Characteristics of a literary hero

Sobakevich Mikhailo Semenych - landowner, the fourth "seller" of dead souls. The very name and appearance of this hero (reminiscent of a “medium-sized bear”, the tailcoat on him is “completely bearish” in color, steps at random, his complexion is “hot, hot”) indicate his power of his nature.
From the very beginning, the image of S. is associated with the theme of money, housekeeping, and calculation (at the time of entering the village, S. Chichikov dreams of a 200,000-strong dowry). Talking with Chichikov S., not paying attention to the evasiveness of Chichikov, he busily moves on to the essence of the question: “Do you need dead souls?” The main thing for S. is the price, everything else does not interest him. With knowledge of the matter, S. bargains, praises his goods (all souls are “like a vigorous nut”) and even manages to cheat Chichikov (slips him a “female soul” - Elizaveta Sparrow). The mental image of S. is reflected in everything that surrounds him. In his house, all “useless” architectural beauties are removed. Huts of peasants were also built without any decorations. In S.'s house, there are paintings on the walls depicting exclusively Greek heroes who look like the owner of the house. The dark-colored speckled thrush and the pot-bellied walnut bureau (“perfect bear”) are similar to S.. In turn, the hero himself also looks like an object - his legs are like cast-iron pedestals. S. is a type of Russian fist, a strong, prudent owner. Its peasants live well, reliably. The fact that S.'s natural power and efficiency turned into dull inertia is more likely not the fault, but the hero's misfortune. S. lives exclusively in modern times, in the 1820s. From the height of his power, S. sees how the life surrounding him has been crushed. During the bargain, he remarks: “... what kind of people are these? flies, not people”, much worse than the dead. S. occupies one of the highest places in the spiritual “hierarchy” of heroes, because, according to the author, he has many chances for rebirth. By nature, he is endowed with many good qualities, he has a rich potential and a powerful nature. Their realization will be shown in the second volume of the poem - in the image of the landowner Costanjoglo.

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1. Folklore sources of the image of Sobakevich epic and fairy-tale heroes (Yeruslan Lazarevich, Ilya Muromets, etc.). Possible literary sources: Taras Skotinin from D. Fonviziia's comedy "Undergrowth", bear-like robber Burdash from M. Zagoskin's novel "Yuri Miloslavsky". The heroic power of Sobakevich (leg shod in Read More ......
2. Sobakevich is gloomy, clumsy. “When Chichikov looked at Sobakevich, he ... seemed to him very similar to a medium-sized bear. To complete the resemblance, his tailcoat was bear-colored, the sleeves were long, the pantaloons were long, he stepped at random with his feet ... Chichikov looked again Read More ......
3. “Dead Souls” was published after the death of A. S. Pushkin, but N. V. Gogol managed to read the first chapters of the poem to him. The great poet, who always laughed while reading Gogol, this time became more and more gloomy as he read the chapters. When Read More ......
4. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is a talented satirist writer. His gift was especially bright and original in the poem "Dead Souls" when creating images of landowners. The characteristics of the heroes are full of sarcasm when Gogol describes the most useless people, but vested with the right to dispose of the peasants. The author describes the estates of the landowners, Read More ......
5. “Dead souls: from the history of the subjective author's narration Book fragment: Kozhevnikova N. A. Types of narration in Russian literature of the 19th-20th centuries. M., 1994 Different methods of subjective author's narration, the set of which does not coincide with different writers, interact with each other. It can be shown Read More......
6. A few words about Gogol's poem: The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls We do not at all undertake the important work of giving an account in this new great work of Gogol, who has already become highly previous creations; we deem it necessary to say a few words to indicate Read More ......
7. When Chichikov glanced askance at Sobakevich, this time he seemed to him very much like a medium-sized bear. To complete the resemblance, the tailcoat on him was completely bearish in color, the sleeves were long, the pantaloons were long, he stepped with his feet at random and Read More ......
8. The poem "Dead Souls" was written in 1841. The Rus' of the feudal lords and officials is described by Gogol With all the ruthlessness of a great realist. The landed nobility was the main political force in Russia. The landlords owned not only the land, but also the people, Just as a person can own Read More ......

Sobakevich follows fourth in the gallery of Gogol's landowners. This image is compared with Shakespeare's Caliban, but there is also a lot of purely Russian, national in it.

