Scheme of analysis of dead souls. Analysis of the poem Dead Souls by N.V. Gogol

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Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is not without a significant amount acting characters. All heroes, according to their significance and the time period of action in the poem, can be divided into three categories: main, secondary and tertiary.

The main characters of "Dead Souls"

As a rule, in poems the number of main characters is small. The same tendency is observed in Gogol’s work.

Chichikov
The image of Chichikov is undoubtedly the key one in the poem. It is thanks to this image that the episodes of the narrative are connected.

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is distinguished by his dishonesty and hypocrisy. His desire to get rich by deception is discouraging.

On the one hand, the reasons for this behavior can be explained by the pressure of society and the priorities operating in it - a rich and dishonest person is more respected than an honest and decent poor person. Since no one wants to eke out their existence in poverty, the financial issue and the problem of improving one’s material resources is always relevant and often borders on the norms of morality and integrity, which many are ready to cross.

The same situation happened with Chichikov. He, being a simple person by origin, he was actually deprived of the opportunity to make his fortune in an honest way, so he solved the problem that arose with the help of ingenuity, ingenuity and deception. Stingy " dead souls"as an idea is a hymn to his mind, but at the same time exposes the dishonest nature of the hero.

Manilov
Manilov became the first landowner to whom Chichikov came to buy souls. The image of this landowner is ambiguous. On the one hand, he creates a pleasant impression - Manilov is pleasant and well-mannered person, but let’s immediately note that he is apathetic and lazy.

Manilov is a person who always adapts to circumstances and never expresses his real opinion on this or that matter - Manilov takes the most favorable side.

Box
The image of this landowner is, perhaps, generally perceived as positive and pleasant. Korobochka is not smart, she is a stupid and, to some extent, uneducated woman, but at the same time she was able to successfully realize herself as a landowner, which significantly elevates her perception as a whole.

The box is too simple - to some extent, its habits and habits resemble the lifestyle of peasants, which does not impress those who aspire to aristocrats and life in high society Chichikov, but allows Korobochka to live quite happily and develop her farm quite successfully.

Nozdryov
Nozdryov, to whom Chichikov comes, after Korobochka, is perceived completely differently. And this is not surprising: it seems that Nozdryov was unable to fully realize himself in any field of activity. Nozdryov is a bad father who neglects communication with his children and their upbringing. He is a bad landowner - Nozdryov does not take care of his estate, but only wastes all his funds. Nozdryov’s life is the life of a man who prefers drinking, partying, cards, women and dogs.

Sobakevich
This landowner calls controversial opinion. On the one hand, he is a rude, manly person, but on the other hand, this simplicity allows him to live quite successfully - all the buildings on his estate, including the peasants' houses, are made to last - you won't find anything leaky anywhere, his peasants are well-fed and quite happy . Sobakevich himself often works together with peasants as equals and does not see anything unusual in this.

Plyushkin
The image of this landowner is perhaps perceived as the most negative - he is stingy and angry old man. Plyushkin looks like a beggar, since his clothes are incredibly thin, his house looks like ruins, as do the houses of his peasants.

Plyushkin lives unusually frugally, but he does this not because there is a need for it, but because of a feeling of greed - he is ready to throw away a spoiled thing, but not to use it for good. That is why fabric and food rot in its warehouses, but at the same time its serfs walk around with their heads and tatters.

Minor characters

Minor characters There is also not much in Gogol's story. In fact, all of them can be characterized as significant figures in the county, whose activities are not related to landownership.

The Governor and his family
This is perhaps one of the most significant people in the county. In theory, he should be insightful, smart and reasonable. However, in practice everything turned out to be not quite so. The governor was a kind and pleasant man, but he was not distinguished by his foresight.

His wife was also a nice woman, but her excessive coquetry spoiled the whole picture. The governor's daughter was a typical cutesy girl, although in appearance she was very different from the generally accepted standard - the girl was not plump, as was customary, but was slender and cute.

That it was true that, due to her age, she was too naive and gullible.

