We meet Korobochka in the 3rd chapter of Gogol’s novel-poem “ Dead Souls" She is the second person Chichikov pays a visit to. In fact, Chichikov stopped by her estate by accident - the coachman got drunk, “played around,” as the author himself characterizes this event, and lost his way. Therefore, instead of Sobakevich, the main character meets the landowner Korobochka.
Let's look at the image of the Box in detail
She is a woman of respectable years, a widow, and a former “college secretary.” She lives alone on her estate and is completely absorbed in running the household. Most likely, she does not have her own children, since Gogol, in his description of the character, mentions that all her “trash” accumulated during her life will go to some great-niece.
It looks old-fashioned and a little ridiculous, “wearing a cap,” “flannel,” “something tied around the neck.”
Korobochka, unlike Manilov, successfully runs the farm herself. Through the eyes of Chichikov we see that the houses in her village are strong, the serf men are “hefty” (strong), there are many guard dogs, which indicates that this is a “decent village”. The yard is full of poultry, and behind the fence there are vegetable gardens - cabbage, beets, onions, potatoes. There are also fruit trees, carefully covered with nets from voracious magpies and sparrows. Stuffed animals were also installed for the same purpose. Gogol ironically notes that one of the stuffed animals was wearing the cap of the owner herself.
The peasants' houses were maintained and updated - Chichikov saw new planks on the roofs, gates stood straight everywhere, and there were carts in some courtyards. That is, the owner's care is visible everywhere. In total, Korobochka has 80 serfs, 18 died, which the owner greatly laments - they were good workers.
Korobochka does not allow the serfs to be lazy - Chichikov’s feather bed was expertly fluffed, in the morning, when he returns to the living room where he spent the night, everything is already tidied up; the table is full of baked goods.
The fact that the landowner has order all around and everything is under her personal control, we see from the dialogue about the purchase dead souls– she remembers all the dead peasants by first and last names, she doesn’t even keep any records.
Despite the fact that Korobochka loves to complain about how bad things are, her estate also had surpluses that were sold to merchants and resellers. From the dialogue with Chichikov, we learn that the landowner sells honey, hemp, feathers, meat, flour, cereals, and lard. She knows how to bargain, sells a pound of honey at a very high price, as much as 12 rubles, which Chichikov is very surprised by.
Nastasya Petrovna is thrifty and even a little stingy. Despite the fact that things are going well at the estate, the furnishings in the house are very modest, the wallpaper is old, the clock is creaky. Despite polite treatment and hospitality, Korobochka did not offer the guest dinner, citing the late hour. And in the morning he offers Chichikov only tea, albeit with fruit infusion. Only after feeling the benefit - when Chichikov promised to buy from her " household products“- Korobochka decided to appease him and ordered him to bake a pie and pancakes. She also set the table with various pastries.
Gogol writes that her “dress will not burn and will not fray on its own.” Complaining about poverty and crop failures, she nevertheless puts money in “motley bags”, which she stuffs into dresser drawers. All coins are carefully sorted - “rules, fifty rubles, devils” are laid out separately in bags. The old landowner tries to find benefit in everything - noticing Chichikov’s stamped paper, she asks him to “give him a piece of paper.”
The box is pious and superstitious. During a thunderstorm, he puts a candle in front of the icon and prays; gets scared when Chichikov mentions the devil in conversation.
She is not very smart and a little suspicious, she is very afraid of making a mistake and selling herself short. She doubts the deal with Chichikov and does not want to sell him dead souls, even though she has to pay for them as if they were alive. Naively thinks that other merchants can come and offer more favorable price. This deal completely exhausted Chichikov, and during the negotiations he calls Korobochka mentally and out loud “strong-headed”, “club-headed”, “mongrel in the manger” and “damned old woman”.
The image of Korobochka is interesting because it is a fairly common type in Russia during the time of Gogol. Its main features—stubbornness, stupidity, and narrow-mindedness—were inherent in real personalities– some officials and civil servants. The author writes about such people that you seem to see a respectable and statesmanlike person, but in reality it turns out to be a “perfect Korobochka.” Arguments and arguments bounce off them like a rubber ball.
The description of the landowner ends with a reflection on the topic: is it possible to believe that Korobochka stands at the very bottom of the “ladder of human improvement”? Gogol compares her to an aristocratic sister living in a rich and elegant house, who reads books, attends social events, and her thoughts are occupied by “fashionable Catholicism” and political upheavals in France, and not by economic affairs. The author does not give a specific answer to this question; the reader must answer it himself.
Let us summarize the main characteristics of the image of the Box
Economic
Has business acumen
Practical
Lean
Petty
Hypocritical
Suspicious
Limited
Only cares about his own benefit
Obsessed with hoarding
Religious, but without real spirituality
Superstitious
The symbolism of the landowner's surname
Symbolism is an important artistic tool in the hands of a writer. In Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" all the names of the landowners are symbolic. Our heroine is no exception. Korobochka is a diminutive derivative of the word “box”, that is, an inanimate object. Likewise, in the image of Korobochka there are few living features; she is turned to the past, there is no real life, development – personal, spiritual. A real "dead soul".
People store various things in the box - and Korobochka is absorbed in hoarding solely for the sake of money itself, she does not have any global goal on what this money can be spent on. She just puts them in bags.
Well, the walls of the box are solid, just like Korobochka’s mind. She is stupid and limited.
As for the diminutive suffix, the author may have wanted to show the character’s harmlessness and some comedy.
"DEAD SOULS"
"Dead Souls" is a gallery of
cooling, aging, losing
vital juices of souls.
Yu.M. Lotman
DURING THE CLASSES
I. The teacher's word.
We begin our acquaintance with the heroes of the poem by comparing the different points of view of our famous writers, literary critics, author.
For Vasily Vasilyevich Rozanov (writer, philosopher, publicist of the late 19th - early 20th centuries), all the heroes of the poem are dead, “dolls, pitiful and funny,” the fruit of “great, but empty and meaningless skill,” the author seemed to him “the bishop of carrion,” an evil genius, almost the Antichrist.
V.V. Nabokov saw in the foreground characters grouped around Chichikov, subhumans, the product of the otherworldly, devilish world. In Chichikov himself, he agrees to see partly a person, albeit a fool. He explains this by saying that “it was stupid to trade dead souls with an old woman who was afraid of ghosts, and it was unforgivable recklessness to offer such a dubious deal to the braggart and boor Nozdryov.” Nabokov further calls Chichikov “a low-paid agent of the devil,” because the vulgarity that the hero personifies is a property of the devil.
Nevertheless, the writer did not want to create caricatures and monsters; he created people who were not vile at all.
Let us remember that when Gogol read excerpts of the poem to Pushkin, the poet said: “God, how sad our Russia is!” And this amazed Gogol: “From then on, I began to think only about how to soften the painful impression that Dead Souls could make.”
Gogol created “standard models” in Dead Souls different options coarsening, vulgarization of the human soul.
Whose point of view is closest to you? To resolve this issue, we continue to work in groups.
