Trying to win over the old woman with polite address, he is trying in the same interests! in some places in the conversation to get into her tone. Here are examples. When Korobochka treats Chichikov and says: “How will you sip your tea? There’s fruit in the flask,” he picks up this colloquial word: “Let’s have some bread and some fruit.” When Korobochka asks him: “After all, I’m tea, an assessor?” Chichikov again maintains the conversation, inserting a word typical of a housewife: “Tea, not an assessor.”
Realizing that in front of him was a patriarchal, religious old woman (she had already discovered this more than once in her speech), Chichikov decided to play and. on this string of the hostess and used her piety just at the most crucial moment; just before the very request for the sale of dead souls, he expresses sympathy for his interlocutor with words taken from her own vocabulary: “everything is God’s will”; “Nothing can be said against the wisdom of God.”
Numerous other examples can be given, taken from Chichikov’s conversation with Korobochka, showing that he is much more simple and unceremonious with her in expressions: “Give them to me... or, perhaps, sell them, I’ll give you money for them.” “You don’t need to butter up the assessor anymore.” “Deal with each other, or what?” “We’ve had enough sin for our souls.” “It’s not worth a damn.”
Chichikov tries to convince the incomprehensible, stubborn old woman of the urgency of the deal, hence the following expressions in his speech: “Well, is it clear now?” “Are they really of any use?” "Do you understand this?" “Oh, what are you like? What can they cost? Consider: this is dust. Do you understand? it's just dust."
Chichikov tries to reassure Korobochka: “Stram, stram, mother! just weird. Well, what are you saying?” “Where have you missed it?” The stubborn old woman infuriates Chichikov, and abusive epithets addressed to her fly from his lips: “Well, the woman seems to be strong-minded”; “what a clubhead”; "damned old woman." True, Chichikov still keeps all these expressions “to himself.” But, finally, the cup of patience is overflowing, Chichikov loses his balance and all decency, having in his hearts grabbed a chair on the floor and promising the devil to the hostess, and resorts to rude and insulting expressions: “May they be lost and the rest of your village.” “Like some, not to say a bad word, mongrel lying in the hay: she doesn’t eat the hay herself and doesn’t give it to others.”
What a difference compared to Manilov’s speech! Chichikov behaves very carefully with Nozdryov, knowing his broken and unceremonious nature, and this is reflected from his first words.. He doesn’t want to go to Nozdryov, since it would be a waste of time (for which he is annoyed with himself), tell where the path is going. Therefore, in order to draw as little attention to his words as possible, he says: “And I’m talking to one person,” and only through further harassment does Nozdryov force him to tell the truth.
Chichikov generally approaches each landowner differently with his “request”. Manilov, he respectfully and at the same time boldly asks: “How long ago did you deign to submit the audit tale? ...How many of your peasants have died since then?” In a conversation with Korobochka, he begins the deal in a more roundabout, florid way, trying to make his interest in the “dead peasants” invisible. No wonder he remarks: “he made such speeches...” Village, peasant souls, the surname of the hostess, the sale of honey, hemp - these were the topics of their conversation before he posed the question that interested him: “Have your peasants died?”
The entire subsequent scene between Chichikov and Nozdryov represents Chichikov’s desire with all his might to get rid of all purchases, barter, and playing cards, until, finally, Nozdryov persuaded him to play checkers. And Chichikov’s speech is various options his refusals: “I don’t need a stallion.” “Why do I need a dog? I'm not a hunter." “I don’t want to, that’s enough.” “I’m not at all interested in playing.” And only when Nozdryov hurt Chichikov’s personal dignity with a dishonest game of checkers, he persistently defends himself: “I have the right to refuse (to play), because you don’t play as you should.” to an honest man"; “there is no way to end the game”; “if you played like a decent honest person.” In the last two expressions one can hear the incompleteness of the thought, caused by Chichikov’s natural timidity in front of the owner, who was advancing on him with a chibouk in his hands.
Chichikov feels completely different with Sobakevich, a sharp-witted and stern owner, oppressive with his presence.
It should be noted that Chichikov, more courteous than Sobakevich, was forced to speak first, seeing that “no one is in the mood to start a conversation.”
He began by praising city officials, hoping to find a favorable topic to establish contact with the interlocutor. Praising the chairman (“ wonderful person"), the governor (“an excellent person”) and not finding support in Sobakevich’s words, he mentions the police chief, thinking here to find unanimity, since the police chief is Sobakevich’s friend (“I like the police chief most of all”).
