The image and characteristics of Chichikov in the poem Dead Souls by Gogol essay

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• The image and characteristics of Chichikov in the poem Dead Souls

N.V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” is distinguished by its variety of images of landowners, but one of the central and main ones is the characterization of Chichikov, the main character of the work.

It is known about the landowner’s appearance that he is neither thin nor fat, neither old nor too young (middle-aged). He was friendly, easily found a common language with people and an approach to each individual, which helped him buy up dead souls. The main character of the poem was an incredibly energetic person, with an incredible reserve of strength.

Chichikov loves to flatter people, secretive, as he does not tell anything about himself. Also, one of the characteristics of the landowner was veneration of rank. Chichikov held the post of collegiate adviser, although he did not come from a noble, poor family. He was well-mannered, resourceful, intelligent, persistent, thoughtful, neat, calculating, with good manners, he knew how to win people over. Chichikov is a purposeful person, he achieves his goal, and even managed to increase the amount he received.

His goal was to buy up dead serfs, that is, to become their owner only on paper. After purchasing a large number of them, for example thousands, he should have been given about 200 rubles for each. In the future, Chichikov wanted to buy himself an estate with this money. This tells us that he is a cunning, crafty, and to some extent dishonest person who deceived the souls of peasants from other landowners.

The author repeatedly notes Chichikov’s ability to adapt to the people around him:

With Manilov, he is good-natured, amiable and generally imitates the owner of the house.

With Korobochka he becomes abrupt and nervous, because the landowner does not understand anything, and he himself becomes a clubhead.

With Nozdryov, Chichikov is unpredictable, and could not become one, because he does not know what to expect from him.

With Sobakevich, the landowner does not even need to change his mind, since the owner of the house is the same as himself: thrifty, prudent, who was not even surprised at the news of the purchase of dead souls.

Chichikov was on an equal footing with Plyushkin, since Plyushkin was the most ordinary landowner. In general, he communicated with him their pity, since he saw how bad this man’s life was.

In his work, Nikolai Gogol wanted to show the image of a vile, rotten landowner, who truly was that same dead soul. Chichikov directs his enormous energy in the wrong direction, towards bad deeds.

Option 2

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is the main character of the work and personifies in his image the social situation of Russian reality of that time.

The writer reveals the image of Chichikov by narrating his meetings with representatives of the Russian landowner class for the purpose of buying up the papers of deceased peasants (dead souls).

Chichikov is a middle-aged man, pleasant-looking, reasonably well-fed, and has a flattering voice. Pavel Ivanovich serves in a fairly high rank of collegiate adviser.

From early childhood, Chichikov set himself the goal of achieving significant heights in life and acquiring enormous wealth, so he cultivated numerous abilities in himself. Pavel Ivanovich is well versed in mathematical sciences, since he received a good education and has mental logic and resourcefulness of mind. At the same time, Chichikov is distinguished by caution, prudence, and the ability to notice important details.

To achieve his own goals, the hero of the work can be cunning, crafty, patient, a sycophant, using psychological techniques known only to him to his interlocutor and changing his behavioral manner and speech style depending on the circumstances. At the same time, he is firm in his convictions on the path to obtaining wealth, so fear is not characteristic of him.

The image of Chichikov is characterized by incredible versatility, expressed in the ability to portray himself as a secular, literate and decent person with ostentatious goodwill, which is used only as a means of profitably using the location of the right people.

Skillfully adapting and adapting to every person he needs, Chichikov shows amazing resourcefulness, resourcefulness and perseverance. Communicating with the colorless Manilov, Pavel Ivanovich reveals himself in the image of a delicate, sensitive and helpful guest who knows how to sweetly flatter and fawn. Persuading the petty Korobochka to agree to a deal to sell dead souls, Chichikov reveals himself from the opposite side, as he acts rudely, arrogantly, assertively, without ceremony. In the estate of the narcissistic Nozdryov, the hero tries to the last to imitate the arrogant and deceitful owner, treating him familiarly in a boorish tone. Both with the rude Sobakevich and with the greedy Plyushkin, Chichikov skillfully and talentedly plays the roles he needs, forcing the landowners to sincerely believe him.

It is not difficult for Chichikov to change his appearance and behavior, since the characteristic qualities of the landowners form the basis of his own nature and are manifested in himself. However, unlike the landowners, Chichikov is endowed with extraordinary energy, business acumen, and determination, but all these traits of the protagonist are present in him in the absence of moral and moral principles, without hearing the quiet voice of conscience. After all, to obtain his own benefit, Chichikov resorts to fraud, deception, insults and bribery.

Describing the image of his hero, the writer presents an example of a person with a new way of life, a new formation, an entrepreneur with a commercial streak and striving to constantly receive his own income.

Chichikov's personality

Pavel Ivanovich held a good position - he was a collegiate adviser. He had no rich and noble relatives; everything he had, the hero achieved with his own labor and perseverance.

