Summary and analysis of N. V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”

A very brief summary of the poem “Dead Souls”

A middle-aged gentleman, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, arrives in a provincial provincial town, posing as a landowner. He immediately shows interest in the locals, makes one-by-one visits to top officials and charms everyone. The hero is invited to balls and dinners. The townspeople cannot even imagine for what kind of fraud the most pleasant Pavel Ivanovich visited their province.

While visiting the landowner Manilov, the hero makes the owner a lucrative offer: to sell him the souls of dead peasants. He manages to persuade the narrow-minded landowner Korobochka, the extremely stingy Plyushkin and the businesslike Sobakevich to make the same deal. According to the audit, these peasants were still listed as alive, and Chichikov intended to pledge them to the Guardian Council in order to receive a significant loan.

Pavel Ivanovich always sought to get rich in any way. He has a dark past behind him, which the author talks about in the last chapter. Previously, Chichikov served at customs, where he covered up smuggling for a large bribe. By various tricks he managed to avoid prison. Buying up dead souls also threatened with trouble with the law. Therefore, when rumors about a mysterious millionaire began to spread in provincial society, when a hunt began for him as a lucrative suitor, the hero flees the city.

Characteristics of the main characters of the poem Dead Souls

In the work of N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls" has a small number of main characters.

One of the central characters is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. This is a well-mannered, delicate, pleasant young man from the middle class, but at the same time a dishonest and hypocritical gentleman who is trying to get rich by fraudulent means. In pursuit of “dead souls,” he never ceases to be a cynical, selfish person with low moral qualities. However, this behavior can be explained, because decent and honest poor people are not respected, and no one wants to live their lives in poverty, so moral standards have to be relegated to the background. This is Chichikov’s whole problem, because for him, a simple person by birth, it is very difficult to earn a fortune, so he has to be smart and deceitful.

The landowner Manilov is one of the good images of the work. He is quite wealthy and has a simple soul. A fairly well-mannered, compliant person, kind and respectful to others. But it also has negative qualities, such as lack of initiative and laziness. Manilov never expresses his true opinion on any matter; he is used to adapting to circumstances.

The image of the landowner Korobochka is perceived by readers as very pleasant and cheerful. This woman does not have a special mind, is not educated, but copes well with the affairs of the estate and has a good income. Her life is quite simple and even resembles peasant everyday life, but she is happy and runs the household successfully.

The landowner Nozdryov is an unfulfilled person. He is a bad father, friend and owner. He prefers not to deal with the affairs of his estate and entrusts them to another person. He himself spends his time spending all the money he earns on alcohol, women and cards.

The landowner Sobakevich causes ambiguous opinions. On the one hand, he is a rude, callous person, and on the other hand, he is quite simple - to work equally with the peasants, without considering it shameful. Sobakevich is a cunning and enterprising person, lives in the past and denies any innovations.

The landowner Plyushkin is a stingy and angry old man who looks like a beggar. His greed led to the fact that everyone on the estate, including himself, was constantly malnourished and wore old, tattered clothes. The death of his wife greatly affected him. Plyushkin became an even more mercantile and suspicious miser.

In his work, Gogol described the “masters of life,” whose existence is meaningless and miserable, they are dependent on vices that lead them to degradation.

Time and place of events

A specific time is not indicated in the poem, but some temporary signs are revealed. However, there is a contradiction in them. For example, there is an indication that the action takes place shortly after the expulsion of Napoleon from Russia, which means no earlier than 1813. The assumption that Chichikov is none other than Napoleon in disguise suggests the period of 1815–1821: from the installation of the emperor on the island. Saint Helena until his death.

The mention of a “gendarmerie officer” with the functions of a police officer suggests that the events take place in 1827, since the corps of gendarmes appeared in Russia in 1826, and in 1827 it began to serve as a political police.

The periodical "Vedomosti", found in the text of the work, brings the events described even closer to the reader, since the "Gubernskie Gazette" has appeared in the Russian press since 1838.

The scene is the central Russian provincial town of NN, very remote from the capital, and provincial estates

Brief summary of the poem “Dead Souls” by Gogol

To the reader from the author

The author appeals to readers with a request for help: he needs a comprehensive look at Russian life, and this is beyond the power of one person.

The hero depicted in the book is a representative of only one class; this is not enough to imagine how other strata of society live.

The author asks readers to become co-authors and add to the poem.

You shouldn’t think about the beauty of the style or the artistic side of the matter; it’s more important to convey the truth about Russian life. In this case, truth means the depiction of the shortcomings and negative aspects of society.

The author asks you to choose the language for the description that is usually used with a child or an uneducated person who knows nothing. The description should be written in such a way that everyone can understand it.

Anyone can add to the book - a person of both lower and upper class. The main thing is to see commonalities in the habits and behavior of people of different social groups.

The author requests that additions and corrections be sent to Moscow or St. Petersburg University.

I

A new person arrives in a small provincial town - Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, introducing himself as a collegiate adviser.

He seems to be an ordinary, unremarkable person - both in height, and in physique, and in the way he generally looks. He has a coachman and footman with him. The gentleman has considerable luggage and the appearance of a man with money.

Chichikov stops at a tavern and begins making inquiries about the city, the most prominent landowners and influential officials. He also wonders if there were any emergencies or diseases with mass deaths in the city and surrounding areas.

The gentleman reports his arrival with a note to the police and goes for a walk around the city, carefully studying the area, architecture and people.

Chichikov visits the governor, the prosecutor, the vice-governor, the chairman of the chamber, the tax farmer, the police chief, the head of factories, the medical inspector and the architect.

Each of the officials receives respectful treatment, courtesy and attentiveness from the visitor. Everyone invites him to dinner parties, dinners and evenings. The visitor attends social events for several days, arriving at the hotel only to sleep.

At an evening with the governor, Chichikov meets the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, and both invite him to pay a visit to their estates. Later, at a reception with the police chief, he meets the landowner Nozdryov.

II

After a week in the city and attending parties, Chichikov goes to visit Manilov and Sobakevich.

Chichikov's servants are not remarkable. Lackey Petrushka was well-read and quick-witted, but silent. In addition, he slept in his clothes and carried his special smell with him everywhere. The coachman Selifan was the complete opposite of the footman.

Chichikov wanders around the area for a long time to find the village of Manilovka. He counted about 200 houses in it and immediately assessed the condition of the farm.

Manilov did not have any bright hobbies or character traits; he was quiet and delicate, loved to dream and make plans that remained plans. I’ve been “reading” one book for 2 years now. His wife was a match for him: she was a well-mannered and pleasant woman, but she never stooped to real housekeeping. Therefore, the peasants and servants drank a lot and did not work, the housekeeper stole, and things in the house did not change for years. But Manilov expected a lot from his sons, which is why he named them by ancient Greek names - Themistoclus and Alcides.

