Nozdryov the third landowner to whom Chichikov approached with a very delicate proposal was Nozdryov. The author describes him as a young and energetic man of thirty-five years old.
The words: “talker, reveler, reckless driver” are also addressed to him. He is always overwhelmed with emotions, he is always in search of something unusual, something interesting, in search of adventure. Nozdryov can annoy his best friend for no particular reason. He is very passionate and loves to tickle his nerves.
Its dominant qualities, which bring clarity to all of the above things, are “brightness and liveliness.” All his behavior is explained by these two qualities. Nozdryov does not know the word “plan”; he does not conceive anything, does not plan anything. He just goes and does it. And in his affairs he knows no boundaries.
One of the episodes vividly describes these qualities of his. On the way to his friend, Sobakevich, in the tavern, Nozdryov intercepts the dumbfounded Chichikov and almost forcibly takes him to his estate. But there he makes a big scandal. Nozdryov quarrels strongly with Chichikov due to the fact that the latter does not want to play cards for dead souls and purchase a stallion of “Arab blood” and receive several dead souls in addition.
Nozdryov is a broken, frivolous person. He easily loses at cards.This person can easily betray; he does not know such a thing as strong friendship.
He has two children whom he does not raise at all. This shows his irresponsibility.
Nozdryov is a master of “pouring bullets”. He is a liar, but he is a liar under duress. He deliberately imposes one lie on another. Perhaps in this way he is trying to draw attention to himself.
Nozdryov loves to brag and exaggerate. He almost swore to Ch-woo that he caught huge fish.
Society provincial town treated Nozdryov and his antics with a certain indifference. But they couldn’t do it without Nozdryov either. After all, the city residents call Nozdryov when they want to find out who Ch. really is.
Nozdryov is a man of “dark and humble origin”, a rogue and a cunning man.
“He was as fresh as blood and milk; health seemed to be dripping from his face.” Nozdryov had black ones Thick hair, full rosy cheeks, teeth white as snow, jet-black sideburns. He was of average height and not bad built. There is something open, direct, and daring in the face. Talker. He spoke quickly, without thinking, making it up on the fly. He quickly changed his mind. Favorite word Nozdryov, by which he called both his son-in-law and Ch. - fetyuk (a word offensive to a man). He was a “broken fellow”, from childhood he was known as a good friend, he always made acquaintances quickly, struck up friendships that seemed to last forever, but always, having made friends with someone, he fought with him that same evening. Always keen to go for a walk, even marriage hasn’t changed him. His wife died, his children were no longer needed. I couldn't sit at home more than a day. “I had a passion for cards.” He did not play completely sinlessly and cleanly, for this he was often beaten. He also had a passion for doing dirty things to his neighbor, sometimes for no reason. He was a man of all trades. Society tolerated him, but when he crossed the boundaries of what was permitted, he was kicked out (for example, at the governor’s ball).Ch. understood perfectly well that Nozdryov was a “trashy man.”
Gogol ironically calls him a “historical man.” And he says that the Nozdryovs will not disappear in Russia anytime soon.
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Landowner Nozdryov from the story by N.V. Gogol - another one characteristic type landowners of that time. He is collectively, which exposes the characteristic shortcomings and behavioral characteristics of several people united by similar personality and character traits.
Nozdryov family
Nozdryov is one of the landowners of the city of N. At the time of the story, he is 35 years old. He was once a married man, but his married life did not last long. Soon his wife died, Nozdryov did not remarry, quite likely because he was not predisposed to family life. In marriage with his wife, they had two children, but their fate and upbringing are not of interest to Nozdryov - he is more interested in the personality of his children’s nanny, who had a pretty appearance, than in the children themselves.
Dear readers! We invite you to familiarize yourself with what is described in the poem by N.V. Gogol “ Dead Souls”.
One gets the impression that Nozdryov is interested in everything, except for his children, he even treats his dogs much better than he treats them.
Nozdryov was not the only child in the family - he also has a sister. It is known that she married woman. Her husband is a certain Mr. Mizhuev. He is not only a relative of Nozdryov, but also best friend. In his company, Nozdryov often appears at fairs, and together they are engaged in carousing. According to Nozdrev's son-in-law, his wife is not at all similar in character to her brother - she is sweet and good woman.
Mizhuev often denounces Nozdryov’s lies, but still does not leave the category of friends - their common passion for drinking and carousing makes them related and does not allow them to quarrel.
Appearance
The landowner Nozdryov stood out favorably in appearance compared to all the other landowners of district N - he was a prominent and attractive man. Nozdryov had a round, ruddy face, his cheeks were childishly full. When Nozdryov burst into laughter, his cheeks trembled funny. He had teeth as white as snow and dark hair. Nozdryov's face was favorably framed by pitch-black sideburns. From time to time, his sideburns suffered severely in desperate fights with card “friends,” but after the brawl they grew back just as thick.