Even as a boy, he knew how to deny himself pleasures if he understood that this could interfere with big things. To get a good position, Chichikov received an education. He always worked hard and tried to achieve what he wanted in every possible way, including cunning and sycophancy.

The main character has well-developed mathematical abilities, he knew how to think logically, and was practical. In addition, Pavel Ivanovich is a very cautious person. He talked about various life phenomena and knew what would help him achieve the highest results.

The hero loved to travel and make new acquaintances. He was a very reserved person, and this made it difficult to have long conversations about the past. Chichikov was well versed in psychology and could always find a suitable topic for conversation.

His behavior changed like a chameleon. He could quickly change his communication style and even his appearance. Gogol emphasized how versatile Pavel Ivanovich thought. Chichikov knew his worth and knew how to penetrate deeply into the soul of his interlocutor.

Positive features

Chichikov had many good traits that made it possible to see in him not only a negative character. His main goal is to buy dead souls. Until the very last pages of the work, no one could understand why he needed so many dead peasants and what he was up to. At the same time, another question arises: how could he come up with a plan in this way to enrich himself and gain a high status in society. Positive characteristics of Chichikov briefly:

1. He takes care of his health - does not smoke and drinks little.
2. Refuses to gamble.
3. Believes in God and is baptized before starting any important conversation.
4. He does not regret giving alms to the poor.
5. He treats things carefully and carefully stores objects that remind him of important events in his life.

Chichikov managed to raise a strong person in himself. He was so firm and confident that it could not only surprise, but also conquer. The landowner was not afraid to do things that helped him become richer. Many people lack this quality, because without strength, they are often lost and afraid to follow a difficult path.

Negative sides

Pavel Ivanovich is also endowed with negative qualities. Their identification makes it possible to understand why his image was perceived by society as if it were a real person. In every environment people found someone like him. Bad qualities of Chichikov:

1. He attended various balls, but never danced.
2. He loved to eat at other people's expense.
3. He was often a hypocrite: at any moment he could burst into tears or lie if it was beneficial for him.
4. He took bribes. In conversations he mentioned his honesty, but his actions spoke of the opposite.
5. The hero was cold-blooded. He did terrible things completely without feelings, from which everything inside others shrank with fear.

Paul did not know how to love women and his attitude towards them was as if they were an object capable of producing descendants for him. Even if a girl attracted him with something, he did not feel much tenderness towards her.

First of all, Chichikov thought only about the fortune that he would leave to his children . This trait can be called positive, but he was so vile in achieving his goals that it became dangerous for those around him.

It is difficult to accurately determine whether Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov was a positive or negative character. He was both a good and a bad person at the same time. Several personalities came together in him, but one can only envy the hero’s desire to achieve what he wants by any means.

With his works, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol tried to help the reader find Chichikov’s traits and stop their development. He did this so that a person’s life would not turn into an ordinary object for profit.

Thanks to the characterization of the hero Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich, schoolchildren will be able to analyze his personality and write a message or make a table of his main qualities.

Essay Characteristics and image of Chichikov

Chichikov is the main character of the work, where the entire poem is practically about him. When the poet made him the main character, he did not give any guarantee that the image of his created main character would please his readers. Already at the beginning of the poem, the image and character of Chichikov becomes clear. First, Ivan Vasilyevich shows his hero from the positive side. Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov knew how to communicate correctly and culturally with others, regardless of their age and status.

The author decides to tell about the biography of Chichikov, what he was like and what he became. From a young age, Pavel’s dad taught him the simplest truths of life, for example: that every coin must be treated wisely and taken care of. And this, truth, life, did not help him badly, he learned to find his own benefit in almost everything. With age, he learns to find a common language with people.

Chichikov graduates with honors and with a mark of impeccable behavior. Thinking about his future life, he imagines himself only as a successful and wealthy person. All the negativity of his character is revealed at his work in different places. Thanks to bribes and major frauds, he becomes successful. But he is quickly exposed, and complete bankruptcy occurs. As a result of several unsuccessful attempts to become successful, Pavel Ivanovich decides that he needs to acquire dead souls. He knew that during global checks, soul owners were hit hard. And he understood that it would be inexpensive to count those who died during the break between checks as alive.

And he decides to come to the city of officials, and dead souls become his goal. Being present at many events, he makes many friends with officials, and tries to find out from them who could provide him with dead souls.

The author reveals his character from the negative side, by the fact that he is cold-blooded and calculating. He makes friends there too. And having shown his qualities as a dreamer, he receives dead souls from them.

“A scoundrel,” Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol calls him, since his bad qualities completely cover his positive traits.

Hero's appearance

The main character of the poem “Dead Souls” is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. The author does not indicate exactly how old he is, but you can try to calculate this yourself by studying his life periods. Tolstoy gives the character the following description:

1. Middle aged man.
2. Full.
3. Pleasant looking.

Chichikov was outwardly handsome, but he was not considered a real handsome man. He was very thick, it seemed that there was nowhere else to go. Pavel Ivanovich had a pleasant voice, so he was always lucky in negotiations, and he easily found a common language with any character.

