Dead souls 8 9 chapter summary. Retelling of the poem "Dead Souls" by Gogol N.V.

Retelling plan

1. Chichikov arrives in the provincial town of NN.
2. Chichikov's visits to city officials.
3. Visit to Manilov.
4. Chichikov is at Korobochka.
5. Acquaintance with Nozdrev and a trip to his estate.
6. Chichikov at Sobakevich's.
7. Visit to Plushkin.
8. Registration of bills of sale for "dead souls" purchased from landowners.
9. The attention of the townspeople to Chichikov, the "millionaire".
10. Nozdrev reveals the secret of Chichikov.
11. The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.
12. Rumors about who Chichikov is.
13. Chichikov hastily leaves the city.
14. Story about the origin of Chichikov.
15. The author's reasoning about the essence of Chichikov.

retelling

Volume I
Chapter 1

A beautiful spring cart drove into the gates of the provincial city of NN. In it sat “a gentleman, not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin; one cannot say that he is old, however, and not so that he is too young. His arrival made no noise in the city. The hotel in which he stayed “was of a certain kind, that is, exactly like hotels in provincial cities, where for two rubles a day travelers get a quiet room with cockroaches ...” The visitor, waiting for dinner, managed to ask who was in significant officials in the city, about all significant landowners, who has how many souls, etc.

After dinner, having rested in the room, for a message to the police he wrote on a piece of paper: "College adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, landowner, according to his needs," and he himself went to the city. “The city was in no way inferior to other provincial cities: the yellow paint on the stone houses was strong in the eyes and the gray on the wooden houses was modestly dark ... There were signs with pretzels and boots almost washed away by rain, where there was a shop with caps and the inscription: “Foreigner Vasily Fedorov”, where a billiard was drawn ... with the inscription: "And here is the institution." Most often came across the inscription: "Drinking house."

The whole next day was devoted to visits to city officials: the governor, the vice-governor, the prosecutor, the chairman of the chamber, the chief of police, and even the inspector of the medical board and the city architect. The governor, "like Chichikov, was neither fat nor thin, however, he was a great kind man and even sometimes embroidered tulle himself." Chichikov "very skillfully knew how to flatter everyone." He spoke little about himself and in some general phrases. In the evening, the governor had a "party", for which Chichikov carefully prepared. The men here, as elsewhere, were of two kinds: some were thin, curling around the ladies, and others were fat or the same as Chichikov, i.e. not so much too fat, but not thin either, they, on the contrary, backed away from the ladies. “Fat people know how to handle their affairs better in this world than thin ones. The thin ones serve more on special assignments or are only registered and wag hither and thither. Fat people never occupy indirect places, but all direct ones, and if they sit anywhere, they will sit securely and firmly. Chichikov thought for a moment and joined the fat ones. He met the landowners: the very courteous Manilov and the somewhat clumsy Sobakevich. Having completely charmed them with pleasant treatment, Chichikov immediately asked how many souls of peasants they had and in what condition their estates were.

Manilov, "still not at all an elderly man, who had eyes as sweet as sugar ... was oblivious of him," invited him to his estate. Chichikov also received an invitation from Sobakevich.

The next day, while visiting the postmaster, Chichikov met the landowner Nozdrev, “a man of about thirty, a broken fellow, who, after three or four words, began to say “you” to him. He communicated with everyone in a friendly way, but when they sat down to play whist, the prosecutor and postmaster carefully looked at his bribes.

Chichikov spent the next few days in the city. Everyone had a very flattering opinion about him. He gave the impression of a man of the world, able to keep up a conversation on any topic and at the same time speak "neither loudly nor quietly, but exactly as it should."

Chapter 2

Chichikov went to the village to see Manilov. They searched for Manilov's house for a long time: “The village of Manilovka could lure a few with its location. The master's house stood alone at a brisk pace... open to all winds...' One could see a gazebo with a flat green dome, wooden blue columns and the inscription: 'Temple of Solitary Reflection'. An overgrown pond was visible below. Gray log huts darkened in the lowlands, which Chichikov immediately began to count and counted more than two hundred. In the distance was a pine forest. On the porch Chichikov was met by the owner himself.

Manilov was very glad to have a guest. “God alone could not say what the character of Manilov was. There is a kind of people known by the name: people are so-so, neither this nor that ... He was a prominent person; his features were not devoid of pleasantness... He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes. In the first minute of a conversation with him, you can’t help 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 you will move away ... At home he spoke little and for the most part reflected and thought, but what he thought about, too, God knew. It cannot be said that he was engaged in housekeeping ... it went on somehow by itself ... Sometimes ... he said how good it would be if all of a sudden an underground passage was built from the house or a stone bridge was built across the pond, on which there would be shops on both sides, and so that merchants would sit in them and sell various small goods ... However, this ended with only one word.

In his study lay some kind of book, laid on one page, which he had been reading for two years. In the living room there was expensive, smart furniture: all the chairs were upholstered in red silk, but there were not enough for two, and for two years the owner had been telling everyone that they were not yet finished.

Manilov's wife ... "however, they were completely pleased with each other": after eight years of marriage, for her husband's birthday, she always prepared "some kind of beaded case for a toothpick." They cooked poorly in the house, the pantry was empty, the housekeeper stole, the servants were unclean and drunkards. But “all these subjects are low, and Manilova is well brought up,” in a boarding school where they teach three virtues: French, piano and knitting purses and other surprises.

Manilov and Chichikov showed unnatural courtesy: they tried to let each other through at the door without fail first. Finally, they both squeezed through the door at the same time. This was followed by an acquaintance with Manilov's wife and an empty conversation about mutual acquaintances. The opinion of all is the same: "a pleasant, most respectable, most amiable person." Then they all sat down to eat. Manilov introduced his sons to Chichikov: Themistoclus (seven years old) and Alkid (six years old). Themistoclus has a runny nose, he bites his brother on the ear, and he, having overcome tears and smeared with fat, eats dinner. After dinner, "the guest announced with a very significant air that he intended to talk about one very necessary matter."

The conversation took place in an office, the walls of which were painted with some kind of blue paint, even rather gray; on the table lay a few papers covered with writing, but most of all there was tobacco. Chichikov asked Manilov for a detailed register of peasants (revision tales), asking how many peasants had died since the last census of the register. Manilov did not remember exactly and asked why Chichikov needed to know this? He replied that he wanted to buy dead souls, which would be listed in the audit as living. Manilov was so taken aback that "as he opened his mouth, he remained with his mouth open for several minutes." Chichikov convinced Manilov that there would be no violation of the law, the treasury would even receive benefits in the form of legal duties. When Chichikov spoke about the price, Manilov decided to give away the dead souls free of charge and even took over the bill of sale, which aroused immoderate delight and gratitude from the guest. After seeing off Chichikov, Manilov again indulged in dreams, and now he imagined that the sovereign himself, having learned about his strong friendship with Chichikov, favored them with generals.

Chapter 3

Chichikov went to the village of Sobakevich. Suddenly it began to rain heavily, the driver lost his way. It turned out he was very drunk. Chichikov ended up in the estate of the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. Chichikov was led into a room hung with old striped wallpaper, on the walls were paintings of some kind of birds, between the windows small antique mirrors with dark frames in the form of curled leaves. The hostess entered; “one of those mothers, small landowners, who cry for crop failures, losses and keep their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile they collect a little money in motley bags placed in drawers of chests of drawers ...”

Chichikov stayed overnight. In the morning, he first of all examined the peasant huts: “Yes, her village is not small.” At breakfast, the hostess finally introduced herself. Chichikov started talking about buying dead souls. The box could not understand why he was doing this, and offered to buy hemp or honey. She, apparently, was afraid to sell cheap, began to play up, and Chichikov, persuading her, lost patience: “Well, the woman seems to be strong-headed!” The box still could not decide to sell the dead: “Maybe the household will somehow need ...”

Only when Chichikov mentioned that he was holding government contracts did he manage to convince Korobochka. She wrote a power of attorney to make a bill of sale. After much bargaining, the deal was finally done. At parting, Korobochka generously treated the guest to pies, pancakes, cakes with various seasonings and other food. Chichikov asked Korobochka to tell her how to get out onto the main road, which puzzled her: “How can I do this? It’s tricky to tell, there are a lot of turns.” She gave a girl as an escort, otherwise it would not be easy for the crew to leave: "the roads spread in all directions, like caught crayfish when they are poured out of a bag." Chichikov finally got to the tavern, which stood on a high road.

Chapter 4

Dining in a tavern, Chichikov saw through the window a light britzka with two men driving up. In one of them Chichikov recognized Nozdryov. Nozdryov "was of medium height, a very well-built fellow with full ruddy cheeks, teeth as white as snow, and sideburns as black as pitch." This landowner, Chichikov recalled, whom he met at the prosecutor's office, after a few minutes began to say "you" to him, although Chichikov did not give a reason. Without stopping for a minute, Nozdryov began to speak, without waiting for the interlocutor's answers: “Where did you go? And I, brother, from the fair. Congratulate: blown out into the fluff! .. But how we had a spree in the first days! .. Do you believe that I alone drank seventeen bottles of champagne in the course of dinner! Nozdryov, not silent for a moment, spouted all sorts of nonsense. He drew from Chichikov that he was going to Sobakevich's, and persuaded him to stop by before that. Chichikov decided that he could “beg for something for nothing” from the lost Nozdryov, and agreed.

