We meet Korobochka in the 3rd chapter of Gogol's novel-poem " Dead Souls". She is the second in a row to whom Chichikov pays a visit. In fact, Chichikov drove into her estate by accident - the coachman got drunk, "walked up", as the author himself characterizes this event, and lost his way. Therefore, instead of Sobakevich main character meets the landowner Korobochka.
Consider the image of the Box in detail
She is a woman of respectable years, a widow, in the past a "collegiate secretary." She lives alone on her estate and is completely absorbed in housekeeping. Most likely, she does not have her own children, since Gogol mentions in the description of the character that all her “trash” accumulated during her life will go to some great-niece.
It looks old-fashioned and a little ridiculous, “in a cap”, “flannel”, “something is imposed on the neck”.
Korobochka, unlike Manilov, successfully manages the household herself. Through the eyes of Chichikov, we see that the houses in her village are strong, the serfs are “heavy” (strong), there are many guard dogs, which indicates that this is a “decent village”. The yard is full poultry, and vegetable gardens stretch behind the fence - cabbage, beets, onions, potatoes. There are also fruit trees, carefully covered with nets from voracious magpies and sparrows. For the same purpose, stuffed animals were also installed. Gogol ironically remarks that one of the effigies was wearing the cap of the hostess herself.
The houses of the peasants were maintained and updated - Chichikov saw a new board on the roofs, the gates stood straight everywhere, carts stood in some yards. That is, the master's care is visible everywhere. In total, Korobochka had 80 serfs, 18 died, about which the hostess greatly laments - they were good workers.
Korobochka does not allow serfs to be lazy - Chichikov's featherbed was fluffed up masterfully, in the morning, when he returns to the living room where he spent the night, everything is already tidied up; the table is bursting with baking.
The fact that the landowner is in order and everything is under her personal control, we see from the dialogue about buying dead souls - she remembers all the dead peasants by their first and last names, she doesn’t even keep any records.
Despite the fact that Korobochka is very fond of complaining about how bad things are, her estate also had surpluses that were sold to merchants and dealers. From the dialogue with Chichikov, we learn that the landowner sells honey, hemp, feathers, meat, flour, cereals, lard. She knows how to bargain, she sells a pood of honey at a very expensive price, as much as 12 rubles, which Chichikov is very surprised at.
Nastasya Petrovna is thrifty and even a little stingy. Despite the fact that things are going well on the estate, the situation in the house is very modest, the wallpaper is old, the clock is creaky. Despite the polite treatment and hospitality, Korobochka did not offer the guest dinner, citing late time. And in the morning he offers Chichikov only tea, albeit with fruit tincture. Only feeling the benefit - when Chichikov promised to buy "household products" from her - Korobochka decided to appease him and ordered him to bake a pie and pancakes. And also set the table with different pastries.
Gogol writes that her dress "will not burn down and will not be worn out by itself." Complaining about poverty and crop failures, she, nevertheless, saves money in "variegated bags" that she stuffs into chest of drawers. All coins are carefully sorted - "solid coins, fifty dollars, quarters" are laid out separately in bags. In everything, the old landowner is trying to find a benefit - noticing Chichikov's stamped paper, she asks him "to give a leaf."
The box is pious and superstitious. In a thunderstorm, he puts a candle in front of the icon and prays; gets scared when Chichikov mentions the devil in a conversation.
She is not too smart and a little suspicious, she is very afraid of miscalculating and selling too cheap. She doubts the deal with Chichikov and does not want to sell dead souls to him, even though she has to pay for them as if they were alive. He naively thinks that other merchants can come and offer a better price. This deal completely exhausted Chichikov, and in the process of negotiations, he calls Korobochka mentally and aloud "strong-headed", "cudgel-headed", "pooch in the hay" and "damned old woman".
The image of Korobochka is interesting in that it is a fairly common type in Russia during Gogol's time. Her main features - stubbornness, stupidity and narrow-mindedness, were also inherent in real personalities– some officials and civil servants. The author writes about such people that you seem to see a respectable and statesman, but in fact it turns out to be a “perfect box”. Arguments and arguments bounce off them like a "rubber" ball.