Prosecutor
The image of the prosecutor defies significant description. According to Sobakevich, he was the only decent person, although, to be completely honest, he was still a “pig.” Sobakevich does not explain this characteristic in any way, which makes it difficult to understand his image. In addition, we know that the prosecutor was a very impressionable person - when Chichikov’s deception was discovered, due to excessive excitement, he dies.

Chairman of the Chamber
Ivan Grigorievich, who was the chairman of the chamber, was a nice and well-mannered man.

Chichikov noted that he was very educated, unlike most significant people in the district. However, his education does not always make a person wise and far-sighted.

This happened in the case of the chairman of the chamber, who could easily quote works of literature, but at the same time could not discern Chichikov’s deception and even helped him draw up documents for dead souls.

Chief of Police
Alexey Ivanovich, who performed the duties of police chief, seemed to have become accustomed to his work. Gogol says that he was able to ideally comprehend all the intricacies of the work and it was already difficult to imagine him in any other position. Alexey Ivanovich comes to any shop as if it were his own home and can take whatever his heart desires. Despite such arrogant behavior, he did not cause indignation among the townspeople - Alexey Ivanovich knows how to successfully get out of a situation and smooth out the unpleasant impression of extortion. So, for example, he invites you to come over for tea, play checkers, or watch a trotter.

We suggest following the image of Plyushkin in Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”.

Such proposals are not made spontaneously by the police chief - Alexey Ivanovich knows how to find a weak point in a person and uses this knowledge. So, for example, having learned that a merchant has a passion for card games, then immediately invites the merchant to a game.

Episodic and tertiary heroes of the poem

Selifan
Selifan is Chichikov's coachman. Like most ordinary people, he is an uneducated and stupid person. Selifan faithfully serves his master. Typical of all serfs, he likes to drink and is often absent-minded.

Parsley
Petrushka is the second serf under Chichikov. He serves as a footman. Parsley loves to read books, however, he does not understand much of what he reads, but this does not prevent him from enjoying the process itself. Parsley often neglects the rules of hygiene and therefore it gives off an incomprehensible smell.

Mizhuev
Mizhuev is Nozdryov's son-in-law. Mizhuev is not distinguished by prudence. At his core, he is a harmless person, but he loves to drink, which significantly spoils his image.

Feodulia Ivanovna
Feodulia Ivanovna is Sobakevich’s wife. She simple woman and in her habits she resembles a peasant woman. Although, it cannot be said that the behavior of aristocrats is completely alien to her - some elements are still present in her arsenal.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the images and characteristics of landowners in Nikolai Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”

Thus, in the poem, Gogol presents the reader with a wide system of images. And although most of them are collective images and in their structure they are an image characteristic types individuals in society still arouse the reader's interest.

