Characteristics of the main characters in the work of the nose. Gogol nose main characters

Known as the author of mystical and fantastic works... But not only mysticism interested Nikolai Vasilyevich. So in many works the author also touches on the theme of the "little" person. But he does it in such a way that satire denounces the structure of society and the powerless position of a person in this society. It is known that the first story "The Nose" was published in 1836. In this article, you can find both the characteristics of the main characters of the work, and its short retelling... The "nose" is studied at school, so this article will be useful for schoolchildren to familiarize themselves.

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The history of the creation of the story

Nikolai Vasilyevich in 1835 sent his new story to the magazine "Moscow Observer", but it was not published, considering it bad and vulgar. Alexander Pushkin had a completely different opinion about Gogol's work, who considered this work funny and fantastic. The famous poet persuaded the mystical writer to publish his small work in the magazine "Contemporary".

Despite the fact that there were many edits and censorship edits, the story was published in 1836. It is known that this work is included in the cycle "Petersburg Tales". "The Nose" became that story, which had a fantastic plot and caused different assessments of readers and critics.

main characters

In the work, special attention is paid to the main character. But there are also minor faces, which also carry the author's intention:

Kovalev's characteristic

Platon Kuzmich Kovalev - major, whose image for the reader becomes double: the official himself and his nose. The nose soon becomes completely separated from its owner and even achieves a promotion in the service, receiving a rank three ranks higher. Parodically, the author describes not only his travels, but also how Platon Kuzmich found himself without him. So, on his face, where he should have been, there was only only a smooth spot.

The search leads Kovalev to the fact that he sees him driving around in a rich carriage, and even dressed in a smart uniform. The nose makes the dreams of its owner come true, but Kovalev himself is trying to find the reasons for his condition. He does not understand that all his behavior, dirty and dissolute, has led to the present situation.

Gogol shows that the soul of this person is dead. For Platon Kuzmich, the main thing in life is the veneration of ranks, promotion and servility to the authorities.

One day at the end of March, a small incident happened in the city on the Neva, which was very strange. In the first chapter Ivan Yakovlevich, barber waking up very early, he heard the smell of hot bread, which his wife had already prepared in the morning. He immediately got up and decided to have breakfast.

But having cut the bread in half, he began to peer at it intently, as something was turning white there. With a knife and fingers, the barber pulled out something dense, and it turned out to be a nose. And he seemed very familiar to Ivan Yakovlevich. Horror seized the barber, and the angry wife began to shout at him. And then Ivan Yakovlevich recognized him. Once, more recently, it belonged to Kovalev, a collegiate assessor.

First, the barber wanted to wrap it in a rag, and then he wanted to take it somewhere. But his wife started screaming and threatening with the police again. Ivan Yakovlevich could not understand how he got into the bread, trying to remember yesterday. The thought that he could be accused and taken to the police made him dumb and unconscious. Finally, he collected his thoughts, got dressed and left the house. He wanted to quietly shove it somewhere, but could not find a moment for this in any way: someone from the acquaintances constantly came across.

Only on the Isakievsky Bridge was Ivan Yakovlevich able to get rid of him by throwing him into the water. Relieved, he immediately went for a drink, as he was a drunkard.

In the second chapter the author acquaints the reader with the main character. Waking up, the collegiate assessor demanded to give himself a mirror. And suddenly, unexpectedly, he saw a completely smooth place instead of a nose. After making sure that there was no nose, he immediately went to the Chief of Police. Manor Kovalev came to St. Petersburg to advance his career and find a rich bride. When he walked along Nevsky Prospect, he could not catch the cabman in any way, so he tried to cover his face with a handkerchief.

When Kovalev was leaving the pastry shop, where he looked at himself in the mirror to make sure that there was no nose, he suddenly saw his nose in his uniform jump out of the carriage and run down the stairs.

Kovalev, waiting for his return, saw that he had a rank much higher than his own. And from everything he saw, stunned Kovalev almost went crazy. He immediately ran after the carriage, which stopped near the cathedral.

Finding your Nose in a church among praying people For a long time, Kovalev gathered courage to speak to him. But when he made his speech, he immediately heard from Nose in uniform that they were unfamiliar and that he needed to observe the rules of decency. Seeing this state of affairs, the collegiate official decides to go on a newspaper expedition to write a complaint.