The description of the landowner ends with a reflection on the topic, is it possible to believe that Korobochka is at the very bottom of the "ladder of" human perfection "? Gogol compares her to an aristocratic sister who lives in a rich and refined house, who reads books, attends social events, and her thoughts are occupied by "fashionable Catholicism" and political upheavals in France, rather than economic affairs. The author does not give a specific answer to this question; the reader himself must answer it.
Let's summarize the main characteristics of the image of the Box
Household
Has business acumen
Practical
Thrifty
petty
hypocritical
suspicious
Limited
Only cares about his own benefit
Obsessed with hoarding
Religious but no real spirituality
superstitious
The symbolism of the surname of the landowner
Symbolism is an important artistic tool in the hands of a writer. In Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" all the names of the landowners are symbolic. Our heroine is no exception. Box - a diminutive derivative of the word "box", that is, inanimate object. So in the image of the Box there are few living features, it is turned to the past, it has no real life, development - personal, spiritual. A real "dead soul".
People store various things in a box - just like the Box is absorbed in hoarding solely for the sake of money itself, it does not have any global goal for which this money can be spent. She just puts them in bags.
Well, the walls of the box are solid, like the mind of the Box. She is stupid and limited.
As for the diminutive suffix, the author, perhaps, wanted to show the harmlessness and some kind of comic character.
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The image of the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka successfully complements the collage characteristic types landowners. Can't say she's endowed negative qualities, but it is impossible to classify her as a pleasant person.
Despite the complexity of her personality, against the background of all the other landowners, she looks like one of the most attractive in terms of housekeeping and attitude towards serfs.
Personality characteristic
We do not know what Korobochka was like in her youth; in the story, Gogol is limited to an episodic description of her character at a certain time slice, bypassing the entire process of its formation.
Dear readers! On our website you can read about the Nozdrev family described in Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol's poem "Dead Souls".
The box is noticeably distinguished by frugality and a penchant for order. In her estate, everything is in good order - however, the things used both in everyday life and in the interior of the landowner are not new, but this does not bother the old woman. With particular pleasure, she complains about everything in the world - bad harvests, lack of money, although, in fact, everything is not so deplorable: “one of those mothers, small landowners who cry for crop failures, losses and keep their heads somewhat In this way, little by little, money is collected in motley bags placed in drawers of chests of drawers.
Nastasya Petrovna is not distinguished by an extraordinary mind - the aristocrats surrounding her consider her a stupid old woman. This is true - Korobochka is really a stupid and uneducated woman. The landowner is distrustful of everything new - first of all, in the actions of people, she seeks to see some kind of catch - in this way she "saves" herself from trouble in the future.
The box is notable for its special stubbornness, it refers to those people who “as soon as you hack something into your head, you can’t overpower him with anything; no matter how you present him with arguments, clear as day, everything bounces off him, like a rubber ball bounces off a wall.
Nastasya Petrovna controversial nature- on the one hand, she is attached to religion (believes in the existence of God and the devil, prays and is baptized), but at the same time she does not neglect fortune telling on cards, which is not encouraged by religion.
Family
It is difficult to say something about the Korobochka family - Gogol provides too little information on this matter. It is reliably known that Nastasya Petrovna was married, but her husband died and at the time of the story she is a widow. It is likely that she has children, most likely, in view of the age of the landowner and the absence of Chichikov's memories of the presence of children in the house, they are already adults and live separately. Their names, age and gender are not specified in the text. The only mention of them is found together with the mention of Korobochka's sister, who lives in Moscow: "my sister brought warm boots for children from there: such a durable product, it is still worn."
Manor Boxes
The manor and Korobochka's house - oddly enough, among all the houses of landlords, it looks like one of the most attractive. It should be clarified that this evaluation does not refer to aesthetic appearance, and the state of the estate. The village of Korobochki is notable for its well-maintained houses and buildings: dilapidated elements of peasant houses were replaced with new ones, the gates to the estate were also repaired. Houses and buildings do not look as massive as those of Sobakevich, but they are not of particular aesthetic value either. Korobochka owns about 80 serfs.
