The Overcoat Lesson Plan

Describe Akaky’s day. What does his routine suggest about his character?

Akaky works, goes home, eats, copies for work at home and then copies for fun. He goes to bed when there is no more copying to do. When Akaky went to bed each night, he was “smiling in anticipation of the pleasures the next day had in store for him and wondering what the good Lord would send him to copy” (239). His life is different from other Civil Servants in that others had social lives. They went out to party or enjoy events. Akaky’s day suggests that he is someone who desires a simple life and is content with a life that has minimal fuss and little human contact. Akaky’s life is going smoothly...