In the poem "Dead Souls" Gogol created a picture of contemporary Russia, extraordinary in scope and breadth, depicting it in all its grandeur, but at the same time with all its vices. He managed to immerse the reader into the depths of the souls of his heroes with such force that the work has not ceased to make an amazing impression on readers for many years. In the center of the narrative of the poem is feudal Russia, a country in which all the land with its riches, its people belonged to the ruling noble class. The nobility occupied a privileged position and was responsible for the economic and cultural development of the state. Representatives of this estate are landowners, "masters" of life, owners of serf souls.
The gallery of images of landowners is opened by Manilov, whose estate is called the front facade of landlord Russia. At the first meeting, this hero makes a pleasant impression of a cultured, delicate person. But even in this cursory description of the author, one cannot fail to notice the irony. In the appearance of this hero, sugary sweetness clearly appears, as evidenced by the comparison of his eyes with sugar. Further, it becomes clear that an empty soul is hidden under a pleasantly courteous treatment of people. In the image of Manilov, many people are represented, about whom, according to Gogol, one can say: "people are so-so, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan nor in the village of Selifan." They live in the country, have a penchant for refined, ornate turns of speech, because they want to appear enlightened and highly educated people, look at everything with a calm look, and, smoking a pipe, dream of doing something good, for example, building a stone bridge over a pond and starting benches on it. But all their dreams are meaningless and unrealizable. This is also evidenced by the description of the Manilov estate, which is Gogol's most important method of characterizing the landowners: one can judge the character of the owner by the state of the estate. Manilov does not take care of the household: everything “went somehow by itself” with him; and his dreamy inaction is reflected in everything, in the description of the landscape an indefinite, light gray color prevails. Manilov attends social events because other landowners attend them. The same is true in family life and at home. Spouses love to kiss, give toothpick cases, and do not show much concern for landscaping: there is always some drawback in their house, for example, if all the furniture is upholstered in smart fabric, there are sure to be two armchairs covered with canvas.
The character of Manilov is expressed in his speech and in the way he behaves during the deal with Chichikov. When Chichikov suggested that Manilov sell him dead souls, he was taken aback. But, even realizing that the guest’s proposal was clearly contrary to the law, he could not refuse such a most pleasant person, and only set off to think about “won’t this negotiation be inconsistent with civil decrees and further views of Russia?” The author does not hide the irony: a person who does not know how many peasants have died, who does not know how to organize his own economy, shows concern for politics. The surname Manilov corresponds to his character and was formed by the author from the dialect word "manila" - the one who beckons, promises and deceives, a flattering saint.
Another type of landowner appears before us in the image of the Box. Unlike Manilov, she is economic and practical, knows the price of a "penny". The description of her village suggests that she taught everyone to order. The net on the fruit trees and the bonnet on the scarecrow confirm that the mistress's hands reach everything and nothing is wasted in her household. Looking around Korobochka's house, Chichikov notices that the wallpaper in the room is old, the mirrors are old. But with all the individual characteristics, she is distinguished by the same vulgarity and "dead spirit" as Manilov. Selling Chichikov an unusual product, she is afraid to sell too cheap. After bargaining with Korobochka, Chichikov "was covered in sweat, like in a river: everything that was on him, from shirt to stockings, was all wet." The hostess killed him with her clubhead, stupidity, stinginess and desire to delay the sale of unusual goods. “Perhaps merchants will come in large numbers, and I will apply to prices,” she says to Chichikov. She looks at dead souls the same way she looks at lard, hemp or honey, thinking that they may also be needed in the household.
On the high road, in a wooden tavern, I met Chichikov Nozdrev, a “historical man”, whom he met back in the city. And it is in the tavern that one can most often meet such people, who, according to the author, are many in Russia. Speaking about one hero, the author at the same time gives a description of people like him. The irony of the author lies in the fact that in the first part of the phrase he characterizes the nostrils as "good and faithful comrades", and then adds: "... and for all that, they are very painfully beaten." This type of people is known in Russia under the name of "broken fellow." From the third time they say “you” to a friend, at fairs they buy everything that comes into their heads: collars, smoking candles, a stallion, a dress for a nanny, tobacco, pistols, etc., thoughtlessly and easily spend money on revelry and card games. games, they like to lie and for no reason to "piss off" a person. The source of his income, like that of other landowners, is the serfs. Such qualities of Nozdryov as impudent lies, boorish attitude towards people, dishonesty, thoughtlessness, are reflected in his fragmentary, quick speech, in the fact that he constantly jumps from one subject to another, in his insulting, abusive, cynical expressions: ”,“ you are a pig for this ”,“ such rubbish ”. He is constantly looking for adventure and does not do housework at all. This is evidenced by the unfinished repairs in the house, empty stalls, a faulty hurdy-gurdy, a lost chaise and the miserable position of his serfs, from whom he knocks out everything that is possible.