This number is noticeably inferior to the rich landowners of the county, such as Plyushkina, but this does not significantly affect the income of the estate. Chichikov was pleasantly surprised by the state of the village: "You have a good village, mother."
Korobochka's household also pleasantly surprises with its diversity and well-groomedness. The box successfully sells vegetables and fruits. She has “gardens with cabbage, onions, potatoes, beets and other household vegetables. Apple trees and other fruit trees were scattered here and there in the garden.
You can also observe a variety of grown cereals. In addition, Korobochka is confidently engaged in animal husbandry - she also has various birds (“There were no number of turkeys and chickens; a rooster walked between them” and pigs. Korobochka is engaged in beekeeping and grows hemp for sale for the production of ropes and ropes.
Box House
The House of the Box is not distinguished by pomp or grace. The house is guarded by a pack of dogs that react violently to all strangers, so, for example, when Chichikov arrived, the dogs "filled with all possible voices." It is small in size, its windows overlook the courtyard, so it is impossible to admire the view from the window. The roof of the house is wooden, Chichikov, who came to Korobochka in the rain, noted that raindrops were loudly knocking on his roof. A barrel was placed near the drain, in which rainwater was collected.
Since Chichikov arrived at the Korobochki estate in the evening, and besides, in bad weather, then learn about the nuances appearance landowner's house was impossible.
On our website you can find the characteristics of Sobakevich in Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol's poem "Dead Souls".
The inside of the house was not attractive. The wallpaper there was old, however, like all the furniture. Paintings hung on the walls - “not all of the paintings were birds: between them hung a portrait of Kutuzov and a written oil paints some old man with red cuffs on his uniform, as they sewed under Pavel Petrovich. The decor was complemented by mirrors, “with dark frames in the form of curled leaves”, behind which were placed all sorts of necessary little things in the form of a letter or a stocking. The watches made a special impression - they also did not differ in novelty, and the sounds made by them were similar to the hissing of snakes. The clock struck no less unpleasantly: "as if someone were beating a broken pot with a stick."
Attitude towards peasants
The number of Korobochka's serfs is not so great - about 80 people. The lady knows them all by name. Korobochka is always actively engaged in the affairs of her estate and takes a direct part in all the works. It is impossible to find descriptions of the attitude towards the peasants in the text, but the way the landowner describes her dead souls suggests that Korobochka is no different bad attitude to the fortresses.
The third chapter of the poem is devoted to the image of the Box, which Gogol refers to the number of those "small landowners who complain about crop failures, losses and hold their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile they are gaining a little money in motley bags placed in chests of drawers!" (or Korobochka are in some way antipodes: Manilov’s vulgarity is hidden behind high phases, behind arguments about the good of the Motherland, and in Korobochka spiritual scarcity appears in its natural form. The box does not claim to high culture: in all its appearance, a very unpretentious simplicity is emphasized. This is emphasized by Gogol in the appearance of the heroine: he points to her shabby and unattractive appearance. This simplicity reveals itself in relationships with people. the main objective her life is the strengthening of her wealth, incessant accumulation. It is no coincidence that Chichikov sees traces of skillful management throughout the estate. This feature reveals her inner insignificance. She, apart from the desire to acquire and benefit, has no feelings. Confirmation is the situation with "dead souls". Korobochka trades peasants with the same efficiency with which he sells other items of his household. For her, there is no difference between an animate and an inanimate being. In Chichikov's proposal, only one thing scares her: the prospect of missing something, not taking what can be obtained for "dead souls". The box is not going to give them to Chichikov on the cheap. Gogol awarded her with the epithet "cudgel-headed"). This money comes from the sale of a wide variety of nat products. household
Korobochka understood the benefits of trading and after much persuasion agrees to sell such an unusual product as dead souls.
The image of the hoarder Korobochka is already devoid of those “attractive” features that distinguish Manilov. And again we have a type in front of us - “one of those mothers, small landowners who ... little by little collect money in motley bags placed in drawers of chests of drawers”. Korobochka's interests are entirely focused on the household. “Strong-headed” and “club-headed” Nastasya Petrovna is afraid to sell cheap by selling Chichikov dead souls. The “silent scene” that occurs in this chapter is curious. We find similar scenes in almost all chapters showing the conclusion of a deal between Chichikov and another landowner.
