Images of officials in the poem " Dead Souls»
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol repeatedly addressed the topic of bureaucratic Russia. The satire of this writer affected the officials of his day in such works as The Inspector General, The Overcoat, Notes of a Madman. This theme was also reflected in N. V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls", where, starting from the seventh chapter, bureaucracy is in the center of attention. In contrast to the portraits of landowners depicted in detail in this work, the images of officials are given only with a few strokes. But they are so masterful that they give the reader a complete picture of what a Russian official was like in the 30s and 40s of the 19th century.
This is the governor, embroidering on tulle, and the prosecutor with thick black eyebrows, and the postmaster, wit and philosopher, and many others. The miniature portraits created by Gogol are well remembered for their characteristic details, which give a complete picture of a particular character. For example, why is the head of the province, a person holding a very responsible state position, described by Gogol as a kind man who embroiders on tulle? The reader begs the idea that he is no longer capable of anything, since he is characterized only from this side. And a busy person is unlikely to have time for such an activity. The same can be said about his subordinates.
And what do we know from the poem about the prosecutor? It is true that he, as an idle man, is sitting at home. This is how Sobakevich speaks of him. One of the most significant officials of the city, called upon to monitor the rule of law, the prosecutor did not bother public service. He only dealt with signing papers. And all decisions were made for him by a lawyer, "the first grabber in the world." Therefore, when the prosecutor died, few could say what was outstanding in this man. Chichikov, for example, thought at the funeral that the only thing a prosecutor can remember is his thick black eyebrows. “... Why he died or why he lived, God alone knows” - with these words Gogol speaks of the complete meaninglessness of the life of a prosecutor.
And what is the meaning of the life of the official Ivan Antonovich Pitcher snout? Collect more bribes. This official extorts them, taking advantage of his official position. Gogol describes how Chichikov placed a "paper" in front of Ivan Antonovich, "which he did not notice at all and immediately covered it with a book."
N.V. Gogol in the poem "Dead Souls" not only introduces the reader to individual representatives of the bureaucracy, but also gives them a peculiar classification. He divides them into three groups - lower, thin and thick. The lower are represented by petty officials (clerks, secretaries) Most of them are drunkards.The thin ones are the middle stratum of the bureaucracy, and the fat ones are the provincial nobility, who know how to derive considerable benefit from their high position.
The author also gives us an idea of the way of life of Russian officials in the 30s and 40s of the nineteenth century. Gogol compares officials with a squadron of flies swooping down on tidbits refined sugar. They are occupied with playing cards, drinking, lunches, dinners, gossip. In the society of these people, "meanness, completely disinterested, pure meanness" flourishes. Gogol portrays this class as thieves, bribe-takers and loafers. That is why they cannot convict Chichikov of his machinations - they are bound by mutual responsibility, each, as they say, "stigma in the cannon." And if they try to detain Chichikov for fraud, all their sins will come out.
In The Tale of Captain Kopeikin, Gogol completes the collective portrait of the official he gave in the poem. The indifference faced by the disabled war hero Kopeikin is terrifying. And here already we are talking not about some petty county officials. Gogol shows how a desperate hero, who is trying to get his pension, reaches the highest authorities. But even there he does not find the truth, faced with the complete indifference of a high-ranking St. Petersburg dignitary. Thus, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol makes it clear that the vices struck the whole bureaucratic Russia - from a small county town to the capital. These vices make people "dead souls".
The sharp satire of the author not only flaunts bureaucratic sins, but also shows terrible social consequences inactivity, indifference and greed.
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The city governor is one of secondary characters in "Dead Souls" Like other officials of the city of N, the governor is delighted with the charming swindler Chichikov, invites him to his evenings and introduces his wife and daughter. The stupid governor, like all other officials, realizes too late who Chichikov is. The swindler Chichikov safely leaves the city with ready documents to "dead souls".
Vice-Governor "... with the Vice-Governor and the Chairman of the House, who were still only State Councilors..." worthy person, - answered Chichikov ... "" ... He and even the vice-governor are Gog and Magog! ..." (Sobakevich says that the vice-governor and the governor are robbers)
The prosecutor is one of the officials of city N in the poem "Dead Souls" by Gogol. The main features of the prosecutor's appearance are his thick eyebrows and blinking eyes. According to Sobakevich, among all the officials, the prosecutor is one decent person, but he is still a "pig". When Chichikov's scam is revealed, the prosecutor is so worried that he suddenly dies.
