– G.K. Chesterson
When Akakiy's overcoat is stolen by some thugs after he leaves the party, he is devastated. The coat provides physical comfort and protection from the elements, but it also provides Akakiy with a sense of value and self-worth that he had previously lacked. Prior to this, the only thing that he took any pride in was his ability to unerringly transcribe documents at his job. It's notable that the only time Akakiy protested his ill-treatment at the hands of his coworkers was when they joggled his arm to cause him to make mistakes. Now Akakiy has grown to feel pride in his stylish and warm overcoat, paid for with his own hard earned money. And when it is taken from him, he once again finds it within himself to protest his treatment, both at the hands of the thieves and the uncaring local authorities. While it's good to see Akakiy stand up for himself, there is a problem in the fact that he only draws his sense of worth from external things- his job and his overcoat. Now, there's certainly nothing wrong with taking pride in doing excellent work, and in your appearance, but if this is where you think your only value lies, if you do not have internal- eternal- values which define your life, what happens if, or more likely, when the externals- jobs, possessions, etc- are lost? We find out when Akakiy is robbed of his overcoat: he is a broken man. In all his works, Gogol has something to say about corrupt governments and useless, uncaring bureaucrats (see The Nose, or The Inspector General). This is especially true of The Overcoat, as Akakiy appeals to, and is failed by, every level of local government, from the watchman who is indifferent to his plight, to the district chief who suggests that it's Akakiy's fault for being out late at night, to the "very important official" who shouts at and bullies the weakened, terrified man until he faints dead away. We get a picture of corrupt government officials who are far more interested in their own comfort and positions than they are in serving the people. And, in the hoops that Akakiy has to jump through just to get an interview with a government official, we have a scene not unlike that found in Charles Dickens' Little Dorrit, specifically the Circumlocution Office- the government department designed to keep everything so mired in red tape that people would eventually just give up and go away. It would be comforting to think that governments and civil "servants" are more interested in legitimately serving their countries and citizens now than in 19th century Russia, but... Lol, no. Near the end of the story- after it has taken a curious turn into the supernatural, and Akakiy's ghost has had a go at the official- another ghost is seen wandering in the city. This seems to suggest that there are others, perhaps many of them, who are unable to find rest after death due to some malfeasance or negligence on the part of the government and its minions. Well, if anyone deserves to be haunted it's politicians and bureaucrats, so have at it, say I. On a related note, the only person who really comes out of the story looking good is the tailor. Here is someone who actually produces goods and offers services. He makes the coat with the best fabrics that Akakiy can afford, and he's almost as excited about it as Akakiy himself. He takes pride in producing quality workmanship, to the point where, when Akakiy exits his shop wearing the overcoat, the tailor runs up the street and turns so that he can see how fine Akakiy looks in it as he walks towards him. Contrast this with the government employees, who do the bare minimum and feel no shame in failing to live up to their responsibilities. Broken and defeated, the downtrodden Akakiy becomes ill after getting caught in a bad storm with only his old, threadbare cloak on. He dies friendless and alone, except for the presence of the landlady of his boarding house. One of the saddest parts of this is that, a few days later, someone is sent around from his office to see why Akakiy hasn't been to work. They are not checking on him out of concern, despite the fact that they knew about the stolen overcoat and that Akakiy was having a personal crisis; some of his coworkers even found that funny. What they are worried about is his work not getting done and when they find out that Akakiy has died, they have his position filled within the day, his desk assigned to a new copyist. Akakiy devoted his entire adult life to his job, and in the end he was just a worn out cog to be replaced as quickly as possible. Work is important, of course, but no one should let it dominate their life to the exclusion of all else. Akakiy never made time for family, church family, or close friends... it was all about the job with him. But the job isn't going to care for you when you're sick, or be there to support and uplift you when the bottom falls out and disaster strikes, or grieve you when you're gone. Likewise the government; a government employee himself, Akakiy's first thought when his overcoat was stolen was to run to the authorities for help. Fat lot of good that did him. Governments generally have little time for the individual- it's all about the collective, or perhaps I should say the electorate. My advice: work hard and be conscientious, surround yourself with family and other people you can trust, and leave the government out of it as much as possible. Related Posts:I've been sewing some small projects lately, which I can finish up quickly. I made quite a few of these: key chain lip balm holders, because they take no time at all. I also sewed this fanny pack to give as a gift to my sister who is a runner; its outer layer is cotton, but I made the lining out of rainwear so that it'll be water resistant if she's running in the rain. I have a few baby showers to attend coming up, so am also sewing some baskets and then filling them with baby supplies: I have been, obviously, spending a fair amount of my spare time parked in front of my sewing machine. Tangentially, The Perils of Pauline is a movie musical from 1947 which stars Betty Hutton. It's supposed to be a biography of 1910's-20's silent film actress Pearl White except, bizarrely, the story bears little resemblance to White's actual life. The movie's title is taken from a film serial Pearl White starred in beginning in 1916, so at least that is accurate; it's about the only thing that is. Why am I mentioning The Perils of Pauline? Well, because it's the only movie I can think of offhand that has a song in it about a sewing machine. According to the film, White worked in a sweat shop making clothes until she broke into show business. This never actually happened, but what can you do? In any case, the song was written by Frank Loesser who did, I believe, all the songs for this musical. Not one of his better known productions- which include Guys and Dolls & How To Succeed In Business Without Even Trying- or one of his better known songs, such as Baby, It's Cold Outside, Slow Boat To China, Luck Be A Lady, and Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition, to name a few. The Perils of Pauline has generally been forgotten, though one of the other Loesser songs from it- I Wish I Didn't Love You So- actually received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. You can, in fact, (legally)watch the movie in its entirety on YouTube because it is now in the public domain. If you wanted to... it's not that great, and wildly inaccurate, but it does, indeed, have a song about a sewing machine:
|
About MeI'm a lover of good books, classic movies, and well-written shows (as well as some pretty cheesy ones, to be completely honest). Categories
All
Archives
March 2024
Fun SitesOdds & Ends |