End of dead souls. N.V
Detailed summary of dead souls
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Detailed content of "Dead Souls" by chapter
Chapter first
"In ina company of a hotel in the provincial city of NN moved in, a rather beautiful spring-loaded small britzka in which bachelors ride. "In the britzka sat a gentleman of pleasant appearance, not too fat, but not too thin, not handsome, but not ugly, one cannot say that he was old, but he was not too young either. The britzka drove up to the hotel. It was a very long two-story building with the lower floor unplastered and the upper one painted with eternal yellow paint. Below there were benches, in one of the windows there was a sbitennik with a red copper samovar. 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 master, his servants appear - the coachman Selifan , a short man in a sheepskin coat, and the footman Petrushka, a fellow about thirty, with somewhat large lips and nose.
Chapter second
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 third
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 mother landowners who all the time cry over crop failures and lack of money, while they themselves gradually put 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 fourth
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 fifth
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 poorly (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.
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Poem "Dead souls of Gogol in brief summary in 10 minutes.
Acquaintance with Chichikov
A middle-aged gentleman of rather pleasant appearance arrived at a hotel in a provincial town in a small britzka. He rented a room in the hotel, examined it and went to the common room to dine, leaving the servants to settle in a new place. It was a collegiate adviser, landowner Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov.
After dinner, he went to inspect the city and found that it was no different from other provincial cities. The newcomer devoted the whole next day to visits. He visited the governor, the police chief, the vice-governor and other officials, each of whom he managed to win over by saying something pleasant about his department. For the evening he had already received an invitation to the governor.
Arriving at the governor's house, Chichikov, among other things, made the acquaintance of Manilov, a very courteous and courteous man, and the somewhat clumsy Sobakevich, and behaved so pleasantly with them that he completely charmed them, and both landowners invited the new friend to visit them. The next day, at a dinner at the police chief's, Pavel Ivanovich also made acquaintance with Nozdryov, a broken-down fellow of about thirty, with whom they immediately switched to you.
For more than a week the visitor lived in the city, traveling to parties and dinners, he proved to be a very pleasant conversationalist, able to talk on any topic. He knew how to behave well, had a degree. In general, everyone in the city came to the opinion that this is an exceptionally decent and well-meaning
human.
Chichikov at Manilov
Finally, Chichikov decided to visit the landowners he knew and went out of town. First he went to Manilov. With some difficulty he found the village of Manilovka, which turned out to be not fifteen, but thirty versts from the city. Manilov met his new acquaintance very cordially, they kissed and entered the house, for a long time letting each other pass at the door. Manilov was, in general, a pleasant person, somehow sugary-sweet, had no special hobbies, except for fruitless dreams, and did not take care of the household.
His wife was brought up in a boarding school, where she was taught the three main subjects necessary for family happiness: French, piano and knitting purses. She was pretty and well dressed. Her husband introduced Pavel Ivanovich to her. They talked a little, and the hosts invited the guest to dinner. The seven-year-old sons of the Manilovs, Themistoclus, and six-year-old Alkid, were already waiting in the dining room, for whom the teacher had tied napkins. The guest was shown the erudition of the children, the teacher made a remark to the boys only once, when the elder bit the younger on the ear.
After dinner, Chichikov announced that he intended to talk to the owner about a very important matter, and both went to the study. The guest started a conversation about the peasants and offered the host to buy dead souls from him, that is, those peasants who have already died, but according to the revision are still considered alive. Manilov could not understand anything for a long time, then he doubted the legitimacy of such a bill of sale, but nevertheless agreed from
respect for the guest. When Pavel Ivanovich spoke about the price, the owner was offended and even took upon himself the drafting of the bill of sale.
Chichikov did not know how to thank Manilov. They said goodbye cordially, and Pavel Ivanovich drove off, promising to come again and bring gifts to the children.
Chichikov at Korobochka
Chichikov was about to make his next visit to Sobakevich, but it started to rain, and the carriage drove into some field. Selifan turned the wagon around so clumsily that the gentleman fell out of it and was covered in mud. Luckily, dogs barked. They went to the village and asked to spend the night in a house. It turned out that this was the estate of a certain landowner Korobochka.