Postmaster - one of the officials of city N in the poem "Dead Souls". This article presents quote image and characteristics of the postmaster in the poem "Dead Souls": a description of the appearance and character of the hero
The chairman of the chamber is one of the officials of city N in the poem "Dead Souls". Ivan Grigorievich is a rather nice, amiable, but stupid person. Chichikov easily deceives both the chairman and other officials. The stupid chairman of the chamber is unaware of Chichikov's scam and even himself helps to draw up documents for "dead souls".
Police chief Alexei Ivanovich is one of the officials provincial city N in the poem "Dead Souls". Sometimes this character is erroneously referred to as the "police chief". But, according to the text of "Dead Souls", the position of the hero is called "police chief". This article presents a quotation image and characterization of the police chief in the poem "Dead Souls": a description of the appearance and character of the hero.
Inspector of the medical council "... he even came to pay his respects to the inspector of the medical council..." the medical board suddenly turned pale; God knows what it seemed to him: whether the word “dead souls” does not mean sick people who died in significant numbers in hospitals and in other places from general fever, against which proper measures were not taken, and that Chichikov was not sent ... "
Mayor “... Then he was […] at a snack after mass, given by the mayor, which was also worth dinner…” (the mayor hopes to profit)
Gendarmerie colonel "... the gendarmerie colonel said that he scientist man... "(Colonel about Chichikov)
The manager of state-owned factories "... then he was […] at the head of state-owned factories .."
City architect “... he even came to pay respect […] to the city architect
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol repeatedly addressed the topic of bureaucratic Russia. The satire of this writer affected the officials of his day in such works as The Inspector General, The Overcoat, Notes of a Madman. This theme was also reflected in N. V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls", where, starting from the seventh chapter, bureaucracy is in the center of attention. In contrast to the portraits of landowners depicted in detail in this work, the images of officials are given only with a few strokes. But they are so masterful that they give the reader a complete picture of what a Russian official was like in the 30s and 40s of the 19th century.
This is the governor, embroidering on tulle, and the prosecutor with thick black eyebrows, and the postmaster, wit and philosopher, and many others. The miniature portraits created by Gogol are well remembered for their characteristic details, which give a complete picture of a particular character. For example, why is the head of the province, a person holding a very responsible state position, described by Gogol as a kind man who embroiders on tulle? The reader begs the idea that he is no longer capable of anything, since he is characterized only from this side. And a busy person is unlikely to have time for such an activity. The same can be said about his subordinates.
And what do we know from the poem about the prosecutor? It is true that he, as an idle man, is sitting at home. This is how Sobakevich speaks of him. One of the most significant officials of the city, called upon to monitor the rule of law, the prosecutor did not bother himself with public service. He only dealt with signing papers. And all the decisions were made for him by a lawyer, "the first grabber in the world." Therefore, when the prosecutor died, few could say what was outstanding in this man. Chichikov, for example, thought at the funeral that the only thing a prosecutor can remember is his thick black eyebrows. "... Why he died or why he lived, only God knows" - with these words Gogol speaks of the complete meaninglessness of the life of a prosecutor.
And what is the meaning of the life of the official Ivan Antonovich Pitcher snout? Collect more bribes. This official extorts them, taking advantage of his official position. Gogol describes how Chichikov placed a "paper" in front of Ivan Antonovich, "which he did not notice at all and immediately covered it with a book."
N.V. Gogol in the poem "Dead Souls" not only "acquaints the reader with individual representatives of the bureaucracy, but also gives them a peculiar classification. He divides them into three groups - lower, thin and thick. The lower ones are represented by petty officials (clerks, secretaries) Most of them are drunkards.The thin ones are the middle stratum of the bureaucracy, and the fat ones are the provincial nobility, who know how to derive considerable benefit from their high position.
