Read a summary of dead souls 1. Retelling of the poem "Dead Souls" by Gogol N.V.

The work of N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls" was written in the second half of the 19th century. In this article you can read the first volume of the poem "Dead Souls", which consists of 11 chapters.

Heroes of the work

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov - the main character, travels around Russia to find dead souls, knows how to find an approach to any person.

Manilov - young landowner. Lives with his children and wife.

Box - aged woman, widow. Lives in a small village, sells various products and furs in the market.

Nozdryov - a landowner who often plays cards and tells various tall tales and stories.

Plushkin - a strange man who lives alone.

Sobakevich - the landowner, everywhere tries to find great profit for himself.

Selifan - the coachman and servant of Chichikov. A lover of drinking once again.

The content of the poem "Dead Souls" by chapters briefly

Chapter 1

Chichikov, along with the servants, arrives in the city. The man moved into an ordinary hotel. During lunch, the protagonist asks the innkeeper about everything that happens in the city, so he gets useful information about influential officials and famous landowners. At the governor's reception, Chichikov personally meets most of the landowners. The landowners Sobakevich and Manilov say they would like the hero to visit them. So for several days Chichikov comes to the vice-governor, the prosecutor and the farmer. The city begins to have a positive attitude towards the protagonist.

Chapter 2

A week later, the main character goes to Manilov in the village of Manilovka. Chichikov forgive Manilov so that he sells him dead souls - dead peasants who are written on paper. The naive and accommodating Manilov gives the hero dead souls for free.

Chapter 3

Chichikov then goes to Sobakevich, but loses his way. He goes to spend the night with the landowner Korobochka. After sleeping, already in the morning Chichikov talks with the old woman and persuades her to sell her dead souls.

Chapter 4

Chichikov decides to stop by a tavern on his way. He meets the landowner Nozdryov. The gambler was too open and friendly, but his games often ended in fights. The main character wanted to buy dead souls from him, but Nozdryov said that he could play checkers for the souls. This fight almost ended in a fight, so Chichikov decided to retire. Pavel Ivanovich thought for a long time that he had trusted Nozdryov in vain.

Chapter 5

The main character comes to Sobakevich. He was a fairly large man, he agreed to sell dead souls to Chichikov and even filled them with a price. The men decided to make a deal after some time in the city.

Chapter 6

Chichikov arrives in the village of Plyushkin. The estate was very miserable in appearance, and the magnate himself was too stingy. Plyushkin sold the dead souls to Chichikov with joy and considered the protagonist a fool.

Chapter 7

In the morning, Chichikov goes to the ward to draw up documents for the peasants. On the way he meets Manilov. In the ward they meet Sobakevich, the chairman of the ward helps the protagonist quickly complete the paperwork. After the deal, they all go together to the postmaster to celebrate this event.

Chapter 8

The news about Pavel Ivanovich's purchases spread throughout the city. Everyone thought that he was a very rich man, but they had no idea what kind of souls he actually buys. At the ball, Nozdryov decides to betray Chichikov and shouted about his secret.

Chapter 9

The landowner Korobochka arrives in the city and confirms the purchase of the dead souls of the protagonist. Rumors are spreading around the city that Chichikov wants to kidnap the governor's daughter.

Chapter 10

The officials get together and raise various suspicions about who Chichikov is. The postmaster puts forward his version that the main character is Kopeikin from his own story "The Tale of Captain Kopeikin". Suddenly, due to excessive stress, the prosecutor dies. Chichikov himself has been ill for three days with a cold, he comes to the governor, but he is not even allowed into the house. Nozdryov tells the main character about the rumors that are circulating around the city, so Chichikov decides to leave the city in the morning.

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The action of N. V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" takes place in one small town, which Gogol calls NN. The city is visited by Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. A man who plans to purchase the dead souls of serfs from local landlords. With his appearance, Chichikov disrupts the measured city life.

Chapter 1

Chichikov arrives in the city, he is accompanied by servants. He settles in an ordinary hotel. During dinner, Chichikov asks the innkeeper about everything that happens in NN, finds out who the most influential officials and famous landowners are. At a reception at the governor's, he personally gets acquainted with many landowners. The landowners Sobakevich and Manilov invite the hero to pay them a visit. Chichikov visits the vice-governor, the prosecutor, the farmer for several days. In the city, he acquires a positive reputation.

Chapter 2

Chichikov decided to go outside the city to Manilov's estate. His village was a rather boring sight. The landowner himself was not an understandable nature. Manilov was most often in his dreams. There was too much sugar in his pleasantness. The landowner was very surprised by Chichikov's offer to sell him the souls of the dead peasants. They decided to make a deal when they met in the city. Chichikov left, and Manilov was puzzled for a long time by the guest's proposal.

Chapter 3

On the way to Sobakevich, Chichikov was caught by bad weather. His chaise went astray, so it was decided to spend the night in the first estate. As it turned out, the house belonged to the landowner Korobochka. She turned out to be a businesslike hostess, the contentment of the inhabitants of the estate was traced everywhere. Korobochka accepted the request for the sale of dead souls with surprise. But then she began to consider them as goods, she was afraid to sell them cheap and offered Chichikov to buy other goods from her. The deal went through, Chichikov himself hastened to get away from the difficult nature of the hostess.

Chapter 4

Continuing the journey, Chichikov decided to stop by a tavern. Here he met another landowner Nozdrev. His openness and friendliness immediately attracted me. Nozdryov was a gambler, he did not play honestly, so he often participated in fights. Nozdryov did not appreciate the request for the sale of dead souls. The landowner offered to play checkers for hearts. The game nearly ended in a fight. Chichikov hastened to leave. The hero was very sorry that he trusted such a person as Nozdryov.

Chapter 5

Chichikov finally ends up at Sobakevich's. Sobakevich looked like a large and solid man. The landowner took the offer to sell dead souls seriously and even began to bargain. The interlocutors decided to finalize the deal in the near future in the city.

Chapter 6

The next point of Chichikov's journey was a village belonging to Plyushkin. The estate was a miserable sight, desolation reigned everywhere. The landowner himself reached the apogee of stinginess. He lived alone and was a pitiful sight. Dead souls Plyushkin sold with joy, considering Chichikov a fool. Pavel Ivanovich himself hastened to the hotel with a sense of relief.

Chapter 7-8

The next day, Chichikov completed deals with Sobakevich and Plyushkin. The hero was in a great mood. At the same time, the news of Chichikov's purchases spread throughout the city. Everyone marveled at his wealth, not knowing what kind of souls he was actually buying. Chichikov became a welcome guest at local receptions and balls. But Nozdryov betrayed Chichikov's secret, shouting at the ball about dead souls.

Chapter 9

The landowner Korobochka, having arrived in the city, also confirmed the purchase of dead souls. Unbelievable rumors began to spread around the city that Chichikov really wanted to kidnap the governor's daughter. He was forbidden to appear on the threshold of the governor's house. None of the residents could accurately answer who Chichikov was. To clarify this issue, it was decided to meet with the chief of police.

Chapter 10-11

How many did not discuss Chichikov, they could not come to a common opinion. When Chichikov decided to pay visits, he realized that everyone was avoiding him, and visiting the governor was generally prohibited. He also learned that he was suspected of making counterfeit bonds and plans to kidnap the governor's daughter. Chichikov hurries to leave the city. At the end of the first volume, the author talks about who the main character is and how his life developed before appearing in NN.

Volume two

The story begins with a description of nature. Chichikov first visits the estate of Andrei Ivanovich Tententikov. Then he goes to a certain general, turns out to be visiting Colonel Koshkarev, then Khlobuev. Misdemeanors and forgeries of Chichikov become known and he ends up in prison. A certain Murazov advises the governor-general to let Chichikov go, and the story ends there. (Gogol burned the second volume in the stove)

Chapter 1

The beginning unfolds in the provincial town of NN, a luxurious bachelor cart drove up to the hotel. Nobody paid much attention to the britzka, except for two men arguing about whether the wagon wheel could reach Moscow or not. Chichikov was sitting in it, the first thoughts about him were ambiguous. The hotel house looked like an old building with two floors, the first floor was not plastered, the second was painted with yellow copper paint. The decorations are characteristic, that is, miserable. The main character introduced himself as a collegiate adviser, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. After they received the guest, his lackey Petrusha and the servant Selifan (who is also a coachman) arrived.

