Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov - main character famous poem N.V. Gogol " Dead Souls“, in the past he is an official and an inveterate careerist, then he became a clever swindler and manipulator. He travels to the villages of the Russian outback, meets with various landowners and nobles, tries to earn their trust and thus do things profitable for himself.
Chichikov is interested in purchasing so-called “dead souls”, documents for serfs who have already died, but due to the fact that the population census was carried out once every few years, they are considered alive. An enterprising businessman plans to resell these souls along with the land, which he plans to buy for pennies, and earn good capital from it. The image of Chichikov is fresh and A New Look on the adventurous image of an entrepreneur in Russian literature.
Characteristics of the main character
("Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich. In front of the box" Artist P. Sokolov, 1890)
Chichikov's inner world remains mysterious and ambiguous for everyone until the last chapter in the book. The description of his appearance is averaged to the maximum: neither handsome nor ugly, not very fat, but not thin, neither old nor young. The main features of this hero are averageness (he is a quiet and inconspicuous gentleman, distinguished by pleasant manners, roundness and smoothness) and high degree entrepreneurship. Even his manner of communication does not reveal his character: he speaks neither loudly nor quietly, knows how to find an approach everywhere and is known as his own person everywhere.
Peculiarities inner world Chichikov is revealed through the manner of his communication with the landowners, whom he attracts to his side and, through skillful manipulation, persuades them to sell “dead souls.” The author notes the ability of a cunning adventurer to adapt to his interlocutor and copy his manners. Chichikov knows people well, finds his own benefit in everything and, like a subtle psychologist, tells people what they need.
(Illustration by V. Makovsky "Chichikov at Manilov")
Chichikov is an active and active person; it is very important for him not only to save what he has earned, but also to increase it (as many times as possible). Moreover, irrepressible greed does not torment him like Plyushkin, because money for him is only a means to ensure a decent life.
Chichikov comes from a poor, respectable family, and his father advised him to always please his superiors and hang out with the right people, and taught him that “a penny opens any door.” Having no initial concepts about duty and conscience, Chichikov, having matured, understands that moral values only hinder the achievement of set goals and therefore often neglects the voice of conscience, making a way in life with his own forehead.
(Illustration "Little Chichikov")
And although Chichikov is a swindler and a rogue, he cannot be denied perseverance, talent and ingenuity. At school, he sold buns to his classmates (who also treated him to them), at every job he tried to find his own profit and tried to get rich, and eventually came up with an idea with “ dead souls"and tried to pull it off, playing on the feelings and base instincts of the people around him. At the end of the work, Chichikov’s scam is discovered and becomes public knowledge, he is forced to leave.
The image of the main character in the work
("Chichikov's Toilet" Artist P.P. Sokolov 1966)
In his famous work, which took him 17 years of painstaking work, Gogol created a comprehensive picture of modern Russian realities and revealed a diverse gallery of characters and types of people of that time. The image of Chichikov, talented entrepreneur and an unprincipled swindler, represents, according to the author, “a terrible and vile force that is not capable of reviving the Fatherland.”
Trying to live according to the behests of his father, Chichikov tried to live frugally and save every penny, but realizing that in an honest way great wealth you can't make money, he finds a loophole in Russian legislation those years and begins to implement his plan. Having not achieved what he wanted, he brands himself as a swindler and a rogue, and is forced to abandon his plans.
What lesson this character learned from this situation remains unclear to us, because the second volume of this work was destroyed by the author, are we left to guess what happened next and whether Chichikov is to blame for what he tried to do or whether society and the principles to which it is subject are to blame.
// The image of Chichikov in Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”
He worked on his grandiose poem “” for about seventeen years. Of course, over such a long period, the meaning and parts of the poem have changed several times. But the essence of the work remained untouched. Great author decided to create a poem in which he would characterize the life around him, describe the picture of the modern Russia, which is filled with different, absolutely not similar people. In the text of the poem we meet many heroes and learn a lot of interesting things about their fates. But, nevertheless, the person of the main character, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, attracts attention.
