Transformation of a little man into a big comedy auditor. Gogol's "auditor"

"Little Man" - type literary hero, usually a minor official who becomes a victim of the arbitrariness of the authorities or cruel life circumstances. Tsarist injustice and cruel times forced the “little people” to withdraw into themselves, become isolated, becoming the subject of ridicule by their more successful colleagues; they lived unnoticed and died unnoticed, and sometimes went crazy. But it was precisely such heroes, having experienced a strong shock, who began to cry out for justice and even fight against powerful of the world this.

The first were the heroes of A. S. Pushkin: Evgeny from the poem “The Bronze Horseman” and Samson Vyrin from the story. But it is the heroes of Gogol’s works, especially his “Petersburg Tales”, who are rightfully considered the embodiment of this type. F. M. Dostoevsky will later say: “We all came out of Gogol’s “The Overcoat,” meaning that Russian writers, including Dostoevsky himself, will constantly address this topic, and Gogol’s heroes will become role models.

Gogol himself, finding himself in St. Petersburg, was shocked by the grandeur of the city that met young man unkindly. He faced a world of social catastrophe. I saw the splendor and poverty of the capital, behind the front façade of which vulgarity triumphs and talents perish. Pushkin's heroes went crazy after their collision with St. Petersburg.

In Gogol's "Petersburg Tales" desire " little man"gaining dignity leads to rebellion and the release of ghostly forces, which makes this cycle fantastic. Critics admit that the entire cycle of stories is an expression of indignation against the tragic disorder of life and against those who vulgarized it, made it inhuman and unbearable.

In “Notes of a Madman,” the narration is told from the perspective of the petty official Poprishchin. Sitting in the department director's office, he sharpens pens and takes notes, dreaming of marrying his daughter and making a career. Having overheard a conversation between two dogs Fidel and Medzhi (there is fantasy in all the stories in this series), he learns about their correspondence and, having taken possession of the papers, learns all the ins and outs of his boss and his daughter. He is shocked: why is the world so unfair? Why is he, Aksentiy Poprishchin, at 42 years old just a titular adviser?

In his inflamed mind, the thought arises that he could be someone else, but along with the madness, his human dignity also grows. He begins to look at the world differently, as he refuses slavish groveling before the so-called “masters of life.” He suddenly begins to consider himself the king of Spain, which gives him the right not to stand before his superiors and even sign himself as Ferdinand VIII. Poprishchin clearly imagines how “all the office bastard,” including the director, will bow humiliatingly before him. This demarche ends in a psychiatric hospital, where his notes completely lose all meaning, but the story reveals the severity of the social conflict.

The story “The Overcoat” describes not just an incident in the life of the “little man” Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin. The whole life of the hero appears before the reader: he is present at his birth, at the naming of his name, finds out where he served, why his overcoat is so necessary for him and why he died. The hero lives in his own little world where nothing happens. If it hadn't happened in his life incredible story with an overcoat, there would be nothing to tell about him.

Akaki Akakievich does not strive for luxury: sewing a new overcoat is a vital necessity. The thought of a new thing fills the hero’s life with new meaning, which is why his appearance even changes: “He somehow became livelier, even stronger in character.” When he has reached the limit of his dreams, having caused a sensation among his colleagues who constantly mocked him, his overcoat is stolen. But this is not the reason for the death of poor Bashmachkin: “ significant person”, to whom the official turns for help, “scolds” him for disrespect for his superiors and drives him away.

Thus, “a creature of no interest to anyone” disappears from the face of the earth, because no one even noticed his death. The ending is fantastic, but brings justice to justice. The ghost of a former official tears off the greatcoats of rich and noble people, and Bashmachkin rises to unprecedented heights, overcoming poor ideas about rank.

  • “Portrait”, analysis of Gogol’s story, essay
  • “Dead Souls”, analysis of Gogol’s work

In the comedy “The Inspector General” N.V. Gogol brilliantly debunked the moral and social vices bureaucracy. Theft, deception, bribery - these are far from full list sins of people in power, not only in the times and not only in the country described by the author. Power attracts ambitious people, but these people are not always strict moral principles. It’s so easy, having power over a huge mass of people, to overstep thin line between truth, justice and meanness, outright deception.