Dinner time, a curious guest asks the tavern employee questions about local authorities, significant persons, landowners, the state of the region (diseases and epidemics). He leaves the task to the interlocutor to notify the police of his arrival, backing up the paper with the text: "College Councilor Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov." The hero of the novel goes to inspect the territory, remains satisfied. He drew attention to the incorrect information posted in the newspaper about the state of the park and its current situation. After the gentleman returned to the room, had dinner and fell asleep.

The next day was devoted to visits to members of the society. Pavel quickly understood to whom and how to present flattering speeches, he tactfully kept silent about himself. At a party at the governor's, he made acquaintance with Sobakevich Mikhail Semenovich and Manilov, along the way asking them questions about possessions and serfs, and specifically he wanted to know who had what number of souls. Chichikov received many invitations and appeared at each one, finding connections. Many began to speak well of him, until one passage left everyone bewildered.

Chapter 2

Footman Petrusha is silent, he liked to read books of different genres. He also had a peculiarity: to sleep in clothes. Now back to the well-known main character, finally, he decided to go with Manilov. The village, as the owner initially said, was 15 versts (16,002 km), but this turned out not to be the case. The manor stood on a hill, blown by the winds, a pitiful sight. The owner gladly welcomed the traveler. The head of the family did not take care of the estate, but indulged in reflections and dreams. He considered his wife an excellent match.

Both are idlers: the pantries are empty, the kitchen masters are not organized, the housekeeper steals, the servants are always drunk and unclean. The couple was capable of long kisses. At dinner, compliments were exchanged, the children of the steward showed their knowledge of geography. The time has come to resolve the issue. The hero was able to convince the owner to make a deal in which the dead people are considered alive according to the audit paper. Manilov decided to give Chichikov dead souls. When Pavel left, he sat for a long time on his porch and thoughtfully smoked his pipe. He thought that they would now become good friends, even dreamed that for their friendship, they would receive a reward from the king himself.

Chapter 3

Pavel Ivanovich was in a great mood. Maybe that's why he did not notice that Selifan did not follow the road, as he was drunk. It poured rain. Their cart turned over, and the main character fell into the mud. Somehow, with the onset of darkness, Selifan and Pavel came across the estate, they were allowed to spend the night. The interior of the rooms spoke of the fact that the housewives are one of those who cry about the lack of money and crops, while they themselves save money in secluded places. The hostess gave the impression that she was very frugal.

Waking up in the morning, the sharp-sighted figure examines the yard in detail: there are many poultry and livestock, the houses of the peasants are in good condition. Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka (lady) invites him to the table. Chichikov suggested that she conclude an agreement regarding the departed souls, the landowner was confused. Further, she began to represent hemp, flax and even bird feathers to everything. Agreement has been reached. Everything turned out to be a commodity. The traveler hurried to leave, as he could no longer endure the landowner. A girl saw them off, she showed them how to get out onto the main road and returned. A tavern appeared on the pavement.

Chapter 4

It was a simple cellar, with a standard menu. Peter's natural questions were asked to the staff: how long has the establishment been operating, what are the landowners doing. Fortunately for Pavel, the owner of the tavern knew a lot and was happy to share everything with him. Nozdryov arrived in the dining room. He shares his events: he was with his son-in-law at the fair and lost all the money, things and four horses. Nothing upsets him. There is not the best opinion about him: flaws in education, a tendency to lie.

Marriage did not affect him, unfortunately his wife died, leaving two children who were not taken care of. A gambler, dishonest in the game, he was often beaten. Dreamer, disgusting in everything. The insolent man called Chichikov to his place for dinner, and he gave a positive answer. A tour of the estate, as well as the lunch itself, caused outrage. The main character set the goal of the deal. It all ended in a fight. He slept badly at a party. The rogue in the morning offered the hero to play checkers for a deal. It would have come to a fight if the captain - police officer had not come with the news that Nozdryov was under investigation until the circumstances were clarified. The guest ran away and ordered the servant to drive the horses quickly.

Chapter 5

On the way to Sobakevich, Pavel Chichikov collided with a carriage that was harnessed by 6 horses. The harnesses are very entangled. Everyone who was close was in no hurry to help. In the carriage sat an elderly woman and a young girl with blond hair. Chichikov was fascinated by the beautiful stranger. When they parted, he thought about her for a long time, until the estate that interested him appeared. A wooded estate, with sturdy buildings of ambiguous architecture.

The owner outwardly resembled a bear, as he was strongly built. Massive furniture was present in his house, paintings depicting strong generals. It was not easy to start a conversation even at lunchtime: Chichikov began to carry on his flattering conversations, and Mikhail started talking about the fact that they were all swindlers and mentioned a certain man named Plyushkin, whose peasants were dying. After the meal, the bargaining of dead souls opened, and the main character had to compromise. The city decided to make a deal. He, of course, was dissatisfied with the crown of the head, that the owner asked too much for one soul. When Pavel left, he managed to find out where the cruel holder of souls lives.

Chapter 6

The hero drove into a vast village with a log pavement. This road was not safe: old wood, ready to fall apart under the weight. Everything was in a state of disrepair: clogged windows of houses, crumbling plaster, an overgrown and dried-up garden, poverty was felt everywhere. The landowner outwardly resembled a housekeeper, so outwardly he launched himself. The owner can be described as follows: small shifty eyes, greasy torn clothes, a strange bandage around his neck. Like a man begging for alms. Cold and hunger blew everywhere. It was impossible to be in the house: a complete mess, a lot of extra furniture, floating flies in containers, a huge collection of dust in all corners. But in fact, in fact, he has more stocks of provisions, utensils and other good things that were lost due to the greed of his owner.

Once everything prospered, he had a wife, two daughters, a son, a French teacher, a governess. But his wife died, the landowner began to harbor anxiety and greed. The eldest daughter secretly married an officer and ran away, the successor went to work without receiving anything from his father, the youngest daughter died. Bread and hay rotted in the merchant's barns, but he did not agree to the sale. The heiress came to him with her grandchildren, left with nothing. Also, lost in cards, the son asked for money and was refused.

Plyushkin's stinginess knew no bounds; he complained to Chichikov about his poverty. As a result, Plyushkin sold 120 dead souls and seventy runaway peasants to our master at 32 kopecks per one. Both felt happy.

Chapter 7

The current day was declared by the main character to be a notary. He saw that he already had 400 souls, he also noticed a female name on Sobakevich's list, thinking that he was unimaginably dishonorable. The character went to the ward, completed all the documents and began to bear the title of Kherson landowner. This was celebrated with a festive table with wines and snacks.

Everyone said toasts and someone hinted at marriage, which, due to the naturalness of the situation, the new merchant was happy about. They did not let him go for a long time and offered to stay in the city as long as possible. The feast ended like this: the satisfied owner returned to his chambers, and the inhabitants went to bed.

Chapter 8

The conversations of local residents were only about buying Chichikov. Everyone admired him. The townspeople were even worried about the emergence of a riot in the new estate, but the master reassured them that the peasants were calm. There were rumors about the millionth state of Chichikov. The ladies especially took notice. All of a sudden, the trade in expensive fabrics went well for the merchants. The newly appeared hero was glad to receive a letter with love confessions and poems. Delight was caused by the fact that he was invited to an evening reception with the governor.

At the ball, he caused a storm of emotions among the ladies: they surrounded him from all sides so much that he forgot to greet the hostess of this event. The character wanted to find the writer of the letter, but in vain. When he realized that he was acting indecently, he hurried to the governor's wife and was confused when he saw with her a beautiful blonde, whom he met on the road. It was the daughter of the owners, recently released from the institute. Our hero fell out of the rut and lost interest in other ladies, which caused their discontent and aggression towards the young lady.

Everything was spoiled by the appearance of Nozdryov, he began to speak loudly about Pavel's dishonorable deeds. What spoiled the mood and caused the hero to leave soon. The appearance in the city of a collegiate secretary, a lady with the surname Korobochka, had a bad effect; she wanted to find out the real price of dead souls, as she was afraid that she had sold too cheaply.

