The images of landowners in the poem are dead. "These worthless people"
Images of landowners and their comparison with Chichikov (“Based on the poem “Dead Souls”)
"Dead Souls" is one of the brightest works of Russian and world literature, the pinnacle of art. Gogol's mastery. One of the main themes in Gogol's TV is Yavl. theme about the Russian landowner class, about the Russian nobility as the ruling class, about its fate and role in public life. It is characteristic that the main way of depicting landowners in Ggol is yavl. satire. The images of landowners reflect the process of gradual gradation of the landowner class, revealing all its faults and shortcomings. Gogol’s satire is colored with irony and “hits right in the forehead.” Gogol’s laughter seems good-natured, but he spares no one, every phrase has a deep, hidden meaning, subtext. The poem is structured as the story of the adventures of Chichikov, an official who buys up “dead souls.” The composition of the poem allowed the author to talk about different landowners and their villages. Gogol creates five characters, five portraits that are so different from each other, and at the same time in each of them appear typical features Russian landowner. Our acquaintance begins with Manilov and ends with Plyushkin. This sequence has its own logic: from one landowner to another the process of impoverishment of the human personality deepens, it develops more and more scary picture disintegration of serf society
Manilov (I chapter) opens a portrait gallery of landowners. His character is already evident in his surname itself. The description begins with a picture of the village of Manilovka, which “could lure few with its location.” With irony, the author describes the master's courtyard, with the pretense of an "English garden with an overgrown pond", sparsely bushed and with a pale inscription "Temple of solitary reflection." Speaking about Manilov, the author exclaims: “God alone could say what Manilov’s character was.” He is kind by nature, polite, courteous, but all this took on ugly forms in him. Manilov is beautiful-hearted and sentimental to the point of cloying. Relations between people seem to him idyllic and festive. Manilov did not know life at all; reality was replaced by empty fantasy. He loved to think and dream, sometimes even about things useful for the peasants. But his spotlight was far from the demands of life. He did not know about the real needs of the peasants and never thought about them. (or M. lives in illusory world, and the process of fantasy itself gives him great pleasure; he is a sentimental dreamer, incapable of practical action)
Manilov considers himself a bearer of spiritual culture. Once in the army he was considered the most educated man. The author speaks ironically about the situation in Manilov’s house, in which “something was always missing,” and about his sugary relationship with his wife. At the time of the conversation about dead souls, Manilov was compared to an overly smart minister. In comparison with other landowners, Manilov indeed seems to be an enlightened person, but this is only one appearance
The third chapter of the poem is devoted to the image of Korobochka, which Gogol classifies as one of those “small landowners who complain about crop failures, losses and keep their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile little by little collect money in colorful bags placed in the drawers of the chest of drawers!” (or M. and Korobochka are in some way antipodes: Manilov’s vulgarity is hidden behind high phases, behind discussions about the good of the Motherland, and in Korobochka spiritual poverty appears in its natural form. The box does not pretend to be high culture: its entire appearance emphasizes very unpretentious simplicity. This is emphasized by Gogol in the heroine’s appearance: he points out her shabby and unattractive appearance. This simplicity reveals itself in relationships with people. the main objective her life is the consolidation of her wealth, incessant accumulation. It is no coincidence that Chichikov sees traces of skillful management in her estate. This economy reveals her inner insignificance. She has no feelings other than the desire to acquire and benefit. The situation with “dead souls” is confirmation. Korobochka sells to peasants with the same efficiency with which she sells other items of her household. For her there is no difference between an animate and an inanimate being. There is only one thing that frightens her in Chichikov’s proposal: the prospect of missing something, not taking what can be obtained for “dead souls.” Korobochka is not going to give them up to Chichikov on the cheap. Gogol awarded her the epithet “club-headed.”) This money comes from the sale of a wide variety of nat products. households Korobochka understood the benefits of trade and, after much persuasion, agrees to sell such an unusual product as dead souls
