The Overcoat characters

Also known as Akaky Akakievich

Appears from the start

A low-ranking civil servant in a government department in Saint Petersburg. His entire working life centers on copying documents, a task he performs with care and genuine pleasure. Poor, quiet, and socially defenseless, he endures his colleagues' ridicule with little resistance and has almost no life beyond his handwriting and routine.

Appears from the start

The tailor Akaky consults about his threadbare cloak. Formerly a serf, he has one damaged eye, drinks heavily on holidays, and becomes immovable about professional matters when sober. He declares the old garment beyond repair and insists that Akaky must pay for a new overcoat.

Appears from the start

Akaky's elderly landlady, who rents him his modest room and is one of the few people connected to his private life. After his overcoat is stolen, she advises him to seek help through the police rather than rely on the local watchman.

Appears from the start

A senior official approached after ordinary efforts to recover Akaky's stolen coat fail. Recently promoted and anxious to display the dignity of his rank, he relies on ceremony and intimidation. He rebukes the frightened clerk instead of attending to the request for help.

Appears from the start

A comparatively new employee in Akaky's department. He initially joins the other clerks in mocking the copyist, but Akaky's distressed appeal makes him recognize the cruelty beneath their amusement and alters how he sees his colleagues.