The idea of ​​Gogol's dead souls. The idea of ​​“Dead Souls”

The title of N. V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” reflects main idea works. If you take the title of the poem literally, you can see that it contains the essence of Chichikov’s scam: Chichikov bought the souls of dead peasants.

But in fact, the title contains more deep meaning, reflecting the author's intention of the first volume " Dead souls" There is an opinion that Gogol planned to create “Dead Souls” by analogy with “ Divine Comedy"Dante, which consists of three parts: "Hell", "Purgatory", "Paradise". The three volumes conceived by N.V. Gogol had to correspond to them. In the first volume, N.V. Gogol wanted to show the terrible Russian reality, to recreate “hell” modern life, in the second and third volumes - the spiritual rise of Russia.

In himself, N.V. Gogol saw a writer-preacher who, painting a picture of the revival of Russia, leads it out of the crisis. When publishing “Dead Souls” N.V. Gogol himself drew title page. He drew a stroller, which symbolizes Russia's movement forward, and around it there are skulls, which symbolize dead Souls living people. It was very important for Gogol that the book be published with this title page.

The world of “Dead Souls” is divided into two worlds: the real world, where the main thing is actor- Chichikov, and the ideal world of lyrical digressions, in which main character- N.V. Gogol himself.

Manilov, Sobakevich, Nozdrev, prosecutor - here typical representatives real world. Throughout the entire poem, their character does not change: for example, “Nozdryov at thirty-five years old was the same as at eighteen and twenty.” The author constantly emphasizes the callousness and soullessness of his heroes. Sobakevich “had no soul at all, or he had it, but not at all where it should be, but, like immortal Koshchei, somewhere behind the mountains and is covered with such a thick shell that everything that moved at the bottom did not produce any shock on the surface.” All the officials in the city have the same frozen souls without the slightest development. N.V. Gogol describes officials with evil irony.

At first we see that life in the city is in full swing, but in reality it is just a meaningless bustle. In the real world of the poem, a dead soul is a common occurrence. For these people, the soul is only what distinguishes a living person from a dead one. After the death of the prosecutor, everyone realized that he “had a real soul” only when all that was left of him was “only a soulless body.”

The title of the poem is a symbol of life county town N. and the county town K, in turn, symbolizes all of Russia. N.V. Gogol wants to show that Russia is in crisis, that the souls of people have petrified and died.

In an ideal world, there is a living soul of the narrator, and therefore it is N.V. Gogol who can notice all the baseness of life in a fallen city. In one of the lyrical digressions, the souls of the peasants come to life when Chichikov, reading the list of the dead, resurrects them in his imagination. These living souls of peasant-heroes from ideal world N.V. Gogol contrasts with real peasants, completely stupid and weak, such as Uncle Mityai and Uncle Minyai.

In the real world of “Dead Souls” there are only two heroes who have a truly living soul, these are Chichikov and Plyushkin.

Plyushkin's image differs from the images of other residents of the city. In the poem, Gogol singles out the chapter with Plyushkin, it is located exactly in the middle. The chapter begins and ends with lyrical digressions, which has never happened when describing other landowners. This shows that the chapter is really important. You could say this chapter is completely out of the ordinary. general plan. When Chichikov came to other officials for shopping dead shower, everything was the same: Chichikov looked at the house, then bought peasants, had dinner and left. But the chapter with Plyushkin seems to interrupt this monotonous chain. Only one resident of the city, Plyushkin, shows the story of his life, that is, before us is not just a man with a frozen soul, but we see how he reached such a state. Plyushkin's story is the tragedy of his life. Gradually, with each blow of fate, his soul hardened. But did his soul die completely? At the mention of his comrade’s name, “some kind of warm ray slid across Plyushkin’s face, it was not a feeling that was expressed, but some kind of pale reflection of a feeling.” This means that there is something alive left in Plyushkin, that his soul has not frozen, has not ossified at all. Plyushkin’s eyes were also alive. The sixth chapter contains detailed description Plyushkin's garden, overgrown, neglected, but still alive. The garden is a kind of metaphor for Plyushkin’s soul. Only Plyushkin has two churches on his estate. Of all the landowners, only Plyushkin pronounces an accusatory monologue after Chichikov’s departure. All this allows us to conclude that Plyushkin’s soul has not completely petrified.

