Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol noted that the main theme “ Dead souls"became contemporary Russia. The author believed that “there is no other way to direct society or even an entire generation towards the beautiful until you show the full depth of its real abomination.” That is why the poem presents a satire on the local nobility, bureaucracy and others social groups. The composition of the work is subordinated to this task of the author.
The image of Chichikov traveling around the country in search of the necessary connections and wealth allows N.V. Gogol to show various aspects of reality: life, customs, characters, landscapes. In the first chapter, the author gives short characteristics of the main characters, including landowners. Next, five chapters, from the second to the sixth, are devoted to each of the landowners from whom Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is going to purchase “dead souls” in order to pawn them in the bank as living ones.
The content of the chapters follows the same plan. Type of the estate, general condition of the farm, the manor's house and its decoration, characteristics of the landowner, description of his relationship with Chichikov. A special place is occupied by the presentation of the bargaining, the transaction itself for the purchase of audit souls. The order in which landowners appear in the poem is also not accidental. The author himself, in “Selected Passages from Correspondence with Friends,” noted that “my heroes follow one after another, one more vulgar than the other.”
Chichikov is the first to visit Manilov. This landowner has not completely lost his humanity. He is characterized by dreaminess, good-naturedness, and a desire to “follow some kind of science.” In the poem, Gogol conveys the image of Manilov in this way: “In appearance, he was a prominent man; his facial features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to be too much of a sugary substance; in his techniques and turns there was something ingratiating favor and acquaintance. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes.”
The furnishings of Manilov's house are a strange mixture of beautiful things and broken furniture. One can recall, for example, the chairs that were still “upholstered in simple matting,” and the owner told guests for several years that these chairs were “not ready yet.”
Manilov’s irresponsibility is also confirmed by the fact that he not only does not know how many peasants have died, but, it seems, does not have a very good idea of the state of affairs on his estate, indifferently confirms the clerk’s answer that “nobody counted the dead.” This character spends time in empty dreams, for example, that “it would be nice to build a stone bridge,” on which there would be shops on both sides selling the necessary goods.
Quite accurately, Manilov’s habits are characterized by such details as “... some kind of book, bookmarked on page fourteen, which he had been constantly reading for two years” and located on the window sills “... piles of ash knocked out of a pipe, arranged, not without effort, in very beautiful rows... "
Although Manilov was amazed at Chichikov’s proposals to sell “dead souls” in the first seconds, he was reassured best friend Pavel Ivanovich, that this does not contradict the interests of the state, even offers to make a bill of sale at his own expense. The author gives exact description to this hero: “There is a kind of people known by the name: so-so people, neither this nor that... Maybe Manilov should join them.”
The author's skill was manifested not only in typification, but also in individualization of images. Gogol's genius is reflected in the art of using artistic details. The same detail inherent in a certain image is repeated and intensified. Such, for example, is Manilov’s cloying quality, which is reflected in the character’s exaggeratedly polite, sugary speech. The author of the poem “dared” to describe “fragmented, everyday characters” and presented them “in the eyes of the whole people.” It is probably precisely this property of the work that attracts the attention of more and more generations of readers, giving them not only aesthetic pleasure, but also teaching them a moral lesson.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol noted that the main theme of “Dead Souls” was contemporary Russia. The author believed that “there is no other way to direct society or even an entire generation towards the beautiful until you show the full depth of its real abomination.” That is why the poem presents a satire on the local nobility, bureaucracy and other social groups. The composition of the work is subordinated to this task of the author.
The image of Chichikov traveling around the country in search of the necessary connections and wealth allows N.V. Gogol to show various aspects of reality: life, customs, characters, landscapes. In the first chapter, the author gives short characteristics of the main characters, including landowners. Next, five chapters, from the second to the sixth, are devoted to each of the landowners from whom Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is going to purchase “dead souls” in order to pawn them in the bank as living ones.
The content of the chapters follows the same plan. Type of the estate, general condition of the farm, the manor's house and its decoration, characteristics of the landowner, description of his relationship with Chichikov. A special place is occupied by the presentation of the bargaining, the transaction itself for the purchase of audit souls. The order in which landowners appear in the poem is also not accidental. The author himself, in “Selected Passages from Correspondence with Friends,” noted that “my heroes follow one after another, one more vulgar than the other.”
Chichikov is the first to visit Manilov. This landowner has not completely lost his humanity. He is characterized by dreaminess, good-naturedness, and a desire to “follow some kind of science.” In the poem, Gogol conveys the image of Manilov in this way: “In appearance, he was a prominent man; his facial features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to be too much of a sugary substance; in his techniques and turns there was something ingratiating favor and acquaintance. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes.”
The furnishings of Manilov's house are a strange mixture of beautiful things and broken furniture. One can recall, for example, the chairs that were still “upholstered in simple matting,” and the owner told guests for several years that these chairs were “not ready yet.”