The main features of Sobakevich are intelligence, efficiency, practical acumen, but at the same time, he is characterized by stinginess, some kind of heavy stability in views, character, lifestyle. These features are already noticeable in the Hero's Portrait itself, which looks like a bear of "medium size". They even call him Mikhail Semenovich. “To complete the resemblance, the tailcoat on him was completely bearish in color, the sleeves were long, the pantaloons were long, he stepped with his feet and at random and stepped incessantly on other people's legs. The complexion was red-hot, hot, which happens on a copper penny.

In the portrait of Sobakevich, one can feel the grotesque motif of the hero's rapprochement with an animal, with a thing. Thus, Gogol emphasizes the limited interests of the landowner in the world of material life.

Gogol also reveals the qualities of the hero through the landscape, interior and dialogues. The village of Sobakevich is "quite large". To the left and to the right of it are "two forests, birch and pine, like two wings, one dark, the other lighter." Already these forests speak of the thriftiness of the landowner, his practical acumen.

Fully corresponds to the external and internal appearance of the owner and his estate. Sobakevich does not care at all about the aesthetics, the external beauty of the objects surrounding him, thinking only about their functionality. Chichikov, approaching Sobakevich's house, notes that during the construction, obviously, "the architect constantly fought with the taste of the owner." “The architect was a pedant and wanted symmetry, the owner wanted convenience…”, remarks Gogol. This “convenience”, concern for the functionality of objects is manifested in Sobakevich in everything. The landowner's yard is surrounded by a "strong and excessively thick wooden lattice", the stables and sheds are made of full-weight, thick logs, even the village huts of the peasants are "cut down wonderfully" - "everything ... is fitted tightly and as it should."

The situation in Sobakevich's house reproduces the same "strong, clumsy order." A table, armchairs, chairs - all "of the most heaviest and restless nature", in the corner of the living room stands "a pot-bellied walnut bureau on absurd four legs, a perfect bear." Paintings of "Greek generals" hang on the walls - unusually strong and tall fellows, "with such thick thighs and unheard-of mustaches that a shiver passes through the body."

It is characteristic that here the motif of heroism reappears, "playing the role of a positive ideological pole in the poem." And this motif is set not only by the images of Greek generals, but also by the portrait of Sobakevich himself, who has "the strongest and most marvelously stitched image." This motif reflected Gogol's dream of Russian heroism, concluded, according to the writer, not only in physical strength, but also in "the untold wealth of the Russian spirit." The writer captures here the very essence of the Russian soul: “Russian movements will rise ... and they will see how deeply that which slipped only through the nature of other peoples has sunk into Slavic nature.”

However, in the image of Sobakevich, the "wealth of the Russian spirit" is suppressed by the world of material life. The landowner is concerned only with the preservation of his wealth and the abundance of the table. Most of all, he loves to eat well and tasty, not recognizing foreign diets. So, lunch at Sobakevich's is very "diverse": stuffed mutton's stomach is served with cabbage soup, then "mutton's side with porridge", cheesecakes, stuffed turkey and jam follow. “When I have pork, put the whole pig on the table, lamb - drag the whole ram, goose - just the goose!” he says to Chichikov. Here Gogol debunks gluttony, one of the human vices that Orthodoxy struggles with.

Characteristically, Sobakevich is far from stupid: he immediately realized what the essence of Pavel Ivanovich's lengthy speech was and quickly set his price for the dead peasants. The landowner is logical and consistent during the bargaining with Chichikov.

Sobakevich is insightful in his own way, endowed with a sober view of things. He has no illusions about city officials: “... they are all swindlers; the whole city is like this: a swindler sits on a swindler and drives a swindler. In the words of the hero here lies the truth of the author, his position.

The mind of Sobakevich, his insight and, at the same time, "wildness", unsociableness, unsociableness of the landowner are manifested in his speech. Sobakevich speaks very clearly, briefly, without excessive "prettyness" and ornateness. So, to Chichikov's lengthy rantings about the burdensome landowner's obligation to pay taxes for revision souls who "finished their life's career", Mikhail Ivanovich "reacts" with one phrase; "Do you need dead souls?" Discussing acquaintances, the landowner may scold, use a "strong word."

The image of Sobakevich in the poem is static: readers are not presented with the life story of the hero, any spiritual changes in him. However, the character before us is alive and multifaceted. As in the chapters on the rest of the landowners, Gogol uses here all the elements of the composition (landscape, interior, portrait, speech), subordinating them to the leitmotif of this image.

