In the satirical short story “The Nose”, by Nikolai Gogol, the author uses satire in order to make important points and observations about society, humanity and culture. By using satire, the author is able to make these points a lot more strongly. By poking fun at society and its culture through an absurd storyline, the author is able to highlight more effectively the key messages of the story.

In the story, Major Kovalyov wakes up one morning without his nose and tries to find it. The nose, however, has become a character itself, as Kovalyov finds it in town dressed in a “gold-braided uniform (…) one could tell that it held the exalted rank of state councillor.” Here, through the satirical element of the nose acting and dressing like a human person, Gogol pokes fun at society and its tendency to base judgement solely on a person’s appearance, rather than their personality. Appearance is all that matters in society and the author's cultural surroundings, not individuality or good character.

At the same time, Gogol also highlights society’s obsessions with social rank. A person’s social rank would dictate how their fellow citizens would treat them. According to society, the higher the rank, the more respect a person deserves. Through the satirical and absurd notion that a nose can hold a higher rank than Kovalyov himself, Gogol highlights how ridiculous this element is in society, culture and therefore humanity.

Even Kovalyov is so impressed and daunted by his own nose’s high rank, which is higher than his own, that he can’t bring himself to approach it: “Only the devil knows what is to be done!” The story therefore highlights how social rank and appearance are deemed ridiculously important in society. The satirical and absurd character of this story helps the author to make this point more clearly.