Manilov is delighted with Chichikov and tries to please him in any way he can.

Chichikov asks Manilov to tell how many people he has died and to “sell” those for whom death documents have not yet been issued.

Manilov is amazed and tries to understand whether this is against the laws. Chichikov assures that there are no violations of the law and asks to draw up a deed of sale (an agreement for the purchase of souls). Manilov agrees to give away Chichikov's souls for free, for which he receives the gratitude of the guest.

When leaving, Chichikov is emphatically polite and courteous to the family of his new friend.

Manilov dreams of friendship and prospects, but his thoughts again encounter the strangeness of the deal.

III

Chichikov is pleased that he managed to persuade Manilov to make a deal without payment. Immersed in calculations and estimates, he goes to visit Sobakevich.

The coachman Selifan was also pleased with the reception and drink he was treated to in Manilovka, and therefore began to talk with the horses in the harness.

The rain that has begun quite quickly turns into a downpour, and it also begins to get dark, which throws Selifan off the road. In addition, he is drunk and does not remember where to turn to get to the village.

Selifan completely lost his way, and then completely overturned the chaise, causing the owner to fall into the mud. Chichikov mercilessly scolds Selifan.

Soon they hear dogs barking and reach a village at random, asking for shelter in the first house.

The owner of the estate turned out to be Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. After talking with her, Chichikov realized that he had driven into the wilderness, where they had never heard of Sobakevich.

The guest spent the night, and the next morning began to inspect the farm. It turned out that Korobochka’s village was neat and the farm was well organized.

Chichikov quickly gets down to business and asks to sell dead souls, which plunges the old woman into amazement. Korobochka cannot understand why Chichikov needs papers for dead peasants, but he sees that the business is profitable - souls cost 15 rubles. The old woman doubts: what if she finds other buyers, more expensive? For a long time Chichikov could not overcome the old woman’s mistrust and stubbornness, which is why he was very tired, sweaty and began to get angry. The box relented when the guest promised to buy other goods from her later.

After breakfast with pies and pancakes, Chichikov moves on. The serf girl Pelageya shows how to get out on the road.

Selifan is serious and silent because he is trying to make amends for yesterday’s drunkenness.

IV

Chichikov stops at a tavern and asks for a pig.

In the tavern he meets Nozdryov, who last time, at an evening with the prosecutor, became familiar with him. Nozdryov says that he was with his son-in-law at the city fair, sold all his goods, drank 17 bottles of champagne with the officers and lost heavily. Having learned that Chichikov is going to see Sobakevich, Nozdryov persuades him to visit him first. Chichikov agrees, hoping to take advantage of Nozdryov's penchant for generosity and revelry.

Nozdryov had a “broken character”, quickly got along with people, was an open and direct person, loved fairs and parties. He was widowed early and had two children, but was not interested in them; they grew up under the supervision of a nanny.

Everywhere Nozdryov found himself, stories happened: he was often beaten by friends and acquaintances, detained by the police, got drunk or lost to zero, and also knew how to upset deals and weddings.

Nozdryov lied a lot, loved to buy everything in a row or exchange things.

Arriving at the estate, Nozdryov shows Chichikov his possessions and lies that he bought the neighboring forest. During lunch, Nozdryov pours a lot for Chichikov and his son-in-law, but he himself hardly drinks.

The son-in-law asks to go home to his “dear wife,” for which Nozdryov scolds him. Left alone, the heroes discuss the case. Nozdryov wants to understand the reason why Chichikov needs dead souls. He gives him this version: he needs to get married, and the groom’s well-being is important to the bride’s parents. But he doesn’t have enough souls, so he buys for show.

Nozdryov does not believe it, calls Chichikov a swindler, refuses to sell or give it away just like that, but is ready to play cards for souls. The friends quarrel and go to bed. Before going to bed, Chichikov scolds himself for getting involved with Nozdryov.

The next morning, Nozdryov persuades the guest to at least play checkers, but he begins to cheat, so Chichikov interrupts the game and gets ready to leave. Nozdryov is offended and calls the servants to beat the guest.

Sudden salvation comes from an officer who has come to detain Nozdryov for trial.

V

Chichikov literally runs away from Nozdryov’s village, annoyed that he wasted time and ran into insults. Selifan scolds Nozdryov's servants for giving the horses oats instead of hay. Everyone is upset and thoughtful, so Selifan accidentally runs into someone else's carriage.

There are two women in the carriage, one of them - a pretty 16-year-old girl - attracts Chichikov's attention.

The whole village has gathered to separate the two teams, but the already unraveled horses do not budge. While the horses are being pulled in different directions, Chichikov tries to talk to the girl, but the conversation does not go well.

Along the way, he thinks about the girl, weighing what kind of dowry she could have and how soon she will “get rich” under the guidance of her female relatives.

The village of Sobakevich was built to last, all the buildings are solid, but lack grace. The owner is like that - in appearance he resembles a strong, healthy bear. His facial features are rough and sharp, and his character is very simple and straightforward. Sobakevich’s wife is of the same type – tall, silent, serious. The furniture complements the overall impression - it is strong and awkward.

After an awkward silence, Chichikov begins to discuss mutual acquaintances, and all of them are mercilessly criticized by Sobakevich: they are all robbers, swindlers and pigs.

At lunch, Sobakevich eats a lot and scolds the feasts of other landowners.

Doctors, books and education are also criticized.

Sobakevich mentions the landowner Plyushkin, whose many souls died, this arouses Chichikov’s interest.

So as not to scare off the seller. Chichikov begins to talk about the matter from afar, but Sobakevich quickly understands what the guest needs. They do not agree on the price: Chichikov wants to buy a soul for 60 kopecks apiece, and Sobakevich is ready to sell for 100 rubles, praising his dead as if they were alive.

After long negotiations, they agreed on Chichikov’s price of 2 rubles 50 kopecks.

Sobakevich draws up a document in detail, describing both the type of activity and the characters of the deceased serfs. The guest makes an advance payment.

Chichikov asks to keep this matter a secret, Sobakevich agrees.

Chichikov asks the coachman to drive so that Sobakevich does not see that he will then go to Plyushkin, who lives like a beggar and does not feed his people.

VI

In childhood, people get a lot of impressions from everything new, never seen before. Travel, strangers, pictures of nature - everything leaves a mark on a child’s soul! But, reaching middle age, many become insensitive and indifferent:

“...what in previous years would have awakened a lively movement in the face, laughter and silent speech, now slides past, and my motionless lips keep an indifferent silence. O my youth! oh my freshness!

