OK, The Nose is just another nonsensical story just like Metamorphosis. A guy named Kovaliov loses his nose. Well, how is he able to breath? This question arouses when I read the beginning of the story. It might be off the topic of the story but I just came up with it. Could the man Kovaliov be able to survive without his nose?

Definitely, the nose must be a symbol for something. What’s happened in the story is the not as important as what is behind the story. The story is really sarcastic as it turns out that after  Kovaliov regains his nose, he remains as the same person as before the loss of his nose, who is vogue and proud and who gazes at himself in mirrors, flirts with ladies, and enjoys snuff.

I relate Kovaliov’s to myself. I image that what if I lose a very important part in my life which really affects the way I act (definitely not my nose!!). Let’s say, someone is a billionaire who succeeds a company from his father and behaves bossily. One day he or she suddenly loses all his assets due to economic depression. The person then has to work as a “blue collar” and be oppressed by his boss. He might be rich again through his efforts. However, during that process, would he start to appreciate how the life in a different social status could help him to develop a different point of view. Like Kovaliov’s life when he is outranked by his nose, would he realize that he is no longer as powerful as before and he is supposed to change his extravagant lifestyle? Unfortunately, all Kovaliov concerns about is to retrieve his social status. This is why I feel sorry for the character.

I do want to compare Kafka’s Metamorphosis and Gogol’s The Nose. I really like the way The Nose is narrated because we are all outsiders including the narrator. At the ends of first two acts. Those questions about what would happen next really separate the readers from the story in that I start to think more objectively because the story is more like fact-based. In Metamorphosis, the content about Gregor’s plight really makes me feel too sympathized for the character that I tend not think from other characters’ perspective. I do not like Grete when reading the story, but after the ballet show, I do appreciate what she has for her family. The Nose is more like a allegory because of its conciseness and detachment from emotion while Metamorphosis is more like an affecting story whose plot could stand alone without our exploring the meaning behind it.