II. Conversation with students using card 46. Image of Manilov.
Teacher's word
There is always irony in Gogol's satire. On the one hand, he used this method in censored conditions, on the other hand, satirical irony helped expose the objective contradictions of reality. Gogol believed that irony is generally characteristic of Russian thinking. At the same time, I think this method helped the writer to show all the complexity of man and the ambiguity author's attitude to him. Comparing Manilov with the minister suggests that the minister is not so different from him and Manilovism is a typical phenomenon in society. At the same time, let’s not forget Gogol’s words about heroes: “My heroes are not villains...”
Manilov, although he does not monitor the economy, but “reflects and thinks”, creates projects for human well-being, theoretically making sure that Russia does not suffer any damage, but prospers.
III. Conversation with students using card 47 Image of the Box.
Teacher's word
And in this chapter of the poem the author’s voice was heard again: “... he is a different and respectable, and even a statesman, person, but in reality he turns out to be a perfect Box.” As in the case of Manilov, Gogol directs the edge of his satire to the very top of the social pyramid of the landowner-bureaucratic society.
Moreover, Gogol compares Korobochka with the St. Petersburg ladies, owners of disorganized estates, and concludes that the “gap” between them is small, that the real “ dead souls» are representatives high society, cut off from the people.
IV. Conversation with students using card 48. Image of Nozdryov.
V. Conversation with students using card 49. Image of Sobakevich.
Teacher's word
(After discussing the fourth question.)
IN creative world Gogol, things begin to play an active role, helping to more clearly reveal the character traits of the characters. Things seem to become doubles of their owners and a tool for their satirical denunciation.
Details of the material world characterize Gogol’s landowners: (Manilova is the famous gazebo, “Temple of Solitary Reflection”, Nozdreva is the immortal organ-organ, the playing of which suddenly stops and begins to sound either a waltz or the song “Malbrug went on a hike”, And now the organ-organ has ceased to sound , and one lively pipe in it just doesn’t want to calm down and continues to whistle for a long time. This is where Nozdryov’s whole character is captured - he himself is like a spoiled barrel organ: restless, mischievous, violent, absurd, ready at any moment to do something for no reason. unexpected and inexplicable.
Conclusion: spiritual world Gogol's heroes are so petty and insignificant that the thing can fully express their inner essence.
Things grew most closely with their owner in Sobakevich’s house.
VI. Checking an individual assignment - a message on the topic “Why does Sobakevich praise dead peasants?” (on card 51).
VII. Conversation with students using card 50. Image of Plyushkin.
Teacher's word
Reading Chapter VI, one cannot help but pay attention to its lyrical tone. It begins with a lyrical digression about youth, the main feature of which is curiosity; maturity and old age bring indifference to a person. The author’s voice also breaks through in the story about Plyushkin, for example: “And a person could condescend to such insignificance, pettiness, disgusting!..”, and this exclamation ends with a fiery appeal to young people: “Take with you on the journey... all human traffic, don’t leave them on the road, don’t pick them up later..."
VIII. Summing up the lessons. Collective discussion of the problem of lessons.
1. What unites the heroes of the chapters about landowners? (Each of the heroes is individual, each has some kind of “devilish” energy, because everything around them takes on their features: around Nozdryov it smells like a tavern, a scandal, in Sobakevich every thing says: “... and I, too, Sobakevich!” Around Manilov even the landscape and weather have some kind of grayish uncertainty. The same can be said about Korobochka and Plyushkin.
The story is narrated by Chichikov. It connects together all events and human destinies. Each chapter expands our understanding of Chichikov.)
2. Why does Gogol build chapters II-VI approximately according to the same plan (the surroundings of the estate and the estate itself, the interior of the house, a description of the hero’s appearance, a meeting between the owner and the guest, a conversation about acquaintances, dinner, a scene of the sale and purchase of dead souls)? What do you see as the point of constructing chapters this way? (The repeating plan of the chapters creates a feeling of the same type of phenomena depicted. In addition, the description is constructed in such a way that it allows you to characterize the personalities of the landowners.)
IX. Homework.
1. Reading chapters I, VII, VIII, IX, X.
2. Individual tasks - prepare messages on the topics: “What does the story of Captain Kopeikin have to do with the action of the poem?” and “What prompted Gogol’s plot, The Tale of Captain Kopeikin?” (according to cards 52, 53).
Card 52
What told Gogol the plot of “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin?” 1
It is possible that the idea of writing “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” was suggested to Gogol folk songs about the robber Kopeikin, dying in a foreign country. Here is an abbreviation of one of the songs recorded in the city of Syzran in the former Simbirsk province:
The thief Kopeikin is getting ready
At the glorious mouth of Karastan.
The thief Kopeikin went to bed in the evening,
By midnight the thief Kopeikin got up...
On the eastern side I prayed to God:
Get up, dear brothers!
Brothers, I had a bad dream:
As if I good fellow, I walk on the edge of the sea,
I stumbled with my right foot,
I grabbed onto a strong tree...
But the fierce snake here hissed,
A lead bullet flew past.
This text, along with other songs about Kopeikin, was published after Gogol’s death by folklorist P. Bezsonov.
By making the reader laugh, Gogol deprived the royal institutions and establishments of the priesthood. The question arises: could anything like this be in the thoughts of the postmaster, the narrator of the story? But that’s the point: his tongue-tied manner of narration is so naive, so sincere that admiration in it is indistinguishable from evil mockery. And if so, then this manner is capable of conveying the caustic mockery of the author of “Dead Souls” himself.
The narrator, for example, admires the doorknob in the nobleman’s house: “... so you need, you know, to run ahead to a small shop, buy soap for a penny, and first rub your hands with it for two hours, and then decide to grab hold of it.” Who knows: maybe the postmaster really thinks so. Isn’t veneration, reverence and awe for superiors in his character? But all this is expressed so clumsily - naively and tongue-tiedly, that we have the right to suspect mockery in these words.
LESSON 75
PROVINCIAL CITY IN THE POEM “DEAD SOULS”.
CHAPTER ANALYSISI,
VII,VIII, IX, X
Gogol lifted one side of the curtain and
He showed us Russian bureaucracy in everything
its ugliness...
A.I. Herzen
DURING THE CLASSES
I. Teacher's lecture with elements of conversation, which is accompanied by a commented reading of the text of the poem.
Throughout the entire poem, the theme of serfdom is inextricably intertwined with the theme of bureaucracy and police brutality. Landowners and officials are inseparable from each other in the overall picture of Dead Souls.
The Inspector General was also dedicated to the depiction of bureaucracy, but there the reader was presented with county town– a small value of Russian reality. In “Dead Souls” the author increased the scale of the image of the bureaucratic world.
1. Let us remember how the provincial city appeared in Chapter I. Let's answer the question: how do Chichikov and the author feel about the city? (After taking a room at the hotel, having lunch and resting, Chichikov went to see the city. He was pleased with the results of the inspection, “he found that the city was in no way inferior to other provincial cities” - an important remark that allows us to talk about the typicality of what is depicted.
So, Chichikov is pleased with his tour of the city, his attitude towards everything is condescending and friendly. The author treats everything ironically.)
2. How does irony manifest itself? (The basis of irony is the discrepancy between the object itself and what is said about it. Let us give examples: “a quiet room with cockroaches”, comparing them with prunes (what kind of peace is there?); a smoked chandelier with many pieces of glass; a tray with cups "sit" like birds on seashore(the romantic comparison makes me laugh). The sublimity of the description enhances the author's irony.