Characteristics of the hero

Sobakevich Mikhailo Semenych - landowner, the fourth "seller" of dead souls. The very name and appearance of this hero (reminiscent of a “medium-sized bear”, the tailcoat on him is “completely bearish” in color, steps at random, his complexion is “hot, hot”) indicate his power of his nature.

From the very beginning, the image of S. is associated with the theme of money, housekeeping, and calculation (at the time of entering the village, S. Chichikov dreams of a 200,000-strong dowry). Talking with Chichikov S., not paying attention to Chichikov's evasiveness, he busily moves on to the essence of the question: "Do you need dead souls?" The main thing for S. is the price, everything else does not interest him. With knowledge of the matter, S. bargains, praises his goods (all souls are “like a vigorous nut”) and even manages to cheat Chichikov (slips him a “female soul” - Elizaveta Sparrow). The mental image of S. is reflected in everything that surrounds him. In his house, all "useless" architectural beauties are removed. Huts of peasants were also built without any decorations. In S.'s house, there are paintings on the walls depicting exclusively Greek heroes who look like the owner of the house. The dark-colored speckled thrush and the pot-bellied nut bureau (“perfect bear”) are similar to S. In turn, the hero himself also looks like an object - his legs are like cast-iron pedestals. S. is a type of Russian kulak, a strong, prudent master. Its peasants live well, reliably. The fact that S.'s natural power and efficiency turned into dull inertia is more likely not the fault, but the hero's misfortune. S. lives exclusively in modern times, in the 1820s. From the height of his power, S. sees how the life surrounding him has been crushed. During the bargain, he remarks: “... what kind of people are these? flies, not people”, much worse than the dead. S. occupies one of the highest places in the spiritual "hierarchy" of heroes, because, according to the author, he has many chances for rebirth. By nature, he is endowed with many good qualities, he has a rich potential and a powerful nature. Their realization will be shown in the second volume of the poem - in the image of the landowner Costanjoglo.

Sobakevich's possessions Mikhail Semenovich Sobakevich in the poem "Dead Souls" in the gallery of images appears before readers as the fourth character in a row. Acquaintance with him begins long before the appearance of the hero himself. Chichikov's gaze opens up a large village with strong and solid buildings. The house of the landowner himself seemed to have been determined "for eternal standing." The buildings that belonged to the peasants also surprised Chichikov with their reliability and good quality. In the description of the landscape, attention should be paid to the forests that surround the village. On one side there was a birch forest, and on the other, a pine forest. This also indicates the thriftiness of the owner of the estate. Gogol compares the forest with the wings of the same bird, but one of them is light and the other is dark. Perhaps this is an indication of the nature of the character. So Gogol prepares the reader for the perception of the difficult image of the landowner Sobakevich.

Appearance Sobakevich Description of Sobakevich, Gogol gives his external characteristics in comparison with animals and inanimate objects. This is a medium-sized clumsy bear. He moves by stepping on someone's feet. His coat is bearish. Even the name, Mikhailo Semenovich, causes the reader to associate with an animal. This was done by Gogol not by chance. The characterization of Sobakevich, the description of his inner world begins precisely with the perception of the character's appearance. After all, we first of all pay attention to such features. The complexion of Sobakevich's face, which was red-hot, hot, like that of a copper penny, also indicates some kind of strength, inviolability of character.

Description of the interior and the image of the hero of the poem The interior of the rooms where Sobakevich lived is unusually similar to the image of the owner. Here the armchairs, the table, the chairs were as clumsy, cumbersome, heavy as he was. The reader, having familiarized himself with the description of the appearance of the hero, his environment, can assume that his spiritual interests are limited, that he is too close to the world of material life.

What distinguishes Sobakevich from other landowners The image of the landowner Sobakevich, having many similarities with other characters in the poem, at the same time is very different from them. It brings some variety. The landowner Sobakevich not only loves reliability and strength in everything, but also gives his serfs the opportunity to live thoroughly and stand firmly on their feet. This demonstrates the practical acumen and efficiency of this character. When a deal was made with Chichikov for the sale of dead souls, Sobakevich personally wrote a list of his deceased peasants. At the same time, he remembered not only their names, but also the crafts that his subordinates owned. He could describe each of them - name the attractive and negative aspects of a person's character. This indicates that the landlord is not indifferent to who lives in his village, who he owns. At the right moment, he will use the qualities of his people, of course, to his advantage. He absolutely does not accept excessive stinginess and condemns his neighbors for this. So Sobakevich speaks of Plyushkin, who, having eight hundred souls of serfs, eats worse than a shepherd. Mikhailo Semenovich himself is very happy to please his stomach. Gluttony, perhaps, is his main thing in life

