N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls": description, characters, analysis of the poem

The compositional basis of Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is Chichikov's journey through the cities and provinces of Russia. According to the author's intention, the reader is invited to "travel the whole of Rus' with the hero and bring out a wide variety of characters." In the first volume of "Dead Souls" Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol introduces the reader to a number of characters who represent the "dark kingdom", familiar from the plays of A. N. Ostrovsky. The types created by the writer are relevant to this day, and many proper names eventually became common nouns, although recently they are used less and less in colloquial speech. Below is a description of the heroes of the poem. In "Dead Souls" the main characters are the landlords and the main adventurer, whose adventures are the basis of the plot.

Chichikov, the protagonist of Dead Souls, travels around Russia, buying documents for dead peasants who, according to the audit book, are still considered alive. In the first chapters of the work, the author tries in every possible way to emphasize that Chichikov was a completely ordinary, unremarkable person. Knowing how to find an approach to every person, Chichikov, without any problems, was able to achieve location, respect and recognition in any society that he had to face. Pavel Ivanovich is ready for anything to achieve his goal: he lies, impersonates another person, flatters, uses other people. But at the same time, he seems to readers to be a completely charming person!

Another hero of the work "Dead Souls" by Gogol is Manilov. Chichikov comes to him first. Manilov gives the impression of a carefree person who does not care about worldly problems. Manilov found his wife to match - the same dreamy young lady. Servants took care of the house, and teachers come to their two children, Themistoclus and Alkid. It was difficult to determine the character of Manilov: Gogol himself says that at the first minute you might think “what an amazing person!”, A little later - be disappointed in the hero, and after another minute make sure that nothing can be said about Manilov at all. It has no desires, no life itself. The landowner spends his time in abstract thoughts, completely ignoring everyday problems. Manilov easily gave the dead souls to Chichikov without asking about the legal details.

If we continue the list of heroes of the story, then the next will be Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna, an old lonely widow who lives in a small village. Chichikov came to her by chance: the coachman Selifan lost his way and turned onto the wrong road. The hero was forced to stop for the night. External attributes were an indicator of the internal state of the landowner: everything in her house was done sensibly, firmly, but nevertheless there were a lot of flies everywhere. Korobochka was a real entrepreneur, because in every person she was used to seeing only a potential buyer. Nastasya Petrovna was remembered by the reader for the fact that she did not agree to the deal in any way. Chichikov persuaded the landowner and promised to give her several blue papers for petitions, but until he agreed to order flour, honey and lard from Korobochka next time, Pavel Ivanovich did not receive several dozen dead souls.

Next on the list was Nozdryov- a reveler, a liar and a merry fellow, a playboy. The meaning of his life was entertainment, even two children could not keep the landowner at home for more than a few days. Nozdryov often got into various stories, but thanks to his innate talent to find a way out of any situation, he always got out of the water dry. Nozdryov communicated easily with people, even with those with whom he managed to quarrel, after a while he talked like with old friends. However, many tried not to have anything in common with Nozdryov: the landowner invented various fables about others hundreds of times, telling them at balls and dinner parties. It seemed that Nozdryov was not at all worried about the fact that he often lost his property in cards - he certainly wanted to win back. The image of Nozdryov is very important for the characterization of other heroes of the poem, in particular Chichikov. After all, Nozdryov was the only person with whom Chichikov did not make a deal and, in general, did not want to meet with him anymore. Pavel Ivanovich barely managed to escape from Nozdryov, but Chichikov could not even imagine under what circumstances he would see this man again.

Sobakevich was the fourth seller of dead souls. In his appearance and behavior, he resembled a bear, even the interior of his house and household utensils were huge, out of place and cumbersome. From the very beginning, the author focuses on Sobakevich's thriftiness and prudence. It was he who first offered Chichikov to buy documents for the peasants. Chichikov was surprised by this course of events, but did not argue. The landowner was also remembered for the fact that he filled the price of the peasants, despite the fact that the latter were long dead. He talked about their professional skills or personal qualities, trying to sell documents at a higher price than Chichikov offered.

Surprisingly, it is this hero who has much more chances for a spiritual rebirth, because Sobakevich sees how small people have become, how insignificant they are in their aspirations.

This list of characteristics of the heroes of "Dead Souls" contains the most important characters for understanding the plot, but do not forget about coachman Selifane, and about Pavel Ivanovich's servant, and about good-natured landowner Plyushkin. Being a master of words, Gogol created very vivid portraits of heroes and their types, which is why all descriptions of the heroes of Dead Souls are so easy to remember and immediately recognizable.