But the official who accepted Kovalev's statement that his nose had run away from him could not understand in any way that this was not a person. He kept repeating that the surname was strange, and how he could have disappeared. The newspaper official refused Kovalev to place an ad about the loss, as this would negatively affect the newspaper's reputation.

After the newspaper expedition, the annoyed Kovalev went to a private bailiff. But he was just about to fall asleep after dinner. Therefore, he dryly replied to the collegiate official that a decent man's nose would not be torn off. The touchy Kovalev left home empty-handed.

Only in the evening was the tired Kovalev at home... His own apartment seemed disgusting to him at that moment. And his lackey Ivan, who did nothing and just lay there and spat at the ceiling, infuriated him. Having beaten the footman, he sat down in a chair and began to mentally analyze the incident that happened to him. Soon he decided that it was the officer Podtochina for the sake of revenge, wanting to marry him to her daughter, hired some attendants.

But then a police official suddenly came and said that his nose had been found. He began to tell that he wanted to leave for Riga, but he was intercepted right on the road. He said that the culprit is the barber Ivan Yakovlevich, who is now sitting in a cell. After that, he pulled out his nose, wrapped in some kind of piece of paper. And after the policeman left, Kovalev held him in his hand for a long time, examining him.

But the joy soon passed, as Kovalev realized that he was now somehow needed put in its place... He tried to put it in place himself, but his nose did not hold. Then he sent a footman for the doctor, who also lived in this house. But the doctor could not do anything, but only advised to put it in a jar of alcohol and wash it more often. He even offered to sell it to Kovalev.

Desperate, the major decides to write a letter to the headquarters officer to ask her to return to her original place. Alexandra Podtochina answered him immediately, where she did not even understand what was at stake and wrote that she was glad to marry his daughter, and not leave him with a nose. After reading this message, Kovalev was completely upset, because he could not understand in any way how this happened to him.

Meanwhile, rumors about the incident with Kovalev have already begun to disperse throughout the capital. Moreover, the news about where they saw the Nose walking by itself became more and more.

In the third chapter it is said that already on April 7, Kovalev's nose again, in an incomprehensible way, was in its place. It happened in the morning when the major looked at himself in the mirror. Just then the barber came. He, surprised by the appearance of the nose, carefully began to shave the college official. After this procedure, the joyful Kovalev went on visits.

Analysis of the story

The nose in Gogol's story has a symbolic meaning. He points out that in society even the Nose can exist and even be higher in rank than its owner. But the owner turns out to be an unhappy person, but he is empty and pompous. He only thinks about women and his career.

1. Lawlessness of the people.
2. Corrupt practices.

The story "The Nose" is a mysterious work of Nikolai Gogol, since it still does not answer the question of how he could return to his place.

