“The Nose” by Nikolai Gogol Research Paper

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

The short story “The Nose” by Gogol belongs to magical realism and is defined as a satirical short story. In this short story, Gogol tries to reflect cultural and social conditions of Russia and its way of life. The main character of the story, Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov, is a high official in Petersburg who lost his nose. Much of the satire derives from these oppositions and from the fact that it is impossible to reliably describe the difference between doubles and opposites. “The Nose” treats the seriousness of life with comicality; the author of the story resorts to such literary tools as modern magical realism and satire in order to explain the reality by means of fantasy and disclose the real essence of the main character.

The events which take place in the story can be regarded as both comical and serious. It seems that there is nothing funny in the fact that a person wakes up without a nose one day; on the contrary, this fact is supposed to evoke compassion. However, Gogol presents everything from a slightly different perspective. Magical realism helps him to intertwine reality with fantasy and present serious events as comic ones, “In “The Nose,” Gogol inverts the typical dynamic of modern magical realism. In magical realism, a supernatural or inexplicable event gives rise to a series of realistic consequences; but the realistic detail of life in St. Petersburg could be satisfactory explained only by reference to fantastic and sur-real stories “(Hardy and Stanton 128).

The short story depicts events from life of Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov. One day, his barber, Ivan Yakovlevich, finds a human nose inside his breakfast which his wife has just serviced. At first, he is frightened supposing that this can involve him in a crime. In order to hide unpleasant evidence, Ivan Yakovlevich wraps the nose and sets out to dispose of it. He goes to the river but policemen stop him and prevent his attempt to throw the nose into the river. “But Ivan Yakovlevich was more dead than alive. He recognized the nose as that of none other that Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov, whom he shaved every Wednesday and Sunday” (Gogol 2). The magical element of the story is that Gogol does not tell readers how the nose “escapes” and why it reappears in Ivan Yakovlevich’s plate. The author gives some hints to readers to understand the story conflict and the role of magical elements for the further development of the plot. Maus supposes that “In the complex and interesting course of Gogol’s search for his unique, Gogolian self, there is a natural demarcation of two phases, although they are very intimately interconnected” (Maus 76). Maus underlines that “The Nose” reelects the self and identity of Gogol himself and his world vies. Therefore, the symbol of the story, the nose, has a double meaning: it is used as the mirror-image and as a symbol of Kovalyov’s unproductive search.

This complicity between the symbol of nose and power is further suggested by various images of the self that run through the text. The ironical comic tone undermines any pretensions to absolute authority by text, yet does not fully efface an underlying note of seriousness, a note that surfaces most clearly in treatment of the nose, the domination of which can be regarded as a demonstration of Kovalyov’s ability to defeat the magical forces. “Two sides of Gogol’s personality are revealed in the first phase of the development of his work as a satirist: his attempt to depict both comic and terrible things. Here his tendency to try to discredit other people does not go beneath the surface” (Maus 76).

The satire, with which Gogol presents Kovalyov, helps realize versatility of this character. Gogol describes the owner of the nose, Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov, as a hopeless young man addressed as “Major”. One morning, he looks at the mirror for the spot at his nose, but finds that there is no nose on his face. “Why, no sir, not only there is no pimple but also the nose itself is gone!” (Gogol 40). The uniqueness of this story is that Kovalyov reports to police and tries to give an advertisement about the lost nose and asks citizens to help him in this situation. The satire of Gogol’s approach certainly enriches the literary qualities of his text, but this very satire implies that the text can be read in multiple ways.

Hardy and Stanton keep to the point that there can be no doubt that the elements of acute satire are inherent in Kovalyov and keep reemerging in various settings of his life. In the course of his treatment of this theme, Gogol deals with many of the issues usually associated with the outer world. For example, devil and magic play a major part, both in the communication between characters that makes sharing of a homogeneous, mind-numbing folk culture possible and in sophisticated information systems that make universal watch a practical reality. The uniqueness and magical elements are that the nose leads a self-regulating existence and refuses to acknowledge any acquaintanceship. “The primacy of the eternal (kairos) over the visible and ordinary (chronos) gives Gogol’s tales an oblique relationship to modern magical realism” (Hardy and Stanton 138).

Though “The Nose” was intended to be a magical story with certain caveats attached, it can clearly be read as a statement, especially in the light of the eventual failure of the Russian officials. The most interesting fact is that neither Kovalyov nor any surgeon can get the nose back on his face. One morning, the nose appears on Kovalyov’s face without living any mark or reminder of the previous day. Despite its comic tone, this work of Gogol’s presents Russia as a satirical society in which subtle manifestations of power keep the populace firmly under control without most of them ever realizing it. This society is imaged most directly in Gogol’s short story by suggestions that the government has for some time been building a massive system for political incarceration in response to the revolutionary energies of the sixties.

In sum, magical elements and the symbol of the lost nose allow Gogol to unveil the self of the main character and symbolically portray his true nature. Gogol depicts the society as a potential source of power and control, but he also suggests that the rhetoric of social values can be used to further the programs of those in official power. The nose is the main symbol which drives the plot development and helps the author to keep readers in suspense till the end. Gogol uses magical realism and satire as the main literary tools to unveil the main theme and symbolically portray nature and the character of Kovalyov.

Works Cited

Gogol, Nikolay. The Nose. ReadHowYouWant.com, 2006.

Hardy, J.D. and Stanton, L. “Magical realism in the Tales of Nikolai Gogol”. Janus Head 5.2 (2002): 126-139.

Maus, Derek. “The Devils in the Details: The Role of Evil in the Short Fiction of Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol and Nathaniel Hawthorne”. Papers on Language & Literature 38 (2002): 76.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2021, December 2). “The Nose" by Nikolai Gogol. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-nose-by-nikolai-gogol/

Work Cited

"“The Nose" by Nikolai Gogol." IvyPanda, 2 Dec. 2021, ivypanda.com/essays/the-nose-by-nikolai-gogol/.

References

IvyPanda. (2021) '“The Nose" by Nikolai Gogol'. 2 December.

References

IvyPanda. 2021. "“The Nose" by Nikolai Gogol." December 2, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-nose-by-nikolai-gogol/.

1. IvyPanda. "“The Nose" by Nikolai Gogol." December 2, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-nose-by-nikolai-gogol/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "“The Nose" by Nikolai Gogol." December 2, 2021. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-nose-by-nikolai-gogol/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1