The story "Dead Souls", which Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol prudently called a poem, really contains the "poetic" aspirations of the protagonist Chichikov in solving his quite prosaic life tasks. From childhood he was left to himself, he received insufficient education, his youth passed even in some hardships. The characteristic of Chichikov differs little from others. However, the young man was by nature quick-witted and resourceful, he overcame difficult situations in his life on his own, sometimes very successfully. Growing up and gaining experience, Chichikov learned to use the numerous social Russian shortcomings to his advantage, so that he would be a winner and not be held accountable by the law.
From time to time, Chichikov, being in the service in any "bread place", miscalculated through negligence or out of greed, received scolding from his superiors, but on the whole he was in good standing and took bribes deftly, imperceptibly and even artistically. And the characterization of Chichikov was an example for all other officials. The petitioner who came to Chichikov would give the sum into his hands, but he would not take it. What are you, how can we not take, sir ...! And he assured the man that all the necessary documents would be brought to his home today, without any "grease". The applicant walked home, elated, almost happy, and waited for the courier. I waited a day, another, one week and a second. The bribe that the visitor then brought as a result of this simple combination, invented by Chichikov, was three times larger than the original one.
And then one day Chichikov was struck by a genius idea that promised quick and sure enrichment. “I am looking for mittens everywhere, and they are in my belt,” Chichikov said and set about developing his future operation to acquire dead souls. At that time there was a market in landlord Russia. In other words, you could buy peasants, sell them and give them away. The deal was legalized, the buyer and the seller made up the serf bill. The peasants were expensive, and for a hundred rubles and two hundred. But if you buy the serfs of the dead from the landowners, then it could be cheaper, thought Chichikov, and set to work.
All the salt of his enterprise consisted in the expectation of receiving the so-called lifting money, issued by the guardianship councils throughout Russia, when the landowners were relocated to other lands, or simply for the acquisition of serfs. Two hundred rubles for one peasant, alive and well, naturally. Who would be there to check, dead or alive, Chichikov rightly believed, and was slowly getting ready to go. Our hero came to the city of NN, looked around and immediately paid visits to all city officials. After a short conversation with Chichikov, the officials in him so he knew how to coax and grease. The characterization of Chichikov was flawless, he was welcomed everywhere and they were glad to him.
Then Chichikov chose landowners who had serfs and began to go round them in turn. He made the same proposal to everyone. I’ll buy, they say, dead serfs, it’s necessary for the cause, but I’ll give them inexpensively, they are not rich at the present time. The first landowner, Manilov, was such a refined dandy, had a wife and children. He was surprised at Chichikov's request, but behaved intelligently and gave his dead peasants for nothing. After Manilov, Chichikov came to the landowner Korobochka. The old woman listened, thought, and at first refused. Chichikov was literally sweating, persuading her, citing all the evidence of the benefits of the deal for the landowner. And Korobochka knows to himself that he’s fumbling, they say, first I’ll find out the prices, make inquiries, then we’ll talk.
After Korobochka Chichikov came to Nozdryov's. turned out to be a rare rascal, revenge and gambler. Chichikov got tired of it too. He offered him horses and a hurdy-gurdy instead of dogs. I wanted to play cards for dead souls or checkers. And he turned down the price, he asked for more than the living. Chichikov barely carried his feet away from Nozdryov. And I came to the next landowner Sobakevich. The huge landowner Sobakevich, a fellow of a small mind, but with a sly one, first of all stepped on Chichikov's foot with all his weight. Chichikov hissed in pain and jumped on one leg. Satisfied Sobakevich invited me to dinner. And when Chichikov started a business conversation, the landowner set the price even higher than Nozdryov. After the bargaining, they agreed on two rubles and a half. A brief description of Chichikov should be supplemented by his bargaining ability.
The last was the landowner Plyushkin. He had over a thousand serfs. And the dead are one hundred and twenty, and about a hundred escaped. Chichikov bought them all. And as the conversations went in the city after his travels and shopping, then Chichikov became almost a hero. But at the same time, the characteristic of Chichikov limped, many of his former friends refused him from home. It’s a pity, it was all in vain. Chichikov's impeccable characterization, dead souls, will not help either - they will not become alive, they will not be given money.