He was a new class of entrepreneur, of which there were not many in those days. This hero has a double characteristic of the author himself. On the one hand, he is a vile person, in whose head terrible thoughts are born. On the other hand, he is quite inventive and bright character, who was able to come up with a cunning plan to profit from dead peasants.
Chichikov buys the dead souls of peasants from other landowners, thereby receiving profit and income. In those days, audits of peasants were rarely carried out, therefore, according to the documents, all those people were actually alive. The main character does not break the law. He simply takes advantage of such a mess in the documentation and puts his plan into action.
Getting to know all the landowners, he finds an approach to each of them. Chichikov establishes connections with both men and women. He evokes sympathy and friendly relations. Thanks to the ability to adapt to environment, he gains trust in the right people, and then uses them for his own purposes.
With the landowner he is polite like a woman, but firm. He is gentle and kind. Pavel Ivanovich communicates with the landowner carefully. He is trying with all his might to bring down the price for dead souls set by the vigilant owner.
Chichikov's personality is distinguished by extraordinary ingenuity. The hero tries with all his might to bring his plan to life. He wants to gain his wealth by any means, going to complete shamelessness, and far from noble deeds. Although, for such perseverance and demonstrated willpower, he must be given credit. Pavel Ivanovich, through difficulties and obstacles, moved forward in order to carry out his plans and collect dead souls.
Such endurance and accumulative character traits have been formed in the main character since childhood. Pavel's family lived poorly, so the boy had to invent various ways receiving money. He independently made a bullfinch from wax, painted it and sold it. Pavlusha decided to train the mouse and then sell it. And the most interesting thing is that, as a child, he did not spend money, but carefully collected every penny, refusing everything. Pavel Ivanovich's father left him a will with parting words. He ordered his son to study, obey teachers, collect and save a penny. And how this should be done - nothing is said. So Chichikov decided that in life a penny is much more valuable than friendship and friends.
Of course, we cannot call the main character a completely immoral person. He felt both regret and sympathy. But for this he demanded quite a decent amount. Definitely, I can call Chichikov’s personality quite talented and inventive. It’s a pity that his skills were not useful, but only led to such a dirty scam. This idea of buying “dead souls” did not make the hero rich and successful. After all, how can you profit from such a soulless idea?
Option #1
Chichikov is the main character of the poem by N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls". From childhood, he listened to his father and showed all the baseness of his soul. He tried his best accessible ways earn a pretty penny, which he put in a special bag. When the bag was full, he sewed it up and began filling a new one. Already, as a child, he used any means to earn money.
When Chichikov grew up, he decided to become an official, realizing that this position would open up new prospects for him. He committed one scam after another, and when he was exposed, he skillfully covered his tracks and went into hiding. All his endeavors failed, but he did not lose heart and took on the next “business.” This suggests that a person has neither conscience nor honor.
There was nothing special or specific about his appearance. His appearance was somehow blurry. Gogol says about Chichikov that he was neither handsome nor ugly, neither old nor young, neither fat nor thin. But he was an excellent psychologist, and skillfully noticed the weak and strengths person. He knew how to please everyone and adapted to each interlocutor. That's why everyone trusted him.
Having learned about financial condition Chichikov, officials and their wives immediately began to respect the hero and bow to him. They believed that such a person should be friends and maintain contact. Chichikov is happy to try, he has achieved everyone’s favor with him. Like the devil, he changes his appearance and gains confidence. Chichikov is a vile and immoral person, before whom everyone grovels. And society itself is to blame for the appearance of such people.
Option No. 2
A truly brilliant work by the great Russian writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, despite the fact that more than one hundred and seventy years have passed, to this day remains relevant in some of the issues raised in society. This work bears the flashy title “Dead Souls”, which tells how human experiences, feelings and qualities of the people gradually die. The main character of the work is Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich, a nobleman who buys up dead souls in various estates of the country. Chichikov is presented to us by the author as a completely neutral character. An ordinary average resident of the country, without any distinctive features as in appearance - “not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too thick nor too thin; one cannot say that he is old, but not that he is too young,” and so it is in character. It's as if he collective image other characters, reflecting the qualities of each of them, but not so noticeably.
