The poem “Dead Souls” was written at a time when serfdom dominated in Russia. The landowners disposed of their peasants, like things or livestock, and could buy and sell them. The wealth of the landowner was determined by the number of peasants who belonged to him. After about 10 years, the state carried out a census of “souls.” According to census lists, landowners paid taxes for peasants. If in the interval between two revisions a peasant died, the landowner

Korobochka is a homely housewife, but with a narrow mental outlook. She sees nothing but kopecks and two-kopeck coins. A bankrupt landowner and spendthrift, Nozdryov, who is capable of “disposing of” his entire farm in a few days.

Sobakevich is also shown as a landowner-kulak, who is very far from enlightenment, from the progressive ideas of society. For the sake of profit, he is capable of trickery, forgery, and deception. He even manages to sell Chichikov a woman instead of a man.

The limit of moral decline is Plyushkin’s hole in humanity.” He regrets wasting his wealth not only for others, but also for himself. He doesn't have lunch and dresses in torn clothes. He harbors distrust and hostility towards people, and shows cruelty and injustice towards the peasants. His fatherly feelings have died out in him; things are more valuable to him than people. “And a person could condescend to such insignificance, pettiness, and disgust,” Gogol exclaims bitterly about Plyushkin.

In “Dead Souls” a whole gallery of officials of that time is displayed. The emptiness of their existence, lack of serious interests, extreme ignorance is shown; there are no images of the people in the poem, but certain places and works breathe love for them, faith in them. The author makes you admire the living and... the lively Russian mind, quickness, endurance, strength and enterprise of the Russian peasant. And believing in these qualities of the people, Gogol predicts the happiness of Russia in its distant future, comparing Rus' with a bird or three flying into the distance, where changes for the better await it.

Gogol made a huge contribution to the history of Russian society! The writer died, but his works have not lost their significance even today. People like those portrayed by Gogol have disappeared, but certain features of these heroes can be found in our time. Gogol helps us see the negative meaning of these traits, teaches us to understand their harm and fight them.

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol created a large number of interesting characters. Among this motley diversity, a truly amazing character stands out - Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. We meet Chichikov in the first chapter of Dead Souls. What is noteworthy is that he does not stand out in any way - neither young nor old, not handsome, but not of bad appearance, not too fat and one cannot say that he is thin. In the creation of Chichikov - this embodiment of averageness - Gogol's genius was revealed. According to the canons of Russian literature of that time, a person like Pavel Chichikov could not be the hero of a large literary work, especially one called a poem by the author.

Chichikov's character is somewhere between precise calculation and crime. This man of unusually decent appearance is engaged in illegal activities. Chichikov, by and large, steals money from the board of trustees - an organization designed to deal with the problems of socially vulnerable citizens. If Chichikov fell into the hands of justice, he would be guaranteed hard labor and loss of rights, that is, deprivation of his noble title. When following Chichikov's adventures, you should always remember this. Throughout all eleven chapters of the first volume of Dead Souls, Pavel Ivanovich, as they say, “walks under the article.”

And only the complacency and general mental slumber of the people surrounding the economic criminal allow Chichikov to escape punishment for the first time. Chichikov is an excellent entrepreneur. He makes his deals masterfully and knows how to find the key to each of his business partners. In addition, Pavel Ivanovich brilliantly arranges administrative support for himself, the so-called “roof”. Many of the local politicians fall within the scope of his activities. The sellers of dead souls partly understand the illegality of these trading operations, but the temptation to get money for virtually nothing makes them accomplices of Chichikov. Even Gogol’s contemporaries noted that the purchase and sale of dead souls, according to the legislation in force at that time, was impossible. But time has erased these incongruities, and we observe Pavel Ivanovich’s business activity, not without pleasure.

Probably, many of the readers can envy those simpler times when it was so easy to deceive the state - all you need is a good idea, a little money and personal charm, which Chichikov possessed to the fullest. Having mentioned the business and human qualities of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, one cannot help but dwell on the modernity of his character. Gogol's contemporaries perceived the main character of Dead Souls with poorly concealed disgust. Today Chichikov looks like a completely nice and fairly harmless swindler. Indeed, Pavel Ivanovich did not hire killers to kill competitors, did not buy votes of State Duma deputies, did not sell weapons and drugs, and did not corrupt minors. Today Chichikov, of course, would have achieved some success in business, but he would never have reached significant heights.

