Can the heroes of dead souls be called modern? P.I

All the heroes of the poem can be divided into groups: landowners, ordinary people (serfs and servants), officers, city officials. The first two groups are so interdependent, so merged into a kind of dialectical unity, that they simply cannot be characterized separately from each other.

Among the surnames of landowners in “Dead Souls,” the ones that primarily attract attention are those surnames that come from the names of animals. There are quite a few of them: Sobakevich, Bobrov, Svinin, Blokhin. The author closely introduces the reader to some landowners, while others are only mentioned in passing in the text. The surnames of landowners are mostly dissonant: Konopatiev, Trepakin, Kharpakin, Pleshakov, Mylnoy. But there are exceptions: Pochitaev, Cheprakov-Colonel. Such surnames already by their sound inspire respect, and there is hope that these are really smart and virtuous people, unlike other half-humans, half-beasts. When naming the landowners, the author uses sound notation. So the hero Sobakevich would not have acquired such heaviness and solidity if he had the surname Sobakin or Psov, although in meaning they are almost the same thing. What adds further solidity to Sobakevich’s character is his attitude towards the peasants, the way they are indicated in his notes given to Chichikov. Let us turn to the text of the work: “He (Chichikov) scanned it (the note) with his eyes and marveled at the neatness and accuracy: not only was the craft, rank, years and family fortune written down in detail, but even in the margins there were special notes about behavior, sobriety, - in a word , it was nice to watch." These serfs - carriage maker Mikheev, carpenter Stepan Probka, brickmaker Milushkin, shoemaker Maxim Telyatnikov, Eremey Sorokoplekhin - and after their death they are dear to the owner as good workers and honest people. Sobakevich, despite the fact that “it seemed that this body had no soul at all, or it had one, but not at all where it should be, but, like the immortal Koshchei, somewhere behind the mountains and covered with such a thick shell, that whatever was stirring at the bottom of it did not produce absolutely any shock on the surface,” despite this, Sobakevich is a good owner.

The serf Korobochki have nicknames: Peter Savelyev Disrespect-Trough, Cow Brick, Wheel Ivan. “The landowner did not keep any notes or lists, but knew almost everyone by heart.” She is also a very zealous housewife, but she is not so interested in the serfs as in the amount of hemp, lard and honey that she can sell. Korobochka has a truly telling surname. She surprisingly suits a woman of “elderly years, in some kind of sleeping cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck,” one of those “mothers, small landowners who cry about crop failures, losses and keep their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile gain little by little.” money in colorful bags placed in dresser drawers."

The author characterizes Manilov as a man “without his own enthusiasm.” His surname consists mainly of sonorant sounds that sound soft without making unnecessary noise. It is also consonant with the word “to beckon.” Manilov is constantly attracted by some kind of fantastic projects, and, “deceived” by his fantasies, he does absolutely nothing in life.

Nozdryov, on the contrary, with his last name alone gives the impression of a man in whom there is too much of everything, like too many noisy vowels in his last name. In contrast to Nozdryov, the author portrayed his son-in-law Mizhuev, who is one of those people who “before you even have time to open your mouth, they are ready to argue and, it seems, will never agree to something that is clearly opposite to their way of thinking, that they will never call someone stupid smart and that in particular they will not agree to dance to someone else’s tune; and it will always end with the fact that their character will turn out to be soft, that they will agree to exactly what they rejected, they will call the stupid thing smart and then go off to dance as best they can to someone else’s tune - in a word , they will start as a smooth surface, and end up as a viper." Without Mizhuev, Nozdryov’s character would not have played so well with all its facets.