Characteristics of the heroes of the poem “Dead Souls”: list of characters

• Landowner Portrait Characteristics Estate Attitude to housekeeping Lifestyle Result Manilov Handsome blond with blue eyes. At the same time, his appearance “seemed to have too much sugar in it.” Too ingratiating look and behavior Too enthusiastic and refined dreamer who does not feel any curiosity about his farm or anything earthly (he doesn’t even know whether his peasants have died since the last revision). At the same time, his dreaminess is absolutely [...]
• Compositionally, the poem “Dead Souls” consists of three externally closed, but internally interconnected circles. landowners, a city, a biography of Chichikov, united by the image of a road, plot-related by the main character’s scam. But the middle link - the life of the city - itself consists, as it were, of narrowing circles gravitating towards the center; This graphic image provincial hierarchy. It is interesting that in this hierarchical pyramid the governor, embroidering on tulle, looks like a puppet figure. True life boils in the civil […]
• Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is one of the most brilliant authors of our vast Motherland. In his works, he always spoke about painful issues, about how His Rus' lived in His time. And he does it so well! This man really loved Russia, seeing what our country really is - unhappy, deceptive, lost, but at the same time - dear. Nikolai Vasilyevich in the poem “Dead Souls” gives a social profile of the Rus' of that time. Describes landownership in all colors, reveals all the nuances and characters. Among […]
• The work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol fell on the dark era of Nicholas I. It was the 30s. XIX century, when reaction reigned in Russia after the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, all dissenters were persecuted, best people were persecuted. Describing the reality of his time, N.V. Gogol creates the poem “Dead Souls”, which is brilliant in its depth of reflection of life. The basis of “Dead Souls” is that the book is a reflection not of individual features of reality and characters, but of the reality of Russia as a whole. Myself […]
• In Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" the way of life and morals of the feudal landowners is very correctly noted and described. Drawing images of landowners: Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdryov, Sobakevich and Plyushkin, the author recreated a generalized picture of the life of serf Russia, where arbitrariness reigned, the economy was in decline, and the individual suffered moral degradation. After writing and publishing the poem, Gogol said: ““Dead Souls” made a lot of noise, a lot of murmur, touched many people with mockery, truth, and caricature, touched […]
• Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol noted that the main theme of “Dead Souls” was contemporary Russia. The author believed that “there is no other way to direct society or even an entire generation towards the beautiful until you show the full depth of its real abomination.” That is why the poem presents a satire on landed nobility, bureaucracy and others social groups. The composition of the work is subordinated to this task of the author. The image of Chichikov traveling around the country in search of the necessary connections and wealth allows N.V. Gogol […]
• Chichikov, having met landowners in the city, received an invitation from each of them to visit the estate. The gallery of owners of “dead souls” is opened by Manilov. The author at the very beginning of the chapter gives a description of this character. His appearance initially made a very pleasant impression, then - bewilderment, and in the third minute “... you say: “The devil knows what this is!” and move away..." The sweetness and sentimentality highlighted in the portrait of Manilov constitute the essence of his idle lifestyle. He is constantly talking about something [...]
• French traveler, author famous book"Russia in 1839" The Marquis de Kestin wrote: “Russia is ruled by a class of officials who occupy administrative positions straight from school... each of these gentlemen becomes a nobleman, having received a cross in his buttonhole... Upstarts are among those in power, and they use their power as befits upstarts.” The Tsar himself admitted with bewilderment that it was not he, the All-Russian autocrat, who ruled his empire, but the head appointed by him. Provincial town [...]
• In his famous address to the “bird-troika”, Gogol did not forget the master to whom the troika owes its existence: “It seems that not a cunning, it seems, road projectile, not grabbed by an iron screw, but hastily, alive, with one ax and a chisel, the Yaroslavl equipped and assembled you a quick guy." There is another hero in the poem about swindlers, parasites, owners of living and dead souls. Gogol's unnamed hero is a serf slave. In “Dead Souls” Gogol composed such a dithyramb for the Russian serf people, with such direct clarity […]
• N.V. Gogol conceived the first part of the poem “Dead Souls” as a work that reveals social vices society. In this regard, he was looking for a plot that was not simple fact of life, but one that would make it possible to expose the hidden phenomena of reality. In this sense, the plot proposed by A. S. Pushkin suited Gogol perfectly. The idea of ​​“travelling all over Rus' with the hero” gave the author the opportunity to show the life of the entire country. And since Gogol described it in such a way “so that all the little things that elude […]