Chapter 9

The next morning, the collegiate secretary told that Pavel Ivanovich bought the souls of the deceased peasants from her.
Two women discussing the latest news. One of them shared the news that Chichikov appeared to the landowner by the name of Korobochka and demanded that she sell the souls of the dead. Another lady reported that her husband had heard similar information from Mr. Nozdrev.

They began to reason about why the newly-minted landowner needed such transactions. Their thoughts ended with the following: the master truly pursues the goal of kidnapping the governor's daughter, and the irresponsible Nozdryov will assist him, and dealing with the departed souls of the peasants: fiction. During their disputes, the prosecutor appeared, the ladies told him their assumptions. Leaving the prosecutor alone with his thoughts, the two persons went to the city, spreading gossip and hypotheses. Soon the entire city was stunned. Due to the long absence of interesting events, everyone paid attention to the news. There was even such a rumor that Chichikov left his wife and walked at night with the daughter of the governor.

There were two sides: women and men. The women talked only about the impending theft of the governor's daughter, and the men about an incredible deal. As a result, the governor arranged an interrogation of her daughter, and she cried and did not understand what she was being accused of. At the same time, some strange stories came to light, in which they began to suspect Chichikov. Then the governor received a document that spoke of a fugitive criminal. Everyone wanted to know who this gentleman really is, and they decided to look for the answer from the chief of police.

Chapter 10 Summary Gogol Dead Souls

When all the officials, tormented by fears, gathered at the appointed place, many began to voice assumptions about who our hero is. One said that the character is none other than a distributor of counterfeit money. And later he stipulated that it was probably a lie. Another suggested that he was an official, the governor-general of the office. And the next comment refuted the previous one on its own. Nobody liked the idea that he was a common criminal. As soon as it dawned on one postmaster, he shouted that it was Mr. Kopeikin and began to tell a story about him. The Tale of Captain Kopeikin said this:

“After the war with Napoleon, a wounded captain was sent, bearing the name Kopeikin. No one knew for sure, under such circumstances he lost his limbs: an arm and a leg, and after that he became a hopeless invalid. The captain was left with his left hand, and it is not clear how he earns his living. He went to the commission. When he finally got into the office, he was asked a question about what brought him here, he replied that, while shedding blood for his homeland, he lost an arm and a leg, and could not earn a living, and from the commission he wanted to ask for the favor of the king. The worker said that the captain would come in 2 days.

When he returned after 3-4 days, the captain was told the following: you need to wait until the sovereign arrives in St. Petersburg. Kopeikin had no money left, and, in despair, the captain decided to take a rough step, he burst into the office and began to scream. The minister got angry, called the appropriate people, and the captain was taken out of the capital. How his fate turned out, no one knows. It is only known that a gang was organized in those parts, the leader of which, allegedly, is Kopeikin. Everyone rejected this strange version, because our hero's limbs were intact.

Officials, in order to clarify the situation, decided to invite Nozdrev, knowing that he constantly lies. He contributed to the story and said that Chichikov was a spy, a distributor of fake banknotes and a kidnapper of the governor's daughter. All this news had such a strong influence on the prosecutor that he died upon arrival home.

Our protagonist didn't know anything about it. He was, with a cold and with a flux, in the room. He was surprised that everyone ignored him. As soon as the main character feels better, he comes to the conclusion that it is time to pay visits to the officials. But everyone refused to accept him and conduct conversations, without explaining the reasons for this. In the evening, Nozdryov comes to the landowner and talks about his participation in counterfeit money and the failed kidnapping of a young lady. And yet, according to the public, through his fault the prosecutor dies and a new governor-general comes to their city. Peter was frightened and sent the narrator away. And he himself ordered Selifan and Petrushka to urgently pack their things and, as soon as dawn broke, set off.

Chapter 11

Everything went against the plans of Pavel Chichikov: he overslept, and the britzka was not ready, because it was in a deplorable state. He yelled at his servants, but it didn't help the situation. Our character was extremely angry. In the forge, they took a large fee from him, as they realized that the order was urgent. And the wait was no fun. When they nevertheless set off, they met a funeral procession, our character concluded that this was fortunate.

Chichikov's childhood was not the most joyful and carefree. His mother and father belonged to the nobility. Our hero lost his mother at an early age, she died, and his father was very often sick. He used violence on little Pavel and forced him to study. When Pavlusha became older, dad gave him to a relative living in the city so that he would go to the classes of the city school. Instead of money, his father left him an instruction in which he instructed his son to learn to please other people. With instructions, he still left 50 kopecks.

Our little hero took into account the words of his father with full seriousness. The educational institution did not arouse interest, but he willingly learned to increase capital. He sold what his comrades treated him to. Once I trained a mouse for two months and also sold it. There was a case when he made a bullfinch out of wax and sold it just as safely. Pavel's teacher appreciated the good behavior of his students, and therefore our hero, having graduated from an educational institution, and having taken a certificate, received a reward in the form of a book with golden letters. At this time, Chichikov's father dies. After his death, he left 4 frock coats, 2 jerseys and a small sum of money to Pavel. Our hero sold their old house for 1 thousand rubles, and redirected their family of serfs. Finally, Pavel Ivanovich learns the story of his teacher: he was expelled from an educational institution and, out of grief, the teacher begins to abuse alcohol. Those with whom he taught helped him, but our character referred to the lack of money, he allocated only five kopecks.

Fellows at the educational institution immediately threw out this disrespectful help. The teacher, when he learned about these events, wept for a long time. Here begins the military service of our hero. After all, he wants to live expensively, have a big house and a personal carriage. But everywhere you need acquaintances in high social circles. He got a job with a small annual salary of 30 or 40 rubles. He always tried to look good, he did it very well, especially considering the fact that his colleagues had an untidy appearance. Chichikov tried in every possible way to attract the attention of the chief, but he was indifferent to our hero. Until the main character found the weak point of the authorities, and his weakness is that his already mature and unattractive daughter is still alone. Pavel began to show her signs of attention:

stood next to her whenever possible. Then he was invited to visit for tea, and after a short time he was received in the house as a groom. After a while, the place of the head of office work in the order was vacated in the ward, Chichikov took this position. As soon as he moved up the career ladder, a chest with the things of the prospective groom disappeared from the bride's house, he ran away and stopped calling the boss daddy. Despite all this, he affectionately smiled at the failed father-in-law and invited him to visit when he met him. The boss, however, remained with an honest understanding that he had been vilely and skillfully deceived.

The most difficult thing, according to Chichikov, he did. In a new place, the main character began to fight those officials who accept material values ​​from someone, while he himself turned out to be the one who accepts bribes on a large scale. A project began to build a building for the state, Chichikov took part in this matter. For 6 long years, only the foundation was built near the building, while the members of the commission added to their property an elegant building of high architectural value.

Pavel Petrovich began to indulge himself in expensive things: thin Dutch shirts, thoroughbred horses and many other trifles. Finally, the old boss was replaced by a new one: a man of military hardening, honest, decent, a fighter against corruption. This ended the dawn of Chichikov's activities, he was forced to flee to another city and start all over again. In a short time, he changed several low positions in a new place, being in a circle of people who did not correspond to his status, our hero thought so. During his troubles, Pavel was a little exhausted, but the hero dealt with the troubles and got to a new position, he began to work at customs. Chichikov's dream came true, he was full of energy and put all his strength into a new position. Everyone believed that he was an excellent worker, quick-witted and attentive, he often managed to identify smugglers.

Chichikov was a furious punisher, honest and incorruptible so much that it did not look quite natural. He was soon noticed by the authorities, the main character was promoted, after which he provided the authorities with a plan to catch all the smugglers. His plan was approved. Pavel was given complete freedom to act in this area. The criminals felt fear, they even formed a criminal group and planned to give a bribe to Pavel Ivanovich, to which he gave them a secret answer, it said that they had to wait.

Chichikov's machinations came to an end: when, under the guise of Spanish sheep, smugglers smuggled expensive products. Chichikov earned about 500 thousand rubles on a particular fraud, and the criminals earned at least 400 thousand rubles. Being drunk, our protagonist went into conflict with a man who also took part in fraud with lace. Because of the incident, all the secret affairs of Chichikov with the smugglers were revealed. Our inflexible hero was put on trial, everything that belonged to him was confiscated. He lost almost all the money, but he decided the issue of criminal prosecution in his favor. I had to start all over again from the bottom. He was initiated into all matters, he again managed to gain confidence. In this place, he learned about how you can make money on the dead peasants. He really liked this possible way of earning.