The image of Plyushkin in the poem is one of the most interesting. If the images of other landowners are given without a backstory, they are what they are in essence, then Plyushkin was once a different person, “a thrifty owner! He was married and a family man, and a neighbor came to him for lunch, listened and learned from him about farming and wise stinginess." But his wife died, one of his daughters died, and the remaining daughter ran away with a passing officer. Plyushkin is not so much a comic hero as a tragic one. And the tragedy of this image is grotesquely emphasized by the funny, absurd surname, which has something of the kolach that his daughter Alexandra Stepanovna brought to Plyushkin for Easter along with a new robe, and which he dried into breadcrumbs and served to rare guests for many years. Plyushkin's stinginess is brought to the point of absurdity, he is reduced to a "hole in humanity", and it is in this image that Gogol's "laughter through tears" is felt most strongly. Plyushkin deeply despises his serfs. He treats his servants as Moor and Proshka, scolds them mercilessly and mostly just like that, not to the point.

The author is deeply sympathetic to ordinary Russian people, servants, serfs. He describes them with good humor, take for example the scene in which Uncle Mityai and Uncle Minyai are trying to force stubborn horses to walk. The author calls them not Mitrofan and Dimitri, but Mityai and Minyai, and before the reader’s mind’s eye appears “the lean and long Uncle Mityai with a red beard” and “Uncle Minyai, a broad-shouldered man with a jet-black beard and a belly similar to that gigantic samovar. In which sbiten is cooked for the entire vegetated market." Chichikov's coachman Selifan is called by his full name because he claims to have some kind of education, which he pours out completely on the horses entrusted to his care. Chichikov's footman Parsley, with its special smell that follows him everywhere, also evokes a good-natured smile from the author and the reader. There is no trace of the evil irony that accompanies descriptions of landowners.

The author’s reasoning, put into Chichikov’s mouth, is full of lyricism about the life and death of the “dead souls” he bought. Chichikov fantasizes and sees how Stepan Probka “lifted himself... for greater profit under the church dome, and maybe he dragged himself onto the cross and, slipping, from there, from the crossbar, fell to the ground, and only some one standing nearby... Uncle Micah, scratched. With his hand on the back of his head, he said: “Eh, Vanya, what a blessing it is for you!” - and he himself, tying himself with a rope, climbed into his place. It is no coincidence that Stepan Cork is named Vanya here. It’s just that this name contains all the naivety, generosity, breadth of soul and recklessness of the ordinary Russian people.

The third group of heroes can be conventionally designated as officers. These are mostly friends and acquaintances of the landowner Nozdryov. In a sense, Nozdryov himself also belongs to this group. Besides him, one can name such revelers and bullies as Captain Potseluev, Khvostyrev, and Lieutenant Kuvshinnikov. These are real Russian surnames, but in this case they ambiguously indicate such characteristics of their owners as a constant desire to drink wine and something stronger, and not in mugs, but preferably in jugs, the ability to curl their tail behind the first skirt they come across and give out kisses left and right . Nozdryov, who himself is a bearer of all the above qualities, talks about all these exploits with great enthusiasm. We should also add a cheating card game here. In this light, N.V. Gogol portrays representatives of the great Russian army who were quartered in the provincial city, which to some extent represents the whole of vast Rus'.

And the last group of persons presented in the first volume of the poem can be designated as officials, from the lowest to the governor and his retinue. In the same group we will include the female population of the provincial city of NN, about whom a lot is also said in the poem.

The reader somehow learns the names of officials in passing, from their conversations with each other; for them, rank becomes more important than their first and last name, as if it grows to the skin. Among them, the central ones are the governor, the prosecutor, the gendarmerie colonel, the chairman of the chamber, the police chief, and the postmaster. These people seem to have no soul at all, even somewhere far away, like Sobakevich. They live for their own pleasure, under the guise of their rank, their lives are strictly regulated by the size of their rank and the size of the bribes that they are given for the work that they are required to do by virtue of their position. The author tests these sleeping officials with the appearance of Chichikov with his “dead souls.” And officials, willingly or unwillingly, must show who is capable of what. And they turned out to be capable of a lot, especially in the area of ​​guessing about the personality of Chichikov himself and his strange enterprise. Various rumors and opinions began to circulate, which, “for some unknown reason, had the greatest effect on the poor prosecutor. They affected him to such an extent that, when he came home, he began to think and think and suddenly, as they say, for no reason at all.” "On the other hand, he died. Whether he was suffering from paralysis or something else, he just sat there and fell backwards out of his chair... Only then did they learn with condolences that the deceased definitely had a soul, although out of his modesty he never showed it." The rest of the officials never showed their souls.

