Previous

The nose is a fascinating presence in the short story, as it is both a symbol and an active character. Had the nose remained an inanimate object passed between Ivan Yakovlevich, the police officer, and Kovalyov, it would exist only in the symbolic realm. Instead, the nose does not remain an inanimate object—it becomes a sentient, talking being that is so confident in its personhood that others often mistake it for a gentleman. It’s able to change in size, from a regular-sized nose to a nose the size of a human. It has somehow been appointed to the rank of state councilor. It attends church. It converses with Kovalyov, rejecting him completely and affirming its independent identity. It schemes up a plan to acquire a passport and travel abroad, escaping Kovalyov’s grasp entirely.

The nose covers a lot of ground as both a symbol and a character. There are a variety of interpretations of what the nose represents, from being a symbol of how quickly the elusive constructs of rank and status can be stripped from a person's identity to being a euphemism for a man’s sexual virility. As a character, however, the nose takes on a more concrete meaning. It is a physical manifestation of Kovalyov’s inner self, coming to life to achieve all Kovalyov’s ambitions. Just as Kovalyov hopes to continue advancing up the Table of Ranks, the nose attains a rank several levels above Kovalyov’s. Most importantly, the nose shows Kovalyov his own shame, exhibiting how easy it is to don a pretense of status and superiority, despite that status being random and unearned. In seeing his nose dressed in a state councilor’s uniform, posturing as a high-ranking individual, Kovalyov gets a glimpse of the absurdity of his own performative behavior. When the nose insults Kovalyov, Kovalyov is dismayed—how can this imposter, his own nose which should belong to him, suddenly speak down to and snub him? What has given his nose the right to become his superior? Of course, Kovalyov is too dimwitted and self-centered to apply these questions to circumstances in which he has mistreated and insulted those he considers inferior to himself, such as his barber, Ivan. He does not recognize that his nose is giving him a taste of his own medicine. Once his nose is restored to his face, Kovalyov returns without reflection to his former life, having learned nothing. Still, Gogol allows a brief moment in which Kovalyov is humbled and degraded by a manifestation of his own worst and most shameful instincts.

Previous section Major Kovalyov

Take a Study Break