What does Plyushkin look like? Plyushkin's life goals

Going for the souls of dead peasants, main character poem " Dead souls“I didn’t even imagine what bright personalities I would meet. In all the variety of characters in the work, the miser and miser Stepan Plyushkin stands out. The rest of the rich people in the literary work are shown statically, but this landowner has own story life.

History of creation

The idea that formed the basis of the work belongs to. One day, the great Russian writer told Nikolai Gogol the story of fraud, which he heard during his exile in Chisinau. In the Moldovan city of Bendery recent years Only people of military ranks died; ordinary mortals were in no hurry to go to the next world. The strange phenomenon was explained simply - hundreds of fugitive peasants from the center of Russia flocked to Bessarabia at the beginning of the 19th century, and during the investigation it turned out that the “passport data” of the dead was appropriated by the fugitives.

Gogol considered the idea brilliant and, after thinking about it, came up with a plot in which the main actor became an enterprising man who enriched himself by selling " dead souls"to the board of trustees. The idea seemed interesting to him because it opened up the opportunity to create an epic work, to show the whole of Mother Russia through a scattering of characters, which the writer had long dreamed of.

Work on the poem began in 1835. At that time most of Nikolai Vasilyevich spent years abroad, trying to forget the scandal that erupted after the production of the play “The Inspector General”. According to the plan, the plot was supposed to take three volumes, and in general the work was defined as comic and humorous.

However, neither one nor the other was destined to come true. The poem turned out to be gloomy, exposing all the vices of the country. The author burned the manuscript of the second book, but never started the third. Of course, in Moscow they flatly refused to print literary work, but the critic Vissarion Belinsky volunteered to help the writer, having bothered the St. Petersburg censors.

A miracle happened - the poem was allowed to be published, only on the condition that the title would have a small addition to divert eyes from the raised serious problems: “The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls.” In this form, in 1842, the poem went to the reader. New work Gogol again found himself at the epicenter of a scandal, because landowners and officials clearly saw their images in him.

Gogol had a brilliant idea - first he showed the shortcomings of Russian life, then he planned to describe ways to resurrect “dead souls.” Some researchers associate the idea of the poem with “ Divine Comedy": the first volume is “hell”, the second is “purgatory”, and the third is “heaven”.

It is assumed that Plyushkin was supposed to transform from a greedy old man into a wanderer-benefactor who tries in every possible way to help the poor. But Nikolai Gogol was never able to convincingly describe the ways of people’s rebirth, which he himself admitted after burning the manuscript.

Image and character

The image of a half-crazy landowner in the work is the most striking of all who meet on the path of the main character Chichikov. It is Plyushkin who the writer gives the most full description, even looking into the character's past. This is a lonely widower who cursed his daughter who left with her lover and his son who lost at cards.

Periodically, the daughter and grandchildren visit the old man, but receive no help from him - only indifference. An educated and intelligent man in his youth eventually turned into a “worn-out wreck”, a grouch and a money-grubber. bad character, becoming a laughing stock even for the servants.

The work contains detailed description Plyushkin's appearance. He walked around the house in a decrepit robe (“...which was not only embarrassing to look at, but even embarrassing”), and came to the table in a worn, but quite neat frock coat without a single patch. At the first meeting, Chichikov could not understand who was in front of him, a woman or a man: a creature of indeterminate gender was moving around the house, and the buyer of dead souls mistook him for the housekeeper.

The character's stinginess is on the verge of insanity. There are 800 serf souls in his possessions, the barns are full of rotting food. But Plyushkin does not allow his hungry peasants to touch the products, and with resellers he is unyielding “like a devil,” so the traders stopped coming for goods. In his own bedroom, a man carefully folds the feathers and pieces of paper he found, and in the corner of one of the rooms there is a pile of “goods” picked up on the street.

Life goals boil down to the accumulation of wealth - this problem often acts as an argument for writing essays on the Unified State Exam. The meaning of the image lies in the fact that Nikolai Vasilyevich tried to show how painful stinginess kills the bright and strong personality.

Increase goodness - favorite activity Plyushkin, as evidenced by even the change in speech. At first, the old curmudgeon greets Chichikov warily, clarifying that “there is no use in visiting.” But, having learned the purpose of the visit, the dissatisfied grumbling gives way to undisguised joy, and the protagonist of the poem turns into a “father”, a “benefactor”.

The miser's vocabulary includes a whole dictionary of swear words and expressions, from “fool” and “robber” to “the devil will get you” and “scum.” The landowner, who has lived all his life among peasants, has a speech full of common folk words.

Plyushkin's house reminds medieval castle, but battered by time: there are cracks in the walls, some of the windows are boarded up so that no one sees the wealth hiding in the dwelling. Gogol managed to combine the character traits and image of the hero with his house with the phrase:

“All this was dumped into storerooms, and everything became rotten and a hole, and he himself finally turned into some kind of hole in humanity.”

