Sobakevich's further actions in the poem Dead Souls. Dead souls Characteristics of Sobakevich

In his work N.V. Gogol tried to make most of the characters bright and unique, to give them a specific appearance and individual characteristics.

One of these heroes was the landowner Sobakevich Mikhail Semenovich. A man of respectable age, with his figure and facial features resembles a bear. The reader may notice that his specific appearance and surroundings indicate the limitations of his spiritual interests. His dwelling resembles a lair: uncomfortable, but reliable. The buildings for the peasants in his village are also distinguished by good quality and practicality.

Much can be learned about Sobakevich at the time of the transaction for the sale of dead souls. It should be noted that the hero is very different from other characters. Unlike the other landowners, when selling, Sobakevich could describe each of them in detail, this suggests that he is not indifferent to the people he owns. When trading with Chichikov, his cunning is manifested - he receives one hundred rubles for one soul. The hero can be safely called a deceiver, as he understands all the dishonesty of the transaction, but does not mind enriching himself at the expense of it. Sobakevich is smart, practical and does everything for his own benefit, sometimes his straightforwardness turns into rudeness and ignorance.

It is alarming that the hero does not speak positively about any of his friends or acquaintances: some he called swindlers, some robbers, and others even "Christ-sellers". He condemns his neighbors for their stinginess, while he himself tries all the time to please his stomach.

Having analyzed the positive and negative features of the hero at different moments of his activity, we can conclude that Sobakevich is an absolutely soulless person. Like the people around him, he does not allow any changes, because in order to change a person needs a soul. It is worth paying attention to his name. She says that a person is rude, clumsy and always dissatisfied with everything. Sometimes one gets the impression that a character, like others, appeared out of nowhere, probably due to the fact that it is impossible to observe any family ties in the work. With the help of this hero, N.V. Gogol showed all the limitations and obsession with material things of the people of his time.

Option 2

In the poem "Dead Souls" N.V. Gogol creates unforgettable images of Russian landowners.

The meeting of the businessman Chichikov, who is buying up dead souls, with Mikhail Semenovich Sobakevich takes place after visits to the landowners Manilov, Korobochka and Nozdrev.

The description of the landowner's economy speaks of a certain prosperity. He has a large village, in which everything is sound, reliable. Sobakevich's huge wooden house had a mezzanine and a red roof. The yard was surrounded by a thick wooden lattice. It can be seen that Sobakevich's economy is strong.

Sobakevich is big and massive, his physical strength is felt. To Chichikov, he looks like a brown bear: a bear-colored tailcoat, walks, stepping on everyone's feet, like a bear, and his complexion is that of a copper penny. Even his name is appropriate - Michael. Furniture, decoration in the house remind him of himself: "everything was solid, clumsy" and had a resemblance to the owner of the house. In general, everything looked like a bear's lair because of the massive bulky furniture. The hero has a “speaking” surname - Sobakevich, which suggests something rude, inhuman.

Sobakevich is not afraid of anyone. During a conversation with Chichikov, for no apparent reason, he scolds all his acquaintances: the governor is a "robber", the police chief is a "swindler", the prosecutor is a "pig". He is rude and ignorant. He is disgusted with everything new, progressive, considering it harmful to the people. Sobakevich does not skimp on treats and generously treats Chichikov. He is a glutton, loves hearty and delicious food. Eat a lot at lunch.

Sobakevich is far from stupid: he is not surprised when he learns about Chichikov's intentions. At the same time, Chichikov carefully called the souls non-existent, and not dead. Sobakevich immediately realized that the deal was illegal, but he did not even show it. He knows his peasants well, appreciates their labor qualities, praises them in order to sell the dead more profitably. And immediately breaks a large price for dead souls, explaining this by the fact that his peasants are real masters. Getting carried away, Sobakevich speaks of his peasants as if they were alive. Chichikov in his hearts to himself calls Sobakevich "the devil's fist." As a result, the dead souls were sold by Sobakevich at the highest price. In this scene of sale and purchase, the greedy greed of the landowner is revealed. His whole life is hoarding for the sake of hoarding.