In Chapter I it is drawn big picture, but some of its details are very expressive: these are strange signs (the inscription “Foreigner Vasily Fedorov”), these are poor pavements, and the watery city garden, which was written about in the newspapers. And all these descriptions are permeated with Gogolian irony.
And one more important detail: the first person Chichikov met was not called by Gogol by name, he did not utter a word, he just looked at our hero’s chaise and wandered off on his way. But his character, emptiness and vulgarity are before us. He's peculiar business card cities.)
After five chapters about landowners, we and the hero return to the city again.
Chichikov is pleased - the box contains lists of acquired souls, all that remains is to complete the deed of sale and sneak out of the city.
3. How do officials appear in Gogol’s portrayal in the text of Chapter VII? What is the meaning of the comparisons: “the chairman... like the ancient Zeus of Homer...”, officials are likened to the “priests of Themis”, the collegiate registrar “served... as Virgil once served Dante...”? (The first comic comparison emphasizes the power of the chairman in his institution. The comic nature of the comparison is enhanced by the unexpected inclusion of the archaic word “abuse”, which was used to mean battle, battle, and then received a new meaning - swearing.
The name of corrupt, dishonest bribe-taking officials by the priests of Themis (Themis - in Greek mythology the goddess of justice, fairness and assistance to the oppressed, was depicted as a woman with a sword in one hand and scales in the other hand and blindfolded as a symbol of impartiality), that is, the servants of justice, was a clear mockery of the court and other institutions of that time.
The meaning of the third comparison with heroes " Divine Comedy"Dante is not comparing the Roman poet Virgil with the officials of the civil chamber. The point is that the official led “our friends” into the presence room, the center of the institution. Virgil led Dante through the terrible circles of mythical hell, and the “college registrar” - through the circles of bureaucratic hell. The Civil Chamber thus turns into a veritable hell, where Russian people, subjects of the police state, are tormented.
Let us pay attention to one more detail: in the presence hall, where court cases were heard, even by decree of Peter the Great there should have been a triangular mirror (mirror) with an eagle and three decrees on the procedure of legal proceedings. A mirror is a symbol of the reflection of truth. Here Sobakevich sits at the mirror and at the same time lies to the chairman that he sold Chichikov not dead, but living peasants.)
4. What techniques for creating a comic effect do we find in the description of the world of officials? (Reading from the words: “Our heroes saw... even some kind of light gray jacket, which... smartly wrote out... some kind of protocol..."
Here we observe a technique often used by Gogol - likening living things to non-living things.)
5. How do officials feel about the service? (First of all, we see that officials lead an idle and careless lifestyle. When witnesses were needed to draw up a deed of sale, Sobakevich advised sending for the prosecutor (“he is an idle man”) and the inspector of the medical board (“he is also an idle man”). About other officials it is said that “they all burden the earth for nothing.” Their activities are called playing cards, bribery.
The character of the characters is drawn with strokes, but very convincing. (A bribe to Ivan Antonovich-Pitcher Snout, for example: “Chichikov, taking a piece of paper out of his pocket, put it in front of Ivan Antonovich, which he did not notice at all and immediately covered it with a book. Chichikov wanted to point it out to him, but Ivan Antonovich with a movement of his head let him know, what doesn't need to be shown.")
Next, a monstrous picture of government robbery is revealed: “the chairman gave the order to take only half from the duty money from him (Chichikov), and the other, unknown in some way, was assigned to the account of some other petitioner.”
It is said about the police chief (policemaster, or mayor - chief of police, official in charge of the city police department) that he is a “miracle worker” because “as soon as he blinks, passing by a fish row or a cellar ... so we, you know, how Let's have a bite.")
6. Reading the text from the words: “The guests finally arrived in a crowd at the police chief’s house...”
Alexey Ivanovich (Gogol did not give a surname to his mayor) “acted smartly, charmed the merchants with supposedly friendly treatment, using their various “enthusiasm”: love for trotters, for playing uphill. “He comprehended his position perfectly,” Gogol ironically praises him. He “managed to acquire a perfect nationality” among the merchants who did not protest against his extortions.
b) How does he differ from landowners?
c) What is your assessment of the hero?
3. Individual task- prepare a message on the topic “The Image of Chichikov” (on card 54).
1) in bast shoes 2) in boots 3) in boots 4) in slippers
What did Plyushkin want to treat Chichikov to?
1) Tea with crackers 2) flatbread with lamb side 3) pancakes 4) pies with cabbage
Does Plyushkin know the exact number of dead peasants?
1) no, that’s why I sent for the clerk 3) yes, but I remembered for a long time and painfully
2) everything is included in a special piece of paper
How many dead souls has Plyushkin counted since the last audit?
1) 80 2) 120 3) 200 4) 50
How many dead souls and runaway peasants did Chichikov acquire from Plyushkin?
1) 120 2) 700 3) 200 4) 50
What did Plyushkin decide to give Chichikov when he was left alone?
1) dead souls 2) watches 3) runaway peasants 4) biscuit
In what mood did Chichikov leave Plyushkin’s estate?
1) in the most cheerful mood 2) angry with Plyushkin’s stinginess 3) upset by the degradation of man
Where did Chichikov go after saying goodbye to Plyushkin?
1) to the hotel 2) to Sobakevich 3) to Nozdryov 4) to the governor
To lesson 67
N.V. GOGOL “DEAD SOULS”
Option 1 (group 1)
- Everything is God’s will, mother! - said Chichikov, sighing, - nothing can be said against the wisdom of God... Give them up to me, Nastasya Petrovna?
- Who, father?
- Yes, these are all the ones who died.
- How can we give them up?
- It's that simple. Or perhaps sell it. I'll give you money for them.
- How so? I really can't understand it. Do you really want to dig them out of the ground?
Chichikov saw that the old woman had gone far enough and that she needed to explain what was going on. In a few words, he explained to her that the transfer or purchase would only appear on paper and the souls would be registered as if they were alive.
- What do you need them for? - said the old woman, widening her eyes at him.
- That's my business.
- But they’re dead.
- Who says they are alive? That is why it is at your loss that they are dead: you pay for them, and now I will spare you the hassle and payment. Do you understand? Not only will I deliver you, but on top of that I will give you fifteen rubles. Well, is it clear now?
“Really, I don’t know,” the hostess said deliberately. - After all, I have never sold dead people before.
- Still would! It would be more like a miracle if you sold them to someone. Or do you think they actually have any use?
- No, I don’t think so. What's the use of them, there's no use at all. The only thing that bothers me is that they are already dead.
“Well, the woman seems to be strong-minded!” - Chichikov thought to himself.
- Listen, mother. Yes, just think carefully: - after all, you are going broke, you are paying taxes for him as if he were alive...
- Oh, my father, don’t talk about it! - the landowner picked up. - Another third week I contributed more than one and a half hundred. Yes, she buttered up the assessor.
- Well, you see, mother. Now just take into account that you no longer need to butter up the assessor, because now I’m paying for them; I, not you; I accept all responsibilities. I will even make a fortress with my own money, do you understand that?
The old woman thought about it. She saw that the business certainly seemed to be profitable, but it was just too new and unprecedented; and therefore she began to be very afraid that this buyer would somehow cheat her; He came from God knows where, and at night too.