Ladies from the high society of the provincial city of NN helped the officials a lot in causing such a big commotion. Ladies occupy a special place in the anthroponymic system of Dead Souls. The author, as he himself admits, does not dare to write about ladies. “It’s even strange, the pen doesn’t rise at all, as if some kind of lead were sitting in it. So be it: about their characters, apparently, we need to leave it to someone who has livelier colors and more of them on the palette, and we’ll only have to say two words about appearance and about what is more superficial... The ladies of the city of NN were what is called presentable... As for how to behave, maintain tone, maintain etiquette, many of the most subtle decencies, and especially observe ode in the very last little details, then in this they were ahead of even the ladies of St. Petersburg and Moscow... A calling card, whether it was written on a two of clubs or an ace of diamonds, was a very sacred thing.” The author does not give names to the ladies, and explains the reason as follows: “It is dangerous to call a fictitious surname. Whatever name you come up with, you will certainly find it in some corner of our state, fortunately, someone bearing it will certainly not be angry.” to the stomach, and to death... Call them by rank - God forbid, and even more dangerous. Now all ranks and classes are so irritated in our country that everything that is in a printed book already seems to them to be a person: such is the disposition in air. It is enough to just say that there is a stupid man in one city, that is already a person; suddenly a gentleman of respectable appearance will jump out and shout: “After all, I am also a man, therefore, I am also stupid,” - in a word, he will instantly realize what is the matter ". This is how a lady pleasant in all respects and a simply pleasant lady appear in the poem - collective female images that are delightfully expressive. From the conversation between the two ladies, the reader subsequently learns that one of them is called Sofya Ivanovna, and the other is Anna Grigorievna. But this doesn’t really matter, because no matter what you call them, they will still remain a pleasant lady in all respects and simply a pleasant lady. This introduces an additional element of generalization into the author's characterization of the characters. A lady pleasant in all respects “acquired this title in a legitimate way, because, as a matter of fact, she did not regret anything in becoming amiable to the last degree, although, of course, through the amiability, oh, what a nimble agility of a woman’s character crept in! And although sometimes it stuck out in every pleasant word wow, what a pin! and God forbid, what was seething in my heart against the one that would somehow and somehow get through in the first place. But all this was clothed in the most subtle secularism that only happens in a provincial city." "The other lady... did not have that versatility in character, and therefore we will call her: just a pleasant lady." It was these ladies who laid the foundation for the loud scandal about dead souls , Chichikov and the kidnapping of the governor's daughter. A few words need to be said about the latter. She is no more and no less than the governor's daughter. Chichikov says about her: “Glorious grandmother! The good thing is that now, apparently, she has just been released from some boarding school or institute, that, as they say, there is nothing feminine about her yet. That is, exactly what is most unpleasant about them. She is now like a child, everything about her is simple, she will say whatever she wants, laugh wherever she wants to laugh. Anything can be made of her, she can be a miracle, or she can turn out to be rubbish...” The governor’s daughter is untouched virgin soil, (tabula rasa), so her name is youth and innocence, and it doesn’t matter at all whether her name is Katya or Masha. After the ball, on in which she aroused universal hatred from the ladies, the author calls her “poor blonde.” Almost “poor sheep.”

When Chichikov goes to the court chamber to formalize the purchase of “dead” souls, he encounters the world of petty officials: Fedosei Fedoseevich, Ivan Grigorievich, Ivan Antonovich the jug’s snout. “Themis simply received guests as she was, in a negligee and robe.” “Ivan Antonovich seemed to be well over forty years old; his hair was black and thick; the whole middle of his face protruded forward and went into his nose - in a word, it was the face that is called in the hostel a jug’s snout.” Apart from this detail, there is nothing remarkable about the officials, except perhaps their desire to receive a larger bribe, but this no longer surprises anyone about the officials.

