Satire and Critique in Dead Soul by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol

The reader is convinced that Gogol has had many experiences of his name being said with hesitation and lack of ease that normal American names are pronounced with. Gogol must often compare himself to his peers via how teachers and other authorities handle his unique name. Furthermore, Gogol himself is consumed with doubt in regards to his name, what it means, and how it ties him to his heritage in a way he in unsure how to accept. However pleased Gogol may have been with Mr. Lawson’s approach, everything changes when the class reads “The Overcoat” by Nikolai Gogol. “With growing dread and a feeling of slight nausea, he watches as Mr. Lawson distributes the books...the sight of it [“Gogol”] printed in capital letters on the crinkly page upsets him viscerally” (89). Gogol wants nothing to do with his name at this point, even the book it is printed in is “particularly battered, the corner blunted, the cover spotted as if by a whitish mold,” (89). The confusion Gogol associates with his own name infects him and things around him, just like the “warmth [that] spreads from the back of Gogol’s neck to his cheeks and his ears,” (91). The rest of his classmates, “begin to moan in unison,” (92), and Gogol “feels betrayed,” (91). Gogol takes the class’s negative reaction to the Russian author’s biographical information as a personal assault. It reinforces his rejection to his own name as “each time the name

A satire is a piece of work that is designed to ridicule or tease a group or organization, generally for the purpose of being humorous. “The Importance of Being Earnest,” a play by Oscar Wilde, is a satire, ridiculing class, gender, and marriage. This essay will describe some points from each of these sections, as well as give a brief synopsis of the play these examples come from.

“The Screwtape Letters,” a novel written by C.S. Lewis, demonstrates many uses of satire. Satire is a way of writing which involves humor, exaggeration, and irony. It is also used to make a mockery of or expose a person’s stupidity. It is often used for the reader’s entertainment. When interpreted the way the author has intended, it adds a whole new meaning to the story. In a way, it allows the reader to connect with the author and the characters. It also makes reading more amusing.

Satire gives the novel life, just as an engine would give a car life. “When he failed to find the steering wheel, he moved over six inches, and searched again...He concluded that somebody had stolen it. This angered him as he passed out. He was in the back seat of his car, which was why he couldn’t find the steering wheel” (Vonnegut 60). Satire lightens the story and provides comic relief to the readers.

After his divorce, which is a second difficult experience in his life, Gogol spends time with his family, specifically at a party his mother is hosting before she leaves for India, which again influences him to accept his Bengali culture. At this party, Gogol explores his old house and finds the copy of The Overcoat that his father once gave to him, which makes him realize that “without people in the world to call him Gogol, no matter how long he himself lives, Gogol Ganguli will, once and for all, vanish from the lips of loved ones, and so, cease to exist” (Lahiri 433). In college and when he was Maxine, going by Nikhil gives Gogol a newfound perspective in his life, one where being shameful of his name does not really exist. However, after going through both his father’s death and his divorce, Gogol feels upset when thinking about how he changed his name, which “provides no solace at all” (433). With most of his family and Moushumi gone, few people are left to call him Gogol, reminding him who he once was. Gogol’s sadness shows how he has become comfortable with his birth name, which he originally hated. Through his reading of The Overcoat and his reflection on the possible nonexistence of his life as Gogol, Gogol accepts both his name and his culture, which ultimately shows how he becomes comfortable with

In Gogol’s “The Overcoat”, an every man apparently becomes something more by replacing his overcoat. In Gogol’s “The Nose”, a man is temporarily reduced to nothing upon literally losing his nose. In both texts, the interplay of dreams and reality serve to highlight Gogol’s issues with the fabric of Russian society and personal identity by creating unconventional narration, a dynamic perspective, and characterization.

I believe that a very prominent theme in this story is the struggles in society relating to classes. One of the things that Gogol most often points out is the dress and ranking of the characters in this story. For instance, the barber Ivan Yakovlevitch is described as a very dirty man who does not care about his appearance, probably emphasizing his lower class ranking. Kopek is described as very well dressed and has a somewhat higher ranking of “Major.” Meanwhile, when he spots his nose masquerading as a very high ranked man, it is dressed exquisitely. The nose draws envy of everyone with its appearance and apparent rank. The ludicrousness of a nose causing envy and admiration and fear in people, even in Kopek who owns it, really emphasizes how ridiculous Gogol perceives the class system to be.

Satire is defined as the use of a variety of elements such as sarcasm, irony, ridicule and humour to mock and criticise a subject by bringing its flaws to light as means to encourage change. In Gulliver’s travels human vice and folly are held up to ridicule, scorn and deride in an attempt to "shame men out of their vices" (Bullitt., 14).