- So, mother, deal with each other, or what? - said Chichikov.
“Really, my father, it has never happened before that dead people have been sold to me.” I gave up the living ones, so I gave two girls to the archpriest for a hundred rubles each, and I thanked them very much, they turned out to be such nice workers: they weave napkins themselves.
- Well, it’s not about the living; God be with them. I ask the dead.
- Really, I’m afraid at first, lest I somehow incur a loss. Maybe you, my father, are deceiving me, but they... they are somehow worth more.
- Listen, mother... oh, what are you like! what can they cost? Consider: this is dust. Do you understand? it's just dust. You take any worthless, last thing, for example, even a simple rag, and the rag has a price: at least they will buy it for a paper factory, but this is not needed for anything. Well, tell me yourself, what is it for?
- This is definitely true. There’s absolutely no need for anything; But the only thing stopping me is that they are already dead.
“Oh, what a club-head! - Chichikov said to himself. already. starting to lose patience. - Go and have fun with her! she broke into a sweat, the damned old woman!” Here he, taking a handkerchief out of his pocket, began to wipe away the sweat that had actually appeared on his forehead. However, Chichikov was angry in vain: he is a respectable man, and even a statesman, but in reality he turns out to be a perfect Korobochka. Once you have hacked something into your head, nothing can overpower it; No matter how much you present him with arguments, clear as day, everything bounces off him, like a rubber ball bounces off a wall. Having wiped off his sweat, Chichikov decided to try to see if it was possible to lead her on the path in some other way.
(N.V. Gogol “Dead Souls”)
When completing tasks 1.1.1-1.1.3, give a detailed, coherent answer to each question (approximate volume - 3-5 sentences). Argument your point of view using the given fragment (referring to other episodes of the work is allowed). Rely on the author’s position, use the necessary theoretical and literary concepts, and reveal your own vision of the problem.
1.1.1. What are the reasons for the difficulties experienced by Chichikov when concluding a deal with Korobochka?
1.1.2. What is the point of comparing Korobochka with a “statesman”?
1.1.3. What place is given to Korobochka in the system of images of N.V.’s poem? Gogol's "Dead Souls"?
When completing tasks 1.1.4, give a detailed, coherent answer (approximate volume - 5-8 sentences). Find the basis for comparing the presented texts and compare them from the chosen perspective, providing evidence and formulating well-founded conclusions (referring to other episodes of the works is allowed). Rely on the author’s position, use the necessary theoretical and literary concepts, and reveal your own vision of the problem.
1.1.4. Compare the dialogue between Chichikov and Korobochka from the given fragment of the poem - N.V. Gogol’s “Dead Souls” with a fragment of the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "Hero of Our Time". What conclusions did this comparison lead you to?
“If I had a herd of a thousand mares,” said Azamat, “I would give you everything for your Karagez.”
“Yok, I don’t want to,” Kazbich answered indifferently.
“Listen, Kazbich,” Azamat said, caressing him, “you a kind person, you are a brave horseman, and my father is afraid of the Russians and does not let me into the mountains; give me your horse, and I will do everything you want, I will steal for you from your father his best rifle or saber, whatever you want - and his saber is a real gourde: put the blade to your hand, it will stick into your body; and chain mail is like yours, it doesn’t matter.
Kazbich was silent.
“The first time I saw your horse,” continued Azamat, when he was spinning and jumping under you, flaring his nostrils, and flints flew in splashes from under his hooves, something incomprehensible happened in my soul, and since then everything I was disgusted: I looked at my father’s best horses with contempt, I was ashamed to appear on them, and melancholy took possession of me; and, yearning, I sat on the cliff for whole days, and every minute your black horse with its slender gait, with its smooth, straight, like an arrow, ridge appeared in my thoughts; he looked into my eyes with his lively eyes, as if he wanted to say a word. I will die, Kazbich, if you don’t sell it to me! - Azamat said in a trembling voice.
I thought he began to cry: but I must tell you that Azamat was a stubborn boy, and nothing could make him cry, even when he was younger.
In response to his tears, something like laughter was heard.
- Listen! - Azamat said in a firm voice, - you see, I decide on everything. Do you want me to steal my sister for you? How she dances! how he sings! and he embroiders with gold - a miracle! The Turkish padishah never had such a wife... If you want, wait for me tomorrow night in the gorge where the stream runs: I will go with her past to the neighboring village - and she is yours. Isn't Bela worth your steed?
For a long, long time Kazbich was silent; Finally, instead of answering, he began to sing an old song in a low voice:
There are many beauties in our villages, The stars shine in the darkness of their eyes. It is sweet to love them, an enviable lot; But valiant will is more fun. Gold will buy four wives, but a dashing horse has no price: He will not lag behind a whirlwind in the steppe, He will not betray, he will not deceive.
In vain Azamat begged him to agree, and cried, and flattered him, and swore; Finally Kazbich impatiently interrupted him:
- Go away, crazy boy! Where should you ride my horse? In the first three steps he will throw you off, and you will smash the back of your head on the rocks.(M.Yu. Lermontov “Hero of Our Time”)
Option 2 (group 1)
Read the text fragment below and complete tasks 1.1.1-1.1.4.
Chichikov looked very carefully at the young stranger. He tried to talk to her several times, but somehow he didn’t have to. Meanwhile, the ladies left, the pretty head with delicate features and a thin figure disappeared, like something similar to a vision, and again what was left was the road, the chaise, the three horses familiar to the reader, Selifan, Chichikov, the smooth surface and emptiness of the surrounding fields. Wherever in life, whether among the callous, rough-and-poor and unkempt and moldy low-lying ranks of it, or among the monotonously cold and boringly neat upper classes, everywhere at least once a person will encounter on his way a phenomenon that is not similar to all that what he had seen before, which at least once would awaken in him a feeling different from those that he was destined to feel all his life. Everywhere, across whatever sorrows from which our lives are weaved, shining joy will rush merrily, as sometimes a brilliant carriage with golden harness, picture horses and the sparkling shine of glass will suddenly suddenly rush past some stalled poor village that has seen nothing but a rural cart, and the men stood there for a long time, yawning, with their mouths open, without putting on their hats, although the marvelous carriage had long since sped away and disappeared from sight. So the blonde, too, suddenly appeared in our story in a completely unexpected way and disappeared in the same way. If at that time, instead of Chichikov, some twenty-year-old youth had come across, whether he was a hussar, a student, or simply someone who had just begun a career in life, and God! whatever would wake up, move, speak within him! For a long time he would stand senseless in one place, mindlessly gazing into the distance, forgetting the road, and all the reprimands awaiting ahead, and scoldings for delay, forgetting himself, and the service, and the world, and everything that is in the world.
