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. 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. The narrator, for example, carefully describes the uniforms and appearances of different characters to paint a picture of the relative prestige of their rank. ' The Nose' presents a searing critique of the obsession with social status, rank, and class that was so pervasive in this context. As such, positions within the bureaucracy were highly coveted and depended greatly on status. 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. Without the nose, Major Kovalev is forced to remind others that he is someone of importance it can no longer be seen automatically. The lack of nose is only a problem because others will see it. Major Kovalev never mentions missing the act of smelling, inhaling, or breathing deeply through his nose. Indeed, the absence of the nose is presented as a problem only insofar as it can be perceived by others.

Unable to visit pretty girls and be seen strutting about in a perfect uniform, he becomes deeply distressed. Without a nose, he can no longer occupy the same place in society that he once did. One morning, Major Kovalev wakes up without a nose and his entire concept of selfhood is rocked.

Thus the story places male identity at the front and center of the narrative, and contrasts that identity with examples of femininity.

Major Kovalev, as well, is motivated by the pretty women of high society with whom he maintains flirtatious but noncommittal social relationships. She forces him out of the house to solve the problem of the nose. Ivan Yakovlevitch's wife, Prascovia Osipovna, for example, is shrill and wrathful, in sharp contrast to the bemused and hapless reaction of her husband. The women in the story are depicted only in contrast with and thus to better define the masculine identities of the protagonists. Major Kovalev's nose itself also turns out to be male, judging by its uniform and social behavior. The two protagonists in the story, Ivan Yakovlevitch and Major Kovalev, are both men.

The nose gogol