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Speech characteristics of heroes in the poem by N.V. Gogol's Dead Souls

Speech characteristics of heroes in the poem by N.V. Gogol's Dead Souls

29.08.2019

Positive characters in the poem Dead Souls by N.V. Gogol

For those who have not read, but heard something, I will immediately explain that Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol called "Dead Souls" a poem himself. And what is called, all questions to the author. This is instead of an epigraph. Further - in the text.

The classic analysis of the poem "Dead Souls" does not imply the presence of positive characters. All characters are negative. The only "positive" is laughter. I do not agree with this position of comrades and professors. What is it? Made on the basis of again the classic illustrations to the text? Are you laughing?

If you carefully look at the classic illustrations of any Soviet edition of "Dead Souls", then, indeed, each character on them is ugly in its own way. But! There is no need to substitute pictures of tendentious artists for true lines, portraits and descriptions.

In fact, the landowner Sobakevich can be considered a positive hero. Remember how Gogol gives it to us! Chichikov comes to Sobakevich after several visits to other landowners. And everywhere his attention is focused on the quality of what he sees. This is a patriarchal order. There is no stingy Plyushkin here. The recklessness of Nozdryov. Manilov's empty dreams.

Sobakevich lives "as the fathers did." He does not go to the city too much, not because he is wild. And for the reason that the owner is strong. He must and monitors what is done in the fields, in the forge, in the workshops, in the cellar. He was not accustomed to completely and completely rely on clerks. And does he have a clerk at all?

Sobakevich is a good manager. Otherwise, why are his peasants all strong and stately, and not frail and sick? This means that he sees the urgent needs of peasant families and satisfies them even too much, but at the same time he is burly and rich. He was able to solve the most difficult managerial problem: to appropriate other people's results of labor, but at the same time not to ruin his serfs.

Sobakevich is a patriot. Pay attention to the portraits of the Sobakevichs on the wall. On them are people in military uniform who served the Fatherland. And did Sobakevich himself evade military service? It was on such strong peasants as Sobakevich and his peasants that Russia was kept.

Sobakevich is an enlightened landowner. Remember, he tells Chichikov the story of one of his peasants, whom he even let go to Moscow to trade? And he brought him 500 rubles as dues. At the time, that was crazy money. A good serf could be purchased for 100 rubles. A good estate cost about ten thousand rubles.

Sobakevich speaks negatively of almost everyone whom Chichikov lists during dinner. The only exception is the prosecutor. And he, according to Sobakevich, is a decent pig. Isn't it true? Is it possible for a negative hero to scold other negative heroes with the word "swindler"?

In the end, remember how the bargaining between Chichikov and Sobakevich goes. Yes, Sobakevich is not an angel. But he is a landowner. He must be able to bargain. He does it. But after some time, when he had already "saved face", he reduced the price to an acceptable level for Chichikov. That is, Sobakevich is not devoid of the nobility of the soul.

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!

Gogol masterfully showed a multifaceted human personality, which combines depravity and the desire for virtue.

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 came to their two children, Themistoclus and Alkid. It was difficult to determine the character of Manilov: Gogol himself says that in the first minute you might think “what an amazing person!”, A little later - become disillusioned with 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.

Artwork test

"Dead Souls"- the work of the writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, the genre of which the author himself designated as a poem.
characteristics of the heroes of dead souls. The main characters of "Dead Souls" were supposed to depict the three main Russian estates: landowners, peasants and officials. Particular attention is paid to landowners who Chichikov buys dead souls: Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Plyushkin and Sobakevich.

officials in this poem they are quite similar to the landowners. A very expressive character is the provincial prosecutor, who dies of shock after learning about Chichikov's scam. So it turns out that he, too, knew how to feel. But in general, according to Gogol, officials are only able to take bribes.

Peasants are episodic characters, there are very few of them in the poem: serfs of landowners, random strangers ... Peasants are a mystery. Chichikov thinks for a long time about the Russian people, fantasizes, looking at a long list of dead souls.

And, finally, the main character, Chichikov, does not fully belong to any of the estates. In his image, Gogol creates a fundamentally new type of hero - this is the owner-acquirer, whose main goal is to accumulate more funds.

To some extent, he can also be called a superman, but Chichikov is going to rise above all the others not because of his outstanding qualities, but due to his ability to save a penny.

The main characters of "Dead Souls"

Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich
Manilov
Mikhailo Semenych Sobakevich
Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka
Nozdrev
Plushkin

Characteristics of Plushkin in the poem"Dead Souls"

Plyushkin Stepan is the last "seller" of dead souls. This hero personifies the complete necrosis of the human soul. In the image of P., the author shows the death of a bright and strong personality, absorbed by the passion of stinginess.
Description of the Plushkin 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 a house - in some places on one floor, in some places on 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.
Portrait of Plushkin(either 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 like mice; a greasy dressing gown; a rag around his neck instead of a scarf) speaks of the hero’s complete “falling out” of the image of a rich landowner and from life in general.
P. is the only one of all the landowners, a fairly 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 the children (the son lost at cards, the eldest daughter ran away, 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” – just as in the unfortunate soul of P.