The landowner took care of himself. He chose his clothes carefully and always wore cologne. Chichikov loved to look at his reflection in the mirror and admire it. He considered the chin to be the most attractive part of the face; it seemed to him that it was very expressive.

The hero, having known himself, learned to charm other people. He knew how to make an impression and bring a charming smile to those around him. When communicating with him, the interlocutors could not even think what secret Chichikov was hiding - everyone liked the skill. All the women considered him the very charm and found in him something that was impossible to see.

Essay 4

The poem "Dead Souls" is considered Gogol's best creation. The idea for the content of the book was suggested to the author by A.S. Pushkin. In the poem, the author described the life activity and morals of social strata of society. The book fully describes the owners of serf souls, landowners and officials.

The main character of the book is Pavel Chichikov. From beginning to end of the work, Chichikov remained a mysterious character. He was a man of many characters and was constantly changing. He copied the conversational manners and actions of his acquaintances. The guy studied all people and could get out of any situation, and did not miss his advantage.

With Manilov, the hero behaved arrogantly, flatteringly and kindly. When communicating with the arrogant deceiver Nozdryov, he tried to become like his interlocutor for his own benefit. Chichikov managed to please Plyushkin, who had lost touch with the real world and courtesy. For his own benefit, the hero played the role of a man inclined to kill a peasant in order to save himself from paying taxes.

It was not difficult for Chichikov to constantly change his appearance, since he possessed the characteristic features inherent in rich landowners. Left alone with himself, the hero showed his true qualities. Walking around the city, Pavel Chichikov tore off the glued poster to read it later. He read the poster and put it in the box. So he repeated Plyushkin’s habit. The uncertainty and colorlessness of the character of the hero reveal his similarity with Manilov. And so city officials speculated, trying to unravel Paul's identity. The habit of putting all things in their places brings the hero closer to Korobochka. Nozdryov found similarities between Chichikov and Sobakevich. Chichikov reflected all the character traits of the landowners, Manilov’s love of empty chatter, pettiness and narcissism, hoarding and rudeness.

At the same time, the hero stands out for his own qualities. Unlike landowners and officials, the hero had special energy, determination and business acumen. The activities of officials significantly influenced Chichikov’s behavior and speech. As time passed, Chichikov’s soul, like that of the landowners, became completely dead. Pavel was deprived of all human feelings and did not enjoy life at all. To achieve his goal, he showed neither anger nor joy. Towards the end of the poem, the author described the biography of Chichikov. Pavel's childhood was dull. He did not experience maternal love. He had no friends. He had to endure the reproaches of his sick father. His childhood had a negative impact on his future. As an inheritance from his father, Chichikov received only the instruction to study well and save his last penny. The boy learned the instructions well and set himself the goal of becoming wealthy.

Chichikov's essay - the hero of the work Dead Souls

Chichikov is considered the central figure of this poem. A middle-aged man who grew up in a low-income family. It should be noted that the parents taught the child to work constantly. Chichikov wanted to become a wealthy man. When the guy went to study, his father advised him not to quarrel with teachers. Chichikov was obliged to budget economically and not waste money. His father recommended wealthy people to him, as they bring practical benefits.

Chichikov, listening to his father, studied wonderfully and was grateful to his teachers. He came up with different combinations that brought him money. He asked his classmates to give away their things, and then he put them into sale. Pavel turned out to be a smart and intelligent person. One day he made a fake out of wax and made money. Then he took the mouse, trained it, sold it, and made a good profit. The guy constantly calculated his actions. He did great math in his head.

His appearance attracted the attention of women. He had attractive facial features. He had a thick build.

Paul's main goal was to gain wealth. He wanted to live well. Chichikov wanted to provide a decent life for his children. After completing his studies, he went to work. Higher officials liked him because he fulfilled their whims. When Chichikov got used to it, he began to take bribes, so he was fired. Then he collected decent money.

He came up with different combinations. One day he came up with the idea of ​​buying dead souls and selling them at high prices as living ones. Chichikov was a wonderful psychologist. He endeared himself to people. He systematically lied and deceived other people. He pretended to be a well-mannered man. He played the role of a trustworthy citizen wonderfully. However, his lack of knowledge of French indicated that he was from a poor family.

Basically, Pavel turned out to be a man who seeks profit. He always had money. Chichikov gave poor people money for food. He avoided women, because he understood that he would not get any good from them.

Chichikov cannot be considered a completely bad person. He has valuable spiritual qualities, but he has more bad character traits. The man fit perfectly into the system, was an egoist and a stingy person. However, he knew how to have fun and sympathize.

Try to use this information to write an essay based on the image of Chichikov in a specific poem.

For 9th grade