The writing

MAYOR KOVALEV is the hero of the story by N.V. Gogol's "The Nose" (1833-1836). The name of M.K. contains a double semantics of the image: on the one hand, a stereotyped and common surname (Ukrainian koval - a blacksmith; compare the saying: "the blacksmith of his own happiness"), on the other hand, a name and patronymic (Platon Kuzmich), containing at the same time an ironic allusion to Greek the philosopher Plato and the parodically discordant middle name of the rustic Kuzma, which is in the tone of M.K. does not think of either idealism or platonic love. His philosophy, like that of Khlestakov (and Pirogov), is to "pick flowers of pleasure." MK - "Caucasian" collegiate assessor (the rank of the 8th grade corresponded to the major in the military table of ranks). In the Caucasus, it was easier to get this rank, there, young titular advisers gathered for the rank. M.K. calls himself a major unreasonably, because according to the decree of Catherine II of November 15, 1793, civil servants have no right to call themselves military ranks. Consequently, the essence of the image of M.K. is ambition, pride, consciousness of a hierarchical rank as an unshakable life law: "He could forgive everything that was said about himself, but did not excuse anything if it related to rank or title." The image of M.K. splits in two: himself and his Nose. The twin of M.K. The (nose) is metonymically separated from its host. The grotesque adventures of Nose, as a bodily indicator of M.K.'s ambition, are ironically played up by Gogol in the spirit of an edifying story about a justly punished vanity. Moreover, M.K. three ranks higher than M.K. and serves in a different department, which destroys the harmonious world of hierarchical order in the minds of M.K. The mysterious and mystical forces of life throw an uncomplicated everyday creature, occupied exclusively with vulgar, material problems, into a whirlwind of cruel trials that end in nothing (S. Bocharov). M.K. falls into the center of the so-called "mirage intrigue" (J. Mann), "comes into conflict with his own nose" (G. Gukovsky). All the blessings of life for M.K. depend on the outcome of this struggle. Barber M.K. Ivan Yakovlevich discovers his nose baked in bread, finds out whose nose it is, tries to get rid of it by throwing it into the Neva. M.K. finds himself without a nose, looking in the mirror (a stable Gogol motive of exposure). The portrait of M.K. is a "figure of fiction" (A. Bely), since it is based on the absence of a nose: "He has a completely smooth place instead of a nose!" Only the sideburns parodically balance the absence of a nose: "these sideburns go down the very middle of the cheek and go straight to the nose." M.K. runs to look for his nose, sees him driving around in the carriage: “He was in a uniform, embroidered with gold, with a large standing collar; he was wearing suede knickers; with a side sword. From his plumed hat, one could conclude that he was considered a state councilor. " The Nose prays in the Kazan Cathedral, does not want to talk to M.K., humiliatingly asking that the Nose return to its rightful place. In search of his own nose, M.K. goes to the chief of police, then on a newspaper expedition to advertise the disappearance of his nose, to a private bailiff. The misadventures of M.K. fill the metaphor of the nose with diverse meanings: hints of the debauchery of M.K. (“If he met some pretty girl, he gave her a secret order, adding:“ You ask, darling, the apartment of Major Kovalev ”), to contact with possible syphilis 241 (M.K. sees in the church“ sisters in misfortune ": A row of beggar old women" with their faces tied and two holes for the eyes, at which he used to laugh so hard "). Seeking a vice-governor or executor's place, as well as getting married without a nose, is impossible. M.K. decides that his nose with the help of witchcraft was spoiled by the staff officer Podtochina, whose daughter he promised to marry, but left his mother and daughter "with a nose." Finally, the nose brings M.K. a police official who caught his nose at the border on his way to Riga: “And the strange thing is that I myself took him at first for a gentleman. But, fortunately, I had glasses with me, and at the same hour I saw that it was a nose. " The doctor refuses to sew on the nose, offers to put it in a jar of alcohol and sell it. Rumors around Nose traveling around St. Petersburg are growing and gathering curious people. The nose with the same pimple (double metonymy) suddenly appears on M.K.'s face again. M.K.'s nose in the rank of state councilor - turned into a person and separated from M.K. a dream come true, a conceivable limit of his secret ambitious desires, which explains the claims of M.K. to the vice-governor's place, which does not correspond to the rank. The image of the Nose, thus, is identical to other tragicomic Gogol personifications of the social inferiority of the characters: Bashmachkin's overcoat, the crown of the Spanish king Poprishchina. The social grotesque permeates the image of M.K. and is expressed in the fact that the Nose is both an impostor and at the same time can occupy a responsible post no worse than others (G.A. Gukovsky). M.K.'s nose disappears on March 25 - on the Annunciation, on Friday (the day of the crucifixion). M.K. dissolute, he is the flesh of the flesh of the merry St. Petersburg, desecrating the day of fasting and the feast of the Annunciation (in the church, M.K. aims to flirt with a thin lady with translucent fingers, but with despair recalls the missing nose). The mystical loss of the nose and the suffering associated with it are forgotten by M. K. immediately, as soon as the nose returns to its place. The meaning of the image of M.K. is the triumph of vulgarity, the newfound nose only emphasizes the loss of the human face given by God (cf. the images of Pirogov ("Nevsky Prospect"), Chertokutsky ("Carriage"), Nozdrev). Low passions triumph over Christian values ​​(love, piety, sympathy, compassion): M.K. he drives into a pastry shop, admires his nose in the mirror (“there is a nose!”), mocks a military man who “has no more than a waistcoat button”, fusses about a vice-governor’s place, meets a staff officer Podtochina with her daughter (“taking out a snuff-box, he stuffed his nose in front of them for a very long time from both entrances "), makes them nose, and finally buys himself an order ribbon. Western civilization, personified in the image of St. Petersburg - a foggy and fantastic city - corrupts and "mortifies" the soul of MK, the pursuit of ranks leads to "terrible fragmentation" (Gogol) of man and the world. The image of the Nose M.K. Gogol borrowed from journal "nosology", L. Stern's novel "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, a Gentleman" (V. Vinogradov), as well as from a general hobby in the 1920s and 1930s. XIX "Sw. natural-philosophical and mystical teachings, including physiognomic ones (cf. the popular teachings of Lavater, Galdy's phrenology, the physiognomic section of J. Boehme's Aurora). Opera by D.D. Shostakovich's Nose (1928), in which the hero and the plot were embodied (under the influence of VE Meyerhold and his production of The Inspector General) in the techniques of tragic buffoonery.