• In the fall of 1835, Gogol began working on “Dead Souls,” the plot of which, like the plot of “The Inspector General,” was suggested to him by Pushkin. “In this novel I want to show, although from one side, all of Rus',” he writes to Pushkin. Explaining the concept of “Dead Souls,” Gogol wrote that the images of the poem are “in no way portraits of insignificant people; on the contrary, they contain the features of those who consider themselves better than others.” Explaining the choice of the hero, the author says: “Because it’s time, finally, give rest to the poor virtuous man, because [...]
• It should be noted that the episode of the crews’ collision is divided into two micro-themes. One of them is the appearance of a crowd of onlookers and “helpers” from neighboring village, the other is Chichikov’s thoughts caused by his meeting with a young stranger. Both of these themes have both an external, superficial layer that directly concerns the characters of the poem, and a deep layer that brings to the scale of the author’s thoughts about Russia and its people. So, the collision occurs suddenly when Chichikov silently curses Nozdryov, thinking that […]
• Chichikov met Nozdrev earlier, at one of the receptions in the city of NN, but the meeting in the tavern is the first serious acquaintance of both Chichikov and the reader with him. We understand what type of people Nozdryov belongs to, first by seeing his behavior in the tavern, his story about the fair, and then by reading his immediate author's description this “broken little fellow,” a “historical man” who has a “passion to spoil his neighbor, sometimes for no reason at all.” We know Chichikov as a completely different person – [...]
• Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is one of the greatest and at the same time mysterious works of the XIX V. Genre definition“poem,” which then unambiguously meant a lyric-epic work written in poetic form and predominantly romantic, was perceived by Gogol’s contemporaries differently. Some found it mocking, while others saw hidden irony in this definition. Shevyrev wrote that “the meaning of the word “poem” seems to us twofold... because of the word “poem” a deep, significant […]
• At the literature lesson we got acquainted with the work of N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls". This poem gained great popularity. The work was repeatedly filmed both in the Soviet Union and in modern Russia. Also, the names of the main characters have become symbolic: Plyushkin is a symbol of stinginess and storage of unnecessary things, Sobakevich is an uncouth person, Manilovism is immersion in dreams that have no connection with reality. Some phrases have become catchphrases. The main character of the poem is Chichikov. […]
• What is an image literary hero? Chichikov is a great hero, classic work, created by a genius, a hero who embodied the result of the author’s observations and reflections on life, people, and their actions. An image that has absorbed typical features, and therefore has long gone beyond the scope of the work itself. His name became a household name for people - nosy careerists, sycophants, money-grubbers, outwardly “pleasant,” “decent and worthy.” Moreover, some readers' assessment of Chichikov is not so clear. Comprehension […]
• Gogol was always attracted by everything eternal and unshakable. By analogy with " Divine Comedy"For Dante, he decides to create a work in three volumes, where the past, present and future of Russia could be shown. The author even designates the genre of the work in an unusual way - a poem, since different fragments of life are collected in one artistic whole. The composition of the poem, which is built on the principle of concentric circles , allows Gogol to trace Chichikov’s movement through the provincial town of N, the estates of landowners and all of Russia […]
• "At the hotel gates provincial town NN a rather beautiful spring chaise drove in... In the chaise sat a gentleman, not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too thick nor too thin; One cannot say that he is old, but not that he is too young. His entry made absolutely no noise in the city and was not accompanied by anything special.” This is how our hero, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, appears in the city. Let us, following the author, get to know the city. Everything tells us that this is a typical provincial [...]
• Plyushkin is the image of a moldy cracker left over from Easter cake. Only he has a life story; Gogol portrays all other landowners statically. These heroes seem to have no past that would be in any way different from their present and explain something about it. Plyushkin's character is much more complex characters other landowners represented in Dead Souls. Traits of manic stinginess are combined in Plyushkin with morbid suspicion and distrust of people. Preserving an old sole, a clay shard, [...]
• The poem "Dead Souls" reflects social phenomena and the conflicts that characterized Russian life in the 30s and early 40s. XIX century It very accurately notes and describes the way of life and customs of that time. Drawing images of landowners: Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Sobakevich and Plyushkin, the author recreated a generalized picture of the life of serf Russia, where arbitrariness reigned, the economy was in decline, and the individual suffered moral degradation, regardless of whether she was a slave owner or [... ]

