approval and admiration elevate Akaki Akakievich above himself, he becomes bolder, happier, more confident. But soon his happy mood changes, as his most expensive item, his overcoat, was stolen. This was a real tragedy for the poor titular councilor, who eventually fell ill and died. But even after death he cannot find peace, so he appears as a ghost on the Kalinkin Bridge and scares passers-by.

Thinking through the character of Akaki Akakievich, Gogol wanted to show readers that against the background of romantic heroes, bright, strong, contradictory personalities, there are realistic personalities: weak-willed, timid and even somewhat pitiful, but certainly deserving of human attention and empathy.

Essay Theme of the little man in Gogol's story The Overcoat

In the “St. Petersburg” story “The Overcoat,” written in 1842, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol raises the theme of the “little man.” This theme is constantly present in Russian fiction. Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin was the first author to address this issue; other authors continue this tradition.

Gogol considers the problem of a society in which a small person must exist. The author sharply criticizes the society of titular advisers who cannot accept Akaki Akakievich. The character’s phrase: “Don’t touch me, why are you offending me?” is a rhetorical question to the reader. The author draws attention to the fact that “little people” also have the right to a decent life and respect from people.

The day when Bashmachkin puts on his overcoat is the culmination of the work. At this moment he ceases to feel like a “little man”. His behavior and daily routine change completely. By this N. Gogol shows that Akaki Akakievich is the same person as others. He is no different, he experiences the same feelings, aspirations and grievances. He is no better and no worse than others.

The conflict between the little man and the world does not arise immediately, but only at the moment when Akaki Akakievich is left without his overcoat. The overcoat has long become more than clothing. It was a big part of the character himself. Having lost her, he begins to fight with society. And having not achieved victory during his lifetime, he continues it like a ghost.

The mystical side of the story is important for ending the conflict. Having received what he wanted, that is, an overcoat. This is a kind of justice, which is only possible in a fantasy world and is a utopia. On the other hand, in the finale, Gogol says that the immortal soul continues to desire revenge, and is only able to do it on its own.

Essay The image of a little man in Gogol's story The Overcoat

“The Little Man” is one of the archetypes of Russian literature. The gallery of “little people” opens with a portrait of Samson Vyrin in the story of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin (the cycle “Belkin’s Tale”), continues with the image of Evgeniy from his own poem “The Bronze Horseman” and is firmly established in the tradition of realism inherited by Pushkin and his contemporaries.

Within the framework of the direction of realism, it is traditional to consider Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s story “The Overcoat”, and the portrait of the main character of this work - Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin - is included in the gallery of “little people” opened by Pushkin. This point of view is completely fair and is easily confirmed by the text.

What is characteristic of a “little man”? Low position in society, closeness (hiddenness) from the world, stinginess of feelings (but at the same time - the presence of an object of love and care), suffering during life (usually a single act that influences the further fate of the hero), and, most likely, death ( often - precisely from life’s suffering).

All this can be seen in “The Overcoat”. Bashmachkin is a petty official, a copyist of papers, who lives poorly and ascetically. He has no friends - he only has colleagues who become interested in him only with the acquisition of an overcoat (but not before and not on his own). Bashmachkin also has something that he loves and cherishes. Unlike his daughter - in the case of Vyrin - and Parasha, his beloved girl - in the case of Evgeniy - for Akaki Akakievich it is letters in documents and an overcoat, the dream of which he lives.

As in other cases, the suffering of the “little man” is in one way or another connected with the object of his affection. So, Vyrin loses his daughter, Evgeniy hurries to Parasha and is afraid that the flood will harm her. In a dark alley, two people steal Bashmachkin’s favorite overcoat - literally the next day after the purchase. Suffering and experience (after a certain period of time) is followed by the death of the main character.

It is worth noting that very often the status of the “little man” is emphasized by his position in the hierarchy of power; To “reveal” this position of his, the author places the hero in a situation where he is opposed to someone who is superior to him in his power. Let's consider, again, Vyrin and Evgeniy - the first finds himself on the threshold of his daughter's house, but entry there is closed to him, as a poor, ignorant and uninvited guest; the second turns out to be directly opposed to Emperor Peter (and, although he shakes his fist at him, he understands all his powerlessness and insignificance).

Bashmachkin is faced with a hierarchy of positions when his attempts to gain the attention of an official who could help his trouble fail.

It is also interesting to note that in one fundamental point Gogol departs from the previous tradition. The ending of the story of his hero becomes a certain triumph and superiority - the spirit of Bashmachkin tears off the warm overcoats of officials and terrifies those who encounter him. It is clear that this cannot be called a triumph of the “little man” in the full sense of the word; but, of course, this feels, if not a denial of Pushkin’s point of view, then at least a polemic with him and the prevailing understanding of the “little man.”