Film adaptations

Gogol's work was staged in Russian cinema five times. Based on the story, two cartoons were also created: “The Adventures of Chichikov. Manilov" and "The Adventures of Chichikov. Nozdrev."

"Dead Souls" (1909)

In the era of the formation of cinema, Pyotr Chardynin undertook to capture on film Chichikov’s adventures. A silent short film with a stripped-down Gogolian plot was filmed at a railway club. And since the experiments in cinema were just beginning, the film turned out to be unsuccessful due to incorrect lighting. He played the role of the stingy Plyushkin theater actor Adolf Georgievsky.

"Dead Souls" (1960)

The film-play staged by the Moscow Art Theater was directed by Leonid Trauberg. A year after the premiere, the film received the Critics' Prize at the Monte Carlo Festival.

The film starred Vladimir Belokurov (Chichikov), (Nozdryov), (Korobochka) and even (a modest role of a waiter, the actor was not even included in the credits). And Plyushkin was brilliantly played by Boris Petker.

"Dead Souls" (1969)

Another television play, which was conceived by director Alexander Belinsky. According to film fans, this film adaptation is the best film production of the imperishable work.

The film also features prominent actors of Soviet cinema: (Nozdrev), (Manilov), Igor Gorbachev (Chichikov). The role of Plyushkin went to Alexander Sokolov.

"Dead Souls" (1984)

The five-episode series, directed by Mikhail Shveitser, was shown on central television.

He reincarnated as a greedy landowner.

“The Case of Dead Souls” (2005)

The latest film work for today, which represents fantasy on famous works Gogol - “The Inspector General”, “Notes of a Madman”, “Dead Souls”. I decided to please the viewer with such an unusual mix, collecting on film set the color of modern cinema.

They appear on the screen in the role of Nozdryov, in the image of Chichikov, who made an excellent wife of the governor. The audience also admires the acting - the actor is called Plyushkin in the film.

The meaning of the character's name contains a motive of self-denial. Gogol created a paradoxical metaphor: a ruddy bun - a symbol of wealth, satiety, joyful contentment - is contrasted with a “moldy cracker”, for which the colors of life have long faded.
The surname Plyushkin has become a household name. This is what they call overly thrifty, manically greedy people. In addition, the passion for storing old, useless things is a typical behavior of people with mental disorder, which received the medical name “Plyushkin syndrome”.

Quotes

“After all, the devil knows, maybe he’s just a braggart, like all these swindlers: he’ll lie, he’ll lie to talk and drink tea, and then he’ll leave!”

“I’m living in my seventies!”

“Plyushkin muttered something through his lips, because he had no teeth.”

“If Chichikov had met him, dressed up like that, somewhere at the church door, he would probably have given him a copper penny. But standing before him was not a beggar, standing before him was a landowner.”

“I don’t even advise you to know the way to this dog! - said Sobakevich. “It’s more excusable to go to some obscene place than to go to him.”

“But there was a time when he was just a thrifty owner! He was married and a family man, and a neighbor stopped by to have dinner with him, listen and learn from him about housekeeping and wise stinginess.”

A brief description of Plyushkin in the work “Dead Souls” is a realistic description of the old landowner, his character and way of life. The fact is that this character is presented by the author in an unusual manner for him - without humor.

Stepan Plyushkin is one of the landowners in the poem by N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls". This is one of the most significant and deep characters not only of the mentioned work, but of the entire Russian literature generally.

The hero first appears in the sixth chapter, when he comes to the landowner to buy “dead souls” from him.

The image and characteristics of Plyushkin in the poem “Dead Souls”

The landowner is incredibly stingy and unkind.

The hero symbolizes spiritual collapse strong man, drowned in the vice of boundless stinginess, bordering on cruelty: in the barns of the landowner it is stored huge amount products that no one is allowed to take, as a result of which the peasants go hungry and supplies are lost as unnecessary.

Plyushkin is quite rich, on his account - a whole thousand serfs. However, despite this, the old man lives like a beggar, eating crackers and dressing in rags.

Symbolism of the surname

Like most characters in Gogol's works, Plyushkin's surname is symbolic. With the help of contrast or synonymy of the surname in relation to the character of the corresponding character, the author reveals certain features of a given personality.

The meaning of the surname Plyushkina symbolizes an unusually stingy and greedy person whose goal is to accumulate material goods without a specific purpose for their use. As a result, the collected wealth is not spent anywhere or is used in minimal quantities.

It is noteworthy that Plyushkin’s name practically does not appear in the text of the work. In this way, the author shows the hero’s callousness, detachment, and the absence of even a hint of humanity in him.