Having entered the village of Plyushkina, Chichikov sees decline, dilapidation and ruin in everything. The peasant huts, utility rooms and manor house had not been repaired or painted for a long time.

Chichikov sees a strange man near the manor's house and decides that it is the housekeeper, although the voice seems to be male. He is sent to the manor's house, and there the picture of decline is even more sad: everything is old, dirty, broken, unkempt.

The “key holder” turns out to be the owner, thereby Plyushkin. Once upon a time he was a thrifty landowner, had a rich farm and a family - a wife and three children.

After the death of his wife and the growing up of his children, Plyushkin became petty and stingy to such an extent that the harvest rotted in his barns, and fabrics and household items crumbled from long-term storage. At the same time, serfs still had to pay quitrent in full, harvest crops and produce new items, which were then stored. Plyushkin constantly carried all kinds of garbage into the house under the guise of things that would be useful someday.

Now Plyushkin looked like a beggar, and his desire to do without loss in all matters grew into insignificance, into a fear of life:

“And a person could stoop to such insignificance, pettiness, and disgusting!”

Chichikov is interested in dead souls. Plyushkin has 120 of them, and he is ready to sell them, since profit is more important to him than common sense. Plyushkin writes a list of souls on a piece of paper, but he is saddened even by such a loss.

It turned out that Plyushkin also had runaway peasants, and he also agreed to sell them. Chichikov is extremely pleased with the deal: he has gained more than 200 souls.

Plyushkin is also pleased, considers the guest his benefactor and even wants to give him his old watch, but quickly changes his mind. Chichikov returns to the city.

VII

For a writer, happiness is to describe a human character that shows the highest aspirations and the best human virtues, and not just boring and nasty characters. Such literary work is revered.

It’s more difficult for a writer who describes “all the terrible, amazing tics of the little things that entangle our lives, all the depth of the cold, fragmented, everyday characters with which our earthly, sometimes bitter and boring path is teeming...”

Chichikov woke up rested and immediately decided to draw up documents for the deed of sale, so as not to pay too much to the clerks. Chichikov looks at the lists of souls and tries to understand how these people lived and died. It becomes clear to him that many in Rus' die not by natural causes, but due to various sad circumstances. Chichikov is almost late for the meeting where he is supposed to draw up the bills of sale.

Going out into the street, Chichikov meets Manilov, who was happy to see his friend again. He had already prepared the papers himself and decided to keep Chichikov company.

The friends went to the presence, where they spent a long time looking for a person who could draw up a bill of sale: officials directed them from one to another. Chichikov offered a bribe to one official, and then he was brought to the chairman, where Sobakevich also ended up.

Chichikov is a little nervous about the two salesmen coming face to face. They send for witnesses, as required by the terms of the deal.

The chairman is surprised why Sobakevich is selling such good peasants, and remembers about one that he died. But Sobakevich lied and got out of it. The chairman asks Chichikov what lands he wants to take the peasants to, and he tells a legend about an estate in the Kherson province.

Witnesses have been recruited and transactions have been completed. Everyone wants to celebrate this event, and therefore they go to the police chief’s house with drinks and snacks, which he picked up in the fish shops. There everyone eats and drinks a lot, persuading Chichikov not to leave them, but to stay for another 2 weeks. They even promise to marry him. All the landowners and officials are tired from drinking, Chichikov too, so he goes to the tavern to sleep. Petrushka and Selifan take this as a sign that they too can go out and get drunk.

VIII

Chichikov with his purchase of peasants for withdrawal became the subject of discussion. Everyone is wondering what it will be like for the peasants, whether they will run away from the new owner, whether they sold him good peasants. Landowners and officials are discussing whether the men will get drunk, whether Chichikov will be able to keep them in strictness, where he can find a manager so that there is no rebellion between the peasants.

It was decided that Chichikov should become almost a “father” to the men, then he would be able to cope with them. The police chief also offers a convoy to transport peasants, but Chichikov refuses.

There were rumors that Chichikov was a millionaire, because he had made transactions worth 100 thousand rubles.

“The residents of the city, as we already saw in the first chapter, fell in love with Chichikov, and now, after such rumors, they fell in love even more.”

Chichikov, with his ability to please people, became a native in the city, which is inhabited by sweet, sincere people.

Chichikov made a particularly strong impression on the women's community. The ladies of the city of N dressed well, knew how to behave elegantly and were in no way inferior to the ladies of St. Petersburg, and therefore became interested in the “millionaire”, considering him an interesting single man. The magical effect of this word affected everyone in the city. Once Chichikov even received an anonymous letter from some person in love with him.

Chichikov is invited to the governor's ball, where he feels like the hero of a novel: he is greeted by men and surrounded by ladies. The hero tries to figure out which of the ladies sent him a love letter, but comes to the conclusion that it is impossible to figure it out either by their behavior or by their faces - women are too delicately constructed.

Chichikov is shocked when the governor’s wife and her daughter approach him. This is the same girl whose crew he encountered on the road from Nozdryov. Chichikov answers in confusion and even becomes discourteous with the ladies, although they entertain him with conversations all evening.

Women dance, flirt, try to impress Chichikov, but now he is indifferent to everything. He goes to the governor’s wife and her daughter, sits down with them and tries to engage the girl in conversation, but she is bored. The ladies notice this and are outraged by Chichikov's neglect.

At this time, a tipsy Nozdryov appears in the hall and, seeing Chichikov, loudly says that he is a swindler buying up dead souls. Nozdryov is a known liar, but his words cause confusion in society. Chichikov behaves strangely, does not refute the lies and leaves before all the guests.

Arriving at the tavern, Chichikov mentally scolds the balls and everyone who goes to them. He doesn't respect these people, but he doesn't want to appear like a fraud and a scoundrel in front of them. But most of all he scolds Nozdryov and his scandalous trick.

At this moment, the landowner Korobochka enters the city to find out how much dead souls are being sold these days.

IX

Early in the morning, one nice lady from the city of N goes to her friend to tell her amazing news.

For some time the women discuss outfits, new styles and colors, promising to exchange patterns. Then comes the terrible news about Chichikov: he is a worthless person, not who he claims to be. The story of the landowner Korobochka, retold by several people, now has new details: Chichikov threatened to break her gate, burst in at night, armed to the teeth, and demanded to sell her dead souls.

The ladies speculate about what buying dead souls means and decide that Chichikov needs all this for cover. In fact, he wants to kidnap the governor's daughter, who is also not so simple.

Women decide that the girl has no manners and is immoral, expresses herself too frivolously and attracts men. Undoubtedly, the coquette fooled Chichikov.

Envy of the governor's daughter makes him find a lot of flaws in her, and the ladies almost quarreled over a discussion of her appearance.