In assessing these officials, Chichikov is trying to take the same position that Manilov took during Chichikov’s visit to him. But the result turned out to be unexpectedly different: if Chichikov echoed Manilov in everything in his assessment of officials, Sobakevich, on the contrary, expressed assessments that were sharply opposed to Chichikov’s.
At the beginning of dinner, a dispute arises between the host and the guest regarding dinners in the city, in particular with the governor. Sobakevich scolds the governor’s kitchen, Chichikov objects to him, but does it delicately, gently, albeit with dignity: “The governor, however, has a good table... how it’s prepared, I can’t judge that, but pork cutlets and boiled fish were excellent.”
When Sobakevich prepared to listen to “what the deal was,” “Chichikov began somehow very distantly, touched upon the entire Russian state in general, ... said that according to the existing ones! According to the provisions of this state, in the glory of which there is no equal, audit souls who have completed their careers in life are, however, counted, until the submission of a new audit tale, on an equal basis with the living, so as not to burden the official places with a multitude of petty and useless certificates and not to increase the complexity of the already already a very complex state mechanism,” that is, he began with that florid, official-bookish speech that he knew how to speak and produce an undeniably advantageous impression on the listeners. Chichikov understands that one cannot simply talk to Sobakevich, that his kulak nature is well acquainted with all sorts of bureaucratic subtleties, that one must behave with him officially, carefully and diplomatically. It is no coincidence that this is where “non-existent” souls come from instead of “dead” - this is said both carefully and gently.
It is characteristic that Chichikov) repeats this definition even after Sobakevich directly and sharply called them “dead.”
To analyze Chichikov’s attitude towards the landowners, it is necessary to consider the character’s entire path through the landowners’ estates and get acquainted with the results of the transactions that Chichikov made. The author “leads” the main character through a gallery of original images that are mired in vices, stupidity, narrow-mindedness and tyranny.
Visiting Manilov and Korobochka
The first person Chichikov visits is the landowner Manilov. This character stands out for his excessive politeness, delicacy, and dreaminess. He is completely helpless in his own estate: servants run the household, they steal and deceive the owner. The situation in Manilovka is far from perfect: the estate is neglected, the furniture and furnishings are in poor condition, and the business that was started has been abandoned. Incompleteness and mismanagement are the main features that characterize the landowner.
Manilov does not understand people; he considers the top of the city authorities to be “the most wonderful” people. Chichikov had to listen to many ideas that Manilov dreams of implementing, but when saying goodbye, Pavel Ivanovich understands that none of them will be realized. The landowner is unable to keep things in order own house and control the serfs, higher plans are just dreams in which the character himself lives. He is incapable of action, as helpless as a child, living in illusions.
Chichikov was pleased with the relatively easy execution of the transaction, because the owner did not even know how many souls he owned. The senselessness and inactivity, the sweetness of speeches that are characteristic of Manilov are completely alien to Chichikov. This greatly differentiates the two characters: Pavel Ivanovich is active, hardworking, on the move, knows his income and expenses down to the penny. He cannot understand how one can live like Manilov.
At first Pavel Ivanovich likes the landowner Korobochka: the estate is in order, there are a lot of birds, a good garden, but the woman is too economical and thrifty. Moreover, as it turns out later, she is stupid and limited, stinginess is hidden behind her economy. Korobochka knows all her peasants by name, she is afraid to sell herself cheap by selling “dead souls,” as if they might still be useful to her. Chichikov strives to leave the landowner's house as quickly as possible; he can hardly stand heavy, stupid people. Even his notorious patience ends when Korobochka tries to bargain.
Reception at Nozdryov's
Nozdryov, to whom Chichikov ends up after visiting Korobochka, turns out to be quite close in spirit to his guest. He is also a charlatan and a deceiver, but Nozdryov is a braggart, a liar and a carouser, he does not know the limits in anything, he is not able to stop, listen to the voice of reason. The landowner is passionate about hunting, loves fairs and gambling. His estate is in complete disarray, his peasants are ruined, the owner cares only about himself, and is losing huge amounts of money. Nozdryov shows the guest his house, brags about everything, misinterpreting even the most ordinary facts. Chichikov can hardly withstand outright lies, posturing and the peculiar tone of the owner. Despite the fact that the heroes are a little similar, Chichikov fails to make a deal with Nozdryov. His violent character, riotous lifestyle and tyranny lead to the guest fleeing the estate, fleeing beatings and shame.