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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 been preserved, 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. Rumors. 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 makings of the protagonist, 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.

The main characters of the poem "Dead Souls" personify the society of past centuries.

"Dead Souls" main characters

The figurative system of the poem is built in accordance with three main plot and compositional links: landlord, bureaucratic Russia and the image of Chichikov.

The main character of "Dead Souls" Chichikov. This is a former official (retired collegiate adviser), and now a schemer: he is engaged in buying up the so-called "dead souls" (written information about the peasants who have died since the last revision) to mortgage them as if they were alive, in order to take a loan from a bank and gain weight in society. He dresses smartly, looks after himself and, after a long and dusty Russian road, manages to look as if only from a tailor and a barber. His name has become a household name for people - crafty careerists, sycophants, money-grubbers, outwardly "pretty", "decent and worthy"

Manilov A pleasant but boring and lazy middle-aged man. Little takes care of his estate. There are 200 peasant huts in his village. The peasants of Manilov are lazy, like the owner himself. Manilov likes to sit in his office and dream all day, smoking a pipe. A romantic and sensitive man who loves his family.

box- old widow She is a good housewife, thrifty and thrifty, a stupid and suspicious old woman. There are only 80 souls in her village. The peasants of Korobochka are working regularly, and the economy is well established. Huts and buildings in the estate Boxes are whole and strong. Korobochka sells goods produced by her peasants. This is “one of those mothers, small landowners who cry for crop failures, losses and keep their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile they are gaining a little money in motley bags placed in drawers of chests of drawers.” The watercolor portrait of Korobochka represents a good-natured old woman of small stature, in a cap and bonnet, in funny knitted shoes. The round, soft figure of Nastasya Petrovna, with some kind of rag tied around her neck, surprisingly resembles a tightly stuffed sack or bag - an important attribute of a homely landowner.

Nozdryov— A young widower, 35 years old. Lively, cheerful and noisy. Likes to have fun and drink. Cannot stay at home for more than one day. Little is engaged in his estate and peasants. Does not take care of his two children. Keeps a whole pack of dogs and loves them more than his children.

Sobakevich- Prosperous landowner 40-50 years old. Married. It looks like a bear. Healthy and strong. Clumsy, rude and direct. Thoroughly takes care of his estate. His peasants' huts are strong and reliable. Likes to eat well.

Plushkin- Wealthy landowner. He has about 1000 souls. He has many dead and runaway souls. Plyushkin lives like a beggar: he walks in rags and eats breadcrumbs. He doesn't throw anything away. Its peasants live in old, dilapidated houses. He overcharges and doesn't sell goods to merchants, so goods rot in storerooms.

In this article we will describe the image of landowners created by Gogol in the poem "Dead Souls". The table compiled by us will help you remember the information. We will sequentially talk about the five heroes presented by the author in this work.

The image of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" by N.V. Gogol is briefly described in the following table.

Depiction of landowners by Gogol

In the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich, one of the main topics is the theme of the landlord class in Russia, as well as the ruling class (nobility), its role in society and its fate.

The main method used by Gogol when depicting various characters is satire. The process of gradual degeneration of the landlord class was reflected in the heroes created by his pen. Nikolai Vasilievich reveals shortcomings and vices. Gogol's satire is colored with irony, which helped this writer to speak directly about what was impossible to speak openly under censorship conditions. At the same time, the laughter of Nikolai Vasilyevich seems to us good-natured, but he does not spare anyone. Each phrase has a subtext, a hidden, deep meaning. Irony in general is a characteristic element of Gogol's satire. It is present not only in the speech of the author himself, but also in the speech of the characters.

Irony is one of the essential features of Gogol's poetics, it gives more realism to the narrative, it becomes a means of analyzing the surrounding reality.

Compositional construction of the poem

The images of the landowners in the poem, the largest work of this author, are given in the most multifaceted and complete way. It is built as the story of the adventures of the official Chichikov, who buys up "dead souls". The composition of the poem allowed the author to tell about different villages and the owners living in them. Almost half of the first volume (five of the eleven chapters) is devoted to characterizing different types of landowners in Russia. Nikolai Vasilievich created five portraits that are not similar to each other, but at the same time, each of them contains features that are typical of a Russian serf-owner. Acquaintance with them begins with Manilov and ends with Plyushkin. Such a construction is not accidental. This sequence has its own logic: the process of impoverishment of a person's personality deepens from one image to another, it unfolds more and more like a terrible picture of the disintegration of a feudal society.

