Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is one of the most mysterious writers of the 19th century. His life and work is full of mysticism and secrets. Our article will help to qualitatively prepare for a literature lesson, for the exam, test tasks, creative work on the poem. When analyzing Gogol's work "Dead Souls" in the 9th grade, it is important to rely on additional material in order to get acquainted with the history of creation, problems, and figure out what artistic means the author uses. In "Dead Souls" the analysis is specific due to the content scale and compositional features of the work.
Brief analysis
Year of writing– 1835 -1842 The first volume was published in 1842.
History of creation- the idea of the plot was suggested to Gogol by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. The author has been working on the poem for about 17 years.
Subject- the customs and life of landlords in Rus' in the 30s of the 19th century, a gallery of human vices.
Composition- 11 chapters of the first volume, united by the image of the main character - Chichikov. Several chapters of the second volume that survived and were found and published.
Direction- realism. The poem also has romantic features, but they are secondary.
History of creation
Nikolai Vasilievich wrote his immortal brainchild for about 17 years. He considered this work the most important mission in his life. The history of the creation of "Dead Souls" is full of gaps and mysteries, as well as mystical coincidences. In the process of working on the work, the author fell seriously ill, being on the verge of death, he was suddenly miraculously healed. Gogol took this fact as a sign from above, which gave him a chance to finish his main work.
The idea of "Dead Souls" and the very fact of their existence as a social phenomenon was suggested to Gogol by Pushkin. It was Alexander Sergeevich, according to the author, who gave him the idea to write a large-scale work that could reveal the whole essence of the Russian soul. The poem was conceived as a work in three volumes. The first volume (published in 1842) was conceived as a collection of human vices, the second one made it possible for the heroes to realize their mistakes, and in the third volume they change and find the way to a right life.
While in work, the work was corrected many times by the author, its main idea, characters, plot changed, only the essence was preserved: the problematics and plan of the work. Gogol finished the second volume of Dead Souls shortly before his death, but according to some reports, he himself destroyed this book. According to other sources, it was given by the author to Tolstoy or someone close to him, and then lost. There is an opinion that this manuscript is still kept by the descendants of the high society of Gogol's environment and will someday be found. The author did not have time to write the third volume, but there is information about its intended content from reliable sources, the future book, its idea and general characteristics, were discussed in literary circles.
Subject
The meaning of the name“Dead Souls” is twofold: this phenomenon itself is the sale of dead serf souls, rewriting them and transferring them to another owner and the image of people like Plyushkin, Manilov, Sobakevich - their souls are dead, the characters are deeply soulless, vulgar and immoral.
main topic"Dead Souls" - the vices and customs of society, the life of a Russian person in the 1830s of the 19th century. The problems that the author raises in the poem are as old as the world, but they are shown and revealed in the way that is characteristic of a researcher of human characters and souls: subtly and on a grand scale.
Main character- Chichikov buys from the landowners long-dead, but still registered serfs, who he needs only on paper. In this way, he plans to get rich by getting paid for them in the board of trustees. The interaction and cooperation of Chichikov with the same swindlers and charlatans, like himself, becomes the central theme of the poem. The desire to get rich in all possible ways is characteristic not only of Chichikov, but also of many heroes of the poem - this is the disease of the century. What Gogol's poem teaches is between the lines of the book - Russian people are characterized by adventurism and craving for "light bread".
The conclusion is unequivocal: the most correct way is to live according to the laws, in harmony with conscience and heart.
Composition
The poem consists of the complete first volume and several surviving chapters of the second volume. The composition is subordinated to the main goal - to reveal a picture of Russian life, contemporary to the author, to create a gallery of typical characters. The poem consists of 11 chapters, full of lyrical digressions, philosophical reasoning and wonderful descriptions of nature.
All this from time to time breaks through the main plot and gives the work a unique lyricism. The work ends with a colorful lyrical reflection on the future of Russia, its strength and power.
Initially, the book was conceived as a satirical work, this influenced the overall composition. In the first chapter, the author introduces the reader to the inhabitants of the city, with the main character - Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. From the second to the sixth chapters, the author gives a portrait description of the landlords, their unique way of life, a kaleidoscope of quirks and customs. The next four chapters describe the life of bureaucracy: bribery, arbitrariness and tyranny, gossip, the way of life of a typical Russian city.
Main characters
Genre
To define the genre of "Dead Souls", you need to turn to history. Gogol himself defined it as a "poem", although the structure and scale of the narrative are close to the story and the novel. A prose work is called a poem because of its lyricism: a large number of lyrical digressions, remarks and comments of the author. It is also worth considering that Gogol drew a parallel between his brainchild and Pushkin's poem "Eugene Onegin": the latter is considered a novel in verse, and "Dead Souls" - on the contrary, a poem in prose.
The author emphasizes the equivalence of the epic and lyrical in his work. Critics have a different opinion about the genre features of the poem. For example, V. G. Belinsky called the work a novel and it is customary to reckon with this opinion, since it is quite justified. But according to tradition, Gogol's work is called a poem.
Artwork test
Analysis Rating
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Text essay:
Does the end always justify the means? It is this question that the Russian writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol asks in the text offered to me.