Manilov’s irresponsibility is also confirmed by the fact that he not only does not know how many peasants have died, but, it seems, does not have a very good idea of the state of affairs on his estate, indifferently confirms the clerk’s answer that “nobody counted the dead.” This character spends time in empty dreams, for example, that “it would be nice to build a stone bridge,” on which there would be shops on both sides selling the necessary goods.
Quite accurately, Manilov’s habits are characterized by such details as “... some kind of book, bookmarked on page fourteen, which he had been constantly reading for two years” and located on the window sills “... piles of ash knocked out of a pipe, arranged, not without effort, in very beautiful rows... "
Although Manilov was amazed at Chichikov’s proposals to sell “dead souls” in the first seconds, he, reassured by his best friend Pavel Ivanovich that this does not contradict the interests of the state, even offers to complete the deed of sale at his own expense. The author gives an accurate description of this hero: “There is a kind of people known by the name: so-so people, neither this nor that... Maybe Manilov should join them.”
The author's skill was manifested not only in typification, but also in individualization of images. Gogol's genius is reflected in the art of using artistic details. The same detail inherent in a certain image is repeated and intensified. Such, for example, is Manilov’s cloying quality, which is reflected in the character’s exaggeratedly polite, sugary speech. The author of the poem “dared” to describe “fragmented, everyday characters” and presented them “in the eyes of the whole people.” It is probably precisely this property of the work that attracts the attention of more and more generations of readers, giving them not only aesthetic pleasure, but also teaching them a moral lesson.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol noted that the main theme of “Dead Souls” was contemporary Russia. The author believed that “there is no other way to direct society or even an entire generation towards the beautiful until you show the full depth of its real abomination.” That is why the poem presents a satire on the local nobility, bureaucracy and other social groups. The composition of the work is subordinated to this task of the author.
The image of Chichikov traveling around the country in search of the necessary connections and wealth allows N.V. Gogol to show various aspects of reality: life, morals, characters, landscapes. In the first chapter, the author gives short characteristics of the main characters, including landowners. Next, five chapters, from the second to the sixth, are devoted to each of the landowners from whom Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is going to purchase “dead souls” in order to pawn them in the bank as living ones.
The content of the chapters follows the same plan. Type of the estate, general condition of the farm, the manor's house and its decoration, characteristics of the landowner, description of his relationship with Chichikov. A special place is occupied by the presentation of the bargaining, the transaction itself for the purchase of audit souls. The order in which landowners appear in the poem is also not accidental. The author himself, in “Selected Passages from Correspondence with Friends,” noted that “my heroes follow one after another, one more vulgar than the other.”
Chichikov is the first to visit Manilov. This landowner has not completely lost his humanity. He is characterized by dreaminess, good-naturedness, and a desire to “follow some kind of science.” In the poem, Gogol conveys the image of Manilov in this way: “In appearance, he was a prominent man; His facial features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to be too much of a sugary substance; in his techniques and turns there was something ingratiating favor and acquaintance. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes.”
The furnishings of Manilov's house are a strange mixture of beautiful things and broken furniture. One can recall, for example, the chairs that were still “upholstered in simple matting,” and the owner told guests for several years that these chairs were “not ready yet.”
Manilov’s irresponsibility is also confirmed by the fact that he not only does not know how many peasants have died, but, it seems, does not have a very good idea of the state of affairs on his estate, indifferently confirms the clerk’s answer that “nobody counted the dead.” This character spends time in empty dreams, for example, that “it would be nice to build a stone bridge,” on which there would be shops on both sides selling the necessary goods.
Quite accurately, Manilov’s habits are characterized by such details as “... some kind of book, bookmarked on page fourteen, which he had been constantly reading for two years” and located on the window sills “... piles of ash knocked out of a pipe, arranged, not without effort, in very beautiful rows... "
Although Manilov was amazed at Chichikov’s proposals to sell “dead souls” in the first seconds, he, reassured by his best friend Pavel Ivanovich that this does not contradict the interests of the state, even offers to complete the deed of sale at his own expense. The author gives an accurate description of this hero: “There is a kind of people known by the name: so-so people, neither this nor that... Maybe Manilov should join them.”
The author's skill was manifested not only in typification, but also in individualization of images. Gogol's genius is reflected in the art of using artistic details. The same detail inherent in a certain image is repeated and intensified. Such, for example, is Manilov’s cloying quality, which is reflected in the character’s exaggeratedly polite, sugary speech. The author of the poem “dared” to describe “fragmented, everyday characters” and presented them “in the eyes of the whole people.” It is probably precisely this property of the work that attracts the attention of more and more generations of readers, giving them not only aesthetic pleasure, but also teaching them a moral lesson.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol noted that the main theme of “Dead Souls” was contemporary Russia. The author believed that “there is no other way to direct society or even an entire generation towards the beautiful until you show the full depth of its real abomination.” That is why the poem presents a satire on the local nobility, bureaucracy and other social groups. The composition of the work is subordinated to this task of the author.
The image of Chichikov traveling around the country in search of the necessary connections and wealth allows N.V. Gogol to show various aspects of reality: life, customs, characters, landscapes. In the first chapter, the author gives short characteristics of the main characters, including landowners. Next, five chapters, from the second to the sixth, are devoted to each of the landowners from whom Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is going to purchase “dead souls” in order to pawn them in the bank as living ones.