It's special artistic technique, a kind of temporary stoppage of the action: it allows us to show with special convexity the spiritual emptiness of Pavel Ivanovich and his interlocutors. At the end of the third chapter, Gogol talks about the typical image of Korobochka, the insignificance of the difference between her and another aristocratic lady.
The landowner Korobochka is thrifty, “gaining little by little money”, lives closed in her estate, as if in a box, and her thriftiness eventually develops into hoarding. Limitation and stupidity complete the character of the "cudgel-headed" landowner, who is distrustful of everything new in life. The qualities inherent in Korobochka are typical not only among the provincial nobility.
She owns a subsistence economy and trades in everything that is available in it: lard, bird feathers, serfs. Everything in her house is arranged in the old fashioned way. She neatly stores her belongings and saves money by putting them in bags. Everything works for her.
In the same chapter, the author great attention pays attention to Chichikov's behavior, focusing on the fact that Chichikov behaves with Korobochka in a simpler, more cheeky manner than with Manilov. This phenomenon is typical of Russian reality, and, proving this, the author gives lyrical digression about the transformation of Prometheus into a fly. The nature of the Box is especially clearly revealed in the scene of sale. She is very afraid of selling cheap and even makes an assumption, which she herself is frightened of: "what if the dead will come in handy in her household?" And again, the author emphasizes the typicality of this image: "Another and respectable, and even a statesman, but in reality it turns out to be a perfect Box." It turns out that Korobochka's stupidity, her "club-headedness" is not such a rare occurrence.
Manilov - a sentimental landowner, the first "seller" dead souls. Gogol emphasizes the emptiness and insignificance of the hero, covered with a sugary pleasantness of appearance, details of the furnishings of his estate. M.'s house is open to all winds, thin birch tops are visible everywhere, the pond is completely overgrown with duckweed. But the arbor in the garden of M. is pompously named "The Temple of Solitary Reflection." M.'s office is covered with "blue paint like gray", which indicates the lifelessness of the hero, from whom you will not expect a single living word. Clinging to any topic, M.'s thoughts float away into abstract reflections. To think about real life, and even more so, this hero is not capable of making any decisions. Everything in M.'s life: action, time, meaning - are replaced by exquisite verbal formulas. It was only necessary for Chichikov to clothe his strange request for selling dead shower in beautiful words, and M. immediately calmed down and agreed. Although earlier this proposal seemed wild to him. M.'s world is a world of false idyll, a path to death. Not without reason, even Chichikov's path to the lost Manilovka is depicted as a road to nowhere. There is nothing negative in M., but there is nothing positive either. He - empty place, nothing. Therefore, this hero cannot count on transfiguration and rebirth: there is nothing to be reborn in him. And therefore M., along with Korobochka, occupies one of the lowest places in the "hierarchy" of the heroes of the poem.
This man is a bit like Chichikov himself. "God alone could tell what kind of character M. There is a kind of people known by the name: neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan. His features were not devoid of pleasantness, but in this pleasantness, it seemed , too much sugar." M. considers himself well-mannered, educated, noble. But let's take a look at his office. We see heaps of ashes, a dusty book, which has been open for the second year on the 14th page, something is always missing in the house, only part of the furniture is upholstered in silk fabric, and two armchairs are upholstered in matting. M.'s weak will is also emphasized by the fact that the landowner's housekeeping is handled by a drunken clerk.
M. is a dreamer, and his dreams are completely divorced from reality. He dreams of "how good it would be if all of a sudden to lead an underground passage from the house or build a stone bridge across the pond." G. emphasizes the inactivity and social uselessness of the landowner, but does not deprive him of human qualities. M. is a family man, loves his wife and children, sincerely rejoices at the arrival of a guest, tries in every possible way to please him and make him pleasant.
Nozdryov is the third landowner from whom Chichikov is trying to buy dead souls. This is a dashing 35-year-old "talker, reveler, reckless driver." N. constantly lies, bullies everyone indiscriminately, he is very passionate, ready to "shame" to the best friend without any purpose.