Arguing about this problem on the pages of the poem "Dead Souls", the author draws a dual image of the protagonist. On the one hand, he (Chichikov) has a great desire to "do a hot service, conquer and overcome everything." We see a selfless, patient and self-limiting person in all needs. On the other hand, the writer clarifies by what means the hero achieved his goal: he "began to please his boss in all sorts of inconspicuous little things", began to look after his daughter and even promised to marry her. The author shows that in order to achieve a successful career, Chichikov neglects the laws of morality: he is deceitful, prudent, hypocritical and cynical. It is no coincidence that in the final part of the fragment, N.V. Gogol emphasizes that the moral “threshold” was the most difficult and after that it was not difficult for the hero to deceive, please and be mean in order to achieve his goals. So the author warns the reader: it is easy to turn off the moral path - it is difficult to return to it. Gogol suggests thinking: is it worth it to go against universal principles, to become a scoundrel even for the sake of achieving what you want?
Of course, I agree with this point of view and I believe that the desire to achieve what you want at any cost not only does not lead to happiness and well-being, but can also affect the lives of other people.
I would like to substantiate my point of view by referring to the novel by Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy "War and Peace". On the example of his heroine Helen Kuragina, a woman of impeccable external beauty and gloss, we understand what a selfish desire to achieve one's own can lead to. Hunting for the wealth of Count Bezukhov, she achieves her goal: she marries Pierre, becomes one of the richest women in St. Petersburg. But marriage does not bring happiness to young people: Helen does not love her husband, does not respect him, continues to lead her usual way of life. We see how the cynical calculation of the heroine leads to the collapse of the family. The story of Helen and Pierre makes you think about whether it makes sense to achieve the desired goal by any means.
I would like to justify my position by referring to Richard Matheson's story "Press the Button". Before us is the average Lewis family. At first glance, we cannot reproach Arthur and Norma with lack of spirituality, because at first Mr. Stewart's offer to exchange the life of a stranger for fifty thousand dollars causes disgust and indignation among the spouses. Unfortunately, the very next day, the heroine begins to seriously think about the tempting, in her opinion, offer of the agent. We see how in this difficult internal struggle the dream of traveling around Europe, a new cottage, fashionable clothes wins... Reading this story, you understand that the inability to prioritize, the rejection of generally accepted values is detrimental to a person: the price of Norma's desires was the life of her husband Arthur. Thus, Richard Matheson showed what the desire to achieve what you want at any cost can lead to.
The works of N.V. Gogol, L.N. Tolstoy and R. Matheson make it possible to understand that a person should not set goals for himself, the achievement of which requires the rejection of the universal laws of morality.
Text by N. V. Gogol
Leaving the school, he did not even want to rest: he had such a strong desire to soon set to work and service. He got an insignificant place, a salary of thirty or forty rubles a year. But he decided to hotly engage in service, to conquer and overcome everything. And, precisely, self-sacrifice, patience and limitation of needs, he showed unheard of. Among other officials, Chichikov could not help but be noticed and distinguished, representing in everything the perfect opposite, both in the goodness of his face, and the friendliness of his voice, and the complete non-use of any strong drinks.
But for all that, his path was difficult. He fell under the command of an already elderly assistant, who was the image of some kind of stone insensitivity and indestructibility. It seemed that there was no human strength to get close to such a person and attract his favor, but Chichikov tried. At first he began to please in all sorts of inconspicuous trifles: he carefully examined the feathers with which he wrote, and, having prepared several according to their model, put them under his arm each time; he blew and swept sand and tobacco from his table; got a new rag for his inkwell; I found somewhere his hat, the worst hat that ever existed in the world, and every time I put it near him a minute before the end of the presence; cleaned his back if he stained it with chalk against the wall. But all this was decidedly left without any comment, as if nothing of this had been done. Finally, he sniffed out his domestic, family life: he found out that he had a mature daughter, with a nondescript face, exactly like that of an old man. From this side he came up with the idea of inducing an attack. He found out what church she went to on Sundays, every time he stood against her, cleanly dressed, starched heavily on his shirt-front, and the matter was a success: the stern priest staggered and called him for tea! And in the office they didn’t have time to look back, how things turned out in such a way that Chichikov moved into his house, became a necessary and necessary person, bought flour and sugar, treated his daughter like a bride, a father’s assistant and kissed him on the hand. Everyone put in the ward that at the end of February, before Lent, there would be a wedding. The stern assistant even began to fuss with the chief for him, and after a while Chichikov himself was appointed assistant to one vacant position that had opened up. This, it seemed, was the main purpose of his connections with the old associate, because he immediately sent his chest secretly home and the next day found himself in another apartment. The clerk ceased to call him papa and did not kiss his hand again, and the matter of the wedding was so hushed up, as if nothing had happened at all. However, every time he met him, he affectionately shook his hand and invited him to tea, so that the old clerk, despite his eternal immobility and callous indifference, shook his head every time and said to himself under his breath: !"
It was the most difficult threshold he had crossed. Since then, things have gotten easier and more successful. He became a prominent person. Everything turned out to be in him that is necessary for this world: both pleasantness in turns and actions, and glibness in business affairs.
(According to N.V. Gogol)
Many people associate the poem "Dead Souls" with mysticism, and for good reason. Gogol was the first Russian writer to combine the supernatural with reality. The second volume of "Dead Souls", the reasons for the burning of which are still debated, has become synonymous with an unrealized plan. The first volume is a manual on the life of the Russian nobility in the 1830s, an encyclopedia of landlord and bureaucratic sins. Memorable images, lyrical digressions filled with deep reflections, subtle satire - all this, coupled with the author's artistic talent, not only helps to understand the specific features of the era, but also brings true reader pleasure.