Author's description of Nozdrev. Such people “are called broken fellows, they are known even in childhood and at school for good comrades, and for all that they are very painfully beaten ... They are always talkers, revelers, reckless people, prominent people ...” Nozdryov used to even with his closest friends "Start with smoothness, and end with reptile." At thirty-five, he was the same as he was at eighteen. The deceased wife left two children who he did not need at all. He did not spend more than two days at home, he was always wandering around the fairs, playing cards "not entirely sinless and clean." “Nozdryov was in some respects a historical person. Not a single meeting where he was could do without a story: either the gendarmes would take him out of the hall, or his own friends would be forced to push him out ... or he would cut himself in the buffet, or he would lie ... The closer someone got along with him, the more he rather, he pissed everyone off: he dissolved a fable, which is more stupid than which it is difficult to invent, upset a wedding, a deal, and did not at all consider himself your enemy. He had a passion "to change everything that is for everything you want." All this came from some kind of restless briskness and glibness of character.

On his estate, the owner immediately ordered the guests to inspect everything he had, which took a little over two hours. Everything was abandoned, except for the kennel. In the owner's office, only sabers and two guns hung, as well as "real" Turkish daggers, on which "by mistake" was carved: "master Savely Sibiryakov." Over a poorly prepared dinner, Nozdryov tried to make Chichikov drunk, but he managed to pour out the contents of his glass. Nozdryov offered to play cards, but the guest flatly refused and finally started talking about business. Nozdryov, sensing that the matter was unclean, pestered Chichikov with questions: why does he need dead souls? After much squabbling, Nozdryov agreed, but on the condition that Chichikov would also buy a stallion, a mare, a dog, a hurdy-gurdy, etc.

Chichikov, having stayed the night, regretted that he had called on Nozdryov and started talking to him about the matter. In the morning it turned out that Nozdryov had not abandoned his intention to play for souls, and they finally settled on checkers. During the game, Chichikov noticed that his opponent was cheating and refused to continue the game. Nozdryov shouted to the servants: “Beat him!” and himself, "all in heat and sweat," began to break through to Chichikov. The soul of the guest went to the heels. At that moment, a cart with a police captain drove up to the house, who announced that Nozdryov was on trial for "inflicting personal insult on the landowner Maksimov with rods while drunk." Chichikov, not listening to the bickering, quietly slipped out onto the porch, got into the britzka, and ordered Selifan to "drive the horses at full speed."

Chapter 5

Chichikov could not move away from fear. Suddenly, his britzka collided with a carriage in which two ladies were sitting: one was old, the other was young, of extraordinary charm. They parted with difficulty, but Chichikov thought for a long time about the unexpected meeting and the beautiful stranger.

The village of Sobakevich seemed to Chichikov “quite large... The yard was surrounded by a strong and excessively thick wooden lattice. ... The village huts of the peasants were also cut down marvelously ... everything was fitted tightly and properly. ... In a word, everything ... was stubborn, without shaking, in some kind of strong and clumsy order. “When Chichikov glanced askance at Sobakevich, he seemed to him very much like a medium-sized bear.” “The tail coat on him was completely bear-colored ... He stepped with his feet at random and at random and stepped incessantly on other people's feet. The complexion was red-hot, hot, which happens on a copper penny. "Bear! The perfect bear! They even called him Mikhail Semyonovich, thought Chichikov.

Entering the drawing room, Chichikov noticed that everything in it was solid, clumsy, and had some strange resemblance to the owner himself. Every object, every chair seemed to say: “And I, too, Sobakevich!” The guest tried to start a pleasant conversation, but it turned out that Sobakevich considered all mutual acquaintances - the governor, the postmaster, the chairman of the chamber - to be swindlers and fools. "Chichikov remembered that Sobakevich did not like to speak well of anyone."

Over a plentiful dinner, Sobakevich “tipped half a lamb side onto his plate, ate it all, gnawed it, sucked it to the last bone ... Cheesecakes followed the lamb side, each of which was much larger than a plate, then a turkey as tall as a calf ...” Sobakevich started talking about his neighbor Plyushkin, an extremely stingy man who owns eight hundred peasants, who "starved all the people to death." Chichikov became interested. After dinner, when he heard that Chichikov wanted to buy dead souls, Sobakevich was not at all surprised: "It seemed that there was no soul in this body at all." He started haggling and broke the exorbitant price. He spoke of dead souls as if they were alive: “I have everything for selection: not a workman, but some other healthy peasant”: Mikheev, a carriage worker, Stepan Cork, a carpenter, Milushkin, a bricklayer ... “After all, what a people!” Chichikov finally interrupted him: “But excuse me, why are you counting all their qualities? After all, these are all dead people. In the end, they agreed on three rubles a head and decided to be in the city the next day and deal with the bill of sale. Sobakevich demanded a deposit, Chichikov, in turn, insisted that Sobakevich give him a receipt and asked him not to tell anyone about the deal. "Fist, fist! thought Chichikov, "and a beast to boot!"

In order not to see Sobakevich, Chichikov went by a detour to Plyushkin. The peasant, whom Chichikov asks for directions to the estate, calls Plyushkin "patched". The chapter ends with a lyrical digression about the Russian language. “The Russian people express themselves strongly!.. Pronounced aptly, it’s the same as writing, it is not cut down with an ax ... the lively and lively Russian mind ... does not go into your pocket for a word, but slaps it right away, like a passport on an eternal sock ... no a word that would be so bold, brisk, so burst out from under the very heart, so seething and vibrant, like a well-spoken Russian word.

Chapter 6

The chapter opens with a lyrical digression about travel: “Long ago, in the summers of my youth, it was fun for me to drive up to an unfamiliar place for the first time, a childish curious look revealed a lot of curiosity in it ... Now I indifferently drive up to any unfamiliar village and indifferently look at its vulgar appearance, ... and indifferent silence keep my motionless lips. O my youth! O my freshness!

Laughing at Plyushkin's nickname, Chichikov imperceptibly found himself in the middle of a vast village. “He noticed some special dilapidation on all the village buildings: many roofs shone through like a sieve ... The windows in the huts were without glass ...” Then the manor’s house appeared: “This strange castle looked like some kind of decrepit invalid ... In some places it was one story, in some places two... The walls of the house slitted bare stucco bars in places and, apparently, suffered a lot from all kinds of bad weather... The garden overlooking the village... it seemed that alone refreshed this vast village, and one was quite picturesque...”

“Everything said that the economy once flowed here on a vast scale, and everything looked cloudy now ... At one of the buildings, Chichikov noticed some figure ... For a long time he could not recognize what gender the figure was: a woman or a peasant ... the dress is indefinite, there is a cap on the head, the dressing gown is sewn from no one knows what. Chichikov concluded that it must be the housekeeper. Entering the house, he “was struck by the disorder that appeared”: cobwebs all around, broken furniture, a pile of papers, “a glass with some kind of liquid and three flies ... a piece of rag”, dust, a pile of garbage in the middle of the room. The same housekeeper came in. Looking closer, Chichikov realized that it was more like a key keeper. Chichikov asked where the gentleman was. “What, father, are they blind, or what? - said the key. - And I'm the owner!

The author describes Plushkin's appearance and his history. “The chin protruded far forward, the small eyes had not yet gone out and were running from under high-growing eyebrows like mice”; the sleeves and upper skirts of the dressing gown were so “greasy and shiny that they looked like yuft, which goes on boots”, around the neck is not a stocking, not a garter, just not a tie. “But in front of him was not a beggar, in front of him was a landowner. This landowner had more than a thousand souls,” the pantries were full of grain, lots of linen, sheepskins, vegetables, crockery, and so on. But it seemed to Plyushkin that this was not enough. “Everything that came across to him: an old sole, a woman’s rag, an iron nail, a clay shard, he dragged everything to himself and put it in a pile.” “But there was a time when he was only a thrifty owner! He was married and a family man; mills moved, cloth factories, carpentry machines, spinning mills worked ... Intelligence was visible in the eyes ... But the good housewife died, Plyushkin became more restless, more suspicious and meaner. He cursed his eldest daughter, who ran away and married an officer of the cavalry regiment. The youngest daughter died, and the son, sent to the city to be determined for the service, went to the military - and the house was completely empty.

His “savings” reached the point of absurdity (he keeps a biscuit from Easter cake for several months, which his daughter brought him as a gift, always knows how much liquor is left in the decanter, writes neatly on paper, so that the lines run into each other). At first Chichikov did not know how to explain to him the reason for his visit. But, starting a conversation about Plyushkin's household, Chichikov found out that about one hundred and twenty serfs had died. Chichikov showed “a readiness to take upon himself the obligation to pay taxes for all the dead peasants. The proposal seemed to completely astonish Plyushkin. He couldn't speak for joy. Chichikov invited him to make a bill of sale and even undertook to bear all the costs. Plyushkin, out of an excess of feelings, does not know how to treat his dear guest: he orders to put on a samovar, get a spoiled cracker from the Easter cake, wants to treat him with a liquor, from which he pulled out "a goat and all sorts of rubbish." Chichikov refused such a treat in disgust.