The friendly family of officials in the comedy is headed by the mayor Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. It is the mayor who first informs his subordinates of the most unpleasant news about the arrival of the auditor. He prefaces this news with a colorful description of a dream, which later turned out to be prophetic: “Today I dreamed all night about two unusual rats. Really, I’ve never seen anything like this: black, of unnatural size! They came, smelled it, and left.” Eh, if only the mayor knew that the rats created by his imagination would soon become a terrible nightmare

will come into his life.

The mayor is smart enough to soberly assess the situation: “there is no person who did not have any sins behind him.” Anton Antonovich understands perfectly well that not everything is in order in the farm entrusted to him. “Look, I have made some orders for my part, I advise you too,” the mayor gives recommendations to his subordinates. However, all his worries concern only the external side of the issue: the hospital does not have the necessary medicines, the patients are kept in unsanitary conditions, but the mayor takes care of the white caps of the doctors. The only problem in the education system is the inadequate behavior of teachers, in the opinion of officials. “Yes, this is the inexplicable law of fate: clever man- either he’s a drunkard, or he’ll make such a face that he’ll at least take out the saints,” - the mayor’s verdict educated people. The mayor Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky has the same influence on the surrounding reality as an ordinary draft: there was a breeze, but now it is no longer there.

Officials show their spiritual and moral qualities most clearly when they meet the rogue Khlestakov. As if going to confession, they take turns coming to an audience with to the imaginary auditor, trying to buy himself an indulgence.

The mayor, among other things, is also a thief. Coming to the merchants' shop, he demanded gifts for his wife and daughter. But this is not enough for him: Anton Antonovich shamelessly robbed merchant shops. For those who dared to contradict, the mayor came up with a unique punishment: he sent a whole regiment of soldiers to the house of the offender to stay. For a bribe, the mayor was ready to send a person to military service, to destroy family happiness, doom the poor locksmith to a life of starvation. The mayor is also no different in justice. Without understanding the matter, without accurately identifying the culprit of the incident, the mayor ordered the non-commissioned officer to be flogged. It goes without saying that the woman suffered, firstly, an unfair punishment (“this is how they reported: she couldn’t sit for two days”), and secondly, moral torment.

District court judge, collegiate assessor Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin is “a man who has read five or six books and is therefore somewhat freethinking.” Like everyone else, the judge takes bribes and is not shy about talking about it openly. Pretty interesting dialogue arises between the judge and the mayor. Neither one nor the other has any doubt that it is possible to take bribes. Only now the judge claims that he takes bribes exclusively with greyhound puppies; “But, for example, if someone’s fur coat costs five hundred rubles, and his wife’s shawl...”, he hints at the mayor’s mischief. The mayor assures that he believes in God, and therefore atones for his sins in church: “Well, what does it matter if you take bribes with greyhound puppies? But you don’t believe in God; you never go to church; but at least I am firm in my faith and go to church every Sunday.” This dispute, despite its apparent senselessness, reveals the reasons for the existence of bribery: as long as officials are guided by double morality, until a firm belief enters their heads that taking someone else’s property is not good, bribery will exist.

Postmaster, court councilor Shpekin, according to the author’s definition, is “a simple-minded person to the point of naivety.” But what really lies behind his simplicity? The postmaster loves other people’s secrets, and therefore opens letters without a twinge of conscience: “I do this not so much out of precaution, but more out of curiosity: I love to know what’s new in the world. Let me tell you, this is a very interesting read.”

A few words should be said about another official who unwittingly exposed the prevailing order in the city. Mr. Khlestakov, “a young man... without a king in his head.” The meaning of Khlestakov’s life was to have as much pleasure as possible. He led a reckless wild life in the capital: he visited theaters, enthusiastically played cards and squandered the money sent by his caring father. Seeing reverse side the rule of the arbiters of the life and destiny of the people, the arbitrariness of officials, our hero does not take any decisive measures to correct the situation. Khlestakov is indifferent not only to his fate, but also to the fate of his homeland. He regularly fills his pocket, fortunately a suitable opportunity presented itself. Coming out of the water dry, Khlestakov decides to take up literature, because he wanted “finally food for the soul.”

The comedy causes sincere laughter, but at the same time it makes us wonder why hundreds of mayors, postmasters, judges, and Khlestakovs rule our lives.