When it comes to Russian literature of the first half of the nineteenth century, two writers are most often remembered: Pushkin and Gogol. But not everyone, however, knows the following interesting fact: it was Pushkin who suggested to his friend the themes of The Inspector General and Dead Souls. The poet himself drew the idea from the story of fugitive peasants who did not have documents, who took the names of the dead and thus did not allow a single death to be registered in the city of Bendery.
Picking up the idea, Gogol began to develop a general plan. On October 7, 1835, he writes to Pushkin (this is when the documented history of the creation of the work begins):
Started writing Dead Souls. The plot stretched out into a long novel and, it seems, will be very funny.
Gogol's idea, according to one version, was to create a poem on the model of the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. The first volume is hell. The second is purgatory. The third one is heaven. We can only speculate about whether this was really the author's plan, and also about why Gogol did not finish the poem. There are two versions of this:
- N.V. Gogol was a believer and listened to all the recommendations of his confessor (a priest who received his confessions and admonished him). It was the confessor who ordered him to burn the "Dead Souls" in its entirety, as he saw in them something ungodly and unworthy of a Christian. But the first volume had already spread so widely that it was impossible to destroy all copies. But the second at the stage of preparation was very vulnerable and fell victim to the author.
- The writer created the first volume with enthusiasm and was pleased with it, but the second volume was artificial and forced, because it corresponded to Dante's concept. If hell in Russia could be depicted without difficulty, then heaven and purgatory did not correspond to reality and could not come out without a stretch. Gogol did not want to betray himself and try to do what was too far from the truth and alien to him.
Genre, direction
The main question is why the creation of "Dead Souls" is called a poem. The answer is simple: Gogol himself defined the genre in this way (obviously, in terms of structure, language and number of characters, this is an epic work, more precisely, a novel). Perhaps in this way he emphasized genre originality: the equality of the epic (actually a description of Chichikov's journey, way of life, characters) and lyrical (the author's reflections) began. According to a less common version, this is how Gogol made a reference to Pushkin, or put his work in opposition to "Eugene Onegin", which, on the contrary, is called a novel, although it has all the signs of a poem.
It is easier to deal with the literary direction. Obviously, the writer resorts to realism. This is indicated by a rather scrupulous description of the nobility, especially estates and landlords. The choice of direction is explained by the demiurgic task that Gogol chose for himself. In one work, he undertook to describe the whole of Russia, to bring to the surface all the bureaucratic dirt, all the lawlessness that is happening both in the country and inside every civil servant. Other areas simply do not have the necessary tools, Gogol's realism does not get along with, say, romanticism.
The meaning of the name
Probably the most famous oxymoron in Russian was used as the name. The very concept of the soul includes the concept of immortality, dynamism.
Obviously, dead souls are the subject around which Chichikov's machinations and, accordingly, all the events of the poem are built. But the poem is named not only and not so much to designate an extraordinary product, but because of the landowners who willingly sell or even give souls. They themselves are dead, but not physically, but spiritually. It is these people, according to Gogol, who make up the contingent of hell, it is they (according to the hypothesis of borrowing the composition from Dante) that heaven awaits after the redemption of sins. Only in the third volume could they become "alive".
Composition
The main feature of the Dead Souls composition is ring dynamics. Chichikov enters the city of NN, makes a journey inside it, during which he makes the acquaintances he needs and carries out the conceived scam, looks at the ball, after which he leaves - the circle closes.
In addition, acquaintances with landowners occur in descending order: from the least "dead soul", Manilov, to Plushkin, who is mired in debt and problems. The story about Captain Kopeikin, woven into the tenth chapter by the author as a story of one of the employees, is intended to show the mutual influence of a person and the state. It is noteworthy that Chichikov's biography is told in the last chapter, after his britzka left the city.
essence
The main character, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, comes to the provincial town of NN with the aim of buying up dead souls from the landowners (supposedly for withdrawal, to the Kherson province, where land was distributed for free), pawn them in the board of trustees and receive two hundred rubles for each. In a word, he passionately desired to get rich and did not hesitate to use any methods. Upon arrival, he immediately gets acquainted with civil servants and charms them with his manners. No one suspects what a brilliant, but dishonest idea is at the heart of all his activities.
At first, everything went smoothly, the landowners were happy to meet the hero, sold or even gave him souls, invited him to visit them again. However, the ball that Chichikov attends before leaving almost ruined his reputation and almost thwarted his machinations. Rumors begin to spread, gossip about his fraud, but the swindler manages to leave the city.
Main characters and their characteristics
Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov- "master of the middle hand." He is really an average character in everything: “not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin; one cannot say that he is old, but it is not so that he is too young. From the eleventh chapter we learn that in many respects his character was determined by his father's instruction to obey teachers and superiors in everything, and also to save a penny. Toadiness, cloying in communication, hypocrisy - all these are means to fulfill the father's decree. In addition, the hero has a sharp mind, he is characterized by cunning and dexterity, without which the idea with dead souls could not be realized (or perhaps would not have occurred to him). You can learn more about the hero from and from the Wise Litrekon.
The images of the landowners are described in accordance with the chronology of their appearance in the work.