Characteristics of Nozdrev in the poem"Dead Souls"

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 reckless, ready to "shit" his best friend without any purpose. All of N.'s behavior is explained by his dominant quality: "briskness and liveliness of character", i.e. recklessness, bordering on unconsciousness. N. does not think or plan anything; he just doesn't know how to do 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 out loud: "He trades in 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. The home environment 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. We can say that N.'s boundless lies are the flip side of Russian prowess, which N. endowed 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.

The image of Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna"Dead Souls"

Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna - a widow-landowner, the second "seller" of dead souls to Chichikov. The main feature of her character is trading 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 SobakevichDead Souls"

Mikhailo Semenych Sobakevich - is the fourth "seller" of dead souls. The very name and appearance of this hero (similar to a “medium-sized bear”, besides, his tailcoat is also bear-colored, his gait is at random, his face is “hot and hot”) speak of the excessive power of his nature.
Literally from the very beginning, the image of money, calculation and thriftiness is firmly attached to Sobakevich. He is a very direct and open person.

When communicating with Chichikov, despite his thin hints, Sobakevich immediately goes to the heart of the matter: "Do you need dead souls?" He is a true entrepreneur. The main thing for him is a deal, money, the rest is secondary. Sobakevich skillfully defends his position, bargains well, does not disdain cheating (even slips Chichikov a "female soul" - Elizaveta Sparrow).

All the things around him reflect his spiritual appearance. Sobakevich's house has been cleared of all superfluous and "useless" architectural creations. The huts of his subordinates are also very strict and built without unnecessary decorations. In the house of Sobakevich you can find only paintings of ancient Greek heroes, in some places similar to the owner.

The image and characteristics of Manilov"Dead Souls"

Manilov- a businesslike, sentimental landowner, is the first "seller" of dead souls. Behind the sugar pleasantness and sense of smell of the hero lies a callous emptiness and insignificance, which Gogol tries to emphasize with the details of his estate.

Manilov's house is dilapidated, open to all winds. Everywhere you can see thin birch trees. The pond is completely overgrown with duckweed. The only tidy place on his estate is the tidy pavilion, which he calls "The Temple of Solitary Thought." His office does not shine with beauty either - it is covered with cheap blue paint, which from the outside seems gray.

This detail indicates the lifelessness of the character, from which not a single living word can be squeezed out.

Manilov's thoughts are chaotic. Clinging to one topic, they can fly far away, renounce reality. He is not able to think about the present, especially since this character is not able to make any important decisions. He tries to wrap his whole life in exquisite verbal formulas - and action, and time, and meaning.

As soon as Chichikov mentioned his desire to acquire dead souls, Manilov, without hesitation, agreed, although earlier his hair would have stood on end from such an offer.

The image and characteristics of Chichikov"Dead Souls"

Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich, a character in N.V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls".
Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov clearly stands out against the background of various other characters. The author in it tried to combine the various qualities of the then landowners.

Up to the eleventh chapter, we remain in the dark about the appearance of such traits in his character, and about the formation of his character in particular. Pavel Ivanovich was from a poor noble family. In my father's dying will there was a handful of copper coins and a covenant - to please the bosses and teachers, to study diligently and, most importantly, to save and save a penny.

There was not a word about duty, dignity and honor in the will. Then Chichikov quickly realized that high moral principles only harm the achievement of his cherished goals. Therefore, he decides to break into respected and revered people through his own efforts.

In school he was an exemplary student. He studied well, was a model of upbringing, politeness and humble obedience. All teachers were delighted with such a capable student. The first instance after studying in his career ladder is the Treasury, where he easily gets a job. Chichikov immediately begins to please the boss, and even tries to look after his pretty daughter ...

After some time, Chichikov became an attorney and, during the fuss about the pledge of the peasants, put together a plan in his head, began to go around the expanses of Rus', so that, having bought dead souls and pawned them in the treasury as living, get money, buy, perhaps, a village and secure future offspring...

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Dead Souls characters

Chichikov is the main character of the poem, he is found in all chapters. It was he who came up with the idea of the scam with dead souls, it was he who travels around Russia, meeting with a variety of characters and getting into a variety of situations.

The characterization of Chichikov is given by the author in the first chapter. His portrait is given very indefinitely: “not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin, one cannot say that he is old, but not so that he is too young. Gogol pays more attention to his manners: he made an excellent impression on all the guests at the governor's party, showed himself to be an experienced socialite, keeping up the conversation on a variety of topics, skillfully flattered the governor, police chief, officials and made the most flattering opinion about himself. Gogol himself tells us that he did not take a “virtuous person” as a hero, he immediately stipulates that his hero is a scoundrel.