The landowner's body was also covered with hair - on his chest it was as thick as on his head and more like a beard.
Nozdryov's height was average, and his body could not be called athletic, but it was not flabby either.
Despite his unbalanced life schedule, Nozdryov seemed to be the embodiment of health - and was a man of “blood and milk”: “health seemed to be dripping from his face.”
Gogol doesn’t talk much about the peculiarities of Nozdryov’s wardrobe. It is known that the landowner preferred a caftan of Caucasian cut, which was the national clothing of the mountain peoples - arkhaluk. In addition, he wears a robe at home. He usually wore a robe over his naked body. He was dressed casually, so one could see his thickly haired chest without effort.
Peasants and the village of Nozdreva
Nikolai Vasilyevich says little about the living conditions of the peasants and the state of the village. Based on Nozdryov’s own lifestyle, it can be assumed that he has a good income from his estate - so good that he can afford to live in grand style and not do business. Nozdryov has a clerk - it is he who deals with all the affairs of the landowner.
Since Nozdryov was very fond of boasting about everything he could, the fact that he did not do the same in relation to his village or peasants suggests that not everything was so good on his estate, but the fact that there are many “dead souls” in him once again confirms this idea.
On our website we invite you to find out about N.V. Gogol’s work “Dead Souls”, follow his character and description of his appearance.
When Chichikov comes to Nozdryov, he shows him his farm: first the landowner shows his horses. There wasn’t much to boast about here - Nozdryov lost some horses at cards, so part of the cost was empty. Among the horses, Chichikov was shown two mares and a nondescript-looking stallion, but, according to the owner, very expensive. The next curiosity on Nozdryov’s estate was a wolf, which the owner kept on a leash and fed raw meat.
The wolf was followed by a pond with incredibly sized fish. Chichikov, however, was not able to look at this extraordinary fish, but Nozdryov assured that it was not sometimes that two people were needed to pull the fish out of the pond - it was so big.
Nozdryov’s greatest pride and weakness were dogs - of different breeds and colors. Nozdryov had a huge number of them, the landowner loved and cherished them to such an extent that they could be equated to full-fledged relatives: “Nozdryov was among them just like a father among the family; all of them, immediately throwing their tails up, which is called by the rules of dogs, flew straight towards the guests and began to greet them.”
On his estate there is a water mill and a forge. It is likely that Nozdryov’s peasants are skilled workers and craftsmen, since the landowner boasts that he always manages to sell his goods at the fair at the highest price.
This was not the end of Nozdryov’s household, but the reasons for boasting ended - the roads on his estate were terribly neglected, the fields were so low that water “champed” from the ground:
“In many places their feet squeezed out the water beneath them, the place was so low. At first they were careful and stepped carefully, but then, seeing that it was of no use, they walked straight, not distinguishing where the most and where the least dirt was.”
Of all his serfs, the reader can get acquainted with only some representatives. Most of the attention in the story is paid to the cook, who, apparently, was not distinguished by culinary skills - he mixed completely incompatible ingredients, it seemed that whatever came to hand first ended up in his dishes.
In the story you can see a meager description of the servant Porfiry, who wears an arkhaluk to match his master, however, his caftan is in a deplorable state and is already quite worn out.
In the dining room one could see his two serfs - they were busy whitewashing the room, but Gogol does not provide a detailed description of their appearance and the particular condition of the costume. It is known that they carried out their work while singing some monotonous and seemingly endless song. It can be assumed that Nozdryov was not authoritarian towards his serfs - his house was not clean, and in the dining room, in addition to general desolation, one could see leftover food and crumbs.
Nozdryov Estate
Nikolai Vasilyevich does not provide an external description of Nozdryov’s estate. The internal state is also not exposed to detailed images.
In general, Nozdryov was not a good owner, he disdainfully treated his estate and farm, he liked to enjoy the fruits, but did not strive to ensure his future and the future of his children. In his house one could feel the absence of a woman's hand - the tasteless decoration of the house was complemented by general disorder and garbage.
For Nozdryov, this state of affairs did not present any inconvenience - for him it was a common thing.
Nozdryov's office was little like classic workrooms - there were no papers or books. And for the landowner this was unnecessary - the manager of his estate was in charge of the affairs of his estate, and Nozdryov was accustomed to spending his leisure time in other activities, for example, playing cards. Nozdryov's office was full of a variety of weapons: two guns, sabers, daggers.
In addition to weapons, in the office one could also see a collection of smoking pipes - different shapes and material, they finally turned the landowner’s office into a mini-museum.