Chichikov does not strive to show his essence, character, he easily adapts to everyone, finds peace with everyone mutual language, negotiates, always showing himself from his advantageous side. In a conversation with each of the landowners, one can trace such traits as sycophancy and sneakiness. Pavel Ivanovich can easily afford to carry out such an unclean business - buying up dead souls. And despite even some positive features: quick wit, cunning, determination and, of course, a remarkable mind, since he was able to come up with the idea of pulling off such a thing, one cannot forget about the traits of a person who has lost his humanity, who has put only making money in the first place.
It is impossible to understand what this person is thinking about, to read his thoughts, to assess his state of mind. Or maybe the soul is simply “dead”, like that of the landowners described? Perhaps there is still something humane in him. It was not for nothing that sometimes one could notice a thoughtful look, which, perhaps, even expressed some puzzlement about one’s business and remorse. In any case, Chichikov is not positive character in any sense. It only conveys the idea of how wealth often kills the soul in people.
Characteristics of Chichikov are the topic of this article. What can we say about this hero from the work “Dead Souls”? Belinsky, a famous Russian critic, noted in 1846 that, as an acquirer, Chichikov was no less, and perhaps more than Pechorin, a hero of our time. He can buy “dead souls”, collect donations for various charitable institutions, and acquire railway shares. It doesn’t matter what kind of activity someone like him does. Their essence remains unchanged.
Author's description of Chichikov at the beginning of the work
It is indisputable that Chichikov is an immortal type. You can meet people like him everywhere. This hero belongs to all times and all countries, he only accepts various shapes, depending on time and place. In the poem "Dead Souls" the action begins with the reader becoming acquainted with the main character. What is the characteristic of Chichikov? This " golden mean", neither this nor that. The author, describing him, notes that he is not a handsome man, but also not a “bad-looking” man, not very thin, but not too fat, not old, but not young either. Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich - venerable collegiate adviser. This is the characterization of Chichikov at the beginning of the work.
Visits made by Chichikov in the city
Where does he begin his stay in the city? From numerous visits: to the prosecutor, vice-governor, governor, tax farmer, police chief, head of local state-owned factories, etc. Chichikov, behaving like a well-intentioned person, knew how to very skillfully flatter everyone in conversations with these rulers. So, for example, he praised the governor for the “velvet roads” in the province under his control, and the police chief Chichikov said something flattering about the city guards. He mistakenly called the Chairman of the House and the Vice-Governor “Your Excellency” twice. Chichikov paid a compliment to the governor's wife, decent for a middle-aged man who has not too little, but not too much rank. Quote characteristic Chichikova will complement the image created by the author. Pavel Ivanovich called himself nothing more than an “insignificant worm,” complaining that he had to experience a lot in his lifetime, endure a lot in his service for the truth, and make many enemies who even attempted on his life.
Ability to carry on a conversation
The characterization of Chichikov (“Dead Souls”) can be complemented by his masterful ability to maintain a conversation. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol writes that if it was a question of a horse farm, he talked about it, but also about good dogs could provide useful comments. Moreover, Chichikov did this with “some kind of sedateness,” he spoke neither quietly nor loudly, but exactly as he should, he knew how to behave well. As we see, he learned to wear the mask of imaginary decency and vulgarity masterfully. Under this guise of a completely decent, decent gentleman was hidden true characteristic Chichikov (“Dead Souls”), the content of his actions and thoughts.
The author's attitude towards Chichikov in the first chapter
The author in the first chapter only allegorically, indirectly expresses his attitude towards Chichikov and his actions. And this hero himself, talking about the world of thick and thin, hints at his true vision of the world around him. He says that the fat ones manage their affairs better than the “thin” ones, who mostly serve on special assignments and “wander here and there.” The quotation description of Chichikov helps to better understand this image. The main character is attributed by Gogol to the world of fat people who sit firmly and securely in their places. By confirming the appearance of who Chichikov seems to be, the author is thus preparing to expose him, to reveal the truth about him.