Probably, Pavel Ivanovich would lack the cynicism and extreme cruelty that have made current officials famous far beyond the CIS. Speaking about the character of Pavel Ivanovich, one cannot help but say that Gogol intended to make his hero a worthy person. The conversation about Chichikov’s spiritual improvement was supposed to be in the plot-driven second and unfinished third volumes of the poem “Dead Souls.” One can only imagine what trials, what spiritual struggles this born entrepreneur would have to endure in order to become different. Fortunately, only the first and only volume of “Dead Souls” remains in Russian literature forever - one of the best works written in Russian.

“Dead Souls” is a poem for the ages. The plasticity of the depicted reality, the comic nature of situations and the artistic skill of N.V. Gogol paints an image of Russia not only of the past, but also of the future. Grotesque satirical reality in harmony with patriotic notes create an unforgettable melody of life that sounds through the centuries.

Collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov goes to distant provinces to buy serfs. However, he is not interested in people, but only in the names of the dead. This is necessary to submit the list to the board of trustees, which “promises” a lot of money. For a nobleman with so many peasants, all doors were open. To implement his plans, he pays visits to landowners and officials of the city of NN. They all reveal their selfish nature, so the hero manages to get what he wants. He is also planning a profitable marriage. However, the result is disastrous: the hero is forced to flee, as his plans become publicly known thanks to the landowner Korobochka.

History of creation

N.V. Gogol believed A.S. Pushkin as his teacher, who “gave” the grateful student a story about Chichikov’s adventures. The poet was sure that only Nikolai Vasilyevich, who has a unique talent from God, could realize this “idea”.

The writer loved Italy and Rome. In the land of the great Dante, he began work on a book suggesting a three-part composition in 1835. The poem was supposed to be similar to Dante's Divine Comedy, depicting the hero's descent into hell, his wanderings in purgatory and the resurrection of his soul in heaven.

The creative process continued for six years. The idea of ​​a grandiose painting, depicting not only “all Rus'” present, but also the future, revealed “the untold riches of the Russian spirit.” In February 1837, Pushkin died, whose “sacred testament” for Gogol became “Dead Souls”: “Not a single line was written without me imagining him before me.” The first volume was completed in the summer of 1841, but did not immediately find its reader. The censorship was outraged by “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin”, and the title led to bewilderment. I had to make concessions by starting the title with the intriguing phrase “The Adventures of Chichikov.” Therefore, the book was published only in 1842.

After some time, Gogol writes the second volume, but, dissatisfied with the result, burns it.

Meaning of the name

The title of the work causes conflicting interpretations. The oxymoron technique used gives rise to numerous questions to which you want to get answers as quickly as possible. The title is symbolic and ambiguous, so the “secret” is not revealed to everyone.

In the literal sense, “dead souls” are representatives of the common people who have passed into another world, but are still listed as their masters. The concept is gradually being rethought. The “form” seems to “come to life”: real serfs, with their habits and shortcomings, appear before the reader’s gaze.

Characteristics of the main characters

1. Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is a “mediocre gentleman.” Somewhat cloying manners in dealing with people are not without sophistication. Well-mannered, neat and delicate. “Not handsome, but not bad-looking, not... fat, nor.... thin..." Calculating and careful. He collects unnecessary trinkets in his little chest: maybe it will come in handy! Seeks profit in everything. The generation of the worst sides of an enterprising and energetic person of a new type, opposed to landowners and officials. We wrote about him in more detail in the essay "".
2. Manilov - “knight of the void”. A blond "sweet" talker with "blue eyes." He covers up the poverty of thought and avoidance of real difficulties with a beautiful phrase. He lacks living aspirations and any interests. His faithful companions are fruitless fantasy and thoughtless chatter.
3. The box is “club-headed”. A vulgar, stupid, stingy and tight-fisted nature. She cut herself off from everything around her, shutting herself up in her estate - the “box”. She turned into a stupid and greedy woman. Limited, stubborn and unspiritual.
4. Nozdryov is a “historical person”. He can easily lie whatever he wants and deceive anyone. Empty, absurd. He thinks of himself as broad-minded. However, his actions expose a careless, chaotic, weak-willed and at the same time arrogant, shameless “tyrant.” Record holder for getting into tricky and ridiculous situations.
5. Sobakevich is “a patriot of the Russian stomach.” Outwardly it resembles a bear: clumsy and irrepressible. Completely incapable of understanding the most basic things. A special type of “storage device” that can quickly adapt to the new requirements of our time. He is not interested in anything except running a household. we described in the essay of the same name.
6. Plyushkin - “a hole in humanity.” A creature of unknown gender. A striking example of moral decline, which has completely lost its natural appearance. The only character (except Chichikov) who has a biography that “reflects” the gradual process of personality degradation. A complete nonentity. Plyushkin’s manic hoarding “pours out” into “cosmic” proportions. And the more this passion takes possession of him, the less of a person remains in him. We analyzed his image in detail in the essay .

