The poem Dead Souls is one of the most famous works Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The key character in it is the adventurer Chichikov. The image of the protagonist masterfully written by the author often becomes the subject of discussion both by professional critics and ordinary readers. To understand why this character deserves such attention, you need to turn to the plot of the work.
The work tells about a official named Chichikov. This man really wanted to get rich and gain weight in society. He decided to achieve his goal by buying up the so-called dead souls, that is, serfs who are owned by the landlord on paper, although in fact they are no longer alive. Both the seller and the buyer benefited from this. Chichikov thus acquired fictitious property, on the security of which he could take a loan from a bank, and the landowner was released from the obligation to pay taxes for a dead peasant.
The work is mandatory studied at school. In literature classes, students are often asked to write an essay on the topic: Dead Souls. The image of Chichikov. Sure to write competent work, you need to carefully read the original source and form your own idea of \u200b\u200bits main character. But if for some reason this is not possible, you can familiarize yourself with detailed information about the character. This information will be useful when writing an essay, compiling comparison tables for different actors or preparing a presentation.
Text analysis allows you to reveal all the main features image Chichikov in the poem Dead Souls. Summary actions and deeds of the character, revealing his nature, begins with an acquaintance with Chichikov.
Briefly, the author described the appearance of the hero already at the beginning of the work. Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is in some way an ordinary character who may meet to any historical era and in any geographic point. There is nothing remarkable in his portrait:
- his appearance is not beautiful, but not ugly either;
- the physique is neither full nor thin;
- he is no longer young, but not yet old.
Thus, in all respects, this venerable collegiate adviser maintains a “golden mean”.
The arrival of the character in "city N"
Chichikov starts your adventure from arrival in a city not named by the author. An intelligent man, who is also characterized by hypocrisy, he begins his activity by paying visits to the following officials:
- the prosecutor;
- governor and family
- lieutenant governor;
- the chief of police;
- the chairman of the chamber.
Of course, under such behavior of Peter Ivanovich, a subtle calculation was visible. The hero's intentions are well revealed by his own quote: "Have no money, have good people for appeal."
Get the location of those who had the rank and influence in the city, it was very useful for the implementation of the plan. And he did it perfectly. Chichikov knew how to impress the people he needed. Belittling his dignity and in every possible way showing his insignificance, he demonstrated impeccable speech manners, made skillful compliments to the rulers: he admired the success of their activities and called them unjustifiably high titles as "your excellency". He spoke a little about himself, but from his story one could conclude that he had to go through an exceptionally difficult life path and experience a lot for his own honesty and justice.
They began to call him to receptions, where he maintained a favorable first impression of himself by the ability to take part in a conversation on any topic. At the same time, he behaved very decently and showed extensive knowledge about the subject of conversation. His speech was meaningful, his voice was neither quiet nor loud.
At this moment, one can already catch a hint that this integrity is only a mask under which lies true character and aspirations of the hero. Chichikov divides all people into fat and thin. At the same time, the thick ones have a strong position in this world, while the thin ones only serve as executors of other people's orders. Myself main character, of course, belongs to the first category, because he intends to firmly take his place in life. The author himself speaks about this, and this information begins to reveal another, true face of the character.
Start of activity
Chichikov begins his scam with an offer to buy non-existent peasants from the landowner Manilov. The master, burdened by the need to pay taxes for the dead servants, gave them away for nothing, although he was surprised at the unusual deal. In this episode, the main character is revealed as an easily addicted person who can quickly turn his head with success.
Deciding that the activity he invented is safe, he goes to a new deal. His path lies to a certain Sobakevich, but long road forces the hero to stop at Korobochka's landowner. As a quick-witted person, he does not waste time there either, acquiring almost two dozen more coveted dead souls.
Only after escaping from Korobochka, he gets to visit Nozdryov. The main feature of this man was the desire to spoil the life of everyone around him. But Chichikov did not immediately understand this and inadvertently decided to try his luck in a deal with this landowner as well. Nozdryov led the swindler by the nose for a long time. He agreed to sell souls only together with real goods, for example, a horse, or offered to win them in dominoes, but in the end, Pyotr Ivanovich was left with nothing. This meeting showed that the hero of the poem is a frivolous person, unable to calculate his own actions.
Chichikov finally got to Sobakevich and outlined his proposal to him. However, the landowner was no less cunning than the buyer. His benefits he didn't want to miss out. Guessing that the actions of Pyotr Ivanovich were not entirely legal, he skillfully played on this, inflating the price of non-existent peasants. This made Chichikov very tired, but he showed determination. Ultimately, the seller and the buyer found a compromise, and the deal was made.