Glossary:

- a moral portrait of a little man in the comedy The Inspector General

- essay on the topic of a moral portrait of a little man in the comedy The Inspector General

- an essay on the topic of characterization of one of the heroes of the comedy The Inspector General

- essay on the topic of an auditor, the image of a mayor

- essay on the theme of the characters in Gogol’s play The Inspector General


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  1. Satirical image officialdom in N.V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” N.V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” is considered one of best examples dramaturgy in Russian literature. With my work...

Essay by Gogol The Inspector General on the topic: a moral portrait of a little man (using the example of one or more characters)! Help me please! !

Answers:

"The Inspector General" is a work of genius that still retains its relevance. At all times, there have been bosses, and there have been subordinates, who are the personification of the little man. First, a rumor spreads in the city that an inspector is coming - and the local authorities change dramatically. If earlier they felt like the absolute rulers of the city, now they have turned into pathetic insects, into puppets. The arrogance evaporated somewhere, and only fear for a warm place and for one’s own comfortable life remained. It turns out that in extreme situation people show their true essence. If a person is great in soul, he will never humiliate himself, but a small person will turn into a real ant that anyone can crush. The arrival of the supposed auditor quickly put everything in its place, took off people’s masks, and showed everything in its true light. Little people are ready to humiliate themselves, fulfill all the whims of their superiors and hope for mercy. They have long lost the remnants of humanity and are mired in vices. The author showed us the resourcefulness, cunning, servility and lies that flourish in the soul of a little person in a riotous color. Gogol showed us that a little man easily makes a deal with own conscience, forgets about the best spiritual qualities. Such people live among us, communicate with us, and then easily plunge a knife into our backs. They are much worse than traitors, because they are little people with big ambitions who are ready to get to the top at any cost.

In the comedy “The Inspector General” N.V. Gogol brilliantly debunked the moral and social vices of the bureaucracy. Theft, deception, bribery - this is not a complete list of sins of people in power, not only in the times and not only in the country described by the author. Power attracts ambitious people, but these people are not always distinguished by strict moral principles. After all, it is so easy, having power over a huge mass of people, to cross the thin line between truth, justice and meanness, outright deception.

The friendly family of officials in the comedy is headed by the mayor Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. It is the mayor who first informs his subordinates of the most unpleasant news about the arrival of the auditor. He prefaces this news with a colorful description of a dream, which later turned out to be prophetic: “Today I dreamed all night about two unusual rats. Really, I’ve never seen anything like this: black, of unnatural size! They came, they smelled it, and they left.” Oh, if only the mayor knew that the rats created by his imagination would soon become a terrible nightmare in his life.

The mayor is smart enough to soberly assess the situation: “there is no person who did not have any sins behind him.” Anton Antonovich understands perfectly well that not everything is in order in the farm entrusted to him. “Look, I have made some orders for my part, I advise you too,” the mayor gives recommendations to his subordinates. However, all his worries concern only the external side of the issue: the hospital does not have the necessary medicines, the patients are kept in unsanitary conditions, but the mayor takes care of the white caps of the doctors. The only problem in the education system is the inadequate behavior of teachers, in the opinion of officials. “Yes, this is the inexplicable law of fate: an intelligent person is either a drunkard, or he will make such a face that he can even kill the saints,” is the mayor’s verdict to educated people. The mayor Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky has the same influence on the surrounding reality as an ordinary draft: there was a breeze, but now it is no longer there.

Officials show their spiritual and moral qualities most clearly when they meet the rogue Khlestakov. As if going to confession, they take turns coming to an audience with the imaginary auditor, trying to buy themselves an indulgence.

The mayor, among other things, is also a thief. Coming to the merchants' shop, he demanded gifts for his wife and daughter. But this is not enough for him: Anton Antonovich shamelessly robbed merchant shops. For those who dared to contradict, the mayor came up with a unique punishment: he sent a whole regiment of soldiers to the house of the offender to stay. For a bribe, the mayor was ready to send a person to military service, destroy family happiness, and doom a poor locksmith to a life of starvation. The mayor is also no different in justice. Without understanding the matter, without accurately identifying the culprit of the incident, the mayor ordered the non-commissioned officer to be flogged. It goes without saying that the woman suffered, firstly, an unfair punishment (“this is what they reported: she couldn’t sit for two days”), and secondly, moral torment.