Nozdryov gives way to Sobakevich. This hero represents the type of landlords, in whom everything is distinguished by good quality and durability. The character of Sobakevich helps to understand the description of his estate: an awkward house, full-weight and thick logs from which the stable, barn and kitchen are built, dense huts of peasants, portraits in rooms that depict "heroes with thick thighs and unheard-of mustaches", a walnut bureau on ridiculous four legs. In a word, everything looks like its owner, whom the author compares with a "medium-sized bear", emphasizing his animal nature. When describing the image of Sobakevich, the writer widely uses the technique of hyperbolization, it is enough to recall his monstrous appetite. Landlords like Sobakevich are vicious and cruel feudal lords who never miss their advantage. “Sobakevich’s soul seemed to be covered with 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. His body became incapable of expressing spiritual movements. In bargaining with Chichikov, the main character trait of Sobakevich is revealed - his irrepressible desire for profit.
Completes the gallery of persons with whom Chichikov makes deals, the landowner Plyushkin - "a hole in humanity." Gogol notes that such a phenomenon is rare in Russia, where everything likes to turn around rather than shrink. Acquaintance with this hero is preceded by a landscape, the details of which reveal the soul of the hero. Dilapidated wooden buildings, dark old logs on the huts, roofs resembling a sieve, windows without glass, stuffed with rags, reveal Plyushkin as a bad owner with a dead soul. But the picture of the garden, although dead and deaf, creates a different impression. When describing it, Gogol used more joyful and lighter tones - trees, “a regular marble sparkling column”, “air”, “cleanliness”, “tidiness” ... And through all this, the life of the owner himself peeps, whose soul has faded, like nature in the wilderness this garden.
In Plyushkin's house, too, everything speaks of the spiritual decay of his personality: piled up furniture, a broken chair, a dried lemon, a piece of rag, a toothpick ... And he himself looks like an old housekeeper, only gray eyes, like mice, run from under high eyebrows. Everything dies, rots and collapses around Plyushkin. The story of the transformation of an intelligent person into a “hole in humanity”, which the author introduces us to, leaves an indelible impression. Chichikov quickly finds a common language with Plyushkin. Only one thing worries the "patched" gentleman: how not to incur losses when making a purchase of a fortress.
However, in the chapter devoted to the disclosure of Plyushkin's character, there are many details that have a positive meaning. The chapter begins with a digression about youth; the author tells the story of the hero's life, light colors predominate in the description of the garden; Plyushkin's eyes had not yet faded. On the wooden face of the hero, one can still see a “glimpsed joy” and a “warm beam”. All this suggests that Plyushkin, unlike other landowners, still has the possibility of a moral rebirth. Plyushkin's soul was once pure, which means it can still be reborn. It is no coincidence that the “patched” gentleman completes the gallery of images of “old-world” landowners. The author sought not only to tell about the history of Plyushkin, but also to warn readers that anyone can follow the path of this landowner. Gogol believed in the spiritual rebirth of Plyushkin, just as he believed in the strength of Russia and its people. This is confirmed by numerous lyrical digressions filled with deep lyricism and poetry.
Images of landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" by Gogol
... Another fate of the writer who dared
call out ... the whole depth of the cold,
fragmented, everyday characters,
with which our land is teeming ... And for a long time
I was determined by a wonderful power to go hand in hand
with my strange heroes...
N.V. Gogol.
"Gogol does not write, but draws," said Belinsky. Indeed, the portraits and characters of his heroes seem to be drawn or, to put it better, sculpted. The penetrating look of the writer allowed him to expose a whole negative cabinet of curiosities. A prominent place in it is occupied by a gallery of images of landowners. In "Dead Souls" Gogol created typical portraits of landowners, reflecting the characteristic features of an entire class, revealed the spiritual impoverishment and moral degeneration of this class, although the writer himself did not think to draw such decisive conclusions.
Mismanagement, wasteful landowners are shown in the image of the courteous, sweet-spoken Manilov. Everything went by itself, fell into decay, the peasants got drunk and deceived the master. The owner's mind is busy with an empty, unrealizable dream. It is not for nothing that the expression "Manilov's dreams" has become established in the sense of useless, lifeless fantasies. His speech is eloquent. Meanwhile, in two years Manilov read only 14 pages of a single book. Using Belinsky's expression, we can say that Manilov is Oblomov's "elder brother", in whom this landlord laziness has reached an extreme degree.