First successful transactions
The deal with Manilov is the first success. She strengthens Pavel Ivanovich’s confidence in the safety and ease of the scam he has planned. The hero, inspired by his first success, is in a hurry to make new deals. Chichikov meets Korobochka on the way to Sobakevich, who showed him that the enterprise he conceived requires caution and subtlety, and not just persistence. This lesson, however, did not benefit Chichikov. He hurries to Sobakevich, but unexpectedly meets Nozdryov and decides to go to him.
Chichikov at Nozdryov's
Among Nozdryov’s main qualities, almost the main one was the passion to “spoil one’s neighbor,” sometimes without any reason. And Pavel Ivanovich unwittingly falls for this bait. Nozdryov ultimately reveals the true purpose of Chichikov’s acquisition of “dead souls.” This episode reveals the frivolity and weakness of the hero. Subsequently, of course, Chichikov scolded himself for acting carelessly in talking about such a delicate matter with Nozdryov. As we see, determination and perseverance, when taken too far, turn into a disadvantage.
Purchasing “dead souls” from Sobakevich
Chichikov finally arrives at Sobakevich. The characterization of Chichikov by other characters is interesting. They all have different tempers, and everyone has their own attitude towards the main character. Sobakevich is a persistent and resourceful person when it comes to his benefits. He guesses, most likely, why Chichikov needs “dead souls”. Sobakevich bargains godlessly, and besides, he also praises his dead peasants. He says that Eremey Sorokoplekhin, who traded in Moscow, brought in 500 rubles per quitrent. This is not like the peasants of some Plyushkin.
Comparative characteristics of Chichikov and Plyushkin
Let's compare these two characters. The comparative characteristics of Chichikov and Plyushkin are very interesting. After all, Pavel Ivanovich was a serving nobleman, and Plyushkin was a landowner. These are the two classes that held royal Russia that time. Meanwhile, the lack of understanding of the need for daily work, the inability to do any useful work, brings these heroes together and leads them to disastrous results. The characterization of Chichikov and Plyushkin is very unattractive. And this is the support of the state, the “tables of society”! Helps to discover interesting connections in a work Comparative characteristics Chichikova...
Deal with Plyushkin
The enterprise conceived by Chichikov ends with a deal with Plyushkin. This landowner even loses his money. He put them in one of the boxes, where they were probably destined to remain until his death. Chichikov is now at his best. All the papers are signed, and he turns into a “millionaire” in the eyes of ordinary people. This is a magic word that opens all roads and affects both scoundrels and good people.
The real biography of Chichikov
Soon, however, Chichikov's triumph ends with the exposure of Nozdryov, who informed the authorities that he was selling dead souls. Confusion and commotion begin in the city, as well as in the reader’s mind. The author saved the true biography of his hero for the finale of the work, in which he finally gives a complete and true description of Chichikov in the poem “Dead Souls”. Throughout it, Pavel Ivanovich seemed virtuous and decent, but under this guise, as it turned out, a completely different essence was hidden. Characteristics of Chichikov in the poem "Dead Souls" given by the author in the finale, next.
It turned out that this was the son of a semi-impoverished nobleman, whose face did not even resemble either his mother or his father. As a child, he had no friends or comrades. And then one fine day the father decided to send his child to the city school. There were no tears during parting with him, but Chichikov was given one smart and important instruction: to study, not to make a fool, not to hang around, to please bosses and teachers, to save a penny above all else, since this thing is the most reliable thing in the world.
The unsociable and lonely Pavlusha accepted this instruction with all his heart and was guided by it all his life. He quickly grasped the spirit of leadership in the school classes and understood what “correct” behavior should be. Chichikov sat quietly in class and as a result, not having any special talents or abilities, received a certificate upon graduation, and also special book for trustworthy behavior and exemplary diligence. After graduating from college, Pavlusha plunged into reality: his father died, leaving him as an inheritance only 4 sweatshirts, irretrievably worn out, 2 old frock coats and a small amount of money.