Also in the office there was a mahogany organ, which Nozdryov began to demonstrate - however, the organ was not in perfect condition - from time to time it malfunctioned, its playing was more like a medley - the songs did not change one into another sequentially, after the end of the composition, but played fragmentarily in pieces mixed together. The organ-organ played on its own for some time after Nozdryov left it alone: “Nozdryov had long ago stopped turning it, but there was one very lively pipe in the organ-organ, which did not want to calm down.”
Nozdryov’s dining room, at the time of Chichikov’s visit, was undergoing renovation work - two peasants were whitewashing it, standing on trestles: “In the middle of the dining room there were wooden trestles, and two men, standing on them, whitewashed the walls, singing some kind of endless song.”
Despite the renovation work, negligence in cleaning could be seen with the naked eye - crumbs and remnants of yesterday's food could be seen in the dining room: “There were traces of yesterday's lunch and dinner in the room; it seems that the floor brush was not touched at all. There were bread crumbs on the floor, and tobacco ash was even visible on the tablecloth.”
Judging by the way Nozdryov himself reacted to this state of affairs, it can be assumed that neither the crumbs, nor the food, nor the general garbage in his house bothered him, or rather, he did not notice them at all. He was extremely unpretentious in matters of home improvement.
Personality characteristics
First of all, what is striking in the image of Nozdryov is his desire to become “one of us” for a person. He quickly switches to “you” when communicating with a person, which especially unpleasantly impressed Chichikov, since, according to Pavel Ivanovich, such a transition was undeserved and went beyond the bounds of etiquette, but this does not bother Nozdryov. He often deviates from the norms of etiquette, and it is likely that he has never heard of some features and rules and does not even suspect not only that he is violating these rules, but also that such rules and norms exist at all. For example, his habits include talking very loudly and laughing. When Chichikov makes a deal with Nozdryov, he is surprised to discover how he loudly discusses the nuances of buying and selling, as if it were the most ordinary thing.
Perhaps such a cheeky tone is to some extent connected with his cheerful character and addiction to drinking. Nozdryov does not miss the opportunity to boast about what unusual wine he tried, and the champagne that is usually served in the governor’s house is just kvass in comparison.
Nozdryov loves revelry and all kinds of entertainment (in his understanding, one is inseparable from the first); he cannot imagine how one can live, depriving oneself of such good things and pleasant pastime. Nozdryov does not understand how some landowners can sit at home all the time - he cannot stay on his estate for more than one day - he is bored and does not know what to do with himself.
Nozdryov does not value his money. He despises misers who do not dare to spend an extra penny. It is likely that his attitude towards money was formed because Nozdryov himself works very little - only in cases where the business cannot advance without his intervention. He does not know the price that he has to pay for this or that entertainment - money comes to him easily and goes away just as easily.
Nozdryov's special passion was cards - he is a regular at the card table. However, playing honestly is not in the landowner’s rules - during the game he constantly cheats and deceives. Those around him have long known this attitude towards the card game, so they are always attentive to him while playing.
From time to time, Nozdryov was seen in machinations at the card table and was immediately subject to criticism and even beatings with hair being torn out, in particular his thick sideburns. This state of affairs does not bother Nozdryov - his sideburns grow quickly, and grievances are forgotten before the fight ends. A day later, Nozdryov is ready to sit down at the table to play cards along with the recent debaters, as if nothing had happened.
In general, Nozdryov is a bad and dishonest person. He often becomes the cause of troubles and problems in the lives of other people - Nozdryov can easily upset a wedding and cause the deal to be cancelled. The landowner never sees anything bad or bad in his actions. The reason for this is his addiction to fiction and gossip. Nozdryov often lies, even for the most innocuous reasons. “Nozdryov is a rubbish man, Nozdryov can lie, add more, spread God knows what, some other gossip will come out.”
Nozdryov has an explosive and unrestrained character - it costs him nothing to be rude to anyone or become a participant in a fight.
Thus, Nozdryov in Gogol’s story is shown as an ill-mannered person who does not know how to appreciate what he has. He is a bad owner, a bad father and a bad friend. Nozdryov gives preference not to his children, but to the dogs that he cares for and cherishes. Nozdryov is a constant participant in revelry, gossip and quarrels.
Characteristics of Nozdryov in the poem “Dead Souls”: description of appearance and character in quotes
4.3 (86.15%) 13 votesThe role of the episode in the poem by N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls" "Chichikov at Nozdryov's"
History of creation:
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol worked on the poem “Dead Souls” abroad. The first volume was published in 1841. The writer planned to write the poem in three parts. His task in this work was to show Rossi with negative side, as he himself said, “on one side.”
This poem shows a separate landowner Chichikov, Russian society, Russian people, economy (economy of landowners).