Sobakevich appears completely different. This is a strong owner, who releases peasants for quitrent and earnings for his own benefit. This is the owner-fist. He is ready to sell everything, to rip off hundreds of rubles even for dead souls. The whole atmosphere of his house, manners, appearance speak of the moral savagery of this gentleman. Onrubian and cynic, does not even respect people of his own circle. Yes, it is difficult to imagine such a nobleman as a "white bone" and "father of the peasants." From a social point of view, he is a past phenomenon, for he is an ardent enemy of all progress. With such "masters of life", of course, it was impossible to lead the country out of economic backwardness, although for the peasants Sobakevich is better than Plyushkin.
To match the possessive nature of Sobakevich and the "club-headed" Korobochka, who is slowly gaining money and is afraid to sell the "dead souls" cheaply.
The limit of human fall is Plyushkin. Although there are many images of misers in literature, this one is so strong that the word "plushkinism" as a synonym for extreme and senseless stinginess has firmly established itself. He has become a "hole in mankind." The peasants have been reduced to such an impoverishment that they run away from him in dozens and die in hundreds, and he claims that the people have acquired the habit of "cracking" through idleness. He himself also lives from hand to mouth, dresses like a beggar (Chichikov did not even recognize him as a gentleman, he thought he was a woman). His whole life passes in looking out for what can be hidden, in spying on the housekeeper, in quarrels with dreams, and at this time the good rots and dies. Plyushkin's soul turned to stone, his feelings dulled. Disgust seizes the reader when thinking about this man.
The perfect opposite of Plushkin is Nozdrev. This one is ready to change everything, lose, skip, does not miss the opportunity to defame, deceive another, take away from him what he liked. He is also dishonest in cards, because cheating is in his blood. True, and the beat happened for it. His energy is amazing. But all of it is wasted on trifles and to the detriment of people. He is ready to take on the most fantastic undertaking. His boasting goes beyond all limits. The language itself lies without any reason or benefit. His name has become a household name for an impudent liar, reveler and buzzer.
In the second volume of "Dead Souls" Gogol enriched his collection of "dead souls" of landowners. We see Pyotr Petrovich Petukh, whose whole life goes from one meal to another, so he has absolutely no time to be bored. All thoughts are directed to how it would be tastier to cook food. His estate is mortgaged, and grief is not enough for him. We also meet Khlobuev, completely unadapted to life, who ruined his family, sells the estate, but immediately gives dinner with the money received.
The image of Costanjoglo stands apart. Undoubtedly, there were such exceptions in Russia. There were active, enterprising nobles who, along with the wool from the peasants, did not even skin them. But they were not typical. The landowners' farms were ruined, plushkins, manilovs and nostrils were more characteristic. That is why Gogol did not succeed in the type of good landowner.
After analyzing the images of feudal lords in the poem, we can say that the system is vicious, in which sobakeviches, boxes, manilovs, plushkins and the like are the masters of life, control the fate of people, live national wealth.
The landlords are long gone, but Gogol's poem does not die. The images he created became the property of Russian literature, and the names of these heroes became common nouns. It was not for nothing that Herzen said about his types that "we met them at every step" and with the help of Gogol "we finally saw them without embellishment."
Gogol offers a whole gallery of images of Russian landowners. In each character, the author finds something typical and special.
In general, the images of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" convey the features of those who filled Russia and did not allow it to follow the path of development.
Manilov
The first landowner does not have a name, only a surname - Manilov. The landowner tried to create a semblance of a foreign country in the Russian hinterland, but his desires remained a hint at the architecture of sophistication and thoughtfulness of real masters. The essence of character is empty idleness. Manilov is immersed in dreams, building impossible projects. He creates underground passages, high towers, beautiful bridges. At this time, everything around decays and collapses. The peasants are impoverished, the rooms in the manor house are empty, the furniture is falling into disrepair. The landowner lives without worries and labor. Outwardly, in the estate, everything goes on as usual, nothing changes from inaction, but everything is not eternal and nothing can appear from laziness. Manilov is not alone. Such landowners can be found in any city. The first impression is a pleasant person, but almost immediately it becomes boring and unbearable with him. The concept of "Manilovism" began to exist after the release of the poem. This word was used to explain an idle, meaningless way of life, without a goal and real actions. Such landowners lived in dreams. They absorbed what they inherited, spent the labor of the peasants who passed to them. The masters were not interested in the economy. They believed that they live by the rich inner strength of the mind, but laziness consumed their minds, and they gradually moved away from the real thing, the soul became dead. Perhaps this can explain why the classic chose Manilov in the first place. The "dead" soul of a living person is worth less than those who lived their lives in labor, even after death it is useful to people like Manilov. They can "seduce" with their help the scoundrels Chichikovs.