The fact that the landowner's name is Stepan can be learned from his words about his daughter, whom he calls by her patronymic. By the way, ordinary men from other estates did not know such a surname at all, calling the landowner by the nickname “patched.”

Plyushkin family

This character is the only one of all the landowners who has enough detailed biography. The hero's life story is very sad.

In the plot narration, Plyushkin appears before us as a completely lonely person leading a hermit’s lifestyle. The wife who inspired him to be his best human qualities and made his life meaningful, long ago left this world.

In their marriage they had three children, whom their father raised very carefully and with great care. great love. During the years of family happiness, Plyushkin was completely different from his current self. At that time, he often invited guests to his house, knew how to enjoy life, and had a reputation as an open and friendly person.

Of course, Plyushkin was always very economical, but his stinginess always had reasonable limits and was not so reckless. His clothes, although not sparkling with newness, still looked neat, without a single patch.

After the death of his wife, the hero changed a lot: he became extremely distrustful and very stingy. The last straw, which hardened Plyushkin’s temper, new problems began in the family: the son lost a large amount playing cards, the eldest daughter ran away from home, and the youngest died.

Surprisingly, glimmers of light sometimes illuminate the dark recesses of the dead soul of the landowner. Having sold his “souls” to Chichikov and reflecting on the issue of drawing up a deed of purchase, Plyushkin remembers his school friend. At this moment, a faint reflection of feeling appeared on the old man’s wooden face.

This fleeting manifestation of life, according to the author, speaks of the possibility of the revival of the hero’s soul, in which, as if in twilight, the dark and light sides mixed with each other.

Description of the portrait and first impression of Plyushkin

When meeting Plyushkin, Chichikov first mistakes him for the housekeeper.

After a conversation with the landowner, the main character realizes with horror that he was mistaken.

In his opinion, the old man looks more like a beggar than a rich owner of the estate.

His whole appearance is like this: his long chin covered with a scarf; small, colorless, mobile eyes; a dirty, patched robe indicates that the hero has completely lost touch with life.

Appearance and condition of the suit

Plyushkin's face is very elongated and at the same time is distinguished by excessive thinness. The landowner never shave, and his beard began to look like a horse comb. Plyushkin has no teeth left at all.

The hero’s clothes can hardly be called such; they look more like old rags - the clothes look so worn and unkempt. At the time of the story, the landowner is about 60 years old.

The character, demeanor and speech of the landowner

Plyushkin is a man with a difficult character. Probably, the negative traits that manifested themselves so clearly in him in his old age also existed in previous years, but their such pronounced appearance was smoothed out by family well-being.

But after the death of his wife and daughter, Plyushkin finally broke away from life, became spiritually impoverished, and began to treat everyone with suspicion and hostility. The landowner experienced such an attitude not only towards strangers, but also towards relatives.

By the age of 60, Plyushkin had become very unpleasant due to his difficult character. Those around him began to avoid him, his friends visited him less and less, and then completely stopped all communication with him.

Plyushkin’s speech is abrupt, laconic, caustic, loaded with colloquial expressions, for example: “poditka, they beat, ehva!, actor, already, podtibrila.”

The landowner is able to notice any little things and even the most insignificant errors and shortcomings. In this regard, he often finds fault with people, expressing his comments by shouting and cursing.

Plyushkin is not capable of good deeds, he became insensitive, distrustful and cruel. He doesn’t even care about the fate of his own children, and the old man suppresses his daughter’s attempts to establish a relationship with him in every possible way. In his opinion, his daughter and son-in-law are trying to get closer to him in order to get material benefits from him.

It is noteworthy that Plyushkin absolutely does not understand the true consequences of his actions. He actually fancies himself a caring landowner, although, in fact, he is a tyrant, an incredible miser and a stingy man, a rude and grumpy old man who destroys the destinies of the people around him.

Favorite activities

The joy in Plyushkin's life consists of only two things - constant scandals and the accumulation of material wealth.

The landowner likes to spend time completely alone. He sees no point in receiving guests or acting as such. For him, this is just a waste of time that can be spent on more useful activities.

Despite large financial savings, the landowner leads an ascetic lifestyle, denying literally everything not only to relatives, servants and peasants, but also to himself.

Another favorite pastime of Plyushkin is to grumble and become poor. He believes that the supplies stored in his barns are not enough, there is not enough land and there is not even enough hay. In fact, the situation is completely opposite - there is plenty of land, and the amount of reserves is so huge that they spoil right in the storage facilities.

Plyushkin loves to create scandals for any reason, even if it is an insignificant detail. The landowner is always dissatisfied with something and demonstrates it in the most rude and unsightly form. A picky old man is very difficult to please.

Attitude to the economy

Plyushkin is a rich but very stingy landowner. However, despite the huge reserves, it seems to him that they are not enough. As a result, a huge number of unused products become unusable without ever leaving the storage facility.