Acquaintance with Manilov

Manilov - representing the image of the landowners in the poem "Dead Souls". The table only briefly describes it. Let's get to know this character better. The character of Manilov, which is described in the first chapter, is already manifested in the surname itself. The story about this hero begins with the image of the village of Manilovka, a few able to "lure" with its location. The author describes with irony the manor's courtyard, created as an imitation with a pond, bushes and the inscription "Temple of solitary reflection". External details help the writer to create the image of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls".

Manilov: the character of the hero

The author, speaking of Manilov, exclaims that only God knows what kind of character this man had. By nature, he is kind, courteous, polite, but all this takes ugly, exaggerated forms in his image. sentimental and splendid to the point of cloying. Festive and idyllic seem to him the relationship between people. Various relationships, in general, are one of the details that create the image of landlords in the poem "Dead Souls". Manilov did not know life at all, reality was replaced by an empty fantasy with him. This hero loved to dream and reflect, sometimes even about things useful for the peasants. However, his ideas were far from the needs of life. He did not know about the real needs of the serfs and never even thought about them. Manilov considers himself a bearer of culture. He was considered the most educated person in the army. Nikolai Vasilyevich speaks ironically about the house of this landowner, in which "something was always missing", as well as about his sugary relationship with his wife.

Chichikov's conversation with Manilov about buying dead souls

Manilov in the episode of the conversation about buying dead souls is compared with an overly smart minister. Gogol's irony here intrudes, as if by accident, into a forbidden area. Such a comparison means that the minister differs not so much from Manilov, and "Manilovism" is a typical phenomenon of the vulgar bureaucratic world.

box

Let's describe one more image of landowners in the poem "Dead Souls". The table has already briefly introduced you to the Box. We learn about it in the third chapter of the poem. Gogol refers this heroine to the number of small landowners who complain about losses and crop failures and always keep their heads somewhat to one side, while gaining money little by little in the bags placed in the chest of drawers. This money is obtained through the sale of a variety of subsistence products. Korobochka's interests and horizons are completely focused on her estate. Her entire life and economy are patriarchal in nature.

How did Korobochka react to Chichikov's proposal?

The landowner realized that the trade in dead souls was profitable, and after much persuasion agreed to sell them. The author, describing the image of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" (Korobochka and other heroes), is ironic. For a long time, the "clubhead" cannot figure out what exactly is required of her, which infuriates Chichikov. After that, she bargains with him for a long time, fearing to miscalculate.

Nozdrev

In the image of Nozdryov in the fifth chapter, Gogol draws a completely different form of decomposition of the nobility. This hero is a man, as they say, "of all trades." There was something remote, direct, open in his very face. Characteristic for him is also the "breadth of nature." According to the ironic remark of Nikolai Vasilyevich, Nozdrev is a "historical person", since not a single meeting that he managed to attend was ever complete without stories. He loses a lot of money at cards with a light heart, beats a simpleton at a fair and immediately "squanders" everything. This hero is an utter liar and a reckless braggart, a real master of "pouring bullets". He behaves defiantly everywhere, if not aggressively. The speech of this character is replete with swear words, and at the same time he has a passion to "shame on his neighbor." Gogol created in Russian literature a new socio-psychological type of the so-called Nozdrevshchina. In many ways, the image of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" is innovative. A brief image of the following heroes is described below.

Sobakevich

The satire of the author in the image of Sobakevich, with whom we get acquainted in the fifth chapter, acquires a more accusatory character. This character bears little resemblance to previous landowners. This is a fisted, cunning merchant, a "landowner-fist". He is alien to the violent extravagance of Nozdryov, the dreamy complacency of Manilov, and also the hoarding of Korobochka. Sobakevich has an iron grip, he is laconic, he is on his mind. There are few people who could deceive him. Everything about this landowner is strong and durable. In all household items surrounding him, Gogol reflects the features of the character of this person. Everything surprisingly resembles the hero himself in his house. Each thing, as the author notes, seemed to say that she was "also Sobakevich."

Nikolai Vasilyevich depicts a figure that strikes with rudeness. This man seemed to Chichikov like a bear. Sobakevich is a cynic who is not ashamed of moral ugliness either in others or in himself. He is far from enlightened. This is a stubborn feudal lord who only cares about his own peasants. It is interesting that, except for this hero, no one understood the true essence of the "scoundrel" Chichikov, and Sobakevich perfectly understood the essence of the proposal, which reflects the spirit of the times: everything can be sold and bought, you should benefit as much as possible. Such is the generalized image of the landowners in the poem of the work, however, it is not limited to the image of only these characters. We present you the next landowner.