They also decide that Chichikov was helped by an accomplice - Nozdryov.

The ladies explained the details of the case to the prosecutor who came in, and then went to spread the news throughout the city. However, the news was not explained logically, so the townspeople had questions: why buy dead souls to kidnap a girl and how could they even be used?

Then Chichikov's story spreads throughout the city, and everyone adds to it new artistic details about Chichikov's abandoned wife, about the secret forbidden love between him and the governor's daughter.

The city is divided into two parties: male and female, some are interested in dead souls, others - abduction.

Officials suspect that Chichikov is a sent auditor who is conducting a secret inspection. Now “dead souls” seem to be a hint of some sins, and checks are beginning to see where there could be violations. The townspeople do not understand whether they should detain Chichikov, or whether he himself will be able to detain them.

X

The townspeople gather advice from the police chief regarding the person of Chichikov. Many officials have lost weight from worries and worries, but have not yet been able to understand anything. The discussion is confusing because no one has any information. But the postmaster suddenly decides that Chichikov is the legendary captain Kopeikin. Since no one knows about him, he tells “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.”

After the war with Napoleon, Captain Kopeikin lost an arm and a leg. But since financial assistance for the disabled had not yet been assigned, he had to work. Kopeikin went to St. Petersburg, a very expensive city, to work. There he was advised to contact the general-in-chief to solve his problem. After 4 hours of waiting in the front reception room full of people, he was honored with a meeting with a statesman. The nobleman promised to help with the boarding house.

Kopeikin, out of joy, began to go on a spree and squander his money - in a restaurant, in a theater, in shops, and even almost hit a lady.

A few days later he comes to the nobleman again, but he tells him to wait for the sovereign’s arrival, because he cannot just give out money. Several days pass like this, Kopeikin suffers from need, but again tries to get an appointment. The nobleman asks him to resolve financial issues on his own, to which the disabled person replies that it is difficult for him to earn money without an arm and a leg. The general gives the order to escort Kopeikin to his place of residence at government expense. They grab him, put him in a cart and take him away, but on the way the captain disappears. Later, a gang of robbers appears in the forests, and their leader is Kopeikin. But now he is robbing here under the name of Chichikov.

They object to the postmaster that Chichikov has all his arms and legs. He quickly finds an explanation: Chichikov’s foreign prosthetics look like real limbs. These speculations are dismissed.

Another version: Chichikov is Napoleon in disguise. But this idea seems even more ridiculous.

The townspeople want to ask Nozdryov in more detail about Chichikov, even though Nozdryov is a liar. According to Nozdryov, Chichikov is a spy, a counterfeiter and a kidnapper. Nozdryov even invents the place and time of the secret wedding of Chichikov and the governor’s daughter. He also confirms that Chichikov is Napoleon. As a result, the officials abandon the idea of ​​finding out who their guest is.

The prosecutor, unable to withstand all these unrest, dies, and this amazes the public.

Chichikov knows nothing, lives alone, treats a cold. After 3 days he goes to make visits, but he is either not accepted or is treated as a stranger. Chichikov returns to the tavern. Nozdryov visits him and tells him what rumors are circulating about him and about the death of the prosecutor.

Chichikov decides to leave the city as soon as possible.

XI

Selifan, who knew about the breakdown of the chaise throughout the 3 weeks he spent in the city, did not report it. Chichikov demands to settle the issue with the blacksmith in 2 hours.

It takes 5 hours to fix and 6 times more money.

When Chichikov finally leaves the city, he sees a funeral procession. The prosecutor is buried. Chichikov is afraid that he will be recognized and peeks through the crack between the curtains.

Leaving the city, Chichikov sees landscapes and settlements that evoke a mixed feeling of longing and admiration.

The Russian road deserves the most poetic descriptions, because it gives the traveler time to think, see the beauty of the places, and unwind. But Chichikov does not experience sublime feelings.

The author is sure that Chichikov is an unpleasant hero, and the reader should not like him. But the writer’s choice is not accidental; the image of a good person is too often exploited, and it’s too easy to write about him. But writing about a scoundrel is much more interesting and difficult.

Chichikov came from a poor noble family, in which he did not feel parental love. The boy had no friends, he remembered only his strict father and boring studies at home, and then at school.

The boy forever learned his father’s instructions:

“...don’t be stupid and don’t hang around, but most of all please your teachers and bosses. Don’t hang out with your comrades, they won’t teach you any good; and if it comes to that, hang out with those who are richer. Don’t treat or treat anyone, but behave better so that you will be treated, and most of all, take care and save a penny: this thing is more reliable than anything in the world.”

Chichikov fulfilled his father's orders and soon increased his capital. From his father he received a small inheritance, which he turned into money. In addition, he worked hard in the treasury and saved money so that one day he could live properly.

Chichikov also learned to please and adapt to others, but at the same time lost his individuality: “There was absolutely nothing in him: neither villainous nor good, and something terrible appeared in this absence of everything.”

Chichikov advanced well in his career, even managing to turn the fight against bribes to his advantage, until the new boss fired him.

After many attempts to rebuild his career, Chichikov gets a job at customs. He is reputed to be honest and incorruptible, but in reality he is simply waiting for the right deal. As a result of fraud, he manages to receive 400 thousand in income. But the crime is revealed, Chichikov finds himself under investigation, and his property and money are confiscated.

He has to start from scratch, but he does not lose patience and enthusiasm. While working as an attorney, he encounters a loophole in the documents when dead peasants are listed as alive for some time before the audit. This pushes him to buy dead souls from landowners in order to later pawn them and get money.

For this Chichikov goes to the city of N, for this he traveled to others.

But Chichikov is not such a scoundrel, he simply highlights the characters of other people and the shortcomings of society.

Characters of Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" and their brief characteristics

The narrative of the novel-poem is a series of images of the bureaucratic and landowner classes. The characterization of the characters in the work against the backdrop of the difficult life of peasants creates an image of provincial Russia in the first half of the 19th century

Main characters

Chichikov

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is the main character. He is middle-aged, a former official (college assessor), and now a schemer: he appears before the reader during a trip across Russia, the purpose of which is to acquire the souls of dead peasants who are listed as alive according to documents. He needs souls to pledge them in a bank in order to take out a loan, and thereby gain a position in society.

In the person of the main character, Gogol portrayed a representative of the entrepreneurial class emerging in the Russian expanses. Chichikov’s active activity is strikingly different from other characters, and thus causes bewilderment and surprise among the latter, and becomes a mystery.