Genre and composition

Initially, the work began as an adventure - a picaresque novel. But the breadth of the events described and the historical truthfulness, as if “compressed” together, gave rise to “talking” about the realistic method. Making precise remarks, inserting philosophical arguments, addressing different generations, Gogol imbued “his brainchild” with lyrical digressions. One cannot but agree with the opinion that Nikolai Vasilyevich’s creation is a comedy, since it actively uses the techniques of irony, humor and satire, which most fully reflect the absurdity and arbitrariness of the “squadron of flies that dominates Rus'.”

The composition is circular: the chaise, which entered the city of NN at the beginning of the story, leaves it after all the vicissitudes that happened to the hero. Episodes are woven into this “ring”, without which the integrity of the poem is violated. The first chapter provides a description of the provincial city of NN and local officials. From the second to the sixth chapters, the author introduces readers to the landowner estates of Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdryov, Sobakevich and Plyushkin. The seventh - tenth chapters are a satirical depiction of officials, the execution of completed transactions. The string of events listed above ends with a ball, where Nozdryov “narrates” about Chichikov’s scam. The reaction of society to his statement is unambiguous - gossip, which, like a snowball, is overgrown with fables that have found refraction, including in the short story (“The Tale of Captain Kopeikin”) and the parable (about Kif Mokievich and Mokiya Kifovich). The introduction of these episodes allows us to emphasize that the fate of the fatherland directly depends on the people living in it. You cannot look indifferently at the disgrace happening around you. Certain forms of protest are maturing in the country. The eleventh chapter is a biography of the hero who forms the plot, explaining what motivated him when committing this or that act.

The connecting compositional thread is the image of the road (you can learn more about this by reading the essay “ » ), symbolizing the path that the state takes in its development “under the modest name of Rus'.”

Why does Chichikov need dead souls?

Chichikov is not just cunning, but also pragmatic. His sophisticated mind is ready to “make candy” out of nothing. Not having sufficient capital, he, being a good psychologist, having gone through a good life school, mastering the art of “flattering everyone” and fulfilling his father’s behest to “save a penny,” starts a great speculation. It consists of a simple deception of “those in power” in order to “warm up their hands”, in other words, to gain a huge amount of money, thereby providing for themselves and their future family, which Pavel Ivanovich dreamed of.

The names of dead peasants bought for next to nothing were entered into a document that Chichikov could take to the treasury chamber under the guise of collateral in order to obtain a loan. He would have pawned the serfs like a brooch in a pawnshop, and could have re-mortgaged them all his life, since none of the officials checked the physical condition of the people. For this money, the businessman would have bought real workers and an estate, and would have lived in grand style, enjoying the favor of the nobles, because the nobles measured the wealth of the landowner in the number of souls (peasants were then called “souls” in noble slang). In addition, Gogol's hero hoped to gain trust in society and profitably marry a rich heiress.

main idea

A hymn to the homeland and people, the distinguishing feature of which is hard work, sounds on the pages of the poem. The masters of golden hands became famous for their inventions and their creativity. The Russian man is always “rich in invention.” But there are also those citizens who hinder the development of the country. These are vicious officials, ignorant and inactive landowners and swindlers like Chichikov. For their own good, the good of Russia and the world, they must take the path of correction, realizing the ugliness of their inner world. To do this, Gogol mercilessly ridicules them throughout the entire first volume, but in subsequent parts of the work the author intended to show the resurrection of the spirit of these people using the example of the main character. Perhaps he felt the falseness of the subsequent chapters, lost faith that his dream was feasible, so he burned it along with the second part of “Dead Souls.”

