Peter the Great's introduction of the Table of Ranks had
long-lasting consequences for nearly two hundred years in
Russia. During the time in which N. V. Gogol&soft; lived, this
hierarchal system was well ingrained. Throughout his work
Professor Stilman notes that when writing this work Gogol&soft; may
have had in mind the story of a clerk who worked hard to purchase a
gun and then dropped it into the water (Ostav&soft;te menja, za&chachek;em vy
menja obi&zhachek;aete?
the hidden thought Ja brat
tvoj
(Moskva: Gosudarstvennoe izdatel&soft;stvo
xudo&zhachek;estvennoj literatury, 1959, 131). Thus if the text is
looked at closely, Akakij Akakievi&chachek;'s overcoat will be found
to signal his new rank. When Akakij Akakievi&chachek; learns it is
time for a new overcoat, he meets this news with despair and worry. In
much the same way, we might expect Akakij Akakievi&chachek; to greet
the news of a promotion in rank. He does not appear to like change, as
is seen in his reaction to being assigned the task of changing
pronouns in a certain document. It would not be surprising if at first
he reacted to a promotion in rank in the same way. However, the
decision to purchase a new overcoat and accept a promotion in rank
grows on him and he begins to look forward to the day when
Petrovi&chachek; will bring his new overcoat. And when that day
arrives, it is the most triumphant day in his life: &ellipsis;
den&soft; samyj tor&zhachek;estvennej&shachek;ij
(142). He
walks to work in a celebratory mood: v samom
prazdni&chachek;nom raspolo&zhachek;enii vsex &chachek;uvst
(143). Akakij Akakievi&chachek;'s co-workers gather around him in the
office and congratulate him on his new overcoat. But can there not be
more to this? These are the same co-workers who had ridiculed or
ignored Akakij Akakievi&chachek;. Suddenly they have taken notice of
him. According to Helju Aulik Bennett, it was typical for co-workers
to gather in an office around a colleague who had received a promotion
in rank or an order even if they had, up to this point, ignored this
fellow worker. In light of this historical observation of the society
and times in which Akakij Akakievi&chachek; would have lived, a
striking similarity appears. It seems that Akakij Akakievi&chachek;'s
co-workers act as if he has been promoted in rank and that his new
overcoat signifies this rise in stature. As we know, a change in rank
would have demanded a new uniform.
There is more evidence which supports linking Akakij
Akakievi&chachek;'s new overcoat to a promotion in rank. If Akakij
Akakievi&chachek; had been promoted to a higher rank, new doors would
have been opened to him. This is certainly what occurs when Akakij
Akakievi&chachek; is invited to the party of a co-worker. He has never
attended such an event. At the party he feels awkward and does not
know how to behave: On prosto ne znal, kak emu byt&soft;, kuda
det&soft; ruki, nogi i vsju figuru svoju
(146). In fact,
Akakij Akakievi&chachek;'s entire routine changes the day he receives
his new overcoat. He does not even work at home after dinner and he
walks through the streets at night. Akakij Akakievi&chachek;'s
behavior after receiving his new overcoat and the behavior of the
zna&chachek;itel&soft;noe lico have much in common. The
zna&chachek;itel&soft;noe lico &ellipsis; kak-to spytalsja,
sbilsja s puti i sover&shachek;enno ne znal, kak emu byt&soft;
(151). This uneasiness which both Akakij Akakievi&chachek; and
zna&chachek;itel&soft;noe lico experience changes into
assertiveness. Akakij Akakievi&chachek; accuses the policeman of
sleeping while he was being robbed and he demands to see the
zna&chachek;itel&soft;noe lico claiming to have come on business. The
zna&chachek;itel&soft;noe lico has established a chain of command and
has practiced degrading those to whom he speaks.
Akakij Akakievi&chachek;'s new overcoat and status afford him little protection from the world around him. As our narrator notes, all is relative. The zna&chachek;itel&soft;noe lico is only important in comparison to others who are of lesser importance and Akakij Akakievi&chachek; is only young when compared to a seventy-year-old man. Akakij Akakievi&chachek; may have a new overcoat and may have been promoted in rank but there are still those such as the zna&chachek;itel&soft;noe lico who can treat him poorly. He is driven to his miserable end perhaps by the very realization that even with his new overcoat and his new status he is still vulnerable to the abuse of others. In his death Akakij Akakievi&chachek; is able to break free of the Table of Ranks and even seeks revenge against this very system. His revenge takes the form of stealing overcoats from any and all regardless of rank. Akakij Akakievi&chachek; in his death is given the chance to interact without concern for rank. To live in such a system, Gogol&soft; suggests, is not really living and it is only when Akakij Akakievi&chachek; dies and is no longer a part of the system that he is brought to life.