In the morning Pavel Ivanovich met the hostess, Nastasya Petrovna, a middle-aged woman, one of those who always complain about the lack of money, but little by little saves and collects a decent fortune. The village was quite large, the houses were strong, the peasants lived well. The hostess invited the unexpected guest to drink tea, the conversation turned to the household, and Chichikov offered to buy dead souls from her.
Korobochka was extremely frightened by such a proposal, not really understanding what they wanted from her. After much explanation and persuasion, she finally agreed and wrote Chichikov a power of attorney, trying to sell him a hemp as well.
After eating a cake and pancakes baked especially for him, the guest drove on, accompanied by a girl who was supposed to take the carriage to the main road. Seeing the tavern, which was already standing on a high road, they let the girl off, who, having received a copper penny as a reward, wandered home, and drove there.
Chichikov at Nozdrev
In a tavern, Chichikov ordered a pig with horseradish and sour cream, and, knowing it, asked the hostess about the surrounding landowners. At this time, two gentlemen drove up to the tavern, one of whom was Nozdrev, and the second was his son-in-law Mizhuev. Nozdryov, a well-built fellow, what is called blood and milk, with thick black hair and sideburns, ruddy cheeks and very white teeth,
recognized Chichikov and began to tell him how they walked at the fair, how much champagne they drank and how he lost at cards.
Mizhuev, a tall fair-haired man with a tanned face and a red mustache, was constantly accusing his friend of exaggeration. Nozdryov persuaded Chichikov to go to him, Mizhuev, reluctantly, also went with them.
It must be said that Nozdryov's wife died, leaving him two children, whom he did not care about, and he moved from one fair to another, from one party to another. Everywhere he played cards and roulette and usually lost, although he did not hesitate to cheat, for which he was sometimes beaten by partners. He was cheerful, considered a good comrade, but he always managed to spoil his friends: upset the wedding, disrupt the deal.
At the estate, having ordered dinner from the cook, Nozdryov took the guest to inspect the farm, which was nothing special, and drove around for two hours, telling tales that were incredible in lies, so that Chichikov was very tired. Lunch was served, the dishes of which were somehow burnt, some were undercooked, and numerous wines of dubious quality.
The owner refilled the guests, but he hardly drank himself. After dinner, Mizhuev, who had become very intoxicated, was sent home to his wife, and Chichikov started a conversation with Nozdryov about dead souls. The landowner flatly refused to sell them, but offered to play cards with them, and when the guest refused, to exchange them for Chichikov's horses or a britzka. Pavel Ivanovich also rejected this offer and went to bed. The next day, the restless Nozdryov persuaded him to fight for souls in checkers. During the game, Chichikov noticed that the owner was playing dishonestly and told him about it.
The landowner was offended, began to scold the guest and ordered the servants to beat him. Chichikov was saved by the appearance of the police captain, who announced that Nozdryov was on trial and accused of inflicting personal insult on the landowner Maximov with rods while drunk. Pavel Ivanovich did not wait for the denouement, ran out of the house and left.
Chichikov at Sobakevich's
On the way to Sobakevich, an unpleasant incident happened. Selifan, lost in thought, did not give way to a carriage drawn by six horses that was overtaking them, and the harness of both carriages became so entangled that it took a long time to re-harness. In the carriage sat an old woman and a sixteen-year-old girl, whom Pavel Ivanovich liked very much ...
Soon they arrived at Sobakevich's estate. Everything was strong, solid, solid. The owner, stout, with a face as if hewn with an axe, very similar to a learned bear, met the guest and led him into the house. The furniture was to match the owner - heavy, durable. Paintings depicting ancient generals hung on the walls.
The conversation turned to city officials, each of whom the owner gave a negative description. The hostess entered, Sobakevich introduced her guest and invited him to dinner. Lunch was not very varied, but tasty and satisfying. During dinner the host mentioned the landowner Plyushkin, who lived five versts from him, where people were dying like flies, and Chichikov took note of this.
After a very hearty dinner, the men retired to the living room, and Pavel Ivanovich got down to business. Sobakevich listened to him without saying a word. Without asking any questions, he agreed to sell the dead souls to the guest, but raised the price for them, as for living people.
They bargained for a long time and agreed on two and a half rubles per head, and Sobakevich demanded a deposit. He compiled a list of peasants, gave each one a description of his business qualities and wrote a receipt for receiving a deposit, striking Chichikov with how sensibly everything was written. They parted, satisfied with each other, and Chichikov went to Plyushkin.