All of N.'s behavior is explained by his dominant quality: "briskness and liveliness of character", that is, unrestraint, bordering on unconsciousness. N. does not think or plan anything, he simply does not know the measure in anything. On the way to Sobakevich, in a tavern, N. intercepts Chichikov and takes him to his estate.
There he quarrels to death with Chichikov: he does not agree to play cards for dead souls, and also does not want to buy a stallion of "Arab blood" and get souls in addition.
The next morning, forgetting about all the insults, N. persuades Chichikov to play checkers with him for dead souls. Convicted of cheating, N. orders Chichikov to be beaten, and only the appearance of the police captain reassures him. It is N. who will almost destroy Chichikov.
Faced with him at the ball, N. shouts aloud: “he trades dead souls! ”, Which gives rise to a lot of the most incredible rumors. When the officials call on N. to figure everything out, the hero confirms all the rumors at once, not embarrassed by their inconsistency. Later, he comes to Chichikov and talks about all these rumors himself. Instantly forgetting about the offense inflicted on him, he sincerely offers to help Chichikov take away the governor's daughter. home furnishings fully reflects the chaotic character of N. At home everything is stupid: there are goats in the middle of the dining room, there are no books and papers in the office, etc.
It can be said that N.'s boundless lie is flip side Russian prowess, which N. is endowed with in abundance. N. is not completely empty, it's just that his unbridled energy does not find proper use for himself. With N. in the poem, a series of heroes begins who have retained something alive in themselves. Therefore, in the "hierarchy" of heroes, he occupies a relatively high - third - place.
Plyushkin Stepan is the last "seller" of dead souls. This hero personifies complete necrosis human soul. In the image of P., the author shows the death of a bright and strong personality consumed by the passion of avarice. The description of P.'s estate ("does not get rich in God") depicts the desolation and "littering" of the hero's soul. The entrance is dilapidated, everywhere there is a special dilapidation, the roofs are like a sieve, the windows are plugged with rags. Everything here is lifeless - even two churches, which should be the soul of the estate.
P.'s estate seems to fall apart into details and fragments, even the house - in some places one floor, in other places two. This speaks of the disintegration of the consciousness of the owner, who forgot about the main thing and focused on the third. For a long time he no longer knows what is happening in his household, but he strictly monitors the level of liquor in his decanter.
The portrait of P. (whether a woman or a man, a long chin covered with a handkerchief so as not to spit, small eyes that are not yet extinct, running around like mice, a greasy dressing gown, a rag around his neck instead of a handkerchief) speaks of the hero’s complete “falling out” of image of a rich landowner and from life in general.
P. has, the only one of all the landowners, quite detailed biography. Before the death of his wife, P. was a diligent and wealthy owner. He raised his children with care. But with the death of his beloved wife, something broke in him: he became more suspicious and meaner. After troubles with children (the son lost in cards, eldest daughter fled, and the youngest died) P.'s soul finally hardened - "the wolf hunger of stinginess took possession of him." But, oddly enough, greed did not take possession of the heart of the hero to the last limit. Having sold dead souls to Chichikov, P. wonders who could help him draw up a bill of sale in the city. He remembers that the Chairman was his school friend.
This memory suddenly revives the hero: "... on this wooden face ... expressed ... a pale reflection of feeling." But this is only a momentary glimpse of life, although the author believes that P. is capable of rebirth. At the end of the chapter on P. Gogol, he describes a twilight landscape in which the shadow and the light are "completely mixed" - as in the unfortunate soul of P.
Sobakevich Mikhailo Semenych - landowner, the fourth "seller" of dead souls. The very name and appearance of this hero (reminiscent of " medium size 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?" literary poem art
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 “ female soul"- Elizabeth 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, paintings hang 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 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.
The image of the Box in the poem "Dead Souls" contains a lot for understanding not only the semantic content, but also main idea poems.
It is no coincidence that he was assigned such an important compositional role- the arrival of the widow in the city brought disaster on the head of the Gogol businessman.
Characteristics and description of the Box in the poem "Dead Souls"
The reader meets the venerable lady in chapter three of the first volume of the great work. It is noteworthy that the charioteer Selifan literally “ran over” the fence of her estate, finally getting lost at night, during a stormy thunderstorm - drunk, on a hunch, closing his eyes.