Having a large fortune at his disposal, including 1000 serfs, Plyushkin eats crackers and wears rags - in a word, he lives like a beggar. The landowner has not been monitoring what is going on on his farm for many years, but at the same time he does not forget to control the amount of liquor in the decanter.

Plyushkin's life goals

In short, the landowner has no specific goal in life. Plyushkin is completely absorbed in the process of accumulating material resources without a specific purpose for their use.

House and interior of rooms

Plyushkin's estate reflects the spiritual desolation of the character himself. The buildings in the villages are very old, dilapidated, the roofs have long since become leaky, the windows are clogged with rags. There is devastation and emptiness all around. Even the churches look lifeless.

The estate seems to be falling apart, which indicates that the hero has fallen out of real life: instead of the main things, the focus of his attention is on empty and meaningless tasks. It’s not for nothing that this character is practically devoid of a name and patronymic - it’s as if he doesn’t exist.

The Plyushkin estate is striking in its appearance - the building is in a terrible, dilapidated condition. From the street, the house looks like an abandoned building in which no one has lived for a long time. It’s very uncomfortable inside the building – it’s cold and dark all around. Natural light enters only one room – the owner’s room.

The whole house is littered with junk, which is becoming more and more every year - Plyushkin never throws away broken or unnecessary things, because he thinks that they can still be useful.

The landowner's office is also in complete disarray. The appearance of the room embodies real chaos. There is a chair that cannot be repaired, as well as a clock that has long stopped. In the corner of the room there is a dump - in the shapeless heap you can see an old shoe and a broken shovel.

Attitude towards others

Plyushkin - picky, scandalous man. Even the most insignificant reason is enough for him to start a quarrel. The hero shows his dissatisfaction in the most unsightly way, stooping to rudeness and insults.

The landowner himself is completely confident that he is behaving caringly and kindly, but people simply do not notice or appreciate this, because they are biased towards him.

Probably due to the fact that his son once lost at cards and did not return home, Plyushkin is prejudiced towards officers, considering them all to be spendthrifts and gamblers.

Plyushkin's attitude towards the peasants

Plyushkin treats the peasants cruelly and irresponsibly. The appearance, clothing and dwellings of the serfs look almost the same as those of the owner. They themselves walk around half-starved, skinny, exhausted. From time to time, escapes occur among the peasants - Plyushkin's existence as a serf looks less attractive than life on the run.

The landowner speaks negatively about his serfs - in his opinion, they are all quitters and slackers. In fact, the peasants work honestly and diligently. It seems to Plyushkin that the serfs are robbing him and doing their work very poorly.

But in reality, things are different: the landowner intimidated his peasants so much that, despite the cold and hunger, they under no circumstances dare to take anything from the master’s storehouse.

Did Plyushkin sell Dead Souls to Chichikov?

The landowner sells about two hundred “souls” to the main character. This number exceeds the number of “peasants” that Chichikov purchased from other sellers. This traces Plyushkin’s desire for profit and accumulation. When entering into a deal, the hero understands perfectly well what it is and what profit he can get for it.