The second hero of the real world, having living soul, is Chichikov. His name is Paul, and this is the name of the apostle who experienced a spiritual revolution. So Chichikov in the second volume was supposed to become an apostle, revive the souls of people, guide them on the true path. And already in the first volume there is a hint of this. Gogol trusts Chichikov to tell about former heroes and thus, as it were, resurrect the peasants.

The ideal world of “Dead Souls”, which appears before readers in lyrical digressions, is the complete opposite of the real world. In an ideal world there are not and cannot be dead souls, since there are no Manilovs, Sobakevichs, or prosecutors. For the world of lyrical digressions, the soul is immortal, since it is the embodiment of the divine principle of man.

Thus, in the first volume of “Dead Souls” N.V. Gogol depicts all the negative aspects of Russian reality. The writer reveals to people that their souls have become dead, and, pointing out the vices of people, thereby brings their souls back to life.

The title of Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" has many meanings. There is no doubt that the poem was influenced by Dante's Divine Comedy. The title "Dead Souls" ideologically echoes the title of the first part of Dante's poem - "Hell".

WITH " dead souls“The plot of the work itself is connected: Chichikov buys up the “souls” of dead peasants in order to, having drawn up a bill of sale, pledge the purchased peasants as living ones to the guardianship council and receive a tidy sum for them.

The social orientation of the work is associated with the concept of “dead soul”. Chichikov's idea is ordinary and fantastic at the same time. It is common because the purchase of peasants was an everyday matter, and fantastic because those from whom, according to Chichikov, “only one sound that is not tangible with the senses” are sold and bought. No one is outraged by this deal; the most distrustful are only slightly surprised. “It has never happened before to sell... dead people. I would have given up the living ones, so I gave two girls to the archpriest for a hundred rubles each,” says Korobochka. In reality, a person becomes a commodity, where paper replaces people.

The content of the concept of “dead soul” is gradually changing. Abakum Dyrov, Stepan Probka, coachman Mikhey and other dead peasants bought by Chichikov are not perceived as “dead souls”: they are shown as bright, original, talented people. This cannot be attributed to their owners, who turn out to be “dead souls” in the true sense of the word.

But “dead souls” are not only landowners and officials: they are “unresponsive dead inhabitants”, terrible “with the motionless coldness of their souls and the barren desert of their hearts.” Any person can turn into Manilov and Sobakevich if “an insignificant passion for something small” grows in him, forcing him “to forget great and holy duties and see great and holy things in insignificant trinkets.” “Nozdryov will not leave the world for a long time. He’s everywhere between us and maybe he’s just wearing a different caftan.” It is no coincidence that the portrait of each landowner is accompanied by a psychological commentary that reveals its universal meaning. In the eleventh chapter, Gogol invites the reader not just to laugh at Chichikov and other characters, but to “deepen this difficult question inside one’s own soul: “Isn’t there some part of Chichikov in me too?” Thus, the title of the poem turns out to be very capacious and multifaceted.

For the “ideal” world, the soul is immortal, for it is the embodiment of the divine principle in man.

The very title of Nikolai Gogol’s famous poem “Dead Souls” already contains the main concept and idea of ​​this work. Judging superficially, the title reveals the content of the scam and Chichikov’s very personality - he was already buying souls dead peasants. But in order to embrace everything philosophical meaning Gogol's ideas, you need to look deeper than the literal interpretation of the title and even what is happening in the poem.