However, the author showed that the main wealth of the country is the broad soul of the people. It is no coincidence that this word is included in the title. The writer believed that the revival of Russia would begin with the revival of human souls, pure, untainted by any sins, selfless. Not just those who believe in the free future of the country, but those who make a lot of effort on this fast road to happiness. “Rus, where are you going?” This question runs like a refrain throughout the book and emphasizes the main thing: the country must live in constant movement towards the best, advanced, progressive. Only on this path “do other peoples and states give her the way.” We wrote a separate essay about Russia’s path: ?

Why did Gogol burn the second volume of Dead Souls?

At some point, the thought of the messiah begins to dominate in the writer’s mind, allowing him to “foresee” the revival of Chichikov and even Plyushkin. Gogol hopes to reverse the progressive “transformation” of a person into a “dead man.” But, faced with reality, the author experiences deep disappointment: the heroes and their destinies emerge from the pen as far-fetched and lifeless. It didn't work out. The impending crisis in worldview was the reason for the destruction of the second book.

In the surviving excerpts from the second volume, it is clearly visible that the writer portrays Chichikov not in the process of repentance, but in flight towards the abyss. He still succeeds in adventures, dresses in a devilish red tailcoat and breaks the law. His revelation does not bode well, because in his reaction the reader will not see a sudden insight or a hint of shame. He doesn’t even believe in the possibility of such fragments ever existing. Gogol did not want to sacrifice artistic truth even for the sake of realizing his own plan.

Issues

1. Thorns on the path of development of the Motherland are the main problem in the poem “Dead Souls” that the author was worried about. These include bribery and embezzlement of officials, infantilism and inactivity of the nobility, ignorance and poverty of the peasants. The writer sought to make his contribution to the prosperity of Russia, condemning and ridiculing vices, educating new generations of people. For example, Gogol despised doxology as a cover for the emptiness and idleness of existence. The life of a citizen should be useful to society, but most of the characters in the poem are downright harmful.
2. Moral problems. He views the lack of moral standards among representatives of the ruling class as the result of their ugly passion for hoarding. The landowners are ready to shake the soul out of the peasant for the sake of profit. Also, the problem of selfishness comes to the fore: the nobles, like officials, think only about their own interests, the homeland for them is an empty weightless word. High society does not care about the common people, they simply use them for their own purposes.
3. The crisis of humanism. People are sold like animals, lost at cards like things, pawned like jewelry. Slavery is legal and is not considered immoral or unnatural. Gogol illuminated the problem of serfdom in Russia globally, showing both sides of the coin: the slave mentality inherent in the serf, and the tyranny of the owner, confident in his superiority. All these are the consequences of tyranny that permeates relationships in all levels of society. It corrupts people and ruins the country.
4. The author's humanism is manifested in his attention to the “little man” and critical exposure of the vices of the government system. Gogol did not even try to avoid political problems. He described a bureaucracy that functioned only on the basis of bribery, nepotism, embezzlement and hypocrisy.
5. Gogol's characters are characterized by the problem of ignorance and moral blindness. Because of it, they do not see their moral squalor and are not able to independently get out of the quagmire of vulgarity that drags them down.

What is unique about the work?

Adventurism, realistic reality, a sense of the presence of the irrational, philosophical discussions about earthly good - all this is closely intertwined, creating an “encyclopedic” picture of the first half of the 19th century.

Gogol achieves this by using various techniques of satire, humor, visual means, numerous details, a wealth of vocabulary, and compositional features.

• Symbolism plays an important role. Falling into the mud “predicts” the future exposure of the main character. The spider weaves its webs to capture its next victim. Like an “unpleasant” insect, Chichikov skillfully runs his “business,” “entwining” landowners and officials with noble lies. “sounds” like the pathos of Rus'’s forward movement and affirms human self-improvement.
• We observe the heroes through the prism of “comic” situations, apt author’s expressions and characteristics given by other characters, sometimes built on the antithesis: “he was a prominent man” - but only “at first glance.”
• The vices of the heroes of Dead Souls become a continuation of the positive character traits. For example, Plyushkin’s monstrous stinginess is a distortion of his former thrift and thriftiness.
• In small lyrical “inserts” there are the writer’s thoughts, difficult thoughts, and an anxious “I.” In them we feel the highest creative message: to help humanity change for the better.
• The fate of people who create works for the people or not to please “those in power” does not leave Gogol indifferent, because in literature he saw a force capable of “re-educating” society and promoting its civilized development. Social strata of society, their position in relation to everything national: culture, language, traditions - occupy a serious place in the author’s digressions. When it comes to Rus' and its future, through the centuries we hear the confident voice of the “prophet”, predicting the difficult, but aimed at a bright dream, future of the Fatherland.
• Philosophical reflections on the frailty of existence, lost youth and impending old age evoke sadness. Therefore, it is so natural for a tender “fatherly” appeal to youth, on whose energy, hard work and education depends on which “path” the development of Russia will take.
• The language is truly folk. The forms of colloquial, literary and written business speech are harmoniously woven into the fabric of the poem. Rhetorical questions and exclamations, the rhythmic construction of individual phrases, the use of Slavicisms, archaisms, sonorous epithets create a certain structure of speech that sounds solemn, excited and sincere, without a shadow of irony. When describing landowners' estates and their owners, vocabulary characteristic of everyday speech is used. The image of the bureaucratic world is saturated with the vocabulary of the depicted environment. we described in the essay of the same name.
• The solemnity of comparisons, high style, combined with original speech, create a sublimely ironic manner of narration, serving to debunk the base, vulgar world of the owners.

