What’s Up With the Title?

"The Overcoat" (Shinel/Шинель)

Um. It's a story. About a guy with an overcoat. You knew that, right?

Seriously now, it might seem super obvious why Gogol named his story "The Overcoat." But why didn't he name it "Akaky," or "The Prominent Personage," or even "The Ghost"? That's because the coat is the most important thing in the whole story. Without the coat, we wouldn't even have a story because Akaky would still be copying letters in blissful contentment.

The overcoat is what disrupts things. When his old coat falls apart, Akaky desires a new fancy coat. His desires cause him to climb up the social ladder. And when his precious coat is taken away from him, his desire to have it back is what leads to his downfall.

So yeah, it's a story about a guy with a coat. A really important coat.