The question is taken from "The Nose".
Social status is one of the most important themes in Gogol's "The Nose." At the time of writing, Russian bureaucracy was a vastly inflated system for Russians to move up the ranks to nobility through service to the government. As such, positions within the bureaucracy were highly coveted and depended greatly on status. "The Nose" presents a searing critique of the obsession with social status, rank, and class that was so pervasive in this context. The narrator, for example, carefully describes the uniforms and appearances of different characters to paint a picture of the relative prestige of their rank. Ivan Yakovlevitch's jacket is "thickly studded with grayish, brownish-yellowish stains—and shiny at the collar, and adorned with three drooping tufts of thread instead of buttons," whereas the constable that apprehends him is of "smart appearance, with long whiskers, a three-cornered hat, and complete with a sword." This contrast between physical appearances represents the contrast in status between the two men, and thus the power dynamic. Similarly, Major Kovalev's nose is extremely well-dressed, depicted with "a gold-braided, high-collared uniform, buckskin breeches, and cockaded hat." This uniform outranks Major Kovalev's appearance, and thus establishes a similar power dynamic in which Major Kovalev speaks deferentially and apologetically to the nose.