Lit .: Vinogradov V.V. Naturalistic grotesque (The plot and composition of the story "The Nose") // Vinogradov V.V. Selected Works: Poetics of Russian Literature. M., 1976; Ulyanov N. Arabesque or Apocalypse? // New magazine. 1959, LVII; Bocharov S.G. The riddle of the "Nose" and the mystery of the face // Bocharov S.G. O artistic worlds... M., 1985.

Characters from the story "The Nose" by N. V. Gogol and short review... and got the best answer

Answer from Maxim Zulikov [guru]
Well, the nose and Gogol himself

Answer from Artem Zavadsky[guru]
Collegiate assessor Kovalev - a careerist who calls himself a major for greater importance - unexpectedly wakes up in the morning without a nose. In place of the nose, there is a completely smooth place. “The devil knows what, what rubbish! he exclaims, spitting. “At least there was already something instead of a nose, otherwise nothing! ..” He goes to the Chief of Police to report the loss, but on the way he unexpectedly meets his own nose in an embroidered gold uniform, a state councilor's hat and a sword. The nose jumps into the carriage and goes to the Kazan Cathedral, where he prays devoutly. The amazed Kovalev followed him. Shyly, the collegiate assessor asks his nose to return, but he, with all the importance inherent in a conversation with a junior rank, declares that he does not understand what is at stake, and eludes the owner.
Kovalev goes to the newspaper to advertise the missing nose, but he is refused there, fearing that such a scandalous announcement will damage the reputation of the publication. Kovalev rushes to the private bailiff, but he, being out of sorts, only declares that a decent man will not have his nose torn off if he doesn’t hang around, God knows where.
Heartbroken Kovalev returns home, and then unexpected joy happens: suddenly a police official enters and brings in a nose wrapped in a piece of paper. According to him, the nose was intercepted on the way to Riga with a fake passport. Kovalev is immensely happy, but prematurely: the nose does not want to stick to its rightful place, and even the invited doctor cannot help in any way. Only many days later, in the morning, the nose again appears on the face of its owner, as inexplicably as it disappeared. And Kovalev's life returns to its normal course.

Answer from Eh-eh! Great, mighty[guru]
The nose in the story symbolizes an empty external decency, an image that, as it turns out, may well exist without any internal personality. Moreover, it turns out that an ordinary collegiate assessor has this image as much as three ranks higher than the personality itself, and flaunts in the uniform of a state councilor, and even with a sword. On the contrary, the unfortunate owner of the nose, having lost such an important detail of his appearance, is completely lost, for without a nose "... you will not appear in an official institution, in a secular society, you will not walk along Nevsky Prospect." For Kovalev, who primarily strives for a successful career in life, this is a tragedy. In The Nose, Gogol seeks to show the image of an empty and pompous person who loves outward showiness, chasing high status and the mercy of higher officials. He ridicules a society in which high position and rank are valued much more than the person who possesses them.

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The history of the creation "The Nose" is a satirical absurdist story, written by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol in 1832-1833. This work is often called the most mysterious story. In 1835, the Moscow Observer magazine refused to publish Gogol's story, calling it "bad, vulgar and trivial." But, unlike the Moscow Observer, Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin believed that the work was “so much unexpected, fantastic, funny and original” that he persuaded the author to publish the story in the Sovremennik magazine in 1836.

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(Gogol and Nos. Caricature) The Nose story was subjected to severe and repeated criticism, as a result, a number of details in the work were altered by the author: for example, the meeting of Major Kovalev with Nose was moved from the Kazan Cathedral to Gostiny Dvor, and the ending of the story was changed several times.