The content of the chapters follows the same plan. Type of the estate, general condition of the farm, the manor's house and its decoration, characteristics of the landowner, description of his relationship with Chichikov. A special place is occupied by the presentation of the bargaining, the transaction itself for the purchase of audit souls. The order in which landowners appear in the poem is also not accidental. The author himself, in “Selected Passages from Correspondence with Friends,” noted that “my heroes follow one after another, one more vulgar than the other.”
Chichikov is the first to visit Manilov. This landowner has not completely lost his humanity. He is characterized by dreaminess, good-naturedness, and a desire to “follow some kind of science.” In the poem, Gogol conveys the image of Manilov in this way: “In appearance, he was a prominent man; his facial features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to be too much of a sugary substance; in his techniques and turns there was something ingratiating favor and acquaintance. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes.”
The furnishings of Manilov's house are a strange mixture of beautiful things and broken furniture. One can recall, for example, the chairs that were still “upholstered in simple matting,” and the owner told guests for several years that these chairs were “not ready yet.”
Manilov’s irresponsibility is also confirmed by the fact that he not only does not know how many peasants have died, but, it seems, does not have a very good idea of the state of affairs on his estate, indifferently confirms the clerk’s answer that “nobody counted the dead.” This character spends time in empty dreams, for example, that “it would be nice to build a stone bridge,” on which there would be shops on both sides selling the necessary goods.
Quite accurately, Manilov’s habits are characterized by such details as “... some kind of book, bookmarked on page fourteen, which he had been constantly reading for two years” and located on the window sills “... piles of ash knocked out of a pipe, arranged, not without effort, in very beautiful rows... "
Although Manilov was amazed at Chichikov’s proposals to sell “dead souls” in the first seconds, he, reassured by his best friend Pavel Ivanovich that this does not contradict the interests of the state, even offers to complete the deed of sale at his own expense. The author gives an accurate description of this hero: “There is a kind of people known by the name: so-so people, neither this nor that... Maybe Manilov should join them.”
The author's skill was manifested not only in typification, but also in individualization of images. Gogol's genius is reflected in the art of using artistic details. The same detail inherent in a certain image is repeated and intensified. Such, for example, is Manilov’s cloying quality, which is reflected in the character’s exaggeratedly polite, sugary speech. The author of the poem “dared” to describe “fragmented, everyday characters” and presented them “in the eyes of the whole people.” It is probably precisely this property of the work that attracts the attention of more and more generations of readers, giving them not only aesthetic pleasure, but also teaching them a moral lesson.
Introduction
In conclusion, a conclusion is drawn about how, with the help of details that highlight with particular clarity the main facets of the characters, Gogol creates extremely specific, clearly individual types, exceptional at the same time in the breadth of generalizations. Each hero represents a special side of Russian reality, recognizable to readers precisely by the little things. In addition, the details help to reveal the central problem of the poem - the problem of the death of a living soul. Gogol's heroes seem to be lost in the endless world of things, they themselves turn into something “objective”, spiritless.
Art world poem " Dead Souls»
The poem “Dead Souls” by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is one of the most brilliant works of Russian literature. Its innovation lies primarily in the fact that individual aspects of Russian life, so sharply outlined by Gogol earlier, are now combined by him into a huge realistic canvas, which captures the appearance of the entire Nicholas Russia, from the provincial landowner outback and provincial town to St. Petersburg, where the evil of life appears in a unique change of pictures and images, closely interconnected by unity artistic design.
In Gogol's poem there are so many problems that deeply worried progressive Russian people, so much indignation and admiration, contempt and lyrical emotion, warming humor and laughter, often striking to death, that it is not surprising that it turned out to be one of the most significant works of literature critical realism first half of the 19th century century and the totality of the material, tonality, sublimity and nobility of purpose, faith in the future with enormous power had an effect on public consciousness Russia.
But Gogol’s work, as a phenomenon of great art, is still relevant today. Its enduring significance in the mental and moral life of mankind is determined by the fact that it makes one think not only about the life that is depicted in it, but also about scary world what is called serfdom noble Russia, but also over the meaning of life in general, over the purpose of man.
Gogol himself wrote to V. A. Zhukovsky: “What a huge, what an original plot! What a varied bunch! All of Rus' will appear in it,” he himself determined the scope of his work - all of Rus'.
Gogol’s plan was grandiose: like Dante Alighieri, to depict Chichikov’s path first in “hell” - Volume I of Dead Souls, then in “purgatory” - Volume II and in “paradise” - Volume III. But this plan was not fully realized. Only the first volume reached the reader in full, which tells about the adventures of the “acquirer” Chichikov, who buys souls that are actually dead, but legally alive, that is, not crossed out from the audit lists.
Featuring heroes in close connection with the disclosure of the theme of Russia and the people, Gogol paid great attention to the embodiment of that specific, social and everyday situation that gave birth to them and from which they are, in essence, inseparable. The depiction of the environment has acquired general significance because the writer in “Dead Souls” concerns not only the destinies of the heroes, but also the destinies of the social structure.