In such cases, the people said, “The devil has beguiled!”. Indeed, there is a lot of diabolism in the symbolism of the episode with the Box.
Arriving at the estate at two o'clock in the morning, Chichikov curled up like a "pretzel" in downy featherbeds at about three in the morning - the hour of Satan, according to popular belief.
And the offer to "scratch your heels"? This part of the body in many legends is the place of greatest vulnerability in chthonic monsters - in the same art space no one is going to crush evil, on the contrary, they cherish it. Chichikov, of course, is not a snake-like monster, but certainly evil spirits - the hostess herself immediately identified him with “her dead man” (deceased husband).
It is excusable for a tired newcomer to fall asleep dead sleep. But this detail in Gogol looks very symbolic, as well as numerous flies that have stuck around the resting person in the morning (in Christian culture, a fly is a sign of the presence of Satan).
The name of the collegiate secretary Nastasya is translated from Greek as “immortal”, “resurrecting”. Here she is, the messiah of dead souls, the messenger of eternal death on earth! Is that why there are so many birds in the interior surrounding Chichikov? These are portraits, and a myriad of chickens, ducks and turkeys inhabiting a cramped courtyard, clouds of crows. It is not only a matter of domestic isolation and laxity, stupidity and narrow-mindedness.
In fact, the image of a bird in folklore symbolizes spirituality, the connection of earth and sky, ever-reviving life and maternal protection. Only feathered laying hens are too mundane creatures: they don’t fly above their own heads - where can they be higher spheres. “Every domestic creature” surrounding the landowner symbolizes the power of the earth, matter, objectivity, and therefore death. So, after the father, the lady is called Petrovna (from Greek word denoting "stone", "rock") - and this is not a compliment to the spiritual stamina of the bearer of the name.
And how the devil is afraid of being mentioned! Because it is in this house that he is a true spiritual reality (one should not take his name in vain), even though in a thunderstorm the lamp in front of the icon is superstitiously lit. And after all, the widow was guessing three days before the arrival of unexpected visitors, and after all, in response to appeals about the future to his obedient servant, the horned one himself came. Didn't he warn about Chichikov? And more than once the wandering merchant, unable to restrain himself, mentioned the devil in negotiations with her.
Only in front of Nastasya Petrovna did Chichikov not rush to hide the holy of holies - his box. This container attracted the Box like a magnet: like attracts like! And in the Chichikov box - everything you need to conclude a contract for the soul with Satan: a pen, ink, paper, razors (according to legend, such agreements are written with blood), money and soap - to wash your hands after a bad deed, hiding visible traces.
Box's Appearance
An elderly woman appears in front of the reader in a sleeping cap that is somehow put on and a flannel wound around her neck.
Such petty landowners will cry to their heart's content on crop failures and losses, while they themselves methodically and lovingly accumulate money in drawers of chests of drawers among all sorts of clothing rubbish. It seems that the things themselves love such thrifty old women - they do not wear out and last forever.
At morning tea with Chichikov, the secretary again sits in a dark dress, without a cap, but with her neck wrapped around - a significant detail, given that the neck is associated in the body with mobility, flexibility of consciousness.
Favorite activities
Grandmother is a devout person, but she is not averse to telling fortunes after evening prayers. He likes to complain about life: in the morning he reports to Chichikov about insomnia and an ache in his leg, complains about crop failures, the loss of valuable workers, and flour that is “unavantageous” due to crop failure.
All entirely in the household: to hospitably shelter a nobleman, to sell something, to beg for stamped paper just in case, to treat him deliciously useful person- uses any opportunity to increase wealth.
It is distinguished by a reverent attitude to things: small objects and papers are placed behind the frames of mirrors - so that the eye “sticks” on the walls. She sees and notices everything familiar and established, and "new and unprecedented" introduces her mind into a state of stupor.
Attitude towards others
Absent! Of the aunt's emotions - only fear of the unusual and hot "zabranki". Even about a possible profit, reflection is soulless, without intonation, rubbing hands.
Husband - "dead", neighbors - knows only the closest and his wealth, serfs - monetary equivalent, hands-income. The children born among the peasants are not people, but "small fry": they do not work, they do not bring income - they are not even human children.