At the same time, remarkably, another event occurs that reveals the true qualities of Chichikov, the future swindler. The teacher, who loved the meek student so much, was fired from the school. He disappeared into a forgotten kennel without a piece of bread. Former arrogant and rebellious students collected money for him, and only Pavel Ivanovich limited himself to a nickel, citing his extreme need.
The means by which Chichikov advanced in his career
Chichikov, it should be noted, was not stingy. However, he imagined future life with abundance and all amenities: a well-appointed house, carriages, delicious lunches and expensive entertainment. For this reason, Pavel Ivanovich agreed to go hungry and selflessly engage in service. He soon realized that honest work would not bring him what he wanted. And Chichikov begins, looking for new opportunities to improve his position, to care for the daughter of his boss. When he finally gets a promotion, he completely forgets about this family. Scams, bribes - this is the path Pavlusha took. He gradually achieves some visible well-being. But now a military man is appointed to replace his former boss, strict person, to whom Chichikov could not gain the trust. And he is forced to look for other ways to arrange his well-being.
How Pavel Ivanovich “suffered in service”
The main character of the poem goes to another city. Here, by a lucky chance, he becomes a customs official and begins to conduct “commercial” relations with smugglers. This criminal conspiracy was discovered after some time, and all those responsible, including Chichikov, were brought to justice. This is how Pavel Ivanovich actually “suffered in his service.” Chichikov, taking care of his offspring, decides to commit another scam, which Gogol describes in detail in the poem “Dead Souls”.
Chichikov - a hero of our time
So, Chichikov, who was brought face to face with the usual, traditional order of things, contributes through his actions to the destruction of the existing order. He lays the foundation for something new. Therefore, we can say in this sense that according to full right Chichikov is the hero of our time.
The characteristics of the hero of the work “Dead Souls” (Chichikov) were presented in this article. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol wrote the poem that interests us in 1842. In it, he was able to talentedly and eloquently portray the destructiveness of the serfdom that existed at that time, and its terrifying consequences for the entire Russian society. Not easy individuals degenerate - the people and the whole state along with them are destroyed. We can say with confidence that the anti-serfdom works of Nikolai Vasilyevich played a certain role in the approach of abolition in our country
This story, in his eyes, explains a lot about the hero’s character and makes him treat many things more leniently. That is why he talks in detail about. This childhood was hopeless, desolate: poverty, lack of love and affection, the immorality of a callous, unloving father, external and internal dirt - this was the environment in which he grew up, loved by no one, needed by no one. But fate endowed Chichikov with iron energy and the desire to arrange his life “more decently” than his loser father, unclean both in the moral and physical sense. This “dissatisfaction with reality” inspired energy little Chichikov. From his early encounters with poverty and hunger, from his father’s complaints about lack of money, from his instructions to “save money,” since you can only rely on one “money” in life, the boy gained the conviction that money is the basis of earthly happiness. That is why the hero began to imagine the well-being of life “ Dead souls“what can be obtained with money - a well-fed, luxurious life, comfort... And so Chichikov began to “invent” and “acquire”: penny by penny he saved money, dodging in every possible way in the company of his comrades, revealing extraordinary persistence. While still at school, he began to “make a career” by imitating the teacher’s tastes. More on school bench he developed the talent to peer into human weaknesses, skillfully play them, slowly and persistently. The ability to adapt to a person helped the main character of “Dead Souls” in the service, but it also developed in Chichikov the desire to sort out the “necessary” people from the “unnecessary”. That's why he reacted coldly to the sad fate of his former teacher, that’s why he didn’t have any feelings of gratitude towards the old tax farmer who helped him get a job. The feeling of gratitude is unprofitable - it requires “giving up something”, giving up “something”, and this was not part of the calculations of the “acquirer” Chichikov. Money as the only and the main objective life, is an unclean goal, and the paths to it are unclean, and Chichikov went to this goal along the road of fraud and deception, without losing heart, struggling with failures... Meanwhile, having entered the wide expanse of life, he expanded and deepened his ideal. Picture of a well-fed one, luxurious life was replaced by another - he began to dream of a calm, clean family life, in the company of his wife and children. He felt warm and comfortable when he surrendered to this dream. The hero of “Dead Souls” pictured in his mind a house where complete contentment reigns, where he is an exemplary husband, a respected father and a respectable citizen native land. It seemed to Chichikov that when his dreams came true, he would forget the whole past - his dirty, joyless and hungry childhood and the thorny road marked by fraud and trickery. It seemed to him that he would then give up cheating, “correct himself” and leave an “honest name” to his children. If earlier, when cheating, he justified himself with the knowledge that “everyone does it,” now a new justification has been added: “the end justifies the means.”