Poem "Dead Souls" occupies a special place in the work of Gogol. The writer considered this work to be the main work of his life, the spiritual testament of Pushkin, who suggested to him the basis of the plot. In the poem, the author reflected the way of life and customs of different strata of society - peasants, landowners, officials. The images in the poem, according to the author, "are not at all portraits of insignificant people, on the contrary, they contain the features of those who consider themselves better than others." The poem shows the landowners, the owners of serf souls, the "masters" of life. Gogol consistently, from hero to hero, reveals their characters and shows the insignificance of their existence. Starting with Manilov and ending with Plyushkin, the author intensifies his satire and exposes the underworld of landlord-bureaucratic Russia.
The main character of the work is Chichikov - until the last chapter of the first volume remains a mystery to everyone: both for the officials of the city N and for the readers. The author reveals the inner world of Pavel Ivanovich in scenes of his meetings with landowners. Gogol draws attention to the fact that Chichikov is constantly changing and almost copies the demeanor of his interlocutors. Talking about the meeting between Chichikov and Korobochka, Gogol says that in Russia a person speaks differently with the owners of two hundred, three hundred, five hundred souls: "... even if you go up to a million, there will be all shades."
Chichikov perfectly studied people, in any situation he knows how to find benefits, he always says what they would like to hear from him. So, with Manilov, Chichikov is pompous, amiable and flattering. With Korobochka, he speaks without much ceremony, and his vocabulary is consonant with the style of the hostess. Communication with the impudent liar Nozdrev is not easy, since Pavel Ivanovich does not tolerate familiar treatment, "... unless the person is of too high rank." However, hoping for a lucrative deal, he does not leave the estate of Nozdryov until the very end and tries to become like him: he turns to "you", adopts a boorish tone, behaves familiarly. The image of Sobakevich, personifying the solidity of the landlord's life, immediately prompts Pavel Ivanovich to talk about dead souls as thoroughly as possible. Chichikov manages to endear himself to a "hole in the human body" - Plyushkin, who has long lost contact with the outside world and has forgotten the norms of politeness. To do this, it was enough for him to play the role of a "moot", ready to save a casual acquaintance from the need to pay taxes for dead peasants at a loss.
It is not difficult for Chichikov to change his appearance, because he has all the qualities that form the basis of the characters of the depicted landowners. This is confirmed by episodes in the poem, where Chichikov is left alone with himself and he does not need to adapt to those around him. Examining the city N, Pavel Ivanovich "tore off the poster nailed to the post so that when he came home he could read it thoroughly," and after reading it, "rolled it up neatly and put it in his little chest, where he used to put everything that came across." This is reminiscent of the habits of Plyushkin, who collected and stored all kinds of rags and toothpicks. The colorlessness and uncertainty accompanying Chichikov to the last pages of the first volume of the poem make him akin to Manilov. That is why the officials of the provincial city make ridiculous guesses, trying to establish the true identity of the hero. Lyubov Chichikova neatly and meticulously arranges everything in her little chest brings him closer to Korobochka. Nozdryov notes that Chichikov is similar to Sobakevich. All this suggests that the character of the protagonist, as in a mirror, reflected the features of all landowners: Manilov's love for meaningless conversations and "noble" gestures, and Korobochka's pettiness, and Nozdryov's narcissism, and Sobakevich's rudeness, and Plyushkin's hoarding.
And at the same time, Chichikov sharply differs from the landowners shown in the first chapters of the poem. He has a different psychology than Manilov, Sobakevich, Nozdrev and other landowners. He is characterized by extraordinary energy, business acumen, purposefulness, although morally he does not rise above the owners of serf souls. Many years of bureaucratic activity left a noticeable imprint on his demeanor and speech. This is evidenced by the cordial welcome shown to him in the provincial "high society". Among the officials and landowners, he is a new person, a purchaser who will replace the Manilovs, Nozdrevs, Dogevichs and Plushkins.
Chichikov's soul, just like the souls of landowners and officials, died. He does not have access to the "shining joy of life", he is almost completely devoid of human feelings. For the sake of achieving his practical goals, he pacified his blood, which "played strong."