When moving to the image of Nozdryov, Gogol emphasizes the contrast between him and the box. In contrast to the immobile landowner, Nozdryov is distinguished by his daring and “broad scope of nature.” He is mobile, ready to do any business, without thinking about what, but all his activity is devoid of ideas and goals. Therefore, all his impulses end as easily as they begin, without any positive results: “Everything ends either in trifles, or in all kinds of stories.” . His activity is aimed at burning life. He is a carouser and a reckless driver. Nozdryov finds himself everywhere where the pleasures of life can await him. Unlike Korobochka, Nozdryov is not prone to petty hoarding. His ideal is people who always know how to have fun through life, unencumbered by any worries. In the chapter about Nozdryov there are few details reflecting the life of his serfs, but the description of the landowner itself provides comprehensive information about this, since for Nozdryov serfs and property are equivalent concepts. Both are a source of burning life. Wherever Nozdryov appears, there is chaos, a scandal. In Nozdryov’s understanding, his life is filled with meaning. In this respect, he resembles Manilov, but differs in that he likes to lie and embellish. In a conversation with Chichikov, he brags about absolutely everything: a stallion, a pond, a dog, and he simply does not exhaust himself in his lies. A lie for the sake of the lie itself. In relations with people, Nozdryov is free from any norms and principles. He gets along with people easily, but does not stay true to his word or anyone else's. In Nozdryov’s desire to cause discord in someone else’s life, one can feel the desire to harm everyone. As a result, all the versatility of the hero is devoid of any positive beginning. Gogol called Nozdryov a “historical man.” (“Nozdryov was in some respects a historical man”) Not a single meeting where he was present was complete without stories.
Unlike Nozdryov, Sobakevich cannot be considered a person with his head in the clouds. This hero stands firmly on the ground, does not indulge himself with illusions, soberly evaluates people and life, knows how to act and achieve what he wants. When characterizing his life, Gogol notes the thoroughness and fundamental nature of everything. These are natural features of Sobakevich’s life. He and the furnishings of his house bear the stamp of clumsiness and ugliness. Physical strength and clumsiness appear in the appearance of the hero himself. “He looked like a medium-sized bear,” Gogol writes about him. The animal nature predominates in Sobakevich. He is devoid of any spiritual needs, far from daydreaming, philosophizing and noble impulses of the soul. The meaning of his life is to satiate his stomach. He himself has a negative attitude towards everything related to culture and education: “Enlightenment is a harmful invention.” A local existence and a hoarder coexist in it. Unlike Korobochka, he understands the environment well and understands the time in which he lives, knows the people. Unlike the other landowners, he immediately understood the essence of Chichikov. Sobakevich is a cunning rogue, an arrogant businessman who is difficult to deceive. He evaluates everything around him only from the point of view of his own benefit. His conversation with Chichikov reveals the psychology of a kulak who knows how to force peasants to work for themselves and extract maximum benefit from this. He is straightforward, quite rude and does not believe in anything. Unlike Manilov, in his perception all people are robbers, scoundrels, fools. (In Sobakevich’s house everything surprisingly resembled him. Every thing seemed to say: “And I, too, Sobakevich”
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 unimportant. 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 the achievement of 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 us pay 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 rude 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 new times, a businessman and acquirer, and has everything necessary qualities: "Her pleasantness in turns and actions, and glibness 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 it will suit any situation: “not handsome, but not bad-looking", "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.
The work of N.V. Gogol " Dead Souls"has rightfully earned recognition throughout world literature. In it, the author vividly presents us with a whole gallery psychological portraits. Gogol reveals the characters of people by depicting their words and actions.
The writer reveals the human essence of his heroes using the example of the landowners of the district town of N. It is here that he comes main character poems by Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov to realize his plan - buying up dead audit souls.
Chichikov pays visits to landowners in a certain sequence. It is no coincidence that the first on his path is the landowner Manilov. There is nothing special about Manilov, he is, as they say, “neither fish nor fowl.” Everything about him is sterile, vague, even the features of his face lack concreteness.
The first impression of pleasantness that Manilov made on Chichikov turns out to be deceptive: “This pleasantness seemed to have too much sugar in it. In the first minute of conversation with him you can’t help but say: “What a pleasant and a kind person! The next minute you won’t say anything, and the third you’ll say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away; If you don’t leave, you will feel mortal boredom.”
Things, interior, Manilov’s home, description of the estate characterize its owner. In words, this landowner loves his family and peasants, but in reality he does not care about them at all. Against the background of the general disorder of the estate, Manilov indulges in sweet dreams in the “temple of solitary reflection.” His pleasantness is nothing more than a mask that covers spiritual emptiness. Idle daydreaming with apparent culture allows us to classify Manilov as an “idle unshakable” who gives nothing to society.