He figured out how to earn a lot of capital, but realized that he needed land where the souls would be. And this place is Kherson province. And so he chose a convenient place, explored all the subtleties of the case, found the right people, received their trust. Human addictions are of different nature. From birth, our hero lived the life that he preferred for himself in the future. The environment of his growing up was not favorable. Of course, we ourselves have the right to choose what qualities to develop in ourselves. Someone chooses nobility, honor, dignity, someone sets the main goal of building capital, having a foundation under their feet, in the form of material wealth. But, unfortunately, the most important factor in our choice is that a lot depends on those who have been with a person since the beginning of life.

Not to succumb to weaknesses that drag us down spiritually - probably, this way you can even cope with the pressure of others. Each of us has our own natural essence, culture and worldview influence this essence. The desire of a person to be a person, this is important. Who is Pavel Chichikov for you - draw your own conclusions. The author showed all the qualities that were in our hero, but imagine that Nikolai Vasilyevich would submit the work from the other side and then you would change your mind about our hero. Everyone forgot that there is no need to be afraid of an honest, direct, open look, no need to be afraid to show such a look. After all, it is always easier not to pay attention to this or that action, to forgive someone for everything, and to offend someone to the end. You should always start work with yourself, think about how honest you are, whether you have responsibility, whether you laugh at other people's failures, whether you support a person close to you in moments of his despair, whether there are positive qualities in you at all.

Well, our hero safely disappeared in a britzka, which was carried by a trio of horses.

Conclusion

Dead Souls was published in 1842. The author planned to release three volumes. For some unknown reason, the writer destroyed the second volume, but several chapters remained in drafts. The third volume remained at the idea stage, little is known about it. Work on the poem was carried out in various parts of the world. The plot of the novel was suggested to the author by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

During the entire work, the author comments on how he admires the beautiful views of his homeland and people. The work is considered epic, since everything is touched in it at the same time. The novel shows the human capacity for degradation well. Many human shades of character are shown: uncertainty, lack of an inner core, stupidity, whim, laziness, greed. Although not all characters were originally like that.

Chapter first

"A rather beautiful spring small britzka, in which bachelors ride, drove through the gates of the hotel in the provincial city of NN." In the britzka sat a gentleman of pleasant appearance, not too fat, but not too thin, not handsome, but not bad-looking, one cannot say that he was old, but he was not too young either. The carriage drove up to the hotel. It was a very long two-story building, with the bottom floor unplastered and the top one painted in eternal yellow. Downstairs there were benches, in one of the windows there was a sbitennik with a samovar made of red copper. The guest was greeted and led to show him "peace", usual for hotels of this kind, "where for two rubles a day travelers get ... a room with cockroaches peeking out from everywhere like prunes ..." Following the gentleman, his servants appear - the coachman Selifan, a short man in a sheepskin coat, and the footman Petrushka, a fellow of about thirty, with somewhat large lips and nose.

During dinner, the guest asks the tavern servant various questions, starting with who previously owned this tavern, and whether the new owner is a big swindler, ending with details of a different kind. He asked the servant in detail about who was the chairman of the chamber in the city, who was the prosecutor, did not miss a single person of any importance, and was also interested in the local landowners. The attention of the visitor did not escape the questions concerning the state of affairs in the region: were there any diseases, epidemics and other disasters. After dinner, at the request of the tavern servant, the gentleman wrote his name and rank on a piece of paper to notify the police: "Collegiate Councilor Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov." Pavel Ivanovich himself went to inspect the county town and was satisfied, since it was in no way inferior to other provincial towns. The same establishments as everywhere else, the same shops, the same park with thin trees, which were still poorly accepted, but about which the local newspaper wrote that "our city was adorned with a garden of branchy trees." Chichikov asked the guard in detail about the best way to get to the cathedral, to the offices, to the governor. Then he returned to his hotel room and, after having supper, went to bed.

The next day, Pavel Ivanovich went to pay visits to city officials: the governor, vice-governor, chairman of the chamber, police chief and other authorities. He paid a visit even to the inspector of the medical board and the city architect. I thought for a long time who else would pay my respects, but there were no more significant persons in the city. And everywhere Chichikov behaved very skillfully, he was able to flatter everyone very subtly, which resulted in an invitation from each official to a shorter acquaintance at home. The collegiate adviser avoided talking much about himself and was content with general phrases.

Chapter Two

After spending more than a week in the city, Pavel Ivanovich finally decided to pay visits to Manilov and Sobakevich. As soon as Chichikov left the city, accompanied by Selifan and Petrushka, the usual picture appeared: bumps, bad roads, burnt pine trunks, village houses covered with gray roofs, yawning peasants, women with fat faces, and so on.

Manilov, inviting Chichikov to his place, informed him that his village was fifteen versts from the city, but that a sixteenth verst had already passed, and there was no village. Pavel Ivanovich was a quick-witted man, and he remembered that if you are invited to a house fifteen miles away, it means that you will have to travel all thirty.

But here is the village of Manilovka. Few guests could she lure to her. The master's house stood to the south, open to all winds; the hill on which he stood was covered with turf. Two or three flowerbeds with acacia, five or six thin birches, a wooden arbor and a pond completed this picture. Chichikov began to count and counted more than two hundred peasant huts. On the porch of the manor house, its owner had long been standing and, putting his hand to his eyes, tried to make out the man driving up in the carriage. As the chaise approached, Manilov's face changed: his eyes became more cheerful, and his smile became wider. He was very glad to see Chichikov and took him to him.

What kind of person was Manilov? It is difficult to characterize it. He was, as they say, neither one nor the other - neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan. Manilov was a pleasant man, but too much sugar was added to this pleasantness. When the conversation with him was just beginning, at first the interlocutor thought: "What a pleasant and kind person!", but after a minute I wanted to say: "The devil knows what it is!" Manilov did not take care of the house, he also did not take care of the household, he never even went to the fields. For the most part, he thought, pondered. About what? - no one knows. When the clerk came to him with proposals for housekeeping, saying that it would be necessary to do this and that, Manilov usually answered: "Yes, not bad." If a peasant came to the master and asked to leave in order to earn quitrent, then Manilov immediately let him go. It never even occurred to him that the peasant was going to drink. Sometimes he came up with different projects, for example, he dreamed of building a stone bridge across the pond, on which there would be shops, merchants would sit in the shops and sell various goods. He had beautiful furniture in the house, but two armchairs were not upholstered in silk, and the owner had been telling guests for two years that they were not finished. There was no furniture in one room at all. On the table next to the dandy one stood a lame and greasy candlestick, but no one noticed this. Manilov was very pleased with his wife, because she was "to match" him. In the course of a fairly long life together, the spouses both did nothing but imprint long kisses on each other. Many questions could arise from a sane guest: why is the pantry empty and so much and stupidly cooked in the kitchen? Why does the housekeeper steal and the servants are always drunk and unclean? Why is the mourner sleeping or frankly lounging? But these are all questions of a low quality, and the mistress of the house is well brought up and will never stoop to them. At dinner, Manilov and the guest spoke compliments to each other, as well as various pleasant things about city officials. Manilov's children, Alkid and Themistoclus, demonstrated their knowledge of geography.

After dinner, a conversation took place directly about the case. Pavel Ivanovich informs Manilov that he wants to buy souls from him, which, according to the latest revision tale, are listed as alive, but in fact have long since died. Manilov is at a loss, but Chichikov manages to persuade him into a deal. Since the owner is a person who tries to be pleasant, he takes upon himself the execution of the purchase fortress. To register the bill of sale, Chichikov and Manilov agree to meet in the city, and Pavel Ivanovich finally leaves this house. Manilov sits down in an armchair and, smoking his pipe, ponders the events of today, rejoices that fate has brought him together with such a pleasant person. But Chichikov's strange request to sell him dead souls interrupted his former dreams. Thoughts about this request did not boil in his head, and therefore he sat on the porch for a long time and smoked a pipe until dinner.

Chapter Three

Chichikov, meanwhile, was driving along the high road, hoping that Selifan would soon bring him to Sobakevich's estate. Selifan was drunk and, therefore, did not follow the road. The first drops dripped from the sky, and soon a real long torrential rain charged. Chichikov's chaise had completely lost its way, it was getting dark, and it was no longer clear what to do, when a dog barking was heard. Soon Selifan was already knocking on the gate of the house of a certain landowner, who let them spend the night.