In the tenth chapter of the first volume, the postmaster tells the story about Captain Kopeikin, calling it a whole poem in some way.

Yu. M. Lotman in his article “Pushkin and “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” finds prototypes of Captain Kopeikin. This is the hero of folk songs, the thief Kopeikin, whose prototype was a certain Kopeknikov, an invalid during the Patriotic War of 1812. He was refused help by Arakcheev, after which he became, as they said, a robber. This is Fyodor Orlov - a real person, a man who was disabled in the same war. Lotman believes that “the synthesis and parodic crushing of these images gives rise to the “hero of the penny” Chichikov.”

Smirnova-Chikina, in her comments to the poem “Dead Souls,” considers Kopeikin as the only positive character conceived by Gogol in the first part of his work. The author writes that Gogol wanted to do this in order to “justify her<поэмы>genre, which is why the narrator-postmaster prefaces the story with the words that “this, however, if told, would turn out to be a whole poem, in some way interesting for some writer.”” In addition, the author pays attention to the role of contrasts, which is also considered in my work , oppositions in the composition of the story. She says that this “helps to deepen the satirical meaning of the story.” Smirnova-Chikina draws attention to how Gogol contrasts the wealth of St. Petersburg, the luxury of its streets with the poverty of Kopeikin.

“The Tale...” appears in the poem at the moment when the high society of the city of N, having gathered together, is wondering who Chichikov really is. Many assumptions are made - a robber, a counterfeiter, and Napoleon... Although the postmaster's idea that Chichikov and Kopeikin were the same person was rejected, we can see a parallel between their images. It can be noticed by at least paying attention to the role the word “kopek” plays in the story about Chichikov’s life. Even in childhood, his father, instructing him, said: “... most of all, take care and save a penny, this thing is most reliable, as it turns out, “he was only versed in the advice of saving a penny, and he himself accumulated a little of it,” but Chichikov turned out to have “a great mind from the practical side." Thus, we see that Chichikov and Kopeikin have the same image - a penny.

The surname Chichikov cannot be found in any dictionary. And this surname itself does not lend itself to any analysis, either from the emotional content, or from the side of style or origin. The surname is unclear. It does not carry any hints of respectability or humiliation, it does not mean anything. But that is precisely why N.V. Gogol gives such a surname to the main character, who “is not handsome, but not of bad appearance, neither too fat nor too thin; one cannot say that he is old, but not that he is too young.” . Chichikov is neither this nor that, however, this hero cannot be called an empty place either. This is how the author characterizes his behavior in society: “Whatever the conversation was about, he always knew how to support it: whether it was about a horse farm, he talked about a horse farm; whether they talked about good dogs, and here he made very practical comments ; whether they were interpreting the investigation carried out by the treasury chamber - he showed that he was not unaware of the judicial tricks; whether there was a discussion about the billiard game - and in the billiard game he did not miss; whether they were talking about virtue, and he reasoned about virtue very well, even with tears in his eyes; about the production of hot wine, and he knew the use of hot wine; about customs overseers and officials, and he judged them as if he himself were both an official and an overseer... He spoke neither loudly nor quietly, but absolutely as it should be." The life story of the main character, included in the poem, explains a lot about “dead souls,” but the living soul of the hero remains as if hidden behind all his unseemly actions. His thoughts, which the author reveals, show that Chichikov is not a stupid person and not devoid of conscience. But it is still difficult to guess whether he will correct himself as he promised or whether he will continue along his difficult and unrighteous path. The author did not have time to write about this.

In May 1842, the first volume of Gogol's Dead Souls was published. The work was conceived by the author while he was working on The Inspector General. In Dead Souls, Gogol addresses the main theme of his work: the ruling classes of Russian society. The writer himself said: “My creation is huge and great, and its end will not come soon.” Indeed, “Dead Souls” is an outstanding phenomenon in the history of Russian and world satire.

