The Diary of a Madman
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
October 3 October 4 November 6 November 8 November 9 November 11 November 12 November 13 December 3 December 5 The Year 2000, 43rd of April The 86th of Martober Date none. Don’t remember the date. The 1st Madrid. Thirtieth Februarius January of the same year The 25th. The of 34 February th
Themes
All Themes Social Class and Status Writing, Escapism, and Fantasy Insanity Isolation
Quotes
Characters
All Characters Aksenty Ivanovich Poprishchin Sophie Medji and Fidèle The Section Chief The Director Teplov
Symbols
All Symbols Ferdinand VIII Attire and Clothing
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The Diary of a Madman

by

Nikolai Gogol
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The Section Chief Character Analysis

The section chief is one of Poprishchin’s managers. The section chief is critical of Poprishchin’s behavior and professionalism, pointing out Poprishchin’s lack of career advancement despite being forty years old. The section chief is also off put by Poprishchin’s infatuation with the boss’s daughter, Sophie, and brings attention to the class disparity between them. The section’s chief criticism of Poprishchin’s behavior is one of the only external insights into Poprishchin’s character. His descriptions illustrate Poprishchin’s professional failures, indicating that despite Poprishchin’s lofty opinion of himself, he is actually an unproductive and inept worker.

The Section Chief Quotes in The Diary of a Madman

The The Diary of a Madman quotes below are all either spoken by The Section Chief or refer to The Section Chief. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Social Class and Status Theme Icon
).
November 6 Quotes

“You’re over forty— it’s time you got smart. What are you dreaming of? Do you think I don’t know all your pranks? You’re dangling after the director’s daughter! Well, take a look at yourself, only think, what are you? You’re a zero, nothing more. You haven’t got a kopeck to your name.”

Related Characters: The Section Chief (speaker), Aksenty Ivanovich Poprishchin , Sophie
Isolation Theme Icon
Page Number: 283
Explanation and Analysis:

I see why he’s angry with me. He’s jealous. Maybe he saw the signs of benevolence preferentially bestowed on me… Wait, friend! we, too, will become a colonel and, God willing, maybe something even higher. We’ll get ourselves a reputation even better than yours.

Related Characters: Aksenty Ivanovich Poprishchin (speaker), The Section Chief
Social Class and Status Theme Icon
Isolation Theme Icon
Page Number: 283–284
Explanation and Analysis:
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The Section Chief Quotes in The Diary of a Madman

The The Diary of a Madman quotes below are all either spoken by The Section Chief or refer to The Section Chief. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Social Class and Status Theme Icon
).
November 6 Quotes

“You’re over forty— it’s time you got smart. What are you dreaming of? Do you think I don’t know all your pranks? You’re dangling after the director’s daughter! Well, take a look at yourself, only think, what are you? You’re a zero, nothing more. You haven’t got a kopeck to your name.”

Related Characters: The Section Chief (speaker), Aksenty Ivanovich Poprishchin , Sophie
Isolation Theme Icon
Page Number: 283
Explanation and Analysis:

I see why he’s angry with me. He’s jealous. Maybe he saw the signs of benevolence preferentially bestowed on me… Wait, friend! we, too, will become a colonel and, God willing, maybe something even higher. We’ll get ourselves a reputation even better than yours.

Related Characters: Aksenty Ivanovich Poprishchin (speaker), The Section Chief
Social Class and Status Theme Icon
Isolation Theme Icon
Page Number: 283–284
Explanation and Analysis:
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