Quoted description of Plyushkin

Plyushkin's age	“... I’m living in my seventh decade!...”
First impression	“... For a long time he could not recognize what gender the figure was: a woman or a man. The dress she was wearing was completely indefinite, very similar to a woman’s hood, on her head was a cap, like that worn by village courtyard women, only one voice seemed to him somewhat hoarse for a woman ... " “...Oh, woman! oh no! […] Of course, woman! ..." (Chichikov about P.’s appearance) “... Judging by the keys hanging from her belt and the fact that she scolded the man with rather obscene words, Chichikov concluded that this was probably the housekeeper...”
Appearance	“... it was more like a housekeeper than a housekeeper: […] his entire chin with the lower part of his cheek looked like a comb made of iron wire, the kind they use to clean horses in a stable...” “... he [Chichikov] has never seen anything like this before. 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..." “...Plyushkin muttered something through his lips, because he had no teeth...”
Cloth	“... His attire was much more remarkable: no amount of effort or effort could have been used to find out what his robe was made of: the sleeves and upper flaps were so greasy and shiny that they looked like yuft*, the kind that goes into boots; in the back, instead of two, there were four floors dangling, from which cotton paper came out in flakes. He also had something tied around his neck that couldn’t be made out: a stocking, a garter, or a belly, but not a tie...” “... if Chichikov had met him, so dressed up, somewhere at the church door, he would probably have given him a copper penny. But standing before him was not a beggar, standing before him was a landowner...”
Personality and character	“... has eight hundred souls, but lives and dines worse than my shepherd!...” “... Fraudster […] Such a miser that it is difficult to imagine. In prison, convicts live better than he: he starved all the people to death...” (Sobakevich about P.) «… human feelings, which were not deep in him anyway, became shallow every minute, and every day something was lost in this worn-out ruin...” “... the miser Plyushkin […] the fact that he feeds people poorly?..” “... he definitely has people dying in large quantities? ..." (Chichikov) “... I don’t even advise you to know the way to this dog! - said Sobakevich. “It’s better to go to some obscene place than to go to him...” “...does not like officers due to a strange prejudice, as if all military gamblers and spendthrifts...” “... Every year the windows in his house were closed, finally only two remained...” “... every year […] his small gaze turned to the pieces of paper and feathers that he collected in his room...” “... he became more unyielding to the buyers who came to take away his household goods...” “... this is a demon, not a person...” (customers’ opinion about P.) “... the words “virtue” and “rare qualities of the soul” can be successfully replaced with the words “economy” and “order” ...” (Chichikov about P.)
Plyushkin's house	“... This strange castle looked like some kind of decrepit invalid, long, prohibitively long...” “... a house that now seemed even sadder. Green mold has already covered the dilapidated wood on the fence and gates..." “... The walls of the house were cracked in places by the bare plaster lattice and, as you can see, they suffered a lot from all sorts of bad weather, rains, whirlwinds and autumn changes. Only two of the windows were open, the others were covered with shutters or even boarded up...” “... my kitchen is low, very nasty, and the chimney has completely collapsed: if you start heating, you’ll start a fire...”
Plyushkin's room	“... he finally found himself in the light and was amazed at the chaos that appeared. It seemed as if the floors were being washed in the house and all the furniture had been piled here for a while...” (Chichikov’s impression) “...It would have been impossible to say that there was a living creature living in this room if his presence had not been announced by the old, worn cap lying on the table...”
Village and Plyushkin's estate	“... He noticed some special disrepair in all the village buildings: the logs on the huts were dark and old; many roofs were leaky like a sieve; on others there was only a ridge at the top and poles on the sides in the form of ribs..." “... The windows in the huts were without glass, others were covered with a rag or a zipun; balconies under roofs with railings […] are askew and blackened, not even picturesquely…” “... A crowd of buildings: human buildings, barns, cellars, apparently dilapidated, filled the courtyard; near them, to the right and left, gates to other courtyards were visible. Everything said that farming had once taken place here on an extensive scale, and everything now looked gloomy. Nothing was noticeable to enliven the picture: no doors opening, no people coming out from somewhere, no living troubles and worries at home!..."
Peasants of Plyushkin	“... Meanwhile, on the farm, income was collected as before: a man had to bring the same amount of rent, every woman was obliged to bring the same amount of nuts; the weaver had to weave the same number of pieces of canvas - it all fell into the storerooms, and everything became rotten and a hole, and he himself finally turned into some kind of hole in humanity ... " “... After all, my people are either a thief or a swindler: they will steal so much in a day that there will be nothing to hang a caftan on...” (P. about his peasants)
Plyushkin about the past	“... But there was a time when he was just a thrifty owner! he was married and a family man, and a neighbor came to him for lunch, to listen and learn from him about housekeeping and wise stinginess...” “... The owner himself came to the table in a frock coat, although somewhat worn, but neat, the elbows were in order: there was no patch anywhere...” (Plyushkin in the past) “... two pretty daughters […] son, a broken boy...” “... the good housewife died...” (about Plyushkin’s wife)
Plyushkin's greed	“... Plyushkin became more restless and, like all widowers, more suspicious and stingy. […] The owner’s stinginess began to be more noticeable […] Finally last daughter[…] died, and the old man found himself alone as a watchman, guardian and owner of his wealth...” “... Why would Plyushkin seem to need such a destruction of such products? in his entire life he would not have had to use it even for two such estates as he had, but even this seemed not enough to him...” “... the hay and bread rotted, the luggage and stacks turned into pure manure, even if you planted cabbage on them, the flour in the cellars turned into stone, and it was necessary to chop it, it was scary to touch cloth, linens and household materials: they turned to dust. He had already forgotten how much he had...

Conclusion

The image of Plyushkin and the characteristics of his essence serve illustrative example to how much a person can sink morally and physically. It is no coincidence that the author calls this hero “a hole in humanity.”

Plyushkin is not interested in spiritual development his personality, he is indifferent to his own inner world. The landowner is characterized by pettiness, stinginess and a complete lack of deep feelings. There is no shame, no conscience, no sympathy in him.

The name Plyushkina became a household name. It denotes pathological greed, pettiness and stinginess. IN modern world the so-called “Plyushkin syndrome” occurs quite often and characterizes those people who strive for the aimless accumulation of material resources.