“And a person could descend to such insignificance, pettiness, disgust! Could change like that!” - exclaims the author.

It turned out that Plyushkin had a lot of fugitive peasants. And Chichikov also acquired them, while Plyushkin bargained for every penny. To the great joy of the owner, Chichikov soon left "in the most cheerful mood": he acquired "more than two hundred people" from Plyushkin.

Chapter 7

The chapter opens with a sad lyrical discussion of two types of writers.

In the morning Chichikov thought about who the peasants were during his lifetime, whom he now owns (now he has four hundred dead souls). In order not to pay clerks, he himself began to build fortresses. At two o'clock everything was ready, and he went to the civil chamber. On the street, he ran into Manilov, who began to kiss and hug him. Together they went to the ward, where they turned to the official Ivan Antonovich with a person “called a jug snout”, to whom, in order to speed up the case, Chichikov gave a bribe. Sobakevich also sat here. Chichikov agreed to complete the deal during the day. The documents have been completed. After such a successful completion of affairs, the chairman suggested that we go to dinner with the chief of police. During dinner, tipsy and cheered up, the guests persuaded Chichikov not to leave and, in general, to marry here. Zakhmelev, Chichikov chatted about his "Kherson estate" and already believed everything he said.

Chapter 8

The whole city was discussing Chichikov's purchases. Some even offered their help in resettling the peasants, some even began to think that Chichikov was a millionaire, so they "fell in love with him even more sincerely." The inhabitants of the city lived in harmony with each other, many were not without education: "some read Karamzin, some" Moskovskie Vedomosti", some even did not read anything at all."

Chichikov made a special impression on the ladies. "The ladies of the city of N were what is called presentable." How to behave, keep the tone, maintain etiquette, and especially keep fashion in the very last detail - in this they were ahead of the ladies of St. Petersburg and even Moscow. The ladies of the city of N were distinguished by “extraordinary caution and decency in words and expressions. They never said: “I blew my nose”, “I sweated”, “I spat”, but they said: “I relieved my nose”, “I managed with a handkerchief”. The word "millionaire" had a magical effect on the ladies, one of them even sent a sugary love letter to Chichikov.

Chichikov was invited to the governor's ball. Before the ball, Chichikov looked at himself in the mirror for an hour, assuming significant poses. At the ball, being in the spotlight, he tried to guess the author of the letter. The governor introduced Chichikov to her daughter, and he recognized the girl whom he once met on the road: “she was the only one who turned white and came out transparent and bright from a muddy and opaque crowd.” The charming young girl made such an impression on Chichikov that he "felt like a completely something like a young man, almost a hussar." The rest of the ladies felt offended by his impoliteness and inattention to them and began to "talk about him in different corners in the most unfavorable way."

Nozdryov appeared and ingenuously told everyone that Chichikov had tried to buy dead souls from him. The ladies, as if not believing in the news, picked it up. Chichikov "began to feel uncomfortable, not all right" and, without waiting for the end of dinner, left. In the meantime, Korobochka arrived in the city at night and began to find out the prices for dead souls, fearing that she had sold too cheap.

Chapter 9

Early in the morning, before the scheduled time for visits, "a lady pleasant in every way" went to visit the "simply pleasant lady." The guest told the news: at night, Chichikov, disguised as a robber, came to Korobochka with a demand to sell him dead souls. The hostess remembered that she had heard something from Nozdryov, but the guest had her own thoughts: dead souls are just a cover, in fact Chichikov wants to kidnap the governor's daughter, and Nozdryov is his accomplice. Then they discussed the appearance of the governor's daughter and did not find anything attractive in her.

Then the prosecutor appeared, they told him about their findings, which completely confused him. The ladies parted in different directions, and now the news went around the city. Men turned their attention to the purchase of dead souls, while women began to discuss the "abduction" of the governor's daughter. Rumors were retold in houses where Chichikov had never even been. He was suspected of a rebellion by the peasants of the village of Borovka and that he had been sent for some kind of check. To top it off, the governor received two notices about a counterfeiter and an escaped robber with an order to detain both ... They began to suspect that one of them was Chichikov. Then they remembered that they knew almost nothing about him ... They tried to find out, but they did not achieve clarity. We decided to meet with the chief of police.

Chapter 10

All officials were concerned about the situation with Chichikov. Gathered at the police chief, many noticed that they were emaciated from the latest news.

The author makes a lyrical digression about “the peculiarities of holding meetings or charity meetings”: “... In all our meetings ... there is a great deal of confusion ... Only those meetings that are made up in order to have a snack or dine succeed.” But here it turned out quite differently. Some were inclined to believe that Chichikov was a doer of banknotes, and then they themselves added: "Or maybe not a doer." Others believed that he was an official of the Governor-General's Office and immediately: "But, by the way, the devil knows." And the postmaster said that Chichikov was Captain Kopeikin, and told the following story.

THE STORY ABOUT CAPTAIN KOPEIKIN

During the war of 1812, the captain's arm and leg were torn off. There were no orders for the wounded then, and he went home to his father. He refused him the house, saying that there was nothing to feed him, and Kopeikin went to seek the truth to the sovereign in St. Petersburg. Asked where to go. The sovereign was not in the capital, and Kopeikin went to the "high commission, to the general-in-chief." He waited for a long time in the waiting room, then they announced to him that he would come in three or four days. The next time the nobleman said that we had to wait for the king, without his special permission, he could not do anything.

Kopeikin was running out of money, he decided to go and explain that he could not wait any longer, he simply had nothing to eat. He was not allowed to see the nobleman, but he managed to slip with some visitor into the reception room. He explained that he was dying of hunger, but could not earn. The general rudely escorted him out and sent him at public expense to his place of residence. “Where Kopeikin went is unknown; but not even two months had passed when a gang of robbers appeared in the Ryazan forests, and the ataman of this gang was none other ... "

It occurred to the chief of police that Kopeikin had no arms and legs, while Chichikov had everything in place. They began to make other assumptions, even this one: “Isn’t Chichikov Napoleon in disguise?” We decided to ask Nozdryov again, although he is a well-known liar. He was just engaged in the manufacture of fake cards, but he came. He said that he had sold dead souls to Chichikov for several thousand, that he knew him from the school where they studied together, and Chichikov had been a spy and a counterfeiter since the time that Chichikov really was going to take away the governor's daughter and Nozdryov helped him. As a result, officials never found out who Chichikov was. Frightened by insoluble problems, the prosecutor died, he had a stroke.

“Chichikov knew absolutely nothing about all this, he caught a cold and decided to stay at home.” He couldn't understand why no one was visiting him. Three days later, he went out into the street and first of all went to the governor, but he was not received there, just like in many other houses. Nozdryov came and incidentally told Chichikov: “...everyone in the city is against you; they think that you are making fake papers... they have dressed you up as robbers and spies.” Chichikov did not believe his ears: "... there is nothing more to delay, you need to get out of here as soon as possible."
He sent Nozdryov out and ordered Selifan to prepare for his departure.

Chapter 11

The next morning everything went upside down. At first Chichikov overslept, then it turned out that the chaise was out of order and the horses needed to be shod. But now everything was settled, and Chichikov, with a sigh of relief, sat down in the britzka. On the way, he met a funeral procession (the prosecutor was buried). Chichikov hid behind a curtain, afraid that he would be recognized. Finally Chichikov left the city.

The author tells the story of Chichikov: “The origin of our hero is dark and modest ... At the beginning, life looked at him somehow sourly and uncomfortably: no friend, no comrade in childhood!” His father, a poor nobleman, was constantly ill. One day, his father took Pavlusha to the city, to determine the city school: “The city streets flashed in front of the boy with unexpected splendor.” When parting, the father “was given a clever instruction: “Learn, do not be a fool and do not hang out, but most of all please teachers and bosses. Don’t hang out with comrades, or hang out with the rich, so that they can be useful to you on occasion ... most of all, take care and save a penny: this thing is more reliable than anything in the world ... You will do everything and break everything in the world with a penny.

“He didn’t have any special abilities for any science,” but he turned out to have a practical mind. He did so that his comrades treated him, and he not only never treated them. And sometimes even, having hidden treats, then he sold them to them. “From the fifty dollars given by my father, I didn’t spend a penny, on the contrary, I made increments to it: I made a bullfinch out of wax and sold it very profitably”; accidentally teased hungry comrades with gingerbread and rolls, and then sold them to them, trained a mouse for two months and then sold it very profitably. “In relation to the authorities, he behaved even smarter”: he fawned over the teachers, catered to them, therefore he was in excellent standing and as a result “received a certificate and a book with golden letters for exemplary diligence and trustworthy behavior.”