Social environment is revealed in the poem as a diverse and complex phenomenon. This included the prevailing views that influence people, and established norms of behavior, forms of education, but with particular clarity in “Dead Souls” the significance of the living conditions in which people find themselves is revealed. For Gogol, the relationship between man and the social environment was the starting point in showing the psychology and behavior of the characters. Their vices do not come from the inner nature of a person, but are an expression of specific life conditions and circumstances.
When considering the methods of depicting the characters in “Dead Souls,” the role of portrait sketches and everyday details is usually noted, which are depicted here in an exceptionally masterful manner. There is no doubt that Gogol paid great attention to the everyday environment, carefully describing the material environment, the material world in which his five heroes live; Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Sobakevich and Plyushkin.
Principles for revealing the characters of landowners
The plot of Dead Souls serves, first of all, as a means of revealing characters. The author reproduces such life situations, in which his heroes, entering into relationships with each other, fighting among themselves, manifest themselves in actions, in feelings, in experiences.
The basis of the plot of the poem is the purchase - sale of the dead the soul is the key to the manifestation of characters, for each of the landowners and officials reacts in their own way to Chichikov’s fraudulent proposal. This reaction reveals to the greatest extent the originality of a particular character. The talk in “Dead Souls” is not so much about Chichikov, but about the people he encounters on the way to implementing the plan. The characters described by Gogol with exhaustive completeness became household names. The artist creates them using the method of “typing” and the method of “microscopic analysis”. With amazing skill, Gogol embodies both the structure of statements and the peculiarities of vocabulary.
All researchers point to essential component Gogol's image is an external portrait of the “hero”. Gogol describes complexion, eyes, hair, clothes, demeanor, gait, gestures, facial expressions, distributing light and shadows with great art, connecting everything into an organic whole.
Having outlined the appearance of the hero, his “remarkable” features, the writer, in the course of the narrative, highlights and emphasizes some of the features. This also applies to Manilov’s smile, which never leaves his face.
The impression that Manilov creates at first, as we become more closely acquainted with him and closely “peer” at him, continuously changes:
“In the first minute of conversation with him you can’t say anything: how 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 you will move away; if you don’t leave, you will feel mortal boredom.”
Being aloof from the real processes of life, Manilov creates his own illusory world; completely incapable of any practical action; does not tolerate calling things by their proper names; his sentimental sophistication is also reflected in the vocabulary of his speech.
The highlighting of certain dominant features not only did not limit the completeness and specificity of the depiction of the characters, but it precisely allowed Gogol to achieve a holistic, vivid disclosure of the “fragmented” characters. By uniting all other aspects of the image around the leading features, the writer achieved its exceptional expressiveness and relief. Gogol deliberately avoided depicting images that were unclear, foggy in their outlines, or amorphous in their artistic sculpting. The desire for concreteness in life was determined by the great social tasks that the writer set for himself.
Portraying daily life, everyday feelings, desires, aspirations, Gogol widely developed a method of characterizing heroes and social structure through portrait and everyday details. Revealing the images of the characters in close connection and their dependence on general conditions life, Gogol strives for maximum expressiveness of the various elements of the narrative. None of the artistic details that are used by the writer when depicting the characters exist on their own; they always attract attention in inextricable connection with the image, and are a means of characterizing one or another of its aspects.
An important element in depicting the hero in “Dead Souls” is his portrait. Trying to clearly depict the characters in the poem and make them memorable, Gogol skillfully recreates the external features of the hero, his gestures, and manner of behavior. Each hero has his own special, unique appearance, which will never allow him to be mixed with any other character. Without expanding the variety of individual characteristics of the hero, the writer identifies the main, characteristic features in the portrait. The artistic portrait in the poem is distinguished by sculptural clarity and a clearly expressed emphasis on the leading features. Genius power portrait images created by Gogol is that the portrait for him is the key to the inner world of the heroes.
Based on the principle of highlighting characteristic, memorable details, “Dead Souls” describes various aspects of the heroes’ way of life. There was always something missing in Manilov’s house: in the living room there was beautiful furniture covered in smart silk fabric, which was probably quite expensive; but there wasn’t enough for two chairs, and the chairs were simply upholstered in matting; however, for several years the owner always warned his guest with the words: “Don’t sit on these chairs, they are not ready yet”...
Every time Chichikov arrives at a new estate, he finds himself in his own little world. Subject - everyday details, accurately and subtly described by Gogol, help the main character of the poem get acquainted with the laws of this world. It is important for Chichikov to understand what kind of person he meets; he pays attention to the smallest details of the life of each new acquaintance, his appearance. The picture seen by Chichikov is supplemented by the author's comments and descriptions. The author penetrates into the depths of each phenomenon, trying to generalize the particulars. Gogol shows how the individuality of the heroes is manifested in every thing.