"Dark and modest is the origin of our hero." The author tells us that his parents were nobles, but pillar or personal - God knows. Chichikov's face did not resemble his parents. As a child, he had no friend or comrade. His father was ill, and the windows of the little “gorenkoka” did not open either in winter or summer. Gogol says about Chichikov: “Life at the beginning looked at him somehow sourly and uncomfortably, through some kind of muddy, snow-covered window ...”.

“But in life everything changes quickly and vividly…” Father brought Pavel to the city and instructed him to go to classes. Of the money that his father gave him, he did not spend a penny, but rather made an increment to them.

He learned to speculate from childhood. After leaving the school, he immediately set to work and service. With the help of speculation, he was able to get a promotion from the boss.

After the arrival of a new boss, Chichikov moved to another city and began to serve at the customs, which was his dream. “From the instructions he got, by the way, one thing: to petition for the placement of several hundred peasants in the board of trustees.” And then the idea came to his mind to turn one little business, which is discussed in 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 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. Korobochka does not pretend to high culture: very unpretentious simplicity is emphasized in its entire appearance. This 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 the entire estate traces of skillful management. This feature reveals her inner insignificance. She has no feelings other than the desire to acquire and benefit. Confirmation is the situation with "dead souls." 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 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, 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 us to show the spiritual emptiness of Pavel Ivanovich and his interlocutors with a special convexity. 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 frightened of: "what if the dead ones will be useful to her in the 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 is a sentimental landowner, the first "seller" of dead souls. Gogol emphasizes the emptiness and insignificance of the hero, covered by the sugary pleasantness of appearance, the 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 to make any decisions, this hero is not capable. Everything in M.'s life: action, time, meaning - are replaced by exquisite verbal formulas. As soon as Chichikov put his strange request for the sale of dead souls in beautiful words, 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 is empty space, 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.

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 out loud: "He trades in 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. The home environment 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.

We can say that N.'s boundless lie is the flip side of 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.

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. is the only one of all the landowners, a fairly 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 the children (the son lost at cards, the eldest daughter ran away, 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 a “medium-sized 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 artistic

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 a “female soul” - Elizaveta 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, there are paintings 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.

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Gogol as a mirror of the Russian landownership

In the work "Dead Souls" the main characters are representatives of one of the three main strata of Russian society in the first half of the nineteenth century - landowners. The other two estates - the bureaucracy and the peasantry - are shown somewhat schematically, without the special colors inherent in Gogol's language, but the landowners ... In this work you can see their different colors, characters and habits. Each of them represents some kind of human weakness, even a vice inherent in people of this class (according to the author's observations): low education, narrow-mindedness, greed, arbitrariness. Let's take a closer look at them.

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol, Dead Souls. Main characters

There is no need to retell the plot of the poem in prose here, since this would require a separate article. Let's just say that a certain person by the name of Chichikov, in modern times a real fine fellow - resourceful, inventive, with original thinking, extremely sociable and, most importantly, absolutely unprincipled - decides to buy "dead souls" from the landowners in order to use them as mortgage, under which you can buy a real village with living peasants of flesh and blood.

To implement his plan, Chichikov travels around the landlords and buys the "dead" peasants from them (surnames entered in tax returns). He is eventually unmasked and escapes NN City in a carriage being carried away by the "Three Bird".

If we discuss who the main characters of the poem "Dead Souls" are, then collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov will certainly top their list.

Images of landowners

The second number I would like to mention the landowner Manilov - a sentimental, grandiloquent, empty, but harmless man. He quietly dreams, sitting in his estate, looks at life through and makes unrealizable plans for the future. And although Manilov does not cause much sympathy, he is still not the most unpleasant character in the poem Dead Souls. The main characters that appear before the reader further are much less harmless.

Korobochka is an elderly and narrow-minded woman. However, he knows his business well and holds the income from his small estate firmly in his wrinkled hands. She sells souls to Chichikov for fifteen rubles, and the only thing that confuses her in this strange deal is the price. The landowner is worried, as if not to sell too cheap.

Continuing the list under the conditional name "Dead Souls - the main characters", it is worth mentioning the gambler and reveler Nozdrev. He lives widely, cheerfully and noisily. Such a life rarely fits into the generally accepted framework, therefore it is under court.

Following Nozdryov, we get acquainted with the rude and hard-headed Sobakevich, "a fist and a beast", but now he would be called a "strong business executive."

And closes the row of sellers of "dead souls" painfully stingy Plyushkin. This landowner was so dominated by his passion for thrift that he practically lost his human appearance, in any case, at first glance it is impossible to determine his gender and social affiliation - it's just some kind of figure in tatters.

In addition to them, Nikolai Vasilyevich mentions representatives of other classes: officials and their wives, peasants, military men, but it is the landowners in the work Dead Souls that are the main characters. Pretty soon it becomes clear that it is their souls that are dead, and not for the first year, and it is on them that the writer and his sharp pen are aimed.