The main work created by Gogol is “Dead Souls”. He wrote it for 17 long years, often rethinking and rewriting chapters, changing characters. I worked on the first volume alone for 6 years. Pushkin gave him the idea to write such a work. Alexander Sergeevich himself wanted to use this plot, but decided that Gogol would do it better. And so it happened.

The title of the poem reflects the process sales of the dead serfs, as well as truly “dead” souls of soulless, immoral landowners who were engaged in such sales for the purpose of enrichment.

The main theme of the work is the immorality that reigned in Rus' in the 30s of the 19th century and the vices that emanated from it. The author has covered this topic very broadly and deeply.

The plot of the work is that Chichikov travels around Russia with the goal of buying up “dead souls” in order to later get rich from it. This plot allowed the author to widely show the whole life of Russia from the inside, as it is.

The composition of the poem consists of 11 published chapters of the first volume and several more surviving chapters of the second volume. These chapters are united by the image of the main character Chichikov. Gogol finished the second volume shortly before his death. But only a few chapters remained from it that have come down to us. There are different opinions about where the manuscript went. Some literary scholars say that he burned it himself, while others say that he gave it to his fellow writers, who later lost it. But we will never know for sure. He never got around to writing the third volume.

The first chapter introduces us to the main character Chichikov and the residents of the city. Chapters 2-6 are devoted to landowners, a description of their life and way of life, their morals. Reading these chapters, we become acquainted with the portraits of landowners, which the author so subtly portrayed satirically. But the next 4 chapters are devoted to the ugly way of life of officials. Bribery, tyranny and other vices characteristic of most officials flourish here.

The poem is written in the style of realism, although it also has romantic notes: beautiful description nature, philosophical reflections, lyrical digressions. So, at the end of the work, the author reflects on the future of Rus', on its strength and power.

Gogol, using the suggested idea, developed the plot. For him, cases with “ dead souls"We knew each other well. He had heard a lot about such scams, because in Russia at that time the purchase and sale of dead people, but according to official documents those who were considered serfs, was a common thing. The population census was carried out every 10 years, and during these 10 years the dead serfs were given, sold, or mortgaged in order to get rich.

At first the author thought of writing his work as satirical novel, but then he realized that it was impossible to fit into a novel everything that he wanted to write about, that is, all the ins and outs of the life of Rus'. Gogol changes the genre of the work to a poem. He intended to write a poem in 3 volumes, similar to Dante's poem. And although many literary scholars call “Dead Souls” a novel, it is customary to call the work a poem, exactly as the author intended.

Option 2

N.V. Gogol is one of the unique and mysterious writers XIX century. The scale of his work has amazed readers for several centuries. The writer's originality is manifested in all his works. The truth about Russian reality of the nineteenth century is one of the leading themes of his works.

One of the most brilliant works N.V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is considered. The creator’s seventeen-year work was not in vain. Subtle psychologist human souls in the images of the heroes of his poem he recreated the real history of that time. The name itself contains something profound. philosophical meaning conceived by the writer. Dead souls - those dead people whom I collected main character, or is it Chichikov himself with his entourage.

The plot is unusual and at the same time simple. Collegiate adviser Chichikov buys dead but still registered serfs from landowners, dreaming of getting rich from this. Each party to the transaction benefits. One sells air, the other buys it. The author shrouded in mystery the origin of the main character, his age until the last 11th chapter, in which the secret of adviser Chichikov was revealed. The writer deliberately does not focus on the hero’s past in the development of the storyline. For Gogol, he was unremarkable, an “average” man. Revealing the secret of Chichikov's birth, the writer wants to emphasize the mediocrity of his hero.

The topic suggested to the writer by A.S. Pushkin is the reality of that time. Fraud, cynicism, the desire for profit by any means - Gogol exposes in his creation.

Compositionally, the poem consists of the first volume and several chapters of the second volume. Vivid lyrical digressions complement the atmosphere of Russian life. Six portraits are drawn before the reader’s eyes by the poet Gogol. In full color, Chichikov, Sobakevich, Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdryov, Plyushkin appear before our eyes. The writer describes his characters with undisguised humor: tyranny, stupidity, prudence are their main character traits. 11 chapters of the poem reveal the entire inner essence of society of that time. Amazing literary genre the work is a poem (as the author himself called it). But the absence of poetic rhyme, the structure would rather resemble a novel. Gogol called his creation a poem because large quantity digressions of a lyrical nature, philosophical reflections author. To this day, the monologue about the Russian troika, which traces the present and future of Russia, evokes admiration.

The relevance of the work has not faded to this day. Aren't there people now who want to get wealth out of nothing? What about the Manilovs who dream but do nothing for it? Stupid and stingy Boxes? Undoubtedly there are, they are nearby and if you just take a good look, you will meet Gogol’s heroes in our days. This is where the immortality of N.V. Gogol’s creation called “Dead Souls” manifests itself.

Dead Souls Analysis

The poem “Dead Souls” is one of the most significant works N.V. Gogol. The author spent 17 years writing it. Initially, the work was conceived as comic, but the further the development of the storyline progressed, the more logical the transition to realism seemed. After its publication, the poem became the subject of widespread controversy and created excitement in literary society. The theme of the present and future of Russia, which greatly worried the author himself, can be traced throughout the work. It is transmitted in Chichikov’s relationships with the same charlatans and swindlers.