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Brilliant grotesque This is one of the most beloved literary techniques N.V. Gogol. But if in early works it was used in order to create an atmosphere of mystery and mystery in the narrative, in a later period it turned into a way of satirical display of the surrounding reality. The story "The Nose" is a clear confirmation of this. The inexplicable and strange disappearance of the nose from the face of Major Kovalev and his incredible independent existence separately from the owner suggest the unnaturalness of the order in which a high status in society means much more than a person himself. In this state of affairs, any inanimate object can suddenly gain significance and weight if it acquires the proper rank. This is the main problematic of the story "The Nose".

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Theme of the work So what is the meaning of such an incredible plot? The main theme of Gogol's story "The Nose" is the character's loss of a part of his "I". This probably happens under the influence of evil spirits. The organizing role in the plot is assigned to the motive of the persecution, although the specific embodiment of the supernatural power is not indicated by Gogol. The mystery captures readers literally from the first phrase of the work, it is constantly reminded of it, it reaches its climax ... but there is no clue even in the finale. Shrouded in a gloom of obscurity is not only the mysterious separation of the nose from the body, but also how he could exist independently, and even in the status of a high-ranking official. Thus, the real and the fantastic in Gogol's story "The Nose" are intertwined in the most unthinkable way.

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Characteristics of the main character The main character works - a desperate careerist, ready to do anything for a promotion. He managed to get the rank of collegiate assessor without an exam, thanks to his service in the Caucasus. Kovalev's cherished goal is to get married and become a high-ranking official. In the meantime, in order to give himself more weight and significance, he everywhere calls himself not a collegiate assessor, but a major, knowing the superiority of military ranks over civilians. “He could forgive everything that was said about himself, but he didn’t in any way forgive if it related to rank or title,” the author writes about his hero

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Nikolai Gogol's wonderful story "The Nose" consists of three parts and tells about the amazing events that happened to the collegiate assessor Kovalev. ... Contents On March 25, the Petersburg barber Ivan Yakovlevich discovers his nose in freshly baked bread. Ivan Yakovlevich is surprised to learn that the nose belongs to one of his clients, the collegiate assessor Kovalev. The barber tries to get rid of his nose: he throws it out, but he is constantly pointed out that he dropped something. With great difficulty, Ivan Yakovlevich manages to throw his nose from the bridge into the Neva.

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It seems that it was not for nothing that Gogol made Petersburg the scene of the action of the story "The Nose". In his opinion, only here could the designated events "take place", only in St. Petersburg they do not see the person himself at the rank. Gogol brought the situation to the point of absurdity - the nose turned out to be an official of the fifth grade, and those around him, despite the obviousness of his "inhuman" nature, behave with him as with a normal person, in accordance with his status. (Kovalev and Nose)

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Meanwhile, the collegiate assessor wakes up and does not find his nose. He is shocked. Covering his face with a handkerchief, Kovalev goes out into the street. He is very upset about what happened, since now he will not be able to appear in the world, and besides, he has many acquaintances of women, for some of whom he does not mind hanging around. Suddenly he meets his own nose, dressed in a uniform and pantaloons, the nose sits in the carriage. Kovalev hurries after the nose, finds himself in the cathedral. (The nose comes out of the carriage)

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The nose behaves as befits a "significant person" with the rank of state councilor: he makes visits, prays in the Kazan Cathedral "with an expression of the greatest piety", calls into the department, is going to leave for Riga using someone else's passport. Nobody cares where it came from. Everyone sees in him not only a person, but also an important official. It is interesting that Kovalev himself, despite his efforts to expose him, fearfully approaches him in the Kazan Cathedral and generally treats him as a person.