Chichikov's ideals became broader, but the path to them remained dirty, and he became more and more dirty. And, in the end, he himself had to admit that “cunning” had become his habit, his second nature. “No more disgust from vice! - he complains to Murazov in the second part of “Dead Souls”. - The nature has become coarser; there is no love for good, there is no such desire to strive for good as there is for obtaining property! Several times Chichikov managed to erect the shaky edifice of his well-being on fraudulent tricks of all kinds; Several times he was close to realizing his ideals, and every time everything collapsed, he had to build everything all over again.
Chichikov - the main character of Gogol's "Dead Souls"
Chichikov's willpower and intelligence
The main character of Dead Souls is distinguished by considerable willpower. “Your purpose is to be a great man,” Murazov tells him, reproaching him for great power his soul, his energy, was always directed towards an unclean goal. Gogol also speaks about Chichikov’s energy more than once in “Dead Souls,” at least when telling his arduous “odyssey” when he had to organize his life all over again. In addition to willpower, Chichikov is endowed with a great mind, not only a practical one - intelligence, ingenuity, cunning and resourcefulness, but also that contemplative, “philosophical” mind that puts him above all other heroes of the poem. No wonder Gogol puts deep thoughts into his head about the fate of the Russian man (reading the list of bought men). In addition, Chichikov talks sensibly about the vulgarity of the life of a prosecutor, about the upbringing that spoils a girl in Russia. It is not for nothing that he understands not only human weaknesses, but also virtues; it is not without reason that when faced with honest people(Governor General, Murazov), he turns out to be able, precisely at the moment of his humiliation, to rise morally. In their society, he is portrayed not only as a resourceful and crafty rogue, but as a fallen man who understands the depth and shame of his fall. “He never respected a single person for their intelligence,” says Gogol, until fate brought him together with Kostanzhoglo, Murazov and others. He did not respect him because he himself was smarter than everyone he had met before.
In the practical rogue hero of Dead Souls, Gogol noted another characteristic feature- a penchant for poetry, for daydreaming. Chichikov's momentary infatuation with a young lady he met on the way, his pure infatuation with the governor's daughter, his mood in the Platonovs' house, the pleasure of the evening at the Rooster's estate, in the spring - in the village of Tentetnikov, his very dreams of quiet, beautiful family happiness are full of real poetry...
At the same time, Chichikov has a very high opinion of himself: he respects himself for his energy, for his intelligence, for his ability to live. He loves himself for his “pure dreams,” which he zealously serves; he loves himself for his good looks, for his elegant suit, for his noble manners - in a word, for the fact that, having come out of a dirty hole, from the dirty company of his father, he managed to become, in his opinion, a “decent man.”
Chichikov in society
Gogol's image of Chichikov immediately becomes vulgar when he finds himself in a society of vulgar people. This happens because he always adapts to the people with whom he deals: he even speaks and behaves differently in the company of Manilov, Sobakevich and Korobochka. With the first, Chichikov becomes sentimental, dreams, rubs into his sensitive heart; with the second he is businesslike, and responds to the owner’s distrust with the same distrust (scene with money and receipt); He shouts at the harmless, stupid Korobochka, promising her “damn.” When Chichikov finds himself in “society”, he imitates the “tone” of this society, adopts those manners that are considered “decent” here - and therefore for the crowd he will always be “decent”, “well-intentioned”, “pleasant”... He will not go, like Chatsky in Griboedov’s “Woe from Wit,” against the whole of Moscow—Molchalin’s policy is more convenient and easier for him.