His appearance is unremarkable: the hero cannot be called handsome, but he is not bad either; not old in years, but not young either. But Pavel Ivanovich dresses smartly, is always fresh and clean, which makes him endearing. Like a chameleon, he is able to adapt to any interlocutor, so he can easily gain the trust of officials and landowners. Chichikov, if desired, gives the impression of a most pleasant person, and thus occupies the position he needs in society.

There is nothing mysterious about Chichikov. His inner world is subordinated to one fiery passion - profit. Even in his youth, Pavlusha Chichikov figured out how to make money at the expense of those richer than him. Once the father explained to the boy that the most reliable thing in this world is a penny. It must be protected and appreciated. Pavlusha firmly learned that only money gives the most desired thing in life.

Getting rich was Chichikov's goal, and he was not picky about the means to achieve it. Pavel Ivanovich had a lively practical mind and was not lazy: he diligently pursued his goal. The hero used deception, flattery, took bribes, and was inventive in fraud. Chichikov did not care about the moral side of the matter.

Box

Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka is an elderly landowner, widow. Her estate is small, but kept in perfect order. She manages the farm herself and sells products obtained from her farm. Nastasya Petrovna is a prudent and economical woman to the point of stinginess. Without keeping written records, she kept all the names of the peasants in her memory. All of Korobochka’s interests come down to everyday problems and the economic affairs of her estate. She sees nothing beyond this. In the image of this heroine, the writer showed the appearance of limited people, in particular landowners.

Nozdryov

A landowner in whom there is nothing solid or serious. He is a fidget, a carouser, a gambler: he constantly loses, but continues to play. Nozdryov loves to tell all sorts of tall tales, in which he is an active participant. The hero is widowed, his child grows up without fatherly attention. Nozdryov is only interested in momentary pleasures. A frivolous and empty person, he is indifferent to both his family and his household.

Manilov

Mr. Manilov is a representative of the class of sentimental landowners, prone to daydreaming and incapable of action. The hero is no longer young, at first he evokes a pleasant feeling, but a little later his sweetness to the point of cloying destroys the first impression.

Domestic problems and the disorder of the household do not bother Manilov, although he is a family man, he has two sons. This person doesn’t do anything useful, he just hatches some unrealistic and useless projects. Courteous, pleasant to talk to, the hero is stupid and mediocre.

Plyushkin

Stepan Plyushkin is a peculiar and interesting type of landowner. Judging by his appearance, you wouldn’t mistake him for the owner of the estate: when Chichikov met, he considered him an old housekeeper. The extremely stingy old man, impoverished from excessive saving, looked so absurd. Once upon a time there was a full-blooded life on his estate; Stepan had a family. Now Plyushkin vegetates alone, obsessed with preserving “good”. His hypertrophied stinginess manifests itself in the fact that he collects unnecessary garbage and carries it into the house. The peasants suffer from the greed of the landowner.

Sobakevich

Mikhail Semyonovich Sobakevich looks like a bear. Sedate, strong, practical, he represents the breed of landowners, similar in their make-up to rich peasants. His house and furniture proclaim reliability; the owner does not care about the aesthetic side. Mikhail Semyonovich is smart about profit: he agreed to sell dead souls to a visiting scoundrel even before his offer. Sobakevich is a business gentleman, he is ready for changes in society.

Other characters

• Selifan is Chichikov's servant, coachman, loves to drink and think about abstract topics. Due to these tendencies, he is often distracted from the road. But as a coachman, he is well versed in the characters of horses. The character is not very tall, is partial to purebred and slender girls, and loves to dance in circles with them.
• Petrushka is Chichikov’s footman, a young man of about thirty. His face is notable for his large lips and nose. Petrushka loves to brag about the travels he made with his master. Parsley likes to read: he is fascinated by how letters turn into words. He does not shy away from visiting taverns and drinking bread wines; he carries with him some special air, reminiscent of residential peace.
• Lizonka Manilova - Manilov's wife;
• Alcides and Themistocles - sons of Manilov, 6 and 8 years old;
• Feoduliya Ivanovna - Sobakevich's wife;
• A governor who is not brilliant;
• Governor's wife;
• The governor's daughter is a young girl who made an impression on Chichikov;
• “A lady pleasant in every way”;
• “The lady is just nice.”

The main characters of Gogol's poem "Dead Souls"

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov

- an enterprising businessman, a swindler, a new phenomenon of Russian reality, a new hero in Russian literature. The son of a poor nobleman, he dreamed of wealth since childhood. Having received instructions from his parent to save a penny, which is more reliable than anything in the world, to please his superiors and hang out with the rich, Pavel Ivanovich steadily followed his father’s behest.

He showed amazing restraint, cutting himself off in everything to save up. Chichikov’s mind was far from science; at school he showed no ability for it, but his practical acumen was amazing. Pavel Ivanovich also knew how to adapt to any person, making a wonderful impression.

Chichikov's appearance as a whole was pleasant, but there was nothing definite or memorable about it: neither fat nor thin, middle-aged, not handsome, but not stupid either. Pavel Ivanovich was very neat and paid great attention to his suit, which impressed those around him.

If it is necessary to be mean and obsequious in order to achieve a dream (a rich life), the hero did it without hesitation. Even during his apprenticeship, Pavlusha, through his efforts, gained the favor of the teacher, who was harsh towards other boys, and received an excellent certificate. When the teacher found himself in trouble, all the bad students collected money for him, and only the exemplary Pavlusha “excused himself by not having enough.” He acted in a similar way with his impenetrable boss. Chichikov was already considered his daughter’s fiancé, but as soon as the unlucky candidate for father-in-law began to scramble for a place for his future son-in-law, there was no longer any talk of marriage.

Pavel Ivanovich amassed capital through various tricks: he did not disdain bribes, he carried out frauds. He especially distinguished himself at customs, where he managed to hit a big jackpot from a society of smugglers. Having suffered an unexpected fiasco, the hero did not lose heart, did not drink like his accomplice, but started all over again and came up with a scam with dead souls.

No moral principles bother him; this enterprising and vile man, whose soul is dead to high ideals and noble intentions, strives to increase his fortune by any means. However, the hero’s cunningly planned scam failed again. Providence wanted it...

Manilov

- the first landowner on the list whom Chichikov visits. If among the landed nobility there were often zealous owners, there were also inactive, worthless dreamers. Manilov belongs to the latter. His image is somewhat hyperbolic.

There is a lot of sugar in the pleasantness of his face: blond, blue-eyed, with an alluring smile. Manilov is sentimental, full of unrealizable plans and absurd fantasies. His farming goes on by itself, he is not interested in it. The character loves to philosophize and dreams of a neighbor for intimate conversations. Manilov is courteous, courteous, and tries to please everyone. In life, he observes everything and everyone dispassionately, and is not indignant at anyone or anything: neither bribe-takers, nor embezzlers, whom he calls the most respectable people. Manilov, in essence, is indifferent to everything - an indicator of the deadness of the soul.

Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna

- a landowner who owns a small village, a widow. Chichikov ended up with her by chance. She treats her small estate in a businesslike, thrifty manner, and keeps it in order. Korobochka is entrepreneurial: it sells natural products. This woman is very limited, she is not interested in anything except her estate. All people are just prospective buyers for her. She lives in abundance, but does not miss an opportunity to complain about life. In the deal with Chichikov, she was afraid to sell herself cheap and tried to extract as much benefit as possible from the unexpected buyer of dead souls.

Nozdryov

- a landowner from the category of playmakers. He is still young and fresh-looking. The character wastes his energetic energy on carousing, while the farm is in a neglected state. Nozdryov is stupid, frivolous, loves to lie, boast, and often becomes a participant in stories with fights. A widower with two children, he neglects their upbringing. The peasants living on his estate are also indifferent to him.

Sobakevich Mikhail Semenovich

- a landowner from the economic category. Sobakevich is no longer young, but strong and healthy. He is rude in appearance and nature, values ​​reliability and practicality in things, Mikhail Semyonovich does not care about beauty. The distrustful, quick-witted Sobakevich reliably arranged his farm. His serfs were not offended. The master sometimes worked the same way as the peasants. In practical matters, the hero is smart and cunning; he quickly understood the meaning of Chichikov’s acquisition of dead souls and began to bargain, trying to sell at a higher price.

Plyushkin

- the richest landowner (he has more than a thousand souls), who is notable for his extreme stinginess. Once he was a family man and simply thrifty, but in his old age his frugality became excessive. He walks around in rags, eats poorly, and drags all sorts of rubbish into the house. His estate looks no better; the peasants also suffer from the stinginess of the landowner. Despite his wealth, Plyushkin is a pitiful, lonely old man, his inner world is also unattractive.

Analysis of the work

History of creation

Years of writing Dead Souls: 1835–1842. The year of publication of the first volume is 1842. It is generally accepted that the plot of the work was suggested to Gogol by Pushkin.

Subject

The morals of officials and landowners, the vices of society and human life in Rus' in the first half of the 19th century.

Issues

1. Obstacle to Russia's development:

• bribery and embezzlement of officials;
• parasitism, infantilism of the nobility;
• the slave status of the peasants.

1. The immorality of many representatives of the upper class (landowners, serving nobility, holding positions of major officials).
2. Cruelty, ingrained in the consciousness of the majority by everyday life: people are sold, lost at cards.

Idea

The original idea of ​​the work is to show Rus' as a whole. In the course of his work, Gogol narrowed the idea to an exposure of social mores, vulgarity and lack of spirituality of the landowner class. Gogol’s goal is not just to expose vices, but to force people to look at themselves from the outside, to help them see how rude, petty, uninteresting and immoral they are.

Composition

The composition of the first volume is circular, since at the beginning and end of the story Chichikov rides in a chaise. At the beginning he enters the city of NN, at the end he urgently leaves it after everything that happened.

The composition has three parts:

1. portrait chapters (2–6), they give types of landowners;
2. the city and officials (chapters 1.7–10), the troubles with registering deeds of sale, rumors in the city about Chichikov are described;
3. backstory of the main character (chapter 11).

Thus, the composition of the poem consists of three circles - landowners, city life, and the story of the main character. They are united by the image of the road along which, carried away by his scam, Chichikov constantly moves.

Genre

The genre, as defined by the author, is a prose poem. Most literary scholars tend to consider Dead Souls a novel.

At first, Gogol planned to write “Dead Souls” in the genre of an adventurous picaresque novel. The desire to give the work historical truthfulness prompted the author to think about the realistic method. Humor, irony and satire on the pages of Dead Souls give the right to call the novel a comedy. Many lyrical digressions and the richness of the Russian language add rare poetry to the prosaic text. The author rightly called his work a poem.

“Dead Souls” is one of the great works of Russian classical literature. Classic is always modern. The vices of human nature and society, ridiculed by Gogol, are relevant to this day. A person does not change, he remains with the same sins, and seeing them is useful for him to think about his ugliness.

The main idea of ​​the poem

In the seventh chapter, Chichikov thinks about what the dead people he bought were like. He mentally revives them and gives free rein to his imagination. In this question, Chichikov’s soul was revealed. The author assumes its purification. This means that everyone can be resurrected in soul. The possibility of the moral rebirth of a dead soul is the main idea of ​​the poem.

On a larger scale, Gogol believed in Russia and connected its future with the moral resurrection of the people. The writer notes the spiritual strength of the peasant character, pays tribute to the working man, despite the fact that the work is dedicated to Chichikov’s scam, his closeness to the vicious bureaucracy. The description of the negative aspects of life and morals has the goal of ridiculing and condemning dead souls, which will help the reader rise higher, and with him the whole country.

“Dead Souls” characteristics of heroes

“Dead Souls”, the images of the story convincingly reveal the inner wretchedness of the landowners. Each of them has individual characteristics. However, they are all landowners, so they also have something in common, generated by the system: parasitism, living at the expense of the serfs; limited animal interests, lack of any high ideological motives of the soul; baseness, dulling of human feelings, gross selfishness; lack of socially useful activities. All of them are “dead souls”. This is how Gogol saw it.

“Dead Souls” characteristics of heroes

Image of Chichikov “Dead Souls”

Chichikov is outwardly neat, loves cleanliness, dressed in a good fashionable suit, always carefully shaved; He always wears clean linen and fashionable clothes “of brown and reddish shades with a spark” or “the color of Navarino smoke with fire.” But Chichikov’s external neatness and cleanliness contrasts strikingly with the hero’s internal dirt and dishonesty. With the image of Chichikov, the author emphasized the typical traits of a predator, a scoundrel and a hoarder. In the eleventh chapter, the author talks in detail about the hero’s life path from birth to the moment when he began acquiring dead souls. How was Chichikov's character formed? What vital interests, formed under the influence of the external environment, guided his behavior? Even as a child, his father taught him: “... most of all, please teachers and bosses... communicate with those who are richer, so that in some cases they will be useful to you, and most of all, save a penny, this thing is the most useful in the world... You will do everything and break through the world a penny." These father's advice formed the basis of Chichikov's relationships with people since his school years. While still at school, he achieved good relations with teachers and successfully accumulated money. Service in various institutions developed his natural abilities - a practical mind, ingenuity, hypocrisy, patience, the ability to “understand the spirit of the boss,” to find a weak spot in a person’s soul and the ability to influence him for selfish reasons. Chichikov directed all his skills to achieve the desired enrichment. He knew how to bewitch both the provincial city and the estate. Chichikov knows how to find an approach to someone, clearly calculating his every step and adapting to the character of the landowner. The reader notices the difference in the manner of his communication with each of the landowners. Gogol satirically exposes his “scoundrel” hero, a representative of those predators who appeared in large numbers in the 30s of the 19th century, when bourgeois-capitalist forces had already begun to develop within the framework of the feudal-serf order.