The meaning of the name "Dead Souls"

The title “Dead Souls” contains a much more important and deeper meaning than that expressed by the author in the first volume of the work. Already for a long time they say that Gogol originally planned to write this poem by analogy with Dante’s famous and immortal “Divine Comedy”, and as you know, it consisted of three parts - “Hell”, “Purgatory” and “Paradise”. It was to them that the three volumes of Gogol’s poem should have corresponded.

In the first volume of his most famous poem, the author intended to show the hell of Russian reality, the terrifying and truly terrifying truth about life of that time, and in the second and third volumes - the rise of spiritual culture and life in Russia. To some extent, the title of the work is a symbol of the life of the district town of N., and the city itself is a symbol of the whole of Russia, and thus the author indicates that his Mother country is in a terrible state, and the saddest and most terrible thing is that this is due to the fact that the souls of people are gradually growing cold, hardening and dying.

The history of the creation of Dead Souls

Nikolai Gogol began writing the poem “Dead Souls” in 1835 and continued to work on it until the end of his life. At the very beginning, the writer most likely singled out for himself the funny side of the novel and created the plot of Dead Souls, as for a long work. There is an opinion that Gogol borrowed the main idea of ​​the poem from A.S. Pushkin, since it was this poet who was first heard real story about “dead souls” in the city of Bendery. Gogol worked on the novel not only in his homeland, but also in Switzerland, Italy and France. The first volume of “Dead Souls” was completed in 1842, and in May it was already published under the title “The Adventures of Chichikov or Dead Souls.”

Subsequently, while working on the novel, Gogol’s original plan expanded significantly, and it was then that the analogy with the three parts of The Divine Comedy appeared. Gogol intended that his heroes go through a kind of circles of hell and purgatory, so that at the end of the poem they would be spiritually exalted and reborn. The author never managed to realize his idea; only the first part of the poem was written in full. It is known that Gogol began work on the second volume of the poem in 1840, and by 1845 he already had several options for continuing the poem ready. Unfortunately, it was this year that the author independently destroyed the second volume of the work; he irrevocably burned the second part of “Dead Souls”, being dissatisfied with what he had written. The exact reason for this act of the writer is still unknown. There are draft manuscripts of four chapters of the second volume, which were discovered after Gogol's papers were opened.

Thus, it becomes clear that the central category and at the same time the main idea of ​​Gogol’s poem is the soul, the presence of which makes a person complete and real. This is precisely the main theme of the work, and Gogol tries to point out the value of the soul through the example of soulless and callous heroes who represent a special social stratum of Russia. In his immortal and brilliant work, Gogol simultaneously raises the topic of the crisis in Russia and shows what this is directly related to. The author talks about the fact that the soul is the nature of man, without which there is no meaning in life, without which life becomes dead, and that it is thanks to it that salvation can be found.

Gogol made the first sketches of the future grandiose creation in the summer of 1835, at the same time the general plan of the poem took shape. Gogol planned to write three volumes. The first volume was supposed to be something like a “facade” of a huge structure (Gogol studied architecture and often used comparisons with this type of art). The writer intended to depict in the first volume a sad reality, a depressing life, “fractured and cold characters.” The second volume was planned differently: in it the author wanted to depict a changing Rus', people who were different, but better than the gallery of types in the first volume. In the heroes of the chapters of the second volume that have come down to us, we see the same Chichikov, whom the author persistently pushes to reform, landowners, whose images are symmetrical to the landowners of the first volume, but they are much more complex and promising. The third volume, according to Gogol’s plan, was supposed to “depict” a changed Russia, which had found its way to a full and happy life. The idea of ​​the poem and its structure, that is, the increasing optimistic tone in the depiction of the world, caused a comparison of “Dead Souls” with Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy”, also consisting of three parts: “Hell”, “Purgatory”, “Paradise”.

The further fate of Gogol’s plan is as follows: while still working on the first volume, Gogol began sketching the second (1840), but neither completed it nor wrote any coherent most I couldn't. From the second volume, only four chapters have survived in different editions. It is known that several people close to Gogol read individual finished chapters of the second volume, but ten days before his death, Gogol burned his manuscript. Gogol never started writing the third volume.