The title “Dead Souls”, I think, has a double meaning. On the one hand, N.V. Gogol included in the title the souls of the dead peasants, about whom so much is said in the poem. On the other hand, these are the “Dead Souls” of landowners. The writer showed here all the callousness, the emptiness of the soul, the idleness of life, all the ignorance of the landowners.
The story about Captain Kopeikin shows the attitude of officials towards to the common people, the fact that the state does not respect people who gave their health, and in many cases, their lives for it; that the state for which they fought in the War of 1812 does not fulfill its promises, does not care about these people.
There are many episodes in this poem. I think they can even be divided into groups. One group is the episodes of Chichikov’s visits to landowners. I think this group is the most important in the poem. I want to describe, perhaps even comment on, one episode from this group - this is the episode when Chichikov visits the landowner Nozdryov. The action took place in the fourth chapter.
After visiting Korobochka, Chichikov stopped at the tavern for lunch and to give the horses a rest. He asked the owner of the tavern about the landowners, and, as was his custom, Chichikov began asking the owner about her family and life. While he was talking and eating, he heard the sound of the wheels of an approaching carriage. Nozdryov and his companion, son-in-law Mezhuev, got out of the chaise.
Then we went to the office. There they had a disagreement due to our hero’s reluctance to play cards. Before the quarrel, Chichikov offered to buy “dead souls” from Nozdryov. Nozdryov began to set his own conditions, but Chichikov did not accept any of them.
After the conversation, Chichikov was left alone with himself.
The next day they began to play checkers on the condition: if our hero wins, then his soul; if he loses, then “there is no trial.” The author characterizes Nozdryov as follows: “He was of average height, a very well-built fellow, with full pleasant cheeks, teeth white as snow and jet-black sideburns. It was fresh, like blood and salt; health seemed to be dripping from his face.”
Nodryov joined our hero, told about the fair, that he was blown to smithereens there. Then Chichikov, Nozdryov and Mezhuev’s son-in-law went to Nozdryov’s. After dinner, Mezhuev’s son-in-law left. Chichikov and Nozdryov, as usual, began to “cheat.” Chichikov noticed this and became indignant, after which a quarrel ensued and they began waving their hands at each other. Nozdryov called his servants Pavlusha and Porfiry and began shouting to them: “Beat him, beat him!” Chichikov turned pale, his soul “sank to his feet.” And if it weren’t for the police captain, who entered the room to announce to Nozdryov that he was in custody for inflicting a personal insult with rods while drunk on the landowner Maximov; be our hero severely crippled. While the captain was announcing the notice to Nozdryov, Chichikov quickly took his hat, went downstairs, got into the chaise and ordered Selifan to drive the horses at full speed.
I think the theme of this episode was to show, to characterize the person who played not last role in the life of our hero. In my opinion,
N.V. Gogol also wanted to show with this episode all the “recklessness” of the young landowners, including Nozdryov. Here the writer showed how young landowners like Nozdryov, and in principle like all landowners, do nothing more than “hang around” at balls and fairs, play cards, drink “ungodly,” think only about themselves and how to be mean to others.
Episode Role :
This episode played a big role in the poem; Nozdryov, annoyed with Chichikov when he visited him, betrayed him at the governor’s ball. But Chichikov was saved by the fact that everyone knew Nozdryov as a liar, a hypocrite, a bully, so his words were perceived as “the ravings of a madman,” as a joke, as a lie, whatever, but not as the truth.
While reading this episode, my impressions varied from beginning to end. At the beginning of the episode, the actions were not very interesting for me: this is when Chichikov met Nozdryov, how they were driving to his house. Then I gradually began to be indignant at Nozdryov’s boorish behavior - this is when, after dinner, Chichikov offered to buy “dead souls” from him, and Nozdryov began to wonder why he needed this. All of Chichikov’s attempts to pull the wool over Nozdryov’s ears were thwarted by him. Nozdryov said that Chichikov was a big swindler and that if he were his boss, he would have hanged him from the first tree. While reading, I was outraged by Nozdryov’s behavior towards Chichikov; after all, Chichikov is his guest.
Then exciting actions took place, this is when the next day after Chichikov arrived at Nozdryov’s, they began to play checkers. I have already stated this point. I was worried about the situation that was heating up during the game of checkers; things were heading towards a quarrel, a fight.
There were a lot of things that happened in this episode, but those were the actions that stayed with me.
Artistic details :
First, let's see how the author describes the tavern: “A darkened wooden, narrow, hospitable canopy on carved wooden posts, similar to ancient church candlesticks; the tavern was something like a Russian hut, several in large size, carved patterned cornices made of fresh wood around the windows and under the roof sharply and vividly dazzled its dark walls; there were jugs of flowers painted on the shutters; narrow wooden staircase, wide entryway. The interior of the tavern: a frost-covered samovar, scraped walls, a three-coal cabinet with teapots and cups in the corner, gilded porcelain eggs in front of images hanging on blue and red ribbons, a recently fallen cat, a mirror showing four eyes instead of two, and some kind of face instead flatbread; finally, bunches of fragrant herbs and carnations were stuck near the images, dried to such an extent that those who wanted to smell them only sneezed, and nothing more.”