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The grotesque in the story also lies in the unexpectedness and, one might say, absurdity. From the very first line of the work, we see a clear designation of the date: "March 25th" - this does not immediately imply any fantasy. And then - the missing nose. There was some kind of sharp deformation of everyday life, bringing it to complete unreality. The absurdity lies in the equally sharp change in the size of the nose. If on the first pages he is found by the barber Ivan Yakovlevich in a pie (that is, it has a size that fully corresponds to a human nose), then at the moment when Major Kovalev first sees him, his nose is dressed in a uniform, suede pantaloons, a hat and even has a himself a sword - which means that he is as tall as an ordinary man. (Missing nose)

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The last appearance of the nose in the story - and it is small again. The quarter brings it wrapped in a piece of paper. Gogol didn’t care why the nose suddenly grew to human size, it didn’t matter why it shrank again. The central point of the story is precisely the period when the nose was perceived as normal person

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The plot of the story is conditional, the idea itself is absurd, but this is precisely what Gogol's grotesque consists of and, despite this, is quite realistic. Chernyshevsky said that true realism is possible only when life is depicted in "the forms of life itself."

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Gogol extraordinarily pushed the boundaries of convention and showed that this convention remarkably serves the knowledge of life. If in this ridiculous society everything is determined by rank, then why can't this fantastically ridiculous organization of life be reproduced in a fantastic plot? Gogol shows that it is not only possible, but also quite expedient. And thus, art forms ultimately reflect life forms.

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Hints of a genius author There are many satirical subtleties in Gogol's story, transparent allusions to the realities of his contemporary time. For example, in the first half of the 19th century, glasses were considered an anomaly, giving the appearance of an officer or an official some inferiority. Special permission was required to wear this accessory. If the heroes of the work exactly followed the instructions and corresponded to the form, then the nose in the uniform acquired the importance of a significant person for them. But as soon as the chief of police “left” the system, broke the severity of his uniform and put on glasses, he immediately noticed that in front of him was only a nose - a part of the body, useless without its owner. This is how the real and the fantastic are intertwined in Gogol's story "The Nose". No wonder the author's contemporaries read this extraordinary work.

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Literary excursion The barber, who found his nose in baked bread, lives on Voznesensky Prospekt, and gets rid of it on Isaac's Bridge. Major Kovalev's apartment is located on Sadovaya Street. The conversation between the major and the nose takes place in the Kazan Cathedral. The flower waterfall of ladies is streaming down the sidewalk of Nevsky from the Police to the Anichkin bridge. Dancing chairs danced on Konyushennaya Street. According to Kovalev's information, it is on the Resurrection Bridge that traders sell peeled oranges. Students of the Academy of Surgery ran to look at the nose in the Tauride Garden. Major buys an order ribbon at Gostiny Dvor. The "twin nose" of the St. Petersburg version is located on Andreevsky Spusk in Kiev. Literary lantern "Nose" is installed on the street. Gogol in the city of Brest.

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Kovalev's nose was installed in 1995 on the facade of house No. 11 on Voznesensky Prospekt, St. Petersburg)

One of the characteristic features of Nikolai Gogol's skill is the ability to make a masterpiece out of a story or a popular anecdote that he has heard by chance. A striking example of such a writing ability is the story "The Nose", which caused a lot of controversy among contemporaries and has not lost its relevance to this day.

The work "The Nose" was written by N.V. Gogol in 1832-1833, it is included in the collection "Petersburg Stories". The plot of the book is based on the famous at the time anecdote, translated from French, about the missing nose. Such stories were very popular and had many variations. For the first time, the motif of the nose, which interferes with a full life, appears in Gogol's unfinished work "The Lantern was Dying" in 1832.

This story has undergone many changes over several years, which was associated with the remarks of the censorship, as well as with the desire of the author the best way to embody your idea. For example, Gogol changed the ending of The Nose, in one of the versions all incredible events are explained by the hero's dream.

Initially, the writer wanted to publish his work in the Moscow Observer magazine, but he was refused. A.S., who had already opened his magazine by that time, came to the rescue. Pushkin, and the story "The Nose" was published in "Sovremennik" in 1836.

Genre and direction

By the time The Nose was published, Gogol had already become famous for his collection Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka, where he turned to the theme of mysticism. But if "Evenings ..." are mostly based on popular superstitions, then in " Petersburg stories»Nikolai Vasilievich skillfully intertwines the motives of the supernatural with the image of sharp social problems... Thus, in the work of Gogol, a new direction for Russian literature is being formed - fantastic realism.

Why does the author come to this particular writing method? Throughout his literary career, he heard social dissonances, but as a writer he could only identify them in his works, urge the reader to pay attention to them. He saw no way out, and turning to the fantastic made it possible to portray the picture of modernity even more dramatically. The same technique will later be used by Saltykov-Shchedrin, Andrey Bely, M. Bulgakov and other authors.