The room was hung with old wallpaper; pictures with some birds; between the windows there are old small mirrors with dark frames in the shape of curled leaves; Behind every mirror there was either a letter, or an old deck of cards, or a stocking; wall clock with painted flowers on the dial..."
If Manilov’s vulgarity was somehow dressed up in patterned clothes of pomp, then in the image of Korobochka the shallowness of man, the spiritual poverty of the “masters of life” appear in their natural state. Unlike Manilov, Korobochka is characterized by the absence of any claims to higher culture, some kind of peculiar, very unpretentious “simplicity”. The lack of “showiness” is emphasized by Gogol already in the external portrait of Korobochka, capturing her unattractive appearance: “... The hostess, an elderly woman, in some kind of greasy cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck...”
And already at breakfast “she was dressed better than yesterday - in a dark dress and no longer in a greasy cap, but there was still something tied around her neck.”
That well-known everyday spontaneity that attracts attention during the transition from the image of Manilov to the image of Korobochka is revealed, first of all, as an expression of rough prosaism and everyday life, prudent and tenacious practicality. All of Korobochka’s thoughts and desires were concentrated around the economic consolidation of her estate, around incessant accumulation. Local isolation from the world immediately merges with the thirst for enrichment. Korobochka, unlike Manilov, is not an inactive dreamer, but a sober buyer, always poking around his home. Chichikov saw traces of skillful management on her estate, tangible results of her constant worries about increasing wealth.
But Korobochka’s “thriftiness” precisely reveals her inner insignificance. Acquisitive impulses and aspirations fill Korobochka’s entire consciousness, leaving no room for any other feelings. She strives to benefit from everything, from household details to the profitable sale of serfs. Korobochka sells them when it seems necessary to her, with the same usual efficiency and prudence with which she sells hemp, lard and bird feathers to passing buyers. For her, serfs are, first of all, her property, which she has the right to dispose of as she pleases. The difference between “animate” property and inanimate property is not at all significant or decisive for Korobochka.
A thrifty old woman does not like to part with any of her things without using them to the end, without any residue. Chichikov’s offer to give up dead souls to him opens up a tempting prospect for Korobochka to benefit from the dead serfs. Korobochka is not so much surprised by the unusualness of Chichikov’s appeal as he is frightened by the prospect of missing out on something, not taking what can be obtained for dead souls.
No wonder Chichikov calls Korobochka “club-headed.” This epithet very aptly characterizes the being of the local owner. Being aloof from the wide flow of life, Korobochka cannot, however, not experience its influence; she tries to adapt to life. But this adaptation occurs within the framework of a poor perception of reality.
The pursuit of profit gives rise to the cunning and resourcefulness of Korobochka. But this cunning bears the stamp of callous primitiveness. Knowing how to painstakingly accumulate money, Korobochka is not able to understand the somewhat complex phenomena of life, to understand them, and is not able to correctly evaluate the people she encounters. She measures everything that comes into her field of vision with familiar, long-established microscopic standards. Reality in the perception of the Box is devoid of any movement; there really is no development for her.
Emphasizing the typicality of his hero, the writer portrays him as a representative of a whole category of people. Hence the comparison of the hero with a vast group of people encountered in life - a comparison that is usually a kind of introduction to the inner world of the image.
In contrast to the motionless landowner, busy putting aside rubles and fifty rubles, Nozdryov is distinguished by his violent prowess, the “broad” scope of his nature. He is extremely active, mobile, and perky. Without hesitation for a moment, Nozdryov is ready to do any business, everything that comes to his mind for one reason or another:
“At that very moment he invited you to go anywhere, even to the ends of the world, to enter into any enterprise you want, to exchange everything you have for everything you want.”
Nozdryov’s activity is devoid of any guiding idea or goal. This is the activity of a person who is free from any responsibilities to create or achieve anything. real results of its activities. With equal ease, Nozdryov begins any of his enterprises and abandons them, immediately forgetting about what attracted his attention some time ago. Nozdryov’s passion for various activities changes very quickly, never leading to any positive consequences. Everything he starts ends either in trifles or various kinds“stories” of which Nozdryov is a great master.
The scenes with Nozdryov are stingy in details reflecting serf life, but the entire characterization of Nozdryov is given in such a way that it actually leaves no ambiguities regarding this side of life. Nowhere and about anything Nozdryov does not recognize any restrictions or restraining principles. For him there are only his own desires and the motives that he places above all else. Everything that belongs to Nozdryov should serve to satisfy these desires. Deprived of human dignity, he is not able to even in the slightest degree take into account the dignity of other people, especially serfs. Depicting the details of Nozdryov’s life, Gogol ironically highlights his extreme affection for animals, which were the subject of his special concerns.
And because Nozdryov does not contain anything humanly significant, his violent life manifestation takes on a specific character. Everywhere Nozdryov appeared, chaos, confusion, and squabbling began.
At the same time, to Nozdryov himself, his life seems rich to the brim, full and meaningful. Here Nozdryov is somewhat similar to Manilov, but Nozdryov’s stormy “activity” is significantly different from Manilov’s contemplative reverie. Nozdryov, who loves grandeur in everything, creates an infinitely exaggerated idea of his existence, his activities, his capabilities and successes.