Let's move on to the description of Nozdryov's household: in the house there were wooden trestles in the middle of the dining room. In the stable there were two mares, one dappled gray, the other a brown stallion, empty stalls; a pond, a water mill, where there was not enough flutter; forge. Nozdryov’s office: “There were no visible traces of books or paper in it, only sabers and two guns hung.” This suggests that Nozdryov was not interested in anything, did not take care of his farm, everything was neglected.
The hero's inner world in this episode:
Let's pay attention to inner world our hero in this episode. Here Chichikov at some points did not know what to answer Nozdryov to his annoying questions. It was in moments like this when Nozdryov asked him: “Why do you need them (dead souls)?”
In this episode, Chichikov, I think, felt awkward because of Nozdryov’s boorish behavior: he is offended by him, since our hero’s pride was affected. After Chichikov quarreled with Nozdryov after dinner because he did not play cards with him, he remained in the most unfavorable mood. The author describes his thoughts and feelings this way: “He was internally annoyed with himself for visiting them and wasting his time. But he scolded himself even more for talking to Nozdryov about the matter, acting carelessly, like a child, like a fool: for the matter was not at all of the kind that should be entrusted to Nozdryov. Nozdryov is a rubbish person, Nozdryov can lie, add, spread rumors and the devil knows what kind of gossip, not good, not good. “I’m just a fool,” he said to himself.”
I think that in this episode Chichikov behaved tolerantly and restrained, despite Nozdryov’s boorish behavior. But this is understandable, because our hero wants to achieve his goal at any cost.
In my opinion, the author wanted to show with this episode that not everything in life is as simple as one would like. That if everything turned out fine with Korobochka, then with Nozdryov everything went very abnormally - in life there are both white and black stripes.
I also think that this episode teaches us that we need to know a person very well, study him carefully before trusting him. After all, what happened with Chichikov: he trusted Nozdryov about the “dead souls,” and Nozdryov betrayed him by telling everyone about this matter.
But I repeat, Chichikov was saved by the fact that everyone considered Nozdryov a liar, no one believed him. Such luck may not happen in life.
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Landowner Nozdryov from the story by N.V. Gogol is another typical type of landowner of that time. It is a collective image that exposes the characteristic shortcomings and behavioral characteristics of several people united by similar personality and character traits.
Nozdryov family
Nozdryov is one of the landowners of the city of N. At the time of the story, he is 35 years old. He was once a married man, but his married life did not last long. Soon his wife died, Nozdryov did not remarry, quite possibly because he was not predisposed to family life. In marriage with his wife, they had two children, but their fate and upbringing are not of interest to Nozdryov - he is more interested in the personality of his children’s nanny, who had a pretty appearance, than in the children themselves.
Dear readers! We invite you to familiarize yourself with the image of Plyushkin, described in the poem by N.V. Gogol “Dead Souls”.
One gets the impression that Nozdryov is interested in everything, except for his children, he even treats his dogs much better than he treats them.
Nozdryov was not the only child in the family - he also has a sister. It is known that she is a married woman. Her husband is a certain Mr. Mizhuev. He is not only a relative to Nozdryov, but also his best friend. In his company, Nozdryov often appears at fairs, and together they are engaged in carousing. According to Nozdryov's son-in-law, his wife is not at all similar in character to her brother - she is a sweet and good woman.
Mizhuev often denounces Nozdryov’s lies, but still does not leave the category of friends - their common passion for drinking and carousing makes them related and does not allow them to quarrel.
Appearance
The landowner Nozdryov stood out favorably in appearance compared to all the other landowners of district N - he was a prominent and attractive man. Nozdryov had a round, ruddy face, his cheeks were childishly full. When Nozdryov burst into laughter, his cheeks trembled funny. He had teeth as white as snow and dark hair. Nozdryov's face was favorably framed by pitch-black sideburns. From time to time, his sideburns suffered severely in desperate fights with card “friends,” but after the brawl they grew back just as thick.
The landowner's body was also covered with hair - on his chest it was as thick as on his head and more like a beard.
Nozdryov's height was average, and his body could not be called athletic, but it was not flabby either.
Despite his unbalanced life schedule, Nozdryov seemed to be the embodiment of health - and was a man of “blood and milk”: “health seemed to be dripping from his face.”
Gogol doesn’t talk much about the peculiarities of Nozdryov’s wardrobe. It is known that the landowner preferred a caftan of Caucasian cut, which was the national clothing of the mountain peoples - arkhaluk. In addition, he wears a robe at home. He usually wore a robe over his naked body. He was dressed casually, so one could see his thickly haired chest without effort.