While Sobakevich was bargaining, he said a few words about a certain Plyushkin, and the hero followed to visit this landowner. The economy of the master did not cause positive emotions in the arrival. Everything there was in disrepair, and the owner himself had a dirty, untidy appearance. The landowner was not poor, but turned out to be a real miser. All money and things of any value, he kept hidden in chests. The painful stinginess of this character, whose name has become a household name, helped Chichikov make a good deal. Plyushkin was wary of this sale, but he was pleased to be able to get rid of the need to pay taxes on dead peasants.
At first glance, Plyushkin did not play in the plot of the work big role, but if you compare this character with the main character, there is something in common between them. Being a landowner and a nobleman, they were supposed to be a support for the state and an example to follow, while in reality both turned out to be useless people for society, seeking to fill their pockets.
Trying to leave the city
Be that as it may, but after the deal with Plushkin, Chichikov has reached his goal and no longer saw the need to stay in the city. In an effort to leave him as soon as possible, he went to court to certify the authenticity of the documents. But this procedure required time, which he gladly spent at receptions and surrounded by ladies interested in him.
However, the triumph turned into a failure. Nozdryov hastened to expose Chichikov's scam. This message caused quite a commotion in the city. The guest accepted everywhere suddenly became unwelcome.
Throughout the story, the reader, while understanding the dubious benevolence of the protagonist's actions, does not yet know him. complete history, which could form final opinion about Chichikov. The author tells about the origin and upbringing of the hero, as well as the events preceding his arrival in the "city N", in chapter 11.
The hero grew up poor family. Although they belonged to the high class of the nobility, they had very few serfs at their disposal. The childhood of Pavel Ivanovich was overshadowed by the absence of friends and acquaintances. When the child grew up a little, his father sent him to school. Parting with his son did not upset Ivan, but in parting he gave Pavel one order. The instruction spoke of the need to learn and win the favor of those who are higher in position. The head of the family called money the most valuable and reliable thing that should be protected.
Chichikov followed this advice all his life. He did not have good learning abilities, but he quickly figured out how to earn the love of teachers. Quiet and meek behavior allowed him to get a good certificate, but after graduating from college, he showed his unsightly quality. His face was revealed when one of his mentors who loved him fell into an extremely difficult financial situation. For the almost starving teacher, classmates-hooligans collected money, while the diligent Chichikov sparingly allocated an insignificant amount.
Meanwhile, the father of the protagonist died, leaving behind a miserable legacy. Chichikov, who is not stingy by nature, is forced to starve and look for ways to earn money. He is hired and tries to work honestly, but soon realizes that such work will not bring him the desired wealth with luxury home, a carriage with a coachman and expensive entertainment.
Wanting to get promoted, he wooed his boss by marrying his daughter. But as soon as the goal was achieved, he did not need a family. While Chichikov was advancing in the service, there was a change of leadership. Despite all efforts, the hero could not find mutual language with a new leader and was forced to look for other ways to obtain material wealth.
The luck of becoming a customs officer smiled at the hero in the next city. But he decided to improve his financial situation with bribes, for which he soon appeared before the court. Always striving to please those in power, Chichikov had some connections that allowed him to escape punishment for a crime.
His nature was such that he turned this discrediting episode of his life into a story about how he innocently suffered in the service.
Unfortunately, one can judge such a curious character as Chichikov only by the first volume. The second part of the work was burned by the author himself, and he never started the third. According to the surviving sketches and drafts, it is known that the hero tried to continue his fraudulent activities. It is not known how the poem would end, but the talentedly created image is still relevant. After all, to this day life path you may meet such a person as Chichikov.
Description of the hero by critics
Critics, for the most part deservedly those who appreciated the poem noted this grasp and the fraudulent nature of the character. Experts made the following judgments about the hero:
- V. G. Belinsky called him a real hero modern era who sought to acquire wealth, without which it was impossible to succeed in the emerging capitalist society. People like him bought stocks or collected donations for charity, but they all had this desire in common.
- K. S. Aksakov ignored moral qualities hero, only noted his roguishness. For this criticism, the main thing was that Chichikov was a truly Russian person.
- A. I. Herzen characterized the hero as the only active person, whose efforts in the end still cost little, as they were limited to fraud.
- V. G. Marantsman saw in the hero himself a “dead soul”, full of negative qualities and devoid of morals.
- P. L. Weil and A. A. Genis saw in Chichikovo " little man", that is, a simple-minded rogue whose activities were neither smart nor large-scale.
The final image of Chichikov is ambiguous. This clearly intelligent person sets himself the goal of arranging own life, but each time chooses the wrong means for this. His ebullient activity and determination could have brought him prosperity for a long time, but the thirst for wealth and luxury, inaccessible to him in childhood, pushes him to commit crimes and fraud.