Image of Manilov

The image of Manilov opens a gallery of landowners. He is a little reminiscent of Chichikov with his “sweet” neatness and sophistication of clothes and movements. Her life is empty and worthless. Manilov even gives exceptional names to his sons - Themistoclus and Alcides. The landowner spends his life in complete inactivity. He has withdrawn from any work and does not even read anything. Manilov decorates his idleness with groundless dreams and “projects” that make no sense. Instead of real feeling, Manilov has a “pleasant smile”, sweet courtesy; instead of thoughts - meaningless judgments; instead of activity - empty dreams. As for the main purpose of Chichikov’s visit, Manilov does not even know how many of his peasants have died, and shows complete indifference to this.

Image of the Box

Nastasia Petrovna Korobochka appears before us as a parody of a person, the embodiment of the same spiritual emptiness as Manilov. A small landowner (owns 80 souls), she is a housewife, but her worldview is extremely limited. The author emphasizes her stupidity, lack of education, superstitiousness, and desire for profit. You can't always trust first impressions. Chichikov is deceived by Korobochka's external simplicity, naive patriarchal speech, which indicates that she has always lived in the village, among the peasants, has not received any education, and is in the city for the sole purpose of finding out about the prices of certain goods. Chichikov calls Korobochka “club-headed,” but this landowner is no stupider than him; like him, she will never miss her advantage. She knows well what is being done on her farm, at what price and what products are sold, how many serfs she has, whose names are and how many died when.

Image of Nozdryov

The type of “living dead” is represented by Nozdryov. This is the complete opposite of both Manilov and Korobochka. He has "irrepressible liveliness and belligerence of character." He is a reveler, a scoundrel and a liar. Even without understanding the essence of Chichikov’s scam, he recognizes him as a scoundrel. Nozdryov has completely abandoned his farm; only the kennel is well maintained, since he loves hunting.

Image of Sobakevich

Sobakevich is a new step in the moral decline of man. He is an adherent of the old feudal forms of farming, is hostile to the city and education, and ardently strives for profit. The thirst for enrichment pushes him to dishonest acts. This landowner knows how to run a farm. Wealth gives him self-confidence and makes him independent in his judgment. He knows well how rich other landowners and high officials in the province have become and deeply neglects them. Sobakevich, in addition to corvée, also uses a monetary system. His serfs die due to inhuman living conditions, since he behaves cruelly with them, despite their talents and abilities. And his peasants are truly talented: the skilled carriage maker Mikheev, the carpenter Stepan Probka, the Tsegelnik Milushkin, the shoemaker Maxim Telyatnikov and others. Chichikov’s request to sell “dead souls” does not surprise Sobakevich, since he is convinced that money can be made from anything. The author emphasizes the broad generalizing meaning of this image.

Image of Plyushkin

“A hole in humanity,” Plyushkin is the complete opposite of Sobakevich. He has lost so much of his human semblance that Chichikov at first considers him the housekeeper. Undoubtedly, he has income, and considerable one: over a thousand souls of serfs, barns full of all sorts of goods. However, his extreme stinginess turns the wealth earned for him by the hard work of the serfs into dust and rot. Is there anything dear to him in life? Plyushkin forgot why he lives in the world. His serfs suffer from their master's stinginess and "die like flies." According to Sobakevich, he starved all the people to death. Everything human died in him; this is in the full sense of the word “dead soul”. This landowner has no human qualities; even his father’s things are more valuable to him than people whom he considers thieves and swindlers. The image of Plyushkin embodies with particular strength and satirical sharpness the shameful desire for accumulation at any cost, born of society. It is no coincidence that Gogol completes the gallery of landowners with the image of Plyushkin. The author shows what can happen to each of them. Gogol is offended by the desecration of man as the likeness of God. He says: “And could a person reach such insignificance, pettiness, disgusting? Could it have changed so much! and does this seem true? Everything seems to be true, anything can happen to a person...”

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“The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” in the poem “Dead Souls”

The story is part of the tenth chapter of the poem. It talks about the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Captain Kopeikin. In the battle he lost an arm and a leg, and was left without funds due to disability. The captain turned to his father, but he could not help him in any way. The hero headed to St. Petersburg, reasonably counting on remuneration for military service and the required compensation for disability. Officials make excuses, they only promise. Without the “royal favor” located outside Russia, they do not consider the case. Kopeikin persisted, but to no avail.

A little time passed, and a gang began to operate in the Ryazan forests. It was assumed that it was headed by Captain Kopeikin.

When the entire poem was approved by the censors, “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” in the first edition was not allowed to be published. Gogol considered the story one of the best passages in the work, and without it he did not agree to publish Dead Souls. The writer had to edit the story, that is, smooth out the rough edges. The censor missed the second edition.

Characteristics of the main characters of the work “Dead Souls”

The main characters in Gogol’s “Dead Souls” were landowners from different neighborhoods of the city. Gogol did not specifically indicate which city he was referring to, because at that time the events described in the work were a normal occurrence for most towns and cities. There are several heroes in the work, on whom the plot revolves. Of course, one cannot ignore the main character Chichikov, on whom the storyline is based - all the other characters complete this image, showing the absurdity of the situation.

Chichikov was once an official, but now he has begun to engage in fraud: he buys “dead souls” in order to take out a loan at their expense as living ones and gain respect in society. He tries to impress everyone who surrounds him, so he dresses like a brand new man, constantly looking as if he had just left the barber and tailor.

“Not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat, nor too thin, one cannot say that he is old, but not that he is too young,” - this is how Gogol described his hero. Cunning and thoughtful, Chichikov finds a way to find a common language with the landowners and buy back “dead souls” from them and present them as alive in order to achieve the desired goal. He knows how to dodge, come up with excuses just to get what he wants.

Manilov is a landowner who does not want to do anything for his territory, he is lazy, and his own peasants take their example from him. In total there are 200 huts on his estate, but outwardly it does not resemble a rich and decent village, where there is something to see. Nobody wants to work and improve living conditions. Manilov likes to spend time in his office, sitting in a chair and smoking a pipe. He loves his family, is very friendly and romantic, but terribly lazy.