Gogol strove to understand the psychological nature of Chichikov as a new phenomenon, and for this, in the last chapter of the poem he talks about his life. Chichikov's biography explains the formation of the character revealed in the poem. The hero's childhood was dull and joyless, without friends and maternal affection, with constant reproaches from his sick father, and could not but affect his future fate. His father left him a half of copper and a legacy to study diligently, please teachers and bosses, and, most importantly, save a penny. Pavlusha learned his father's instructions well and directed all his energy towards achieving the cherished goal - wealth. He quickly realized that all lofty concepts only interfere with the achievement of his goal, and began to punch his way himself. At first, he acted in a childishly straightforward manner - in every possible way he pleased the teacher and thanks to this he became his favorite. Growing up, he realized that each person can be found a special approach, and began to achieve more significant success. Having promised to marry the daughter of his boss, he got a job as a warrant officer. While serving at customs, he managed to convince his superiors that he was incorruptible, and later to establish contact with smugglers and make a huge fortune. All of Chichikov's brilliant victories ended in failure, but no failures could break his greed for profit.
However, the author notes that in Chichikovo, in contrast to Plyushkin, “there was no attachment to money for money itself, it was not owned by avarice and avarice. No, it was not they who moved him, - he saw life ahead in all its pleasures, so that later, eventually, he would certainly taste all this, that's what a penny was kept for. " Gogol notes that the main character of the poem is the only character capable of manifesting the movements of the soul. “Apparently the Chichikovs also turn into poets for a few minutes,” says the author, when his hero stops “as if stunned by a blow” in front of the governor's young daughter. And it was precisely this "human" movement of the soul that led to the failure of his promising venture. According to the author, sincerity, sincerity and unselfishness are the most dangerous qualities in a world where cynicism, lies and profit reign. The fact that Gogol transferred his hero to the second volume of the poem suggests that he believed in his spiritual rebirth. In the second volume of the poem, the writer planned to spiritually "cleanse" Chichikov and put him on the path of spiritual resurrection. The resurrection of the "hero of the time", according to him, was to be the beginning of the resurrection of the whole society. But, unfortunately, the second volume of "Dead Souls" was burned, and the third was not written, so we can only guess how Chichikov's moral revival took place.
All themes of the book "Dead Souls" by N.V. Gogol. Summary. Features of the poem. Works ":
A summary of the poem "Dead Souls":
Our article presents the characteristics of Chichikov - the central character of the poem "Dead Souls". N.V. Gogol created the main character far from ideal in order to reveal all the variety of characters of similar characters and reveal the vices of the century.
The art of liking
The first impression that the protagonist makes on others is always extremely positive. The author describes Chichikov as a middle-aged man of pleasant appearance, he is plump, roundish, but in moderation. As a child, the boy learned to notice many things that others do not pay attention to. He had a special flair, some special talent to create the impression of a good person, to please, to please. As an adult, Chichikov acquired an incomparable skill to gain confidence in people, to see their weaknesses, to use an authority that rests only on appearance and charm.
Gogol deliberately mentions that his character is not particularly handsome, although he considers himself very attractive. He draws attention to the "averaging" of the protagonist in everything "not too fat, but not too thin", "not handsome, but not bad-looking", not old and not young. Throwing dust in the eyes is one of the many talents of Pavel Ivanovich. He did not have a good education and aristocratic upbringing, but the hero's manners favorably differed from those around him. His timbre of voice, friendliness, neatness and neatness, external gloss charmed any interlocutor and opened all doors. In the eyes of the ladies and secular society, Pavel Ivanovich is an extremely interesting figure, for them he is handsome, majestic and even aristocratic. The fact that Chichikov is a new figure in the city makes his personality mysterious and creates a kind of halo.