- Manilov- the first landowner who gets acquainted with Chichikov and is on a par with him in terms of sweetness and vulgar mannerisms. But the motives of Chichikov's behavior are clearly defined, while Manilov is soft in himself. Soft and dreamy. If these qualities were reinforced by activity, his character could be classified as positive. However, everything that Manilov lives with is limited to demagoguery and wandering in the clouds. Manilov - from the word beckons. It is easy to get bogged down in it and its estate, to lose your bearings. However, Chichikov, true to his task, receives souls and continues on his way ...
- box he meets by chance when he can't find his way. She provides him with lodging for the night. Like Chichikov, Korobochka seeks to increase her wealth, but she lacks sharpness of mind, she is "club-headed". Her surname symbolizes the state of detachment from the outside world, limitation; she closed herself in her estate as if in a box, trying to see the benefit in every insignificant detail. You can find out more about this image in.
- Nozdrev- a real life burner. This is indicated at least by the fact that Chichikov's meeting with him took place in a tavern. In such institutions, Nozdrev spends his days. He does not deal with the affairs of his estate, but he drinks a lot, squanders money in cards. Egocentric, conceited. In every way he tries to arouse interest in his person, telling fables, composed by him. However, one should give him his due - he is the only landowner who refused to sell his soul to Chichikov.
- Sobakevich- A bear in human form. Also clumsy, also sleeps a lot and eats even more. Food is the main joy in his life. And after eating, sleep. He feeds Chichikov almost to death, which is reminiscent of Manilov, who also, as it were, “entangles the wanderer”, detaining him on the estate. However, Sobakevich is remarkably pragmatic. Everything in his household is sound, but without excessive pretentiousness. He trades with the main character for a long time, as a result he sells a lot of souls at a favorable price for himself.
- Plushkin- "tear on humanity." He abandoned the affairs of the estate, does not follow his own appearance so much that at the first meeting it is difficult to determine his gender. His passion for hoarding is the apotheosis of stinginess. His estate brings only losses, food is barely enough to survive (it spoils and rots in the barns), the peasants die. An ideal alignment for Chichikov, who buys many souls for next to nothing. Notice the connection between these characters. Only their biographies are given by the author, nothing is said about the past of the rest. This may serve as a basis for the hypothesis that it was they who could go through purgatory (second volume) and go to heaven in the third. The Wise Litrekon wrote more about this image in a small one.
- Captain Kopeikin- Veteran of the Great Patriotic War. He lost an arm and a leg, which forced him to stop working. He went to St. Petersburg to beg for benefits, however, having received nothing, he returned to his native city and, according to rumors, became a robber. This character embodied the image of an oppressed people, rejected by the state. It is noteworthy that the edition of the fragment, allowed by the then censorship, carries a diametrically opposite message: the state, not having the opportunity, helps the veteran, and he, despite this, goes against him. You can learn about the role and significance of this story from.
- trio bird, appearing at the very end of the poem, embodies Rus' and is also one of the characters. Where is she going? Chichikov's journey is the historical path of the country. His main problem is the lack of a home. He can't go anywhere. Odysseus had Ithaca, while Chichikov only had a britzka moving in an incomprehensible direction. Russia, according to the author, is also in search of its place in the world and, of course, will find it.
- Image of the author, revealed through lyrical digressions, brings a pinch of sanity into the swamp of sin and vice. He sarcastically describes his heroes and reflects on their fate, draws amusing parallels. His image combines cynicism and hope, a critical mindset and faith in the future. One of the most famous quotes written by Gogol on his own behalf is “What Russian does not like to drive fast?” - is familiar even to those who have not read the poem.
- The system of images introduced by Gogol still finds correspondence in reality. We meet walking Nozdrevs, sleepy Manilovs, enterprising opportunists like Chichikov. And Russia is still moving in an incomprehensible direction, still looking for its "home".
Topics and issues
- The main theme in the poem is The historical path of Russia(in a broader sense - the theme of the road). The author tries to comprehend the imperfection of the bureaucratic apparatus that led to the current state of affairs. After the publication of Gogol's works, they scolded him for his lack of patriotism, for putting Russia in a bad light. He foresaw this and gave an answer to the skeptics in one of the digressions (the beginning of the seventh chapter), where he compared the lot of a writer who sings of the great, the sublime, with the fate of the one who dared to “bring out everything that is every minute before the eyes and that indifferent eyes do not see, all terrible, amazing mire of trifles that have entangled our lives, the whole depth of cold, fragmented, everyday characters that our earthly, sometimes bitter and boring road is teeming with, and with the strong force of an inexorable chisel that dared to expose them convexly and brightly to the eyes of the people! A true patriot is not the one who does not notice and does not show the shortcomings of the homeland, but the one who plunges into them headlong, explores, describes in order to eradicate.
- The theme of the relationship between people and power represented by the antithesis of landowners - peasants. The latter are the moral ideal of Gogol. Despite the fact that these people did not receive a good upbringing and education, it is in them that a glimpse of a real, living feeling is seen. It is their unbridled energy that is capable of transforming today's Russia. They are oppressed, but active, while the landlords have complete freedom, but sit idly by — this is what Gogol ridicules.
