Creation of the poem " Dead Souls“came at precisely the period when a change in the traditional, outdated foundations of society was taking place in Russia, reforms and changes in people’s thinking were brewing.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, subtly perceiving the world around him. 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 much 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.
The poem “Dead Souls” is one of the most remarkable works of Russian literature. The great realist writer N.V. Gogol showed the whole hall modern Russia, satirically depicting landed nobility and provincial bureaucracy. But in the poem there is also absolutely new hero in Russian literature, a representative of the emerging class of “acquirers”. In the image of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, Gogol brought to public attention the features of the “knight of a penny.”
At first glance, Chichikov gives the impression of a slippery, many-sided person. This is emphasized by his appearance: “In the chaise sat a gentleman who was not handsome, but not of bad appearance, neither too fat nor too thin, one cannot say that he was old, but not that he was too young.”
Chichikov, like a chameleon, is constantly changing. He is able to give his face the necessary expression to seem like a pleasant interlocutor. Speaking with officials, the hero of the poem “very skillfully knew how to flatter everyone.” Therefore, he quickly gains the necessary reputation in the city. Common language Chichikov is also found with landowners, from whom he buys dead peasants. With Manilov, he looks like a particularly amiable and courteous person, which charms the owner. At Korobochka, Noz-drevo, Sobakevich and Plyushkin, Chichikov behaves in accordance with the situation and knows how to find an approach to everyone. Only he did not catch Nozdryov in his net. But this was Chichikov’s only failure.
He uses all his ability to charm a person to achieve results. But he has one goal - wealth, and for this Pavel Ivanovich is ready to be a hypocrite, practicing for hours in front of the mirror. The main thing for him is money. The hero of the poem needs them not in themselves, but as a means of further accumulation. Even as a child, Chichikov well learned his father’s orders to please his bosses, be friends “with those who are richer” and save “a penny.” His father’s words sank into the boy’s soul: “You will do everything and ruin everything in the world with a penny.”
Possessing great mind“from the practical side,” Chichikov began saving money at school, profiting from his comrades and being particularly stingy. Already in those years the soul of this “acquirer” was revealed. Chichikov made his way through deception and sycophancy, stopping at nothing. He is cunning, steals from the state, and “cheats” his colleagues. Accuracy becomes his element.
Gradually, Chichikov’s scams became increasingly widespread. From a modest police officer to a customs official, Gogol traces the path of his hero. He strives to increase his fortune by any means. The hero immediately grabs onto the idea of buying “dead souls.” Chichikov's entrepreneurial talent is not consistent with moral standards. There are no moral principles for him. Chichikov concludes with joy: “And now the time is convenient, not long ago there was an epidemic, a lot of people died out, thank God, a lot.” He builds his well-being on human grief, on the deaths of others.
Chichikov is the same creature of time as Onegin or Pechorin. Belinsky wrote about this, noting that “Chichikov, as an acquirer, is no less, if not more than Pechorin, a hero of our time.” Gogol shows this hero with all the power of his skill in the wonderful poem “Dead Souls,” which became an example of accusatory satire. The image of Chichikov should serve as a warning to those who are trying to get rich in any way, turning into a ruthless predator
Image, character, characteristics of the official Chichikov in the poem Dead Souls
If, drawing images of landowners. ( This material will help you write competently on the topic The image, character, characteristics of the official Chichikov in the poem Dead Souls. A summary does not make it possible to understand the full meaning of the work, so this material will be useful for a deep understanding of the work of writers and poets, as well as their novels, novellas, short stories, plays, and poems.) Gogol gave a picture of the economic collapse of natural serfdom and the moral degeneration of the ruling class, then in the image of Chichikov he showed typical features predator, “scoundrel”, “acquirer” of the bourgeois fold generated by the initial stage of capitalist accumulation.
In the eleventh chapter of the first volume, Gogol talks in detail about life path Chichikov from birth until the moment when this “hero” began buying up dead souls; how Chichikov’s character developed, what vital interests formed in him under the influence environment, guided his behavior.
Even as a child, he received instructions from his father on how to become one of the people: “most of all please teachers and bosses... hang out with those who are richer, so that on occasion they can be useful to you... and most of all, take care and save a penny, this the thing is more reliable than anything in the world... You can do everything and lose everything in the world with a penny.” This behest of his father was the basis of his relationships with people, even from school. Save a penny, but not for its own sake, but as a means to achieve material well-being and a prominent position in society, became the main goal of his entire life.
Already at school, he quickly gained the favor of the teacher and, possessing “great intelligence on the practical side,” successfully accumulated money.