From the inside, the rooms of the landowner's house were pasted over with old wallpaper, pictures with some birds and huge mirrors hung on the walls. For each such mirror, either an old deck of cards, or a stocking, or a letter was stuffed. The hostess turned out to be an elderly woman, one of those landowning mothers who are constantly crying about crop failures and lack of money, while they themselves are gradually putting aside money in bundles and bags.

Chichikov stays overnight. Waking up, he looks out the window at the landowner's household and the village in which he found himself. The window overlooks the chicken coop and the fence. Behind the fence are spacious beds with vegetables. All plantings in the garden are thought out, in some places several apple trees grow to protect against birds, stuffed animals with outstretched arms are poked from them, on one of these scarecrows was the cap of the hostess herself. The appearance of peasant houses showed "the contentment of their inhabitants." The boarding on the roofs was new everywhere, nowhere was the rickety gate to be seen, and here and there Chichikov saw a new spare cart parked.

Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka (that was the name of the landowner) invited him to have breakfast. With her, Chichikov behaved much more freely in conversation. He stated his request regarding the purchase of dead souls, but he soon regretted it, since his request aroused the bewilderment of the hostess. Then Korobochka began to offer, in addition to dead souls, hemp, flax, and so on, down to bird feathers. Finally, an agreement was reached, but the old woman was always afraid that she had sold too cheap. For her, dead souls turned out to be the same commodity as everything produced on the farm. Then Chichikov was fed with pies, donuts and shanezhki, and a promise was taken from him to buy pork fat and bird feathers in the fall. Pavel Ivanovich hurried to leave this house - Nastasya Petrovna was very difficult in conversation. The landowner gave him a girl to accompany him, and she showed him how to get out onto the high road. Having released the girl, Chichikov decided to stop by a tavern that stood in the way.

Chapter Four

Just like the hotel, it was an ordinary tavern for all county roads. The traveler was served a traditional pig with horseradish, and, as usual, the guest asked the hostess about everything in the world - from how long she had been running the tavern to questions about the condition of the landowners living nearby. During a conversation with the hostess, the sound of the wheels of the approaching carriage was heard. Two men came out of it: blond, tall, and, shorter than him, dark-haired. At first, a blond-haired man appeared in the tavern, followed by him, taking off his cap, his companion. He was a fellow of medium height, very not badly built, with full ruddy cheeks, teeth as white as snow, whiskers as black as pitch, and all fresh as blood and milk. Chichikov recognized in him his new acquaintance Nozdryov.

The type of this person is probably known to everyone. People of this kind are known at school as good comrades, but at the same time they are often beaten. Their face is clean, open, you will not have time to get to know each other, after a while they say “you” to you. Friendship will be made, it would seem, forever, but it happens that after a while they fight with a new friend at a feast. They are always talkers, revelers, scorchers and, for all that, desperate liars.

By the age of thirty, life had not changed Nozdryov at all, he remained the same as he was at eighteen and at twenty. Marriage did not affect him in any way, especially since the wife soon went to the other world, leaving her husband two children who he did not need at all. Nozdryov had a passion for the card game, but, being dishonest and dishonest in the game, he often brought his partners to assault, leaving two sideburns with one, liquid. However, after a while he met with people who beat him, as if nothing had happened. And his friends, oddly enough, also behaved as if nothing had happened. Nozdryov was a historical man; he was everywhere and always got into history. It was impossible for anything to get along with him on a short footing, and even more so to open his soul - he would shit into it, and compose such a fable about a person who trusted him that it would be difficult to prove the opposite. After some time, he took the same person at a friendly meeting by the buttonhole and said: "After all, you are such a scoundrel, you will never come to me." Another passion of Nozdryov was the exchange - anything became its subject, from a horse to the smallest things. Nozdryov invites Chichikov to his village, and he agrees. While waiting for dinner, Nozdryov, accompanied by his son-in-law, arranges a tour of the village for his guest, while boasting to everyone right and left. His extraordinary stallion, for which he allegedly paid ten thousand, is not worth even a thousand, the field that completes his possessions turns out to be a swamp, and for some reason the inscription "Master Savely Sibiryakov" is on the Turkish dagger, which the guests are looking at while waiting for dinner. Lunch leaves much to be desired - something was not cooked, but something was burnt. The cook, apparently, was guided by inspiration and put the first thing that came to hand. There was nothing to say about wine - from the mountain ash it smelled of fuselage, and Madeira turned out to be diluted with rum.

After dinner, Chichikov nevertheless decided to present to Nozdryov a request for the purchase of dead souls. It ended with Chichikov and Nozdryov completely quarreling, after which the guest went to bed. He slept horribly, waking up and meeting the owner the next morning was just as unpleasant. Chichikov was already scolding himself for having trusted Nozdryov. Now Pavel Ivanovich was offered to play checkers for dead souls: in case of winning, Chichikov would have got the souls for free. The game of checkers was accompanied by Nozdrev's cheating and almost ended in a fight. Fate saved Chichikov from such a turn of events - a police captain came to Nozdrev to inform the brawler that he was on trial until the end of the investigation, because he insulted the landowner Maksimov while drunk. Chichikov, without waiting for the end of the conversation, ran out onto the porch and ordered Selifan to drive the horses at full speed.

Chapter Five

Thinking about everything that had happened, Chichikov rode in his carriage along the road. A collision with another carriage jolted him a little - in it sat a lovely young girl with an elderly woman accompanying her. After they parted, Chichikov thought for a long time about the stranger he met. At last the village of Sobakevich appeared. The traveler's thoughts turned to their constant subject.

The village was quite large, it was surrounded by two forests: pine and birch. In the middle one could see the master's house: wooden, with a mezzanine, a red roof and gray, one might even say wild, walls. It was evident that during its construction the taste of the architect was constantly struggling with the taste of the owner. The architect wanted beauty and symmetry, and the owner wanted convenience. On one side, the windows were boarded up, and instead of them, one window was checked, apparently needed for a closet. The pediment did not fall in the middle of the house, since the owner ordered to remove one column, of which there were not four, but three. In everything one could feel the efforts of the owner about the strength of his buildings. Very strong logs were used for stables, sheds and kitchens, peasant huts were also cut down firmly, firmly and very carefully. Even the well was lined with very strong oak. Driving up to the porch, Chichikov noticed faces looking out the window. The footman went out to meet him.

When looking at Sobakevich, it immediately suggested: a bear! perfect bear! And indeed, his appearance was similar to that of a bear. A big, strong man, he always stepped at random, because of which he constantly stepped on someone's feet. Even his tailcoat was bear-colored. To top it off, the owner's name was Mikhail Semenovich. He almost did not turn his neck, he held his head down rather than up, and rarely looked at his interlocutor, and if he managed to do this, then his eyes fell on the corner of the stove or at the door. Since Sobakevich himself was a healthy and strong man, he wanted to be surrounded by the same strong objects. His furniture was heavy and pot-bellied, and portraits of strong, healthy men hung on the walls. Even the thrush in the cage looked very much like Sobakevich. In a word, it seemed that every object in the house said: "And I also look like Sobakevich."

Before dinner, Chichikov tried to strike up a conversation by talking flatteringly about the local officials. Sobakevich answered that "these are all swindlers. The whole city is like that: a swindler sits on a swindler and drives a swindler." By chance, Chichikov learns about Sobakevich's neighbor - a certain Plyushkin, who has eight hundred peasants who are dying like flies.

After a hearty and plentiful dinner, Sobakevich and Chichikov rest. Chichikov decides to state his request for the purchase of dead souls. Sobakevich is not surprised at anything and attentively listens to his guest, who began the conversation from afar, gradually leading to the subject of the conversation. Sobakevich understands that Chichikov needs dead souls for something, so the bargaining begins with a fabulous price - one hundred rubles apiece. Mikhailo Semenovich talks about the virtues of the dead peasants as if the peasants were alive. Chichikov is at a loss: what kind of conversation can there be about the merits of dead peasants? In the end, they agreed on two rubles and a half for one soul. Sobakevich receives a deposit, he and Chichikov agree to meet in the city to make a deal, and Pavel Ivanovich leaves. Having reached the end of the village, Chichikov called a peasant and asked how to get to Plyushkin, who feeds people badly (it was impossible to ask otherwise, because the peasant did not know the name of the neighboring master). "Ah, patched, patched!" cried the peasant, and pointed the way.