Peasants and the village of Nozdreva
Nikolai Vasilyevich says little about the living conditions of the peasants and the state of the village. Based on Nozdryov’s own lifestyle, it can be assumed that he has a good income from his estate - so good that he can afford to live in grand style and not do business. Nozdryov has a clerk - it is he who deals with all the affairs of the landowner.
Since Nozdryov was very fond of boasting about everything he could, the fact that he did not do the same in relation to his village or peasants suggests that not everything was so good on his estate, but the fact that there are many “dead souls” in him once again confirms this idea.
On our website, we invite you to find out the characteristics of Plyushkin in N.V. Gogol’s work “Dead Souls”, follow his character and description of his appearance.
When Chichikov comes to Nozdryov, he shows him his farm: first the landowner shows his horses. There wasn’t much to boast about here - Nozdryov lost some horses at cards, so part of the cost was empty. Among the horses, Chichikov was shown two mares and a nondescript-looking stallion, but, according to the owner, very expensive. The next curiosity on Nozdryov’s estate was a wolf, which the owner kept on a leash and fed raw meat.
The wolf was followed by a pond with incredibly sized fish. Chichikov, however, was not able to look at this extraordinary fish, but Nozdryov assured that it was not sometimes that two people were needed to pull the fish out of the pond - it was so big.
Nozdryov’s greatest pride and weakness were dogs - of different breeds and colors. Nozdryov had a huge number of them, the landowner loved and cherished them to such an extent that they could be equated to full-fledged relatives: “Nozdryov was among them just like a father among the family; all of them, immediately throwing their tails up, which is called by the rules of dogs, flew straight towards the guests and began to greet them.”
On his estate there is a water mill and a forge. It is likely that Nozdryov’s peasants are skilled workers and craftsmen, since the landowner boasts that he always manages to sell his goods at the fair at the highest price.
This was not the end of Nozdryov’s household, but the reasons for boasting ended - the roads on his estate were terribly neglected, the fields were so low that water “champed” from the ground:
“In many places their feet squeezed out the water beneath them, the place was so low. At first they were careful and stepped carefully, but then, seeing that it was of no use, they walked straight, not distinguishing where the most and where the least dirt was.”
Of all his serfs, the reader can get acquainted with only some representatives. Most of the attention in the story is paid to the cook, who, apparently, was not distinguished by culinary skills - he mixed completely incompatible ingredients, it seemed that whatever came to hand first ended up in his dishes.
In the story you can see a meager description of the servant Porfiry, who wears an arkhaluk to match his master, however, his caftan is in a deplorable state and is already quite worn out.
In the dining room one could see his two serfs - they were busy whitewashing the room, but Gogol does not provide a detailed description of their appearance and the particular condition of the costume. It is known that they carried out their work while singing some monotonous and seemingly endless song. It can be assumed that Nozdryov was not authoritarian towards his serfs - his house was not clean, and in the dining room, in addition to general desolation, one could see leftover food and crumbs.
Nozdryov Estate
Nikolai Vasilyevich does not provide an external description of Nozdryov’s estate. The internal state is also not exposed to detailed images.
In general, Nozdryov was not a good owner, he disdainfully treated his estate and farm, he liked to enjoy the fruits, but did not strive to ensure his future and the future of his children. In his house one could feel the absence of a woman's hand - the tasteless decoration of the house was complemented by general disorder and garbage.
For Nozdryov, this state of affairs did not present any inconvenience - for him it was a common thing.
Nozdryov's office was little like classic workrooms - there were no papers or books. And for the landowner this was unnecessary - the manager of his estate was in charge of the affairs of his estate, and Nozdryov was accustomed to spending his leisure time in other activities, for example, playing cards. Nozdryov's office was full of a variety of weapons: two guns, sabers, daggers.
In addition to weapons, in the office one could also see a collection of smoking pipes - of different shapes and materials, they finally turned the landowner’s office into a mini-museum.
Also in the office there was a mahogany organ, which Nozdryov began to demonstrate - however, the organ was not in perfect condition - from time to time it malfunctioned, its playing was more like a medley - the songs did not change one into another sequentially, after the end of the composition, but played fragmentarily in pieces mixed together. The organ-organ played on its own for some time after Nozdryov left it alone: “Nozdryov had long ago stopped turning it, but there was one very lively pipe in the organ-organ, which did not want to calm down.”
Nozdryov’s dining room, at the time of Chichikov’s visit, was undergoing renovation work - two peasants were whitewashing it, standing on trestles: “In the middle of the dining room there were wooden trestles, and two men, standing on them, whitewashed the walls, singing some kind of endless song.”