His father left him a small inheritance. “At the same time, the poor teacher was expelled from the school,” out of grief, he began to drink, drank everything and disappeared sick in some closet. All his former students collected money for him, but Chichikov dissuaded himself by lack of money and gave him some nickel of silver. “Everything that did not respond with wealth and contentment made an impression on him, incomprehensible to himself. He decided to get busy in the service, conquer and overcome everything ... From early morning until late at night he wrote, mired in stationery, did not go home, slept in the office rooms on tables ... He fell under the command of an elderly assistant, who was an image of what something of stone insensitivity and unshakability. Chichikov began to please him in everything, "sniffed out his home life", found out that he had an ugly daughter, began to come to church and stand in front of this girl. “And the case was a success: the stern clerk staggered and called him for tea!” He behaved like a fiancé, he called the intern “daddy” already, and through his future father-in-law he won the position of innkeeper. After that, "about the wedding, the matter was hushed up."

“Since then, everything has gone easier and more successfully. He became a conspicuous person ... in a short time he got a bread place ”and learned to deftly take bribes. Then he joined some kind of construction commission, but construction is not going “above the foundation”, but Chichikov managed to steal, like other members of the commission, significant funds. But suddenly a new boss was sent, an enemy of bribe-takers, and the officials of the commission were removed from their posts. Chichikov moved to another city and started from scratch. “He decided to get to the customs at all costs, and got there. He took up the service with unusual zeal. He became famous for his incorruptibility and honesty (“his honesty and incorruptibility were irresistible, almost unnatural”), he achieved a promotion. Having waited for the right moment, Chichikov received funds to carry out his project to catch all the smugglers. "Here in one year he could get what he would not have won in twenty years of the most zealous service." Having agreed with one official, he took up smuggling. Everything went smoothly, the accomplices grew rich, but suddenly they quarreled and both were put on trial. The property was confiscated, but Chichikov managed to save ten thousand, a cart and two serfs. And so he started again. As an attorney, he had to mortgage one estate, and then it dawned on him that you can mortgage dead souls in a bank, take a loan against them and hide. And he went to buy them in the city of N.

“So, our hero is all there ... Who is he in relation to moral qualities? Scoundrel? Why 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, deepens this heavy request into his own soul: “But no Is there some part of Chichikov in me too?” Yes, no matter how!”

Meanwhile, Chichikov woke up, and the britzka rushed faster, “And what kind of Russian person does not like to drive fast? .. Isn’t it true that you, Rus, are rushing about in a brisk, unbeaten troika? Rus', where are you going? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer. A bell is filled with a wonderful ringing; the air torn to pieces rumbles and becomes the wind; everything that is on earth flies past, and, looking sideways, step aside and give it way to other peoples and states.

(12 )

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

"Dead Souls" is a complex work with multi-level text, where even experienced readers can get lost. Therefore, a brief retelling of Gogol's poem chapter by chapter, as well as her, which will help students to penetrate the author's large-scale intentions, will not hurt anyone.

Comments on the entire text or image of a particular class, he asks to be sent to him personally, for which he will be grateful.

Chapter first

The chaise of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov (here is his) - a collegiate adviser - accompanied by the servants of Selifan and Petrushka, calls into the city of NN. Chichikov's description is quite typical: he is not handsome, but not bad-looking, not thin, but not fat, not young, but not old either.

Chichikov, showing masterful hypocrisy and the ability to find an approach to everyone, gets acquainted with all the important officials and makes a good impression on them. At the governor's, he meets the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, and at the police chief, Nozdryov. All he undertakes to pay a visit.

Chapter Two

The author writes about Chichikov's servants: Petrushka and the drinking coachman Selifan. Pavel Ivanovich goes to Manilov (here is him), to the village of Manilovka. In the manners and portrait of the landowner, everything was too sugary, he thinks only about abstract things, he can’t finish reading one book and dreams of building a stone bridge, but only in words.

Manilov lives here with his wife and two children, whose names are Alkid and Themistoclus. Chichikov says that he wants to buy "dead souls" from him - dead peasants who are still on the revision lists. He refers to the desire to save the newfound friend from paying taxes. The landowner, after a short fright, gladly agrees to give them to the guest for free. Pavel Ivanovich hurriedly leaves him and goes to Sobakevich, satisfied with the successful start of his enterprise.

Chapter Three

On the way to Sobakevich's house, due to the inattention of the coachman Selifan, the britzka drives far from the right road and gets into an accident. Chichikov is forced to ask for a lodging for the night with the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka (here is her).

The old woman is too frugal, incredibly stupid, but very successful. Order reigns on her estate, she conducts business with many merchants. The widow keeps all her old things and receives the guest with suspicion. In the morning Chichikov tried to talk about "dead souls," but for a long time Nastasya Petrovna could not understand how the dead could be traded. Finally, after a small scandal, an irritated official makes a deal and sets off on a repaired chaise.

Chapter Four

Chichikov enters a tavern, where he meets the landowner Nozdrev (here he is). He is an avid gambler, a fan of inventing tall tales, a reveler and a talker.

Nozdryov calls Chichikov to his estate. Pavel Ivanovich asks him about "dead souls", but the landowner inquires about the purpose of such an unusual purchase. He offers the hero to buy other expensive goods along with the souls, but everything ends in a quarrel.

The next morning, the gambling Nozdryov invites the guest to play checkers: the prize is “dead souls”. Chichikov notices the landowner's fraud, after which he runs away from the danger of a fight, thanks to the police captain who has entered.

Chapter Five

Chichikov's chaise runs over the carriage, causing a slight delay. A pretty girl, noticed by Pavel Ivanovich, will later turn out to be the governor's daughter. The hero drives up to the huge village of Sobakevich (here is his), everything in his house is of impressive size, like the owner himself, whom the author compares with a clumsy bear. The detail is especially characteristic: a massive, roughly knocked together table, which reflects the disposition of the owner.

The landowner speaks rudely of everyone whom Chichikov speaks of, recalling Plyushkin, whose serfs endlessly die because of the stinginess of the owner. Sobakevich calmly sets a high price for the dead peasants, he himself begins to talk about the sale. After much bargaining, Chichikov manages to buy a few souls. The chaise goes to the landowner Plyushkin.

Chapter Six

The village of Plyushkina has a miserable appearance: the windows are without glass, the gardens are abandoned, the houses are overgrown with mold. Chichikov takes the owner for an old housekeeper. Plyushkin (here he is), looking like a beggar, escorts the guest to a dusty house.

This is the only landowner whose past the author tells about. The master's wife and youngest daughter died, the rest of the children left him. The house was empty, and Plyushkin gradually sank to such a miserable state. He is glad to get rid of the dead peasants so as not to pay taxes for them, and happily sells them to Chichikov at a low price. Pavel Ivanovich goes back to NN.

Chapter Seven

Chichikov, on the way, examines the collected records and notices the variety of names of the dead peasants. He meets Manilov and Sobakevich.

The chairman of the chamber quickly draws up documents. Chichikov reports that he bought serfs for withdrawal to the Kherson province. Officials celebrate the success of Pavel Ivanovich.

Chapter Eight

Chichikov's huge acquisitions become known throughout the city. Various rumors are spreading. Pavel Ivanovich finds an anonymous letter of love content.

At the ball at the governor's, he meets a girl whom he saw on the way to Sobakevich. He is fond of the governor's daughter, forgetting about other ladies.

The sudden appearance of a drunken Nozdryov almost disrupts Chichikov's plan: the landowner begins to tell everyone how the traveler bought dead peasants from him. He is taken out of the hall, after which Chichikov leaves the ball. At the same time, Korobochka goes to find out from her friends whether her guest has set the right price for "dead souls".

Chapter Nine

Friends Anna Grigorievna and Sofya Ivanovna gossip about a visiting official: they think that Chichikov is acquiring "dead souls" in order to please the governor's daughter or kidnap her, in which Nozdryov can become his accomplice.

The landlords are afraid of punishment for the scam, so they keep the deal a secret. Chichikov is not invited to dinners. Everyone in the city is busy with the news that a counterfeiter and a robber are hiding somewhere in the province. Suspicion immediately falls on the buyer of dead souls.

Chapter Ten

The police chief is debating who Pavel Ivanovich is. Some people think he is Napoleon. The postmaster is sure that this is none other than Captain Kopeikin, and tells his story.

When Captain Kopeikin fought in 1812, he lost his leg and arm. He came to St. Petersburg to ask for help from the governor, but the meeting was postponed several times. The soldier soon ran out of money. As a result, he is advised to return home and wait for the help of the sovereign. Shortly after his departure, robbers appeared in the Ryazan forests, whose chieftain, by all indications, is Captain Kopeikin.

But Chichikov has all the arms and legs, so everyone understands that this version is wrong. Because of the excitement, the prosecutor dies, Chichikov has a cold for the third day and does not leave the house. When he recovers, he is denied admission to the governor, and others treat him the same way. Nozdryov tells him about the rumors, praises him for the idea of ​​kidnapping the governor's daughter and offers his help. The hero understands that he must urgently run away from the city.