"Dead Souls" - a satire on serfdom

“Dead Souls” is a work. In this, Gogol is the successor of Pushkin’s prose. He himself speaks about this on the pages of the poem in a lyrical digression about two types of writers (Chapter VII).

Here the peculiarity of Gogol's realism is revealed: the ability to expose and show in close-up all the flaws of human nature that are not always evident. “Dead Souls” reflected the basic principles of realism:

1. Historicism. The work was written about the writer’s contemporary time - the turn of the 20-30s of the 19th century - then serfdom was experiencing a serious crisis.
2. Typical character and circumstances. Landowners and officials are depicted satirically with a pronounced critical focus, and the main social types are shown. Gogol pays special attention to detail.
3. Satirical typification. It is achieved by the author’s characterization of characters, comic situations, reference to the heroes’ past, hyperbolization, and the use of proverbs in speech.

Meaning of the name: literal and metaphorical

Gogol planned to write a work in three volumes. He took Dante Alighieri’s “The Divine Comedy” as a basis. Likewise, Dead Souls was supposed to consist of three parts. Even the title of the poem refers the reader to Christian principles.

Why "Dead Souls"? The name itself is an oxymoron, a juxtaposition of the incomparable. The soul is a substance that is inherent in the living, but not in the dead. Using this technique, Gogol gives hope that not all is lost, that the positive principle in the crippled souls of landowners and officials can be reborn. This is what the second volume should have been about.

The meaning of the title of the poem “Dead Souls” lies on several levels. On the very surface there is a literal meaning, because dead peasants were called dead souls in bureaucratic documents. Actually, this is the essence of Chichikov’s machinations: to buy up dead serfs and take money as collateral. The main characters are shown in the circumstances of the sale of peasants. “Dead souls” are the landowners and officials themselves that Chichikov encounters, because there is nothing human or living left in them. They are ruled by the thirst for profit (officials), feeble-mindedness (Korobochka), cruelty (Nozdryov) and rudeness (Sobakevich).

The deep meaning of the name

All new aspects are revealed as you read the poem “Dead Souls”. The meaning of the title, hidden in the depths of the work, makes us think about the fact that any person, a simple layman, can eventually turn into Manilov or Nozdryov. It is enough for one small passion to settle in his heart. And he will not notice how vice will grow there. To this end, in Chapter XI, Gogol calls on the reader to look deep into his soul and check: “Is there some part of Chichikov in me too?”

Gogol laid down in the poem “Dead Souls” a multifaceted meaning of the title, which is revealed to the reader not immediately, but in the process of comprehending the work.

Genre originality

When analyzing “Dead Souls,” another question arises: “Why does Gogol position the work as a poem?” Indeed, the genre originality of the creation is unique. In the process of working on the work, Gogol shared his creative discoveries with friends in letters, calling “Dead Souls” both a poem and a novel.

About the second volume of "Dead Souls"

In a state of deep creative crisis, Gogol wrote the second volume of Dead Souls for ten years. In correspondence, he often complains to friends that things are going very slowly and are not particularly satisfying.

Gogol turns to the harmonious, positive image of the landowner Kostanzhoglo: judicious, responsible, using scientific knowledge in organizing the estate. Under its influence, Chichikov reconsiders his attitude to reality and changes for the better.

Seeing “life’s lies” in the poem, Gogol burned the second volume of “Dead Souls.”

The main work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, undoubtedly, was the poem “Dead Souls”, the first volume of which was written in 1842. The poem was written mostly abroad, where Gogol went after the unsuccessful premiere of The Government Inspector, but the author still talks about Russia, its present and future. According to the original plan, the work should have consisted of three volumes. The first volume described Russian reality, with all its unrest that was happening in society and in ruling circles, the second volume proposed ways of revival, and the third - a society, perhaps a utopian heavenly tomorrow, which should ultimately reign on Russian soil. But the writer was never able to fully cope with his task, so the second volume of “Dead Souls” was burned twice by its creator. It never came to the third.