The story teaches kindness, patience, and forbearance; however, Gogol does not choose, as in his later works, an edifying tone and does not shy away from irony in the depiction of his “little man.”

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O people! A pitiful race, worthy of tears and laughter!
Priests of the moment, fans of success!
How often does a person pass by you
Over whom the blind and violent age curses,
But whose high face is in the coming generation
The poet will be delighted and touched!
A.S. Pushkin

The theme of the “little man” is a cross-cutting theme in Russian literature of the 19th century. A.S. Pushkin (“The Station Warden”, “The Bronze Horseman”), A.N. Ostrovsky (“Jokers”), I.S. Turgenev (“County Doctor” from “Notes of a Hunter”), devoted their works to this topic. F.M. Dostoevsky (“Poor People”, etc.), A.P. Chekhov (“Death of an Official,” “Melancholy,” etc.).

The social and everyday story “The Station Warden” (1830) describes the life and death of a fourteenth-grade official, Samson Vyrin. The life of a stationmaster is not easy: everyone scolds him (both gentlemen and coachmen) for everything (for road inconveniences, for the lack of horses, for bad weather), everyone takes out their irritation on him, but he must endure all this, because because of of his small rank and timid character, he cannot respond adequately to either important passing persons or lively coachmen. There is one joy in his life - his daughter Dunya, an extraordinary girl. Therefore, the grief of a father when he loses his daughter is so understandable. Pushkin describes this grief very sympathetically.

True, in addition to the story of Samson Vyrin’s suffering, Pushkin is interested, as in all Belkin’s stories, in the paradoxical nature of the life situation. In St. Petersburg, Vyrin saw; his fears were not justified. After all, he expected that the hussar Minsky would have fun with Dunya and leave her. But Minsky behaved unexpectedly, from the point of view of the stationmaster: he hired Dunya an apartment with servants, dressed her up, he truly loves her, and she truly loves him. Vyrin saw all this with his own eyes when he came to his daughter’s apartment (Dunya was sitting on the arm of a chair and, lovingly looking at the hussar, playing with his curls), but did not believe his eyes. The caretaker returned to his station and died of grief, as he continued to think that his daughter was missing, that she was unhappy. Pictures about the prodigal son on the wall of the station house help clarify the idea of the story - an image of the unfortunate lot of Samson Vyrin, a timid and harmless “little man”, insulted by the nobleman Minsky and forgotten by his only, dearly beloved daughter.

In Pushkin’s social and philosophical poem “The Bronze Horseman” (1833), the main character is the poor St. Petersburg official Evgeniy. The life of this “little man” is disrupted due to an accident: his fiancee dies during a flood and the shocked hero goes crazy. However, Eugene, although he has his own biography and some individual traits, appears in the poem as a type of “little man”, opposed to the absolute state power that the Bronze Horseman embodies. The poet, telling the story of Eugene, raises and resolves philosophical questions about the relationship between the individual and the authorities, about the regularity and expediency of rebellion against the authorities, about the justice of the world order.

Gogol's story "The Overcoat" (1842) occupies a very special place among the works about the "little man". Gogol’s “little man” is depicted as a valuable personality in his own right; only his life and his problems are described. This “The Overcoat” differs from “The Station Agent” and “The Bronze Horseman”, where the life of the “little man” illustrates, respectively, an interesting life anecdote or a philosophical idea of the author. On the one hand, “The Overcoat” is a social story. Gogol depicts the ordinary, ordinary life of a petty official, in which nothing significant happens, and the author describes this “nothing” - stunningly insignificant affections, desires and joys. Bashmachkin was wondering what document he would rewrite tomorrow; he had favorite and least favorite letters; he is depicted as an “eternal titular adviser” in whom society has not developed, but, on the contrary, suppressed all dreams, desires, and personal initiative. When the next boss suggested that Akakiy Akakievich draw up a certificate, and not just rewrite it, the hero was unable to do this. Bashmachkin turned into a living machine for copying papers: his tongue-tiedness confirms such a comparison.

How poor is Bashmachkin’s life in events and interests if sewing an overcoat becomes a significant era for him! This important concern stirred Akaki Akakievich: “From then on, it was as if his very existence became somehow fuller, (...) as if he was not alone, but some pleasant friend of life agreed with him to walk the road of life together.”