The name of this work by Gogol is primarily associated with the main character Chichikov, who bought up dead peasants. To start your own business. But in fact, he wanted to sell these dead souls and get rich.

But this is not the only meaning of the title of this work, the author wanted to show the true souls of society that they have long since hardened and died. This is evident from the fact that each character in this work has no spiritual development.

Chichikov travels all over Russia in order to buy more peasants for his new estate. But he sees that most rich people see almost nothing around them except their base desires. The landowner Manilov does not do anything and does not do any useful things. He spends all his time talking and talking, or indulging in daydreams.

The landowner Sobakevich is like an animal; he spends all his free time eating something. And the portion sizes are so huge that an ordinary person cannot afford them.

The box from which Chichikov bought the souls of dead peasants. She loves nothing in life except trading, and you can only talk to her on this topic or on the topic of food. Because she loves to eat and treats everyone to all kinds of dishes.

Plyushkin is generally a separate character who is not only dead in soul, but also does not fit into any framework of a normal person. Collect so much goodness and all sorts of things, but do not use them and do not sell them or give them to poor people.

This is blatant greed, in the work it is written in detail that Plyushkin has mountains of moldy bread, could it really not have been given to other people?

All landowners like Korobochka, Sobakevich, Nozdryov do not live a spiritual life, but are busy filling their pockets and bellies, eating all kinds of dishes.

Officials are also not at all interested in anything other than their work, in order to receive profit and bribes from all the visitors who come to them. The landowners overeat and rejoice at the new dishes. Plyushkin is not even interested in new and tasty dishes; he is busy accumulating his unprecedented wealth. He has reached the end of his rope in this matter, he collects all his wealth, but eats food worse than the beggars. This is the highest level of stinginess.

Initially, Gogol wanted to write the poem “Dead Souls” in three parts, raising the souls of the entire society, from the very bottom, from hell then to purgatory, and then when these sick souls are cured, they go to heaven.

Hence the meaning of the work: society is in a terrible dead-end development. There is no spiritual development. But the author still hopes that people will come to their senses and their souls will go to heaven. And peace, high spirituality will reign in the world and high moral principles will be valued.

What is the meaning of the name?

In 1842, the first volume of one of the most famous and sensational works of N.V. was released. Gogol’s prose poem “Dead Souls,” the title of which illustrates the dominant idea of ​​the work. As N. Berdyaev said about Gogol: “The most mysterious figure in Russian literature.” So what is the author hiding under such a mystical name for his brainchild?

The main motive of the prose poem “The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls” is multifaceted and multifaceted. The idea for the plot was taken on the friendly advice of Pushkin and on the basis of the plot suggested by him. This entire work is a medical history, an awareness of the horror and shame that a person experiences when he sees his real face in the mirror. Under the veil of the false, the author shows us the real truth. Gogol in his poem increasingly notes the callousness and cowardice of his heroes.

If we think straightforwardly, then a dead soul is a person’s lack of rational ideology, the passivity of his activities and the primitiveness of his activities and aspirations. In this case, it no longer matters which social circle the character belongs to, because the dead soul is society as a whole. On the one hand, this is the designation of a deceased serf, a “revision soul”, which according to documents is listed as alive. Many characters, starting with Chichikov, are already defined by the very act of buying and selling non-existent people. Completely perverted relationships are formed, turned upside down. At first it appears that city life is bustling, but in reality it is just a bustle.

