Podtochina is the mother to a young sexual conquest of Kovalev. After struggling to come up with a rational explanation for his missing nose, Kovalev blames Podtochina, wrongly accusing her of using witchcraft as revenge for his mistreatment of her daughter (he toys with her but refuses to marry her). In the final section, she appears in passing as Kovalev likens Podtochina and her daughter to animals, highlighting how little he respects women.
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Podtochina Character Timeline in The Nose
The timeline below shows where the character Podtochina appears in The Nose. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Section 2
...up with one possible explanation for his misfortune: vengeful witchcraft. Specifically, lays the blame on Podtochina, the mother of an attractive young girl he’s knowingly leading on.
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...sense of recent events, Kovalev reflects on his actions over the past days. Deciding that Podtochina’s witchcraft was the most probable cause of his misfortune, Kovalev sends a note to Podtochina...
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Podtochina quickly pens a reply. In her note, she assumes that Kovalev's mention of a nose...
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Section 3
When he sees Podtochina and her daughter, Kovalev mockingly refers to the pair as “hen-folk.” The narrator describes how,...
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