But the first volume was saved and published. Against the background of the scam of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov (the purchase of dead peasants, but still listed as alive according to the revision tale), Gogol masterfully depicts the diverse Russian life of different segments of the population and shows the negative sides of the rulers. At the same time, the full depth of the main theme of the work was revealed. The concepts of “dead” and “living” in the poem gradually move from their true lexical meaning to a symbolic one. The landowners and officials of the city of N are representatives of the so-called “dead souls” who have long stopped in their spiritual development, and Chichikov is a typical “living soul”, a person who must lead Russia on the path of revival.

Gogol's Chichikov is a very unusual image, personifying a great force that conquers all evil. Throughout the first volume, he is constantly on the road. His home, unlike the “dead” landowners, is the road. The road leads to a bright future and symbolizes life. Already at the very beginning of the poem, Gogol gives a description of his main character:

In the chaise sat a gentleman, not handsome, but not bad-looking either, neither too fat nor too thin; One cannot say that he is old, but not that he is young.

The author describes his hero not as a person, but as a mystical creature without certain external data. The reader should not be distracted by Chichikov's appearance, so as not to miss the main thing - his mission. Pavel Ivanovich’s scam is not carried out for the sake of money, as it might seem at first glance. This is a kind of test that ultimately shows whether the souls of the landowners are “dead” or whether there is hope for their resurrection.

In the person of one hero, Nikolai Vasilyevich represents the Russia of the future, and the Russia of the present is shown in the faces of many landowners and officials. This suggests that one single Chichikov is much more “alive” than all the Manilovs, Nozdrevs and Sobakeviches combined.

Chichikov had a very difficult life. He was left without parents early and was forced to enter an independent adult life. He had to make his way through with the help of his manners and courtesy, since the main character did not have any special talents. Since childhood, he was very attentive and diligent, so he remembered his father’s order for the rest of his life:

...and most of all, take care of your penny, a penny will ruin everything.

Pavel Ivanovich obediently fulfills his father’s will and the meaning of his life becomes “folding a penny.” Gogol portrays him as a very mysterious person, because secrecy is the main quality of a swindler:

The newcomer, it seemed, avoided talking much about himself, and if he did speak, it was in some commonplaces and with noticeable modesty.

But, like any living person, Chichikov is characterized by various emotional manifestations, for example, a feeling of fear. Probably only Nozdryov sees the true essence of his guest, since he himself is not sinless. “You are a big swindler, let me tell you this out of friendship. If I were your boss, I would hang you from the first tree,” Nozdryov reports with great enthusiasm. Chichikov ruined his career due to excessive greed, but mistakes and omissions do not frighten the hero. The loss of a lucrative position only gives him strength to commit new scams. He was always an outstanding and never cheerful person. He had enormous professional experience accumulated over a long period of service, and in particular, an excellent knowledge of human souls. A brilliant idea about buying dead peasants came to the hero precisely in a moment of despondency, because the deal promised to be very profitable.

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov has an excellent understanding of human characters, and it is not difficult for him to find an individual approach to everyone. For example, with Manilov he is cultured and courteous, but with Nozdryov he is rude and unceremonious. He combines the traits of each interlocutor and skillfully uses them at the right moment. The only obstacle in Chichikov’s plan was the “club-headed” Korobochka, who came to the city to find out how much dead souls “walk” now. It is she who casts a shadow on our adventurer, and after her the whole city learns that the visiting gentleman has deceived everyone. Meanness will always be punished by retaliatory meanness. It is completely natural that Chichikov is defeated. Because of his greed, he could not predict such a sad ending, because he was smart, and meeting stupidity was not part of his plans. As it turned out, the hero’s good manners, iron grip and prudence cannot always predict his possible consequences, because in a huge country it is often impossible to understand who is who. The beginning of the bourgeois era helped Chichikov acquire qualities different from the landowners.