Next on Chichikov's path is the collegiate secretary Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. She is completely mired in petty vital interests and hoarding. Korobochka's indifference combined with stupidity looks funny and absurd. Even in selling the dead souls, she is afraid of being deceived, of being cheapened: “... I’d better wait a little, maybe the merchants will come, but I’ll adjust the prices.”
Everything in this landowner’s house is like a box. And the very name of the heroine - Korobochka - conveys her essence: limitations and narrow interests. In a word, this is the heroine - “club-headed,” as Chichikov himself called her.
In search of the landowner Sobakevich, Chichikov ends up in Nozdryov’s house. Nozdryov is the complete opposite of the stingy Korobochka. This is a reckless nature, a player, a reveler. He is endowed amazing ability lie unnecessarily, cheat at cards, exchange for anything and waste everything. All his activities have no purpose, his whole life is pure revelry: “Nozdryov was in some respects a historical person. Not a single meeting where he attended was complete without a story.”
At first glance, Nozdryov may seem like a lively, active person, but in reality he turns out to be empty. But there is one feature in both him and Korobochka that unites these people, different in nature. Just as the old woman hoards her wealth senselessly and uselessly, Nozdryov squanders his fortune just as senselessly and uselessly.
Next Chichikov gets to Sobakevich. In contrast to Nozdryov, who is on friendly terms with everyone, Sobakevich seems to Chichikov to be like “a medium-sized bear” with characteristic feature- scold everyone and everything. Sobakevich is a strong master, a “kulak”, suspicious and gloomy, going ahead. He doesn't trust anyone. This is clearly evidenced by the episode in which Chichikov and Sobakevich pass money into each other’s hands and lists of the dead shower.
Everything that surrounded Sobakevich “was solid, clumsy to the highest degree and had some strange resemblance to the owner of the house himself... Every chair, every object seemed to say: “And I, too, Sobakevich!” It seems to me that at his core Sobakevich is a petty, insignificant, clumsy person with inner desire stepping on everyone's toes.
And the last one on Chichikov’s path is the landowner Plyushkin, whose stinginess is taken to the extreme, to the last line of human degradation. He is “a hole in humanity”, representing the complete disintegration of personality. Having met Plyushkin, Chichikov could not even think that he had met the owner of the estate; at first he mistakes him for the housekeeper.
Plyushkin's once rich economy is completely falling apart. This hero has eight hundred souls, his storerooms and barns are bursting with goods, but because of greed and senseless accumulation, all this wealth turned to dust: “... the hay and bread rotted, the storehouses and stacks turned into pure manure, no matter what you spread on them.” cabbage, flour in the cellars turned into stone, and it was necessary to chop it; it was scary to touch cloth, linens and household materials: they turned to dust.”
Plyushkin’s peasants are “dying like flies”; dozens of them are on the run. But in the past he was known as a thrifty and enterprising landowner. But after the death of his wife, Plyushkin’s suspicion and stinginess intensified to highest degree. The passion for hoarding even killed his love for children. As a result, having lost his human appearance, Plyushkin becomes like a beggar, a man without gender and without gender.
Images of landowners in " Dead souls"show all the horror and absurdity of what is happening in contemporary Gogol Russia. After all, under serfdom, such Plyushkins, Manilovs, Sobakeviches receive all the rights to the same living people and do with them whatever they want.
In his poem, the writer considers all types of Russian landowners, but does not find one with whom the future of the country could be linked. In my opinion, Gogol in his poem very vividly described all the soullessness of the landowner Russia of his time.
In the poem “Dead Souls,” Gogol created a picture of contemporary Russia that was extraordinary in scope and breadth, depicting it in all its grandeur, but at the same time with all its vices. He managed to immerse the reader into the depths of the souls of his heroes with such force that the work has not ceased to make a stunning impression on readers over the years. At the center of the narrative of the poem is feudal Rus', a country in which the entire land with its riches, its people belonged to the ruling noble class. The nobility occupied a privileged position and was responsible for the economic and cultural development states. Representatives of this class are landowners, “masters” of life, owners of serf souls.
