As the object that lends the story its title, the carriage is a central symbol. The invitation that Chertokutsky extends to the visiting officers flows from his boasts about his carriage, which he claims is worth 4,000 rubles and could hold a bull in its side pockets. Carried away by his own exaggerations, he asks the men to dinner for the purpose of viewing the carriage; when they arrive and find Chertokutsky absent, they insist on seeing the carriage regardless, discovering both its mediocrity and Chertokutsky’s.

Like modern cars, 19th-century carriages existed at the border of public and private life. They conveyed their passengers through streets and to social events, and their exteriors could be lavishly decorated to communicate the owner’s status. At the same time, they were enclosed spaces that sheltered occupants from public view. The story’s carriage therefore develops themes of both The Performance of Class and, more broadly, Depth and Shallowness. In its disappointing looks, it represents Chertokutsky’s social climbing and self-aggrandizement. By its very nature, however, it holds out the promise of some hidden depth beneath its ordinary exterior. This promise proves equally illusory, resulting in a double disappointment for the officers.