District court judge, collegiate assessor Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin is “a man who has read five or six books and is therefore somewhat freethinking.” Like everyone else, the judge takes bribes and is not shy about talking about it openly. A rather interesting dialogue arises between the judge and the mayor. Neither one nor the other has any doubt that it is possible to take bribes. Only now the judge claims that he takes bribes exclusively with greyhound puppies; “But, for example, if someone’s fur coat costs five hundred rubles, and his wife’s shawl...”, he hints at the mayor’s mischief. The mayor assures that he believes in God, and therefore atones for his sins in church: “Well, what does it matter if you take bribes with greyhound puppies? But you don’t believe in God; you never go to church; but at least I am firm in my faith and go to church every Sunday.” This dispute, despite its apparent senselessness, reveals the reasons for the existence of bribery: as long as officials are guided by double morality, until a firm belief enters their heads that taking someone else’s property is not good, bribery will exist.

Postmaster, court councilor Shpekin, according to the author’s definition, is “a simple-minded person to the point of naivety.” But what really lies behind his simplicity? The postmaster loves other people’s secrets, and therefore opens letters without a twinge of conscience: “I do this not so much out of precaution, but more out of curiosity: I love to know what’s new in the world. Let me tell you, this is a very interesting read.”

A few words should be said about another official who unwittingly exposed the prevailing order in the city. Mr. Khlestakov, “a young man... without a king in his head.” The meaning of Khlestakov’s life was to have as much pleasure as possible. He led a reckless, riotous life in the capital: he visited theaters, enthusiastically played cards and squandered the money sent by his caring father. Having seen the downside of the rule of those who decide the life and destiny of the people, the arbitrariness of officials, our hero does not take any decisive measures to correct the situation. Khlestakov is indifferent not only to his fate, but also to the fate of his homeland. He regularly fills his pocket, fortunately a suitable opportunity presented itself. Coming out of the water dry, Khlestakov decides to take up literature, because he wanted “finally food for the soul.”

Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov - the main thing actor comedy N.V. Gogol "The Inspector General". This is a young twenty-three-year-old man, slender and thin, superficial, without a clear idea of ​​his place in life. According to the author, others consider such people to be dummies, because they are not able to answer either for their words or for their actions.

Khlestakov lost a large amount money. Due to lack of funds, he huddles in a modest hotel room in the provincial town of N. He has no food or clean clothes. Here the mayor discovers him, thinking that he is actually an auditor, incognito in the city.

Small man

In Khlestakov, Gogol reveals the image of a “little man” who understands his insignificance in the world. He holds the position of adviser in the chancellery and receives a modest salary. But in his thoughts and dreams, he sees himself as a significant person, whom people worship, who lives beautifully, whom women adore and follow on his heels. But such a life is not destined for him.

Khlestakov's fantasies

It is impossible not to note Ivan Aleksandrovich’s ability to talentedly and incessantly lie and fantasize. His frivolity and superficial thinking give the impression of a man “without a king in his head.” He is not able to see the consequences of his actions, so he easily enters into an adventure with a false auditor. He is not embarrassed by deception; he constantly lies about himself, inventing new ones. incredible facts from your “luxurious” life. He claims that everyone recognizes him on the streets and sometimes mistakes him for a general.

The most amazing thing is that he himself begins to believe in his stupid fantasies. Imagining himself great writer, commander in chief, public figure, close to the emperor, almost the sovereign himself.

"Inspector"

Without feeling any remorse, Khlestakov borrows money from officials, realizing that he will not be able to return it. His moral education allows him to care for two women at once - his wife and the young daughter of the mayor himself. Moreover, he swears to both eternal love, quoting Karamzin, convinces them of the absence of boundaries for great feelings.

Having crossed all boundaries of what is permitted, Khlestakov pure chance leaves the city. This accident is fortunate for Ivan Alexandrovich, because very soon a real auditor will appear in the city. The mayor and all the officials of the city of N find out that they have warmed up the deceiver. But most of all they are worried that Khlestakov will now tell everyone about their shame.

Khlestakovs in Russia

In the image of Khlestakov N.V. Gogol introduced us to such a typical concept for Russia at that time as “Khlestakovism.” Although, in my opinion, this phenomenon is still relevant today. And today we can meet people covered in an aura of lies, fantasy, frivolity, superficiality and stupidity. The worst thing about them is that they strive to pass themselves off as someone they are not, thereby showing an extreme degree of irresponsibility.