The gallery of images of landowners is opened by Manilov, whose estate is called the front facade of landowner Russia. At the first meeting, this hero makes a pleasant impression of a cultured, delicate person. But already in this runaway author's description one cannot help but notice the irony. In the appearance of this hero, a sugary sweetness clearly appears, as evidenced by the comparison of his eyes with sugar. Further, it becomes clear that under the pleasantly courteous behavior with people lies an empty soul. In the image of Manilov, many people are represented, about whom, according to Gogol, one can say: “people are so-so, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan nor in the village of Selifan.” They live in the countryside, have a penchant for refined, florid turns of speech, because they want to seem enlightened and highly educated people, look at everything with a calm gaze, and, smoking a pipe, dream of doing something good, for example, building a stone bridge across the pond and set up shops on it. But all their dreams are meaningless and unrealizable. This is also evidenced by the description of Manilov’s estate, which is Gogol’s most important method of characterizing landowners: by the state of the estate one can judge the character of the owner. Manilov is not involved in farming: everything “went somehow by itself” for him; and his dreamy inaction is reflected in everything; an indefinite, light gray color predominates in the description of the landscape. Social events Manilov visits because other landowners visit them. The same is true in family life and in the house. The spouses love to kiss, give toothpick cases, and do not show much concern for landscaping: there is always some kind of drawback in their house, for example, if all the furniture is upholstered in dandy fabric, there will definitely be two chairs covered in canvas.
Manilov's character is expressed in his speech and in the way he behaves during the deal with Chichikov. When Chichikov suggested that Manilov sell him dead souls, he was at a loss. But, even realizing that the guest’s offer was clearly contrary to the law, he could not refuse such to the nicest person, and only began to think about whether this negotiation would not be in accordance with civil regulations and future views of Russia? The author does not hide the irony: a man who does not know how many peasants have died, who does not know how to organize his own economy, shows concern for politics. The surname Manilov corresponds to his character and was formed by the author from dialect word“manila” - one who beckons, promises and deceives, a flattering pleaser.
A different type of landowner appears before us in the image of Korobochka. Unlike Manilov, she is economical and practical, she knows the value of a penny. The description of her village suggests that she brought order to everyone. The net on the fruit trees and the cap on the scarecrow confirm that the housewife has her hands on everything and nothing goes to waste in her household. Looking around Korobochka's house, Chichikov notices that the wallpaper in the room is old and the mirrors are antique. But with all her individual characteristics, she is distinguished by the same vulgarity and “dead-heartedness” as Manilov. When selling an unusual product to Chichikov, she is afraid of selling it too cheap. After bargaining with Korobochka, Chichikov “was covered in sweat, like in a river: everything he was wearing, from his shirt to his stockings, was all wet.” The owner killed him with her cudgel-headedness, stupidity, stinginess and desire to delay the sale unusual goods. “Perhaps merchants will come in large numbers, and I’ll adjust the prices,” she says to Chichikov. She looks at dead souls the same way as at lard, hemp or honey, thinking that they too might be needed on the farm.
On high road, in a wooden tavern I met Chichikov Nozdryov - “ historical person", whom I met back in the city. And it is in the tavern that you can most often meet such people, of whom, as the author notes, there are many in Rus'. Speaking about one hero, the author at the same time gives characteristics to people like him. The irony of the author lies in the fact that in the first part of the phrase he characterizes the Nozdrevs as “good and faithful comrades,” and then adds: “... and for all that, they can be beaten very painfully.” This type of people is known in Rus' under the name of the “broken fellow.” The third time they say “you” to an acquaintance, at fairs they buy everything that comes to mind: collars, smoking candles, a stallion, a dress for a nanny, tobacco, pistols, etc., thoughtlessly and easily spend money on carousing and card games, they like to lie and “mess up” a person for no reason. The source of his income, like that of other landowners, are serfs. Such qualities of Nozdryov as blatant lies, boorish attitude towards people, dishonesty, thoughtlessness, are reflected in his fragmentary, fast speech, in the fact that he constantly jumps from one subject to another, in his insulting, abusive, cynical expressions: “a kind of cattle breeder “,” “You’re a jerk for this,” “such rubbish.” He is constantly looking for adventure and does not do housework at all. This is evidenced by the unfinished repairs in the house, empty stalls, a faulty barrel organ, a lost britzka and the pitiful situation of his serfs, from whom he beats everything possible.