But our hero was already middle-aged and of a cautiously cool character. He also became thoughtful and thought, but his thoughts were more positive, less unaccountable, and even partly very grounded. “Nice grandma!” he said, opening the snuffbox and sniffing the tobacco. “But what, most importantly, is good about it? The good thing is that she has just now, apparently, been released from some boarding school or institute; that, as they say, there is nothing feminine about her yet, that is, precisely what they have that is most unpleasant. She is like a child now, everything about her is simple: she will say whatever she wants, laugh wherever she wants to laugh. Anything can be made of it, it can be a miracle, or it can turn out to be rubbish, and it will turn out to be rubbish! Just let the mothers and aunties take care of her now. One year it will be so filled with all sorts of women’s things that he himself biological father won't know. Where does the pout and stiffness come from? will begin to toss and turn according to the established instructions, will begin to rack his brains and figure out with whom, and how, and how much to speak, how to look at whom; he will be afraid at every moment, so as not to say more than necessary; she will finally get confused herself, and will end up lying all her life, and what will come out is simply God knows what!” Here he was silent for a while and then added: “Wouldn’t it be interesting to know whose it is? what, how is her father? Is he a rich landowner of respectable character or simply a well-meaning person with capital acquired in the service? After all, if, let’s say, this girl was given a dowry of two thousand thousand, she could make a very, very tasty morsel. This could constitute, so to speak, the happiness of a decent person.” Two hundred thousand rubles began to appear so attractively in his head that he inwardly began to be annoyed with himself, why, while continuing to fuss around the carriages, he did not find out from the postilion or coachman who the travelers were. Soon, however, the appearance of Sobakevich's village dispelled his thoughts and forced them to turn to their constant subject.
(N.V. Gogol “Dead Souls”)
To complete tasks 1.1.1-1.1.3, first write down the task number, and then give a detailed, coherent answer to each question (approximate volume - 3-5 sentences). Argument your point of view using the given fragment (referring to other episodes of the work is allowed). Rely on the author’s position, use the necessary theoretical and literary concepts, and reveal your own vision of the problem.
1.1.1. What is the role in the given fragment of the poem by N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls" plays an antithesis technique?
1.1.2. Why is Chichikov’s character called “cautiously chilled”?
1.1.3. What are the fundamental differences in the views on life of the author and his hero?
To complete task 1.1.4, first write down the task number, and then give a detailed, coherent answer (approximate volume - 5-8 sentences). Find the basis for comparing the presented texts and compare them from the chosen perspective, providing evidence and formulating well-founded conclusions (referring to other episodes of the works is allowed). Rely on the author’s position, use the necessary theoretical and literary concepts, and reveal your own vision of the problem.
1.1.4 . Compare the fragment in question from N.V.’s poem. Gogol’s “Dead Souls” with the scene below from the comedy by D.I. Fonvizin "Undergrowth". What conclusions did this comparison lead you to?
Skotinin. Why can't I see my bride? Where is she? There will be an agreement in the evening, so isn’t it time to tell her that they are marrying her off?
Mrs. Prostakova. We'll make it, brother. If we tell her this ahead of time, she may still think that we are reporting to her. Although by marriage, however, I am related to her; and I love that strangers listen to me.
Prostakov(Skotinin). To tell the truth, we treated Sophia as if she were an orphan. After her father she remained a baby. About six months ago, her mother, and my in-law, had a stroke...
Ms. Prostakova(shows as if he is baptizing his heart). The power of the god is with us.
Prostakov. From which she went to the next world. Her uncle, Mr. Starodum, went to Siberia; and since there has been no rumor or news of him for several years now, we consider him dead. We, seeing that she was left alone, took her to our village and look after her estate as if it were our own.
Ms. Prostakova. Why are you so spoiled today, my father? My brother might also think that we took her in for fun.
Prostakov. Well, mother, how should he think about this? After all, we can’t move Sofyushkino’s real estate estate to ourselves.
Skotinin. And although the movable has been put forward, I am not a petitioner. I don’t like to bother, and I’m afraid. No matter how much my neighbors offended me, no matter how much loss they caused, I did not attack anyone, and any loss, rather than going after it, I would rip off from my own peasants, and the ends would go to waste.
Prostakov. It’s true, brother: the whole neighborhood says that you are a master at collecting rent.
G Ms. Prostakova. If only you could teach us, brother father; but we just can’t do it. Since we took away everything the peasants had, we can’t take anything back. Such a disaster!
Skotinin. Please, sister, I will teach you, I will teach you, just marry me to Sophia.
Mrs. Prostakova. Did you really like this girl that much? Skotinin. No, it's not the girl I like.
Prostakov. So next door to her village?
Skotinin. And not the villages, but the fact that it is found in the villages and what my mortal desire is.
Ms. Prostakova. Until what, brother?
Skotinin. I love pigs, sister, and in our neighborhood there are such large pigs that there is not a single one of them that, standing on its hind legs, would not be taller than each of us by a whole head. (D.I. Fonvizin “Minor”)
Option 3 (group 1)
Part 1
Read the text fragment below and complete tasks 1.1.1-1.1.5.
A rather beautiful little spring chaise, in which bachelors travel: retired lieutenant colonels, staff captains, landowners with about a hundred peasant souls - in a word, all those who are called middle-class gentlemen, drove into the gates of the hotel in the provincial town of NN. 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 too young. His entry made absolutely no noise in the city and was not accompanied by anything special; only two Russian peasants, standing at the door of the tavern opposite the hotel, made some comments, which, however, related more to the carriage than to those sitting in it. “Look,” one said to the other, “what a wheel! What do you think, if that wheel happened, would it get to Moscow or not?” “It will get there,” answered the other. “But I don’t think he’ll get to Kazan?” “He won’t make it to Kazan,” answered the other. That’s how the conversation ended. Moreover, when the chaise pulled up to the hotel, he met a young man in white rosin trousers, very narrow and short, in a tailcoat with attempts at fashion, from under which a shirtfront was visible, fastened with a Tula pin with a bronze pistol. The young man turned back, looked at the carriage, held his cap with his hand, which was almost blown off by the wind, and went his way.
When the carriage entered the yard, the gentleman was greeted by the tavern servant, or sex worker, as they are called in Russian taverns, lively and fidgety to such an extent that it was impossible to even see what kind of face he had. He ran out quickly, with a napkin in his hand, all long and in a long jean coat with the back almost at the very back of his head, tossed his hair and quickly led the gentleman up the entire wooden gallery to show the peace bestowed upon him by God. The peace was of a certain kind, for the hotel was also of a certain kind, that is, exactly the same as there are hotels in provincial towns, where for two rubles a day travelers get a quiet room with cockroaches peeking out like prunes from all corners, and a door to the next one. a room always filled with a chest of drawers, where a neighbor settles down, a silent and calm person, but extremely curious, interested in knowing about all the details of the person passing by. The outer facade of the hotel corresponded to its interior: it was very long, two floors; the lower one was not polished and remained in dark red bricks, darkened even more by the wild weather changes and rather dirty in themselves; the top one was painted with eternal yellow paint; below there were benches with clamps, ropes and steering wheels. In the corner of these shops, or, better yet, in the window, there was a whipper with a samovar made of red copper and a face as red as the samovar, so that from a distance one would think that there were two samovars standing on the window, if one samovar was not with pitch black beard.