A dandy with a complex character
The special attitude of the hero to appearance and clothing conquers everyone, without exception, no one notices the deceit and duplicity behind the gloss and manners. Chichikov can be called a dandy, because he does not just love good clothes: it serves as his tool to achieve his goals and gives confidence to the hero. He sticks to red-brown shades in clothes, follows fashion, is clean-shaven, perfumed with cologne. In the text of the work, there are references to the fact that Pavel Ivanovich pays so much attention to the toilet and wardrobe that for many provinces this is an unprecedented phenomenon. One gets the impression that such diligence and care for appearance is aimed at carefully concealing the inner world of Pavel Ivanovich, which is far from ideal.
The character of Chichikov is quite complex: he is restrained, thorough, distinguished by self-control, perseverance, and purposefulness. Chichikov's patience and restraint, respect and tact are extremely relative: he humiliates his servants and people who are not useful to him, humiliates or ignores them. As a master he is rude and even hysterical, but as a person he is a real scoundrel (this is how the author himself characterizes him).
Dead Soul Owner
The image of the central character is very complex and multi-layered, for example, he is tight-fisted in money, knows how to save and manage with little, but loves his person so much that he dresses in the best outfits, buys expensive fabrics, perfume, foreign soap, has a more than decent crew. The habit of pleasing, adapting to the environment and people, the ability to be “your own” in any company made Chichikov an unprincipled, deceitful and insensitive person. His perseverance and movement towards the goal is worthy of emulation, if not for the ways that the hero uses.
The main character takes care of his health, at the same time avoiding unnecessary costs and maintaining a high level of authority. He does not smoke, does not take a drop in his mouth, gambling does not interest Pavel Ivanovich, because they are not able to bring a stable income. A quirky mind tells Chichikov that giving up these bad habits will play into his hands, a sober mind and prudence is the best friend of our character.
The pursuit of money, an empty immoral race for a penny, replaced Chichikov's real life. Despite the fact that his image is much deeper than other characters, Chichikov's soul is as dead as those deceased serfs, the lists of which he buys up. A detailed description of the image of Chichikov can be useful for writing essays or other kinds of creative work based on the work of N.V. Gogol.
Product test
He managed to surprise the audience by calling his seminal work "Dead Souls". Despite the intriguing title, this novel tells not about ghosts, zombies and ghouls, but about the adventures of Chichikov, a greedy schemer who is ready to do anything for his own benefit.
History of creation
Researchers and literary scholars still make up legends about the history of the creation of "Dead Souls". They say that the non-trivial plot of the prose poem was suggested to Gogol by the creator of "", but this fact is confirmed only by indirect evidence.
When the poet was in exile in Chisinau, he heard a very remarkable story that in the city of Bendery, since the annexation to Russia, no one dies except the military. It should be noted that at the beginning of the 19th century, peasants fled to Bessarabia. When the guardians of the law tried to catch the fugitives, these attempts were unsuccessful, for the cunning ones took the names of the dead. Therefore, not a single death has been recorded in this town for many years.
The first and modern editions of Dead Souls Pushkin told this news to his colleague in creativity, literary embellishing, and Gogol took the plot as the basis of his novel and began work on October 7, 1835. In turn, Alexander Sergeevich received the following message:
“I started writing Dead Souls. The plot stretched out into a pre-long novel and it seems to be very funny. "
It is noteworthy that the author continued to work on his work, traveling across Switzerland and Italy. He treated his creation as a "poet's testament." Returning to Moscow, Gogol read the first chapters of the novel to his friends, and studied the final version of the first volume in Rome. The book was published in 1841.
Biography and plot
Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich, a former collegiate councilor who pretends to be a landowner, is the main character of the work. The author of the novel covered this character with a veil of mystery, because the biography of the schemer is not presented in the work scrupulously, even his appearance is described without any special characteristics: "neither fat, nor thin, neither too old, nor too young."
In principle, such a description of the hero indicates that he is a hypocrite who wears a mask to match his interlocutor. It is worth remembering how this sly man behaved with Manilov and how he became a completely different person, communicating with Korobochka.
It is known that by birth Chichikov is a poor nobleman, his father was a sick and poor man. But the author says nothing about the mother of the protagonist. The future buyer of "dead souls" who were listed as "alive" in the census (he acquired them in order to fraudulently put them in the Board of Trustees and hit a big jackpot) grew up and was brought up in a simple peasant hut, but he had no friends and acquaintances.