Chapter Six

Chichikov grinned all the way, remembering Plyushkin's characterization, and soon he himself did not notice how he drove into a vast village, with many huts and streets. The push made by the log pavement brought him back to reality. These logs looked like piano keys - they either went up or went down. A rider who did not protect himself or, like Chichikov, did not pay attention to this feature of the pavement, risked either a bump on his forehead or a bruise, and even worse, biting off the tip of his own tongue. The traveler noticed on all the buildings the imprint of some special dilapidation: the logs were old, many roofs pierced through like a sieve, while others generally remained only with a ridge at the top and logs that looked like ribs. The windows were either without glass at all, or plugged up with a rag or zipun; in other huts, if there were balconies under the roofs, they had long since turned black. Huge stacks of bread stretched between the huts, neglected, the color of old brick, in places overgrown with shrubs and other rubbish. Behind these treasures and huts, two churches were visible, also neglected and dilapidated. In one place the huts ended, and some wasteland fenced with a dilapidated fence began. On it, the manor house looked like a decrepit invalid. This house was long, in places two stories, in places one; peeling, having seen a lot of bad weather. All the windows were either shuttered tightly or completely boarded up, and only two of them were open. But they, too, were weak-sighted: a blue triangle made from sugar paper was glued to one of the windows. This picture was enlivened only by a wild and magnificent garden in its desolation. When Chichikov drove up to the master's house, he saw that the picture was even sadder up close. The wooden gates and the fence were already covered with green mold. By the nature of the buildings, it was clear that once the economy was carried out here extensively and thoughtfully, but now everything around was empty, and nothing revived the picture of general desolation. The whole movement consisted of a peasant who arrived on a cart. Pavel Ivanovich noticed some figure in a completely incomprehensible attire, which immediately began to argue with the peasant. Chichikov tried for a long time to determine what gender this figure was - a man or a woman. This creature was dressed in something similar to a woman's hood, on the head - a cap worn by yard women. Chichikov was embarrassed only by the hoarse voice, which could not belong to a woman. The creature scolded the peasant who had arrived with his last words; He had a bunch of keys on his belt. By these two signs, Chichikov decided that the housekeeper was in front of him, and decided to examine her more closely. The figure, in turn, very closely examined the visitor. It was evident that the arrival of a guest here is a curiosity. The man examined Chichikov attentively, then his gaze shifted to Petrushka and Selifan, and even the horse was not left unattended.

It turned out that this creature, either a woman or a man, is the local gentleman. Chichikov was dumbfounded. The face of Chichikov's interlocutor was similar to the faces of many old men, and only small eyes were constantly running in the hope of finding something, but the outfit was out of the ordinary: the dressing gown was completely greasy, cotton paper crawled out of it in tatters. Around the neck of the landowner was tied something between a stocking and an underbelly. If Pavel Ivanovich met him somewhere near the church, he would certainly give him alms. But after all, it was not a beggar standing in front of Chichikov, but a gentleman who had a thousand souls, and hardly anyone else would have had such huge stocks of provisions, so much goodness, utensils that had never been used, as Plyushkin had. All this would be enough for two estates, even such huge ones as this. All this seemed to Plyushkin not enough - every day he walked the streets of his village, collecting various little things, from a nail to a feather, and putting them in a pile in his room.

But there was a time when the estate flourished! Plyushkin had a nice family: a wife, two daughters, a son. The son had a French teacher, the daughters had a governess. The house was famous for its hospitality, and friends came to the owner with pleasure to dine, listen to clever speeches and learn how to manage the household. But the good mistress died, and part of the keys, respectively, and worries passed to the head of the family. He became more restless, more suspicious and meaner, like all widowers. He could not rely on his eldest daughter Alexandra Stepanovna, and for good reason: she soon married secretly with the staff captain and ran away with him, knowing that her father did not like officers. Her father cursed her, but did not pursue her. Madame, who went after her daughters, was fired because she was not sinless in the abduction of the eldest, the French teacher was also released. The son was determined to serve in the regiment, not having received a penny from his father for uniforms. The youngest daughter died, and Plyushkin's lonely life gave nourishment to stinginess. Plyushkin became more and more intractable in relations with the bidders who bargained and bargained with him, and even abandoned this business. Hay and bread rotted in barns, it was scary to touch the matter - it turned into dust, flour in the cellars had long ago become stone. But the tribute remained the same! And everything brought in became "rotten and a hole," and Plyushkin himself gradually turned into a "hole in humanity." Once the eldest daughter came with her grandchildren, hoping to get something, but he did not give her a penny. The son had already lost at cards for a long time, he asked his father for money, but he also refused him. More and more Plyushkin turned to his jars, carnations and feathers, forgetting how much good he had in the pantries, but remembering that he had a decanter with unfinished liquor in his closet, and he had to make a mark on it so that no one secretly drank the liquor.

For some time Chichikov did not know what reason to come up with for his arrival. Then he said that he had heard a lot about Plyushkin's ability to manage the estate in austerity, so he decided to call on him, get to know him better and pay his respects. The landowner said in response to questions from Pavel Ivanovich that he had one hundred and twenty dead souls. In response to Chichikov's offer to buy them, Plyushkin thought that the guest was obviously stupid, but he could not hide his joy and even ordered the samovar to be put on. Chichikov received a list of one hundred and twenty dead souls and agreed to make a bill of sale. Plyushkin complained about the presence of seventy runaways, which Chichikov also bought at thirty-two kopecks a head. He hid the money he received in one of the many drawers. From the fly-free liqueur and the gingerbread that Alexandra Stepanovna once brought, Chichikov refused and hurried to the hotel. There he fell asleep with the sleep of a happy man who knew neither hemorrhoids nor fleas.

Chapter Seven

The next day Chichikov woke up in an excellent mood, prepared all the lists of peasants for making a bill of sale, and went to the chamber, where Manilov and Sobakevich were already waiting for him. All the necessary documents were drawn up, and the chairman of the chamber signed the bill of sale for Plyushkin, whom he asked in a letter to be his chargé d'affaires. To the questions of the chairman and officials of the chamber, what next the newly-minted landowner was going to do with the purchased peasants, Chichikov replied that they were determined to be sent to the Kherson province. The purchase had to be noted, and in the next room, the guests were already waiting for a decently laid table with wines and snacks, from which a huge sturgeon stood out. Sobakevich immediately joined this work of culinary art and left nothing of it. Toasts followed one after another, one of them was for the future wife of the newly-minted Kherson landowner. This toast tore a pleasant smile from Pavel Ivanovich's lips. For a long time the guests paid compliments to the pleasant person in all respects and persuaded him to stay in the city for at least two weeks. The result of a plentiful feast was that Chichikov arrived at the hotel in a completely exhausted state, being in his thoughts already a Kherson landowner. Everyone went to bed: both Selifan and Petrushka, raising their snores of unprecedented density, and Chichikov, who answered them from the room with a thin nasal whistle.

Chapter Eight

Chichikov's purchases became the number one subject of all conversations taking place in the city. Everyone talked about the fact that it was rather difficult to take such a number of peasants overnight to the lands in Kherson, and gave their advice on preventing possible riots. To this, Chichikov replied that the peasants he had bought were of a calm disposition, and an escort would not be needed to escort them to new lands. All these conversations, however, benefited Pavel Ivanovich, since it was believed that he was a millionaire, and the inhabitants of the city, who had fallen in love with Chichikov even before all these rumors, after rumors of millions, fell in love with him even more. The ladies were especially zealous. Merchants were surprised to find that some of the fabrics they brought to the city and were not sold due to the high price were sold like hot cakes. An anonymous letter with a declaration of love and amorous poems arrived at the hotel to Chichikov. But the most remarkable of all the mail that came these days to Pavel Ivanovich's room was an invitation to the governor's ball. For a long time the newly-minted landowner got ready, took a long time to attend to his toilet, and even made a ballet entrecha, which made the chest of drawers tremble, and a brush fell from it.