In the person of the hero of “Dead Souls” Plyushkin, Gogol brought out a psychopathic miser. He pointed out in this pitiful old man the terrible consequences of the passion to “acquire” without a goal - when acquisition itself becomes the goal, when the meaning of life is lost. In “Dead Souls” it is shown how from a reasonable, practical person needed for the state and family, Plyushkin turns into a “growth” on humanity, into some kind of negative value, into a “hole”... To do this, he only had to lose his meaning life. Before, he worked for the family. His ideal of life was the same as that of Chichikov - and Plyushkin was happy when a noisy, joyful family greeted him returning home to rest. Then life deceived him - he remained a lonely, angry old man, for whom all people seemed to be thieves, liars, robbers. A certain inclination towards callousness increased over the years, his heart became harder, his previously clear economic eye dimmed - and Plyushkin lost the ability to distinguish between large and small in the household, necessary from unnecessary - he directed all his attention, all his vigilance to the household, to the storerooms, glaciers... He stopped engaging in large-scale grain farming, and bread, the main basis of his wealth, rotted in barns for years. But Plyushkin collected all sorts of junk in his office, even stole buckets and other things from his own men... He lost hundreds, thousands, because he did not want to give up a penny or a ruble. Plyushkin had completely lost his mind, and his soul, which had never been distinguished by greatness, was completely crushed and vulgarized. Plyushkin became a slave to his passion, a pitiful miser, walking in rags, living from hand to mouth. Unsociable, gloomy, he lived out his unnecessary life, tearing even parental feelings for children out of his heart. (Cm. , .)

Plyushkin. Drawing by Kukryniksy

Plyushkin can be compared with “ stingy knight“, with the only difference that in Pushkin “avarice” is presented in a tragic light, in Gogol in a comic light. Pushkin showed what gold did to a valiant man, a great man, - Gogol in “Dead Souls” showed how a penny perverted an ordinary, “average man”...

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The image of Plyushkin from Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” is described in a manner unusual for the author - basically, Gogol widely uses elements of humor to characterize his characters. There is no humor left for Plyushkin - a realistic description of a stingy landowner and the consequences of his activities - this is what Nikolai Vasilyevich offers.

Symbolism of the surname

Gogol did not neglect symbolism in his works. Very often the names and surnames of the heroes of his works are symbolic. By contrasting the characteristics of the hero or synonymy, they help reveal certain characteristics of the character.

Basically, revealing symbolism does not require specific knowledge - the answer always lies on the surface. The same trend is observed in the case of Plyushkin.

The word “Plyushkin” means a person distinguished by extraordinary stinginess and greed. The goal of his life is to accumulate a certain state(both in the form of finance and in the form of products or raw materials) without a specific goal.

In other words, he saves for the sake of saving. The accumulated goods, as a rule, are not sold anywhere and are used with minimal expenditure.

This designation fully corresponds to Plyushkin’s description.

Appearance and condition of the suit

Plyushkin is endowed with effeminate features in the poem. He has a long and overly thin face. Plyushkin did not have distinctive facial features. Nikolai Vasilyevich claims that his face was not much different from the faces of other old men with emaciated faces.

Distinctive feature Plyushkin's appearance had an excessively long chin. The landowner had to cover him with a handkerchief so as not to spit on him. The image was complemented by small eyes. They had not yet lost their liveliness and looked like small animals. Plyushkin never shaved; his growing beard did not look the most attractive and resembled a horse comb.

Plyushkin had no teeth.

Plyushkin's suit wants to look better. To be honest, it is impossible to call his clothes a suit - they have such a worn and strange look that they resemble the rags of a tramp. Usually Plyushkin is dressed in an incomprehensible dress, similar to a woman's hood. His hat was also borrowed from a woman’s wardrobe - it was a classic cap of courtyard women.

The condition of the suit was simply terrible. When Chichikov saw Plyushkin for the first time, he could not determine his gender for a long time - Plyushkin by his behavior and appearance very much like a housekeeper. After the identity of the strange housekeeper was established, Chichikov came to the conclusion that Plyushkin did not look like a landowner at all - if he were near the church, he could easily be mistaken for a beggar.

Plyushkin's family and his past

Plyushkin was not always such a person; when he was young, his appearance and character were completely different from those of today.

Several years ago Plyushkin was not alone. He was a man living quite happily in marriage. His wife definitely had a positive influence on the landowner. After the birth of children, Plyushkin’s life also pleasantly transformed, but this did not last long - soon his wife died, leaving Plyushkin with three children - two girls and a boy.

Plyushkin had a hard time coping with the loss of his wife, it was difficult for him to cope with the blues, so he moved more and more away from his usual rhythm of life.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”.

A picky and quarrelsome character contributed to the final discord - the eldest daughter and son left their father’s house without their father’s blessing. The youngest daughter died some time later. Eldest daughter, despite complex character father, tries to maintain a relationship with him and even brings his children to stay with him. Contact with my son was lost long ago. The old man does not know how his fate turned out and whether he is alive.