Nozdryov gives way to Sobakevich. This hero represents the type of landowners for whom everything is distinguished by good quality and durability. The character of Sobakevich helps to understand the description of his estate: an awkward house, full-weight and thick logs from which the stable, barn and kitchen are built, dense peasant huts, portraits in the rooms depicting “heroes with thick thighs and unheard-of mustaches,” a walnut bureau on absurd four legs. In a word, everything looks like its owner, whom the author compares to a “medium-sized bear,” emphasizing its animal essence. When depicting the image of Sobakevich, the writer widely uses the technique of hyperbolization; just remember his monstrous appetite. Landowners like Sobakevich are evil and cruel serf owners who never missed their profits. “Sobakevich’s soul seemed to be covered with such a thick shell that whatever was tossing and turning at the bottom of it did not produce absolutely any shock on the surface,” says the author. His body became incapable of expressing emotional movements. In bargaining with Chichikov, the main character trait of Sobakevich is revealed - his uncontrollable desire for profit.
The gallery of persons with whom Chichikov enters into transactions is completed by the landowner Plyushkin - “a hole in humanity.” Gogol notes that such a phenomenon is rare in Rus', where everything likes to unfold rather than shrink. The acquaintance with this hero is preceded by a landscape, the details of which reveal the soul of the hero. Dilapidated wooden buildings, dark old logs on the huts, roofs resembling a sieve, windows without glass, covered with rags, reveal Plyushkin as a bad owner with a deadened soul. But the picture of the garden, although dead and deaf, creates a different impression. When describing it, Gogol used happier and lighter colors - trees, “a regular sparkling marble column”, “air”, “cleanliness”, “neatness”... And through all this one can see the life of the owner himself, whose soul has faded away, like nature in the wilderness this garden.
In Plyushkin’s house, too, everything speaks of the spiritual disintegration of his personality: piled-up furniture, a broken chair, a dried lemon, a piece of rag, a toothpick... And he himself looks like an old housekeeper, only his gray eyes, like mice, dart from under his high eyebrows. Everything dies, rots and collapses around Plyushkin. The story of the transformation of a smart person into a “hole in humanity,” which the author introduces us to, leaves an indelible impression. Chichikov quickly finds mutual language with Plyushkin. The “patched” master is only concerned about one thing: how to avoid incurring losses when making a deed of sale.
However, in the chapter devoted to revealing Plyushkin’s character, there are many details that have positive meaning. The chapter begins with a lyrical digression about youth; the author tells the story of the hero’s life; light colors predominate in the description of the garden; Plyushkin's eyes have not yet dimmed. On the hero’s wooden face you can still see “a flicker of joy” and a “warm ray.” All this suggests that Plyushkin, unlike other landowners, still has the possibility of moral revival. Plyushkin's soul was once pure, which means it can still be reborn. It is no coincidence that the “patched” master completes the gallery of images of “old world” landowners. The author sought not only to tell the story of Plyushkin, but also to warn readers that anyone could follow the path of this landowner. Gogol believed in spiritual rebirth Plyushkin, how he believed in the strength of Russia and its people. This is confirmed by numerous lyrical digressions, filled with deep lyricism and poetry.
1. Most interesting place in the poem there are chapters dedicated to five landowners.
2. The image of Manilov.
3. Image of the Box.
4. The image of Sobakevich.
5. Image of Nozdryov!
6. The image of Plyushkin.
7. The role of images of landowners in the novel.
The most interesting place in I. V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” is the chapters dedicated to five landowners: Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdryov, Sobakevich and Plyushkin. It is easy to notice that the chapters are arranged in a special sequence: from the least to the greatest degree of degradation of the characters.
The surname of the landowner Manilov is derived from the verb “to beckon.” The main features of this character are daydreaming, sentimentality and laziness. Gogol characterizes his hero as follows: “... a so-so person, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan.” Manilov's house is located on the Jurassic, which is blown by all the winds, which speaks of his frivolity and inability to think realistically. The landowner loves to indulge in his dreams in the gazebo, on which there is an inscription: “Temple of Solitary Reflection.” This is the only secluded place for Manilov, where he can calmly fantasize about some completely unrealistic projects. But, it seems to him, digging an underground passage from the house or building a stone bridge across a pond are completely normal ideas. Housekeeping is not Manilov’s thing. Everything is going wrong on his estate, and the hero doesn’t even care about it.