box
The next chosen classic is a female character. Landlady Box. This is a club-headed woman who sells everything she has. The landowner's name is Nastasya Petrovna. One feels some similarity with Russian fairy tales, but it is in the name that the character is typical for the Russian hinterland. The "talking" surname is again played up by Gogol. Everything in the estate is hidden in a box, accumulated. The landowner puts the money in bags. How many? Can not imagine. But what are they for, what is the purpose of the accumulation, for whom? Nobody will give an answer. Accumulation for the purpose of accumulation. The terrible thing is that for Nastasya Petrovna it is all the same what to trade: living souls (serf girls), dead people, hemp or honey. The woman, who was created by God to continue the human race, found her goal in the sale, became hardened and became indifferent and indifferent to everything except money. For her, the main thing is not to sell too cheap. The author compares the image with a swarm of flies that flock to the dirt to profit. It is also dangerous that they multiply quickly. How many of these boxes are there in the country? More and more.
Nozdrev
The drunkard, player and fighter Nozdrev is the next character. The essence of his character is meanness. He is ready to "shit" anyone, indiscriminately, meaning. Nozdrev does not set specific goals for himself. He is disorderly, disorganized, and cheekily impudent. Everything around the landowner is the same: in the stable there are horses and a goat, in the house there is a wolf cub. He is ready to play checkers for the dead, sells and exchanges. There is no honor and honesty in character, only lies and deceit. Communication with Nozdryov often ends in a fight, but this is if the person is weaker. The strong, on the contrary, beat the landowner. The landowner did not change love. She probably didn't exist. Pity the troublemaker's wife. She died quickly, leaving two children with no interest. The children have a nanny, according to the description she is “cute”, Nozdryov brings her gifts from the fair. The author hints at the relationship between the landowner and the nanny, since one can hardly count on disinterestedness and respect from him. The Buyan shows more concern for dogs than for his loved ones. Gogol warns the reader that the Nozdryovs will not leave Russia for a long time. The only good thing is that the cunning Chichikov could not buy dead souls from Nozdryov.
Sobakevich
The landowner is a fist, a bear, a stone. The name of the landowner cannot be different - Mikhailo Semenych. Everyone in Sobakevich's breed is strong: his father was a real hero. He alone went to the bear. It is interesting that the classic gives a description of his wife, Feodulia Ivanovna, but says nothing about children. As if there is nothing to talk about. There are children, they are as strong as everyone in the breed of a landowner. They probably live independently somewhere apart from their father. It becomes clear that everything is similar in their estates. Another interesting detail - the master never got sick. Sobakevich at first perception is somewhat different than the previous characters. But gradually you realize that it also has no soul. She withered and died. There was clumsiness and a stranglehold. He raises the price of the product without even thinking about the essence of the subject of sale. A rude owner rules the estate. He sees no good in anyone, all swindlers and deceivers. Irony shines through in the words of the classic when Sobakevich finds one decent person in the city and calls him a pig. In fact, Sobakevich himself is exactly the way he imagines people. He gains a lynx when the trade begins, and calms down when the goods are profitably sold.
Plushkin
The image of this landowner can be considered a masterpiece of a brilliant author. What will Manilov's mismanagement lead to? What will become of Korobochka, carried away by hoarding? How will the drunken brawler Nozdrev live? All characters are reflected in Plyushkin. Even outwardly, completely incomparable with him, Sobakevich lives in the hero. One can imagine how the devastation of Plyushkin's soul began - with thrift. One landowner is more vulgar and "terrible" than the other, but Plyushkin is the result. His life is a series of meaningless days, even the fabulous Koschey languishing over gold does not cause such disgust as a still living person. Plyushkin does not understand why he needs all the rubbish that he collects, but he can no longer refuse such an occupation. The pages describing the meetings of the landowner with his daughter and her children evoke special feelings. Grandfather allows grandchildren to sit on their knees, play with a button. The spiritual death of the hero is evident. The father does not feel affection for loved ones. He is stingy and greedy so much that he even starves himself. A stale Easter cake, a dirty drink, a pile of rubbish against the background of huge piles of rotting grain, full bins of flour, spoiled rolls of cloth. The absurdity of reality and the disintegration of personality is the tragedy of Russian life.