The appearance of Chichikov at the ball made an extraordinary sensation. Chichikov went from hug to hug, kept up one conversation after another, constantly bowed and in the end completely charmed everyone. He was surrounded by ladies dressed up and perfumed, and Chichikov tried to guess among them the author of the letter. He was so swirling that he forgot to fulfill the most important duty of courtesy - to approach the hostess of the ball and pay his respects. A little later, in confusion, he approached the governor's wife, and was stunned. She was standing not alone, but with a young, pretty blonde, who was riding in the same carriage that Chichikov's carriage had collided with on the road. The governor introduced Pavel Ivanovich to her daughter, who had just graduated from the institute. Everything that was happening somewhere moved away and lost interest for Chichikov. He was even so disrespectful towards the ladies' society that he retired from everyone and went to see where the governor's wife had gone with her daughter. The provincial ladies did not forgive this. One of them immediately touched the blonde with her dress, and disposed of the scarf in such a way that he waved it right in the face. At the same time, a very caustic remark was heard against Chichikov, and satirical poems written by someone in mockery of the provincial society were even attributed to him. And then fate prepared an unpleasant surprise for Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov: Nozdrev appeared at the ball. He went hand in hand with the prosecutor, who did not know how to get rid of his companion.

"Ah! Kherson landowner! How many dead did he sell?" shouted Nozdryov, going towards Chichikov. And he told everyone how he traded with him, Nozdryov, dead souls. Chichikov did not know where to go. Everyone was confused, and Nozdryov continued his half-drunk speech, after which he climbed up to Chichikov with kisses. This number did not work for him, he was so pushed away that he flew to the ground, everyone retreated from him and did not listen anymore, but the words about buying dead souls were uttered loudly and accompanied by such loud laughter that they attracted everyone's attention. This incident upset Pavel Ivanovich so much that during the course of the ball he no longer felt so confident, made a number of mistakes in a card game, and was unable to maintain a conversation where at other times he felt like a fish in water. Without waiting for the end of dinner, Chichikov returned to the hotel room. Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, an event was being prepared that threatened to aggravate the hero's troubles. Collegiate secretary Korobochka arrived in the city in her carriage.

Chapter Nine

The next morning, two ladies - just pleasant and pleasant in every way - were discussing the latest news. The lady, who was simply pleasant, told the news: Chichikov, armed from head to toe, came to the landowner Korobochka and ordered the souls that had already died to be sold to him. The hostess, a lady pleasant in all respects, said that her husband had heard about this from Nozdryov. So there is something in this news. And both ladies began to speculate what this purchase of dead souls could mean. As a result, they came to the conclusion that Chichikov wants to kidnap the governor's daughter, and the accomplice of this is none other than Nozdrev. While both ladies were working out such a successful explanation of events, the prosecutor entered the drawing room, to whom everything was immediately told. Leaving the prosecutor completely bewildered, the two ladies set out to riot the city, each in their own direction. For a short time, the city was in a state of turmoil. At another time, under other circumstances, this story might not have been noticed by anyone, but the city had not been fueled for gossip for a long time. And here it is! .. Two parties were formed - women's and men's. The women's party was engaged exclusively in the kidnapping of the governor's daughter, and the men's - dead souls. Things got to the point that all the gossip was delivered to the governor's own ears. She, as the first lady in the city and as a mother, interrogated the blonde with passion, and she sobbed and could not understand what she was being accused of. The porter was strictly ordered not to let Chichikov on the threshold. And then, as a sin, several dark stories surfaced, in which Chichikov fit in perfectly. What is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov? No one could answer this question for sure: neither the city officials, nor the landowners with whom he traded souls, nor the servants Selifan and Petrushka. In order to talk about this subject, everyone decided to meet with the police chief.

Chapter Ten

Having gathered at the police chief, the officials discussed for a long time who Chichikov was, but did not come to a consensus. One said that he was a maker of counterfeit banknotes, and then he himself added "or maybe not a maker." The second suggested that Chichikov was most likely an official of the Governor-General's office, and immediately added "but, by the way, the devil knows, you can't read it on your forehead." The suggestion that he was a robber in disguise was swept aside. And suddenly it dawned on the postmaster: "This, gentlemen! is none other than Captain Kopeikin!" And, since no one knew who Captain Kopeikin was, the postmaster began to tell The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.

“After the campaign of the twelfth year,” the postmaster began to tell, “a certain captain Kopeikin was sent with the wounded. Either near Krasny, or near Leipzig, his arm and leg were torn off, and he turned into a hopeless invalid. his hand was left. Kopeikin decided to go to Petersburg, to ask for royal mercy. He supposedly shed blood, he remained disabled ... And here he is in Petersburg. Kopeikin tried to rent an apartment, but it turned out to be unusually expensive. In the end, he stopped at a tavern for a ruble a day. Kopeikin sees that there is nothing to live on. He asked where the commission was located, to which he should apply, and went to the reception. He waited a long time, four hours. At this time, the people the waiting room was packed like beans on a plate, and more and more generals, officials of the fourth or fifth class.

Finally, the nobleman entered. The turn came to Captain Kopeikin. The nobleman asks: "Why are you here? What is your business?" Kopeikin plucked up his courage and replied: “So, they say, and so, your excellency, shed blood, lost his arms and legs, I can’t work, I dare to ask for royal mercy.” The minister, seeing such a situation, replies: "Well, visit one of these days." Kopeikin left the audience in complete delight, he decided that in a few days everything would be decided, and he would be assigned a pension.

Three or four days later, he again comes to the minister. He again recognized him, but now stated that the fate of Kopeikin had not been resolved, since it was necessary to wait for the arrival of the sovereign in the capital. And the captain's money had already run out a long time ago. He decided to take the minister's office by storm. This made the minister extremely angry. He called the courier, and Kopeikin was expelled from the capital at public expense. Where exactly they brought the captain, the story is silent about this, but only about two months later a gang of robbers appeared in the Ryazan forests, and their chieftain was none other than ... "The police chief, in response to this story, objected that Kopeikin had neither a leg nor an arm, and Chichikov had everything in place. Others also rejected this version, but came to the conclusion that Chichikov was very similar to Napoleon.

After some more gossip, the officials decided to invite Nozdryov. For some reason, they thought that since Nozdryov was the first to announce this story with dead souls, they might know something for sure. Nozdryov, upon arriving, immediately wrote down Mr. Chichikov as spies, fake paper makers and kidnappers of the governor's daughter at the same time.

All these rumors and rumors had such an effect on the prosecutor that he died when he got home. Chichikov did not know any of this, sitting in the room with a cold and flux, and was very surprised why no one was going to see him, because a few days ago there were always someone's droshky under the window of his room. Feeling better, he decided to pay visits to officials. Then it turned out that he was ordered not to receive him at the governor's, and the rest of the officials avoided meetings and conversations with him. Chichikov received an explanation of what was happening in the evening at the hotel, when Nozdryov came to visit him. Here Chichikov found out that he was a counterfeit banknote maker and a failed kidnapper of the governor's daughter. And also he is the cause of the death of the prosecutor and the arrival of a new governor-general. Being very frightened, Chichikov sent Nozdryov out as soon as possible, ordered Selifan and Petrushka to pack their things and get ready to leave at dawn tomorrow.

Chapter Eleven

It was not possible to leave quickly. Selifan came and said that the horses had to be shod. Finally, everything was ready, the britzka left the city. On the way they met a funeral procession, and Chichikov decided that it was fortunate.

And now a few words about Pavel Ivanovich himself. As a child, life looked at him sourly and unpleasantly. Chichikov's parents were nobles. Pavel Ivanovich's mother died early, and his father was ill all the time. He forced little Pavlusha to study and often punished him. When the boy grew up, his father took him to the city, which struck the boy with its magnificence. Pavlusha was handed over to a relative in order to stay with her and go to the classes of the city school. On the second day, the father left, leaving his son with an instruction instead of money: “Learn, Pavlusha, don’t be a fool and don’t hang out, but most of all please your teachers and bosses. And he added to his instructions half a ruble of copper.

