Main idea of Overcoat

 

Q8. What is the central idea of the story “Overcoat”?

 

Ans. The basic theme or central idea of this story is that most of the people pretend to be rich and tries to hide their poverty and miseries because they are looked upon by the elite class, who has merely made the physical appearance to be final yardstick of measuring character and status in the society. But we should judge people around us morally not materially as

 

“Our true beauty is defined by our soul;

our appearance is just a camouflage we use to hide our true beauty,

our true identity…”

People who appreciate the smell and thickness of the cover in the book completely ignore its essence. It’s like evaluating a person not even by the beauty of his body (language, style and syllable), not to mention his soul (images, characters) and mind (ideas and information), but solely by the fashion label on his clothes and the smell of perfume. If it is not the pleasure of communication (reading) that is important to you, but the status and the opportunity to show off your acquaintance in front of your friends – we live in different worlds.