Old Woman Korobochka is a suspicious, thrifty woman of advanced years, she knows how to keep everything in her fist, so it’s fun to look at her estate. Her peasants work well, tidy up their huts and other buildings, and Korobochka herself sells goods that she collects from her own workers. Outwardly, she is not very attractive: “... the hostess, an elderly woman, came in, in some kind of sleeping cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck...” “... She was dressed better than yesterday - in a dark dress and no longer in a sleeping cap, but there was still something tied around the neck..."

Nozdryov is a young landowner. His wife died, but he does not love his children and does not care for them. It is more important for him to interact with his dogs, of which he has a whole pack. He does not control the work of his peasants, he is often not at home, because he spends his time on sprees and drinking. He has a cheerful character, loves to have fun and spend time with his equally lively friends: “... Nozdryov is a rubbish person, Nozdryov can lie, add, spread God knows what, some other gossip will come out...”

Sobakevich lives richly and holds his peasants firmly in his hands. Therefore, they work conscientiously, building reliable huts. The landowner himself looks like a bear - just as strong, healthy, slightly clumsy and straight: "... this time he seemed very similar to a medium-sized bear. To complete the similarity, the tailcoat he was wearing was completely bear-colored, his sleeves were long, his trousers were long, he walked with his feet this way and that, constantly stepping on other people’s feet. The complexion had a red-hot, hot complexion, like what happens on a copper coin..."

Plyushkin likes to drag everything into the house. He eats crackers and walks around in tattered clothes, while he has 1000 peasants who are forced to live in old houses. The landowner himself does not sell goods to anyone and they rot in storerooms, and if he does sell, he inflates prices to such an extent that no one wants to buy such an expensive product. As the author speaks about appearance: ... he [Chichikov] has never seen anything like this. His face was nothing special; it was almost the same as that of many thin old men, one chin only protruded very far forward, so that he had to cover it with a handkerchief every time so as not to spit; the small eyes had not yet gone out and ran from under the high eyebrows like mice..."

As we see, all these landowners and Chichikov have one thing in common: having power, they begin to lose their minds, because such power gives unlimited opportunities and everyone begins to go crazy in their own way. Everyone has shortcomings, and everyone will want to receive a reward for selling Chichikov some dead souls. Such fraud has been and will be in human society, but over time it takes on a slightly different meaning and outer shell.

Curious facts about the history of the creation of the poem

There is a legend that the plot of the poem was suggested by Pushkin. But most likely there was no direct clue. The plot developed from a letter from Pushkin to his comrade Pletnev. In it, the poet wrote about his upcoming marriage and about the dowry that he formed after mortgaging two hundred souls.

The concept of “Dead Souls” was grandiose. Gogol took Dante’s “Divine Comedy” as a model for his work. The writer wanted to lead his heroes through hell, purgatory and heaven, like Dante’s, in earthly life.

The first volume is the hell of feudal Russia. The second volume is purgatory. Gogol broke down on it and, as they say, burned it. Paradise - the third volume remained in the plans.

In the second volume, Chichikov's soul became a battlefield between good and evil. In the third volume, he was a hero who had to repent and take the path of good.

Description of Chichikov

The main character of Gogol's work is the buyer of the souls of dead peasants Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. Undoubtedly, he represents the main image of the novel, although he is a hypocritical and deceitful person.

Pavel Ivanovich is a landowner of pleasant appearance, neither handsome nor ugly, of good physique, not too young. The landowner has no soul; it has long since become dead, becoming a place only for money. The character is deprived of human feelings, forgets what the joy of life is.

The author notes that Chichikov does not have his own manner of behavior, he adapts to the person with whom he communicates. He is present in all chapters, this proves his versatility and ability to find a way out of any current situation. Chichikov's intentions are difficult to understand, since he is a character who is always and everywhere ready to give in, just to find benefit for himself.

Film adaptations

The great work has been filmed many times.

For the first time - in 1909 by director Pyotr Chardynin. The film-play “Dead Souls” by Leonid Trauberg was filmed in 1960, based on the dramatization by Mikhail Bulgakov (1930). In 1969, a film-play by Alexander Belinsky was shot on Leningrad Television.

In the 70s, two animated films based on the plot of “Dead Souls” (Boris Stepantsev) were shot.

Perhaps the most successful version of “Dead Souls” in cinema is the film by Mikhail Schweitzer with Alexander Kalyagin in the title role (1984).

Pavel Lungin directed a film based on “Dead and Souls” (2005). In 2019, a free adaptation of the poem took place in the television series “Gogol”. In the 2021 series (G. Constantinople), Gogol’s images are introduced into modern Russia.

The main characters of the poem “Dead Souls”

Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is deservedly considered one of the best works of Russian literature. Among its many advantages is the description of a large number of heroes, sometimes very different from each other, but whose behavior and characters are relevant today.

So, the main characters of the poem “Dead Souls”:

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov - A gentleman of average build and middle age (35-40 years old). Very inquisitive and courteous. He knew how to adapt to those with whom he was talking at the right moment. Was able to obtain the necessary information. He did not hesitate to communicate with people of the lower class.

Chichikov was of noble origin. Once upon a time, his father, having sent him to the city to study, taught Pavlusha the following lesson: “Look, Pavlusha, study, don’t be stupid and don’t hang around, but most of all please your teachers and bosses. If you please your boss, then, even though you don’t have time in science and God hasn’t given you talent, you will put everything into action and get ahead of everyone else. Don’t hang out with your comrades, they won’t teach you any good, but if it comes to that, hang out with those who are richer, so that they can be useful to you on occasion. Don’t treat or treat anyone, but behave better so that you will be treated, and most of all, take care and save a penny: this thing is more reliable than anything in the world. A comrade or friend will deceive you and in trouble will be the first to betray you, but a penny will not betray you, no matter what trouble you are in. You will do everything and ruin everything in the world with a penny.”

While still in classes, he behaved with his friends in such a way that they treated him, but he never treated anyone. He even managed to sell the gingerbread cookies and buns that his comrades treated him to.

He knew how to please those people who were useful to him. . As soon as he achieved his goal, he simply disappeared from the lives of those people. Knowing that a person is greeted by his clothes, he knew how to be neat and friendly. He did not save money for the sake of money. He dreamed of wealth, luxury, and a well-fed life.

Arriving in the city, Chichikov paid visits to city officials, trying to flatter each of them. He spoke about himself in general phrases. Showed secular manners, knew how to carry on any conversation, whether it concerned horses, dogs, or even the government chamber

The coachman Selifan is a drunkard. But he will never admit that he accepted it. Knowing the master’s character, he willingly agrees with everything he says. Even if he got whipped. Obviously, he knows that things will not go further than threats. If you have committed a fine, it is better to agree. The skin will be more intact. Likes to speculate. He has a warm, humane attitude towards horses.