- The phenomenon of the Russian soul is also the subject of the author's reflections. Despite all the problems raised in the book, our people are fraught with real wealth of talent and character. The Russian soul peeps through even in morally inferior landowners: Korobochka is caring and hospitable, Manilov is kind-hearted and open, Sobakevich is economic and businesslike, Nozdrev is cheerful and full of energy. Even Plyushkin is transformed when he remembers friendship. This means that Russian people are unique in nature, and even the worst of them have virtues and dormant abilities for creation.
- Family Theme also interested the writer. The inferiority and coldness of the Chichikov family gave rise to vices in him, a talented young man. Plyushkin became a distrustful and malicious miser when he lost his support - his wife. The role of the family in the poem is the main one for the moral cleansing of dead souls.
The main problem of the work is the problem of "death of the Russian soul". The gallery of landlords of the first volume clearly demonstrates this phenomenon. Leo Tolstoy in the novel "Anna Karenina" derived the following formula, which later began to be applied to many areas of life: "All happy families are alike, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." She remarkably accurately notices the peculiarity of Gogol's characters. Although he shows us only one positive landowner (Costanjoglo from the second volume), and we cannot verify the first part of the formula, the second part is confirmed. The souls of all the characters in the first volume are dead, but in different ways.
Ultimately, it is the totality of characters, insignificant for society individually, that becomes the cause of a social and moral crisis. It turns out that every somewhat influential person by his activity can change the state of things in the city - Gogol comes to this conclusion.
Bribery and embezzlement, sycophancy, ignorance are integral parts of the problem of "mortification of the soul." It is interesting that all these phenomena were called "chichikovshchina", which was used by our ancestors for a long time.
main idea
The main idea of the poem lies in the seventh chapter, in the passage where Chichikov "revives" the souls he bought, fantasizes about what all these people could be. “Were you a master, or just a peasant, and what kind of death did you clean up with?” the hero asks. He thinks about the fate of those whom he previously considered a commodity. This is the first glimpse of his soul, the first important question. Here the hypothesis about the possibility of cleansing the soul of Chichikov begins to seem plausible. If this is so, then every dead soul is capable of moral rebirth. The author believed in a happy and great future for Russia and associated it with the moral resurrection of its people.
In addition, Gogol shows the liveliness, spiritual strength, purity of every peasant character. “Stepan is a cork, that’s the hero that would fit into the guard!”, “Popov, a courtyard man, should be literate.” He does not forget to pay tribute to the workers, the peasants, although the subject of his coverage is the machinations of Chichikov, his interaction with the rotten bureaucracy. The purpose of these descriptions is not so much to show as to ridicule and condemn dead souls in order to raise the conscious reader to a new height of understanding and help him set the country on the right course.
What does it teach?
Everyone will draw their own conclusions after reading this book. Someone will object to Gogol: the problems of corruption and fraud are characteristic to one degree or another for any country, they cannot be eliminated completely. Someone will agree with him and affirm in the idea that the soul is the only thing that any person should take care of.
If it were necessary to single out a single morality, it could look like this: a person, whoever he may be, cannot live a full life and be happy if he does not use energy for creative purposes, while enriching himself illegally. Interestingly, even vigorous activity, coupled with illegal methods, cannot make a person happy. As an example - Chichikov, forced to hide the true motives of his behavior and fear for the disclosure of his plans.
Artistic details and language
Grotesque is Gogol's favorite technique. The well-known Soviet literary critic Boris Eikhenbaum in the article "How Gogol's Overcoat is made" showed that his genius is manifested not so much in the content of the works as in their form. The same can be said about Dead Souls. Playing with different stylistic registers - pathetic, ironic, sentimental - Gogol creates a real comedy. The grotesque lies in the discrepancy between the seriousness and importance of the chosen topic and the language used. The writer was guided by the principle "the longer we look at a funny work, the sadder it seems." With a satirical style, he lured the reader, forcing him to return to the text and see the terrible truth under humor.
A striking example of satire is the use of speaking surnames. Some of them are described in the section on characteristics of landowners. One can argue about the meaning of some (Disrespect-Trough, Arrive-not-arrive, Sparrow). Historicisms (britchka, goats, irradiation) make the details difficult to understand for the modern reader.
Meaning, originality and features
"Dead Souls" occupy a central place in Gogol's work. Despite the fact that "we all came out of Gogol's "Overcoat"" (according to Eugene de Vogüe), the poem about Chichikov also needs to be carefully studied.
There are many interpretations of the text. The most popular is the continuity with respect to the Divine Comedy. The poet, writer and literary critic Dmitry Bykov believes that Gogol was guided by Homer's Odyssey. He draws the following parallels: Manilov - Sirens, Korobochka - Circe, Sobakevich - Polyphemus, Nozdrev - Aeolus, Plyushkin - Scylla and Charybdis, Chichikov - Odysseus.
The poem is interesting for the presence of many features that are available only to professional researchers, writers. For example, at the beginning of the first chapter we read: “His entry made absolutely no noise in the city and was not accompanied by anything special; only two Russian peasants, standing at the door of the tavern opposite the hotel, made some remarks ... ". Why clarify that the men are Russians, if it is clear that the action takes place in Russia? This is the “figure of fiction” technique characteristic of the poem, when something (often a lot) is said, but nothing is defined. We see the same thing in the description of the "averaged" Chichikov.
