There are no romantic sentiments, dreamy phrases and pink dreams in the world of Gogol’s realistic works. There is another magic in the Gogol’s world – the bitter truth, described with the sad ironic truth of Russian life, and the pain – the honest author’s pain for mother-Russ, rushing into the unknown.
It was very boring, unbelievably sour, extremely foolish, there were nobody on the streets but for an occasional cock in a small provincial town B. from The Carriage. Market square looked sad, fences were painted in gray, walls became piebald after the rain, gardens had been said to be cut down – for a better view. But that sleeping town became very cheerful when a cavalry regiment began to stand there, everything changed, the streets dappled, livened; mustaches, which had revived the society consisting only of the judge and the mayor at that time, glimpsed everywhere.
The Carriage is the name-symbol. Metaphorical transformation (carriage - Chertokrutskiy) gives a vivid and very concrete picture not only of the main character, but also of Russia generally, which is represented as the town of B in this case. It is noteworthy that other characters’ names are not mentioned, they are presented as the posts.
Gogol laughs at puffy "generals" and the senselessness of their lives with the deep irony. Pyphagor Pyphagorovich Chertokrutskiy was one of the major aristocrats in county B. There is not too good impression after the very first glance at so strange combination. And this impression only intensifies with the development of the narrative.
The character’s surname played fatal role for him. Chertokrutskiy - the devil twists (“chert’ – the devil, “krutit” – to twist) - and the ruin occurs like with the devil's hands, a person’s falling from the ladder of spiritual development. The presence of the devil is felt throughout the story, and it always signifies the moral degradation of the typo, who is free to give in vices.
Gogol's satirical laughter soaked the entire work. The author does not pay much attention to portray the protagonist, but we see the true Chertokrutskiy’s face in the mirror of his unrighteous life.