Gogol says that Manilov’s hospitality and good looks are too cloying: “In the first minute of conversation with him, you can’t help but say: “What a pleasant and kind person!” The next time... you won’t say anything, and the third time you’ll say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away!..” This is manifested not only in the manners of the landowner, but also in his relationship with his wife. They lisp with each other all the time, and this greatly amuses the author.
The image of this hero has become one of the key ones for literature. From him came the name of such a phenomenon as “Manilovism”, which means the unnaturalness of a person.
Another no less striking character in the story is the landowner Korobochka. Her surname was chosen by Gogol not by chance. By nature, the landowner is immensely economical and superstitious. Korobochka is the type of woman who can cry about a bad harvest, but still always saves a pretty penny for herself. Her chest of drawers, in addition to all sorts of nonsense, is filled with bags of money. The box is very petty, it only cares about maintaining household, in him she sees the meaning of life. Gogol gives her entourage “animal” surnames: Bobrov and Svinin, which once again emphasizes that the heroine is passionate only about her estate. The author highlights his cudgel-headedness among other “advantages” of his character. Korobochka demonstrates this quality in a situation when Chichikov tries to negotiate with her about the sale of “dead souls.” The heroine thinks that her interlocutor is going to dig them out of the graves dead peasants. She is in no hurry to sell her “wealth”, but instead tries to slip hemp and honey. Korobochka agrees to Chichikov's proposal only after he mentions the devil.
The next landowner whom Chichikov visited was Sobakevich. His image was compiled by N.V. Gogol from everything big: big boots, cheesecakes “much larger than a plate,” “a turkey the size of a calf.” Even this character’s health is heroic. Thanks to such descriptions, the author achieves comic effect. By parading the great exploits of the heroes, Gogol thereby emphasizes the true essence of Sobakevich himself, whose main qualities can be called rudeness and clumsiness. All the objects in the house are as bulky and clumsy as their owner: a table, chairs, a wooden bureau - everything seems to shout: “And I, too, are Sobakevich!” In his opinion, everyone around is liars and the last scammers. He doesn't care at all human soul, the interest for Sobakevich is only in money.
From all of the above, we can conclude that Sobakevich is one of the most “dead souls” of the poem. There is nothing spiritual for him. The only things valuable to this hero are money and things. He is only interested in “earthly” matters.
Most bright character, in my opinion, is Nozdryov. This is the image of an inveterate reveler. The author is ironic about his character, speaking of him as a “historical” person. In relation to his hero, Gogol uses figurative sense this word. Nozdryov’s “historicism” lies in the fact that he always ends up in some kind of story: he either gets drunk at a buffet, or mercilessly lies about the supposedly purchased horse. Like any rake, he adores women. But most main feature Nozdryov’s character is a great desire to “mess up one’s neighbor.” Not once did he commit vile acts. For example, he told fictitious stories, disrupted a wedding, upset a trade deal, etc. But the most outstanding thing about his character is that after all his tricks, without a twinge of conscience, he continued to consider himself a comrade of the victim.
According to tradition, in the poem the furnishings in the house of each landowner correspond to the character of its owner. So Nozdryov’s home is imbued with the spirit of excitement and boasting. According to Nozdryov himself, in his domain there was once “a fish of such size that two people could hardly pull it out.” Its walls are haphazardly covered in paint, as the men whitewash them. His office, instead of books and papers, is filled with weapons. Nozdryov likes to exchange some things for others, not because of money or some other material interest, but simply because he is fascinated by this process. Since all kinds of tricks are main passion character, it is not difficult for him to fool Chichikov, whom Nozdryov gets drunk and tries to deceive when playing checkers.
What else can be said about Nozdrev? His description will tell everything much better: “...he sometimes returned home with only his sideburns, and then quite runny. But his healthy and full cheeks were so well created and contained so much plant power that his sideburns soon grew back, even better than before.”
