The nose in the story seems to represent high class people because as Kovalev loses his nose, he finds the need to say his important acquaintances and to have people call him "major" feeling that without his nose, no one will know him as an important character. Also, I noticed that during the loss of Kovalev's nose, none of his important acquaintances addressed him, since his nose had run off. The nose was representing another high class character and was noticed around quickly by having people identifying it as an important officer ( later discovered a usurper). Then, when Kovalev recovered his nose, he had the power and courage of an important major to address himself to the wife of some officer in which Gogol uses the nose as a symbol of high class and power.