Option number 1
Chichikov - the main character of the poem by N.V. Gogol " Dead Souls". From childhood, he listened to his father and showed all the meanness of his soul. He tried everything accessible ways earn a penny, which he put in a special bag. When the bag was full, he sewed it up and began to fill a new one. Already, as a child, he used any means to earn money.
When Chichikov matured, he decided to become an official, realizing that this position opened up new prospects for him. He committed one scam after another, and when he was exposed, he skillfully covered his tracks and hid. All his undertakings failed, but he did not lose heart and set about another "case". This suggests that a person has neither conscience nor honor.
There was nothing special or specific about his appearance. His appearance was kind of blurry. Gogol says about Chichikov that he was neither handsome nor ugly, neither old nor young, neither fat nor thin. But he was an excellent psychologist, and skillfully noticed the weak and strengths person. He knew how to please everyone and adapted to each interlocutor. That is why everyone trusted him.
Learning about financial condition Chichikov, officials and their wives immediately began to respect the hero and bow before him. They believed that such a person should be friends and keep in touch. Chichikov, on the other hand, is happy to try, he has achieved universal disposition towards himself. Like the devil, he changes his appearance and enters into trust. Chichikov is a vile and immoral person, before whom everyone grovels. And society itself is to blame for the appearance of such people.
Option number 2
A truly brilliant work of the great Russian writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, despite the fact that more than one hundred and seventy years have passed, remains relevant to this day in some of the affected problems of society. This work bears the screaming title "Dead Souls", which tells how human experiences, feelings and qualities of the people gradually die. The main character of the work is Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich, a nobleman who buys up dead souls in various estates of the country. Chichikov is presented to us by the author as a completely neutral character. An ordinary average resident of the country, without any distinctive features as in appearance - “not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too thick nor too thin; one cannot say that he is old, but it is not so that he is too young, ”- so it is in character. He's like collective image other characters, reflecting the qualities of each of them, but not so noticeably.
Chichikov does not seek to show his essence, character, he easily adapts to everyone, finds a common language with everyone, negotiates, always showing himself from the favorable side. In a conversation with each of the landowners, one can trace such traits as sycophancy, slyness. Pavel Ivanovich can easily afford to pull off such an unclean business - to buy up dead souls. And despite some positive features: quick wit, cunning, purposefulness and, of course, a remarkable mind, since he could think of doing this, you can’t forget about the features of a person who has lost his humanity, who put only making money in the first place.
It is impossible to understand what this person is thinking about, to read his thoughts, to assess the state of his soul. Or maybe the soul is simply "dead", like the described landowners? Perhaps there is still something human in him. It was not for nothing that sometimes one could notice a thoughtful look, which, perhaps, even expressed some puzzlement with one's work and repentance. In any case, Chichikov is not positive character in no sense. Through it, only the idea of how often wealth kills the soul in people is conveyed.
The image of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is perhaps the most successful of Gogol's caricatures. The life story of only this character playing leading role in the poem "Dead Souls", revealed by the author in great detail. To engage in such an artistic and comprehensive study of the writer was forced by the novelty of the character, for which he undertook.
Many features of the landowners of that time are combined by Pavel Ivanovich of the hero would not be complete without a description in the eleventh chapter of the conditions in which his formation took place.
As a legacy from an impoverished nobleman, Pavel Ivanovich inherited a little copper and an instruction to study well and please everyone, and save and save money. The absence of lofty words about debt in the will, he took literally. And life itself soon confirmed that these concepts do not lead to anything good (in his understanding). In the school, Pavlusha's knowledge, behavior, respectfulness only evoked approval and praise from the teachers, who set the boy as an example to other students. Having entered the state chamber after studying, he continues to please his boss, to show signs of attention to his daughter. The same behavior is typical for him in any situation. Chichikov quickly realized: in order to please a person, you need to talk with him about his interests, about topics close to him. Such behavior helps him to remain his own person in any society. Gradually, Pavel Ivanovich drowns out more living soul, tries not to hear the quiet voice of conscience, builds his happiness on someone else's misfortune. And all this for their own benefit. The tools that Chichikov skillfully and actively uses are fraud and deceit, theft from the treasury, insult, bribery. Constant accumulation, acquisition become the meaning of life for the protagonist. And at the same time, Chichikov needs money not for their own sake. They serve as a means to achieve a good, prosperous life for his family. The image of Chichikov differs sharply from other characters in his determination and strength of character. He achieves his goal by any means, while showing extraordinary resourcefulness, resourcefulness, and perseverance.
Chichikov in the poem "Dead Souls" is not like everyone else in his activity, activity, enterprise. He is not characterized by the wandering in the clouds of Manilov and the naivete of Korobochka. He cannot be compared with the miser Plyushkin, but the careless waste of Nozdryov is also not for him. The enterprise of this hero is far from the efficiency of Sobakevich. All these qualities testify to the clear superiority of Pavel Ivanovich over other characters in the poem.