In the freedom with which Nozdryov writes, there is not only swagger, but also arrogance, stemming from the fundamental features of his character. Having no firm criteria for evaluating people and not seeing the actual need for such criteria, Nozdryov quickly and easily gets along with any person who meets on his life path. He is familiar with all his acquaintances, keeps on friendly terms with them, immediately switching to intimate forms of address. Nozdryov considers everyone who was in company with him, with whom he barely had time to chat, to be his friend and friend. But just as in everything else, he never remains true to either his words or his relationships with people. Nozdryov belongs to the category of those people who “make friends, it seems, forever, but it almost always happens that the person who has become friends will fight with him that same evening at a friendly party.” The transformation from friend to foe, and vice versa, occurs with lightning speed. Nozdryov's bosom friend in a minute can become worthless trash, just as someone who is branded with the name of a scoundrel most often turns back into a beloved friend. Moreover, at the same time the same person can be called both a scoundrel and a friend. This absence of any stable moral criteria in Nozdryov is shaded by Gogol.
The very desire to bring chaos, confusion, the desire to cause mischief everywhere expressively characterizes Nozdryov’s moral character. But this is accompanied by other features that reveal his complete immorality. The fact that Nozdryov is dishonest is widely known among his acquaintances; he has sufficiently proven himself in this regard. When it comes to cheating, Nozdryov is not an amateur, but a person with experience who is constantly improving his “art.”
The variety of types of insignificant, vulgar people depicted in “Dead Souls” shows how deeply Gogol illuminated feudal reality, mercilessly ridiculing the “masters of life.” The exposure seemed to be not only their inactivity, their isolation from reality, to which the content of the images of landowners is often reduced; Gogol's satire spent more than wide circle phenomena and aspects of life.
Sobakevich cannot be classified as one of the people who have their head in the clouds and indulge themselves in illusions. On the contrary, he has both feet on the ground and assesses people and life very soberly. When necessary, Sobakevich knows how to act and achieves what he wants. Characterizing Sobakevich’s everyday way of life, Gogol emphasizes the fact that here everything “was stubborn, without shaking, in some kind of strong and clumsy order.” Thoroughness, fundamentality - distinctive features, both Sobakevich himself and the everyday environment that surrounds him.
Small details, details constantly introduced by the author and drawn by him with extraordinary skill, help the reader not only to be transported into the world into which the author introduces, but also to understand the hero’s soul - rough, clumsy.
Physical strength and ugly clumsiness appear in the appearance of Sobakevich himself:
“When Chichikov glanced sideways at Sobakevich, this time he looked very much like him. average size bear To complete the similarity, the tailcoat he was wearing was completely bear-colored, his sleeves were long, his trousers were long, he walked with his feet at random and constantly stepped on other people’s feet. The complexion had a red-hot, hot complexion, which happens on copper coin" And here appearance The hero reveals to the reader certain aspects of his spiritual makeup - rudeness and stubbornness, the predominance of the animal nature.
Sobakevich's clumsy movements are emphasized. Highlighting special features adds remarkable expressiveness to the portrait of Sobakevich, a cunning and cunning businessman.
The comparison with the bear is not only external; it leads to its revelation psychological characteristics. The animal nature dominates the nature of Sobakevich, who does not think about any high spiritual needs. He is far from philosophy, dreams and impulses. According to his firm conviction, the only thing in life can be taking care of his own existence, which he is also not inclined to complicate.
Saturation of the stomach is in the foreground here and is what the most important moment, which, in essence, determines the content and meaning of his life.
Rejecting unnecessary philosophizing, Sobakevich adheres to firm and prudent practicality. Unlike Korobochka, Sobakevich understands the environment well and knows people. This is a cunning and arrogant businessman.
Striving to achieve the desired results, Sobakevich does not want to be embarrassed by anyone or anything. The deep hypocrisy of an experienced businessman is characteristic of him to the same extent as the frankness of a cynic.
Various people, with whom he has to meet, according to Sobakevich, are not at all different from each other, they are all equally swindlers and swindlers. Here the peculiar nihilism of the trader, the nihilism of the owner - the acquirer, is manifested. Even his imagination does not suggest to him any images of noble people, nor honest, direct relationships between them. He has the ability active action, he knows how to get along in life, but it was in this image that the artist with particular force exposed base feelings and aspirations.
Like Korobochka and Sobakevich, Plyushkin is absorbed in worries about accumulating wealth; like them, he is at the mercy of egoistic feelings and desires. But these egoistic feelings and desires acquire in Plyushkin the character of an all-encompassing passion, avarice that dominates everything. The accumulation of things, material values becomes for him the only goal in life, outside of which absolutely nothing exists. The insatiable greed of the collector leads to the fact that he loses the sense of the significance of things, ceases to distinguish the important from the trifle, the useful from the insignificant. With such internal devaluation objective world The insignificant, insignificant, insignificant inevitably acquires special attractiveness; Plyushkin focuses his attention on him. In an effort to strengthen his well-being, Plyushkin turns into a devoted, tireless slave of things, a slave of his passion. The thirst for accumulation pushes him onto the path of all sorts of restrictions in relation to himself. Fearing ruin, Plyushkin imposes severe “economy” in his own life. He does not allow himself the slightest excess and, moreover, is ready to eat from hand to mouth, dress in all kinds of rags, and limit all other expenses to the limit.