Chichikov at Plushkin's
He drove into a large village, striking in its poverty: the huts were almost without roofs, the windows in them were covered with bull bladders or plugged with rags. The master's house is large, with many outbuildings for household needs, but all of them are almost collapsed, only two windows are open, the rest are boarded up or closed with shutters. The house gave the impression of being uninhabited.
Chichikov noticed a figure so strangely dressed that it was impossible to immediately recognize whether it was a woman or a man. Paying attention to the bunch of keys on his belt, Pavel Ivanovich decided that this was the housekeeper, and turned to her, calling her "mother" and asking where the master was. The housekeeper told him to go into the house and disappeared. He entered and marveled at the disorder that reigned there. Everything is covered in dust, dried-up bits of wood lie on the table, a bunch of some incomprehensible things are piled in the corner. The housekeeper came in, and Chichikov asked the master again. She said that the master was in front of him.
I must say that Plyushkin was not always like that. Once he had a family and was just a thrifty, albeit somewhat stingy owner. His wife was distinguished by her hospitality, and there were often guests in the house. Then the wife died, the eldest daughter ran away with an officer, and her father cursed her, because he could not stand the military. The son went to the city to enter the civil service. but enlisted in the regiment. Plushkin cursed him too. When the youngest daughter died, the landowner was left alone in the house.
His stinginess assumed terrifying proportions, he dragged into the house all the rubbish found in the village, right down to the old sole. The quitrent was collected from the peasants in the same amount, but since Plyushkin asked for an exorbitant price for the goods, no one bought anything from him, and everything rotted in the manor's yard. Twice his daughter came to him, first with one child, then with two, brought him gifts and asked for help, but the father did not give a penny. His son lost his game and also asked for money, but he also received nothing. Plyushkin himself looked like if Chichikov had met him near the church, he would have given him a penny.
While Pavel Ivanovich was thinking about how to start talking about dead souls, the owner began to complain about the hard life: the peasants were dying, and the tax had to be paid for them. The guest offered to bear these expenses. Plyushkin gladly agreed, ordered the samovar to be put up and the remains of the Easter cake brought from the pantry, which his daughter had once brought and from which it was necessary to scrape off the mold first.
Then he suddenly began to doubt the honesty of Chichikov's intentions, and he offered to draw up a merchant's fortress for the dead peasants. Plyushkin decided to foist some runaway peasants on Chichikov, and after bargaining, Pavel Ivanovich took them thirty kopecks apiece. After that, he (much to the delight of the host) refused dinner and tea and left, being in a great mood.
Chichikov turns a scam with "dead souls"
On the way to the hotel, Chichikov even sang. The next day he woke up in a great mood and immediately sat down at the table to write merchant's fortresses. At twelve o'clock I got dressed and, with the papers under my arm, went to the civil ward. Leaving the hotel, Pavel Ivanovich ran into Manilov, who was walking towards him.
They kissed each other in such a way that both of them had toothaches all day long, and Manilov volunteered to accompany Chichikov. In the Civil Chamber, it was not without difficulty that they found an official who dealt with merchants, who, only after receiving a bribe, sent Pavel Ivanovich to the chairman, Ivan Grigorievich. Sobakevich was already sitting in the chairman's office. Ivan Grigoryevich gave instructions to the same
the official to draw up all the papers and collect witnesses.
When everything was properly arranged, the chairman proposed to spray the purchase. Chichikov wanted to supply them with champagne, but Ivan Grigoryevich said that they would go to the police chief, who would only wink at the merchants in the fish and meat rows, and a wonderful dinner would be ready.
And so it happened. The merchants considered the police chief to be their own person, who, although he robbed them, did not show any kindness and even willingly baptized merchant children. The dinner was magnificent, the guests drank and ate well, and Sobakevich alone ate a huge sturgeon and then did not eat anything, but only silently sat in an armchair. Everyone was amused and did not want to let Chichikov leave the city, but decided to marry him, to which he gladly agreed.
Feeling that he was already talking too much, Pavel Ivanovich asked for a carriage and arrived at the hotel completely drunk in the prosecutor's droshky. With difficulty, Petrushka undressed the master, cleaned his suit, and, making sure that the owner was fast asleep, went with Selifan to the nearest tavern, from where they left in an embrace and collapsed to sleep across on the same bed.