Pavlusha remembered these tips well. From his father's money, he not only did not take a penny, but, on the contrary, a year later he already made an increment to this half. The boy showed no abilities and inclinations in his studies, he was distinguished most of all by diligence and neatness, and discovered in himself a practical mind. Not only did he never treat his comrades, but he made it so that he sold their treat to them. Once Pavlusha made a bullfinch out of wax and then sold it very profitably. Then he trained a mouse for two months, which he also sold at a profit. Teacher Pavlusha valued his students not for knowledge, but for exemplary behavior. Chichikov was a model of such. As a result, he graduated from college, having received a certificate and a book with golden letters as a reward for exemplary diligence and trustworthy behavior.

When the school was finished, Chichikov's father died. Pavlusha inherited four frock coats, two jerseys and a small amount of money. Chichikov sold the dilapidated house for a thousand rubles, transferred the only family of serfs to the city. At this time, the teacher, a lover of silence and good behavior, was expelled from the gymnasium, he began to drink. All former students helped him in any way they could. Only Chichikov excused himself by lack of money, giving him a nickel of silver, which his comrades immediately threw away. The teacher wept for a long time when he heard about it.

After school, Chichikov enthusiastically took up the service, because he wanted to live richly, have a beautiful house, carriages. But even in the outback, protection is needed, so he got a run-down place, with a salary of thirty or forty rubles a year. But Chichikov worked day and night, and at the same time, against the backdrop of the sloppy officials of the chamber, he always looked impeccable. His boss was an elderly clerk, an impregnable man, with a complete absence of any emotion on his face. Trying to get close from different sides, Chichikov finally discovered the weak point of his boss - he had a mature daughter with an ugly, pockmarked face. At first he stood opposite her in church, then he was called for tea, and soon he was already considered a groom in the boss's house. A vacant position soon appeared in the ward, and Chichikov decided to fill it. As soon as this happened, Chichikov secretly sent the chest with his belongings from the house of the alleged father-in-law, ran away himself and stopped calling the former father-in-law. At the same time, he did not stop smiling affectionately at the former boss at the meeting and inviting him to visit, and each time he only turned his head and said that he had been skillfully cheated.

It was the most difficult threshold for Pavel Ivanovich, which he successfully overcame. At the next grain place, he successfully launched a fight against bribes, while in fact he himself turned out to be a big bribe-taker. The next thing Chichikov did was to participate in the commission for the construction of some state-owned very capital building, in which Pavel Ivanovich was one of the most active members. For six years, the construction of the building did not move beyond the foundation: either the soil interfered, or the climate. At that time, in other parts of the city, each member of the commission got a beautiful building of civil architecture - probably, the soil was better there. Chichikov began to allow himself excesses in the form of matter on a frock coat, which no one had, thin Dutch shirts, and a pair of excellent trotters, not to mention other trifles. Soon fate changed for Pavel Ivanovich. In place of the former chief, a new one was sent, a military man, a terrible persecutor of all kinds of untruth and abuse. Chichikov's career in this city ended, and the houses of civil architecture were transferred to the treasury. Pavel Ivanovich moved to another city in order to start all over again. In a short time he was forced to change two or three low positions in an environment unacceptable to him. Having already begun to round off at some time, Chichikov even lost weight, but overcame all the troubles and decided on customs. His old dream came true, and he took up his new service with extraordinary zeal. According to the words of his superiors, he was a devil, not a man: he looked for contraband in those places where no one would have thought to climb into, and where only customs officials are allowed to climb. It was a thunderstorm and despair for everyone. His honesty and incorruptibility were almost unnatural. Such official zeal could not go unnoticed by the authorities, and soon Chichikov was promoted, and then he presented to the authorities a project on how to catch all the smugglers. This project was accepted, and Pavel Ivanovich received unlimited power in this area. At that time, "a strong society of smugglers was formed," which wanted to bribe Chichikov, but he replied to those sent: "It's not time yet."

As soon as Chichikov received unlimited power in his hands, he immediately let this society know: "It's time." And at the time of Chichikov's service at the customs, there was a story about a witty journey of Spanish rams across the border, when, under double sheepskin coats, they carried millions of Brabant lace. They say that Chichikov's fortune, after three or four such campaigns, amounted to about five hundred thousand, and his accomplices - about four hundred thousand rubles. However, Chichikov, in a drunken conversation, quarreled with another official who also participated in these frauds. As a result of the quarrel, all secret relations with the smugglers became clear. Officials were taken to court, property was confiscated. As a result, out of five hundred thousand, Chichikov was left with a thousand tens, which he partially had to spend in order to get out of the criminal court. Again, he began life from the bottom of the career. Being a chargé d'affaires, having previously earned the full favor of the owners, he was somehow engaged in pledging several hundred peasants to the council of trustees. And then he was prompted that, despite the fact that half of the peasants died out, according to the revision tale, they are considered alive! .. Therefore, he has nothing to worry about, and the money will be, regardless of whether these peasants are alive or gave their souls to God. And then it dawned on Chichikov. That's where the field for action! Yes, if he buys dead peasants, who, according to the revision tale, are still considered alive, if he buys at least a thousand of them, and the board of trustees will give two hundred rubles for each - here you have two hundred thousand capital!

And so he began to fulfill his plan. He looked into those places of the state that suffered most from accidents, crop failures and deaths, in a word, those in which it was possible to buy the people Chichikov needed.

"So, our hero is all there ... Who is he in terms of moral qualities? A scoundrel? Why is a scoundrel? Now we don’t have scoundrels, there are well-meaning, pleasant people ... It’s most fair to call him: the owner, the acquirer ... And which of you is not publicly, but in silence, alone, will deepen this heavy inquiry into his own soul: “Isn’t there some part of Chichikov in me too?” But it’s not like that!

Meanwhile, Chichikov's chaise rushes on. "Eh, troika! bird troika, who invented you? .. Isn't it you, Rus, that a brisk, non-overtaking troika is rushing? .. Rus, where are you rushing to? Give an answer. Does not give an answer. A bell is filled with a wonderful ringing; the air torn to pieces rumbles and becomes wind; everything that is on the ground flies past and, squinting, step aside and give it way to other peoples and states. "

I decided to postpone my visits outside the city and visit my new acquaintance, the landowner Manilov. (See Image of Manilov.) The coachman Selifan harnessed his horses, and Chichikov's chaise sped along the road.

The owner of the estate ran out onto the porch and, scattering in courtesies, greeted the guest. Manilov was one of the people about whom the proverb says: neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan. His face was pleasant enough, but this pleasantness was too sugary; there was something ingratiating in his manners and turns. He did not sin with any strong passions and hobbies, but he liked to spend time in fantastic dreams, which he never tried to put into practice.

Manilov. Artist A. Laptev

Manilov almost did not take care of the household, relying on the clerk, but, looking at his overgrown pond, he often dreamed about how it would be nice to lead an underground passage from the house or build a stone bridge with merchant shops across the pond. In Manilov's office there was always a book, bookmarked on the fourteenth page, which he had been constantly reading for two years. To match Manilov was his wife, brought up in a boarding school, where the three main subjects were French, playing the piano and knitting purses. (See Description of Manilov.)

As usual, Manilov went out of his way to please Chichikov. He did not agree to go through the door ahead of him, called the meeting with him "name days of the heart" and "exemplary happiness", assured that he would gladly give half of his fortune in order to have some of the virtues that his guest has. Manilov first of all asked how Chichikov liked the provincial officials - and he himself admired their extraordinary talents.

Chichikov was invited to the table. The dinner was also attended by two sons of Manilov, 8 and 6 years old, who bore the ancient names Themistoclus and Alkid. (See Chichikov's lunch at Manilov's.)

After dinner, Chichikov said that he would like to talk to Manilov about an important matter. Both of them went into the study, where the owner of the house, in fashionable custom, lit his pipe. A little worried, and even looking back for some reason, Chichikov asked Manilov how many peasants had died since the last tax audit. Manilov himself did not know this, but called the clerk and sent him to make a list of names of the deceased.

Chichikov explained that he would like to buy these dead souls. Hearing such a strange desire, Manilov dropped the pipe from his mouth and remained motionless for some time, gazing at his interlocutor. Then he cautiously inquired whether a deal with dead souls would be inconsistent with civil regulations and further views of Russia?

Chichikov assured that it was not, and pointed out that the treasury would even benefit from this in the form of legal duties. Reassured Manilov, by his courtesy, could not refuse the guest. Having agreed with him to buy the dead, Chichikov hurried to leave, asking for directions to the neighboring landowner.