Gogol made the first mention of working on Dead Souls in a letter to Pushkin dated October 7, 1835: “I began to write Dead Souls.” The plot stretches out into a long novel and, it seems, will be very funny.<...>In this novel I want to show at least from one side all of Rus'.” The message about “Dead Souls” appears in the same letter as the request for a plot for a new comedy, therefore, both works arose in creative consciousness Gogol at the same time. The desire to show “all of Rus'” testifies to the scale of the plan; the expression “albeit from one side” suggests that Gogol chooses a certain perspective in the depiction of Rus', that is, while ridiculing the bureaucracy in “The Inspector General,” he obviously intends to concentrate in “The Dead.” souls" on the image of landowner-peasant Russia. However, then Gogol was temporarily distracted by work on “The Inspector General” and another literary activity and resumed active work on “Dead Souls” only in 1836 after leaving abroad.

Please note that in a letter to Pushkin, Gogol calls his work “a very long novel.” However, having returned to his plan a year later, Gogol more clearly realizes the grandiose scale of his plan and reports in a letter to Zhukovsky: “... how huge, what original story! What a varied bunch! All Rus' will appear in it!” Gogol no longer stipulates that he will show Rus' “albeit from one side,” and does not call the work a novel. Consequently, along with the expansion of the idea, the question of the nature of “Dead Souls” and its genre becomes more acute for the writer, since the author cannot designate the genre of the work arbitrarily.

Gogol wrote the first volume of Dead Souls for six years, creating most of the work in Rome. During this time, the writer called his creation differently: now a novel, now a story, now just a thing, and only by the beginning of the 1840s genre definition What finally came together for him was a poem. In the fall of 1841, Gogol returned to Russia, for some time he sought censorship permission to publish “Dead Souls,” and finally, on May 21, 1842, the poem was published in the printing house of Moscow University under the title “The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls.”

The main significance for determining the genre of “Dead Souls” - a poem - is the fact that the work was written at the junction of two literary families: epic and lyrical. The narrative about Chichikov's scam, that is, his travels around the province, stay in the city, meetings, forms the epic part of the poem, of which Chichikov is the main character. The lyrical purity of the poem is mainly composed of lyrical digressions that convey the author’s experiences, reflections, and emotional excitement; in these lyrical digressions is expressed positive ideal author. The hero of the entire poem, in the merging of the epic and lyrical principles, appears to be Rus'. This is the genre and generic originality of “Dead Souls”.

“Dead Souls” is often compared with the epic poems of Homer, Virgil and Dante. However, Gogol's poem was created already during the existence of mature national literatures, it depicts national life and is therefore a national poem.

At the same time, “Dead Souls” also has the genre basis of a novel, since it describes the adventures of a rogue, a swindler - a common plot of a popular novel. European literature genre picaresque novel. Outlined in the poem love story between Chichikov and governor's daughter was not developed. As in The Inspector General, where Gogol also decided not to include in the play love conflict, in “Dead Souls” this decision has an ideological explanation, because Chichikov, whose activities are built on deception and “not worth a damn,” does not deserve love. The poem also contains signs of a morally descriptive story, in which, thanks to the plot based on the hero’s journey, a gallery of faces and characters passes before us.

The ideological concept and construction of the poem.

In his “Author's Confession,” Gogol indicates that Pushkin gave him the idea to write “Dead Souls.” “He has long been urging me to take up big essay, and finally, once after I had read one small image of a small scene, but which, however, struck him most of all that I had read before, he said to me: “How with this ability to guess a person and show several features suddenly he was all alive, with this ability not to take on a large essay.

This is simply a sin!..”, and, in conclusion, he gave me his own plot, from which he wanted to make something like a poem himself and which, according to him, he would not give to anyone else. This was the plot of “Dead Souls”... Pushkin found that the plot of “Dead Souls” was good for me because it gave me complete freedom to travel all over Russia with the hero and bring out many different characters.”