Plushkin

The sixth chapter is devoted to Plyushkin. On it, the characteristics of the landowners in the poem "Dead Souls" are completed. The name of this hero has become a household name, denoting moral degradation and stinginess. This image is the last degree of degeneration of the landlord class. Gogol begins his acquaintance with the character, as usual, with a description of the estate and village of the landowner. At the same time, "special dilapidation" was noticeable on all buildings. Nikolai Vasilievich describes a picture of the ruin of a once rich serf-owner. Its cause is not idleness and extravagance, but the painful stinginess of the owner. Gogol calls this landowner "a hole in humanity." Its appearance itself is characteristic - it is a sexless creature resembling a housekeeper. This character no longer causes laughter, only bitter disappointment.

Conclusion

The image of the landowners in the poem "Dead Souls" (the table is presented above) is revealed by the author in many ways. The five characters that Gogol created in the work depict the versatile state of this class. Plyushkin, Sobakevich, Nozdrev, Korobochka, Manilov - different forms of one phenomenon - spiritual, social and economic decline. The characteristics of the landlords in Gogol's Dead Souls prove this.

/S.P. Shevyrev (1806-1864). The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls. Poem by N. Gogol. Article one/

Let us carefully go through the gallery of these strange persons who live their special, full life in the world where Chichikov performs his exploits. We will not violate the order in which they are depicted. Let's start with Manilov, assuming that the author himself starts with him not without reason. Almost a thousand faces are brought together in this one face. Manilov represents a lot of people living inside Russia, which can be said together with the author: people are so-so, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan. If you like, they are generally kind people, but empty; they praise everything and everyone, but their praise is of no use. They live in the countryside, they don’t do housework, but they look at everything with a calm and kind look and, smoking a pipe (a pipe is their inevitable attribute), indulge in idle dreams, like how to build a stone bridge across a pond and start shops on it. The kindness of their soul is reflected in their family tenderness: they love to kiss, but that's all. The emptiness of their sweet and sugary life echoes with pampering in children and bad upbringing. Their dreamy inaction was reflected in their entire economy; look at their villages: they will all be like Manilov. Gray, log huts, no greenery anywhere; everywhere there is only one log; a pond in the middle; two women with a nonsense in which two crayfish and a roach are entangled, and a plucked rooster with a head gouged to the brain (yes, such people in the village must certainly have a plucked rooster) - these are the necessary external signs of their rural life, to which even and the day is light gray, because in sunlight such a picture would not be so entertaining. There is always some kind of defect in their house, and with furniture upholstered in smart material, there will certainly be two armchairs covered with canvas. In every business question, they always turn to their clerk, even if they happen to sell something from rural products.<…>

box— this is a completely different matter! This is the type of active landowner; she lives entirely in her household; she knows nothing else. On the face of it, you will call her a krokhoborka, looking at how she collects fifty dollars and quarters in different bags, but, looking at her more closely, you will do justice to her activities and involuntarily say that she is a minister in her business, no matter where. Look how neat she is everywhere. The contentment of the inhabitants can be seen in the peasant huts; the gate did not squint anywhere; the old tes on the roofs have been replaced everywhere with new ones. Look at her rich chicken coop! Her rooster is not the same as in Manilov's village - a dandy rooster. The whole bird, as you can see, has already been so accustomed to the caring mistress, it seems to be one family with her and comes close to the windows of her house; that's why at Korobochka's there could only be a not entirely courteous meeting between the Indian rooster and Chichikov's guest. Her housekeeping is going well: it seems that there is only Fetinya in the house, and look what kind of cookies! and what a huge down jacket took the weary Chichikov into its depths! "And what a wonderful memory Nastasya Petrovna has!" How she, without any note, told Chichikov by heart the names of all her extinct peasants! You have noticed that the peasants of Korobochka differ from other landowner peasants by some unusual nicknames: do you know why this is?