Pavel Chichikov buys up "dead souls" The young man had a "practical" mind and managed to enter the city school, where he "gnawed the granite of science", living with his relative. And since then he has never seen his father, who went to the village. Pavel did not have extraordinary abilities like his, but he was distinguished by diligence, neatness, and also, on the advice of his father, fawned at the teachers, so he graduated from an educational institution and received a book with golden letters.
It is worth saying that Chichikov showed a talent for speculation from a very early age, especially since his parent gave his son the life instruction to “save a penny”. Firstly, Pavlusha saved his own money and took care of them like the apple of his eye, and secondly, he thought about how to get capital. He sold the treats offered to him to acquaintances, and also sculpted a bullfinch out of wax and sold it very profitably. Among other things, Chichikov gathered crowds of onlookers around him, who watched with interest the trained mouse and paid for the performance with coins.
When Pavel Ivanovich graduated from college, a black streak came in his life: his father died. But at the same time, the main character of the work received an initial capital of one thousand rubles by selling his father's house and land.
Further, the landowner entered the civil path and changed several places of service, never ceasing to fawn at the higher authorities. Wherever the main character was, he even worked in the commission for the construction of a government building and at customs. Chichikov's dishonesty can only be "envied": he betrayed his teacher, pretended to be in love with a girl, robbed people, took bribes, etc.
Despite his talent, the main character has repeatedly found himself at a broken trough, but his belief in himself involuntarily evokes admiration. Once the former collegiate councilor was in the county town "N", where he tried to impress the inhabitants of this noble town. In the end, the schemer becomes a welcome guest at dinners and social events, but the inhabitants of "N" are not aware of the dark intentions of this gentleman, who came to buy up dead souls.
The main character has to conduct business conversations with sellers. Pavel Ivanovich meets the dreamy but inactive Manilov, the stingy Korobochka, the gambling Nozdrev and the realist Sobakevich. It is noteworthy that when describing the characteristics of certain characters, Nikolai Gogol revealed images and psychotypes: such landowners, encountered on the way of Chichikov, can be found in any settlement. And in psychiatry there is a term "Plyushkin's syndrome", that is, pathological hoarding.
In the second volume of "Dead Souls", which is covered with legends and tales, Pavel Ivanovich appears before the readers as a man who, over time, became even more agile and courteous. The main character begins to lead a gypsy life and is still trying to acquire dead peasants, but it becomes not so easy to do this, because the landowners are used to pawning souls in a pawnshop.
But in this volume it was planned to show the regulars of bookstores the moral transformation of the main character: in the continuation of the novel, Chichikov nevertheless did a good deed, for example, he reconciled Betrishchev and Tentetnikov. In the third volume, the writer was supposed to show the final moral change of Pavel Ivanovich, but, unfortunately, the third volume of Dead Souls was not written at all.
- According to literary legend, Nikolai Gogol burned a version of the second volume, which he was dissatisfied with. According to another version, the writer sent a white paper into the fire, but his goal was to throw a draft into the oven.
- The journalist wrote the opera Dead Souls.
- In 1932, the sophisticated audience enjoyed the play about the adventures of Chichikov, staged by the author of The Master and Margarita.
- When the book "Dead Souls" was published, the indignation of literary critics fell on Nikolai Vasilyevich: the author was accused of slandering Russia.
Quotes
"Nothing could be more pleasant than living in solitude, enjoying the spectacle of nature and sometimes reading some book ..."
“... women, this is such a subject, there is simply nothing to say! Their eyes alone are such an endless state, into which a person drove - and remember what they called! You won't be able to get him out of there with a hook or anything. "
"Be that as it may, the goal of a person is still not determined, unless he finally became a firm foot on a solid foundation, and not on some free-thinking chimera of youth."
"Love us black, and everyone will love us white."
The main character of the poem "Dead Souls" is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. The complex character of literature opened his eyes to the events of the past, showed many hidden problems.
The image and characteristics of Chichikov in the poem "Dead Souls" will allow you to understand yourself and find features that you need to get rid of in order not to become his likeness.