Satire is a common literary device used among authors and poets to indirectly criticize the stupidity and vices of a specific person or group of people. Satirical works typically involve tools of satire, such as symbolic characters, symbolism, and irony, to simplify the understanding of who this “satirical target” is. In “The Unknown Citizen” by W. H. Auden and James Michie’s “Dooley Is a Traitor,” symbolic characters, symbolism, and irony are all used to indirectly criticize the target of each satirical work.

During the Age of Enlightenment, people began believing in and relying upon rational thought instead of religious dogma to explain the world. This newfound emphasis on rationality promoted a breadth of freedom in speech that was previously unknown, a fact which was utilized by philosophers such as John Locke, Rousseau, and Sir Isaac Newton. In addition, the Age of Enlightenment produced famous writers who didn’t agree with the irrational politics and old traditions of their respective countries, and instead relied upon wit and satire to expose the corruption and poor human condition existing around them. These Enlightenment writers use irony in their satires to get their interpretations regarding the human condition across.

Satire is a specific classification of writing that occasionally makes utilization of realistic and performing expressions with the aim of scorning society into self-change. With social criticism being its fundamental objective, it uses dark sarcasm as its primary device to get the point across. Satire impacts people to reconsider themselves so as to alter senseless thoughts and behaviors. Different techniques are utilized in delivering the satirical impact, those of which use wit as their primary weapon. These methodologies mix the acing of matching unimportant and authentic matters as one joke, demonstrating compliment yet meaning the contrary to show ambiguity, and asking rhetorical questions. Moreover, the creator may downplay an issue keeping in mind the end goal to move the group of audience towards the genuine significance of the theme, antagonistically; distortion is utilized to bring down the effect of an issue to its lesser quality. Aggregately, these procedures are practiced to draw out the human follies and vices in society. In Molière 's Tartuffe and Jonathan Swift 's article A Modest Proposal, both diagonally condemn and criticize human conduct and the discernment we have towards others. Through a comedian conveyance, these creators offer an understanding past the apparently self-evident, and expect to enhance this flawed custom of one sidedness as opposed to disposing of it.

Satire is constantly evolving in order to maintain with the times. As technology, culture and humanity change and grow, satire is forced to grow with it. Satire of our modern time is more likely to be found on our phones than on print, more likely on a television than a telegram. By merging with pop culture, in forms of Family Guy and Comedy Central news shows, these forms of satire are able to stay relevant. But, despite the change in medium, the purpose of satire and effect of satire holds true. Modern satire, just as that of past satire, sheds light on the problems of our society through ridicule and mockery, without reinforcing and further cementing the stereotypes and prejudices they are trying to expose.

His method is rather subtle and might not initially be recognized as satire without some knowledge of both the author and Russia at the time of the novel’s creation.

Obtained by the outcomes from corrective action, the genre of satire advocates for the preservation of moral principles, the need to reform, and the attempt to instigate change. Satire has become a powerful art form intended to improve humanity by pointing out the deficiencies in certain human behaviors and the corruptions of modern society. Satire also has the competence to protect its creator from accountability for criticism, because it is covertly implied rather than openly stated; thus, it becomes a powerful tool for people in repressive political and social periods. With its intentions to ridicule those vices, satire has progressively made its way into literature, television, the internet, comics and cartoons. Modern satire as portrayed in the cartoon South Park has transformed into a powerful satirical work, in which four young boys propose to expose the ugly truth, meanwhile the adults render to the senselessness of society. Alternatively, Swift effectively uses each experience in Gulliver’s Travels to satirize a vast of issues which were once significantly influential in the seventeenth and eighteenth century England, including government, human pride, religion, and philosophy. Modern society struggles to obtain the good of civilization which is constantly being threatened by man's immorality, causing satirist to unmask those vices for the society’s good. While knowledge is constantly ridiculed, satire is the hindrance of immoral issues, attempting to condemn the

Humour and satire are two concepts that are both wide ranging and diverse, from dark, to light hearted, with each producing a different effect. Humour in the main, is something that is used to please the audience, its function is to invoke laughter amongst its audience. Satire is used to create a comical critical view of the subject at hand, this can range from a light hearted comical way, to a judgemental way, with each style giving the text a different meaning, however this does not mean that satire cannot be humorous, which can evident in the use of parody and irony within texts. Within literature both concepts play an important role to how the text is viewed, humour can include word play, grammatical jokes, to even inside jokes with the author and reader, and with satire, including that of irony and parody, with each style and type delivering humour in its own unique way. These differing styles of humour can be found in a variety of forms including Jasper Forde’s The Eyre Affair (2001), with its silly atmosphere, word play and grammar jokes, and the use of light hearted satire and parody to brighten up the text, and Julian Barnes A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters (1989), where there is a more serious atmosphere, with a more critical, satirical eye on history and characters, as well as using irony to achieve its comical effect, and the position of the world. Each text is humorous and satirical in its own right, and with each author using different techniques to