A dead soul in the inner world of a poem is a common occurrence. Here, for people, the soul is only what distinguishes a dead person from a living one. This is what A.I. wrote about the poem. Herzen: ““Dead Souls” - this title itself carries something terrifying in itself.” Indeed, hidden behind all this is another, completely different, deeper meaning: to reveal the entire plan in three parts, like Dante’s three-part poem “The Divine Comedy”. It is assumed that Gogol intended to create three volumes corresponding to the chapters “Hell”, “Purgatory” and “Paradise”, where in the first part he wanted to reveal the terrifying Russian reality, the “hell” of the modern way of life, and in the second and third parts of the three-volume set - the spiritual the rise of Russia.

From this we can conclude that N.V. Gogol tried to reveal the real picture of the life of the local nobility, a hopeless dead end, decline and spiritual decay using the example of the heroes of the work. The author in the first part of “Dead Souls” tries to convey the negative features of Russian life; he hints to people that their souls have become dead, and, pointing out their vices, brings them back to life.

Option 3

The title of Gogol’s work “Dead Souls” is associated with one of the main characters, and to be precise, it is Chichikov. All he did was buy up people who died. Mostly they were peasants. Many thought that this was how he wanted to earn his living, but how wrong they were. He then resold the dead souls and became richer.

There is also another problem here that the author wanted to show his reader. And it is to show people the true face of people. They don't even have development in society.

And in order to purchase as many souls as possible, he had to travel all over the world. He also had to see that society sees practically nothing except its condition and society. He met with the landowner Manilov. He has no goal in life, and this is considered the most terrible thing, because you don’t even know what to live for. Other than that, he doesn't do anything. And all he does is just communicate with other people.

He also met with another person and he is Sobakevich. He is very much like a dog that constantly eats and does nothing else. He usually eats in the largest portions, but an ordinary person cannot eat such a large portion.

The box sells dead souls, and he is not interested in anything else. And she only talks about money and various purchases. Also, more than anything else, she enjoys preparing different dishes and then serving them to everyone.

But Plyushkin cannot be called an ordinary person at all, and his soul is practically empty. He constantly collects everything that other people throw in the trash and brings it home. As a result, he keeps things that he not only does not use, but also does not need at all.

Almost all landowners are engaged in only one thing, this is making money and eating different dishes. And in order to earn a lot of money and satisfy all their needs, they try to hold down a job. Sometimes, in order to help other people, they take bribes and do not feel any remorse. They always eat plenty and may not think about tomorrow. But at the same time, Plyushkin tries to drag as many things as possible into his home, and it doesn’t matter at all that they are old and unnecessary to anyone.

Several interesting essays

• Essay-reasoning Woman at war

  When war comes, it doesn't matter who you are. You can be a woman, a man, a child. The war spares no one, so all its populations, as well as people of all ages, take part in it. A woman plays no less important role than a man in war

• The image and characteristics of Nikanor Bosogo in the novel The Master and Margarita Bulgakova essay

  One of the minor characters of the work is Nikanor Ivanovich Bosoy, presented by the writer in the image of the chairman of a housing association of a house on Sadovaya Street.

• Characteristics and image of Kutuzov and Napoleon in Tolstoy’s novel War and Peace essay

  Kutuzov and Napoleon - two great commanders, the most talented people of their time, who played a huge role in the history of mankind

• Characters of the novel Ordinary Story Goncharova characteristics of the characters

  The main characters of the work are representatives of the Aduev family represented by uncle Pyotr Ivanovich, his nephew Alexander and his uncle’s young wife Lizaveta Alexandrovna.

• Analysis of Lermontov's work Ashik-Kerib

  The fairy tale “Ashik-Kerib” was written by the famous Russian writer Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov. An analysis of this work is presented in this article.

The title of the work “Dead Souls” is ambiguous. , as you know, conceived a three-part work by analogy with Dante’s “Divine Comedy”. The first volume is Hell, that is, the abode of dead souls.

Secondly, the plot of the work is connected with this. In the 19th century, dead peasants were called “dead souls.” In the poem, Chichikov buys documents for deceased peasants, and then sells them to the guardianship council. Dead souls were listed as alive in the documents, and Chichikov received a considerable sum for this.

Thirdly, The title emphasizes an acute social problem. The fact is that at that time there were a great many sellers and buyers of dead souls; this was not controlled or punished by the authorities. The treasury was emptying, and enterprising swindlers were making a fortune for themselves. The censorship strongly recommended that Gogol change the title of the poem to “The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls,” shifting the emphasis to Chichikov’s personality rather than to an acute social problem.