Gogol loved his country and his people very much. He described ordinary Russian people who would lead Russia into a bright future. But it also remains open question classes that are becoming obsolete, their souls are rotten and degraded. Hence the name of the poem, which in addition to its direct meaning also has a figurative meaning. Dead souls are peasants who have passed on to another world, but continue to be registered with the estate. Gogol also calls “dead souls” nobles and landowners who hinder the development of the country, have no interests and live out their lives in moral decay. These were precisely Manilov, Korobochka, Sobakevich, Plyushkin and others. We begin to get acquainted with these characters from the second chapter, when the collegiate adviser Chichikov leaves the city of NN and begins his journey through the nearby villages. There he meets the landowners, who are collective images of the nobility of Gogol's time.

Each chapter is dedicated to a different master. The chapters are constructed logically and sequentially, as if each of them is a separate story. Those in which landowners are described have similar compositions, which allows for a clear comparison of the images. Despite the logically constructed sequence, the author uses illogicalities and absurdity to convey the characters' personalities. The poem also contains lyrical digressions and short stories that do not relate to the main plot, but help to more fully understand the intent of the entire work.

The work itself is more like a story or novel, but Gogol calls it an epic poem. It has a ring composition, but it has a certain originality. Thus, the last 11th chapter may be the informal beginning of the work and also its formal completion. The action in the poem begins with Chichikov's entry into the city of NN and ends when he leaves the city.

Mitrasha is the main character of Prishvin’s work “The Pantry of the Sun”. He is ten years old

Every person in life repeatedly faces different problems and obstacles. Most people overcome all difficulties and adversity

Pavel Ivanovich CHICHIKOV lives according to his father’s behest: to save and increase every penny, using all ways and means.

A thought has matured in his head: to buy “dead souls” and turn into a fantastically rich man who will be loved, respected and celebrated for it.

A man with an ordinary appearance and a good education begins to implement his plan. He seeks his own approach to each landowner: he praises Manilov for his children and the structure of his life, Korobochka for his thriftiness, Sobakevich for commercial vein... He is an excellent psychologist, and the implementation of the plan was almost successful for him. But then there were still “bright minds of our time” who exposed the whole deception. There is no point in deceiving the state: you will lose honor and you will not gain honor. I think that Chichikov’s evolution “took” the wrong path, and the priest’s behests were not the same...

Manilov is a pleasant person in all respects. Sweet, delicate, courteous. His eyes are the color of the sky, he smiles all the time, but Gogol notices. They have too much sugar in them. There is no Loika in his speech. There are neat piles of ash on the table. Absolutely mismanagement Has no idea how many serfs he has. Any questions should be addressed to the clerk. An apple orchard could appear on his land, but instead we see some stunted birch trees and a complete absence of greenery.

The landowner MANILOV is worthless, stupid in his dreams, impractical. In his room there is expensive furniture, an elegant candlestick, and next to it, in contrast, there are chairs covered with rough matting and some kind of figurine of a disabled person. He himself seems crippled.

Manilov has an extraordinary lightness of thought. He will “project” a house with a long underground passage, or stone bridge. Why he needs this - our hero himself does not know, especially since the bridge will be over the pond. His children, named after the great Greeks, are ill-mannered, undeveloped, and do not know how to behave correctly even at the dinner table. And who brings them the rational and eternal? Manilov himself, who has been reading the book for many years, is on page fourteen.

Conclusion: Manilov is outwardly pleasant, but internally he is an empty person, neither this nor that...

PLYUSHKIN is a “hole in humanity.” Gogol describes in detail the destroyed houses of his peasants, mountains of rotten bread, and his own home, which seemed like an invalid. Only the garden shines with eternal beauty, but this is a miracle of nature, and not the result of Plyushkin’s activities.

The figure of the landowner is strange. He doesn’t look like a woman or a man, but, most likely, like just a beggar creature to whom he wants to give alms. He has a lot of good, but greed, his desire to beg and accumulate led to an absolute moral decline.