Another example is the awakening of the hero at Korobochka as a result of a fly flying into his nose. Mukha and Chichikov actually play similar roles - they awaken from sleep. The first awakens the hero himself, while Chichikov wakes up the dead city and its inhabitants with his arrival.
Criticism
Herzen wrote "Dead souls shook Russia." Pushkin exclaimed: "God, how sad our Russia is!" Belinsky put the work above everything that was in Russian literature, however, he complained about the extremely pompous lyricism, which was not combined with the theme and message (obviously, he perceived only the content, rejecting the ingenious language game). O.I. Senkovsky believed that Dead Souls was a playful comparison with all the great epics.
There were many statements of critics and amateurs about the poem, they are all different, but one thing is certain: the work caused a huge resonance in society, made it look deeper at the world, ask serious questions. It is unlikely that a creation can be called great if it pleases and pleases everyone. Greatness comes later, in heated debate and exploration. Time must pass so that people can appreciate the works of geniuses, among which, undoubtedly, Nikolai Gogol is included.
The work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol "Dead Souls" is one of the most striking works of the author. This poem, the plot of which is connected with the description of the Russian reality of the 19th century, is of great value for Russian literature. It was also significant for Gogol himself. No wonder he called it a "national poem" and explained that in this way he tried to expose the shortcomings of the Russian Empire, and then change the face of his homeland for the better.
Birth of a genre
The idea that Gogol wrote "Dead Souls" was suggested to the author by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Initially, the work was conceived as a light humorous novel. However, after the start of work on the work Dead Souls, the genre in which the text was originally supposed to be presented was changed.
The fact is that Gogol considered the plot to be very original and gave the presentation a different, deeper meaning. As a result, a year after the start of work on the work Dead Souls, its genre became more extensive. The author decided that his offspring should be nothing more than a poem.
Main idea
The writer divided his work into 3 parts. In the first of them, he decided to point out all the shortcomings that took place in contemporary society. In the second part, he planned to show how the process of correcting people takes place, and in the third part, the life of the heroes who have already changed for the better.
In 1841 Gogol completed the first volume of Dead Souls. The plot of the book shocked the entire reading country, causing a lot of controversy. After the release of the first part, the author began work on the continuation of his poem. However, he was never able to finish what he started. The second volume of the poem seemed to him imperfect, and nine days before his death he burned the only copy of the manuscript. For us, only drafts of the first five chapters have survived, which today are considered a separate work.
Unfortunately, the trilogy was never completed. But the poem "Dead Souls" should have had a significant meaning. Its main purpose was to describe the movement of the soul, which went through a fall, purification, and then rebirth. This path to the ideal had to be passed by the main character of the poem, Chichikov.
Plot
The story told in the first volume of Dead Souls takes us to the nineteenth century. It tells about a journey through Russia undertaken by the main character Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov to acquire the so-called dead souls from the landowners. The plot of the work provides the reader with a complete picture of the customs and life of the people of that time.
Let's look at the chapters of "Dead Souls" with their plot in a little more detail. This will give a general idea of \u200b\u200ba bright literary work.
Chapter first. Start
How does the work "Dead Souls" begin? The theme raised in it describes the events that took place at the time when the French were finally expelled from the territory of Russia.
At the beginning of the story, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, who served as a collegiate adviser, arrived in one of the provincial cities. When analyzing "Dead Souls", the image of the protagonist becomes clear. The author shows him as a middle-aged man with an average build and good looks. Pavel Ivanovich is extremely inquisitive. There are situations when you can even talk about his importunity and annoying. So, at the tavern servant, he is interested in the income of the owner, and also tries to find out about all the officials of the city and about the most noble landowners. He is also interested in the state of the region to which he arrived.
The collegiate adviser does not sit alone. He visits all officials, finding the right approach to them and choosing words that are pleasant for people. That is why they treat him just as well, which even surprises Chichikov a little, who has experienced many negative reactions towards himself and even survived the assassination attempt.
The main purpose of Pavel Ivanovich's arrival is to find a place for a quiet life. To do this, when attending a party in the governor's house, he meets two landowners - Manilov and Sobakevich. At a dinner at the police chief's, Chichikov became friends with the landowner Nozdrev.
Chapter two. Manilov
The continuation of the plot is connected with Chichikov's trip to Manilov. The landowner met the official on the threshold of his estate and led him into the house. The road to Manilov's dwelling lay among the pavilions, on which signs were hung with inscriptions indicating that these were places for reflection and solitude.
Analyzing "Dead Souls", Manilov can be easily characterized by this decoration. This is a landowner who has no problems, but at the same time is too cloying. Manilov says that the arrival of such a guest is comparable for him to a sunny day and the happiest holiday. He invites Chichikov to dine. The mistress of the estate and the two sons of the landowner, Themistoclus and Alkid, are present at the table.
After a hearty dinner, Pavel Ivanovich decides to tell about the reason that brought him to these parts. Chichikov wants to buy peasants who have already died, but their death has not yet been reflected in the audit certificate. His goal is to draw up all the documents, supposedly these peasants are still alive.
How does Manilov react to this? He has dead souls. However, the landowner is initially surprised by such a proposal. But then he agrees to the deal. Chichikov leaves the estate and goes to Sobakevich. Meanwhile, Manilov begins to dream about how Pavel Ivanovich will live next door to him and what good friends they will become after he moves.