Chichikov's purchases caused a lot of talk in the city, everyone took an active part in his affairs, they discussed how difficult it would be for him to resettle such a number of serfs in the Kherson province. Of course, Chichikov did not spread that he was acquiring dead peasants, everyone believed that they were bought alive, and a rumor spread around the city that Pavel Ivanovich was a millionaire. He was immediately interested in the ladies, who in this city were very presentable, traveled only in carriages, dressed fashionably and spoke elegantly. Chichikov could not fail to notice such attention to himself. One day they brought him an anonymous love letter with poems, at the end of which it was written that his own heart would help him guess who wrote it.
Chichikov at the governor's ball
After some time, Pavel Ivanovich was invited to the governor's ball. His appearance at the ball caused great enthusiasm among all those present. The men greeted him with loud exclamations and strong hugs, the ladies surrounded him, forming a multi-colored garland. He tried to guess which one of them had written the letter, but he couldn't.
Chichikov was rescued from their entourage by the governor's wife, holding by the arm a pretty sixteen-year-old girl, whom Pavel Ivanovich recognized as a blonde from a carriage that ran into him on the way from Nozdryov. It turned out that the girl was the governor's daughter, just released from the institute. Chichikov turned all his attention to her and spoke only to her, although the girl got bored from his stories and began to yawn. the ladies did not like this behavior of their idol at all, because each had her own views on Pavel Ivanovich. They became indignant and condemned the poor college girl.
Unexpectedly, Nozdryov, accompanied by the prosecutor, appeared from the living room where the card game was going on and, seeing Chichikov, immediately shouted to the whole hall: What? Did you trade a lot for the dead? Pavel Ivanovich did not know where to go, and meanwhile the landowner, with great pleasure, began to tell everyone about Chichikov's scam. Everyone knew that Nozdryov was a liar, nevertheless, his words caused confusion and gossip. Frustrated, Chichikov, anticipating a scandal, did not wait until dinner was over and went to the hotel.
While he was sitting in his room cursing Nozdryov and all his relatives, a carriage with Korobochka drove into the city. This club-headed landowner, worrying whether Chichikov had deceived her in some cunning way, decided to personally find out how much dead souls are now. The next day, the ladies stirred up the whole city.
They could not understand the essence of the scam with dead souls and decided that the purchase was made to avert their eyes, but in fact Chichikov came to the city to kidnap the governor's daughter. The governor's wife, having heard about this, interrogated her unsuspecting daughter and ordered Pavel Ivanovich not to be received any more. Men also could not understand anything, but they did not really believe in abduction.
At this time, a new governor-general was appointed to the province, and the officials even thought that Chichikov had come to them in the city on his behalf to check. Then they decided that Chichikov was a counterfeiter, then that he was a robber. Selifan and Petrushka were interrogated, but they could not say anything intelligible. They also had a chat with Nozdryov, who, without blinking an eye, confirmed all their guesses. The prosecutor was so worried that he had a stroke and died.
Chichikov knew nothing about all this. He caught a cold, sat in his room for three days and wondered why none of his new acquaintances visited him. Finally, he recovered, dressed warmer and went to the governor for a visit. Imagine Pavel Ivanovich's surprise when the footman said that he was not ordered to be received! Then he went to other officials, but everyone received him so strangely, they carried on such a forced and incomprehensible conversation that he doubted their health.
chichikov leaves the city
Chichikov wandered aimlessly around the city for a long time, and in the evening Nozdrev showed up to him, offering his help in kidnapping the governor's daughter for three thousand rubles. The reason for the scandal became clear to Pavel Ivanovich, and he immediately ordered Selifan to lay the horses, and he himself began to collect things. But it turned out that the horses needed to be shod, and they left only the next day. When we drove through the city, we had to skip the funeral procession: they were burying the prosecutor. Chichikov drew the curtains. Luckily no one paid any attention to him.
essence of the scam with dead souls
Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov was born into a poor noble family. Sending his son to school, his father ordered him to live economically, behave well, please teachers, be friends only with the children of wealthy parents, and most of all in life value a penny. Pavlusha conscientiously fulfilled all this and succeeded very much in this. not disdaining to speculate on edibles. Not distinguished by intelligence and knowledge, he earned a certificate and a commendation sheet after graduating from college by his behavior.