Visit to Sobakevich and Plyushkin
Sobakevich Mikhailo Semyonovich, the next landowner whom Chichikov visited, turns out to be a simple, uncouth man, a tough serf owner. However, the landowner's peasants live in good huts, which especially surprises Chichikov. The owner knows perfectly well every soul that belongs to him, the craft and human qualities peasants Sobakevich himself looks like a huge beast, he is rude and straightforward, but he is businesslike and not inclined to throw words to the wind. Caring for the peasants on the part of the owner is nothing more than an investment in the future; the owner needs strong, healthy workers. Philanthropy is not typical of Sobakevich; he loves to eat well and discuss his neighbors. Chichikov makes a deal that's not very good favorable conditions, due to the fact that the landowner is smart and as enterprising as himself.
Chichikov's meeting with Plyushkin made a very unpleasant impression on the great schemer. The landowner himself was dressed in something awkward, he had lost his human appearance: he was wearing old things, a woman’s headdress. After the death of his wife, Plyushkin began to degrade, and his desire to save money turned into monstrous greed and painful hoarding.
In our article we revealed Chichikov’s attitude towards each of the landowners. This material will be useful when writing creative work on the topic when studying the works of N.V. Gogol.
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Creation of the poem " Dead souls“came at precisely the period when a change in the traditional, outdated foundations of society was taking place in Russia, reforms and changes in people’s thinking were brewing. Even then it was clear that the nobility, with its old traditions and views on life, was slowly dying out; it had to be replaced by new type person. Gogol's goal is to describe the hero of his time, declare him loudly, describe his positive qualities and explain what his activities will lead to, as well as how it will affect the destinies of other people.
The central character of the poem
Nikolai Vasilyevich Chichikov made in the poem central character, he cannot be called the main character, but it is on him that the plot of the poem rests. Pavel Ivanovich's journey is the framework for the entire work. It’s not for nothing that the author placed the hero’s biography at the very end, the reader is not interested in Chichikov himself, he is curious about his actions, why he collects these dead souls and what it will lead to in the end. Gogol does not even try to reveal the character of the character, but he introduces the peculiarities of his thinking, thus giving a hint where to look for the essence of this act of Chichikov. Childhood is where the roots come from; even at a tender age, the hero formed his own worldview, vision of the situation and search for ways to solve problems.
Description of Chichikov
Childhood and early years Pavel Ivanovich is unknown to the reader at the beginning of the poem. Gogol portrayed his character as faceless and voiceless: against the background of bright, colorful images of landowners with their quirks, the figure of Chichikov is lost, becomes small and insignificant. He has neither his own face nor the right to vote; the hero resembles a chameleon, skillfully adapting to his interlocutor. This is an excellent actor and psychologist, he knows how to behave in a given situation, instantly determines a person’s character and does everything to win him over, says only what they want to hear from him. Chichikov skillfully plays the role, pretends, hides his true feelings, tries to be one of the strangers, but he does all this in order to achieve the main goal - his own well-being.
The childhood of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov
A person’s worldview is formed at a young age, so many of his actions in adulthood can be explained by carefully studying his biography. What he was guided by, why he collected dead souls, what he wanted to achieve with this - all these questions are answered by The hero’s childhood cannot be called happy, he was constantly haunted by boredom and loneliness. In Pavlush’s youth, he knew neither friends nor entertainment; he did monotonous, tedious and completely uninteresting work, listened to the reproaches of his sick father. The author did not even hint about maternal affection. One conclusion can be drawn from this - Pavel Ivanovich wanted to make up for lost time, to receive all the benefits that were not available to him in childhood.
But you shouldn’t think that Chichikov is a soulless cracker, thinking only about his own enrichment. He was a kind, active and sensitive child, sensitive to the world around us. The fact that he often ran away from his nanny in order to explore previously unseen places indicates Chichikov's curiosity. Childhood shaped his character and taught him to achieve everything on his own. His father taught Pavel Ivanovich to save money and please bosses and rich people, and he put these instructions into practice.
Chichikov's childhood and studies were gray and uninteresting; he tried in every possible way to become a popular person. At first he pleased the teacher in order to become a favorite student, then he promised the boss to marry his daughter in order to get a promotion, working at customs, he convinces everyone of his honesty and impartiality, and he makes a huge fortune for himself through smuggling. But Pavel Ivanovich does not do all this with malice, and with the sole purpose of making a childhood dream of a big and bright house, a caring and loving wife, and a bunch of cheerful children come true.