The box is on her mind: what she has is hers, then hers is strong; and the men are also marked with special names, as a bird is marked with careful owners so that it does not run away. That is why it was so difficult for Chichikov to settle things with her: although she loves to sell and sells any household product, she looks at dead souls in the same way as she looks at lard, hemp or honey, believing that they are in the household may be needed. She tortured Chichikov to the sweat of her face with her difficulties, referring all the time to the fact that the goods were new, strange, unprecedented. She could only be frightened by the devil, because Korobochka must be superstitious. But it’s a disaster if she happens to sell some of her goods at a low price: it’s as if her conscience is not calm - and therefore it’s no wonder that, having sold dead souls and then thinking about them, she galloped into the city in her travel watermelon stuffed with cotton pillows, bread , rolls, kokurki, pretzels and other things, then galloped up to find out for sure how much dead souls go and whether she had missed, God save, selling them, maybe at a bargain price.

On the high road, in some darkened wooden tavern, I met Chichikov Nozdreva, whom he met back in the city: where can you meet such a person, if not in such a tavern? There are quite a few Nozdrevs, the author notes: true, at any Russian fair, the most insignificant, you will certainly meet at least one Nozdrev, and at another, more important - of course, several such Nozdrevs. The author says that this type of people in Rus' is known under the name broken small: epithets also go to him: careless, eccentric, jumbled, braggart, bully, bully, liar, rubbish man, rakalia, and so on. From the third time they tell a friend - you; at fairs they buy everything that comes into their heads, such as: collars, smoking candles, a dress for a nanny, a stallion, raisins, a silver washstand, Dutch linen, grain flour, tobacco, pistols, herring, paintings, a grinding tool - in a word , in their purchases there is the same jumble as in their head. In their village they like to boast and lie without mercy, and call everything that does not belong to them theirs. Do not trust their words, tell them to their face that they are talking nonsense: they are not offended. They have a great passion to show everything in their village, although there is nothing to look at, and to boast to everyone: this passion shows cordiality - a trait of the Russian people - and vanity, another trait, also dear to us.

Nozdryovs are great hunters of change. Nothing will sit still for them, and everything should also revolve around them, as in their head. Friendly tenderness and curses flow from their tongues at the same time, interfering in the stream of obscene words. God save them from their dinner and from any shortness with them! In the game, they brazenly cheat - and are ready to fight if they notice it. They have a special passion for dogs - and the kennel is in great order: does this not come from some kind of sympathy? for in the character of the Nozdryovs there is something truly canine. Nothing can be done with them: that is why at first it seems even strange how Chichikov, such an intelligent and business-like fellow, who recognized a person from the first time, who he was and how to talk to him, decided to enter into relations with Nozdryov. Such a blunder, which Chichikov later himself repented of, can, however, be explained from two Russian proverbs that there is enough simplicity in every wise man and that a Russian person is strong in hindsight. But Chichikov paid the price afterwards; without Nozdryov, who would have stirred up the city so much and caused all the turmoil at the ball, which caused such an important upheaval in the affairs of Chichikov?

But Nozdryov must give way to a huge type Sobakevich. <…>

It sometimes happens in nature that the appearance of a person is deceiving, and under a strange monstrous image you meet a kind soul and a soft heart. But in Sobakevich, the external perfectly, exactly, corresponds to the internal. His outer image was imprinted on all his words, actions and on everything that surrounds him. His awkward house, full-weight and thick logs used for the stable, barn and kitchen; dense huts of peasants, cut down marvelously; a well, lined with strong oak, fit for a ship structure; in the rooms there are portraits with thick thighs and endless mustaches, the Greek heroine Bobelina with a leg in her torso, a pot-bellied walnut bureau on absurd four legs; a dark-colored blackbird—in a word, everything surrounding Sobakevich looks like him and can sing in chorus together with the table, armchairs, and chairs: and we are all Sobakevich!

Take a look at his dinner: every dish will repeat the same thing to you. This colossal nanny, consisting of a sheep's stomach stuffed with buckwheat, brains and legs; cheesecakes are larger than plates; a turkey the size of a calf, stuffed with who knows what - how all these dishes look like the owner himself!<…>

Talk to Sobakevich: all the calculated dishes will burp in every word that comes out of his mouth. In all his speeches, all the abomination of his physical and moral nature responds. He cuts everything and everyone, just as merciless nature chopped him off: his whole city is fools, robbers, swindlers, and even the most decent people in his dictionary mean the same thing with pigs. Of course, you have not forgotten Fonvizin's Skotinin: if not his own, then at least Sobakevich's godfather, but one cannot but add that the godson outdid his father.