Personality characteristics

Plyushkin - man complex nature. It is likely that certain inclinations for the development of certain qualities were laid down in him earlier, but under the influence family life and personal well-being, they did not acquire such a characteristic appearance.

Plyushkin was overcome by anxiety - his care and concern had long gone beyond the acceptable limit and became some kind of obsessive thought. After the death of his wife and daughter, he finally became hardened in soul - the concepts of sympathy and love for his neighbors are alien to him.

This tendency is observed not only in relation to people who are strangers in terms of kinship, but also to close relatives.

The landowner leads a solitary life, he hardly communicates with his neighbors, he has no friends. Plyushkin likes to spend time alone, he is seduced by the ascetic way of life, the arrival of guests is associated with something unpleasant for him. He doesn’t understand why people visit each other and considers it a waste of time - many useful things can be done during this time period.

It is impossible to find anyone who wants to make friends with Plyushkin - everyone shuns the eccentric old man.

Plyushkin lives without a specific goal in life. Because of his stinginess and pettiness, he was able to accumulate significant capital, but does not plan to somehow use the accumulated money and raw materials - Plyushkin likes the process of accumulation itself.

Despite significant financial reserves, Plyushkin lives very poorly - he regrets spending money not only on his family and friends, but also on himself - his clothes have long since turned into rags, his house is leaky, but Plyushkin sees no point in improving anything - he’s happy with everything as it is.

Plyushkin loves to complain and be poor. It seems to him that he doesn’t have enough of everything - he doesn’t have enough food, there’s too little land, and he can’t even find an extra tuft of hay on the farm. In reality, everything is different - its food reserves are so large that they become unusable right in the storage facilities.

The second thing in life that brings pleasure to Plyushkin’s life is quarrels and scandals - he is always dissatisfied with something and likes to express his dissatisfaction in the most unsightly form. Plyushkin is too picky and impossible to please.

Plyushkin himself does not notice his shortcomings; he believes that in fact everyone treats him with bias and cannot appreciate his kindness and care.

Plyushkin's estate

No matter how much Plyushkin complained about his busyness with the estate, it is worth admitting that as a landowner Plyushkin was not the best and most talented.

His large estate is not much different from an abandoned place. The gates and the fence along the garden were extremely thin - in some places the fence had collapsed, and no one was in a hurry to fill the holes that had formed.

There used to be two churches on the territory of his village, but now they are in disrepair.
Plyushkin's house is in terrible condition - it probably hasn't been renovated for many years. From the street, the house looked like it was uninhabited - the windows in the estate were boarded up, only a few could be opened. Mold appeared in some places and the tree was overgrown with moss.

The inside of the house doesn't look any better - it's always dark and cold. The only room into which natural light penetrates is Plyushkin’s room.

The whole house is like a garbage dump - Plyushkin never throws anything away. He thinks that these things may still be useful to him.

In Plyushkin's office there is also chaos and disorder. There is a broken chair that can no longer be repaired, a clock that doesn’t work. There is a dump in the corner of the room - it is difficult to make out what is in the pile. What stands out from the general pile is a sole from an old shoe and a broken shovel handle.

It seemed like the rooms had never been cleaned - there were cobwebs and dust everywhere. There was also no order on Plyushkin's desk - papers lay mixed with garbage there.

Attitude towards serfs

Plyushkin is in possession of large number serfs - about 1000 people. Of course, caring for and adjusting the work of so many people requires certain strength and skills. However, there is no need to talk about the positive achievements of Plyushkin’s activities.

Plyushkin treats his peasants unkindly and cruelly. They are not much different in appearance from their owner - their clothes are torn, their houses are dilapidated, and the people themselves are immensely skinny and hungry. From time to time, one of Plyushkin’s serfs decides to escape, because the life of a fugitive becomes more attractive than that of the serf Plyushkin. Plyushkin sells Chichikov about 200 “dead souls” - this is the number of people who died and serfs who escaped from him over several years. Compared to " dead souls"The rest of the landowners, the number of peasants sold to Chichikov looks terrifying.

We invite you to read the story “The Overcoat” by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol.

Peasant houses look even worse than a landowner's estate. In the village it is impossible to find a single house with a whole roof - rain and snow freely penetrate into the home. There are no windows in the houses either - the holes in the windows are filled with rags or old clothes.

Plyushkin speaks extremely disapprovingly of his serfs - in his eyes they are lazy and slackers, but in fact this is slander - Plyushkin's serfs work hard and honestly. They sow grain, grind flour, dry fish, make fabrics, and make various household items from wood, in particular dishes.