Chichikov understands people and knows how to make a favorable impression - in the second part of “Dead Souls” he charms even the smart Kostanzhoglo, and wins the distrustful brother Platonov in his favor. In addition, he is careful - even when tipsy, he knows how to keep his tongue from being too talkative: life, obviously, has taught him caution. However, sometimes Chichikov makes mistakes: he made a mistake in Nozdryov, and he made a mistake with Korobochka. But this error is explained by the fact that these two characters“Dead Souls” has such unique characters that even Chichikov did not immediately comprehend.
The complexity and contradictory nature of Chichikov
The passion for “acquisition” has left a certain stamp of “pettiness” on the protagonist of “Dead Souls” - he even collects old posters in his box - a trait worthy of Plyushkin. The structure of his box, with drawers and secret compartments, is reminiscent of Korobochka's chest of drawers, with its bags for ten-kopeck, two-kopeck coins. At school, Chichikov saved money using the Korobochka method. Chichikov’s pettiness is also expressed in his curiosity: he always questions the sex workers, servants, collects all kinds of information “just in case,” just as Plyushkin collected various items in his office.
Not without irony, Gogol casually notes in “Dead Souls” another feature of Chichikov - his “compassion” - he always gave pennies to the poor. But this compassion is “penny” - it is far from the ability of self-sacrifice, renunciation of some benefits in favor of one’s neighbor. Chichikov has no love for his neighbor at all. He did not rise beyond the ideals of family love, which were essentially selfish.
If Gogol really wanted to show in Chichikov the revival of a vicious person for good, then we must admit that he made a successful choice of the hero of Dead Souls. Chichikov's complex nature is rich in a wide variety of qualities. His amazing energy was combined with his intelligence, common sense, cunning, great flexibility and tirelessness.
But, besides all this, Gogol noted in him a “man-inventor”, capable of inventing something “new”, telling a society mired in inertia his new, albeit criminal, word. Chichikov has no inertia - his mind is free and his imagination is winged. But all these qualities are, so to speak, “neutral” - they can be equally aimed at evil and good. But Gogol emphasized the presence of consciousness in the soul of this hero of “Dead Souls” - Chichikov knows that he is doing evil, but consoles himself with the thought that “doing evil” in his life is only a “transitional moment.” In this ability to distinguish between “good” and “evil” lies the source of Chichikov’s revival. It is all the easier for him because, in essence, life ideals(“pure family happiness”) were, if not particularly high, then, nevertheless, impeccable. Moreover, in his soul there are soft elements of poetry and dreaminess. Probably on all of these positive qualities Gogol wished for Chichikov further development action of "Dead Souls" build its revival.
The story of Plyushkin and Tentetnikov in the second part of “Dead Souls”, the life story of Russian peasants (see Chichikov’s reading of the list of names of the peasants he bought). He puts into Murazov’s mouth an explanation of why a person’s history is interesting. Murazov says to the stern Governor General: “...If you don’t take into account old life If you don’t ask a person about everything in cold blood, but shout at him the first time, you’ll only scare him, and you won’t even get a real confession; and if you ask him with his participation, like a brother of a brother, he will express everything himself... The human situation is difficult, your Excellency, very, very difficult. It happens that it seems that a person is to blame all around... but when you come in, it’s not even him... Such a humane attitude towards each person is recommended by Gogol in a letter to “the occupying important place"("Selected places from correspondence with friends"). He condemned the lack of this humane attention in “) they were finishing reading old novels - obviously very pleasant. More educated people, Tentetnikov, Platonov, were only amazed by it. However, in a conversation with Murazov, Chichikov does not resort to this “poetic” style, which so favored Manilov and the provincial ladies.