Most of all, he dreamed of a quiet, rich life, but for now he denied himself everything. He began to serve, but did not receive a promotion, no matter how he pleased his boss. Then, having passed. that the boss had an ugly and no longer young daughter, Chichikov began to look after her. It even got to the point that he settled in the boss's house, began to call him dad and kissed his hand. Soon Pavel Ivanovich received a new position and immediately moved to his apartment. and the matter of the wedding was hushed up. Time passed, Chichikov prospered. He himself did not take bribes, but received money from subordinates, who began to take three times more. After some time, a commission was organized in the city for the construction of some kind of capital structure, and Pavel Ivanovich attached himself there. The structure did not grow higher than the foundation, but the members of the commission set up beautiful large houses for themselves. Unfortunately, the chief was replaced, the new one demanded reports from the commission, and all the houses were confiscated to the treasury. Chichikov was fired, and he was forced to start his career anew.
He changed two or three positions, and then he was lucky: he got a job in customs, where he showed himself from the best side, was incorruptible, knew how to find contraband best of all and deserved a promotion. As soon as this happened, the incorruptible Pavel Ivanovich conspired with a large gang of smugglers, attracted another official to the case, and together they pulled off several scams, thanks to which they put four hundred thousand in the bank. But once the official quarreled with Chichikov and wrote a denunciation against him, the case was revealed, the money was confiscated from both, and they themselves were fired from customs. Fortunately, they managed to avoid a trial, Pavel Ivanovich had some money hidden, and he began to arrange life again. He had to act as an attorney, and it was this service that prompted him to think about dead souls. Once he applied for a pledge to the board of trustees of several hundred peasants of a ruined landowner. In the meantime, Chichikov explained to the secretary that half of the peasants had died out and he doubted the success of the case. The secretary said that if the souls are listed in the audit inventory, then nothing terrible can happen. It was then that Pavel Ivanovich decided to buy more dead souls and pledge them to the board of trustees, receiving money for them as if they were alive. The city in which Chichikov and I met was the first on his path to the realization of his plans, and now Pavel Ivanovich rode on in his britzka drawn by three horses.
4.3 / 5. 12
The poem "Dead Souls" was conceived by Gogol as a grandiose panorama of Russian society with all its peculiarities and paradoxes. The central problem of the work is the spiritual death and rebirth of representatives of the main Russian estates of that time. The author denounces and ridicules the vices of the landowners, venality and pernicious passions of bureaucracy.
The title itself has a double meaning. "Dead Souls" are not only dead peasants, but also other actually living characters of the work. Calling them dead, Gogol emphasizes their devastated, miserable, "dead" little souls.
History of creation
"Dead Souls" is a poem to which Gogol devoted a significant part of his life. The author repeatedly changed the concept, rewrote and reworked the work. Gogol originally conceived Dead Souls as a humorous novel. However, in the end, I decided to create a work that exposes the problems of Russian society and will serve its spiritual revival. And so the POEM "Dead Souls" appeared.
Gogol wanted to create three volumes of the work. In the first, the author planned to describe the vices and decay of the feudal society of that time. In the second, give your heroes hope for redemption and rebirth. And in the third I intended to describe the future path of Russia and its society.
However, Gogol managed to finish only the first volume, which appeared in print in 1842. Until his death, Nikolai Vasilievich worked on the second volume. However, just before his death, the author burned the manuscript of the second volume.
The third volume of Dead Souls was never written. Gogol could not find an answer to the question of what would happen next with Russia. Or maybe I just didn't have time to write about it.
Analysis
Description of the work, plot
One day, a very interesting character appeared in the city of NN, who stood out against the background of other old-timers of the city - Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. After his arrival, he began to actively get acquainted with important people of the city, attended feasts and dinners. A week later, the visitor was already on "you" with all representatives of the city's nobility. Everyone was delighted with the new person who suddenly appeared in the city.
Pavel Ivanovich goes out of town to pay visits to noble landowners: Manilov, Korobochka, Sobakevich, Nozdrev and Plyushkin. With each landowner, he is kind, trying to find an approach to everyone. Natural resourcefulness and resourcefulness help Chichikov to get the location of each landowner. In addition to empty talk, Chichikov talks with the gentlemen about the peasants who died after the revision (“dead souls”) and expresses a desire to buy them. The landowners cannot understand why Chichikov needs such a deal. However, they agree to it.