Plyushkin himself did not experience any particular unpleasant sensations from these restrictive measures that he voluntarily imposed on himself. The passion for expanding wealth captured him so much that he did not want to notice what seemed to be his personal life. To an outsider, Plyushkin appears to be an extremely amorphous and indefinite creature:
“While he (Chichikov) was looking at all the strange decorations, a side door opened and the same housekeeper whom he had met in the yard came in. But then he saw that it was more likely a housekeeper than a housekeeper: the housekeeper, at least, does not shave his beard, but this one, on the contrary, shaved, and, it seemed, quite rarely, because his entire chin with the lower part of his cheek resembled on a comb made of iron wire, which is used to clean horses in a stable.” Despite the amorphous appearance of Plyushkin, his overall portrait shows some sharp features. This combination of general formlessness with sharply prominent features is the whole of Plyushkin.
Nose special attention When describing Plyushkin’s portrait, the writer dwells on the hero’s costume:
“What was much more remarkable was his outfit: no amount of effort or effort could be used to find out what his robe was made of: the sleeves and upper flaps were so greasy and shiny that they looked like the kind of yuft that goes into boots; in the back, instead of two, there were four floors dangling, from which cotton paper came out in flakes. He also had something tied around his neck that could not be made out: a stocking, a garter, or a belly, but not a tie.”
This description vividly reveals the most important feature of Plyushkin - his all-consuming stinginess. In the image of Plyushkin, Gogol brilliantly showed both the power of destructive passion and its gradual increase.
One of the important ideas of the poem is the idea of a thing that enslaves a person. But Plyushkin was not always a greedy and rude miser; Once upon a time he was known as a thrifty owner and a good family man, distinguished by his experience and knowledge of the world. He became a stupid miser due to life circumstances and conditions. Unlike other local rulers, who are taken outside of their biographies, Plyushkin is depicted in the process of development; his biography reflected the deepest degradation to which a person can reach under certain conditions of his life.
Insatiable stinginess destroys all human connections, all communication between Plyushkin and people. Absorbed by the only concern of his life, Plyushkin does not feel any need for friendships or connections with the outside world. He treats everyone who visits his estate with obvious suspicion, seeing in any visitor his ill-wisher and even a potential enemy:
“I haven’t seen guests for a long time,” he said, and, to be honest, I see little use in them. They have established a very indecent custom of visiting each other, and there are some omissions in the household... and feed their horses with hay!”
Terrible stinginess created an impassable gap between Plyushkin and his children; in relation to them, he does not want to do even the most insignificant actions.
Having cut off ties with the outside world, Plyushkin remains alone in his acquisitiveness, closed in his cold selfishness. He is constantly overwhelmed with fear not even for his own fate, but for the safety of his things.
Portraying Plyushkin, Gogol clearly shows the plight of his peasants. We find a reflection of the life of serfs in different places in the chapter dedicated to Plyushkin. Essentially, this theme runs through the entire description of the details of his life, his psychological appearance and behavior. It is revealed not only in Plyushkin’s conversations with Chichikov, but also in scenes with Proshka, with Mavra, in the depiction of individual bright paintings and details.
Conclusion
Gogol's hero artistic poem
When reading “Dead Souls,” you sometimes want to cry out, like many of Gogol’s heroes: “The devil knows what this is!” - and put the book down. Amazing details curl like intricate patterns and captivate us. And only vague bewilderment, and a voice common sense do not allow the reader to completely succumb to the attractive absurdity and take it for granted. In fact, we involuntarily plunge into the world of details and only then suddenly realize that they are strange in the extreme.
Indeed, “Dead Souls” shows us all the variety of such “little things” - landscape details, portraits, interior details, detailed comparisons, again replete with details.
Bibliography:
1. N.V. Gogol. Complete collection essays. Publishing house Fiction"; M., 1967.
2. V. G. Belinsky. Collected works. M., 1962.
3. Gogol N.V. Full composition of writings. In 8 volumes. Publisher - in "Fiction"; M., 1967.
4. Belinsky V. G. Complete works. In 13 volumes. M., 1955.
5. Peaks. The book about outstanding works Russian literature. Compilation and general editing by S. I. Mashinsky. M., 1978.
6. Zolotoussky I. P. Gogol. M., 1979. (series “Life wonderful people»)
7. Mann Yu. V. About the poetics of “Dead Souls” - In the collection: Russian classic literature. M., 1969.
8. Khrapchenko M. B. “Dead Souls” by N. V. Gogol. M., 1952.
9. Dokusov A. M., Kachurin M. G. Poem by N. V. Gogol “Dead Souls” in school study. M., “Enlightenment”; 1982.
The main topic of the study is determining the role of everyday and portrait details in the creation of images of landowners in N. V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”.