Chapter Eleven

In the morning, after some delays in preparations, Chichikov sets off. He sees the prosecutor being buried. Pavel Ivanovich leaves the city.

The author tells about Chichikov's past. He was born into a noble family. His father often reminded his son of the need to please everyone and take care of every penny. At the school, Pavlush already knew how to earn money, for example, by selling pies and showing performances of a trained mouse for a fee.

Then he began to serve in the Treasury. Pavel Ivanovich made his way to a high position by announcing to the old official that he was going to marry his daughter. In all positions, Chichikov used his official position, which is why he once got on trial for a smuggling case.

One day, Pavel Ivanovich got excited about the idea of ​​buying "dead souls" in order to ask Kherson province for their placement. Then he could get a lot of money on the security of non-existent people and make himself a big fortune.

N. V. Gogol is known to readers for his original works, where a non-trivial plot always stands out. The famous "Dead Souls" were especially fond of the public. The main events of the poem are the organization and implementation of the most interesting scam of the protagonist. In order to convey the versatility and innovation of the book, the Wise Litrecon made a brief retelling of the chapters, where each part of the work will appear in an abbreviation. If you think that he missed something, signal it in the comments.

The poem, like the novel by M.Yu. Lermontov "A Hero of Our Time", begins with the author's appeal to his reader. N.V. Gogol explains the main "task" that he set for Chichikov, for the work as a whole -

Show the shortcomings and vices of a Russian person, and not his dignity and virtue.

He assures that the best characters will be in other parts. The author also requires interaction from readers - he declares that he will be grateful to someone who expresses his opinion about the work, will be able to point out unfortunate moments in the text. One lifetime is not enough to know at least a hundredth part of what is happening in Russia. But for the sake of "the truth of the matter", and not for the sake of a red word, he planned to write this book, so he will need the help of every person, even an uneducated one. So he hopes to get to know Rus' better in order to write other parts.

In the end, he thanks all the critics and journalists for their feedback.

Chapter One: Chichikov's Arrival

The action takes place in the provincial town of NN. Chichikov arrives at a mediocre and banal hotel. Together with him are the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka, the retinue of a nobleman. N.V. Gogol pays special attention to the portrait of the hero. Chichikov "is not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin." His suitcase was tattered, indicating that he traveled frequently. For 2 rubles a day, he got a room with cockroaches and weathered furnishings typical of the province.

First of all, he asked the tavern servant about the income of the hotel, about all the high-ranking officials of the city, about the landowners. His manner of blowing his nose loudly subdued the interlocutor. Unlike ordinary visitors, he did not ask empty, meaningless questions. It was especially surprising to hear about his interest in pestilence and epidemics in this region. All information, judging by the tone and participation in the voice, was extremely important for Chichikov. Then he walked around the city, during the walk he tore off the poster and carefully read it, folding it into a wooden chest where all sorts of things were stored.

In the first chapter, the character immediately begins to make visits. He visited all the officials, he showed special respect for everyone: he praised the governor of his city and “velvet roads”, the vice-governor was mistakenly addressed as “Your Excellency”. Skillful flattery helps him win invitations to dinners, breakfasts, and other events.

At the evening at the governor's, he carefully examined all the people and actively got acquainted. He divided the guests into thick and thin: the former succeed in life, the latter are always on the premises of the former. Some are solid and resourceful, others spend everything, but do not earn. Chichikov talks about himself without unnecessary details, "vaguely." He listens more than he talks. It is known from his stories that he “suffered for the truth”, therefore he did not rise to a high post and retired. The enemies hated him so much that they even attempted on his life. Now he has retired and is looking for a place to settle in order to live his life in peace. Chichikov introduced himself as a landowner and collegiate adviser.

The hero shows helpfulness: it is appropriate to make compliments to officials and landowners, subtly asks for all the necessary information. It is here that the society of the city is revealed. Some ladies blindly follow the French fashion, others, due to lack of funds, dressed “in what God sent to the provincial city. The fat gentlemen played whist until night (our hero was also in this company), the thin gentlemen followed the ladies. At the governor's, Chichikov met Manilov and Sobakevich. Subsequently, he will pay a visit to these landowners. After the whist, the hero showed his ability to argue: he did it so kindly that everyone liked to listen to him.

The next day, the hero comes to the chief of police, where he meets the familiar and suspicious master Nozdrev, whose acquaintances are closely watching his game. Then he makes a visit to the chairman of the chamber, the vice-governor, the farmer and the prosecutor, showing all the virtues of a secular person: he knows how to talk about everything, knowing absolutely nothing.

As a result, all the inhabitants of the city highly appreciated the guest. Even Sobakevich, who rarely praised anyone, called the interlocutor pleasant.

Chapter 2: Manilow

The author describes the servants of the protagonist. Petrushka wore a frock coat from the master's shoulder, had large features. He was silent, read a lot and indiscriminately, not understanding what he read. He slept without undressing, and had a unique smell that he carried with him everywhere. The coachman was his opposite, but the author interrupts himself and argues that sometimes for a Russian a hated acquaintance with a higher rank is more precious than friendship.

In this chapter, Chichikov makes his first visit to the "sugar-eyed" landowner Manilov. On the way he sees the same thing as everywhere else: dilapidated villages, thin forest, cattle. But it is no coincidence that he mistakenly searches for the "village of Zamanilovka." Both the place and the owner himself resemble something lifeless, viscous. The stone two-story house is open to all winds, the park is not well maintained in the English manner. The modest pavilion bears the proud name of the Temple of Solitary Reflection. Near the house there are 200 gray huts. Even the weather that day was to match the estate and the landowner - neither this nor that, neither gloomy nor bright.

Manilov, a blue-eyed, middle-aged blond with pleasant features, is "neither this nor that". The author complains that it is difficult to describe this small character. It is good to talk with him for the first 5 minutes, and then boredom takes death from his flattery and sweetness. He is not burdened by anything, he does not care about anything, he does not even have real interests. But he always fantasized about something. For example, he wanted to lead an underground passage through the house, build a stone bridge over the river, and put merchant shops on it.

Something was always missing in his house (for several years he could not fit two armchairs with the necessary material, for 8 years the necessary room had been standing without furniture), the hero had not been engaged in his household for a long time, and the whole house stood on the shoulders of the clerk. The servants stole and drank, the barn was empty. No one followed them, because the wife was a match for her husband: an idle and "sugar" woman without interests and will. In her boarding school, she learned three things: French, needlework, and playing the piano. She was pretty and tastefully dressed.

Manilov may seem like a pleasant person at first glance, but then his excessive "sugarness" appears (for example, he and Chichikov argued for several minutes who would be the first to pass through the door). At the table, he discussed all the inhabitants of the city, and pretentiously praised everyone. The character tried to appear literate and educated (but he has had a dusty book with a bookmark on the same page 14 on his desk for two years already), complained about the lack of equally delicate and intelligent neighbors. Then he praised the guest, described the spiritual pleasure from the conversation with him. He introduced his sons: he gave the children names formed from two languages ​​at once (Themistoclus and Alklid). Wanting to be pleasant, the visitor praised the boys' ordinary answers to stupid questions.

At the end of dinner, Chichikov goes to the owner's pleasant bluish office. He asked about the peasants, and Manilov called a yellow-faced, pompous clerk of about 40 years old. He undertook to compile a list of the dead peasants. The guest tells about his intention - he wants to buy dead souls from the landowner. At first, Manilov was frightened, asked about the legality of the enterprise, but then he kindly agreed to the deal, since the interlocutor said a lot of smart words, which completely confused the landowner. After that, Chichikov was moved and even shed a tear, complaining about the unjust persecution in the service and thanking the owner of the house. Then Pavel Ivanovich said goodbye, having learned the way to Sobakevich.

Until dinner, Manilov dreamed of a cordial friendship with Chichikov, dreamed of their luxurious trips and acquaintance with the sovereign, but could not understand why the guest needed the dead souls that he gave him without taking money?

Chapter 3: Box

The hero, together with his coachman Selifan, goes to Sobakevich. At this time, the hero thinks about his adventure, and the coachman talks to the horses and reproaches the especially lazy horse. However, the coachman, reproaching the bay horse for a “dishonest life”, misses the right turn, and even a thunderstorm begins. The tipsy coachman overturned the britzka at the turn: the owner fell into the mud. So they accidentally end up with the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. The maid accepted them reluctantly, with distrust, but the status of a nobleman solved all problems: the gates opened. The hostess - an old woman in a hastily dressed cap - complained that there was nothing to treat the guest: it was night in the yard. Pavel Ivanovich understood from her answers that he was lost in the wilderness. After giving the laundry to the laundry, he went to bed.

Before readers is the image of a stingy hostess, always putting something off "for a rainy day." Such people cry for poverty and crop failures, while they themselves save a decent amount. Their economy is established, nothing is wasted, even the old hoods go to distant heirs in good condition.