Description of the estate
At night, “something like a roof” appeared in front of the travelers: the house itself is perceived as a box, in which the lid is the first thing that catches the eye. The symbolism suggests itself the most gloomy.
The room where Chichikov spent the night is pasted over with old striped wallpaper, with mirrors and pictures of birds - a chicken kingdom, where only two roosters (two male portrait- Kutuzov and the owner of the uniform of Pavlovian times). A clock runs in it, hissing like a tangle of vipers and strainingly wheezing when it's time to beat.
All sorts of domestic animals swarm in the small courtyard of the estate, whole clouds of crows fly from one fruit tree to another. And this herd is pastured by several scarecrows with spread fingers (all to the landowner - as if they are striving to grab something, even the master's night cap is on one).
Peasant houses are scattered, without clear streets: the world of pagan chaos, inanimate matter spontaneously organizing itself. But Chichikov notices signs of material contentment: the old boarding on the roofs has been replaced with a new one, the houses are in order, the gates are strong, in some yards there are new carts.
Life goals
To save money and things, then to bequeath the ripped up coat to some relative. Even souls dead peasants begins, under the influence of the moment, to keep in reserve: “Or maybe on the farm they will somehow need it for the occasion ...”.
In a conversation with a guest, a plan quickly emerged in Korobochka’s head to agree on a contract for the supply of honey, hemp and lard, flour and cattle.
Why Box "dead soul"
There is no spiritual content in the landowner - not even imitation. All actions, thoughts and statements of the character are due to a commercial approach to everything and everyone.
The apotheosis of form: something is constantly being invested in the manor-casket, simply because the emptiness needs to be filled. The box is a gaping endless void that fills itself, pulling things and money into itself. The latter - the equivalent of human labor initially living its own life - are not spent, but buried in boxes, becoming rubbish.
Death to everything spiritual lives in this estate. It is no coincidence that Chichikov rested so freely here and ate richly. And pancakes with spicy were especially good - ritual food!
The first impression of the landowner
The visitor immediately recognized her as a "mother" landowner: the sovereign demiurge of the domestic world. The guest-nobleman is given a hospitable welcome: she persistently tries to give tea to drink, ordered to dry and clean the clothes, provided a luxurious downy feather bed, which you can’t climb without a chair.
Chichikov's attitude to Korobochka
He turns to the hostess in his own way, behaves with her confidently, patronizingly and calls her mother. Takes her hospitality for granted.
The deal for the sale of dead souls turned out to be unexpectedly difficult for the master. Baba turned out to be not just a "strong-headed" - "cudgel-headed" one.
Chichikov considers the "cursed old woman" so insignificant that he does not consider it necessary to restrain his true temperament - he swears, promises the devil to her, curses along with her village. In passing, he gives meaningless promises to conclude a work contract and does not refuse a “gastronomic” bribe.
Attitude towards the household
All-consuming and devoid of any emotions. Without a hitch, she reports that she has almost eighty people in the fortress. He remembers who died and when, dictates by heart the name of each deceased.
Having secured promises from Chichikov, she immediately began to observe household affairs on the porch: who and what carried where.
The box is a talking and moving object of its isolated world, living by natural production. The same garden scarecrow - only with a different function: to protect from external ruins and to attract things and money from the space outside the gates of the estate.
Conclusion
In short: the old landowner is the lady of Chichikov's heart, his female counterpart, Mother Goddess. Both are equally dead even for each other - they do not see each other point-blank behind commercial aspirations.
If the visiting businessman felt a kindred spirit for Korobochka, he could have foreseen the fateful act of the devil's grandmother for him. Fear of selling cheap will drive her to the city to find out the "set" prices for dead souls. So the adventure of Mr. Chichikov will be revealed.
Work:
Dead Souls
Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna - a widow-landowner, the second "seller" of dead souls to Chichikov. Main feature her character is commercial efficiency. Each person for K. is only a potential buyer.
K.'s inner world reflects her economy. Everything in it is neat and strong: both the house and the yard. It's just that there are a lot of flies everywhere. This detail personifies the frozen, stopped world of the heroine. The hissing clock and the "outdated" portraits on the walls in K.