Serfdom leads to a loss of humanity in Russian landlords. It is terrible to realize how dead their souls are. Dead peasants look more alive. The images of the landowners appear one after another before the readers. Their vulgarity, licentiousness is frightening. There is a degeneration of the nobility and the prosperity of vices.
The first person the author introduces us to, in the 2nd chapter of the poem, is Manilov. He is described as a pleasant but boring and lazy man in his 30s or 40s.Gogol did not even honor this character with a name, only the surname is mentioned. Manilov leads a boring life, but in his dreams he wants to make “foreign mansions” out of his estate. The character builds many underground passages, builds towers and bridges. All this luxury leads to the impoverishment of the peasants and Manilov himself. In pursuit of the beauty of foreign standards, he forgets to look after his home, the peasants. He is married and has 2 children who were given very unusual names - Themistoclus and Alkid. This fact shows that he does not think about the future of children, for him the main imitation of Europeans. The protagonist of the poem, Chichikov, at the first meeting with him, saw in him a delicate person immersed in himself. Manilov, because of his romantic nature, was easy to lead on an adventure with the sale of dead souls. The author believes that the landowner already has a dead soul, so he can easily sell his own kind.The image of the landowner Korobochka
Chapter 3 of the poem "Dead Souls" is devoted to acquaintance with the female image of the landowner - the widow Korobochka. This woman is thrifty. Nastasya Petrovna owns only 80 souls of peasants, however, under clear leadership, her economy is flourishing, the houses are strong, and the peasants are remarkable for their remarkable strength. The biggest fear of the landowner is not to sell too cheap.Even when selling “dead souls,” she was afraid that she would give Chichikov the souls at a lower cost. It does not matter to her what she sells - flour, honey or dead people, the main goal of such landowners is to sell profitably. Gogol compares Korobochka with a flock of flies that have flocked to the mud.
Characteristics of the landowner Nozdrev
After getting to know Korobochka, the author invites us to take a look at the active and cheerful Nozdryov. We know that he is 35 years old and he lost his wife, but this does not prevent him from leading an active life. He likes to walk, go to the bathhouse and fight. It’s hard for him to do housework, so he doesn’t do it. Nozdrev spends all his money on visiting taverns and balls. Often left without money and brazenly asks for a loan, considering this a normal phenomenon. The landowner has two children, whom he also does not care about, but he loves dogs more than anyone, and takes care of them even more than about children. We see Nozdryov as a scandalous person who often lies for his own benefit. Chichikov fails to buy dead souls from this character.Gogol says that such Nozdrevs are often found in Russia, and will live for a long time.
The image of the landowner Sobakevich
A speaking surname is used - indeed, Sobakevich can be compared with an animal, but not with a dog, but with a bear. Gogol's description resembled the appearance of this animal. Sobakevich was wearing a “bear-colored” tailcoat, the peasants called the owner Mikhail Semenovich. Sobakevich was clumsy and did not differ in manners. In the estate of the landowner, too, everything is clumsy, large and clumsy. The peasants are strong, but stupid and rude people. Sobakevich could not refuse Chichikov's offer, and sold his souls without a twinge of conscience. For him, only money is important, and from the entire gallery of images of landowners, Sobakevich is the most “dead” of them. For him, all decent people are pigs.
Characteristics of the landowner Plyushkin
Plyushkin becomes the apogee of portraits of landowners. All other heroes are only a small part of what is hidden in Plushkin. He absorbed the character traits of Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdrev, and even Sobakevich.Important! Plyushkin personifies all the vices of the landowners. He is characterized by stinginess, greed, rudeness, indifference to people, he is only interested in the accumulation of property that rots in warehouses, like his soul.Plyushkin stores everything he can. However, he does not even spend his wealth on himself - he walks in an old dressing gown, which is embarrassing to look at, practically does not eat. He treats the peasants in the same way - he constantly reproaches them and starves them. Some can't stand it - they run away from him. The degradation of Plyushkin's soul is well represented in his communication with his son: when he lost at cards, he sent him a curse instead of money and never saw him again.