Gogol followed Pushkin’s advice, quickly got to work and in a letter dated October 7, 1835, informed him: “I began to write Dead Souls.” The plot is spread out over a long novel and, it seems, will be very funny... In this novel I want to show at least from one side all of Rus'.”

However, in the process of work, Gogol planned to give not one, but three volumes, in which it would be possible to show Rus' not “from one side,” but comprehensively. The second and third volumes of Dead Souls should, according to the author, bring out positive characters along with the negative ones and show moral rebirth“scoundrel-acquirer” Chichikov.

Such breadth of plot and richness of the work lyrical places, allowing the writer to reveal his attitude to the depicted in a variety of ways, inspired Gogol with the idea of ​​calling “Dead Souls” not a novel, but a poem.

But Gogol burned the second volume of Dead Souls, and he did not begin the third.

The reason for the failure was that Gogol was looking for positive heroes in the world of “dead souls” - representatives of the dominant social strata at that time, and not in the popular, democratic camp.

Belinsky, back in 1842, predicted the inevitability of Gogol’s failure in implementing such a plan. “Much, too much has been promised, so much that there is nowhere to get what to fulfill the promise, because it is not yet in the world,” he wrote.

The chapters of the second volume of Dead Souls that have reached us confirm the validity of Belinsky’s thoughts. In these chapters there are brilliantly written images akin to the landowners of the first volume (Petr Petrovich Petukh, Khlobuev, etc.), but goodies(the virtuous governor-general, the ideal landowner Kostanzhoglo and the tax farmer Murazov, who made over forty million “in the most impeccable way”) are clearly not typical, not vitally convincing.

The idea of ​​“travelling all over Rus' with the hero and bringing out many different characters” predetermined the composition of the poem. It is structured as the story of the adventures of the “acquirer” Chichikov, who buys souls that are actually dead, but legally alive, that is, not deleted from the audit lists.

Images of officials

The central place in the first volume is occupied by five “portrait” chapters (from the second to the sixth). These chapters, constructed according to the same plan, show how, on the basis of serfdom, different types serf owners and how serfdom in the 20-30s of the 19th century, due to the growth of capitalist forces, it led the landowner class to economic and moral decline. Gogol gives these chapters in a certain order. The economicless landowner Manilov (Chapter II) is replaced by the petty hoarder Korobochka (Chapter III), the careless waster of life Nozdryov (Chapter IV) is replaced by the tight-fisted Sobakevich (Chapter V). This gallery of landowners is completed by Plyushkin, a miser who brought his estate and peasants to complete ruin.

The picture of the economic collapse of the corvee, subsistence economy on the estates of Manilov, Nozdryov and Plyushkin is drawn vividly and convincingly. But even the seemingly strong farms of Korobochka and Sobakevich are in fact unviable, since such forms of farming have already become obsolete.

The “portrait” chapters present a picture of the moral decline of the landowner class with even greater expressiveness. From an idle dreamer living in the world of his dreams, Manilov to the “club-headed” Korobochka, from her to the reckless spendthrift, liar and cheater Nozdryov, then to the brutalized fist Sobakevich and, finally, to the one who has lost all moral qualities - “a hole in humanity” - Gogol leads us to Plyushkin, showing the increasing moral decline and decay of representatives

Thus, the poem turns into a brilliant denunciation of serfdom as a socio-economic system that naturally gives rise to cultural and economic backwardness while being the arbiter of the destinies of the state. This ideological orientation of the poem is revealed primarily in the system of its images.

The gallery of portraits of landowners opens with the image of Manilov. “In appearance he was a distinguished man; His facial features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have too much sugar in it; in his techniques and turns there was something ingratiating favor and acquaintance. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes" Previously, he “served in the army, where he was considered the most modest, most delicate and most educated officer.” Living on the estate, he "sometimes comes to the city... to see educated people."