The composition of the story

Gogol divides "The Nose" into 3 parts, in the classical way: 1 - exposition and setting, 2 - culmination, 3 - denouement, a happy ending for the protagonist. The plot develops linearly, sequentially, although the logic of certain events is not always explained.

1. The first part includes a description of the characters, a description of their life, as well as the starting point of the whole story. By its structure, it also consists of three blocks: the detection of the nose - the intention to get rid of it - the release from the burden, which turned out to be false.
2. The second part introduces the reader to Major Kovalev himself. There is also a tie (detection of the loss), development of action (an attempt to return the nose) and, as a result, the return of the nose.
3. The third movement is homogeneous, it is a laconic and bright chord that completes the piece.

About what?

The description of the story "The Nose" can be reduced to a rather simple and schematic plot: loss of a nose - search - gain. The main thing in this work is its ideological content.

On the morning of March 25, the barber Ivan Yakovlevich discovers the nose of one of his clients, Major Kovalev, in his bread. The discouraged barber hurried to get rid of the evidence, he could not think of anything better than to casually throw his nose into the river. Ivan Yakovlevich was already feeling relieved, but a policeman approached him "and what happened next, absolutely nothing is known."

The collegiate assessor Kovalev woke up and did not find his nose in place. He goes to the "Chief of Police". He did not find him at home, but on the way he met his nose, with which he behaved self-sufficient and did not want to know his owner. Kovalev is making attempts to reunite with the nose, he wanted to publish an ad in the newspaper, but he is refused everywhere and is treated quite rudely. Finally, the fugitive was caught trying to emigrate and returned to the owner. But the nose was not going to grow back to its former place. The major comes to the conclusion that this is damage caused by the staff officer Podtochina. He even writes a letter to her, but receives a bewildered answer and realizes that he was mistaken. Two weeks later, Kovalev finds his face in its original form, everything is resolved by itself.

Real and fantastic

Gogol skillfully combines in his story. If, for example, in "The Overcoat" the mystical element appears only at the end of the work, then the "Nose" from the first pages carries the reader into the fabulous world of the writer.

Basically, there is nothing special in the reality portrayed by Gogol: Petersburg, the life of a barber and a state councilor. Even topographical details and exact dates of events correspond to reality. The author dilutes such plausibility with one single fantastic element: Major Kovalev's nose runs off. And throughout the work, he develops from a separated part to an independent independent personality, and in the final everything returns to normal. It is curious that this fact, although it shocks the reader, is woven into the canvas of the work quite organically, because the greatest absurdity lies not so much in the escaped part of the face, but in the attitude to what happened, in admiration for the ranks and aspirations for public opinion. According to the writer, it is more difficult to believe in such cowardice than in the disappearance of the nose.

The main characters and their characteristics

1. Petersburg Gogol's Nose is much more than just a city. This is a separate place with its own laws and realities. People come here to make a career for themselves, and those who have already achieved any success try not to fade in the eyes of others. Everything is possible here, even the nose is able to become independent for a while.
2. Traditional for Gogol the image of a little man represented by the character Major Kovalev. It is important for him how he looks, the loss of his nose leads him to despair. He believes that you can do without an arm or a leg, but without a nose - you are not a person, "just take it and throw it out the window." The hero no longer occupies the lowest rank: 8 out of 14 according to the "Table of Ranks", but dreams of a higher rank. However, even being at this level, he already knows with whom he can be arrogant and with whom he can be modest. Kovalev is rude to the cabman, does not stand on ceremony with the barber, but curses up with respectable officials and tries not to miss the parties. But he is absolutely discouraged by the meeting with Nose, who is 3 ranks higher than its owner. What about a part of yourself that does not know its place in the physical sense, but perfectly understands its position in society?
3. Nose image the story is bright enough. He surpasses his master: his uniform is more expensive, his rank is more significant. An important difference between them is behavior in the church: if the Nose humbly prays, then Kovalev looks at beautiful woman, thinks about anything, just not about his soul.