Hero's appearance
The main character, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, does not have an exact indication of age. You can do mathematical calculations, distributing the periods of his life, marked by ups and downs. The author says that this is a middle-aged man, there is an even more precise indication:
"... decent middle summers ...".
Other physical features:
- full figure;
- roundness of forms;
- pleasant appearance.
Chichikov is pleasant outwardly, but no one calls him handsome. Completeness is in those sizes that it can no longer be thicker. In addition to his appearance, the hero has a pleasant voice. That is why all his meetings are based on negotiations. He speaks easily with any character. The landowner is attentive to himself, he carefully chooses clothes, uses cologne. Chichikov admires himself, he likes his appearance. The most attractive thing for him is the chin. Chichikov is sure that this part of the face is expressive and beautiful. The man, having studied himself, found a way to charm. He knows how to evoke sympathy, his techniques cause a charming smile. The interlocutors do not understand what secret is hidden inside an ordinary person. The secret is the ability to please. Ladies call him a charming creature, they even look for what is hidden from view in him.
Hero personality
Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov has a rather high rank. He is a collegiate counselor. For man
"... without a tribe and family ..."
Such an achievement proves that the hero is very tenacious and purposeful. From childhood, the boy develops the ability to deny himself pleasure if it interferes with big business. To receive a high rank, Pavel received an education, and he diligently studied and taught himself to receive what he desired in all ways: by cunning, toadying, patience. Pavel is strong in mathematical sciences, which means that he has the logic of thinking and practicality. Chichikov is a prudent person. He can talk about various phenomena of life, noting what will help to achieve the desired result. The hero travels a lot and is not afraid of meeting new people. But personal restraint does not allow him to carry on long stories about the past. The hero is an excellent expert in psychology. He easily finds approach and common topics of conversation with different people. Moreover, Chichikov's behavior is changing. He, like a chameleon, easily changes his appearance, demeanor, style of speech. The author emphasizes how unusual the twists and turns of his mind are. He knows his own worth and penetrates into the depths of the subconscious of the interlocutors.
Positive character traits of Pavel Ivanovich
The character has a lot of traits that do not allow to relate to him only to the negative character. His desire to buy up dead souls is frightening, but until the last pages the reader is at a loss as to why the landowner needs dead peasants, what Chichikov has planned. Another question: how did you come up with such a method of enrichment and raising your status in society?
- protects health, he does not smoke and monitors the rate of wine drunk.
- does not gamble: cards.
- a believer, before the start of an important conversation, a man is baptized in Russian.
- pity the poor and gives alms (but this quality cannot be called compassion, it is not shown to everyone and not always).
- guile allows the hero to hide his true face.
- neat and thrifty: things and objects that help to keep important events in memory are kept in a box.
Chichikov has brought up a strong character. Firmness and conviction in their righteousness are somewhat surprising, but also conquering. The landowner is not afraid to do what should make him richer. He is firm in conviction. Many people need such strength, but most are lost, doubt and go out of the way.
Negative traits of the hero
The character also has negative qualities. They explain why the image was perceived by society as a real person, and they found similarities with it in any environment.
- never dances, although he attends balls with zeal.
- likes to eat, especially at someone else's expense.
- hypocritical: may burst into tears, lie, pretend to be upset.
- cheater and bribe-taker: there are statements of honesty in the speech, but in fact everything says the opposite.
- composure: politely, but without feeling, Pavel Ivanovich conducts business, from which everything in his interlocutors shrinks inside with fear.
Chichikov does not have the necessary feeling for women - love. He calculates them as an object capable of giving him offspring. Even the lady he liked he assesses without tenderness: "nice babushka". The “acquirer” seeks to create wealth that will go to his children. On the one hand, this is a positive trait, the meanness with which he goes to this is negative and dangerous.
It is impossible to accurately describe the character of Pavel Ivanovich, to say that this is a positive character or a negative hero. A real person, taken from life, is both good and bad at the same time. Different personalities are combined in one character, but one can only envy his desire to achieve the set goal. The classic helps young people to stop the features of Chichikov in themselves, a person for whom life becomes an object of profit, the value of existence, the mystery of the afterlife is lost.