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is a man of new times, possessing both professional and adventurous qualities. Although Chichikov is called a nice fellow, the word “businessman” in his case still has a negative character. This is why the main character evokes mixed feelings in us: on the one hand, he is a good person, smart and optimistic, but on the other hand, his passion is money, which forces the hero to live dishonestly.

The compositional basis of Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” is Chichikov’s travels through the cities and provinces of Russia. According to the author’s plan, the reader is invited to “travel all over Rus' with the hero and bring out many different characters.” In the first volume of Dead Souls, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol introduces the reader to a number of characters who represent the “dark kingdom”, familiar from the plays of A. N. Ostrovsky. The types created by the writer are relevant to this day, and many proper names have become common nouns over time, although recently they are used less and less in colloquial speech. Below is a description of the characters in the poem. In Dead Souls, the main characters are landowners and the main adventurer, whose adventures form the basis of the plot.

Chichikov, the main character of Dead Souls, travels around Russia, buying documents for dead peasants who, according to the auditor’s book, are still listed as alive. In the first chapters of the work, the author tries in every possible way to emphasize that Chichikov was a completely ordinary, unremarkable person. Knowing how to find an approach to every person, Chichikov was able to achieve favor, respect and recognition in any society he encountered without any problems. Pavel Ivanovich is ready to do anything to achieve his goal: he lies, impersonates another person, flatters, takes advantage of other people. But at the same time, he seems to readers to be an absolutely charming person!

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

Another hero of Gogol’s “Dead Souls” is Manilov. Chichikov comes to him first. Manilov gives the impression of a carefree person who does not care about worldly problems. Manilov found a wife to match himself - the same dreamy young lady. Servants took care of the house, and teachers came to their two children, Themistoclus and Alcidus. It was difficult to determine Manilov’s character: Gogol himself says that in the first minute one might think “what an amazing person!”, a little later one might be disappointed in the hero, and after another minute one would become convinced that they couldn’t say anything about Manilov at all. There are no desires in it, no life itself. The landowner spends his time in abstract thoughts, completely ignoring everyday problems. Manilov easily gave the dead souls to Chichikov without asking about the legal details.

If we continue the list of characters in the story, then the next one will be Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna, an old lonely widow who lives in a small village. Chichikov came to her by accident: the coachman Selifan lost his way and turned onto the wrong road. The hero was forced to stop for the night. External attributes were an indicator of the landowner’s internal state: everything in her house was done efficiently and firmly, but nevertheless there were a lot of flies everywhere. Korobochka was a real entrepreneur, because she was used to seeing in every person only a potential buyer. Nastasya Petrovna was remembered by the reader for the fact that she did not agree to the deal. Chichikov persuaded the landowner and promised to give her several blue papers for petitions, but until he agreed next time to definitely order flour, honey and lard from Korobochka, Pavel Ivanovich did not receive several dozen dead souls.

Next on the list was Nozdryov- a carouser, a liar and a merry fellow, a playmaker. The meaning of his life was entertainment; even two children could not keep the landowner at home for more than a few days. Nozdryov often got into various situations, but thanks to his innate talent for finding a way out of any situation, he always got away with it. Nozdryov communicated easily with people, even with those with whom he managed to quarrel; after a while he communicated as if with old friends. However, many tried not to have anything in common with Nozdryov: the landowner hundreds of times came up with various fables about others, telling them at balls and dinner parties. It seemed that Nozdryov was not at all bothered by the fact that he often lost his property at cards - he certainly wanted to win back. The image of Nozdryov is very important for characterizing other heroes of the poem, in particular Chichikov. After all, Nozdryov was the only person with whom Chichikov did not make a deal and indeed did not want to meet with him anymore. Pavel Ivanovich barely managed to escape from Nozdryov, but Chichikov could not even imagine under what circumstances he would see this man again.