While the visiting gentleman was looking around his room, his belongings were brought in: first of all, a suitcase made of white leather, somewhat worn, showing that he was not on the road for the first time. The suitcase was brought in by the coachman Selifan, a short man in a sheepskin coat, and the footman Petrushka, a fellow of about thirty, in a spacious second-hand frock coat, as seen from the master's shoulder, a little stern in appearance, with very large lips and nose. Following the suitcase was a small mahogany casket with individual displays made of Karelian birch, shoe lasts and a fried chicken wrapped in blue paper. When all this was brought in, the coachman Selifan went to the stable to tinker with the horses, and the footman Petrushka began to settle down in the small front, very dark kennel, where he had already managed to drag his overcoat and with it some kind of his own smell, which was communicated to the one brought followed by a bag of various servants' toiletries. In this kennel he fitted a narrow three-legged bed to the wall, covering it with a small semblance of a mattress, dead and flat as a pancake, and perhaps as oily as the pancake that he managed to demand from the innkeeper. N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls"
To complete tasks 1.1.1-1.1.4, first write down the task number, and then give a detailed, coherent answer to each question (approximately 3-5 sentences), arguing your point of view, based on the text of the work.
1.1.1 . Why does the city Chichikov comes to have no name?
1.1.2. How does the portrait presented in the fragment characterize the hero?
1.1.3. What is the role of comparisons in this passage?
To complete task 1.1.5, first write down the task number, and then give a detailed, coherent answer (approximately 5-8 sentences), arguing your point of view, relying on a literary text and referring (from memory) to other works
1.1.5. Compare the above fragment with an episode from A.P. Chekhov’s story “Chameleon”. What conclusions did this comparison lead you to?
Police warden Ochumelov walks through the market square in a new overcoat and with a bundle in his hand. A red-haired policeman walks behind him with a sieve filled to the brim with confiscated gooseberries. There is silence all around... Not a soul in the square... The open doors of shops and taverns look sadly into the light of God, like hungry mouths; There are not even beggars around them.
So do you bite, you damned one? - Ochumelov suddenly hears. - Guys, don't let her in! Today it is forbidden to bite! Hold it! Ah...ah!
A dog squeal is heard. Ochumelov looks to the side and sees: a dog is running from the wood warehouse of the merchant Pichugin, jumping on three legs and looking around. A man in a starched cotton shirt and an unbuttoned vest is chasing after her. He runs after her and, leaning his body forward, falls to the ground and grabs the dog by the hind legs. A second dog squeal and cry is heard: “Don’t let me in!” Sleepy faces poke out of the shops, and soon a crowd gathers near the woodshed, as if growing out of the ground.
It’s not a mess, your honor!.. - says the policeman. Ochumelov makes a half turn to the left and walks towards the gathering. Near the very gates of the warehouse, he sees, standing the above-described man in an unbuttoned vest and, holding up right hand, shows the crowd a bloody finger. It was as if it was written on his half-drunk face: “I’m already going to rip you off, you scoundrel!” and the finger itself looks like a sign of victory. In this man, Ochumelov recognizes the goldsmith Khryukin. In the center of the crowd, with his front legs spread out and his whole body trembling, the culprit of the scandal himself is sitting on the ground - a white greyhound puppy with a sharp muzzle and a yellow spot on his back. There is an expression of melancholy and horror in his teary eyes.
What is the occasion here? - asks Ochumelov, crashing into the crowd. - Why here? Why are you using your finger?.. Who screamed?
I’m going, your honor, not bothering anyone... - Khryukin begins, coughing into his fist. - About the firewood with Mitriy Mitrich, - and suddenly this vile one for no reason, for no reason at all... Excuse me, I’m a person who works... My job is small. Let them pay me, because maybe I won’t lift this finger for a week... This, your honor, is not in the law to endure from the creature... If everyone bites, then it’s better not to live in the world...
Hm!.. Okay... - says Ochumelov sternly, coughing and wiggling his eyebrows. - Okay... Whose dog? I won't leave it like this. I'll show you how to loosen dogs! It's time to pay attention to such gentlemen who do not want to obey the regulations! When they fine him, the bastard, he will learn from me what a dog and other stray cattle mean! I’ll show him Kuzka’s mother!.. Eldyrin,” the warden turns to the policeman, “find out whose dog this is and draw up a report!” But the dog must be exterminated. Immediately! She must be mad... Whose dog is this, I ask?
This seems to be General Zhigalov! - says someone from the crowd.
General Zhigalov? Hm!.. Take off my coat, Eldyrin... It’s terribly hot! Probably before the rain... There’s only one thing I don’t understand: how could she bite you? - Ochumelov addresses Khryukin. - Will she reach her finger? She's small, but you look so healthy! You must have picked your finger with a nail, and then the idea came to your head to rip it off. You are... famous people! I know you, devils!
Option 4 (group 2)
Nozdryov was in some respects historical person . Not a single meeting he attended was complete without a story. Some kind of story would certainly happen: either the gendarmes would lead him out of the hall by the arm, or his own friends would be forced to push him out. If this doesn’t happen, then something will happen that won’t happen to anyone else: either he’ll cut himself at the buffet in such a way that he only laughs, or he’ll lie in the most cruel way, so that he’ll finally become ashamed himself. And he will lie completely without any need: he will suddenly tell that he had a horse with some kind of blue or pink wool, and similar nonsense, so that those listening finally all leave, saying: “Well, brother, it seems you have already begun to pour bullets.” " There are people who have a passion to spoil their neighbors, sometimes for no reason at all. Someone, for example, even a person in rank, with a noble appearance, with a star on his chest, will shake your hand, talk to you about deep subjects that provoke thought, and then, lo and behold, right there, before your eyes, he will spoil you. And he will spoil things like a simple college registrar, and not at all like a man with a star on his chest, talking about subjects that provoke thought, so that you just stand there and marvel, shrugging your shoulders, and nothing more. Nozdryov had the same strange passion. The closer someone got with him, the more likely he was to annoy everyone: he spread a tall tale, the stupidest of which is difficult to invent, upset a wedding, a trade deal, and did not at all consider himself your enemy; on the contrary, if chance brought him to meet you again, he would treat you again in a friendly manner and even say: “You’re such a scoundrel, you’ll never come to see me.” Nozdryov was in many respects a multifaceted man, that is, a man of all trades. At that very moment he invited you to go anywhere, even to the ends of the world, to enter into any enterprise you want, to exchange whatever you have for whatever you want. A gun, a dog, a horse - everything was the subject of exchange, but not at all in order to win: this simply happened from some kind of restless agility and liveliness of character. If at a fair he was lucky enough to attack a simpleton and beat him, he bought a bunch of everything that had previously caught his eye in the shops: collars, smoking candles, scarves for a nanny, a stallion, raisins, a silver washstand, Dutch linen, grain flour, tobacco, pistols, herrings, paintings, sharpening tools, pots, boots, earthenware - as much as there was enough money. However, it rarely happened that it was brought home; Almost on the same day it went down to another, luckiest player, sometimes even adding his own pipe with a pouch and mouthpiece, and other times the whole foursome with everything: with a carriage and a coachman, so that the owner himself went in a short frock coat or arkhaluk to look for " some friend to use his carriage. That's what Nozdryov was like! Maybe they will call him a beaten character, they will say that now Nozdryov is no longer there. Alas! those who speak like this will be unjust. Nozdryov will not leave the world for a long time. He is everywhere between us and, perhaps, only wears a different caftan; but people are frivolously undiscerning, and a person in a different caftan seems to them a different person.