Important! The images of landlords in the poem Dead Souls show how inhuman a person can be. Against the background of these Gogol sketches, the dead souls of the peasants become “alive”.In the poem by N.V. Gogol, we see how the nobility has degraded, and only the simple Russian people are able to spiritually resurrect Russia, raise it from its knees, if it does not resemble Chichikov, Sobakevich, Manilov, Korobochka and Plyushkin. If they do not have these vices in their soul, then they will be able to live like real people - in harmony with themselves and the surrounding reality, because the most important value of a person is his soul. For a complete picture of the characters, see the quote description of the characters in the video below.
| landowner | Appearance | manor | Characteristic | Attitude to Chichikov's request |
| Manilov | The man is not yet old, his eyes are sweet as sugar. But this sugar was too much. In the first minute of a conversation with him you will say what a nice person, after a minute you will not say anything, and in the third minute you will think: “The devil knows what it is!” | The master's house stands on a hill, open to all winds. The economy is in complete decline. The housekeeper steals, something is always missing in the house. The kitchen is preparing stupidly. The servants are drunkards. Against the backdrop of all this decline, the gazebo with the name “Temple of Solitary Reflection” looks strange. The Manilovs love to kiss, give each other cute trinkets (a toothpick in a case), but at the same time they absolutely do not care about the improvement of the house. | About people like Manilov, Gogol says: "A man is so-so, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan." The man is empty and vulgar. For two years now, a book with a bookmark on page 14 has been in the office, which he constantly reads. Dreams are fruitless. Speech is cloying and sugary (name day of the heart) | Surprised. He understands that this request is illegal, but he cannot refuse such a pleasant person. Agrees to give the peasants free. He does not even know how many souls he has died. |
| box | An elderly woman, in a cap, with a flannel around her neck. | A small house, the wallpaper in the house is old, the mirrors are old. Nothing is wasted on the farm, this is evidenced by the net on the fruit trees and the cap on the scarecrow. She taught everyone to order. The yard is full of birds, the garden is well maintained. Peasant huts, although built scattered, show the contentment of the inhabitants, they are properly maintained. Korobochka knows everything about her peasants, does not keep any notes and remembers the names of the dead by heart. | Economical and practical, knows the price of a penny. Cudgel-headed, stupid, stingy. This is the image of a landowner-accumulator. | He wonders why Chichikov is doing this. Afraid to sell cheap. Knows exactly how many peasants died (18 souls). He looks at dead souls in the same way as he looks at bacon or hemp: suddenly they will come in handy in the household. |
| Nozdryov | Fresh, "like blood with milk", full of health. Medium height, well built. At thirty-five, he looks the same as at eighteen. | A stable with two horses. The kennel is in excellent condition, where Nozdryov feels like the father of a family. There are no usual things in the office: books, papers. And hanging a saber, two guns, a hurdy-gurdy, pipes, daggers. The lands are unkempt. The economy went by itself, since the main concern of the hero was hunting and fairs - not up to the economy. The repair in the house has not been completed, the stalls are empty, the hurdy-gurdy is out of order, the chaise is lost. The situation of the serfs, from whom he draws everything he can, is deplorable. | Gogol calls Nozdryov a "historical" person, because not a single meeting at which Nozdryov appeared was complete without "history". Reputed to be a good friend, but always ready to play a dirty trick on his friend. "Broken fellow", reckless reveler, card player, likes to lie, spends money thoughtlessly. Rudeness, impudent lies, recklessness are reflected in his fragmentary speech. When talking, he constantly jumps from one subject to another, uses abusive expressions: “you are a pig for this”, “such rubbish”. | It seemed that it was easiest to get dead souls from him, a reckless reveler, and yet he was the only one who left Chichikov with nothing. |
| Sobakevich | Looks like a bear. Tailcoat bear color. The complexion is red-hot, hot. | Big village, awkward house. The stable, barn, kitchen are built from massive logs. The portraits that hang in the rooms depict heroes with "thick thighs and unheard-of mustaches." A walnut bureau on four legs looks ridiculous. The economy of Sobakevich developed according to the principle of "badly tailored, but tightly sewn", solid, strong. And he does not ruin his peasants: his muzhiks live in huts that are wonderfully cut down, in which everything was fitted tightly and properly. He perfectly knows the business and human qualities of his peasants. | Fist, rude, clumsy, uncouth, incapable of expressing emotional experiences. An evil, tough serf-owner, he will never miss his advantage. | Of all the landowners with whom Chichikov dealt, Sobakevich was the smartest. He immediately understood what dead souls were for, quickly figured out the intentions of the guest and made a deal to his advantage. |