As a result of his visits, Chichikov acquired more than 400 "dead souls" and was in a hurry to finish his business and leave the city. Useful acquaintances made by Chichikov upon arrival in the city helped him settle all the issues with the documents.
After some time, the landowner Korobochka let slip in the city that Chichikov was buying up "dead souls." The whole city found out about the affairs of Chichikov and was perplexed. Why would such a respected gentleman buy dead peasants? Endless rumors and conjectures have a detrimental effect even on the prosecutor, and he dies of fear.
The poem ends with Chichikov hurriedly leaving the city. Leaving the city, Chichikov sadly recalls his plans to buy dead souls and pledge them to the treasury as living ones.
main characters
A qualitatively new hero in Russian literature of that time. Chichikov can be called a representative of the newest class that is just emerging in serf Russia - entrepreneurs, "purchasers". The activity and activity of the hero favorably distinguishes him from the background of other characters in the poem.
The image of Chichikov is distinguished by its incredible versatility, diversity. Even by the appearance of the hero, it is difficult to immediately understand what a person is and what he is like. “In the britzka sat a gentleman who was not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin, one cannot say that he was old, but not so much that he was too young.”
It is difficult to understand and embrace the nature of the protagonist. He is changeable, many-sided, able to adapt to any interlocutor, to give the face the desired expression. Thanks to these qualities, Chichikov easily finds a common language with landowners, officials and wins the right position in society. Chichikov uses the ability to charm and win over the right people to achieve his goal, namely, obtaining and accumulating money. Even his father taught Pavel Ivanovich to deal with those who are richer and take care of money, since only money can pave the way in life.
Chichikov did not earn money honestly: he deceived people, took bribes. Over time, Chichikov's machinations are gaining more and more scope. Pavel Ivanovich seeks to increase his fortune by any means, not paying attention to any moral norms and principles.
Gogol defines Chichikov as a man with a vile nature and also considers his soul to be dead.
In his poem, Gogol describes the typical images of the landlords of that time: "business executives" (Sobakevich, Korobochka), as well as not serious and wasteful gentlemen (Manilov, Nozdrev).
Nikolai Vasilievich masterfully created the image of the landowner Manilov in the work. By this image alone, Gogol meant a whole class of landowners with similar features. The main qualities of these people are sentimentality, constant fantasies and lack of activity. The landlords of such a warehouse let the economy take its course, do nothing useful. They are stupid and empty inside. This is exactly what Manilov was like - in his soul not a bad, but mediocre and stupid poseur.
Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka
The landowner, however, differs significantly in character from Manilov. Korobochka is a good and tidy mistress, everything in her estate is going well. However, the landowner's life revolves exclusively around her household. The box does not develop spiritually, it is not interested in anything. She does not understand absolutely anything that does not concern her economy. The box is also one of the images by which Gogol meant a whole class of similar limited landowners who see nothing beyond their household.
The author unequivocally classifies the landowner Nozdrev as not a serious and wasteful gentlemen. Unlike the sentimental Manilov, Nozdryov is full of energy. However, the landowner uses this energy not for the benefit of the economy, but for the sake of his momentary pleasures. Nozdryov plays, wastes money. It is distinguished by its frivolity and idle attitude to life.
Mikhail Semenovich Sobakevich
The image of Sobakevich, created by Gogol, echoes the image of a bear. There is something from a large wild beast in the appearance of the landowner: sluggishness, sedateness, strength. Sobakevich is not concerned about the aesthetic beauty of the things around him, but their reliability and durability. Behind the rough appearance and harsh character lies a cunning, intelligent and resourceful person. According to the author of the poem, it will not be difficult for such landowners as Sobakevich to adapt to the changes and reforms coming in Russia.
The most unusual representative of the class of landowners in Gogol's poem. The old man is distinguished by his extreme stinginess. Moreover, Plyushkin is greedy not only in relation to his peasants, but also in relation to himself. However, such savings make Plushkin a truly poor man. After all, it is his stinginess that does not allow him to find a family.
officialdom
Gogol in the work has a description of several city officials. However, the author in his work does not significantly differentiate them from each other. All officials in "Dead Souls" are a gang of thieves, crooks and embezzlers. These people really care only about their enrichment. Gogol literally describes in a few lines the image of a typical official of that time, rewarding him with the most unflattering qualities.
