This story was hilarious. Starting from the beginning of the play I was immediately engaged as the humor of the play shielded some serious messages. With the first lines hinting towards a setting of Soviet Russia, I couldn’t help but think of the Russian accent and intimidation. I couldn’t help but think of “In Soviet Russia….” joke that many comedians use.
In the first Act, I loved the dispute between Ivan Yakovlevitch and his wife about why the 
nose was in the bread in the first place. Rather than focusing on the absurdity of the matter, the husband and wife rather argue about how poor of a barber Ivan is. This scene reminds me of fights that I get with my parents when the argument begins with one subject and ends with a totally different one.
As the story progressed, I laughed louder and louder. My favorite scene is when the Nose and Kovalev are talking and Kovalev gets distracted by some attractive women that walk in. This is how I imagined the scene as Kovalev loses his focus:
The Nose itself reminded me of Bruce Almighty, a movie in 2003, about a man who recieves the power to be God. It is as if the Nose has mind control and forced everyone to think that it is a person of importance.
What made me laugh so much about this play was its sheer ridiculousness. Thinking I’m about to read the next Odyssey, I didn’t expect the story to have such an imaginative plot line. Although I do not believe that I have fully grasped the meaning, I understand Gogol’s message about society’s obsession with rank and hierarchy. Although the nose is Kovalev’s, he must address it in a respectful manner as it is of higher rank than he is. Gogol is asking the question of what is the meaning of rank and why does society automatically respect those that are of a high position? Overall, I loved the story and wish to read to more like it.
I totally agree, The Nose was really funny and a nice change from The Metamorphosis. I also feel like the meaning in The Nose is easier to grasp, at least somewhat, and I appreciated that the meaning was conveyed humorously rather than in a dark and dreary manner.
It’s interesting how you drew the parallel between the Nose and Bruce Almighty–I honestly wouldn’t have thought of that, but it makes sense. The Nose becomes this godlike being; the very fact that it becomes sentient, and almost human, is enough evidence of this, and the fact that it drives the plot the way it does by becoming detached and then reattached through no visible means only serves to make it even more mysterious.
I love the GIF you used, its a classic. I enjoyed the comedy that Gogol used as well. I thought it served well in portraying his views on the ridiculousness of some of the practices of the Russian elite. This humor made the satire extremely entertaining and effective in its mocking of the social hierarchy of Russia during this time. Kovaloff’s reactions are erratic and definitely do warrant laughter. I think that Gogol’s use of humor helps the reader in understanding his ideas.
I really enjoyed the connections you made to the reading and liked how you kept the mood comedic and light throughout your post, corresponding to the vibe you got from the Nose. I thought the short story was ridiculous, but I didn’t pay much attention to the comedy aspect, but if I were to reread it I’d definitely notice how funny the actual plot is.
The gif is so great and on point, I can totally picture that scene the same way. So overall I agree with the points you made about humor and the author’s purpose.
This post is a very interesting concept, when I was reading the story my first reaction was one of almost humor. I was confused but it was so uselessly lost that I was laughing. The story is in great contrast to Metamorphosis, which I am happy because Metamorphosis was honestly depressing. The whole story is so ridiculous that the only logical reaction is that of humor. I enjoyed the images that you posted, the GIF of the guy from Mad TV is very appropriate and funny I believe. The connections between modern day movies were ones I personally would not make myself, I do not see how a man receiving all the powers of God is the same as a Nose that becomes a living thing, but intriguing.
This sounds like you are sucking up to the professor. I did find it interesting and funny, but it seems like you are being in-genuine when you say you want to read more stories like this. If I am wrong, I apologize, but I do think that was your motive. What I did like was your vast examples from totally different spectrums. That did seem natural as when you read the story your mind does bounce around to random things that have only slight connections. The MAD TV reference to “Can I Have Your Numba?” was great because it did really seem like the smaller of his two heads controlled his actions. This would make sense since we discussed that the nose could also reference “penis envy” or the power associated with manhood. Your family reference was very helpful in getting your message across because I personally, and I bet many others feel the same, could totally relate to those seemingly meaningless and endless conversations with a parent that started off with “How was your day today?”.
I found your post very comical, just like the story. The point about arguing is so true. In every argument I have with family members, previous issues that have absolutely nothing to do with the current issue are always brought up. It always brings more anger into an argument and it never ends well.
Bruce almighty is one of my favorite movies. It is really great and Jim Carrey is an amazingly funny person and actor. I feel you could have also added the way comedy plays a huge factor in that movie, just as it does in the story.
Gogol’s writing style is unique and intriguing. He cleverly alludes to messages through something we can all relate to, comedy. Additionally, the fact that this was written in 1836, but still contains points that are extremely relevant more than ever today amazes me. It is a timeless piece that will probably apply forever.