On the other hand, the story “The Overcoat” is similar to a life, applied, of course, to new historical circumstances and a new (democratic) view of the human personality (V.N. Turbin “Pushkin. Gogol. Lermontov” M., 1978, I, ch. .2). The outwardly insignificant life of Akaki Akakievich, if you look at it from a different point of view, is filled with honest work (he rewrites documents without a single mistake), the hero does not offend anyone, does not accumulate anger, does not curry favor with his superiors, does not steal, does not deceive. The very name Akaki means in Greek “doing no evil, innocent.” He meekly endures the contempt of those around him: “The guards not only did not get up from their seats when he passed, but did not even look at him, as if a simple fly had flown through the reception area.” He patiently endures the bullying of his colleagues, who made up various indecent stories about him or poured pieces of paper on his head (this, of course, is not the stoning of Christian martyrs described in the lives, but in a certain sense it can be regarded as persecution). Further, Akakiy Akakievich, at the end of his life, inconspicuous to those around him, experienced “walking through torment” - the troubles of a stolen overcoat. Bureaucratic red tape from a quarterly officer, a private bailiff, and finally a reprimand from a “significant person” led the titular adviser to a desperate state of mind, which, together with a cold, became the cause of his sudden death.

After the death of the unfortunate Bashmachkin, there was noise and excitement in St. Petersburg, as a ghost appeared at the Kalinkin Bridge, which tore off the greatcoats of everyone passing and even passing by. Thus, it can be argued that “The Overcoat” represents the ironic life of Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin with the elements required for this genre: a pious life, unjust persecution, exploits, posthumous miracles. The news of the hero’s death gives way to a solemnly sad conclusion: “And Petersburg was left without Akaki Akakievich, as if he had never been there. A creature disappeared and hid, unprotected by anyone, inexpensive to anyone, and of no interest to anyone...”

Gogol chose a very successful manner of storytelling - a comic tale, similar to verbose naive chatter, combined with pathetic (solemn) declamation. The author's gentle humor emphasizes the tragedy of Akaki Akakievich's situation: society neglects the “little man” and destroys his personality, depriving him of the rights to a decent, human life. In “The Overcoat” there are minor characters who confirm that Bashmachkin is a typical hero, there are a lot of similar “little people” around him. This is the tailor Petrovich, who has been ordered a new overcoat; This is an official who took Bashmachkin’s place. The new titular councilor, the author says about him, was taller than Akaki Akakievich, and his letters were written “not in such a straight handwriting, but much more slanted and slanted.” That's all that was wonderful about the new copyist.

There is another important character in the story - a “significant person”. This image, unlike Bashmachkin and Petrovich, is depicted satirically. Firstly, it does not have a proper name, and its common noun “one significant person” (in the neuter form) is consistent with masculine verbs: “one significant person recently became a significant person, and until that time was insignificant.” The formal discrepancy between subject and predicate in this case gives rise to a comic effect: a “significant person” who is so proud of his importance looks quite ridiculous. Secondly, he is a low, petty person, humiliating his subordinates in order to thereby rise himself. He, wanting to show his power, talks rudely and unceremoniously to the unfortunate Akaki Akakievich, who came with a legitimate request to find his overcoat. The meeting of the “little man” with the “significant person” is shown both as a clash with a “bad” boss and as a meeting with the soulless state machine that the general personifies.

To summarize, we note that the theme of the “little man” is solved in its own way in each of the works mentioned above. Gogol in “The Overcoat” combined and developed two approaches to the theme of the “little man” presented in Pushkin’s earlier works. On the one hand, Gogol described in detail the life and fate of Akaki Akakievich (compare with the story of the stationmaster), and showed not only the defenselessness of the “little man” before the bureaucrats and rich gentlemen, but also his struggle for survival, half-starved existence, diligently putting money into a piggy bank pennies saved, etc. On the other hand, depicting the clash between Akaki Akakievich and a “significant person,” Gogol once again confirmed that the state and society treat the “little man” unfairly (cf. the relationship between Eugene and the Bronze Horseman). However, it should be remembered that the poem “The Bronze Horseman” was not published during Pushkin’s lifetime, that is, Pushkin and Gogol independently created their heroes to be similar.

In Dostoevsky’s first novel, “Poor People,” an interesting interpretation of the characters of Samson Vyrin and Akaki Akakievich is given, belonging to Makar Devushkin, who himself, in essence, is a “little man.” Makar really liked Pushkin’s story, and he considers Gogol’s story a libel on the “little man.” Pushkin shows the suffering of a father separated from his daughter. Even the seemingly prosperous fate of Dunya cannot make Samson Vyrin happy. The stationmaster dies from mental anguish, from gross interference in his life, from the lack of human warmth and participation. Gogol, depicting the “little man,” drew attention to the fact that the hero himself as a person is pitiful and insignificant. Akaki Akakievich evokes not Makar’s sympathy, but pity: Bashmachkin has completely lost his human face. Therefore, Dostoevsky’s hero, a “little man” with ambitions, did not like “The Overcoat”.

However, it was Gogol’s story that was a resounding success among the public: “The Overcoat,” no less than “The Station Warden,” evokes in the reader sympathy for the “little man” and a feeling of protest against his slave position. It was “The Overcoat” that gave a powerful impetus to such a literary movement as the “natural school”; within the latter, the theme of the “little man” became one of the leading ones.