The Holy Fool Image And Carnivalesque Significance Of The Hero In Nikolai Gogol's "The Overcoat"

As a new development of Gogol's literary creating, "The Overcoat" is also one of his most impressive works. In this work, the writer, Gogol, shapes the little civilian office Akaky Akakievich as a holy fool image undergoing a weird experience of death in flesh and resurrection in soul with antinomy characteristics."Holy Fool" is a kind of special religious culture phenomenon in Russian history, called "fool for God's sake". Starting as a religious and cultural phenomenon in Russian folk life until 19th century, "Holy Fool" had gradually developed into a spirit characteristic of national culture and eventually evolved into Russian spirit cultural carrier and typical example. "Holy Fool" consists of the cultural amalgamation of both the universal elements of western criticism and elements of eastern irrationality. It was reflected in later literature as a "holy fool stylized" image. Whether it is holy fool or the stupid people's worship of it, which all reflects the side of irrational and mystique trance-- the unique values of the Russian.Akaky Akakievich, the hero of "The Overcoat", embodies the image of holy fool or "holy fool stylized" with the characteristics of the antinomy and irrationality. Emphasizing "Holy Fool" as an entry point for new perspectives and new research of Gogol's "The Overcoat" will make a more profound understanding of Gogol's writing, but also enhance a better understanding about the Russian national spirit.