The author also gives us an idea of the way of life of Russian officials in the 30s and 40s of the nineteenth century. Gogol compares government officials to a squadron of flies swooping down on tidbits of refined sugar. They are occupied with playing cards, drinking, lunches, dinners, gossip. In the society of these people, "meanness, completely disinterested, pure meanness" flourishes. Gogol portrays this class as thieves, bribe-takers and loafers. That is why they cannot convict Chichikov of his machinations - they are bound by mutual responsibility, each, as they say, "stigma in the cannon." And if they try to detain Chichikov. for cheating, all their sins will come out.
In The Tale of Captain Kopeikin, Gogol completes the collective portrait of the official he gave in the poem. The indifference faced by the disabled war hero Kopeikin is terrifying. And here we are not talking about some petty county officials. Gogol shows how a desperate hero, who is trying to get his pension, reaches the highest authorities. But even there he does not find the truth, faced with the complete indifference of a high-ranking St. Petersburg dignitary. Thus, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol makes it clear that the vices struck the whole bureaucratic Russia - from a small county town to the capital. These vices make people "dead souls".
Composition
IN tsarist Russia In the 30s of the XIX century, a real disaster for the people was not only serfdom, but also an extensive bureaucratic bureaucracy. Called to stand guard over law and order, representatives of the administrative authorities thought only of their own material wealth, robbing the treasury, extorting bribes, mocking disenfranchised people. Thus, the theme of exposing the bureaucratic world was very relevant for Russian literature. Gogol addressed her more than once in such works as The Inspector General, The Overcoat, Notes of a Madman. She found expression in the poem "Dead Souls", where, starting from the seventh chapter, the bureaucracy is in the center of the author's attention. Despite the absence of detailed and detailed images similar to landlord heroes, the picture of bureaucratic life in Gogol's poem is striking in its breadth.
With two or three masterful strokes, the writer draws wonderful miniature portraits. This is the governor, embroidering on tulle, and the prosecutor with very black thick eyebrows, and the short postmaster, wit and philosopher, and many others. These sketchy faces are remembered for their characteristic funny details, which are filled with deep meaning. Indeed, why is the head of an entire province characterized as a kind man who sometimes embroiders on tulle? Probably because as a leader there is nothing to say about him. From this it is easy to conclude how negligently and dishonestly the governor treats his official duties to civic duty. The same can be said about his subordinates. Gogol makes extensive use of the characterization of the hero by other characters in the poem. For example, when a witness was needed to formalize the purchase of serfs, Sobakevich tells Chichikov that the prosecutor, as an idle man, is right at home. But this is one of the most significant officials of the city, who must administer justice, monitor compliance with the law. The description of the prosecutor in the poem is enhanced by the description of his death and funeral. He did nothing but mindlessly sign papers, as he left all decisions to the solicitor, "the first grabber in the world." Obviously, the rumors about the sale of "dead souls" became the cause of his death, since it was he who was responsible for all the illegal deeds that took place in the city. Gogol's bitter irony is heard in reflections on the meaning of the prosecutor's life: "...why he died, or why he lived, only God knows." Even Chichikov, looking at the prosecutor's funeral, involuntarily comes to the conclusion that the only thing the dead man can remember is thick black eyebrows.
Close-up gives writer typical image official Ivan Antonovich Pitcher snout. Taking advantage of his position, he extorts bribes from visitors. It is ridiculous to read about how Chichikov placed a "paper" in front of Ivan Antonovich, "which he did not notice at all and immediately covered it with a book." But it is sad from the consciousness of the hopeless situation in which they found themselves Russian citizens dependent on dishonest, greedy people representing state power. This idea is emphasized by Gogol's comparison of an official civil chamber with Virgil. At first glance, it is unacceptable. But the nasty official, like the Roman poet in " Divine Comedy"leads Chichikov through all the circles of bureaucratic hell. This means that this comparison reinforces the impression of the evil with which the whole administrative system imperial Russia.
Gogol gives in the poem a peculiar classification of bureaucracy, dividing the representatives of this estate into lower, thin and thick. The writer gives a sarcastic description of each of these groups. The lower are, by Gogol's definition, nondescript clerks and secretaries, as a rule, bitter drunkards. By "thin" the author means the middle stratum, and "thick" is the provincial nobility, who firmly holds on to their places and deftly extracts considerable income from their high position.
