Нос (1836)

"The Nose" (Russian: Нос, romanized: Nos) is a satirical short story by Nikolai Gogol.

Written between 1835 and 1836, while Gogol was living in St. Petersburg, "The Nose" tells the story of a government official whose nose leaves his face and develops a life of its own. The story was originally published in The Contemporary, a literary journal owned by Alexander Pushkin. The use of a nose as the main source of conflict could have been due to Gogol's own experience with an oddly shaped nose, which was often the subject of self-deprecating jokes in letters. The use of iconic landmarks in the story, as well as its sheer absurdity, has made "The Nose" an important part of St. Petersburg's literary tradition.

The story centers on the strange experiences of Collegiate Assessor ("Major") Kovalyov, who wakes up one morning without his nose. He later finds out that the nose has assumed a life of its own and even surpassed him in rank by attaining the title of State Councillor. The short story satirizes the scramble for official titles that plagued Russia after Peter the Great introduced the Table of Ranks. By allowing commoners to gain hereditary nobility through service to the state, a formerly immobile population was given the chance to break into the upper classes. This reform, however, also spawned the large bureaucratic complex inhabited by many of Gogol's characters.

Plot

A barber in St. Petersburg, Ivan Jakovlevitch, finds a nose baked inside his breakfast loaf. He recognizes it as belonging to Major Kovaloff, a municipal committee member and regular client. Terrified of being accused of a crime, he tries and fails to dispose of it secretly, finally throwing it into the Neva River, only to be immediately confronted by a police inspector.

That same morning, Major Kovaloff wakes to discover his nose has vanished, leaving only a smooth, flat vacancy in his face. Horrified and ashamed, he covers the spot with a handkerchief and rushes out seeking help. On the street, he witnesses his own nose emerge from a carriage dressed in the gold-embroidered uniform of a state-councillor, complete with plumed hat and sword, behaving as a high-ranking official making social calls. Kovaloff confronts the nose, which haughtily denies any connection to him and departs. Kovaloff attempts to report the loss to the police and to place an advertisement, but both the newspaper official and the police commissary dismiss his story as absurd or improper.

Desperate, Kovaloff suspects a mother, Madame Podtotchina, has cursed him through witchcraft because he refuses to commit to marrying her daughter. He writes an accusatory letter, but her confused reply convinces him of her innocence. Rumors of the walking nose sweep St. Petersburg, drawing crowds and speculators until the story becomes a public sensation.

A police commissary later returns the nose to Kovaloff, explaining it was intercepted while attempting to flee to Riga using false papers and that the barber is under arrest. Yet Kovaloff's joy turns to horror when he cannot reattach the nose; it refuses to stick to his face. A doctor examines him and declares replacement impossible, advising him to preserve the nose in spirits instead. Kovaloff sinks into despair.

One morning, Kovaloff wakes to find the nose mysteriously back in its proper place as if nothing happened. Overjoyed, he resumes his former life, gets shaved by the now-timid Ivan Jakovlevitch, and struts about the city, taking snuff and flirting with ladies. The barber, released from suspicion, shaves the Major with extreme caution. Kovaloff spurns marriage to Madame Podtotchina's daughter and continues his social pursuits, his nose firmly in place.

Themes

Olfactory perception

Some critics analyze the story literally instead of searching for symbolic significance. A literal interpretation suggests that Gogol's story is about the importance of olfactory perception, which is obscured in Western society by a focus on vision and appearance. This interpretation is consistent with Gogol's belief that the nose is the most important part of a person's anatomy. Major Kovalyov obsesses over his appearance, cleanliness, and rank, behavior that reflects the influence of a vision-oriented Western culture that emphasizes deodorization and hygiene. At the same time, he is deeply upset when he loses his nose, which shows that olfactory sensation is still important despite Western influence.

Society and class

Society and class played a very important role in determining one's life during the time of Gogol. With the introduction of the Table of Ranks by Peter the Great, a wholly new portion of the population was able to move up socially if it worked hard enough. In a society that was obsessed with status, people had to always look their best and prioritize their outside appearance. When Major Kovalyov sees his own nose dressed in the uniform of a higher-ranking official than himself, he is momentarily embarrassed and unable to approach the nose. Even within the context of a ridiculous scenario, feelings of inferiority and jealousy still manage to creep into Major Kovalyov's mind.

According to Igor Pilshchikov, the nose disguising itself as an official is a "grotesque hyperbole of Kovalyov's petty imposture." Kovalyov, despite being a civilian official, prefers to be called by the military rank of major. The rank of collegiate assessor occupied the same grade as major in the Table of Ranks, but military ranks were considered higher than civilian ones, and it was prohibited for a civilian official to be addressed by a military title. Near the end of the story, Kovalyov is described as having bought the ribbon for some chivalric order, although he is not a member of any such order.