Service in various institutions developed and polished Chichikov’s natural abilities - practical intelligence, deft ingenuity, hypocrisy, patience, the ability to “comprehend the spirit of the boss”, feel for a weak string in a person’s soul and skillfully influence it for personal purposes, energy and perseverance in achieving conceived, complete unscrupulousness and heartlessness.
Having received the position of police officer, Chichikov “became a noticeable person. Everything turned out to be in him that is needed for this world: pleasantness in turns and actions, and agility in business affairs.” All this distinguished Chichikov in his further service; This is how he appears before us during the purchase of dead souls.
Chichikov uses “irresistible strength of character,” “quickness, insight and perspicacity,” and all his ability to charm a person to achieve the desired enrichment.
Widely using all his practical acumen, courtesy and resourcefulness, Chichikov managed to charm and provincial town, and estates. Having quickly figured out a person, he knows how to approach everyone in a special way, subtly calculating his moves and adapting the manner of address and the very tone of speech to the character of the landowner. One has only to observe how Chichikov behaves and speaks with Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdryov, Sobakevich and Plyushkin to be convinced of this and be amazed at the inexhaustible variety of “all the shades and subtleties of his address.”
This internal “many-facetedness” of Chichikov, elusiveness, is emphasized by his appearance, given by Gogol in vague tones. “In the chaise sat a gentleman, not handsome, but not of bad appearance, neither too fat nor too thin, one cannot say that he is old, but not that he is too young.”
Chichikov's facial expression constantly changes, depending on who he is talking to and what he is talking about. Going to the governor's ball, he spends an hour in front of the mirror, studying different facial expressions and mannerisms to use at the ball. “We tried to give him (the face) many different expressions: sometimes important and sedate, sometimes respectful, but with some smile, sometimes simply respectful without a smile; several bows were made into the mirror, accompanied by unclear sounds, partly similar to French, although Chichikov did not know French at all.”
Gogol constantly emphasizes the external neatness of his hero, his love for cleanliness and a good, fashionable suit. Chichikov is always carefully shaven and perfumed; He always wears clean underwear and a fashionable dress of “brown and reddish colors with a sparkle” or “the color of Navarino smoke with flames.”
And this external neatness and cleanliness of Chichikov, strikingly contrasting with the internal dirt and uncleanliness of this hero, fully completes the image of the “scoundrel”, the “acquirer”-predator, who uses everything to achieve his main goal - profit, acquisition.
Gogol satirically castigates his hero - a “scoundrel”, a representative of those predators who appeared in large numbers in the 30s, when bourgeois-capitalist forces had already begun to develop within the framework of the feudal-serf system. This was noted by Belinsky, who said that “Chichikov, as an acquirer, is no less, if not more than Pechorin, a hero of our time.”
Belinsky and Chernyshevsky noted that Chichikov was typical of the bourgeois world.
Belinsky wrote that abroad one meets “the same Chichikovs, only in a different dress: in France and England they do not buy up dead souls, but bribe living souls in free parliamentary elections! The whole difference is in civilization, not in essence.” Chernyshevsky wrote that in England “The Chichikovs... are busy with stock exchange and factory tricks.”
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The compositional basis of Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” is Chichikov’s travels through the cities and provinces of Russia. According to the author’s plan, the reader is invited to “travel all over Rus' with the hero and bring out many different characters.” In the first volume of Dead Souls, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol introduces the reader to a number of characters who represent “ dark kingdom", familiar from the plays of A. N. Ostrovsky. The types created by the writer are relevant to this day, and many proper names have become common nouns over time, although in lately V colloquial speech are used less and less. Below is a description of the characters in the poem. In Dead Souls, the main characters are landowners and the main adventurer, whose adventures form the basis of the plot.
Chichikov, main character“Dead Souls”, travels around Russia, buying documents for dead peasants who, according to the audit book, are still listed as alive. In the first chapters of the work, the author tries in every possible way to emphasize that Chichikov was a completely ordinary, unremarkable person. Knowing how to find an approach to every person, Chichikov was able to achieve favor, respect and recognition in any society he encountered without any problems. Pavel Ivanovich is ready to do anything to achieve his goal: he lies, impersonates another person, flatters, takes advantage of other people. But at the same time, he seems to readers to be an absolutely charming person! Gogol masterfully showed the multifaceted human personality, which combines depravity and the pursuit of virtue.