Despite the renovation work, negligence in cleaning could be seen with the naked eye - crumbs and remnants of yesterday's food could be seen in the dining room: “There were traces of yesterday's lunch and dinner in the room; it seems that the floor brush was not touched at all. There were bread crumbs on the floor, and tobacco ash was even visible on the tablecloth.”
Judging by the way Nozdryov himself reacted to this state of affairs, it can be assumed that neither the crumbs, nor the food, nor the general garbage in his house bothered him, or rather, he did not notice them at all. He was extremely unpretentious in matters of home improvement.
Personality characteristics
First of all, what is striking in the image of Nozdryov is his desire to become “one of us” for a person. He quickly switches to “you” when communicating with a person, which especially unpleasantly impressed Chichikov, since, according to Pavel Ivanovich, such a transition was undeserved and went beyond the bounds of etiquette, but this does not bother Nozdryov. He often deviates from the norms of etiquette, and it is likely that he has never heard of some features and rules and does not even suspect not only that he is violating these rules, but also that such rules and norms exist at all. For example, his habits include talking very loudly and laughing. When Chichikov makes a deal with Nozdryov, he is surprised to discover how he loudly discusses the nuances of buying and selling, as if it were the most ordinary thing.
Perhaps such a cheeky tone is to some extent connected with his cheerful character and addiction to drinking. Nozdryov does not miss the opportunity to boast about what unusual wine he tried, and the champagne that is usually served in the governor’s house is just kvass in comparison.
Nozdryov loves revelry and all kinds of entertainment (in his understanding, one is inseparable from the first); he cannot imagine how one can live, depriving oneself of such good things and pleasant pastime. Nozdryov does not understand how some landowners can sit at home all the time - he cannot stay on his estate for more than one day - he is bored and does not know what to do with himself.
Nozdryov does not value his money. He despises misers who do not dare to spend an extra penny. It is likely that his attitude towards money was formed because Nozdryov himself works very little - only in cases where the business cannot advance without his intervention. He does not know the price that he has to pay for this or that entertainment - money comes to him easily and goes away just as easily.
Nozdryov's special passion was cards - he is a regular at the card table. However, playing honestly is not in the landowner’s rules - during the game he constantly cheats and deceives. Those around him have long known this attitude towards the card game, so they are always attentive to him while playing.
From time to time, Nozdryov was seen in machinations at the card table and was immediately subject to criticism and even beatings with hair being torn out, in particular his thick sideburns. This state of affairs does not bother Nozdryov - his sideburns grow quickly, and grievances are forgotten before the fight ends. A day later, Nozdryov is ready to sit down at the table to play cards along with the recent debaters, as if nothing had happened.
In general, Nozdryov is a bad and dishonest person. He often becomes the cause of troubles and problems in the lives of other people - Nozdryov can easily upset a wedding and cause the deal to be cancelled. The landowner never sees anything bad or bad in his actions. The reason for this is his addiction to fiction and gossip. Nozdryov often lies, even for the most innocuous reasons. “Nozdryov is a rubbish man, Nozdryov can lie, add more, spread God knows what, some other gossip will come out.”
Nozdryov has an explosive and unrestrained character - it costs him nothing to be rude to anyone or become a participant in a fight.
Thus, Nozdryov in Gogol’s story is shown as an ill-mannered person who does not know how to appreciate what he has. He is a bad owner, a bad father and a bad friend. Nozdryov gives preference not to his children, but to the dogs that he cares for and cherishes. Nozdryov is a constant participant in revelry, gossip and quarrels.
Characteristics of Nozdryov in the poem “Dead Souls”: description of appearance and character in quotes
4.3 (86.15%) 13 votesIn the image of Nozdryov, Gogol presents us with “a deceitful and impudent variety of vulgarity.” Origins this image go into the comedies of Aristophanes and Plautus, into Western European literature. However, there is a lot in this image that is purely Russian and national. A similar type was already noted by Pushkin in the novel “Eugene Onegin”.
My cousin, Buyanov,
In down, in a cap with a visor
(As you know him, of course)...
The main character traits of Nozdryov are arrogance, boasting, a tendency to rowdy, energy and unpredictability. Gogol notes that people of this type are always “talkers, revelers, reckless drivers”, in their faces you can always see “something open, direct, daring”, they are desperate players, lovers of taking a walk. They are sociable and unceremonious, “they will make friends, it seems, forever; but it almost always happens that the person who has made friends will fight with them that same evening at a friendly party.”
Revealing the image of Nozdryov, Gogol masterfully uses various artistic media. First of all, the portrait of the hero itself is expressive. “He was of average height, a very well-built fellow with full rosy cheeks, teeth as white as snow and jet-black sideburns. It was fresh, like blood and milk; health seemed to be dripping from his face.”
