The final pages of The Overcoat shift abruptly from realism into the fantastic. A ghost resembling the dead Akaky begins snatching coats from passersby in Petersburg, and he only stops after taking the coat of the Significant Person who had dismissed him. Readers have debated for generations whether this is justice, satire, comic relief, or something more unsettling.

That openness makes the ending a rich subject for interpretive essays, and a tricky one to grade. A teacher who privately favors one reading can unintentionally reward essays that match it. A fair approach evaluates the quality of the argument regardless of which interpretation the student chooses.

Before the assignment, decide with your colleagues what the standard should be. Is the goal a defensible reading supported by textual evidence, or is it also a recognition that other readings exist? Clarifying this in advance keeps the grading consistent and the expectations transparent to students.

Common Interpretations Students Choose

Students tend to cluster around a few readings. Some see the ghost as poetic justice, a fantasy in which the powerless finally strike back. Others read it as bitter irony, since the revenge is small and the system remains unchanged, and still others treat it as a comment on the narrator's own inability to end the story realistically.

• Poetic justice: the ghost punishes the man who humiliated Akaky
• Bitter irony: the revenge is symbolic and changes nothing structurally
• Narrative escape: the fantastic ending avoids a harsher realistic conclusion
• Social critique: even a ghost can only reclaim a coat, not dignity
• Ambiguity: the story deliberately refuses a single stable meaning

What to Reward in the Argument

Regardless of the chosen reading, look for a clear claim, specific evidence from the final scenes, and reasoning that connects the two. Notice whether the student considers the change in tone, the shift in the Significant Person's behavior, and the closing image of a different ghost in another part of the city. Essays that attend to these details demonstrate careful reading.

Also reward essays that engage with counterarguments. A student who admits that the ghost's revenge feels satisfying but argues that it does not solve Akaky's real problem is thinking at a higher level. Recognizing that complexity is a mark of mature analysis.

Avoiding Bias in Your Feedback

It helps to write your own thesis on the ending before grading and then set it aside. This reminds you that your reading is one among several. When you encounter a claim you disagree with, ask whether it is supported rather than whether it matches your view.

AI grading tools can support fairness by applying the same criteria to every essay, regardless of the conclusion. They focus on the structure of the argument and the use of evidence rather than on a preferred interpretation. Teachers can then add their own perspective in comments without letting it decide the grade.

Turning the Ending Into a Discussion Asset

After grading, consider sharing anonymized excerpts from essays that take different positions. Reading these together shows students that disagreement is a normal part of literary study. It also gives them a model for how to argue respectfully with a classmate's reading.

This kind of follow-up discussion often improves the next assignment, because students see what a well-supported interpretation looks like. It also builds a classroom culture where interpretation is valued over correctness. That culture tends to spread to other texts in the course.