I really don’t know what it is about this story but I really liked it. It was simple, fast paced and there are a few ways to interpret the story. I thought that their were definitely some… strange, parts. Once again is the emergence of the theme of being lackadaisical about strange situations, as the same with metamorphosis. The man, Ivan pulls a nose out of the bread and the woman is just like “You cut that off some guy, you pulled someones nose too hard when you shaved them!” When she should be more like HOLY CRAP WHY IS THERE A NOSE IN THE BREAD! Either way I think it got stranger and stranger as the story progressed with the nose walking around and living its life and the man searching for his nose.

An interesting thought I had while looking over the story a second time was about the social commentary that was mentioned in the class earlier. People were saying that the nose represents social class and I think it is kind of ingenious to use a nose to represent social class because when people believe they are superior to someone else they hold their nose up at them. I think it is a not so subtle reference that really works well with the story.

I think its also interesting the fact that we don’t know what the nose looks like when it develops a life of its own. I mean it seems to be walking around and doing everything a human would do but somehow the man who lost his nose, Kovalev is immediately able to recognize the fact it is his nose in church. I mean I guess if I lost my nose and I saw a nose walking down the street I’d probably be like oh thats my nose but at the same time that fact does not retract from the general weirdness and sense of confusion throughout the story.

Maybe is confusion a theme in the story because he is looking for his nose and even the police, who are suppose to help everyone, is completely not understanding him. He begs for them to help him and they are like, oh well someone came in looking for their poodle the other day. I LOST MY NOSE WHY ARE YOU COMPARING THAT TO A DOG? I guess you aren’t suppose to take the story seriously in the sense that it is actually his nose but it bothers me. I know it shouldn’t but it does.

The nose, ran away?

I think there is some commentary on the incompetence on the police and government system in general, as can be seen by the lack of organization and inability to help a person with such a simple request, finding a lost nose. The police argue and bring up unrelated topics as if it would help but in general do not help Kovalev very much.

I feel this story was good, had a strong ending, I always enjoy a story where all the loose ends get tied up neatly, I hate open endings so the nose was perfect.