Can we blame the st. petersburg's weather for the miserable condition of the old overcoat? why or why not ?

Ans. “The Overcoat” is a short story by Ukrainian-born Russian author Nikolai Gogol, published in 1842. The story and its author have had a great influence on Russian literature. Some say it is the greatest Russian short story ever written. This short story is related to a man and his overcoat. He is Akaky Akakievich who is a short man with an “unmemorable” appearance. He is somewhat educated, and not at the lowest rank of bureaucracy, but he is still very poor. Akaky lives an extremely mundane life: both in and out of his department, he spends all of his time diligently copying documents. While his fellow officials are out socializing, he prefers to spend his evening hours at home, finding contentment in his repetitive labor. Gogol’s story revolves around Akaky’s struggle to contend with St. Petersburg’s bitter cold, which forces him to purchase a new overcoat and the turning point of his life starts with this decision because of the miserable condition in St. Petersburg. Though he is initially upset by the need for the new overcoat, he soon finds in the quest to save up for and design the new overcoat a higher purpose. The thought of the new overcoat becomes a deep comfort to him, like having a steady companion. The day he receives the coat is the happiest day of his life. On his way home from a party, wearing his new coat for the first time, Akaky Akakiyevich is assaulted by two thugs who steal the garment. The police are indifferent and refused to help him. The sudden loss of his coat turns into his life-saving issue. Akaky turns to someone in his office who could possibly grease the gears of justice. This important personage,' though, uses his position to intimidate and to belittle his subordinates and causes Akaky to collapse in a fit of anxiety when the personage reprimands him for approaching him so familiarly. Being helpless, Akaky returns to his way home in the middle of snowfall without any coat. Thus he gets attacked by fever and after a few days, he dies. After his death, Akaky returns as a ghost to haunt St. Petersburg for a time, stealing coats, and in particular the coat of a general who had refused to help Akaky. The reason behind his death is the loss of the overcoat. But if we look at the beginning of the story we see he needs this overcoat because of the old overcoat which was in a miserable condition. If we think deeply we see that the need for a new overcoat comes because of St. Petersburg's cold weather. That’s for he needs to buy a new one. So we can come to a conclusion that St. Petersburg's weather is responsible for the miserable condition of the old overcoat and the need for a new overcoat which costs his own life.