Quotes
“Oh, the Russian people! He does not like to die a natural death! Chichikov
"Don't have money, have good people to convert," said a wise man... Chichikov
“... most of all, take care and save a penny: this thing is more reliable than anything in the world. A comrade or friend will cheat on you and in trouble will be the first to betray you, but a penny will not betray you, no matter what trouble you are in ” Chichikov's father
“... how deeply that sank into Slavic nature that slipped only through the nature of other peoples ...”Gogol
The main idea, the meaning of the work
The plot of "Dead Souls" is based on an adventure conceived by Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. At first glance, Chichikov's plan seems incredible. However, if you look at it, the Russian reality of those times, with its rules and laws, provided opportunities for all sorts of machinations related to serfs.
The fact is that after 1718, a per capita census of peasants was introduced in the Russian Empire. For each male serf, the master had to pay a tax. However, the census was carried out quite rarely - once every 12-15 years. And if one of the peasants escaped or died, the landowner was forced to pay tax for him anyway. The dead or runaway peasants became a burden for the master. This created fertile ground for various kinds of fraud. Chichikov himself hoped to carry out such a scam.
Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol knew perfectly well how Russian society was organized with its serf system. And the whole tragedy of his poem lies in the fact that Chichikov's scam absolutely did not contradict the current Russian legislation. Gogol denounces the distorted relations of man with man, as well as man with the state, speaks of the absurd laws in force at that time. Because of such distortions, events that are contrary to common sense become possible.
Conclusion
"Dead Souls" is a classic work, which, like no other, is written in the style of Gogol. Quite often, Nikolai Vasilievich based his work on some kind of anecdote or a comical situation. And the more ridiculous and unusual the situation, the more tragic the real state of affairs seems.
Here is a summary of the 3rd chapter of the work "Dead Souls" by N.V. Gogol.
A very brief summary of "Dead Souls" can be found and the following is quite detailed.
General content by chapter:
Chapter 3 - summary.
Chichikov went to Sobakevich in the most pleasant mood. He did not even notice that Selifan, warmly received by Manilov's people, was drunk. Therefore, the britzka quickly lost its way. The coachman could not remember whether he had driven two or three turns. It started to rain. Chichikov became worried. He finally made out that they had long been lost, and Selifan was drunk as a shoemaker. The chaise swayed from side to side until it finally tipped over completely. Chichikov flopped hands and feet into the mud. Pavel Ivanovich was so angry that he promised Selifan to flog him.
A dog barking was heard from afar. The traveler ordered the horses to be driven. Pretty soon the britzka hit the fence with shafts. Chichikov knocked on the gate and asked for a lodging for the night. The hostess turned out to be a thrifty old woman
from small landowners who cry for crop failures, losses ... and meanwhile they collect a little money in motley bags ...
Chichikov apologized for his intrusion and asked if Sobakevich's estate was far away, to which the old woman replied that she had never heard such a name at all. She named several names of local landowners unfamiliar to Chichikov. The guest asked if there were rich people among them. Hearing that no, Pavel Ivanovich lost all interest in them.
box
Waking up quite late the next morning, Chichikov saw the hostess peeping into his room. Having dressed and looking out the window, the traveler realized that the old woman's village was not small. Behind the lord's garden one could see quite well-ordered peasant huts. Chichikov peered through the crack in the door. Seeing that the hostess was sitting at the tea table, with an affectionate air, he entered her. Starting a conversation, the uninvited guest found out that the name of the hostess was Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. The collegiate secretary had nearly eighty souls. Chichikov began to question the hostess about dead souls. Nastasya Petrovna had eighteen of them. The guest asked if it was possible to buy the dead peasants. At first, the box was in complete bewilderment: is Pavel Ivanovich really going to dig them out of the ground? Chichikov explained that the souls would be registered with him only on paper.
At first the landowner was stubborn: the business seems to be profitable, but it is too new. The old woman, selling dead souls, was afraid of incurring a loss. Finally, with great difficulty, Chichikov persuaded his interlocutor to sell the dead peasants to her for fifteen banknotes. Having dined at Korobochka, Pavel Ivanovich ordered the britzka to be laid down. The yard girl escorted the travelers to the main road.