Sobakevich was the fourth seller of dead souls. In his appearance and behavior he resembled a bear, even the interior of his house and household utensils were huge, inappropriate and bulky. From the very beginning, the author emphasizes Sobakevich’s thriftiness and prudence. It was he who first suggested that Chichikov buy documents for the peasants. Chichikov was surprised by this turn of events, but did not argue. The landowner was also remembered for raising prices on the peasants, despite the fact that the latter were long dead. He talked about their professional skills or personal qualities, trying to sell documents at a higher price than Chichikov offered.

Surprisingly, this particular hero has a much greater chance of spiritual rebirth, because Sobakevich sees how small people have become, how insignificant they are in their aspirations.

This list of characteristics of the heroes of “Dead Souls” shows the most important characters for understanding the plot, but do not forget about coachman Selifane, and about servant of Pavel Ivanovich, and about good-natured landowner Plyushkin. Being a master of words, Gogol created very vivid portraits of heroes and their types, which is why all the descriptions of the heroes of Dead Souls are so easily remembered and immediately recognizable.

Work test

Why can each of the landowners be called a “Dead Soul” Gogol. Write it yourself, or leave a link))) Thank you in advance) and received the best answer

Answer from Liudmila Sharukhia[guru]
Before the reader passes a gallery of living but soulless heroes, people with a dead soul. These are the landowners Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Sobakevich, Plyushkin, and officials of the provincial city of N, and serfs. This is the swindler Chichikov, who carries out his brilliant scam on the pages of the work.
In his poem, Gogol gives a detailed portrait of landowner Russia. His work can be called an encyclopedia of Russian landowners, he worked out their types and characters in such detail.
Chichikov begins his journey with a visit to the landowner Manilov. This hero is sweetly pleasant, he is gentle and affectionate with his guest and can give the false impression of a soul that is not yet dead. But Gogol emphasizes the emptiness and insignificance of Manilov. Having caught on to any topic, Manilov’s thoughts float into the distance, into abstract thoughts. This hero is not capable of thinking about real life, much less making any decisions. Everything in this character's life has been replaced by refined formulas. Manilov's world is a world of false idyll, the path to death.
The inner world of Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka is empty and shallow. The callousness of this landowner is reflected in her pettiness. The only thing that worries Korobochka is the price of hemp and honey. All she can remember about her late husband is that he loved to have a girl scratch his heels. This especially manifests her isolation from people, complete indifference and dullness.
The third landowner from whom Chichikov is trying to buy dead souls is Nozdryov. This is a dashing 35-year-old “talker, carouser, reckless driver.” Nozdryov lies continuously and bullies everyone indiscriminately. He is very passionate, ready to “take a shit” on his best friend without any purpose. Nozdryov’s entire behavior is explained by his dominant quality: “nimbleness and liveliness of character.” This landowner does not think or plan anything, he simply does not know the limits in anything.
Mikhailo Semenych Sobakevich is the fourth “seller” of dead souls. The very name and appearance of this hero (reminiscent of a “medium-sized bear”, his tailcoat is of a “completely bearish” color, he steps at random, his complexion is “red-hot, hot”) indicate the power of his nature.
Sobakevich is a type of Russian kulak, a strong, calculating owner. Talking with Chichikov, he busily moves on to the essence of the question: “Do you need dead souls? “The main thing for Sobakevich is the price; everything else doesn’t interest him. He bargains knowledgeably, praises his goods (all souls are “like a vigorous nut”) and even manages to deceive Chichikov (slips him into a “female soul” - Elizaveta Sparrow). Stepan Plyushkin personifies the complete death of the human soul. It seems to me that in the image of Plyushkin the author shows the death of a bright and strong personality, consumed by the passion of stinginess.

Answer from Merry<3 [newbie]
essay-reasoning: “What is common between Manilov and Nozdryov”?

Answer from Lena Kuzmina[active]
From the poem “Dead Souls” it is clear that not a single landowner even thinks about the spiritual. As Sobakevich put it, there is only one decent person in the city, and even that one is a pig.