"The Nose" is divided into three parts and tells the story of Collegiate Assessor Kovalyov, who wakes up one morning without his nose. He later finds out that his nose has developed a life of its own, and has apparently surpassed him by attaining the rank of State Councillor. The short story showcases the obsession with social rank that plagued Russia after Peter the Great introduced the Table of Ranks. By allowing commoners to gain hereditary nobility through service to the state, a huge population was given the chance to move up in social status. This opportunity, however, also gave way to large bureaucracies, in which many of Gogol's characters worked.
What the title Great Expectations imply is Pip's hopes for his future. Pip, being an orphan when he was seven years old, wished for a better future. He sets expectations to achieve one by one his goals in life.