Chichikov's communication with landowners
Pavel Ivanovich could find an approach to everyone, from the first minutes of communication he could understand what a person was like. For example, he did not stand on ceremony with Korobochka and spoke in a patriarchal-pious and even slightly patronizing tone. With the landowner, Chichikov felt relaxed, used colloquial, rude expressions, completely adapting to the woman. With Manilov, Pavel Ivanovich is pompous and amiable to the point of cloying. He flatters the landowner and uses flowery phrases in his speech. By refusing the offered treat, even Plyushkin was pleased by Chichikov. “Dead Souls” very well demonstrates the changeable nature of man, because Pavel Ivanovich adapted to the morals of almost all landowners.
What does Chichikov look like in the eyes of other people?
The activities of Pavel Ivanovich greatly frightened city officials and landowners. At first they compared him with the romantic robber Rinald Rinaldin, then they began to look for similarities with Napoleon, thinking that he had escaped from the island of Helena. In the end, Chichikov was recognized as the real Antichrist. Of course, such comparisons are absurd and even somewhat comical; Gogol ironically describes the fear of the narrow-minded landowners, their speculation about why he actually collects Chichikov is dead souls. The character's characterization hints that the heroes are no longer the same as they used to be. The people could be proud, take an example from the great commanders and defenders, but now there are no such people, they have been replaced by selfish Chichikovs.
Character's Real Self
One would think that Pavel Ivanovich is an excellent psychologist and actor, since he easily adapts to the people he needs and instantly guesses their character, but is this really so? The hero was never able to adapt to Nozdryov, because impudence, arrogance, and familiarity are alien to him. But even here he is trying to adapt, because the landowner is incredibly rich, hence the address to “you”, Chichikov’s boorish tone. Childhood taught Pavlusha to please to the right people, so he is ready to step over himself, forget about his principles.
At the same time, Pavel Ivanovich practically does not pretend to be with Sobakevich, because they are united by serving the “kopek”. And Chichikov has some similarities with Plyushkin. The character tore the poster from the pole, read it at home, folded it neatly and put it in a small chest in which all sorts of unnecessary things were stored. This behavior is very reminiscent of Plyushkin, who is prone to hoarding various rubbish. That is, Pavel Ivanovich himself was not so far removed from the same landowners.
The main goal in the hero's life
And once again money - this is precisely why Chichikov collected dead souls. The character's characteristics indicate that he invents various frauds not just for the sake of profit; there is no stinginess or miserliness in him. Pavel Ivanovich dreams that the time will come when he can finally use his savings, live a calm, prosperous life, without thinking about tomorrow.
The author's attitude towards the hero
There is an assumption that in subsequent volumes Gogol planned to re-educate Chichikov and make him repent of his actions. In the poem, Pavel Ivanovich is not opposed to landowners or officials; he is the hero of the capitalist formation, the “first accumulator” who replaced the nobility. Chichikov is a skilled businessman, an entrepreneur who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. Scam with dead souls It was not a success, but Pavel Ivanovich did not suffer any punishment. The author hints that there are a huge number of such Chichikovs in the country, and no one wants to stop them.
Chichikov meets the landowners of the provincial town; purpose of appearance – buying dead shower. Great classic managed to show everything through five characters landowner Rus' who has lost her morality. Chichikov’s similarity with the landowners is amazing: Pavel Ivanovich combined the bright character qualities of all provincial representatives.
Manilovsky "sweetness"
Pettiness and “stubbornness” of Korobochka
Two items show Chichikov's resemblance to Korobochka. In Nastasya Petrovna’s chest of drawers, everything is laid out in its place: boxes, bags full of money of a certain denomination: rubles, fifty rubles, quarters. Among the wealth, the reader sees strings that are unlikely to be useful to anyone. Chichikov has everything in his box with the pedantry of an old landowner. As in the chest of drawers, some of the things cause a grin; they show the pettiness of the owner’s soul.
The box is afraid to sell it cheap and tries to deceive. The woman pisses off the customer. But that’s why they are similar: both are thrifty, homely, and greedy. Behavior reveals selfishness, a passion for profit, but also the ability to adapt to others.
Nozdrevskaya narcissism
Chichikov and Nozdryov strive to please everyone. Extraordinary dexterity is visible in Pavel Ivanovich’s movements: he bows to the right and left, slightly to the side. A man is afraid to lose sight of someone and leave someone uncharmed by him. Nozdryov and Chichikov strive to show themselves richer than things are in reality. They are ready to sell whatever they want to buy. Everything is for sale: for them there is no value or significance of either things, animals, or people.