| Plushkin | It was hard to tell if it was a man or a woman. Looks like an old keychain. Gray eyes quickly ran from under the fused eyebrows. Cap on the head. His face is wrinkled like an old man's. The chin protrudes far forward, there were no teeth. On the neck is either a scarf or a stocking. The men call Plyushkin "Patched". | Dilapidated buildings, old dark logs on the huts of peasants, holes on the roofs, windows without glass. He walked the streets, and everything that came across, he picked up and dragged into the house. The house is full of furniture and rubbish. The once prosperous economy became unprofitable due to pathological stinginess, brought to waste (hay and bread rotted, flour in the basement turned into stone). | Once Plyushkin was just a thrifty owner, he had a family, children. The hero also met with neighbors. The turning point in the transformation of a cultural landowner into a miser was the death of the mistress. Plyushkin, like all widowers, became suspicious and stingy. And it turns, as Gogol says, into "a hole in humanity." | The proposal surprised and delighted, because there will be income. He agreed to sell 78 souls for 30 kopecks. |
- Landowner Portrait Characteristic Manor Attitude towards housekeeping Lifestyle Outcome Manilov Handsome blond with blue eyes. At the same time, in his appearance "it seemed too sugar was transferred." Too ingratiating look and behavior Too enthusiastic and refined dreamer who does not feel any curiosity about his household or anything earthly (he does not even know if his peasants died after the last revision). At the same time, his daydreaming is absolutely […]
- Compositionally, the poem "Dead Souls" consists of three externally closed, but internally interconnected circles. landowners, the city, Chichikov's biography, united by the image of the road, plot-related by the main character's scam. But the middle link - the life of the city - itself consists, as it were, of narrowing circles, gravitating towards the center; this is a graphic representation of the provincial hierarchy. Interestingly, in this hierarchical pyramid, the governor, embroidering on tulle, looks like a puppet figure. True life boils in civilian […]
- Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol is one of the most brilliant authors of our vast Motherland. In his works, he always spoke about the sore, about what His Russia lived in His time. And he does it so well! This man really loved Russia, seeing what our country really is - unhappy, deceitful, lost, but at the same time - dear. Nikolai Vasilievich in the poem "Dead Souls" gives a social profile of the then Russia. Describes landlordism in all colors, reveals all the nuances, characters. Among […]
- The work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol fell on the dark era of Nicholas I. These were the 30s. XIX century, when in Russia, after the suppression of the uprising of the Decembrists, reaction reigned, all dissidents were persecuted, the best people were persecuted. Describing the reality of his day, N.V. Gogol creates the poem “Dead Souls”, brilliant in depth of reflection of life. The basis of "Dead Souls" is that the book is a reflection not of individual features of reality and characters, but of the reality of Russia as a whole. Myself […]
- In Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" the way of life and customs of the feudal landowners is very correctly noticed and described. Drawing images of the landlords: Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Sobakevich and Plyushkin, the author recreated a generalized picture of the life of serf Russia, where arbitrariness reigned, the economy was in decline, and the personality underwent moral degradation. After writing and publishing the poem, Gogol said: “‘Dead Souls’ made a lot of noise, a lot of murmuring, touched the nerves of many with mockery, and truth, and caricature, touched […]
- Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol noted that the main theme of "Dead Souls" was contemporary Russia. The author believed that "it is impossible otherwise to direct society or even the whole generation towards the beautiful, until you show the full depth of its real abomination." That is why the poem presents a satire on the local nobility, bureaucracy and other social groups. The composition of the work is subordinated to this task of the author. The image of Chichikov, traveling around the country in search of the necessary connections and wealth, allows N. V. Gogol […]
- Chichikov, having met the landowners in the city, received an invitation from each of them to visit the estate. The gallery of the owners of "dead souls" is opened by Manilov. The author at the very beginning of the chapter gives a description of this character. His appearance initially made a very pleasant impression, then bewilderment, and in the third minute “... you say:“ The devil knows what it is! and move away…” Sweetness and sentimentality, highlighted in the portrait of Manilov, are the essence of his idle lifestyle. He is constantly talking about […]
- French traveler, author of the famous book "Russia in 1839" Marquis de Questine wrote: “Russia is ruled by a class of officials who occupy administrative positions right from the school bench ... each of these gentlemen becomes a nobleman, having received a cross in his buttonhole ... Upstarts in the circle of those in power, they use their power, as befits upstarts. " The tsar himself admitted with bewilderment that it was not he, the autocrat of all Russia, who governed his empire, but the clerk appointed by him. The provincial city […]
- In his famous address to the "bird-troika", Gogol did not forget the master to whom the troika owes its existence: cheeky man." There is one more hero in the poem about swindlers, parasites, owners of living and dead souls. Gogol's unnamed hero is serf slaves. In "Dead Souls" Gogol composed such a dithyramb to the Russian serfs, with such direct […]
- N.V. Gogol conceived the first part of the poem "Dead Souls" as a work that reveals the social vices of society. In this regard, he was looking for a plot not a simple life fact, but one that would make it possible to expose the hidden phenomena of reality. In this sense, the plot proposed by A. S. Pushkin was the best fit for Gogol. The idea to “travel all over Russia with the hero” gave the author the opportunity to show the life of the whole country. And since Gogol described it in such a way, “so that all the little things that elude […]