Compared to the inhabitants of the city and estates, he seems to be “a very courteous and courteous landowner,” who bears some imprint of a “semi-enlightened” environment.

However, revealing Manilov’s inner appearance, his character, talking about his attitude towards the household and his pastime, drawing Manilov’s reception of Chichikov, Gogol shows complete emptiness and the worthlessness of this “existence”.

The writer emphasizes two main features in Manilov’s character - his worthlessness and sugary, meaningless daydreaming. Manilov had no living interests.

He did not take care of the housekeeping”, entrusting it entirely to the clerk. He could not even tell Chichikov whether his peasants had died since the last inspection. His house “stood alone on the jura, that is, on an elevation open to all the winds that might blow.” Instead of the shady garden that usually surrounded the manor’s house, Manilov had only “five or six birches in small clumps here and there raising their small-leaved thin tops.” And in his village there was nowhere “a growing tree or any greenery.”

Manilov’s mismanagement and impracticality is clearly evidenced by the furnishings of the rooms of his house, where next to beautiful furniture stood two armchairs, “covered simply with matting”; “a dandy candlestick made of dark bronze with three antique graces” stood on the table, and next to it was placed “some kind of simple copper invalid, lame, curled to one side and covered in fat.”

It is no wonder that such an “owner” has “a rather empty pantry,” the clerk and housekeeper are thieves, the servants are “unclean and drunkards,” and “the whole household sleeps mercilessly and hangs out the rest of the time.”

Nikolai Vasilyevich spent a long time thinking about what the meaning of the novel would be. As a result, I came to the conclusion that it was necessary to show all of Rus', the people with all the shortcomings, negative traits, contradictory characters. Gogol wanted to touch people, to show them what was happening in the world, what they should be afraid of. He wanted readers, after reading his work, to think about the problems posed in the work.

Nikolai Vasilyevich revealed the hidden corners of the human soul, manifestations of character in different situations, certain shortcomings that interfere with the conduct happy life. He wrote his creation not only for specific people living in certain time, but also for all generations. He was worried about a future in which what was depicted in the novel might be repeated. He showed by all means how “dead” the souls of people can be, and how difficult it is to awaken this soul and reach it. Gogol tried to expose Russia, to reveal negative qualities people, which, apparently, is not accepted by many readers for such treatment of the characters.

But there is no need to blame Gogol. He did what many could not: the writer managed to find the strength to convey the truth to people! The writer managed to reflect in his work what he planned.

The concept and composition of “Dead Souls”

The great writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol was not accepted by many of his contemporaries, and all because they did not understand the entire underlying meaning of this or that work. Speaking about Gogol, it is impossible to ignore his magnificent novel “Dead Souls,” on which the writer worked for 17 years. It is worth considering that creative career Nikolai Vasilyevich was 23 years old. Therefore, it is clear that “Dead Souls” occupied a special place in Gogol’s life.

Faithful and reliable comrade A.S. Pushkin suggested the plot for this creation. It is noteworthy that the initial three chapters were created by Gogol in Russia, and the subsequent ones abroad. The work was hard, because Nikolai Vasilyevich thought through every detail and emphasized every word. Even the names in the novel became telling, because with this action the writer wanted to clearly expose the essence of wealthy people, show the character of the homeland, reveal the shortcomings and reveal the negative sides of people. Perhaps in connection with such an act, “Dead Souls” often succumbed to negative criticism, Gogol was attacked, because the truth that was told by the writer did not want to be accepted by the people, they were not ready for it.

Nikolai Vasilyevich, when creating the novel, did not want to miss anything. He dreamed of embodying in it everything that so disturbs and excites the soul. Therefore, the creator started many events associated with different mindsets of people, one hero Chichikov. Gogol depicted the everyday life of landowners. The character who travels to each active person reveals their shortcomings, which are inherent in any person. On the pages of the novel, readers can notice Manilov, who only does what he pictures of heavenly life, imagines something unattainable, instead of stopping to indulge himself with desires and getting down to business. It is noticeable that Manilov has an incorrect understanding of life, because dreaminess envelops him so much that it is quite difficult to get out of its whirlpool.