Sobakevich's cynicism
The scandalous landowner Nozdryov says about Chichikov: “...Perfect Sobakevich!” What similarities did the drunkard Nozdryov notice between the two men? There is no sincerity in both characters. They lead to terrible cynicism. Sobakevich sells dead souls, increasing the price for the human qualities of deceased people. Both landowners are selfish and greedy. They are looking for profit, like predators scouring the area in search of food. It doesn’t matter to them who they eat as long as they give themselves pleasure.
Plyushkin's greed
The two landowners seem to be opposites, but a close comparison changes this situation. The author managed to show ugly souls that have become hardened and turned into terribly cruel individuals. It all started with Plyushkin with Chichikov’s harmless hoarding. Pavel Ivanovich, walking along provincial town, tears a poster from a pole. He examines it and carefully hides it in a small chest. Why does an enterprising landowner need an old advertisement? This is the beginning of the path along which Plyushkin walked his life. Collecting unnecessary items ended in greed and stinginess even towards oneself.
The last landowner whom Chichikov visits, Plyushkin, is similar in aspirations to K. and S., but his desire for hoarding takes on the character of a comprehensive passion. His only purpose in life is to accumulate things. As a result, he does not distinguish the important, the necessary from the trifles, the useful from the insignificant. Everything he comes across is of interest. Plyushkin becomes a slave to things. The thirst for hoarding pushes him along the path of all sorts of restrictions. But he himself does not experience any unpleasant sensations from this. Unlike other landowners, his life story is given in full. She reveals the origins of his passion. The greater the thirst for hoarding becomes, the more insignificant his life becomes. At a certain stage of degradation, Plyushkin ceases to feel the need to communicate with people. He began to perceive his children as plunderers of his property, not experiencing any joy when meeting them. As a result, he ended up in all alone. Gogol dwells in detail on the description of the situation of the peasants of this rich landowner. ***Chichikov
In "M.D." Gogol typifies the images of Russian landowners, officials and peasants. The only person who stands out big picture Russian life- This is Chichikov. Revealing his image, the author talks about his origin and the formation of his character. Chichikov is a character whose life story is given in every detail. From the eleventh chapter we learn that Pavlusha belonged to a poor noble family. His father left him an inheritance of half a copper and a covenant to study diligently, please teachers and bosses and, most importantly, to take care and save a penny. Chichikov quickly realized that all lofty concepts only interfere with achieving his cherished goal. He makes his way in life through his own efforts, without relying on anyone’s patronage. He builds his well-being at the expense of other people: deception, bribery, embezzlement, fraud at customs - the main character’s tools. No setbacks can break his thirst for profit. And every time he commits unseemly acts, he easily finds excuses for himself.
With each chapter we see more and more new possibilities for Chichikov: with Manilov he is cloyingly amiable, with Korobochka he is petty-insistent and rude, with Nozdryov he is assertive and cowardly, with Sobakevich he bargains insidiously and relentlessly, Plyushkina conquers with his “generosity.”
But let's reverse special attention to those moments of the poem where Chichikov does not need to disguise himself and change himself for the sake of adaptation, where he is left alone with himself. While inspecting the city of N, our hero “teared off a poster nailed to a post so that when he got home he could read it thoroughly,” and after reading it, “folded it neatly and put it in his little chest, where he used to put everything he came across.” This collection of unnecessary things, careful storage of rubbish vividly resembles Plyushkin’s habits. Chichikov and Manilov are brought together by uncertainty, due to which all assumptions about him turn out to be equally possible. Nozdryov notices that Chichikov is similar to Sobakevich: “... no straightforwardness, no sincerity! Perfect Sobakevich.” In Chichikov’s character there is Manilov’s love for phrases, Korobochka’s pettiness, Nozdrev’s narcissism, and the rough tight-fistedness, cold cynicism of Sobakevich, and Plyushkin’s greed. It is easy for Chichikov to turn out to be a mirror of any of these interlocutors, because he has all the qualities that form the basis of their characters. Still, Chichikov differs from his counterparts on the estates, he is a man of the new time, a businessman and acquirer, and has all the necessary qualities: “... and pleasantness in turns and actions, and agility in business games,” but he is also a “dead soul” , because the joy of life is inaccessible to him.
Chichikov knows how to adapt to any world, even his appearance is such that he will suit any situation: “not handsome, but not bad-looking either,” “not too fat, not too thin,” “middle-aged man” - everything about him is vague , nothing stands out.
The idea of success, enterprise, and practicality overshadow all human motives in him. The "selflessness", patience and strength of character of the protagonist allow him to constantly be reborn and show enormous energy to achieve his goal.
Chichikov is forced to flee the city, but this time he achieved his goal, moved one step closer to his faceless “happiness”, and everything else is no longer important to him.