Chapter three. Getting to know the Box
On the way to Sobakevich, Selifan (Chichikov's coachman) accidentally missed the right turn. And then it began to rain heavily, besides, Chichikov fell into the mud. All this forces the official to look for lodging for the night, which he found at the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. Analysis of "Dead Souls" indicates that this lady is afraid of everything and everyone. However, Chichikov did not waste time in vain and offered to purchase deceased peasants from her. At first, the old woman was intractable, but after a visiting official promised to buy all the lard and hemp from her (but next time), she agrees.
The deal went through. The box treated Chichikov with pancakes and pies. Pavel Ivanovich, having eaten a hearty meal, drove on. And the landowner became very worried that she took little money for dead souls.
Chapter Four. Nozdrev
After visiting Korobochka, Chichikov drove out onto the main road. He decided to visit an inn along the way to have a bite to eat. And here the author wanted to give this action a certain mystery. He makes lyrical digressions. In Dead Souls, he reflects on the properties of appetite inherent in people like the protagonist of his work.
While in the tavern, Chichikov meets Nozdryov. The landowner complained that he had lost money at the fair. Then they follow to the estate of Nozdrev, where Pavel Ivanovich intends to profit well.
By analyzing "Dead Souls", you can understand what Nozdrev is. This is a man who loves all sorts of stories. He tells them everywhere, wherever he is. After a hearty dinner, Chichikov decides to bargain. However, Pavel Ivanovich cannot beg for dead souls or buy them. Nozdrev sets his own conditions, which consist in an exchange or in a purchase in addition to something. The landowner even offers to use dead souls as a bet in the game.
Serious disagreements arise between Chichikov and Nozdryov, and they postpone the conversation until morning. The next day, the men agreed to play checkers. However, Nozdryov tried to deceive his opponent, which was noticed by Chichikov. In addition, it turned out that the landowner was on trial. And Chichikov had no choice but to run when he saw the police captain.
Chapter five. Sobakevich
Sobakevich continues the images of the landowners in Dead Souls. It is to him that Chichikov comes after Nozdryov. The estate he visited is a match for his master. Just as strong. The host treats the guest to dinner, talking during the meal about city officials, calling them all swindlers.
Chichikov talks about his plans. They did not frighten Sobakevich at all, and the men quickly moved on to making a deal. However, trouble began for Chichikov. Sobakevich began to bargain, talking about the best qualities of the peasants who had already died. However, Chichikov does not need such characteristics, and he insists on his own. And here Sobakevich begins to hint at the illegality of such a deal, threatening to tell whoever needs to know about it. Chichikov had to agree to the price offered by the landowner. They sign the document, still fearing a dirty trick from each other.
There are lyrical digressions in "Dead Souls" in the fifth chapter. The author finishes the story about Chichikov's visit to Sobakevich with a discussion about the Russian language. Gogol emphasizes the diversity, strength and richness of the Russian language. Here he points to the peculiarity of our people to give each nickname associated with various misconduct or with the course of circumstances. They do not leave their master until his death.
Chapter six. Plushkin
A very interesting hero is Plyushkin. "Dead Souls" shows him as a very greedy person. The landowner does not even throw away his old sole, which has fallen off his boot, and carries it into a rather decent pile of such rubbish.
However, Plyushkin sells dead souls very quickly and without bargaining. Pavel Ivanovich is very happy about this and refuses the tea with cracker offered by the owner.
Chapter seven. Deal
Having reached his original goal, Chichikov is sent to the civil chamber to finally resolve the issue. Manilov and Sobakevich have already arrived in the city. The chairman agrees to become an attorney for Plyushkin and all other sellers. The deal went through, and champagne was opened for the health of the new landowner.
Chapter eight. Gossip. Ball
The city began to discuss Chichikov. Many thought he was a millionaire. The girls began to go crazy for him and send love messages. Once at the ball to the governor, he literally finds himself in the arms of the ladies. However, a sixteen-year-old blonde catches his attention. At this time, Nozdryov comes to the ball, loudly interested in buying dead souls. Chichikov had to leave in complete confusion and sadness.
Chapter nine. Benefit or love?
At this time, the landowner Korobochka arrived in the city. She decided to check if she had miscalculated with the cost of dead souls. The news about the amazing sale and purchase becomes the property of the residents of the city. People believe that dead souls are a cover for Chichikov, but in fact he dreams of taking away the blonde he likes, who is the daughter of the governor.
Chapter ten. Versions
The city literally revived. The news comes one after another. They talk about the appointment of a new governor, about the presence of supporting papers about fake banknotes, about an insidious robber who escaped from the police, etc. There are many versions, and they all relate to Chichikov's personality. The excitation of people negatively affects the prosecutor. He dies on impact.
Chapter Eleven. Purpose of the event
Chichikov does not know what the city is talking about him. He goes to the governor, but he is not received there. In addition, people who meet him on the way shy away from the official in different directions. Everything becomes clear after Nozdryov comes to the hotel. The landowner tries to convince Chichikov that he was trying to help him kidnap the governor's daughter.
And here Gogol decides to tell about his hero and why Chichikov is buying up dead souls. The author tells the reader about childhood and schooling, where Pavel Ivanovich already showed the ingenuity given to him by nature. Gogol also tells about Chichikov's relationship with his comrades and teachers, about his service and work in the commission, which was located in the government building, as well as about the transition to service in customs.