Gogol is inexhaustible in his choice of surprisingly accurate and well-aimed comparisons. So, he likens officials to a squadron of flies that swoop down on tidbits of refined sugar. Provincial officials are also characterized in the poem by their usual activities: playing cards, drinking parties, lunches, dinners, gossip Gogol writes that "meanness, completely disinterested, pure meanness" flourishes in the society of these civil servants. Their quarrels do not end in a duel, because "they were all civil servants." They have other methods and means by which they do harm to each other, which is harder than any duel. There are no significant differences in the way of life of officials, in their actions and views. Gogol draws this estate as thieves, bribe-takers, loafers and swindlers who are bound to each other by mutual responsibility. That is why officials feel so uncomfortable when Chichikov's scam was revealed, because each of them remembered his sins. If they try to detain Chichikov for his fraud, then he will be able to accuse them of dishonesty. A comical situation arises when people in power help a swindler in his illegal machinations and are afraid of him.
Gogol in the poem pushes the boundaries of the county town, introducing into it "The Tale of Captain Kopeikin". It no longer tells about local abuses, but about the arbitrariness and lawlessness that the highest St. Petersburg officials, that is, the government itself, are doing. The contrast between the unheard-of luxury of St. Petersburg and the miserable beggarly position of Kopeikin, who shed blood for the fatherland, is striking, and lost an arm and a leg. But despite the injury and military merit, this war hero is not even entitled to his pension. A desperate invalid tries to find help in the capital, but his attempt is shattered by the cold indifference of a high-ranking dignitary. This disgusting image of a soulless St. Petersburg nobleman completes the characterization of the world of officials. All of them, starting with small provincial secretary and ending with a representative of the highest administrative authority, dishonest, mercenary, cruel people indifferent to the fate of the country and people. It is to this conclusion that the remarkable poem by N. V. Gogol "Dead Souls" leads the reader.
« Dead Souls" - one of the brightest works Russian literature. By the strength and depth of ideas, by
Artistic skill "Dead Souls" are on a par with such masterpieces of Russian classical literature, like "Woe from Wit" by Griboyedov, "Eugene Onegin" and " Captain's daughter» Pushkin, as well as the best works Goncharov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Leskov.
Starting to create "Dead Souls", Gogol wrote to Pushkin that in his work he wants to show "from one side" all of Rus'. "All Rus' will appear in it!" - he also told Zhukovsky. Indeed, Gogol was able to illuminate many aspects of the life of contemporary Russia, to reflect with wide completeness the spiritual and social conflicts in her life.
Undoubtedly, " Dead souls And" were very relevant for their time. Even the title of the publication of the work Gogol had to change, as it irritated the censors. The high political effectiveness of the poem is due to both the sharpness of the ideas and the topicality of the images.
The poem broadly reflects the Nikolaev reactionary era, when any initiative, free-thinking were suppressed, the bureaucratic apparatus grew significantly, and a system of denunciations and investigations operated.
IN " Dead souls» delivered extremely important questions both for its time and for Russia in general: the question of serfs and landowners, of bureaucracy and corruption in all spheres of life.
Depicting Russia contemporary to him, Gogol devoted a significant place to the description: provincial (VII-IX chapters) and capital (“The Tale of Captain Kopeikin”).
Provincial officials are represented in the images of officials of the city N. It is characteristic that they all live as one family: they spend their leisure time together, address each other by name and patronymic (“My dearest friend Ilya Ilyich!”), They are hospitable. Gogol does not even mention their names. On the other hand, officials are bound by mutual responsibility in matters related to the service.
The widespread bribery that reigned in Russia was also reflected in Gogol's work. This motif is very important in the description of life. Officialdom in poem Dead souls: police chief, despite the fact that he visits gostiny dvor, as in his own pantry, enjoys the love of merchants because he is not proud and courteous; Ivan Antonovich accepts a bribe from Chichikov deftly, competently, for granted.
The motive of bribery also appears in the biography of Chichikov himself, and the episode with a certain generalized petitioner can be considered a digression about bribes.
All officials treat the service as an opportunity to profit at the expense of others, therefore lawlessness, bribery and corruption flourish everywhere, disorder and red tape reign. Good soil for the growth of these vices is bureaucracy. It was under his conditions that Chichikov's scam was possible.
