Previous

Of the many antagonistic elements of the story, the prominent personage represents the purest societal difficulty Akakievitch faces. The man is unnamed, but his position is clearly the highest of any in the story. Akakievitch needs help from high places to get his overcoat back, and this prominent personage is his only chance. The man is condescending and talks down to anyone below his own rank, doing so quite consciously. He makes sure to berate and belittle Akakievitch in front of his friend, thus showing a need to be seen as a strong and powerful man. However, this strength turns to weakness in front of anyone who ranks above him, revealing that the prominent personage is still at the whim of his society’s hierarchy. He must be meek in front of those who are his own superiors. The narrator points out how every man in Russia imitates his superiors. Thus, the prominent personage imitates those above him to keep himself above men lower in rank.

The main feature of the prominent personage is his use of language to belittle other men. He is described as constantly asking “Do you know whom you are speaking to?” This question is ironic since he remains unnamed. The prominent personage is only described in the abstract because it does not quite matter who he is. All that is important about him is that he considers himself to be more important than others. At the end of the story, the prominent personage feels remorse at treating Akakievitch badly, revealing he has some remnants of humanity. This display of shame may be because until recently he was of lower rank in St. Petersburg, so it is likely that the man still feels some level of connection with minor officials since he used to be one of them.

Previous section Akakiy Akakievitch

Take a Study Break