A reflection of complete lies, lies, and hypocrisy is shown in the character of Nozdryov, whom Chichikov also visits. Sobakevich also shows kulaks and an aggressive attitude towards people. One way or another, each character has its own trait, which is revealed by Chichikov. Drawing attention to the negative sides of the heroes, Gogol warns us that everyone should think about their lives, change their views, understand that with such similar feelings as the characters, one cannot walk calmly on the Earth. And throughout the entire poem, Nikolai Vasilyevich poses an important compositional problem: the gap between the ruling class and ordinary people. It is not for nothing that the image of a road appears in the composition of “Dead Souls”. This writer makes a hint that Russia should deliberately move only forward, without turning back or dawdling. Gogol has a very tender love for his homeland; he does not want it to fall or go into oblivion. The writer worries about Russia, which is why he devoted many years to writing “Dead Souls”!

Option 3

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol spent a long time discussing what the idea of ​​the work would be. The writer was in deep thought. After a while, he decides that he needs to show the people Rus' as it really is. Without exaggeration and lies. He wanted to convey to humanity that problems need to be solved, people have lied and are plundering the country. The whole idea of ​​the poem is about swindlers and their deeds. One of the swindlers is Chichikov, from the work we know that he bought the souls of deceased workers. And the landowners gladly sold, because they also wanted to profit. The writer showed Russia both from the good and the bad side. Not every writer of that time decided to do this.

It is a pity that only the first volume of the poem reached the reader. The second author personally destroyed it, he burned it, but, thank God, the drafts reached people, and Gogol never began writing the third volume.

Nikolai Vasilyevich turned the souls of the heroes inside out in front of the reader. He showed how heroes behave in different situations and how their character manifests itself in this case. When this poem was created, the author hoped to convey it not only to the people who lived at that time. The writer wanted to make a work that would be read in a hundred years. He wanted no matter what people repeated the mistakes to pass. Gogol showed how strong the “dead” souls of living people can be when it comes to money, and how difficult it is to get to kind soul, which is always present in a person, even the most evil. The poem is very difficult for the reader, perhaps because Gogol brings dishonest people out into the open, and people find it unpleasant to read this.

Gogol is the only writer in Russia who was able to convey to people the truth of that time. He wrote the truth as it is and did not hide anything.

He very clearly expresses patriotic feelings for Rus'. The writer compares the territory of the state with the limitless spiritual wealth of his beloved people. He hopes for a bright future for his nation. Years and a millennium will pass, people will read the poem and will not, they will repeat the mistakes of their ancestors, such is the hope of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. But is this true in our time? I could write another poem about this. But the writer believes in his people, that sooner or later they will change in better side, they will become wiser.

Several interesting essays

• The image and characterization of Antonina in the novel Doctor Zhivago by Pasternak, essay

  One of female characters works telling about the events of the early twentieth century, is Antonina Aleksandrovna Gromeko, who is the first wife of the main character of the novel Zhivago, Yuri Andreevich.

• Chekhov's dramaturgy and its features

  Chekhov turned to dramaturgy when he was already a famous and beloved writer. The public expected comedies from him similar to his satirical stories. But instead she received serious dramas that raised burning questions.

• The image and characteristics of Anna Andreevna in Gogol's comedy The Inspector General essay

  In Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General,” Anna Andreevna is the wife of the mayor Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. Anna Andreevna is not very smart woman and she doesn’t care how the audit goes

• Civic motives in Pushkin's lyrics essay

  The poet and writer Pushkin is one of the most famous writers our entire literary history. His works always turned out to be very rich and interesting.

• Analysis of the story The Living Relics of Turgenev

  I. S. Turgenev showed an example of endless patience, suffering and acceptance of God’s will in his story “Living Relics.” In the image main character Lukerya, the author reflected the character, fortitude and attitude to life of the Russian people.