The image of Chichikov is incredibly multifaceted. It is very difficult to immediately unravel people like him, to understand what they really are. Chichikov managed to please most of the inhabitants of the city as soon as he appeared in it. He managed to present himself as a secular, developed and decent person. During the conversation, he finds an individual key to everyone in whom he is interested. His ostentatious benevolence is only a means to profitably use the high disposition of the right people. It costs nothing for Chichikov to reincarnate, change his behavior and at the same time not forget about own purposes. His ability to adapt to everyone is simply amazing. When Pavel Ivanovich bargains with Manilov, he shows delicacy, sensitivity and courtesy. But with Korobochka, on the contrary, he behaves assertively, rudely, impatiently. He understands that it is very easy to persuade Plyushkin, that it is necessary to speak with Sobakevich in a businesslike manner. The energy of the protagonist is tireless, but it is directed to low deeds.
The image of Chichikov is an example of a merchant and an entrepreneur, a man of a new type, whom Gogol defined as a vile, vile, "dead soul."
Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov - the main character famous poem N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls", in the past he was an official and an avid careerist, then he became a clever swindler and manipulator. He travels through the villages of the Russian hinterland, meets with various landowners and nobles, tries to earn their trust and thus turn out profitable business for himself.
Chichikov is interested in buying the so-called " dead souls”, documents for serfs who have already died, but due to the fact that the population census was carried out once every few years, they are documented as living. An enterprising businessman plans to resell these souls, along with the land he plans to buy for a penny, and earn good capital from this. The image of Chichikov is fresh and A New Look on the adventurous image of an entrepreneur in Russian literature.
Characteristics of the main character
("Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich. In front of the box" Artist P. Sokolov, 1890)
The inner world of Chichikov until the last chapter in the book remains mysterious and ambiguous for everyone. The description of his appearance is averaged to the maximum: not handsome, and not bad, not very fat, but not thin, not old, and not young. The main features of this hero are averageness (this is a quiet and inconspicuous gentleman, distinguished by pleasant manners, roundness and smoothness) and high degree entrepreneurial spirit. Even the manner of communication does not betray his character: he does not speak loudly, not quietly, he knows how to find an approach everywhere and is known everywhere as his person.
Peculiarities inner world Chichikov opens up through the manner of his communication with the landowners, whom he attracts to his side and, skillfully manipulating, inclines to the sale of "dead souls". The author notes the ability of a cunning adventurer to adapt to his interlocutor and copy his manners. Chichikov knows people very well, finds his own advantage in everything, and how a subtle psychologist tells people what they need.
(Illustration by V. Makovsky "Chichikov at Manilov")
Chichikov is an active and active person, it is very important for him not only to keep what he has earned, but also to increase it (as many times as possible). Moreover, irrepressible greed does not torment him like Plyushkin, because money for him is only a means to ensure a decent life.
Chichikov comes from a poor, respectable family, and his father advised him to always please his superiors and hang out with the right people, and taught him that "a penny opens any door." Having no initial concepts of duty and conscience, Chichikov, having matured, understands that moral values only prevent him from achieving his goals and therefore often neglects the voice of conscience, paving the way in life with his own forehead.
(Illustration "Little Chichikov")
And although Chichikov is a swindler and a rogue, he cannot be denied perseverance, talent and ingenuity. At school, he sold buns to his classmates (whom they treated him to), at every job he tried to find his own profit and tried to get rich, as a result he came up with an idea with " dead souls”And tried to crank it up, playing on the feelings and base instincts of the people around him. At the end of the work, Chichikov's scam opens and becomes public, he is forced to leave.
The image of the main character in the work
("Chichikov's toilet" Artist P.P. Sokolov 1966)
In his famous work, which took him 17 years of painstaking work, Gogol created a comprehensive picture of modern Russian realities and revealed a diverse gallery of characters and types of people of that time. The image of Chichikov, talented entrepreneur and an unprincipled swindler, is, according to the author, "a terrible and vile force that is not capable of reviving the Fatherland."
Trying to live according to the precepts of his father, Chichikov tried to live economically and save every penny, but realizing that in an honest way great wealth do not make money, he finds a loophole in Russian legislation those years and proceeds to carry out his plan. Not having achieved the desired, he stigmatizes himself as a swindler and a rogue, and is forced to abandon his ideas.
What lesson did this character take out of this situation remains unclear to us, because the second volume this work was destroyed by the author, we are left to assume what happened next and whether Chichikov is to blame for what he tried to do or society and the principles to which it is subject are to blame.