In the morning he saw a well-established economy (a lot of cattle, a large garden, the contentment of the peasants who lived in strong and renovated huts, she had 80 souls in total) and the modest decoration of the house (paintings with birds, old clocks). Chichikov decided not to be modest, as in dealing with Manilov. Paying attention to this, the author talks about the richness of the shades of the Russian language: the boss speaks to his subordinates like Prometheus, but those who are higher in rank fawn like a partridge. Our man, unlike a foreigner, speaks with his environment in different ways: with those who have 200 souls, one tone, and with those who have a hundred more, another.

It was not easy for Chichikov to make a deal with her. The interlocutor even suggested that the buyer wants to dig the peasants out of the ground. The guest was finally convinced that the landowner was "a strong-headed and club-headed woman." She was afraid to sell too cheap, because she had never dealt with such a product. To all the arguments of the interlocutor, she replied that when the merchants came in large numbers, she would check the prices, but for now it was too early to sell. In conversation, she complained about poverty, crop failure, actively bargained, not understanding why the guest needed such a product. As a result, Chichikov lost his temper, broke a chair and mentioned devils. By chance, he also mentioned that he supposedly manages government contracts, and came to find a good supplier of various products. Then the old woman began to curry favor with the official, she really wanted a large order. He promised to buy also hemp, flour, lard, but later. Having agreed to sell the dead peasants to Chichikov, the landowner worried for a long time whether she had taken too little for them.

The serf girl escorted the britzka to the main road: Chichikov was on his way to Sobakevich's.

Chapter 4: Nozdryov

Chichikov and Selifan stop for a bite to eat. The author describes the unusually spacious stomach of a gentleman of an average hand, who eats everything and in large quantities. No amount of money can buy it.

The writer describes the tavern: pine walls, carved decorations, a frosty samovar, a fat hostess. She told the traveler everything she knew about herself and her family, but most importantly, about the local nobles. She gave them an interesting description:

Manilov will be grander than Sobakevich: he orders the chicken to be boiled at once, and asks for veal too; if there is mutton's liver, then he will ask for mutton's liver, and will just try everything, but Sobakevich will ask one thing, and then he will eat everything, even asking for a surcharge for the same price.

Travelers meet Nozdrev in the tavern. N.V. Gogol immediately describes the portrait of the hero, without even naming him.

This is a character "of medium height, a very well-built fellow with full ruddy cheeks, with snow-white teeth and jet-black sideburns."

He was healthy and fresh, a man in full bloom. Nozdryov arrived at the tavern on the "philistine" - he lost his wagon, watch, chain - everything that was with him, at the fair, where he drank for several days in a row with officers and his son-in-law. He jokes, tells some stories all the time and constantly exaggerates and lies (his son-in-law reproaches him for this). He treats Chichikov like a brother, although he knows him very little. The interlocutor, after persuasion, goes to the estate of the landowner.

The author describes the lively and restless character of Nozdrev: he is a prominent and daring scorcher, at 35 he behaved like 18. He often cheated at cards, was fond of women (he is a widower, a pretty nanny takes care of the children). He was often beaten for cheating and other dirty tricks that he did to people for no reason. Calling everyone friends, he suddenly upset an engagement or a deal, and then he also reproached the one who stopped all acquaintance with him. Often he pulled down all the cards he had. He especially liked to lie and compose fables. The author says that this character in Rus' is eternal.

First of all, Nozdryov shows the guest the stable. N.V. It is no coincidence that Gogol draws attention to this scene - it emphasizes the similarity between the landowner and the horse. Then they look at the kennel and the mill. The landlord especially loves his dogs.

They went to an office where neither books nor papers were beaten. Only weapons hung there: daggers, guns, sabers. In addition, there were many smoking pipes. Then there was lunch, but tasteless: the chef mixed the ingredients in one heap, not caring about the compatibility and degree of readiness of the dishes. But the owner himself was indifferent to the table: he leaned on alcohol. Several wines were served. He actively poured one of them to the guests, but not to himself. Chichikov also poured it out. As a result, the drunk son-in-law went to his wife, and our heroes were left alone.

Chichikov is trying to make a deal with Nozdryov, hoping to buy dead peasants from him as well. However, such a proposal greatly puzzled the landowner. He refused to sell peasants to him until Chichikov told him his idea in full. The hero lies that he wants to get married, and the bride's parents want the groom to have more than 300 souls. A perceptive interlocutor catches him in a lie and says that Pavel Ivanovich is a big swindler. The owner scolded him, they quarreled. Chichikov spent the night with terrible thoughts: the joker and liar Nozdryov could ruin his business.

In the morning it turned out that Nozdryov himself wants to get as much profit as possible: he offers his friend to buy a horse, a mare from him, or to play for money. They end up playing chess. In this scene, the image of the landowner is fully revealed. Chichikov notices that Nozdryov is deceiving him, so he tries to leave his estate as quickly as possible. Here the owner became furious and ordered the servants to beat the guest. Pavel Ivanovich was already preparing for a fight, with the advent of the police captain, it became known that Nozdrev was on trial for beating the landowner Maksimov. Then the guest ran away and went to Sobakevich.

Chapter 5: Sobakevich

They left Nozdryov: everyone, even the horses that did not receive oats, were unhappy. Chichikov and Selifan continue their journey. Through the fault of the servant, they are embroiled in a new trouble - their wagon is mated with someone else's. While the coachmen are correcting an unpleasant situation, Chichikov admires a young girl with golden hair, who is sitting in a wagon with her mother. “Glorious grandmother,” says the main character. But even Chichikov's thoughts about the girl "with a prudently chilled character" are connected with money. In his opinion, if she were rich (200 thousand dowry), she would be the happiness of a “decent person”. He also thought that while the girl is perfect, because anything can be made out of her. But the aunts and gossips a year after the boarding school will fill her head with all sorts of "women", and all immediacy will turn into the stiffness and puffiness of a secular young lady in search of a profitable groom. She will lie all her life and say only what is supposed to be, and no more than she should. But the girl had already left, and our hero went about his business.

In this chapter, Chichikov makes a visit to the landowner Sobakevich. His estate was prosperous, strong, large, like the hero. There was no beauty, but there was practicality and reliability. Everything was "stubborn, without shaking, in some kind of strong and clumsy order." The landowner himself reminded Chichikov in his appearance of a bear, "he was even called Mikhailo Semyonovich." Even his suit was the color of bear hair. His complexion shone with red-hot copper. Facial features were large, sharp, without small details. The legs are huge, the gait is clubfoot. He himself was silent, gloomy, clumsy.

The whole room was a reflection of the owner of the estate. The bellied walnut dressing table resembled a bear, as did the rest of the furniture. Portraits of “healthy and strong people” hung on the walls, even pets (a strong and fat thrush in a cage) looked like Sobakevich. His wife was tall, her head resembled a cucumber, and her author compared it to a palm tree.

At dinner, the heroes had time to discuss all the officials, each of whom was scolded by the landowner either as a fool or as a robber. The whole city, in his opinion, was a den of Christ-sellers and swindlers, one prosecutor was nothing, although “yes, he is a pig,” concluded the owner of the house. They ate hearty and dense: lamb side, stuffed turkey, cheesecakes. After that, the guest felt an unprecedented heaviness.

After the hostess leaves, Chichikov floridly tells him about his "subject": Sobakevich was not embarrassed by such an offer, he bargained with the hero for a long time, trying to get as much benefit as possible. He even praised the quality of the souls as if it mattered. His souls were excellent workers: Mikheev made excellent spring carriages, Stepan Cork had extraordinary strength, Milushkin made stoves, and Telyatnikov made high-quality boots. Sorokoplekhin even brought 500 rubles in dues.

After fierce bargaining and disputes, the deal was completed, but Chichikov had never been so difficult: Sobakevich was a real fist who squeezed his benefit out of everything he saw. Suddenly, the silent man became a great orator when it came to money. He was smart, and even hinted to the petitioner that his interest was not entirely legitimate. As a result, the landowner forces him to leave a deposit of 25 rubles and writes a receipt.

At dinner, Chichikov learned about Plyushkin, and that his souls were dying in batches because of his greed. He decided to go there.

The author talks about the strength and accuracy of the Russian word: it reflects the essence so accurately that you cannot distort it with any effort. The word will croak and reveal the essence to the world, as if the person with whom he was awarded would not try to ruin him.

Chapter 6: Plushkin

On the way to another landowner - Plyushkin - Chichikov sadly recalls his youth. He notes that now he looks at the world with a "chilled" look. Previously, everything was interesting to him, but now nothing attracts his attention, everything is tired.

Gradually he approaches his destination. Everything in the estate reflects the essence of the owner: an old abandoned garden, dilapidated and rotten buildings, a terrible road. People walked in rags, the roofs of the houses resembled a sieve, from the wall - the ribs of the deceased. There was no glass even on some of the windows of the old and ugly manor house, huge and unkempt. There was mold, rust, dirt everywhere.

The area was definitely dead: there were no people anywhere. Having met the housekeeper, who rudely scolded the peasant, the guest went into the house. There he met only a pile of rubbish that had not been removed for a hundred years. Even expensive things deteriorated under a layer of dust. The stupid pile of pictures did not please, but confused the eyes. Along with the sole of the boot and the broken shovel were exquisite and beautiful things.