Making a Deal This is an interesting point in the poem. The moment of concluding a deal related to the purchase of dead souls tells a lot about Sobakevich. The reader notices that the landowner is smart - he understands perfectly what Chichikov wants. Again, such features as practicality and the desire to do everything for the benefit of themselves come to the fore. In addition, in this situation, the straightforwardness of Sobakevich is manifested. Sometimes it turns into rudeness, ignorance, cynicism, which is the real essence of the character.

What is alarming in the description of the image of the hero Characteristics of Sobakevich, some of his actions, statements make the reader alert. Although much of what the landowner does, at first glance, seems worthy of respect. For example, the desire to ensure that the peasants stand firmly on their feet does not at all indicate the high spirituality of Sobakevich. This is done only for the benefit of oneself - there is always something to take from a strong economy of subjects. About city officials, Sobakevich says that they are swindlers, "Christ-sellers." And this is most likely true. But all of the above does not prevent him from having some profitable business and relationships with these scammers. His attitude to science and education is sharply negative. And the people who do this, Mikhailo Semenovich would have hanged - they are so hated by him. This is probably due to the fact that Sobakevich understands that education can shake the established foundations, and this is unprofitable for the landowner. Hence his heaviness and stability of views.

Mortality of the soul Sobakevich's characterization, with all its positive and negative aspects, allows us to draw the main conclusion: the landowner Mikhailo Semenovich is dead just like his neighbors, officials from the city, the adventurer Chichikov. Having an established character, lifestyle, Sobakevich and his neighbors will not allow any changes around them. Why do they need it? To change, a person needs a soul, and these people do not have it. Gogol never managed to look into the eyes of Sobakevich and other characters in the poem (except Plyushkin). This technique once again indicates the absence of a soul. The deadness of the characters is also evidenced by the fact that the author tells very little about the family ties of the characters. One gets the impression that they all came from nowhere, they have no roots, which means there is no life.

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Characteristics of Sobakevich, the hero of Gogol's poem "Dead Souls"

The idea of ​​the poem "Dead Souls", which became immortal, was presented to Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol by the poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. The creation of a work is the main mission that Gogol had to fulfill. The writer himself thought so. Gogol's plans included the composition of three volumes of the poem (in the likeness of Hell, Purgatory, Paradise). Only the first volume of the work was written and published. Only he reached the reader. The sad fate of the second volume and the reasons that gave rise to it remain a mystery to this day. Modern philologists in their writings are trying to unravel the mysteries associated with writing a work. For this purpose, the images created in the poem are carefully studied and analyzed, the characteristics of Sobakevich, Manilov, Korobochka and other main characters are given.

Gallery of images of the poem

In the poem "The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls", namely under this heading, the work was published for the first time, a whole gallery of images is presented - different types of people and even inanimate objects. Using this technique, Gogol masterfully depicts the way of life in Russia in the 19th century.

He shows common features - the ignorance of officials, the arbitrariness of the authorities, the plight of the people. At the same time, the characters of individual characters, their individual characteristics are vividly represented in the poem.

For example, the image of Sobakevich, Plyushkin, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Manilov, Chichikov allows the reader to understand that the characters are typical representatives of a certain era, although each carries something of his own, individual, different from the others. The appearances of the characters in Gogol's poem are not random moments. Their presentation to the reader is subject to a certain order, which is very important for revealing the general idea of ​​the work.

Sobakevich's possessions

Mikhail Semenovich Sobakevich in the poem "Dead Souls" in the gallery of images appears before the readers as the fourth character in a row. Acquaintance with him begins long before the appearance of the hero himself.

Chichikov's gaze opens up a large village with strong and solid buildings. The house of the landowner himself seemed to have been determined "for eternal standing." The buildings that belonged to the peasants also surprised Chichikov with their reliability and good quality.

It is immediately clear that the external side of the buildings, their aesthetics do not excite the owner at all. What matters is the functionality, the practical benefit of what surrounds it.