The analysis of "Dead Souls" clearly indicates the protagonist's inclinations, which he used to complete his deal described in the work. Indeed, at all places of work, Pavel Ivanovich managed to make a lot of money by concluding fake contracts and collusion. In addition, he did not disdain to work with smuggling. In order to avoid criminal punishment, Chichikov resigned. Having gone to work as an attorney, he immediately put together an insidious plan in his head. Chichikov wanted to buy dead souls in order to pawn, as if alive, into the treasury for the sake of receiving money. Further in his plans was the purchase of a village for the sake of providing future offspring.
In part, Gogol justifies his hero. He considers him the owner, who built such an entertaining chain of transactions with his mind.
Images of landowners
These heroes of "Dead Souls" are especially vividly presented in five chapters. Moreover, each of them is dedicated to only one landowner. There is a certain pattern in the placement of chapters. The images of the landlords of "Dead Souls" are arranged in them according to the degree of their degradation. Let's remember who was the first of them? Manilov. Dead Souls describes this landowner as lazy and dreamy, sentimental and practically unadapted to life. This is confirmed by many details, for example, the farm that has fallen into disrepair and the house standing southward, open to all winds. The author, using the amazing artistic power of the word, shows his reader the deadness of Manilov and the worthlessness of his life path. After all, behind external attractiveness there is a spiritual emptiness.
What other vivid images are created in the work "Dead Souls"? Heroes-landlords in the image of the Box are people who are focused only on their household. Not without reason, at the end of the third chapter, the author draws an analogy of this landowner with all aristocratic ladies. The box is distrustful and stingy, superstitious and stubborn. In addition, she is narrow-minded, petty and narrow-minded.
Next in terms of degradation is Nozdrev. Like many other landowners, he does not change with age, without even trying to develop internally. The image of Nozdryov embodies a portrait of a reveler and a braggart, a drunkard and a cheater. This landowner is passionate and energetic, but all his positive qualities are wasted. The image of Nozdryov is as typical as the previous landowners. And this is emphasized by the author in his statements.
Describing Sobakevich, Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol resorts to comparing him with a bear. In addition to clumsiness, the author describes his parodic inverted heroic power, earthiness and rudeness.
But the ultimate degree of degradation is described by Gogol in the form of the richest landowner in the province - Plyushkin. During his biography, this man went from a thrifty owner to a half-crazy miser. And it was not social conditions that brought him to this state. Plyushkin's moral decline provoked loneliness.
Thus, all the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" are united by such features as idleness and inhumanity, as well as spiritual emptiness. And he opposes this world of truly "dead souls" with faith in the inexhaustible potential of the "mysterious" Russian people. Not without reason, in the finale of the work, an image of an endless road appears, along which a trinity bird rushes. And in this movement, the writer's confidence in the possibility of the spiritual transformation of mankind and in the great destiny of Russia is manifested.
Composition in the direction "Aims and means".
The statement given to me is quite contradictory and ambiguous, like any other question that involves long discussions. Does the end always justify the means? And does it justify at all? Should one correspond to the other, and what should be the end so that all means are good for it?
On the one hand, the whole life of a person is a movement with some purpose, in most cases it is taken as the “meaning of life”. A house, a family, a good job, a car, an apartment, a gooseberry garden, a small business, world peace - all this can become the meaning of everyone's existence. Does it make sense to think about the means to achieve your goal? Of course, yes, because in our life any obsessive thought can break into reality and the very fact that a person is constantly changing, growing up and improving. And if today, for example, it seems to me that for the sake of life in the capital it is worth going over heads, then tomorrow, quite possibly, I will kiss the hands of my grandmother in a small village on the very outskirts of our country, strive for something completely different and condemn yourself for what you have done in the past. So, for example, the main character of the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment" for a long time considered it his goal to prove to himself and others that with the help of evil deeds one can come to good. In other words, he believed that in achieving a noble goal, criminal means are acceptable. According to Raskolnikov's theory, there were two types of people: worthy and unworthy of life, and the hero believed that by killing the latter, you can create an ideal, kind world. However, having committed the murder of an old woman, the hero realized that his idea was inhumane, and he himself, having taken this step, did not become better than those scoundrels who surrounded him. These included, for example, Svidrigailov, a vile and low personality who did not disdain by any means in order to achieve his dirty goals. Raskolnikov's repentance and Svidrigailov's suicide proved once again that the end does not always justify the means.
Another example is the hero of the novel N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls". Chichikov's goal was a high social status and self-enrichment. The hero decided to take a rather desperate step: having redeemed many "dead souls" from various landlords, he would without much difficulty simultaneously acquire the status of a large landowner, and, having received a large loan for his peasants, the hero would also have the opportunity to have large capital. To this end, Chichikov began his difficult path and resorted to a variety of means, but the very nature of the hero did not allow him to sink too low and behave, for example, in the same way as those landowners to whom he addressed with his deal. Of course, the final ending of the novel remained in the second volume, however, it seems to me that the fact that Chichikov, having managed to find an approach to each landowner, nevertheless achieved his goal and collected the required number of dead souls, without doing anything like that, for that he himself might be ashamed. Thus, Chichikov's goal justified the means applied to it.
In conclusion, I would like to note once again that there is no and cannot be a specific answer to the question posed in the test. The end can justify the means only if the honor and dignity of a person do not suffer.
