The Nose Flashcards
by Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Nose
What does the barber Ivan Yakovlevich find inside his morning bread?
A human nose, which he recognizes as belonging to his customer Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov.
How does Ivan Yakovlevich dispose of the nose?
He wraps it in a rag and throws it off a bridge into the Neva River, but a police officer catches him in the act.
Where does Kovalyov first encounter his escaped nose?
He spots it stepping out of a carriage and entering the Kazan Cathedral, dressed in the uniform of a State Councillor.
What rank has the nose attained, and how does it compare to Kovalyov's?
The nose holds the rank of State Councillor (rank 5), three levels above Kovalyov's Collegiate Assessor (rank 8).
Why does the newspaper clerk refuse to print Kovalyov's advertisement about his missing nose?
He says the paper would lose its reputation by printing such a bizarre notice, and suggests Kovalyov write it up as an article instead.
How is the nose finally caught by the police?
A police officer intercepts it at the city gates disguised in civilian clothes, apparently trying to flee to Riga on a forged passport.
What happens when Kovalyov tries to reattach the returned nose to his face?
It will not stick no matter how he presses it, and a doctor he summons confirms he cannot reattach it, advising him to pickle it in vodka.
How does the story resolve?
The nose inexplicably reappears on Kovalyov's face on April 7th with no explanation, and he immediately resumes his status-obsessed habits.
Why does Kovalyov insist on being called "Major"?
Because the military equivalent of his civil rank (Collegiate Assessor) sounds more impressive and carries greater social prestige.
What is Kovalyov's primary reason for coming to St. Petersburg?
To advance his career, secure a higher rank, and find a wealthy wife among the capital's fashionable society.
How does Ivan Yakovlevich's wife react when he finds the nose in the bread?
She berates him furiously, accusing him of cutting off a customer's nose and threatening to report him to the police.
How does the nose respond when Kovalyov confronts it in the cathedral?
It coldly dismisses him, claiming to be an independent person with no connection to Kovalyov whatsoever.
Who are the two women Kovalyov is courting, and why does losing his nose affect these pursuits?
A staff officer's daughter and a state councillor's daughter. Without a nose, he cannot present himself as an attractive suitor in polite society.
How does the story demonstrate that rank matters more than personal identity in St. Petersburg?
The nose wearing a State Councillor's uniform commands more respect than Kovalyov himself, showing that outward insignia of rank trump the person underneath.
What does Kovalyov's reaction to losing his nose reveal about his values?
He is concerned only with appearances and social standing, never with the medical impossibility of a missing nose — his identity is entirely external.
How does Gogol critique bureaucracy through Kovalyov's attempts to recover his nose?
Every official he approaches — the police, the newspaper, the doctor — is indifferent or unhelpful, exposing a system that serves its own procedures rather than people.
What is ironic about Kovalyov's behavior after the nose returns?
He learns nothing from the experience and immediately resumes his shallow social climbing, flirting, and showing off — exactly the behavior Gogol satirizes.
What narrative technique does Gogol use when the narrator comments "such occurrences do happen"?
An unreliable narrator who treats impossible events as mundane, heightening the absurdist tone and undermining the reader's expectations.
How does the nose's ability to change size function as a literary device?
It serves the story's internal absurdist logic — the nose is face-sized when returned in a rag but human-sized when parading around in a uniform.
Why is the ending considered an anti-climax, and what effect does this create?
The nose simply reappears with no cause or explanation, mocking the reader's desire for a logical resolution and reinforcing the story's absurdist vision.
How does Gogol use clothing as a satirical device throughout the story?
Characters are judged entirely by their uniforms and dress, showing that St. Petersburg society evaluates people by outward trappings rather than character.
What is a "Collegiate Assessor" in the context of Imperial Russia?
The eighth of fourteen ranks in the Table of Ranks, a mid-level civil service position equivalent to a military Major.
What is a "State Councillor" and why is it significant that the nose holds this rank?
The fifth rank in the Table of Ranks — a senior government position three levels above Kovalyov, meaning the nose socially outranks its own owner.
What was "The Contemporary" (Sovremennik) where the story was published?
A prestigious Russian literary journal edited by Alexander Pushkin, who published "The Nose" in 1836 after another journal rejected it.
What does the nose say when Kovalyov tries to claim it in the cathedral?
"I am an independent individual" — it insists it has no relationship to Kovalyov, asserting autonomy despite being part of his face.
What does the doctor suggest Kovalyov do with his detached nose?
He advises Kovalyov to put the nose in a jar and preserve it in vodka, or sell it as a curiosity — treating the situation as entirely routine.
How does the narrator close the story, and what does this reveal about Gogol's intent?
He admits "such things do happen — rarely, but they do happen," refusing to explain the events and leaving the absurdity deliberately unresolved.