His peasants are killing him like flies, he doesn’t trust people, he is hostile to the world.

Things were replaced for him real people. Gogol writes: “And a person could condescend to the same insignificance, pettiness, and nastiness!”

The artistic depth and scale of the work “Dead Souls” indicate that it can well be considered the main one in creative biography Nikolai Gogol. The author worked long and painstakingly on its creation, starting with the understanding that, first of all, the writer has all the problems and storyline, as well as the character of the heroes, should be passed through yourself. Let's analyze the analysis of "Dead Souls" by Nikolai Gogol.

The humble beginning of a great poem

We will begin our analysis of the poem “Dead Souls” by Gogol with the fact that in the first volume of the work the author outlined only general features and called it “ pale beginning"How did Gogol come up with the idea for the plot, because in order to think through such a serious thing in detail, you need an appropriate approach and a solid foundation?

It turns out that the idea to start a new poem was given to Gogol by none other than Alexander Pushkin. The poet said that he had a plot in his outline that he himself would like to use, but recommended that Nikolai Vasilyevich do it. But it is important to remember that the most important thing: Pushkin “suggested” the leading idea of ​​the poem, and he outlined the plot in general outline. Gogol himself perfectly developed the storyline, because he knew a lot real stories, which were based on various scams involving “dead souls.”

For example, let’s include in the analysis of the poem “Dead Souls” one such incident from Gogol’s life. When he was still a very young man and lived in Mirgorod, he heard a similar story in sufficient detail - it was advantageous to count some serfs who had already died as alive, at least until the upcoming revision. This practice spread throughout Russia, and on official papers only after an audit such peasants began to be considered dead. In view of this, until the so-called “revision fairy tale,” landowners had to continue paying taxes in the form of a poll tax.

What is the essence of the “dead souls” scam?

When a peasant remained “alive” only on official papers, he could be given away, sold or mortgaged, which was beneficial in some fraudulent scams. The landowner could be tempted by the fact that the serf did not bring more income, but this way you could get some money for him. There was a buyer who, if the transaction was completed, began to own a very real fortune.

Initially, Gogol, taking into account this basis of the scam, defined for his work such a genre as an adventurous picaresque novel. Some authors of that time already wrote in this spirit, and their novels enjoyed quite a lot of success, although their artistic level was not so high. In the course of his work, Gogol modified the genre, and this important detail in the analysis of the poem "Dead Souls". After the general idea of ​​the work became clear and the idea was clearly formed, Gogol himself designated the genre - poem. Therefore, from an adventurous picaresque novel, it turned into a poem.

Analysis of the poem "Dead Souls" - features of the work

If we talk about the scale of Gogol’s idea in relation to the poem “Dead Souls,” we can see how it grew, because initially the author wanted to reflect only “one side” of Russia, and later with his thesis Gogol showed that he had revised not only the genre model, but also wealth of ideas. The essence of his thesis lies in the thought: “all Rus'” should be reflected in the poem. The new idea was so broad and rich that it was practically impossible to realize it within the tight confines of an adventurous picaresque novel. Therefore, this genre began to play the role of a shell, but lost main role.

Let's talk a little about the main character of the poem, Chichikov. His origins are shrouded in mystery, and this is the very technique that Gogol used to fully reveal his image. Analyzing the poem "Dead Souls", it becomes quite obvious that Chichikov is a man in the middle. He doesn’t have a bad appearance, that is, you can’t call him handsome, and he’s not ugly. He is not thick, and not thin. The age is also unclear - not young, but at the same time not old. As readers, we do not know Chichikov's life story until we reach the last chapter.

In the eleventh chapter, the vulgar nature of this man becomes visible. His origins are again said very vaguely, again it is emphasized that he is not vile, but also not of a heroic type. Chichikov's main quality is that he is an “acquirer”. One can draw conclusions from the way Gogol calls him an “average” person. This means that he is not particularly different from everyone else, but in his character a trait inherent in many is strengthened - Chichikov is ready to make money, to chase a beautiful life, and at the same time he has almost no deep goals in life, and he is spiritually empty.