- In the autumn of 1835, Gogol set to work on Dead Souls, the plot of which, like the plot of The Inspector General, was suggested to him by Pushkin. “I want to show in this novel, although from one side, all of Russia,” he writes to Pushkin. Explaining the idea of "Dead Souls", Gogol wrote that the images of the poem are "not at all portraits of insignificant people, on the contrary, they contain the features of those who consider themselves better than others." Explaining the choice of the hero, the author says: "Because it is time, finally, give rest to a poor virtuous man, because […]
- It should be noted that the episode of the collision of the crews is divided into two micro-themes. One of them is the appearance of a crowd of onlookers and "helpers" from a neighboring village, the other is Chichikov's thoughts caused by a meeting with a young stranger. Both of these themes have both an external, superficial layer, directly related to the characters of the poem, and a deep layer, bringing to the scale of the author's thoughts about Russia and its people. So, the collision occurs suddenly, when Chichikov silently sends curses to Nozdryov, thinking that […]
- Chichikov met Nozdryov earlier, at one of the receptions in the city of NN, but the meeting in the tavern is the first serious acquaintance with him for both Chichikov and the reader. We understand what type of people Nozdryov belongs to, first by seeing his behavior in the tavern, his story about the fair, and then by reading the author’s direct description of this “broken fellow”, “historical man”, who has “a passion to spoil his neighbor, sometimes for no reason at all ". We know Chichikov as a completely different person - […]
- Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is one of the greatest and at the same time mysterious works of the 19th century. The genre definition of "poem", which at that time unambiguously meant a lyric-epic work written in poetic form and predominantly romantic, was perceived by Gogol's contemporaries in different ways. Some found it mocking, while others saw hidden irony in this definition. Shevyrev wrote that “the meaning of the word ‘poem’ seems to us to be twofold… because of the word ‘poem’ a deep, significant […]
- At the lesson of literature, we got acquainted with the work of N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls". This poem has become very popular. The work was repeatedly filmed both in the Soviet Union and in modern Russia. Also, the names of the main characters became symbolic: Plyushkin - a symbol of stinginess and storage of unnecessary things, Sobakevich - an uncouth person, Manilovism - immersion in dreams that have no connection with reality. Some phrases have become catchphrases. The main character of the poem is Chichikov. […]
- What is the image of a literary hero? Chichikov is the hero of a great, classic work created by a genius, a hero who embodied the result of the author's observations and reflections on life, people, and their actions. An image that has absorbed typical features, and therefore has long gone beyond the framework of the work itself. His name has become a household name for people - crafty careerists, sycophants, money-grubbers, outwardly "pretty", "decent and worthy". Moreover, other readers' assessment of Chichikov is not so unambiguous. Comprehension […]
- Gogol was always attracted by everything eternal and unshakable. By analogy with Dante's "Divine Comedy", he decides to create a work in three volumes, where it would be possible to show the past, present and future of Russia. Even the author designates the genre of the work in an unusual way - a poem, since different fragments of life are collected in one artistic whole. The composition of the poem, which is built on the principle of concentric circles, allows Gogol to trace the movement of Chichikov through the provincial town of N, the estates of landowners and all of Russia. Already with […]
- “A rather beautiful spring chaise drove through the gates of the hotel in the provincial city of NN ... In the chaise sat a gentleman, not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin; one cannot say that he is old, but it is not so that he is too young either. His entry made absolutely no noise in the city and was not accompanied by anything special. So our hero appears in the city - Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. Let us, following the author, get acquainted with the city. Everything tells us that this is a typical provincial […]
- Plyushkin is an image of a moldy cracker left over from the Easter cake. Only he has a life story, Gogol depicts all the other landowners statically. These heroes, as it were, have no past that would at least somehow differ from their present and explain something in it. Plyushkin's character is much more complicated than the characters of other landowners represented in Dead Souls. Features of manic stinginess are combined in Plyushkin with painful suspicion and distrust of people. Saving the old sole, a clay shard, […]
- The poem "Dead Souls" reflects the social phenomena and conflicts that characterized Russian life in the 30s - early 40s. 19th century It very correctly noticed and described the way of life and customs of that time. Drawing images of the landowners: Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Sobakevich and Plyushkin, the author recreated a generalized picture of the life of serf Russia, where arbitrariness reigned, the economy was in decline, and the personality underwent moral degradation, regardless of whether it was the personality of a slave owner or [... ]