According to Plyushkin, his serfs are the most thieving and inept - they do everything somehow, without diligence, and, moreover, they constantly rob their master. In fact, everything is not so: Plyushkin intimidated his peasants so much that they are ready to die from cold and hunger, but will not take anything from their landowner’s warehouses.

Thus, the image of Plyushkin embodied the qualities of a greedy and stingy person. Plyushkin is incapable of feeling affection for people or at least sympathy - he is absolutely hostile to everyone. He considers himself a good master, but in reality this is self-deception. Plyushkin does not care about his serfs, he starves them, undeservedly accuses them of theft and laziness.

Characteristics of Plyushkin in the poem “Dead Souls”: description of appearance and character

4.5 (90.59%) 17 votes

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Symbolism of the surname

Basically, revealing symbolism does not require specific knowledge - the answer always lies on the surface. The same trend is observed in the case of Plyushkin.

The word “Plyushkin” means a person distinguished by extraordinary stinginess and greed. The goal of his life becomes the accumulation of a certain wealth (both in the form of finances and in the form of products or raw materials) without a specific goal.

In other words, he saves for the sake of saving. The accumulated goods, as a rule, are not sold anywhere and are used with minimal expenditure.

This designation fully corresponds to Plyushkin’s description.

Appearance and condition of the suit

A distinctive feature of Plyushkin’s appearance was his prohibitively long chin. The landowner had to cover him with a handkerchief so as not to spit on him. The image was complemented by small eyes. They had not yet lost their liveliness and looked like small animals. Plyushkin never shaved; his growing beard did not look the most attractive and resembled a horse comb.

Plyushkin had no teeth.

The condition of the suit was simply terrible. When Chichikov saw Plyushkin for the first time, he could not determine his gender for a long time - Plyushkin, in his behavior and appearance, very much resembled the housekeeper. After the identity of the strange housekeeper was established, Chichikov came to the conclusion that Plyushkin did not look like a landowner at all - if he were near the church, he could easily be mistaken for a beggar.

Plyushkin's family and his past

Plyushkin was not always such a person; when he was young, his appearance and character were completely different from those of today.

Plyushkin had a hard time coping with the loss of his wife, it was difficult for him to cope with the blues, so he moved more and more away from his usual rhythm of life.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the image of Chichikov in Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”.

A picky and quarrelsome character contributed to the final discord - the eldest daughter and son left their father’s house without their father’s blessing. The youngest daughter died some time later. The eldest daughter, despite her father’s difficult character, tries to maintain a relationship with him and even brings his children to stay with him. Contact with my son was lost long ago. The old man does not know how his fate turned out and whether he is alive.

Personality characteristics

Plyushkin is a man of difficult character. It is likely that certain inclinations for the development of certain qualities were laid down in him earlier, but under the influence of family life and personal well-being they did not acquire such a characteristic appearance.

This tendency is observed not only in relation to people who are strangers in terms of kinship, but also to close relatives.

It is impossible to find anyone who wants to make friends with Plyushkin - everyone shuns the eccentric old man.

Despite significant financial reserves, Plyushkin lives very poorly - he regrets spending money not only on his family and friends, but also on himself - his clothes have long since turned into rags, the house is leaky, but Plyushkin sees no point in improving anything - his and so everything suits me.

Plyushkin himself does not notice his shortcomings; he believes that in fact everyone treats him with bias and cannot appreciate his kindness and care.

Plyushkin's estate

No matter how much Plyushkin complained about his busyness with the estate, it is worth admitting that as a landowner Plyushkin was not the best and most talented.

The inside of the house doesn't look any better - it's always dark and cold. The only room into which natural light penetrates is Plyushkin’s room.

The whole house is like a garbage dump - Plyushkin never throws anything away. He thinks that these things may still be useful to him.

It seemed like the rooms had never been cleaned - there were cobwebs and dust everywhere. There was also no order on Plyushkin's desk - papers lay mixed with garbage there.

Attitude towards serfs

Plyushkin owns a large number of serfs - about 1000 people. Of course, caring for and adjusting the work of so many people requires certain strength and skills. However, there is no need to talk about the positive achievements of Plyushkin’s activities.

Plyushkin treats his peasants unkindly and cruelly. They are not much different in appearance from their owner - their clothes are torn, their houses are dilapidated, and the people themselves are immensely skinny and hungry. From time to time, one of Plyushkin’s serfs decides to escape, because the life of a fugitive becomes more attractive than that of the serf Plyushkin. Plyushkin sells Chichikov about 200 “dead souls” - this is the number of people who died and serfs who escaped from him over several years. Compared to the “dead souls” of the other landowners, the number of peasants sold to Chichikov looks terrifying.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the characterization of Akaki Akakievich in Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s story “The Overcoat”.

Characteristics of Plyushkin in the poem “Dead Souls”: description of appearance and character

4.5 (90.59%) 17 votes