From the middle of the ceiling hung a chandelier in a linen bag, the dust made it look like a silk cocoon in which a worm sits.

The housekeeper came to the guest, but she turned out to be a gentleman, it was just not easy to recognize him under rags. This is an old man with a protruding chin, nimble eyes, reminiscent of mice. Plyushkin was distinguished by rare greed: he picked up all the rubbish he found from the road and saved it in the room. Even from the peasants, he managed to steal buckets or something else. At the same time, there was so much rotting and superfluous goodness in his barns that it would have been enough for two such estates until the end of time.

The reader will learn the life story of this hero. We are shown the reason why Plyushkin launched his business in such a way. The landowner was a hospitable and excellent businessman, an intelligent and well-mannered conversationalist, all the neighbors were his welcome guests, and the family was a full bowl. But suddenly he was completely alone when he lost his beloved wife. A mental disorder forced him to quarrel with his children: two daughters and a son. The eldest daughter Alexandra ran away with an officer and got married, and her father cursed her. Because of this, over time, he became meaner, sloppier, more suspicious. The son also deceived expectations: instead of service, he chose military affairs, and the old man did not even give him money for uniforms. The youngest daughter soon died. And so Plyushkin became a miser and a keeper of useless wealth. Somehow the son lost at cards, and his father finally cursed him. The daughter forgave when she brought her grandchildren, but did not give a single gift.

Plyushkin did not welcome the guest, justifying himself that there was no hay, no food, and in general only losses. The 70-year-old man, however, was very happy with Chichikov's proposal. He, of course, suspected that the visitor was stupid to do such things, but he could not resist the benefit. He had 120 dead peasants.

He called Proshka, and it turned out that all the peasants had the same boots, which everyone who came to the master put on and took off in the hallway. Even in the cold, they walked barefoot to the house. The owner ordered to serve Easter cake, which was brought by his daughter. He had already become a cracker and spoiled on top, but the landowner believed that he would be suitable for tea. He even ordered mold crumbs not to be thrown away, but to be given to the hens. The owner also offered a liquor, from which he fished out the dirt with his own hands. But Chichikov refused, and the owner liked it very much.

However, his eyes "have not gone out yet." Remembering his school friend, to whom he wanted to entrust a trip to the city on the Chichikov case, his face lit up with sincere feeling. But after that it faded and became vulgar again. He constantly accused the servants of theft and extravagance, although no one stole anything.

As a result, Plyushkin also sold runaway peasants to the guest, desperately bargaining with him. After Chichikov made his deal with the landowner, he continued on his way. And the owner of the house thought that it would be nice to leave a clock in the will for such a good person.

Chichikov returned to the city in a good mood because of a good deal.

Chapter 7: Deal

The author in a lyrical digression compares the two writers. One describes only sublime and heroic characters, writes what people like to read. Everyone loves him, everyone respects him, glory and honor are at his feet, and they equate him almost with God. But unfortunate is the other who writes what is really there. The characters of his heroes are mundane, boring, miserable, like everyday life. The public does not recognize him, and he is like a bachelor who has neither a home nor a family. He refers himself to the second category and invites us to see what his hero does.

He woke up and began to decorate the peasants, imagining the story of their whole life. It turned out that most of the peasants, judging by the notes of Sobakevich, did not die a natural death, but at work. He made up stories about Plyushkin's peasants: where did they run away to? What happened to them? Someone is in prison, and someone went to barge haulers, in a word, an unenviable fate.

In this part of the poem, our hero goes to the civil ward. At the entrance, Chichikov meets the soft-spoken Manilov, who accompanies him into the room. It's dirty and unkempt in there.

Themis just what it is, in a negligee and a bathrobe received guests

The hero quickly wanted to complete his work, but curious officials deliberately detained him. Chichikov is sent to one, then to another. Everyone wants to get a reward, and our hero understands all the hints. In the chairman's office, he meets Sobakevich. He willingly harms and says that all the sold peasants are alive. Chichikov also composes to justify the purchase. All the details of his deals are carefully discussed, the hero himself is forced to stay one more day - to celebrate.

After the “official part”, the heroes go to the police chief (who takes bribes from merchants with excellent delicacies), where they drink for the new Kherson landowner, and even try to marry him. The hero got so drunk that upon arrival home he ordered to count the new peasants and line them up. The servants also got drunk.

Chapter 8: Governor's Ball

Chichikov became famous throughout the province, his purchases "became the subject of conversation." Both officials and ladies talk about him. Everyone is discussing whether he will be able to settle in Kherson, whether his peasants will work in good conscience, and so on.

Here the author describes the ladies of the city, but it is difficult for him: timidity interferes. They are presentable, courteous and experts in etiquette, but sometimes they quarrel over trifles, and then their husbands also mischief each other. Outwardly, they are richly dressed, have a chic exit. Their morality is valued, for scandals they scourge delinquent persons without pity. But quiet romances and intrigues get away with it. They spoke in a mixture of French and Russian, half of the words were completely thrown out of speech in order to ennoble it. These ladies were so carried away by the guest that on the eve of the evening they bought up all the expensive fabrics. The hero is even sent an unsigned love letter. At the ball, he was in the spotlight - everyone was interested in him, they took him for a millionaire. Everywhere he was called, praised, hugged, felt. Everyone wanted to be his friend. The ladies froze in anxious expectation, whom he would prefer. The hall was stuffy with perfume and crowded with dresses. He himself could not figure out who wrote to him. All the ladies surrounded him, attacked him with conversations and hints, he completely lost his head, but suddenly the governor's wife called out to him, and he saw her blond daughter. Soon he became interested in this sixteen-year-old girl, whom he met once, leaving Nozdryov. He even felt the awkwardness of youth, timidity, when he began to follow her. Fantasy hit him in the head, and he already wanted to marry the girl.

Noticing this, the ladies stopped paying attention to him. Moreover, indignation spread throughout the hall, and the women were offended and opposed to Chichikov and his passion. Sharp remarks and gossip instantly destroyed the girl's reputation. However, everyone around still believed that he bought the living peasants, that he was the owner of a large estate. The drunken Nozdryov accidentally reveals the secret of Chichikov. At the ball, he asks the hero about the dead peasants. Society is in disarray, and an upset Chichikov soon leaves the secular party. So far, the gossip and the liar have not been believed, but rumors have spread throughout the city.

At the end of the chapter, Chichikov stigmatizes the balls, saying that they were invented for women to pull on themselves a thousand rubles of dues or bribes from their husbands. And all in order to throw dust in the eyes of the rest of the women. Roughly, he reprimanded the society dandies, who only talk in vain. Then he attacked Nozdryov with his drunken frankness.

But at that very time, while our hero was awake and thinking, Korobochka arrived in the city, fearing that she had cheapened the sale of souls, and wanting to find out how much this product is now in the city.

Chapter 9: The collapse of the scam

In the morning, one noble person rushed at all times to her friend - she was carrying news. Two ladies - Anna Grigorievna and Sofia Ivanovna - gossip about the mysterious millionaire Chichikov. Each of them expresses their opinion, mentioning in the dialogue the story that Korobochka told. The landowner complained that Chichikov deceived her, treated her rudely, almost broke the gate. By force of arms, he demanded that his will be done. Moreover, she talked about the fact that he was buying dead souls (describing the conversations of gossips, the author shows their vanity and stupidity: they are only interested in outfits and rumors, and they distort and exaggerate every story. Each wanted to stigmatize everyone for what they fell in love with Chichikov, who turned out to be a scoundrel).

Soon the whole city began to discuss Chichikov again, but not as a millionaire, but as a real criminal. There were even rumors about his intentions to kidnap the provincial daughter. The girl was immediately branded an immoral and ugly mannered doll. The people were divided into two parties: the ladies were talking about the kidnapping and that Nozdryov was involved. The men believed that he was either a swindler or an official sent for a secret check. An investigation began: but neither Chichikov's servants, nor Sobakevich and Manilov reported anything interesting.

As a result, the hero was not allowed into any house, he was no longer invited to dinners, to balls. The whole company gathered at the chief of police to resolve the issue with Chichikov. The matter was complicated by the fact that a new governor-general was appointed in the region, and that, judging by the papers sent, a counterfeiter and a fugitive robber were hiding in their city. Maybe Pavel Ivanovich is not the one he claims to be?

Chapter 10: Consequence

Having gathered at the “benefactor of the city”, the residents try to guess what Chichikov is. Everyone was afraid that this was an auditor, and the prospect of checking made the gentlemen lose weight. Everyone reproached each other for being dishonest and for making life easier for them. As a result, a version arose that Chichikov was Captain Kopeikin.

This chapter presents the story of Captain Kopeikin. This is a story about a poor honest military man who became a victim of injustice. He returned from the battles disabled, and Captain Kopeikin did not have enough money either for housing or for food. He decided to seek help from the authorities. After many unsuccessful attempts to talk to the general, he went directly to him in the waiting room. Kopeikin was promised to rectify the situation, but when the tsar arrives. He refused to leave, he was taken out by force. After that, no one saw him, but a gang of robbers appeared in the forests under his leadership. But here's the bad luck: the hero has neither an arm nor a leg, but Chichikov is whole.