(N.V. Gogol. "Dead Souls»)
2. What trait in Nozdryov’s character seems to you to be the main one and why?
3. For what purpose does Nozdryov “spoil” his friends?
4. Why was Nozdryov the only landowner from whom Chichikov failed to buy or beg “dead souls”?
5. Comment on the last phrase of the given fragment.
6. What is the significance of the image of Nozdryov for understanding the author’s intention and problems of the poem?
Option 5 (group 2)
When Chichikov looked sideways at Sobakevich, this time he seemed to him very similar to a medium-sized bear. To complete the similarity, the tailcoat he was wearing was completely bear-colored, his sleeves were long, his trousers were long, he walked with his feet this way and that, constantly stepping on other people’s feet. His complexion was red-hot, the kind you get on a copper coin. It is known that there are many such persons in the world, over whose finishing nature did not spend much time, did not use any small tools, such as files, gimlets and other things, but simply chopped with all their might: hit with an ax once - the nose came out, hit another - her lips came out, she picked her eyes with a large drill and, without scraping them, released them into the light, saying: “He lives!” Sobakevich had the same strong and amazingly well-made image: he held it more downward than up, did not move his neck at all, and due to such non-rotation, he rarely looked at the person he was talking to, but always either at the corner of the stove or at the door . Chichikov glanced sideways at him again as they passed the dining room: bear! perfect bear! We need such a strange rapprochement: he was even called Mikhail Semenovich. Knowing his habit of stepping on his feet, he moved his own very carefully and gave him the way forward. The owner seemed to feel this sin behind him and immediately asked: “Did I bother you?” But Chichikov thanked him, saying that no disturbance had yet occurred.
Entering the living room, Sobakevich pointed to the armchairs, saying again: “Please!” Sitting down, Chichikov looked at the walls and the paintings hanging on them. In the paintings all were fine fellows, all Greek commanders, engraved to their full height: Mavrocordato in red trousers and uniform, with glasses on his nose, Miaouli, Kanami. All these heroes had such thick thighs and incredible mustaches that a shiver ran through their bodies. Between the strong Greeks, no one knows how or why, Bagration, skinny, skinny, with small banners and cannons below and in the narrowest frames, was placed. Then again followed the Greek heroine Bobelina, whose one leg seemed larger than the entire body of those dandies who fill today's living rooms. The owner, being a healthy and strong man himself, seemed to want his room to be decorated by strong and healthy people too. Near Bobelina, right next to the window, hung a cage from which looked out a blackbird of a dark color with white specks, also very similar to Sobakevich. ( N.V. Gogol. "Dead Souls»)
1. What artistic media does the author use in the above fragment to create the image of Sobakevich?
2. How are Sobakevich’s character and his appearance related?
3. Can the image of Sobakevich be called satirical and why?
4. Explain the choice of paintings decorating the hero’s room. Which one and why is it so different from the rest?
5. For what purpose does Gogol give detailed description appearance And interior decoration landowners' estates?
6. Why almost always, when creating portraits of the heroes of the poem, does Gogol not turn to such an important detail of the portrait as the eyes?
Option 6 (group 2)
The origins of our hero are dark and humble. The parents were nobles, but whether they were servants or private - God knows; his face did not resemble them: at least the relative who was present at his birth, a short, short woman, who are usually called Pigalits, took the child in her hands and cried out: “He didn’t come out at all like I thought!” He should have taken after his mother’s grandmother, which would have been better, but he was born simply, as the proverb says: neither his mother nor his father, but a passing youth.” At the beginning, life looked at him somehow sourly and unpleasantly, through some muddy, snow-covered window: no friend, no comrade in childhood! A small house with small windows that did not open either in winter or in summer, the father, a sick man, in a long frock coat with fleeces and knitted flappers worn on his bare feet, sighed incessantly as he walked around the room and spat in the sandbox standing in the corner , eternal sitting on a bench, with a pen in his hands, ink on his fingers and even on his lips, an eternal inscription before his eyes: “don’t lie, listen to your elders and carry virtue in your heart”; the eternal shuffling and shuffling of the clappers around the room, the familiar but always stern voice: “I fooled you again!”, which responded at a time when the child, bored with the monotony of work, attached some kind of quotation mark or tail to a letter; and the ever-familiar, always unpleasant feeling when, following these words, the edge of his ear was twisted very painfully by the nails of long fingers reaching behind him: here is a poor picture of his initial childhood, of which he barely retained a pale memory. But in life everything changes quickly and vividly: and one day, with the first spring sun and overflowing streams, the father, taking his son, rode out with him on a cart, which was pulled by a fly-tailed pinto horse, known among horse dealers as a magpie; it was ruled by a coachman, a little hunchbacked man, the founder of the only serf family that belonged to Chichikov’s father, who occupied almost all positions in the house. They dragged themselves at forty for more than a day and a half; We spent the night on the road, crossed the river, ate cold pie and fried lamb, and only on the third day in the morning did we reach the city. The city streets flashed before the boy with unexpected splendor, making him gape for several minutes. Then the magpie splashed along with the cart into the hole, which began a narrow alley, all sloping down and filled with mud; She worked there for a long time with all her might and kneaded with her feet, incited by both the hunchback and the master himself, and finally dragged them into a small courtyard that stood on a slope with two blossoming apple trees in front of an old house and a garden behind it, low, small, consisting only of rowan and elderberry and hiding in the depths of her wooden booth, covered with shingles, with a narrow frosted window. Here lived a relative of theirs, a flabby old woman, who still went to the market every morning and then dried her stockings by the samovar, who patted the boy on the cheek and admired his plumpness. Here he had to stay and go to classes at the city school every day. The father, having spent the night, set out on the road the next day. At parting, no tears were shed from the parents' eyes; half a copper was given for expenses and delicacies and, what is much more important, a smart instruction: “Look, Pavlusha, study, don’t be stupid and don’t hang around, but most of all please your teachers and bosses. If you please your boss, then, even though you don’t have time in science and God hasn’t given you talent, you will put everything into action and get ahead of everyone else. Don’t hang out with your comrades, they won’t teach you any good; and if it comes to that, then hang out with those who are richer, so that on occasion they can be useful to you. Don’t treat or treat anyone, but behave! It’s better to be treated to something, but most of all, take care and save a penny: this thing is more reliable than anything in the world. A comrade or friend will deceive you and in trouble will be the first to betray you, but a penny will not betray you, no matter what trouble you are in. You will do everything and ruin everything in the world with a penny.” Having given this instruction, the father parted with his son and trudged home again.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol created his work “Dead Souls” in 1842. In it he depicted whole line Russian landowners, created their grotesque and vivid images. One of the most interesting representatives of this class described in the poem is Korobochka. The characteristics of this heroine will be discussed in this article.
Characteristics plan
The plan according to which the analysis of the landowners - the characters of the work "Dead Souls" is carried out, includes one way or another the following points:
- the first impression the hero makes;
- characteristic features of this character;
- speech and behavior;
- the hero’s attitude towards the household;
- attitude towards other people;
- goals in life;
- conclusions.
Let's try to analyze according to this plan the image of such a heroine as Korobochka ("Dead Souls"). Our characterization will begin with the first impression that the heroine made on Chichikov. The third chapter of the work is devoted to creating the image of Korobochka.