Another hero of Gogol’s “Dead Souls” is Manilov. Chichikov comes to him first. Manilov gives the impression of a carefree person who does not care about worldly problems. Manilov found a wife to match himself - the same dreamy young lady. Servants took care of the house, and teachers came to their two children, Themistoclus and Alcidus. It was difficult to determine Manilov’s character: Gogol himself says that in the first minute one might think “what an amazing person!”, a little later one might be disappointed in the hero, and after another minute one would become convinced that they couldn’t say anything about Manilov at all. There are no desires in it, no life itself. The landowner spends his time in abstract thoughts, completely ignoring everyday problems. Manilov easily gave the dead souls to Chichikov without asking about the legal details.
If we continue the list of characters in the story, then the next one will be Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna, an old lonely widow who lives in a small village. Chichikov came to her by accident: the coachman Selifan lost his way and turned onto the wrong road. The hero was forced to stop for the night. External attributes were an indicator of the landowner’s internal state: everything in her house was done efficiently and firmly, but nevertheless there were a lot of flies everywhere. Korobochka was a real entrepreneur, because she was used to seeing in every person only a potential buyer. Nastasya Petrovna was remembered by the reader for the fact that she did not agree to the deal. Chichikov persuaded the landowner and promised to give her several blue papers for petitions, but until he agreed next time to definitely order flour, honey and lard from Korobochka, Pavel Ivanovich did not receive several dozen dead souls.
Next on the list was Nozdryov- a carouser, a liar and a merry fellow, a playmaker. The meaning of his life was entertainment; even two children could not keep the landowner at home for more than a few days. Nozdryov often found himself in various stories, but thanks to his innate talent for finding a way out of any situation, he always got away with it. Nozdryov communicated easily with people, even with those with whom he managed to quarrel; after a while he communicated as if with old friends. However, many tried not to have anything in common with Nozdryov: the landowner hundreds of times came up with various fables about others, telling them at balls and dinner parties. It seemed that Nozdryov was not at all bothered by the fact that he often lost his property at cards - he certainly wanted to win back. The image of Nozdryov is very important for characterizing other heroes of the poem, in particular Chichikov. After all, Nozdryov was the only person with whom Chichikov did not make a deal and indeed did not want to meet with him anymore. Pavel Ivanovich barely managed to escape from Nozdryov, but Chichikov could not even imagine under what circumstances he would see this man again.
Sobakevich was the fourth seller of dead souls. to his appearance and his behavior resembled a bear, even the interior of his house and household utensils were huge, inappropriate and bulky. From the very beginning, the author emphasizes Sobakevich’s thriftiness and prudence. It was he who first suggested that Chichikov buy documents for the peasants. Chichikov was surprised by this turn of events, but did not argue. The landowner was also remembered for raising prices on the peasants, despite the fact that the latter were long dead. He talked about their professional skills or personal qualities, trying to sell documents at a higher price than Chichikov offered.
Surprisingly, this particular hero has a much greater chance of spiritual rebirth, because Sobakevich sees how small people have become, how insignificant they are in their aspirations.
This list of characteristics of the heroes of “Dead Souls” shows the most important characters for understanding the plot, but do not forget about coachman Selifane, and about servant of Pavel Ivanovich, and about good-natured landowner Plyushkin. Being a master of words, Gogol created very vivid portraits of heroes and their types, which is why all the descriptions of the heroes of Dead Souls are so easily remembered and immediately recognizable.
Work test
Speaking surname Chichikova
The surname "Chichikov" is telling. According to one version, it is similar to the chirping of a sparrow and reflects such qualities of the hero as dexterity and the ability to adapt. And his name - Paul - correlates with this in a known manner in Christianity, as the image of the Apostle Paul, who first persecuted Christ and then himself converted to Christianity.
This suggests that Gogol probably also planned changes in Chichikov’s soul in better side, his moral revival, cleansing from those unclean, base deeds that he was engaged in throughout the first volume.
Chichikov's appearance
Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is the main character of N.V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls", a collegiate adviser. Chichikov’s appearance can already tell a lot about him, a dexterous and cunning man who is liked by literally everyone: he is a plump, middle-aged man, not a real handsome man, but pleasant to look at, with a friendly voice, and smells good because he wears cologne.
Character, image, origin of Chichikov
Chichikov comes from a family of poor nobles, but despite this, he is well educated. Chichikov's character is as follows: he is a reasonable, polite person, but very cunning, deceitful, hypocritical, who manages numbers and money well, and saves a lot. He is cold-blooded and purposeful, always going towards his goal, using the dirtiest methods to achieve this. For him, the end always justifies the means. But Chichikov knows how to hide all his shortcomings in order to achieve his goal; he easily charms those around him and misleads them with his external courtesy and pleasantness. Chichikov is smart and calculating, well versed in human psychology and can find an approach to almost anyone. The main goal of his life is to get as much as possible more money, and for this he is ready to do anything.
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Updated: 2018-03-03
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