# The Constable — Short Fiction character guide

> The Constable in Short Fiction by Nikolai Gogol.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0029-i-ivan-ivanovitch-and-ivan-nikiforovitch

## Snapshot

A local official drawn into the escalating absurdity of the two Ivans' quarrel, part of the town's sleepy machinery of authority.

## Who they are

He belongs to the small-town apparatus of judge, police chief, and constable that governs B⸺ with more ceremony than efficiency. When the feud between Ivan Ivanovitch and Ivan Nikiforovitch spirals into petitions and courts, he is one of the functionaries expected to sort it out. His presence shows how petty disputes get absorbed into the slow, comic gears of provincial bureaucracy.

## In the story

### [How the Two Ivans Quarrelled](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se/chapters/how-the-two-ivans-quarrelled)

Involved in the dispute, attempting to mediate or enforce order.

### [From Which the Reader Can Easily Discover What Is Contained in It](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se/chapters/vi-from-which-the-reader-can-easily-discover-what-is-contained-in-it)

Accidentally reveals the stolen petition. Hosts a grand reception where the peacemaking proposal is made.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se/characters/the_constable
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_40_se/characters