Because of "sins" in the service, all officials are afraid of checking the auditor sent by the government. Chichikov's incomprehensible behavior terrifies the city Officialdom in the poem Dead Souls: “Suddenly both turned pale; fear is more sticky than the plague and is communicated instantly. All of a sudden, they found in themselves such sins that did not even exist. Suddenly, they have assumptions, there are rumors that Chichikov is Napoleon himself, or Captain Kopeikan, going to the auditor. The motif of gossip is typical for describing the life of Russian society in literature XIX century, it is also present in Dead Souls.
The position of an official in society corresponds to his rank: the higher the position, the greater the authority, respect, the more preferable is acquaintance with him. Meanwhile, there are some qualities that are necessary "for this world: both pleasantness in appearance, in turns of speech and deeds, and briskness in deeds ..." Chichikov possessed all this, who knew how to maintain a conversation, present himself favorably to society, unobtrusively show respect, provide service. “In a word, he was a very decent person; therefore he was so well received by the society of the city of N.”
For the most part, officials are not engaged in service, but spend time in entertainment (dinners and balls). Here they indulge in their only "sensible occupation" - playing cards. Playing cards is more characteristic of fat than thin, and this is what they do at the ball. The fathers of the city give themselves up to the game of cards without a trace, show imagination, eloquence, liveliness of mind.
Gogol did not forget to point out the ignorance and stupidity of officials. Saying sarcastically that many of them "were not without education", the author immediately points to the limit of their interests: "Lyudmila" Zhukovsky, Karamzin or "Moscow News"; many did not read anything at all.
Entering into the poem "The Tale of Captain Kopeikin", Gogol introduced a description of the capital's bureaucracy. As well as in provincial town, officialdom Petersburg is subject to bureaucracy, bribery, servility.
Despite the fact that Gogol introduced officialdom more as a whole, individual images can be distinguished. Thus, the governor, who in his person represents the highest city authority, is shown somewhat in a comical light: he had "Anna around his neck" and, perhaps, was introduced to a star; but, by the way, he was "a great kind man and even sometimes embroidered on tulle himself." He was "neither fat nor thin." And if Manilov says that the governor is "the most respectable and most amiable person", then Sobakevich directly declares that this is "the first robber in the world." It seems that both assessments of the governor's personality are correct and characterize him from different angles.
The prosecutor is an absolutely useless person in the service. In his portrait, Gogol points out one detail: very thick eyebrows and a seemingly conspiratorial winking eye. One gets the impression of dishonesty, uncleanliness, cunning of the prosecutor. Indeed, such qualities are characteristic of court employees where lawlessness flourishes: the poem mentions two of the many cases when an unjust court was committed (the case of a fight between peasants and the murder of an assessor).
The inspector of the medical board is frightened by talk about Chichikov no less than others, since he also has sins: in the infirmaries there is no proper care for the sick, therefore, in in large numbers people are dying. The inspector is not embarrassed by this fact, he is indifferent to the fate ordinary people, but he is afraid of the auditor, who can punish him and deprive him of his post.
Nothing is said about the postmaster being engaged in postal affairs, which indicates that he does nothing remarkable in the service: just like other officials, he either does nothing, or tries to rob and profit. Gogol mentions only
The fact that the postmaster is engaged in philosophy and makes large extracts from books.
The disclosure of the images of officials is also served by some digressions. For example, a satirical digression about fat and thin typifies the images of officials. The author divides men into two types, characterizing them depending on their physical appearance: the thin ones love to court women, and the fat ones, preferring the game of whist to the ladies, know how to “do their business better”, always firmly, invariably occupy reliable places.
Another example: Gogol compares Russian officials with foreigners - "wise men" who know how to treat people of different status and social status in different ways. So, speaking about the veneration of officials and their understanding of subordination, Gogol creates the image of a kind of conditional manager of the office, radically changing outwardly depending on whose society he is in: among subordinates or in front of the boss.
The world represented by Gogol, called " Officialdom in the poem "Dead Souls""very colorful, many-sided. Comic images of officials, brought together, create a picture of the ugly social structure of Russia. And Gogol's creation causes laughter and tears, because even more than a century later, it allows you to recognize familiar situations, faces, characters, fates. Great the talent of Gogol, who so uniquely vividly described reality, pointed out the ulcer of society, which they could not heal even after a century.
Composition: Officialdom in the poem "Dead Souls"
