I often feel like maybe I’m missing my nose… as if I, like Major Kovalyov, have misplaced something that everyone else has and I am now on some wild goose chase to get it back. While his loss is symbolic of rigid social structure, and mine is something a little different, it helps in truly understanding the chaotic structure of the characters’ thoughts, as well as of the plot as a whole. In fact, the ludicrous and farcical nature of the story points out the absurdity of society as a whole. Why should someone care about their societal standing? Why should someone fear approaching another person, especially because of rank? Why should someone care what others think of him or her in the first place? Perhaps our society is actually more bizarre than Gogol’s “The Nose.” Hard to believe, right?
I was also really impressed to learn that Gogol utilized a nose as the central symbol of “The Nose” because its reverse is the word for dream. There’s something very beautiful that goes into the word choice of a story that I often feel robbed of while reading a translated text. I’m sure there was more wordplay in Russian than in the English version of the text, especially with the story being so metaphorical at its core. Nevertheless, Gogol left the reader with many other things to interpret.
I think I actually really appreciated this story!
Well at least he didn’t have this problem!
I completely agree when you say that you feel robbed when reading a translated text. I did not like that after reading “Metamorphosis” we found out that Gregor turned into a gruesome insect and not just a cockroach. While both are bad, and I get the point that it is about more than the kind of bug he is, I still feel like I wish that it was open for interpretation from the beginning. If Kafka did not specify exactly what Gregor was in German, he did not want Gregor to be a cockroach in English. Anyway, I really appreciated that in Russian “nose” is backward for dream. I think that it is an important point to consider when analyzing “The Nose.” If Gogol depicted society in Russia by using a nose to symbolize a poor class system, I could only imagine what somebody would use to symbolize and write a story about America today.
I also found myself wondering how the story would read in its original language. I even went as far as to try google translating parts of the text to see if the translation could be worded differently. I felt like the brilliance of the story plot must have been coupled with brilliant wording in Russian. Interesting idea!
I felt that the text was rather bland in terms of poetic language, leading me to wonder how the text would read in the vernacular too. “Lost in translation” truly applies here, though the meaning of the work as a whole is likely the same; had the meaning changed through the translation, than the story would not hold the significance that it is held in high esteem for.
As for our society possibly being more unusual than the world of “The Nose” – I agree that it could potentially be (though in terms of science, it is physically impossible for a nose to walk around and speak). I think that one’s view of society is subjective, and clearly, Gogol had strong views about the social structure of Russia. But in the future, how will people view our modern society? Will it be lampooned like Russia was by Gogol? I am curious as to what changes will occur in society in the future, and how I myself will view modern society 50 years from now.
Your analysis truly portrayed a greater understanding of the main point of Gogol’s work. Even though you acknowledged the missing nose as odd, you showed how this wasn’t a story about a man who loses his nose, but instead a story about the inner workings of society. In line with your opinion, I believe social structure is completely ridiculous. Why can’t I talk to someone who is not in my social class? What is so different about us that we cannot interact? Why do I even care is the real question?
Aside from this, I loved how you talked about the title of the story. You showed your personality as a sweet girl who finds the magic in little things.