Perhaps Chichikov’s idea will seem strange to some, but it all comes down to the fact that there is no difference between the dead and the living. Both are for sale. Both dead peasants and landowners who agreed to sell documents for a certain reward. A person completely loses his human outline and becomes a commodity, and his entire essence is reduced to a piece of paper that indicates whether you are alive or not. It turns out that the soul turns out to be mortal, which contradicts the main postulate of Christianity. The world is becoming soulless, devoid of religion and any moral and ethical guidelines. Such a world is described epically. The lyrical component lies in the description of nature and the spiritual world.

In May 1842, the first volume of Gogol's Dead Souls was published. The work was conceived by the author while he was working on The Inspector General. In Dead Souls, Gogol addresses the main theme of his work: the ruling classes of Russian society. The writer himself said: “My creation is huge and great, and its end will not come soon.” Indeed, “Dead Souls” is an outstanding phenomenon in the history of Russian and world satire.

"Dead Souls" - a satire on serfdom

“Dead Souls” is a work. In this, Gogol is the successor of Pushkin’s prose. He himself speaks about this on the pages of the poem in a lyrical digression about two types of writers (Chapter VII).

Here the peculiarity of Gogol's realism is revealed: the ability to expose and show in close-up all the flaws of human nature that are not always evident. “Dead Souls” reflected the basic principles of realism:

1. Historicism. The work was written about the writer’s contemporary time - the turn of the 20-30s of the 19th century - then serfdom was experiencing a serious crisis.
2. Typical character and circumstances. Landowners and officials are depicted satirically with a pronounced critical focus, and the main social types are shown. Gogol pays special attention to detail.
3. Satirical typification. It is achieved by the author’s characterization of characters, comic situations, reference to the heroes’ past, hyperbolization, and the use of proverbs in speech.

Meaning of the name: literal and metaphorical

Gogol planned to write a work in three volumes. He took Dante Alighieri’s “The Divine Comedy” as a basis. Likewise, Dead Souls was supposed to consist of three parts. Even the title of the poem refers the reader to Christian principles.

Why "Dead Souls"? The name itself is an oxymoron, a juxtaposition of the incomparable. The soul is a substance that is inherent in the living, but not in the dead. Using this technique, Gogol gives hope that not all is lost, that the positive principle in the crippled souls of landowners and officials can be reborn. This is what the second volume should have been about.

The meaning of the title of the poem “Dead Souls” lies on several levels. On the very surface there is a literal meaning, because dead peasants were called dead souls in bureaucratic documents. Actually, this is the essence of Chichikov’s machinations: to buy up dead serfs and take money as collateral. The main characters are shown in the circumstances of the sale of peasants. “Dead souls” are the landowners and officials themselves that Chichikov encounters, because there is nothing human or living left in them. They are ruled by the thirst for profit (officials), feeble-mindedness (Korobochka), cruelty (Nozdryov) and rudeness (Sobakevich).

The deep meaning of the name

All new aspects are revealed as you read the poem “Dead Souls”. The meaning of the title, hidden in the depths of the work, makes us think that any person, a simple layman, can eventually turn into Manilov or Nozdryov. It is enough for one small passion to settle in his heart. And he will not notice how vice will grow there. To this end, in Chapter XI, Gogol calls on the reader to look deep into his soul and check: “Is there some part of Chichikov in me too?”

Gogol laid down in the poem “Dead Souls” a multifaceted meaning of the title, which is revealed to the reader not immediately, but in the process of comprehending the work.

Genre originality

When analyzing “Dead Souls,” another question arises: “Why does Gogol position the work as a poem?” Indeed, the genre originality of the creation is unique. While working on the work, Gogol shared his creative discoveries with friends in letters, calling “Dead Souls” both a poem and a novel.

About the second volume of "Dead Souls"

In a state of deep creative crisis, Gogol wrote the second volume of Dead Souls for ten years. In correspondence, he often complains to friends that things are going very slowly and are not particularly satisfying to him.

Gogol turns to the harmonious, positive image of the landowner Kostanzhoglo: judicious, responsible, using scientific knowledge in organizing the estate. Under its influence, Chichikov reconsiders his attitude to reality and changes for the better.

Seeing “life’s lies” in the poem, Gogol burned the second volume of “Dead Souls.”