Chichikov's first impression
Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna is a landowner who is the widow of a very thrifty and thrifty woman, already elderly.
Her village is small, but everything in it is in good order, the economy is thriving and brings in a good income. Korobochka compares favorably with Manilov: she knows the names of all the peasants who belong to her (quote from the text: “...knew almost all of them by heart”), speaks of them as diligent workers, and takes care of the farm on her own.
The behavior of this landowner, the address “father” to the guest, the desire to serve him (since Chichikov introduced himself as a nobleman), to provide the best possible accommodation for the night, to treat him - these are all features characteristic of the landowner class in the provinces. The portrait of Korobochka is not as detailed as the portraits of the other landowners. It seemed to be drawn out: first Chichikov heard the voice of the old maid (“a hoarse woman”), then another woman appeared, younger, but very similar to her, and finally, when he was escorted into the house and he had already looked around, she came in herself Lady Korobochka (“Dead Souls”).
The portrait characteristics of the heroine are as follows. The author describes her as an elderly woman, wearing a “sleeping cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck.” Quote characteristic Boxes ("Dead Souls") can be continued. Nikolai Vasilyevich emphasizes Korobochka’s old age in the image of the landowner; in the text further Chichikov calls her directly to himself - an old woman. This housewife especially does not change in the morning. Only her sleeping cap disappears from her image.
The box is just that, so the main character immediately discards the ceremony and gets down to business.
Attitude to the economy
We further describe such a character as Korobochka (“Dead Souls”). The characterization according to plan continues with the attitude of this heroine to the household. In understanding the image of this landowner, a large role is played by the description of the decoration of the rooms in the house, as well as the estate as a whole, which is distinguished by contentment and strength.
It is clear in everything that this woman is a good housewife. The windows of the room overlook the courtyard, which is filled with numerous birds and various “domestic creatures.” Further on you can see vegetable gardens, fruit trees, covered with nets from birds, there are also stuffed animals on poles, on one of which there is “the cap of the mistress herself.”
The wealth of their inhabitants is shown by peasant huts. This is also noted by Gogol (“Dead Souls”). The characterization (Box is an image also conveyed by external details) includes a description of not only the character himself, but also the environment associated with him. This must be remembered when conducting analysis. The economy of this landowner is clearly thriving, bringing her considerable profit. And the village itself is not small, it consists of eighty souls.
Characteristics
We continue to describe such a character as Korobochka (“Dead Souls”). The characteristics according to the plan are supplemented with the following details. Gogol includes this landowner among the small owners who complain about losses and crop failures and “hold their heads somewhat to one side,” and meanwhile collect a little money into “motley bags placed in the drawers of the chest of drawers.”
Manilov and Korobochka are antipodes in some way: the vulgarity of the first is hidden behind discussions about the Motherland, lofty phrases about its good, and Korobochka’s spiritual poverty appears in a natural, undisguised form. She doesn’t even pretend to be cultured: the whole appearance of the heroine emphasizes, first of all, the unpretentious simplicity that Korobochka has. The characterization of the hero “Dead Souls” also shows that this simplicity is found in Nastasya Petrovna in her relationships with people.
In the author's summary, it is noted that their decoration was ancient - striped old wallpaper, paintings depicting birds, small antique mirrors between the windows, framed in the form of leaves. Behind each of the mirrors was either a letter, a stocking, or an old deck of cards. The wall is decorated with a clock with flowers painted on the dial. Here are the items that are shown during Chichikov's short visit. They indicate that the people living in the rooms are more likely to look to the past than to the present.
Behavior
In the conversation about the acquisition of “dead” souls, the character and essence of Korobochka is fully revealed. At first, this woman cannot understand what the main character wants from her. When she finally understands what could be beneficial for her, bewilderment turns into a desire to get the greatest benefit from this transaction: because if someone needs the dead, therefore, they are the subject of bargaining, since they are worth something.
Attitude towards people
Dead souls become for Korobochka on a par with lard, flour, honey and hemp. She has already had to sell everything else (quite profitably, as we know), but this business seems unknown and new to her. This is where the desire not to sell things short comes into play. Gogol writes that she “began to be very afraid that this buyer would somehow cheat her.” The landowner infuriates Chichikov with her obstinacy, who was already counting on getting easy consent.
Here an epithet appears that expresses the essence of not only Korobochka, but also a whole landowner like this - “club-headed”.
Nikolai Vasilyevich explains that neither social position nor rank are the cause of this property. The phenomenon of "club-headedness" is very common. Its representative may even be a state-owned, respectable person who turns out to be a “perfect Korobochka.” The author explains that the essence of this trait is that if a person has taken something into his head, there is no way to overpower him, regardless of the number of arguments, clear as day, everything bounces off him, just like a rubber ball flies off a wall .
Purpose in life
The main goal of life pursued by Korobochka (“Dead Souls”), the characteristics of which are presented in this article, is the consolidation of personal wealth, non-stop accumulation. The thriftiness inherent in Korobochka reveals at the same time her inner insignificance. Apart from the desire to benefit and acquire something, she has no other feelings. The image of this hoarder is devoid of some of the “attractive” features characteristic of Manilov. Her interests are completely focused on farming.
conclusions
At the end of the chapter about Korobochka, Gogol says that her image is typical; there is no significant difference between her and some representatives of the aristocracy. The author devotes great attention Chichikov’s behavior, emphasizing that he behaves more casually and simply with this landowner than with Manilov.
This phenomenon is typical for Russian reality, Nikolai Vasilyevich proves how Prometheus turned into a fly. This is Korobochka (“Dead Souls”), which we characterized. It can be presented more clearly. To better understand the information, we suggest you familiarize yourself with the table that characterizes such a landowner as Korobochka (“Dead Souls”).
Characteristics (table) Boxes
| Appearance of Nastasya Petrovna | Landowner's estate | Characteristics of the Box | Attitude to Chichikov's proposal |
This is an elderly woman, with a flannel around her neck, wearing a cap. | Small house, old wallpaper, antique mirrors. Nothing is wasted on the farm, as evidenced by the net on the trees, as well as the cap on the scarecrow. The box taught everyone to be in order. The garden is well-kept, the yard is full of birds. Although the peasant huts are scattered, they still show the wealth of the inhabitants and are properly maintained. This landowner knows everything about every peasant, without keeping notes, she also remembers the names of the dead by heart. The unique “coat of arms” of the Box is a chest of drawers in which a turkey, a pig, and a rooster protrude from the slightly open drawers. The second row of drawers is filled with various “household vegetables,” and many bags stick out from the bottom ones. | Practical, economical, knows the value of money. Stingy, stupid, club-headed, hoarding landowner. | First of all, he is interested in why they were needed Chichikov is dead souls. He is afraid to undercut the deal. Knows exactly how many died peasant souls(18). Look at dead people, like hemp or lard: suddenly they will come in handy on the farm. |
The landowner Korobochka ("Dead Souls") was introduced to you. The characterization with quotes from this heroine can be supplemented. seem to be very interesting excerpts dedicated to the decoration of rooms, housekeeping, and the agreement with Chichikov. You can extract quotes you like from the text and add them to them. this characteristic. We only succinctly described such a heroine as Korobochka (“Dead Souls”). The characterization was briefly presented in order to make the reader want to continue it independently.