In the description of the landscape, attention should be paid to the forests that surround the village. On one side there was a birch forest, and on the other - a pine forest. This also indicates the thriftiness of the owner of the estate. Gogol compares the forest with the wings of the same bird, but one of them is light and the other is dark. Perhaps this is an indication of the nature of the character. So Gogol prepares the reader for the perception of the difficult image of the landowner Sobakevich.

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The appearance of the hero

Gogol gives a description of Sobakevich, his external characteristics in comparison with animals and inanimate objects.

This is a medium-sized clumsy bear. He moves by stepping on someone's feet. His coat is bearish. Even the name, Mikhailo Semenovich, causes the reader to associate with an animal.

This was done by Gogol not by chance. The characterization of Sobakevich, the description of his inner world begins precisely with the perception of the character's appearance. After all, we first of all pay attention to such features.

The complexion of Sobakevich's face, which was red-hot, hot, like that of a copper penny, also indicates some kind of strength, inviolability of character.

Description of the interior and the image of the hero of the poem

The interior of the rooms where Sobakevich lived is unusually similar to the image of the owner. Here the armchairs, the table, the chairs were as clumsy, cumbersome, heavy as he was.

The reader, having familiarized himself with the description of the appearance of the hero, his environment, can assume that his spiritual interests are limited, that he is too close to the world of material life.

What distinguishes Sobakevich from other landowners

The attentive reader will surely notice this difference. The image of the landowner Sobakevich, having many similarities with other characters in the poem, at the same time is very different from them. It brings some variety.

The landowner Sobakevich not only loves reliability and strength in everything, but also gives his serfs the opportunity to live thoroughly and stand firmly on their feet. This shows the practical acumen and efficiency of this character.

When a deal was made with Chichikov for the sale of dead souls, Sobakevich personally wrote a list of his deceased peasants. At the same time, he remembered not only their names, but also the crafts that his subordinates owned. He could describe each of them - name the attractive and negative aspects of a person's character.

This indicates that the landlord is not indifferent to who lives in his village, who he owns. At the right moment, he will use the qualities of his people, of course, to his advantage.

He absolutely does not accept excessive stinginess and condemns his neighbors for this. So Sobakevich speaks of Plyushkin, who, having eight hundred souls of serfs, eats worse than a shepherd. Mikhailo Semenovich himself is very happy to please his stomach. Gluttony, perhaps, is his main business in life.

Make a deal

This is an interesting point in the poem. The moment of concluding a deal related to the purchase of dead souls tells a lot about Sobakevich. The reader notices that the landowner is smart - he understands perfectly what Chichikov wants. Again, such features as practicality and the desire to do everything for the benefit of themselves come to the fore.

In addition, in this situation, the straightforwardness of Sobakevich is manifested. Sometimes it turns into rudeness, ignorance, cynicism, which is the real essence of the character.

What is alarming in the description of the image of the hero

Characteristics of Sobakevich, some of his actions, statements make the reader alert. Although much of what the landowner does, at first glance, seems worthy of respect. For example, the desire to ensure that the peasants stand firmly on their feet does not at all indicate the high spirituality of Sobakevich. This is done only for the benefit of oneself - there is always something to take from the strong economy of the subjects.

About city officials, Sobakevich says that they are swindlers, "Christ-sellers." And this is most likely true. But all of the above does not prevent him from having some profitable business and relationships with these scammers.

The reader is also alarmed by the fact that he did not say a single kind word about a single person with whom Sobakevich is familiar, with whom he is friends, if it can be called that.

His attitude to science and education is sharply negative. And Mikhailo Semyonovich would hang the people who do this - they are so hated by him. This is probably due to the fact that Sobakevich understands that education can shake the established foundations, and this is unprofitable for the landowner. Hence his heaviness and stability of views.

Mortality of the soul of Sobakevich

The characterization of Sobakevich, with all its positive and negative points, allows us to draw the main conclusion: the landowner Mikhailo Semenovich is dead just like his neighbors, officials from the city, the adventurer Chichikov. The reader clearly understands this.

Having an established character, lifestyle, Sobakevich and his neighbors will not allow any changes around them. Why do they need it? To change, a person needs a soul, and these people do not have it. Gogol never managed to look into the eyes of Sobakevich and other characters in the poem (except Plyushkin). This technique once again indicates the absence of a soul.

The deadness of the characters is also evidenced by the fact that the author tells very little about the family ties of the characters. One gets the impression that they all came from nowhere, they have no roots, which means there is no life.