“Sobakevich’s soul seemed to be closed in such a thick shell that everything that tossed and turned at the bottom of it did not produce any shock on the surface,” says the author. So the body mastered everything in him, clouded the whole person and already became incapable of expressing spiritual movements.

His gluttonous nature was also indicated in his greed for money. The mind operates in it, but only to the extent that it is necessary to cheat and make money. Sobakevich is exactly like Caliban 1, in which one evil trick remained from the mind. But in his ingenuity he is more ridiculous than Caliban. How skillfully he screwed Elizaveta Sparrow into the list of male souls, and how cunningly he began to poke a small fish with a fork, having first eaten a whole sturgeon, and played hungry innocence! It was difficult to deal with Sobakevich, because he was a man-fist; his tight nature loves to haggle; but on the other hand, having managed the matter, it was possible to remain calm, for Sobakevich is a solid and firm man and will stand up for himself.

The gallery of faces with whom Chichikov does his business is concluded by a miser Plushkin. The author notes that such a phenomenon rarely comes across in Rus', where everything likes to turn around rather than shrink. Here, just like with other landowners, Plyushkin's village and his house outwardly depict for us the character and soul of the owner himself. The log in the huts is dark and old; the roofs bleed through like a sieve, the windows in the huts without glass, plugged up with a rag or zipun, the church, with yellowish walls, stained and cracked. The house looks like a decrepit invalid, the windows in it are lined with shutters or boarded up; on one of them, a triangle of blue sugar paper darkens. Decaying buildings around, dead carefree silence, gates always locked tightly, and a giant castle hanging on an iron hinge - all this prepares us for a meeting with the owner himself and serves as a sad living attribute of his soul shut up alive. You rest from these sad, painful impressions in the rich picture of the garden, although overgrown and decayed, but picturesque in its desolation: here you are treated for a moment by the poet’s wonderful sympathy for nature, which all lives under his warm gaze on her, but meanwhile in the depths In this wild and hot picture, you seem to be looking into the story of the life of the owner himself, in which the soul has also died out, like nature in the wilderness of this garden.

Go up to Plushkin's house; everything here will tell you about him before you see him. Heaped furniture, a broken chair, on the table a clock with a stopped pendulum, to which a spider has attached its web; a bureau lined with mother-of-pearl mosaics, which had already fallen out in places and left behind only yellowish grooves filled with glue; on the bureau there is a pile of small papers written in small pieces, a lemon, all dried up, a broken arm of the chair, a glass with some kind of liquid and three flies, covered with a letter, a piece of sealing wax, a piece of a rag raised somewhere, two feathers stained with ink, dried up, as in consumption , a toothpick, completely yellowed, with which the owner, perhaps, picked his teeth even before the French invasion of Moscow ... Further, the paintings on the walls, blackened with time, a chandelier in a canvas bag, which from the dust has become like a silk cocoon in which a worm sits, a heap of various rubbish in the corner, from which protruded a broken piece of a wooden shovel and an old boot sole - and only one sign of a living being in the whole house, a worn cap lying on the table ... you already know the man himself!

But here he is himself, looking from a distance like his old housekeeper, with an unshaven chin that protrudes very far forward and resembles an iron-wire comb used to clean horses in a stable, with gray eyes that, like mice, run from under highly grown eyebrows ... Plyushkin is seen so vividly by us, as if we recall him in Albert Dürer's painting in the Doria 2 gallery ... Having depicted a face, the poet enters inside it, reveals to you all the dark folds of this hardened soul, tells the psychological metamorphosis of this person: how stinginess, having once made a nest in his soul, little by little extended its possessions in it and, having conquered everything, devastated all his feelings, turned a person into an animal that, by some instinct, drags into its hole everything that would be for him. nothing came across on the road - an old sole, a woman's rag, an iron nail, a clay shard, an officer's spur, a bucket left by a woman.

Every feeling almost imperceptibly glides across this callous, petrified face... Everything dies, rots and collapses near Plyushkin... No wonder that Chichikov could find in him such a large number of dead and runaway souls, which suddenly multiplied his fantastic population so significantly.

These are the faces with which Chichikov puts his plan into action. All of them, in addition to special properties that belong to each one, have one more feature common to all: hospitality, this Russian cordiality to the guest, which lives in them and seems to be held by the instinct of the people. It is remarkable that even in Plyushkin this natural feeling was preserved, despite the fact that it is completely contrary to his stinginess: and he considered it necessary to treat Chichikov with tea and ordered the samovar to be put on, but fortunately for him, the guest himself, who realized the matter, refused to treat .