Themes of the story

• The subject of the story is wide enough. main topic social inequality, of course. Each hero is in his place in the social system. Their behavior and role in society is fully consistent with their position, but this idyll cannot be disturbed in any way. It will be strange if the top official does not be rude to the titular councilor, and the titular councilor to the groom.
• The theme of the little man in the story is highlighted quite brightly. Major Kovalev, having no special connections, cannot publish an advertisement in the newspaper about the missing nose. The victim of the “Table of Ranks” cannot even come close to his property, which turned out to be more noble.
• The theme of spirituality is also present in the work. Kovalev has no good education, military service allowed him to become a major, the main thing for him is appearance, and not inner world... The nose is opposed to the hero: the fugitive is focused on worship, he is not distracted by the surrounding ladies, unlike the owner. The major is characterized by frivolous behavior: he invites girls to his place and deliberately torments Podtochina's daughter with an imaginary hope.

Problems

• Gogol in "The Nose" reveals vices concerning both society as a whole and individuals. the main problem the story is philistinism. Kovalev is proud of his rank, dreams of a brilliant career. He is worried that a defect in his face will interfere with his future plans. He values ​​public opinion, and what rumor can go about a man without a nose?
• The problem of immorality is raised in the story. The barber does not seek to return the nose to the owner, to admit his, perhaps, guilt in ruining his face. No, he is in a hurry to get rid of the strange object, hoping to remain unpunished. And the immorality of Kovalev's behavior speaks for itself.
• Another vice highlighted by Gogol is hypocrisy. The haughty Nose does not want to associate with someone below his rank, like his cowardly master.

The meaning of the work

The main idea of ​​the story is to show, in contrast to paradoxes, all the depravity and cowardice of St. Petersburg society. One can consider the loss of the nose as a kind of punishment for Major Kovalev for his sins, but Gogol does not emphasize this, the story is devoid of direct moralizing. The author did not dare to show the way how to cure society, he could only identify the problems. Hence, the erroneous idea of ​​the "natural school" will be formed: fix the society, and the problems will stop. Gogol understood that the most he could do to improve the situation was to present the flaws of society in the most vivid light. And he succeeded: the reader was blinded, many contemporaries recognized their acquaintances or even themselves, horrified at the insignificance of man.

What does it teach?

In his story "The Nose," Gogol depicts the spiritual crisis of a person obsessed with vain desires. Career growth, entertainment, women - that's all that attracts the main character. And this depravity does not bother Kovalev, he has the right, along with all these aspirations, to be called a man, but without a nose - no. But the image of Major Kovalev is collective, he is similar to the writer's contemporaries. The conclusion suggests itself: the position in society dictates the rules of behavior that no one dares to violate: neither small man will not be persistent, nor will a high-ranking official show generosity. On the approach of such a catastrophe, which will affect society as a whole and each person separately, N.V. Gogol warns his readers.

Artistic identity

A very rich writing toolkit is used in the story "The Nose". Gogol most widely uses such a means of expressiveness as the grotesque. Firstly, it is the autonomy of the Nose, which is superior in position to its owner. Secondly, comic exaggeration is typical for the depiction of relationships between people of different social levels. Kovalev is afraid to approach the Nose, and Ivan Yakovlevich, with incredible trepidation and excitement, begins to relate to his client after the incident.

Gogol humanizes the nose, but the personification technique is also used on a larger scale. The nose becomes almost a full-fledged member of society, independent of the owner, he even intended to flee abroad.

At the syntactic level, Gogol refers to Zeugma: “Doctor<…>had fine resinous sideburns, a fresh, healthy doctor. " These features help the writer to portray humor and irony in a work.

Criticism

The story "The Nose" caused a wide resonance in the literary environment of the first half of the 19th century. Not all magazines agreed to publish the work, accusing N.V. in the vulgarity and absurdity of what was written. Chernyshevsky, for example, treated this story as nothing more than a retold anecdote prevailing at that time. The first to recognize the merits of "Nose" A.S. Pushkin, having discerned the farcical nature of the creation. The opinion of V.G. Belinsky, who urged the reading public to pay attention to the fact that such major Kovalevs in society can be found not one person, but hundreds, even thousands. S. G. Bocharov saw the greatness of the work in the fact that the author here encouraged society to look reality in the eye. V. Nabokov considered this story to be one of the brightest images of the motive, which runs through the entire work of N.V. Gogol.