Then they thought that the guest looked like Napoleon, each thought to himself that this might be true. In those days, people believed that Bonaparte was the embodiment of an overseas monster, the real Antichrist. But this version did not catch on. Then we went to Nozdryov. The author is surprised that everyone knows that he is a liar, but at the first opportunity they went to him. He compares the officials of the city with a man who avoided and was afraid of doctors all his life, but was willingly treated by a healer who heals with spitting and screaming.

Nozdryov himself did not leave the house for 4 days and chose seclusion in order to choose a good card, which he would continue to rely on in games. He planned to sit like this for 2 weeks, but agreed to an invitation in anticipation of a good party.

The landowner confused fellow citizens even more. He made up a fiction that Chichikov studied with him at the same school, that he was a counterfeiter, that he really needed to steal the governor's daughter. He admitted that he helped him, and even gave the exact details of a non-existent adventure out of a simple desire to attract everyone's attention. Convinced that he was lying, the inhabitants of the city became even more confused. The prosecutor even died from the strain.

All this time, Chichikov was sick with flux and suffered from a sore throat. As soon as he recovered, he, surprised that no one visited him, went to his friends, but he was either not received, or received so strangely that he began to fear for their mental health.

Nozdryov came to him and told him that everyone in the city considered him a counterfeiter, and only the landowner himself defended his friend. Then he reproached him for the idea of ​​kidnapping the governor's daughter, offered to help him for lending him 3,000 rubles. Chichikov got frightened, sent the guest out, and decided to leave the next morning.

Chapter 11: Chichikov's Flight

Chichikov was delayed and left only in the evening, as the horses had to be shod. On the way, he came across the prosecutor's funeral. Having missed the procession, he left the city.

The author talks about Rus': although it cannot boast of bright attire, beautiful cities, contentment and wealth, it has a special beauty of empty and huge fields, colorless and wild forests. Then he lovingly describes the road, which more than once helped him to forget his worries. The beauty of her night, her loneliness and the endless string of changing landscapes pleases the eye. Then he spoke about his hero. Ladies will not like Chichikov, the author is sure. He is fat and not at all perfect, and the public does not forgive the hero for this. But he promises to depict such impeccably beautiful Slavs, man and woman, that they will arouse pride in the reader for the people, but that will be later. In the meantime, it is necessary to describe the scoundrel, the writer concluded. He describes to us the childhood of his hero.

Chichikov was from a poor noble family. I was born like no other.

At the beginning, life looked at him somehow sourly and uncomfortably, through some kind of cloudy, snow-covered window: no friend, no comrade in childhood!

Mother died early. A sick and strict father brought up reluctantly, tore at the ears. Sending the child to school, he ordered him to obey his superiors, to try to please future bosses in everything, to be careful with money and not to make friends. A penny is man's only friend.

Chichikov, already in his school years, knew how to find ways to get money: he was not treated, but he was treated, and he hid delicacies and sold them. He also sold pies, performed with a trained mouse, and made wax figurines. He had no abilities in the sciences, but he pleased his teachers so much that he studied well. He graduated from school brilliantly, because his mentor valued not intelligence, but good manners. But then he repented of his attitude towards Pavel: when the teacher became impoverished and found himself in poverty, former students collected money for him. And only Pavel gave very little, barely allowing himself to be persuaded.

After school, he manages to get into the Treasury. His father, having gone to another world, left him quite a bit of money. To move up the career ladder, Chichikov often deceived other people. By cunning, the hero tried to achieve his goals. For example, with flattery and antics, he achieved the patronage of the boss, and then forgot the way to his house and the desire to marry his ugly daughter. Nevertheless, he was caught for taking bribes in a new place, but he did not give up and ended up in customs. There he started a new scam related to smuggling, but an accomplice wrote a denunciation against him without sharing a woman with him. Having lost almost all the loot, he again did not lose heart. The hero went to serve, and in a new place he got the idea to put non-existent peasants in the board of trustees, where they would give 200 rubles for each. According to the audit, they were all considered alive, and after that he already expected to leave with the money. There Pavel Ivanovich ended up in the city.

The author says that his hero is not even a scoundrel, but an "acquirer", and his shortcoming is rooted in this. However, the reason for the unattractiveness of Chichikov is that the author showed him like that. If the reader had personally met him, he would have formed a different opinion, and Pavel Ivanovich would have seemed a remarkable person. The writer is now afraid that critics will be unfair to him, he is especially afraid of patriots who usually live thinking only about their own benefit, but raise a cry when they hear that something is not right around. The author reproached the reader that he would begin to look for signs of Chichikov in others, but not in himself, that he would only laugh at the book, but would not change anything in himself.

The last lines are devoted to fast driving: the daring Russian loves it. The author compares the troika made by our master with Rus, lovingly describes its movement. That is what other countries are letting go.

February 24, 1852 Nikolay Gogol burned the almost finished second volume of Dead Souls, on which he had been working for more than 10 years. The story itself was originally conceived by Gogol as a trilogy. In the first volume, the adventurer Chichikov, traveling around Russia, encountered only human vices, in the second part, fate brought the protagonist together with some positive characters. In the third volume, which was never written, Chichikov had to go through exile in Siberia and finally embark on the path of moral purification.

AiF.ru tells why Gogol burned the second volume of "Dead Souls" and what adventures in the continuation of the story were to happen to Chichikov.

Why did Gogol burn the second volume of Dead Souls?

Most likely, Gogol burned the second volume of Dead Souls by accident. In the last years of his life, the writer felt constant weakness in his body, but instead of being treated, he continued to exhaust his body with strict observance of religious fasts and exhausting work. In one of the letters to poet Nikolai Yazykov Gogol wrote: "My health has become rather poor ... Nervous anxious anxiety and various signs of perfect unsticking all over my body frighten me myself." It is possible that this “sticking up” prompted the writer on the night of February 24 to throw the manuscripts into the fireplace and then set them on fire with his own hands. The servant witnessed this scene Semyon, who persuaded the master to spare the papers. But he only rudely replied: “None of your business! Pray!

On the morning of the next day, Gogol, struck by his act, lamented his friend Count Alexander Tolstoy: "That's what I did! I wanted to burn some things that had long been prepared for that, but I burned everything. How strong the evil one is - that's what he moved me to! And I was there a lot of practical clarified and outlined ... I thought to send to friends as a keepsake from a notebook: let them do what they wanted. Now everything is gone."

Gogol claimed that he wanted to burn only drafts and unnecessary papers, and the second volume of Dead Souls was sent to the fireplace due to his oversight. Nine days after this fatal mistake, the writer died.

What is the second volume of Dead Souls about?

Gogol's letters and the remaining drafts allow us to restore the approximate content of some parts of the burnt manuscript. The second volume of "Dead Souls" begins with a description of the estate of Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov, whom the author calls "the smoker of the sky." An educated and fair person, due to laziness and lack of willpower, drags out a meaningless existence in the village. Tentetnikov's fiancee, Ulinka, is the daughter of a neighboring general, Betrishchev. It is she who becomes the “beam of light in the dark realm” of the story: “If a transparent picture suddenly flared up in a dark room, lit from behind by a lamp, it would not have struck like this figurine shining with life, which appeared exactly to illuminate the room ... It was hard to tell what country she was from. Such a pure, noble outline of the face could not be found anywhere, except perhaps only on some ancient cameos, ”Gogol describes it this way. Tentetnikov, according to Gogol's plan, was to be convicted for participation in an anti-government organization, and his lover would follow him to hard labor. Then, in the third volume of the trilogy, these heroes had to go through exile in Siberia along with Chichikov.

Further, according to the plot of the second volume, Chichikov meets the bored landowner Platonov and, having incited him to travel together in Russia, goes to the master Kostanzhoglo, who is married to Platonov's sister. He talks about the ways of managing, by which he increased the income from the estate tenfold, which Chichikov is terribly inspired by. Shortly thereafter, Chichikov, having borrowed money from Platonov and Kostanjoglo, is trying to buy the estate from the ruined landowner Khlobuev.

On the "border line" between good and evil in the second volume of the story, the financier Afanasy Murazov suddenly appears. He wants to spend 40 million rubles earned by him not in the most honest way on “saving Russia”, but his ideas are more reminiscent of sectarian ones.

In the surviving drafts of the end of the manuscript, Chichikov is found in the city at a fair, where he buys fabric of a lingonberry color so dear to him with a spark. He runs into Khlobuev, whom, apparently, he “gave up”, either by depriving, or almost depriving him of his estate by forgery. Murazov saves Chichikov from continuing an unpleasant conversation, who convinces the ruined landowner of the need to work and determines him to raise funds for the church. Meanwhile, denunciations are being found against Chichikov both about forgery and about dead souls. However, the help of the corrupt official Samosvistov and the intercession of Murazov allow the hero to avoid prison.

Cameo - a piece of jewelry or decoration made in the technique of bas-relief on precious or semi-precious stones.