It is characteristic that Nozdryov has an attractive appearance, physical strength, he laughs “with that ringing laugh that only a fresh, healthy person bursts into.” Here the motif of Russian heroism appears in the poem. "Historical, folklore and literary tradition absorbed one of the leading motifs of “Dead Souls” - Russian heroism, which plays the role of a positive ideological pole in the poem,” wrote E. A. Smirnova. The portrait of the heroes “in the light of the motive of Russian physical heroism, both in its literal and travesty sense” was noted by V. A. Nedzvetsky.
And in Nozdryov’s depiction we observe a comic reduction of this motive. The contrast between his appearance and its internal appearance is enormous: the hero’s life is meaningless, the “exploits” of this “hero” do not go further than card cheating or a fight committed at a fair.
The very motive of “daring revelry”, “broad Russian soul”, present in Gogol throughout the entire narrative, is comically reduced in the image of Nozdryov. As a pre-revolutionary researcher notes, Nozdryov is only “the appearance of a broad nature. He can least of all claim to be recognized as a “broad person”: he is impudent, a drunkard, a liar, he is at the same time a coward and a completely insignificant person.”
The landscape that frames the episode of Chichikov’s visit to the landowner is also characteristic. “Nozdryov led his guests through a field, which in many places consisted of hummocks. The guests had to make their way between fallow fields and armored fields... In many places their feet squeezed out the water under them, the place was so low. At first they were careful and stepped carefully, but then, seeing that it was of no use, they walked straight, not distinguishing where the most and where the least dirt was.” This landscape speaks of the disturbed economy of the landowner and at the same time symbolizes Nozdryov’s carelessness.
Thus, the hero’s lifestyle is already devoid of any order. The landowner's economy fell into complete decline. There are empty stalls in his stable, a watermill without flutter, and the house is in disorder and neglect. And only his kennel is in good condition. “Among dogs, Nozdryov...is just like a father among a family,” notes Gogol. This comparison sets the theme of the hero’s “slander” in the story. As S. Shevyrev notes, Nozdryov “is very similar to a dog: for no reason at the same time he barks, nibbles, and caresses.”
The hero is prone to lies, deceit, and empty chatter. He can easily slander, slander a person, spread gossip about him, “a fable that is more stupid than it is difficult to invent.” It is characteristic that Nozdryov lies for no apparent reason, “out of love for art.” So, having come up with a story about the governor’s daughter, he continues to lie further, involving himself in this story. The reason for this is simple: Nozdryov understood that “he could have caused trouble in this way, but he could no longer hold his tongue. However, it was difficult, because such interesting details presented themselves, which could not be refused...”
The tendency to deceit and trickery manifests itself in him even during card game. That’s why the game often ends in a fight: “they beat him with their boots, or they gave him a hard time on his thick and very good sideburns...”
The character of the hero, his interests and lifestyle are reflected in the interior of his house. There are no books or papers in Nozdryov’s office, but there are sabers, guns, Turkish daggers and pipes of various kinds hanging - “wooden, clay, meerschaum, smoked and unsmoked, covered with suede and uncovered.” In this interior, one object is symbolic - a barrel organ, in which there is “one pipe, very lively, which did not want to calm down.” This expressive detail symbolizes the character of the hero, his restlessness, and irrepressible energy.
Nozdryov is unusually “active”, energetic, his nimbleness and liveliness of character push him to new and new “undertakings”. So, he loves to change: a gun, a dog, horses - everything instantly becomes an object of exchange. If he has money, then at the fair he immediately buys “all sorts of things”: clamps, smoking candles, raisins, tobacco, pistols, herrings, paintings, pots, etc. However, purchased items are rarely delivered to the house: on the same day he can lose everything.
Nozdryov is very consistent in his behavior during the purchase and sale of dead souls. He immediately tries to sell Chichikov a stallion, dogs, a barrel organ, then starts an exchange of chaises and a game of checkers. Noticing Nozdryov's trickery, Chichikov refuses to play. And then the “historical” man causes a scandal, a fight, and only the appearance of the police captain in the house saves Chichikov.
Nozdryov’s speech and manners are also characteristic. He talks loudly, emotionally, often screaming. His speech is very colorful and varied in composition.
In addition, it is worth noting the static nature of this image. Gogol gives the character of Nozdryov as already formed, ready-made; the background of this character is closed to the reader; throughout the narrative, no internal changes occur to the hero. However, as K. Aksakov notes, such “immobility” of the image is natural for an epic work.
Thus, the character created by Gogol - a braggart, a talker, a reckless driver, a reveler, a gambler, a rowdy and argumentative person, a lover of drinking and making up something - is colorful and easily recognizable. The hero is typical, and at the same time, thanks to a number of details, special little things, the writer was able to emphasize his individuality.