I admit that Gogol’s “The Nose” is an intriguing tale that definitely captivated my attention throughout the course of the story. After all, it’s about a man who is missing his nose. But after reading the short story, I honestly didn’t know what to think. Was I supposed to read the story in its literal sense? Or was there some profound meaning behind it that I had missed?
Some of my confusion can also be attributed to the fact that Gogol writes about a nose walking around the streets of St. Petersburg…in uniform. I wasn’t sure if the “nose” mentioned was a euphemism or was just the result of a mistranslation and that the “nose” was actually a secret word in Russian. But only when Major Kovaloff starts speaking with the so-called “nose” and tells it that it is in fact, his very own nose, did I finally realize that there was a nose on the loose…..
So there was actually a thing shaped like a giant nose walking around with legs and wearing “a hat with a plume in it and a gold-embroidered uniform?” What…?
However, upon further reading and contemplation, it’s (kind of) clear that “The Nose” is a satirical story. Everything is exaggerated and the events that take place are utterly farfetched: a barber finds a nose in his loaf of bread and a man wakes up without one on his face. Then, the story follows Kovaloff, his attempts to find his nose and his reactions to its absence. It’s interesting to see how highly he regards himself but fails to demonstrate his rank. Without his nose, Kovaloff lacks confidence and authority since even an advertisement official is able to poke fun at him. Furthermore, Kovaloff contemplates accepting a hand in marriage that he had previously rejected because he thought that he probably won’t be able to get a better offer due to his bizarre appearance. In other words, Kovaloff loses his manly swagger…just because his nose slipped under him (pun!).
In a very interesting way, Gogol shows just how delicate one’s ego and pride can be.
this is disturbing…
Your confusion is understandable, I experienced it as well. I took everything in the story literally because I did not understanding the meaning behind it until we discussed it in class. I attempted to understand it, but failed. I agree with your view on Kovaloff. Once he lost his nose, his public image became jeopardized. The self-confidence he once possessed when he referred to himself as major was lost. He could not approach anyone with the image and status he was once proud of with a tissue against his face. This is demonstrated over and over throughout the story. When he fails to approach a beautiful lady who distracts him from his nose and when he refuses to give his name at the advertising office. He is afraid of the stain his physical image might have on his social status.
Kovaloff’s nose is a strange and interesting character. I believe the strangest part is how we all imagined a nose in a uniform would look like. Your last image of a giant nose represents. Though unlike your image, I imagined it without legs or arms. Just the thought of a nose with legs and arms is strange and weird. It would make a human body part seem too wholly human by itself. Your mood diary is almost exactly how I felt, especially the confusion.
I love your mood diary, and I can completely relate to your thoughts. When I read “The Nose” for the first time, I read it literally. I was so confused because the elements of the story were random and unrealistic. I couldn’t picture the nose as a figure of high status because I didn’t know what features it had other than the uniform. When I read it a second time, I noticed all the details Gogol mentioned that pertained to appearances and social status. I agree with you that Kovaloff’s confidence was directly affected by the loss of his nose. He obviously cared a lot about his image and reputation. I also really like the painting you included of the nose dressed as a state-counselor. Although this is not how I initially imagined it to look like, it helps me draw a better picture of the nose as a walking, talking character.
Great points in your mood diary. I loved your picture of what the nose looked like. Like you I was amused but ultimately did not understand because I was looking at the story at face value. Like the metamorphosis, I had to dig deeper into the story. I like how you described the nose as describing his actual ego. I did not think of that because people were saying that the nose represented social status. Your take, while different, is not any less valid than other interpretations. We even touched on it in the discussion. the images go a long way in explaining your thought process.
Your title is awesome, and the mood diary itself is even better!
I definitely agree with you on your question of “Was I supposed to read the story in its literal sense?” Why must literature always have some damn, hidden meaning?!
Anyways, I actually found it interesting that you found the story interesting and captivating because as I recall, you mentioned in class that didn’t quite like the Metamorphosis, which is just as weird!
Besides that, I think your confusion is justifiable because sometimes words do get lost in translation. It can also be confusing because, well, lets face it, the guys nose is found in a loaf of bread, it doesn’t get more confusing than that! But once we figured out the true meaning and theme of the story, I think it was more clear as to what the nose really meant.