The purpose of this work was to study Gogol’s method of characterizing heroes and social structure through details. The details of the characters’ everyday life attracted the writer’s attention in his early works. In “Dead Souls,” the use of artistic detail is unusually expanded. “That’s why the creation of the poem “Dead Souls” is great,” Belinsky wrote, “that it reveals and disanatomizes life down to the smallest detail, and to these small details it is given general meaning».
It is no coincidence that Gogol opens his gallery of portraits of local rulers with the image of Manilov, who, at first glance, seems to have considerable attractive features. He himself is sincerely convinced of his high spiritual organization, and that he lives in the sphere of high human interests. At the first meeting, Manilov seems to be a distinguished person, “his facial features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to be too much of a sugar,” in his techniques and turns there was something ingratiating favor and acquaintance.
Details of Korobochka’s life introduce us to her before she has time to tell about herself:
“The room was hung with old wallpaper; pictures with some birds; between the windows there are old small mirrors with dark frames in the shape of curled leaves; Behind every mirror there was either a letter, or an old deck of cards, or a stocking; wall clock with painted flowers on the dial..."
It is clear to the reader that this room may belong to a zealous housewife, one of those landowners who knows how to count their money and their serfs, lives secluded in her estate, as if in a box, and her homeliness over time develops into hoarding.
Just as when switching the narrative from Manilov to Korobochka, the internal comparison of these images is clearly felt, so when moving to the image of Nozdryov, the contrast between Korobochka and this new character is clearly revealed:
“Nozdryov’s face is probably already somewhat familiar to the reader. Everyone has met many such people. They are called broken fellows, they are reputed even in childhood and at school for being good comrades... They soon get to know each other, and before you have time to look back, they already say to you: you... They are always talkers, revelers, reckless drivers, prominent people.” Thus, the writer clearly emphasizes that what he depicts actor is not some unique, sad exception, but an ordinary, widespread character. This is the character with which “our earthly, sometimes bitter and boring road teems.”
Sobakevich cannot be classified as one of the people who have their head in the clouds and indulge themselves in illusions. On the contrary, he has both feet on the ground and assesses people and life very soberly. Characterizing Sobakevich’s everyday way of life, Gogol emphasizes the fact that here everything “was stubborn, without shaking, in some kind of strong and clumsy order.” Thoroughness and fundamentality are the distinctive features of both Sobakevich himself and the everyday environment that surrounds him.
At the same time, throughout his way of life, starting with the details of everyday life, there is a stamp of clumsiness and ugliness. The furniture in Sobakevich’s house “had some strange resemblance to the owner of the house himself; in the corner of the living room stood a pot-bellied walnut bureau on the most absurd four legs, a perfect bear. The table, armchairs, chairs - everything was of the heaviest and most restless quality, in a word, every object, every chair seemed to say: “And I, too, Sobakevich!” or: “And I also look very much like Sobakevich!”
Like Korobochka and Sobakevich, Plyushkin is absorbed in worries about accumulating wealth; like them, he is at the mercy of egoistic feelings and desires. But these egoistic feelings and desires acquire in Plyushkin the character of an all-encompassing passion, avarice that dominates everything. The accumulation of things, material values becomes for him the only goal in life, outside of which absolutely nothing exists. The insatiable greed of the collector leads to the fact that he loses the sense of the significance of things, ceases to distinguish the important from the trifle, the useful from the insignificant. With such an internal depreciation of the objective world, the insignificant, insignificant, insignificant inevitably acquires special attractiveness; Plyushkin focuses his attention on him. In an effort to strengthen his well-being, Plyushkin turns into a devoted, tireless slave of things, a slave of his passion.
The detail of the depicted phenomena has become important artistic device for a writer who decided to “bring out the whole huge, stunning picture of the little things that entangle our lives.” A bright, memorable detail makes the reader take a closer look at the hero, take a closer look at his inner world. All the characters in the poem are reflected in the objects around them.
It would seem that small and, at first glance, unimportant details are involved in creating a holistic system of images in the work. It is through the part that Gogol depicts the whole - the environment, the environment in which the characters’ characters were formed and which is filled with the results of their life practice and social activities.
The images of landowners created by the writer are historically specific. They carry the most significant, typical signs of spiritual degeneration landed nobility. But, at the same time, they reflected universal human vices. That's why the characters from Dead Souls became household names.
We call an idle dreamer, a visionary who cannot and does not want to engage in useful work, Manilov; liar, braggart, rowdy - Nozdrev; greedy miser - Plyushkin; a hulking hulk who steps on everyone’s toes – Sobakevich; mentally limited person- “club-headed.”
Thus, each hero represents a special side of Russian reality, recognizable by the reader just the little things. In addition, the details help to reveal the central problem of the poem - the problem of the death of a living soul. Gogol’s heroes seem to be lost in the endless world of things, they themselves turn into something “objective”, soulless.
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