But such a "fading" is still better than the complete timelessness of Manilov's world. K. at least has a past (husband and everything connected with him). K. has a character: she begins to bargain furiously with Chichikov until she extracts a promise from him, in addition to souls, to buy much more. It is noteworthy that K. remembers all his dead peasants by heart. But K. is dumb: later she will come to the city to find out the price of dead souls, and thereby expose Chichikov. Even the location of the village of K. (away from the main road, away from real life) indicates the impossibility of its correction and revival. In this she is similar to Manilov and occupies one of the lowest places in the "hierarchy" of the heroes of the poem.
The image of the landowner Korobochka in the poem "Dead Souls"
The third chapter of the poem is devoted to the image of the Box, which Gogol refers to the number of those "small landowners who complain about crop failures, losses and hold their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile they are gaining a little money in motley bags placed in chests of drawers!" (or M. and Korobochka are in some way antipodes: Manilov’s vulgarity is hidden behind high phases, behind arguments about the good of the Motherland, while Korobochka’s spiritual scarcity appears in its natural form. The box does not pretend to be a high culture: in all its appearance, a very unpretentious simplicity. This is emphasized by Gogol in the appearance of the heroine: he points to her shabby and unattractive appearance. This simplicity reveals itself in relations with people. The main goal of her life is to consolidate her wealth, incessant accumulation. It is no coincidence that Chichikov sees traces of skillful management on her estate. This household reveals her inner insignificance. She has no feelings except for the desire to acquire and benefit. Confirmation is the situation with the "dead strangles." Korobochka trades peasants with the same efficiency with which she sells other items of her household. For her, there is no difference between an animate and an inanimate being.In Chichikov's proposal, she is only afraid of about one thing: the prospect of missing something, not taking what you can get for "dead souls." The box is not going to give them to Chichikov on the cheap. Gogol awarded her with the epithet "cudgelhead".) These money are obtained from the sale of a wide variety of nat products. household Korobochka understood the benefits of trading and after much persuasion agrees to sell such an unusual product as dead souls.
The image of the hoarder Korobochka is already devoid of those “attractive” features that distinguish Manilov. And again we have a type in front of us - “one of those mothers, small landowners who ... little by little collect money in motley bags placed in drawers of chests of drawers”. Korobochka's interests are entirely focused on the household. “Strong-headed” and “club-headed” Nastasya Petrovna is afraid to sell cheap, selling dead souls to Chichikov. The “silent scene” that occurs in this chapter is curious. We find similar scenes in almost all chapters showing the conclusion of a deal between Chichikov and another landowner. This is a special artistic technique, a kind of temporary stoppage of the action: it allows with a special salience to show the spiritual emptiness of Pavel Ivanovich and his interlocutors. At the end of the third chapter, Gogol talks about the typical image of Korobochka, the insignificance of the difference between her and another aristocratic lady.
The landowner Korobochka is thrifty, “gaining little by little money”, lives closed in her estate, as if in a box, and her thriftiness eventually develops into hoarding. Limitation and stupidity complete the character of the "cudgel-headed" landowner, who is distrustful of everything new in life. The qualities inherent in Korobochka are typical not only among the provincial nobility.
She owns a subsistence economy and trades in everything that is available in it: lard, bird feathers, serfs. Everything in her house is arranged in the old fashioned way. She neatly stores her belongings and saves money by putting them in bags. Everything works for her. In the same chapter, the author pays great attention to Chichikov's behavior, focusing on the fact that Chichikov with Korobochka behaves more simply, more cheekily than with Manilov. This phenomenon is typical of Russian reality, and, proving this, the author gives a lyrical digression about the transformation of Prometheus into a fly. The nature of the Box is especially clearly revealed in the scene of sale. She is very afraid of selling cheap and even makes an assumption, which she herself is afraid of: “what if the dead ones will come in handy for her on the farm?”, And again the author emphasizes the typicality of this image: “Another and respectable, and statesman, even a person, but in reality it turns out a perfect Box” . It turns out that Korobochka's stupidity, her "club-headedness" is not such a rare occurrence.