Chichikov spent a week in the city, making visits to officials. After that, he decided to take advantage of the invitations of the landowners. Having given orders to the servants since evening, Pavel Ivanovich woke up very early. It was Sunday, and therefore, according to his old habit, he washed himself, dried himself from head to toe with a wet sponge, shaved his cheeks to a gloss, put on a lingonberry-colored tailcoat, an overcoat on big bears and went down the stairs. Pretty soon a barrier appeared, indicating the end of the pavement. Hitting his head on the body for the last time, Chichikov rushed across the soft earth.
At the fifteenth verst, on which, according to Manilov, his village was supposed to be, Pavel Ivanovich became worried, since there was no village in sight. We passed the sixteenth verst. Finally, two peasants came across towards the britzka, who pointed in the right direction, promising that Manilovka would be a mile away. After driving about another six miles, Chichikov remembered that "if a friend invites you to his village for fifteen miles, it means that there are faithful thirty."
The village of Manilovka was nothing special. The master's house stood on a hill, accessible to all winds. The sloping side of the mountain was covered with trimmed turf, on which stood out a few round flower beds in the English manner. Visible was a wooden pavilion with blue columns and the inscription "temple of solitary contemplation."
Manilov met the guest on the porch, and the newly-made friends immediately kissed each other warmly. It was difficult to say anything definite about the character of the owner: “There is a kind of people known under the name people so-so, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan ... His features were not devoid of pleasantness, but in this pleasantness , it seemed, was too transferred to sugar; there was something ingratiating in his manners and turns ... In the first minute of a conversation with him, you cannot but say: “What a pleasant and kind person!” In the next minute you will not say anything, and in the third you will say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away if you don’t move away, you will feel mortal boredom.” Manilov practically did not take care of the household, and for the most part was silent at home, indulging in reflections and dreams. Either he planned to build an underground passage from the house, or to build a stone bridge, on which merchant shops would be located.
However, all this remained only a disembodied dream. There was always something missing in the house. For example, in the living room with beautiful furniture, upholstered in smart silk fabric, there were two armchairs on which there was not enough fabric. Some rooms had no furniture at all. However, this did not upset the owners at all.
Despite the fact that more than eight years of their marriage had already passed, they showed concern for each other: one brought to the other either a piece of an apple or a piece of candy and asked in a gentle voice to open his mouth.
Passing into the living room, the friends stopped at the door, begging each other to go forward, until at last they decided to enter sideways. In the room they were met by a pretty young woman, Manilov's wife. During mutual courtesies, the host stormily expressed his joy at a pleasant visit: “But you finally honored us with your visit. Really such, right, they gave pleasure ... May day ... name day of the heart. This somewhat discouraged Chichikov. During the conversation, the married couple and Pavel Ivanovich went through all the officials, extolling and noting only the pleasant side of each. Further, the guest and the host began to confess to each other in a sincere disposition or even in love. It is not known what it would have come to if it had not been for the servant who reported that the food was ready.
The dinner was no less pleasant than the conversation. Chichikov met the children of Manilov, whose names were Themistoclus and Alkid.
After dinner, Pavel Ivanovich and the owner retired to the office for a business conversation. The guest began to ask how many peasants had died since the last revision, to which Manilov could not give an intelligible answer. The clerk was called, who was also not aware of this. The servant was ordered to compile a list of names of all the dead serfs. When the clerk left, Manilov asked Chichikov the reason for the strange question. The guest replied that he would like to buy the dead peasants, who, according to the audit, were listed as living. The owner did not immediately believe what he heard: "as he opened his mouth, he remained with his mouth open for several minutes." Manilov did not understand why Chichikov needed dead souls, but he could not refuse the guest. Moreover, when it came to drawing up a bill of sale, the guest kindly offered a donation for all the dead peasants.
Seeing the genuine joy of the guest, the host was completely moved. The friends shook hands for a long time, and in the end Chichikov no longer knew how to free his own. Having finished his business, the guest began to hastily get ready for the journey, because he still wanted to have time to visit Sobakevich. After seeing off the guest, Manilov was in the most complacent mood. His thoughts were occupied with dreams of how he and Chichikov become good friends and the sovereign favors them with the rank of general, having learned about their friendship. Manilov again mentally returns to the request of the guest, but he still cannot explain it to himself.
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