And the final image in the gallery of Russian “dead souls” is a landowner named Plyushkin. As you know, in the poem all the names are speaking. Only "Plyushkin" is given in figurative meaning. It looks more like a completely dried out cracker rather than a bun. The image of the landowner Plyushkin is very sloppy. Gogol mentions his double chin, which he has to constantly cover, as well as his greasy robe, which evokes nothing but disgust in the reader. The author gives his hero a very succinct definition: “a hole in humanity.” This character is a symbol of the decadent mood and decay of all living things. And again the house speaks for its owner: the bread in the storerooms is rotting, the gates and fences are covered with mold, and the roofs in the huts are completely leaky. Gogol adds short story about the fate of his hero, whose wife first died, and after that his daughter ran away with the headquarters captain. These events became for Plyushkin last moments real life. After this, time stopped for the hero.
All images of N.V. Gogol are very bright and unique in their own way. But there is one the main idea, which unites them. The author, showing clear examples of the degradation of humanity, urges readers not to become “ dead soul”, and always remain “alive”.
The same work that shocked the whole country, as Herzen would later say. Gogol reveals the images of landowners in the poem Dead Souls, presenting us with their portraits, drawing their characters, speaking in their words, showing their thoughts and actions.
Brief images of landowners
To show us the inhumanity of the serf-owners - the nobles of that Russia, Gogol in Dead Souls creates images of landowners. We get to know them gradually, traveling with the hero Chichikov, who planned to buy up all the dead souls of the serfs. In the created images, the landowners of the past time, which the author describes, recognized themselves. Some saw Manilov in themselves, some saw Korobochka, and some noticed similarities with other characters. Let's take a closer look at portrait characteristics heroes of the poem, analyzing their images in Dead Souls and writing our essay. Since in the lesson we examined in detail Dead job souls, then it will be easy to characterize the images. Let's start with the first hero - Manilov.
When Chichikov conceived his plan to buy dead souls, he headed to county town in order to realize our plans. So he pays visits to local landowners. The first to come across on his way is Manilov. At first glance, he is a kind, caring and correct person. But this is just a first impression, but in reality everything is different. Only in words he is good, in reality he has no concern for either his loved ones or his serfs. Courtesy and integrity are feigned and he does this in order to find his place in the sun. All his pleasantness is nothing more than a mask behind which emptiness is hidden. All the pretentiousness is revealed not only in the image of the hero, but also in the collapsed gazebo, which he calls a temple of solitude and reflection. The entire estate is abandoned, the peasants live in poverty, and their owner, lying on the sofa, continually dreams of how he will build a bridge across the pond.
Then Chichikov meets Korobochka. Already by her last name we see that she is a narrow-minded woman. As the author will call her, clubhead. By nature, this landowner is a hoarder, because she saves and saves every now and then. Hoarding is her passion, so she is completely mired in it, as well as in petty interests in life. She is not interested in what is out there, the main thing is not to sell things short and not be deceived. So she doesn’t agree to sell the dead souls, in case they come in handy again or some other merchant offers a better price. Its limitations and narrow interests are obvious.
Following our hero Chichikov, we get to the next landowner. And here, in the image of Nozdryov, we see a wasteful person, a gambler who lies without a twinge of conscience. This is a person who has no problem cheating at cards, exchanging for anything and losing it all. A person who lives aimlessly, meaninglessly squandering his fortune. The disorderliness of his nature can be read not only in the image of the hero, but also in his household.
Next, the author introduces us to the image of Sobakevich in his work. Analyzing the hero, we see in Sobakevich a hoarder, whose household is well-equipped and everything else is sound. But he himself is like a bear - rude and uncouth. He doesn't trust anyone, holding the opinion that the world is a crook on a crook. While selling souls, he also praises them, because he wants to sell the goods at a higher price. This is a man whose main characteristic was profit. And there were a lot of them. This passion disfigured the soul and trampled a person’s morality. The author wrote this, a man who did not have a soul, and if he did, it was not where it should be.
The image of the landowner Plyushkin in the poem is the last final image that the author creates. And here we see the complete degradation of a man who was driven to the extreme by his stinginess. This hero pulls everything into the house. He lives like a beggar, while he has plenty of reserves and savings. As a master, and as a father, he has deteriorated. The peasants are dying, many are on the run, he has no human and paternal feelings, the farm itself is in disrepair, and he keeps saving and saving.