Gogol shows how feudal reality brought up such prudent landowners as Sobakevich, who were exclusively occupied with accumulation. The author notes that such people are found both in the provinces and in the capital.

Essay about Sobakevich

Dead Souls is a famous poem by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. It presents a wide variety of human characters, which is transmitted through the images of heroes, landowners described in the work. Each of them is an example of striking character traits that are inherent in most of Russian society.

Sobakevich is the fourth landowner in line, whom Chichikov visited with the aim of buying dead peasant souls on his estate. To describe the appearance of the hero, Nikolai Vasilievich uses a comparison with a bear. This image suits Sobakevich very well, who is very clumsy and resembles a bear with his face, besides, he was a very strong man. The name of the hero also corresponds to the image - Michael.

The image of Sobakevich reminds everyone of the well-known image of a big, strong, but kind giant, which is often used in Russian fairy tales. In the work, the names of the characters speak of who they are, Sobakevich is no exception. Mikhail Semenovich is a big, strong and kind man who is always dissatisfied with everything and scolds everything that is possible. A comparison with an eternally barking dog is very suitable.

He considers his chief of police a swindler, and reproaches the governor for robbery. He is dissatisfied with everyone - some are liars, others are robbers. But Sobakevich is also not so clean, take for example the situation when he told the chairman of the chamber that he had sold Mikheev, his coachman, even though he was dead.

Sobakevich and the estate exactly matches his image. The whole situation inside the estate was combined with the features of his character. All items were very strong, but were awkwardly arranged. Also, the landowner enjoys his money, counting his funds is one of Sobakevich's favorite pastimes. He counts absolutely everything, even his serfs, over whom he exercises tight control. He does not care about these people, they bring him income, that's what interests him. As soon as Chichikov appeared on his estate, Sobakevich immediately guessed his intentions and used them to obtain the greatest benefit, he stuffed the maximum price on the souls of his dead serfs.

Our hero is a vivid example of the nobility. He loves to eat hearty and tasty, and scolds everyone for any mistake. Sobakevich dislikes almost everything unknown to him, be it a German doctor or French cuisine. He himself has no interests other than counting his money.

In this way, Gogol shows the limitations of the Russian people. In the poem, he pointed out that there are a lot of such people in St. Petersburg.

Option 4

In the poem "Dead Souls", the main character Chichikov arrives at Sobakevich's estate. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol describes the village he saw, the house, and then the landowner himself. This allows the reader to notice that the condition of the dwelling can be used to guess the character or appearance of its owner.

From the fifth chapter we learn that Sobakevich's estate has no symmetry, clumsy, but rather strong. It can be seen that the owner cares about durability. When Chichikov looked around the room, it seemed to him as if everything: the pot-bellied walnut bureau, the table, the chairs, the armchairs, spoke of their resemblance to the owner. So he saw Sobakevich himself. He thinks that the landowner looks like a bear. Gogol ironically gives him the name Mikhail, which emphasizes his appearance. Sobakevich, by the way, is as clumsy as his house. He often steps on people's feet.

The first thing the hero had to do was dinner. Chichikov was extremely surprised by the amount of food. The landowner was very fond of eating, which made him so large. During a conversation at the table, the main character became convinced that Sobakevich speaks badly of everyone. However, such a reaction was also about the national cuisine.

After dinner, Chichikov nevertheless started talking about the deal, but very remotely. In the end, Sobakevich bluntly asked a question about dead souls. It's amazing that it doesn't bother him. He speaks calmly. The author compares with the conversation about bread. We see that the landowner has already found his advantage in the still imperfect deal. He offers a large sum, describing the merits of the peasants during their lifetime. Chichikov is bargaining for a long time, but Sobakevich still insists on a big price. As a result, having interested the landowner in such a dubious deal, the character is going to leave, which Mikhail Semenovich fell for and agreed to small money.

Thus, Nikolai Vasilyevich shows us a person for whom the main thing in life is to eat well and have a benefit even in something that no longer exists. We know that all the peasants are full, but it is necessary to understand that this is not for their good life, but for the work to be done, that is, again, everything is for Sobakevich. The author directly says that there was absolutely no soul in the body of this landowner, and also compares him with an immortal koshchei. The soul is covered with a thick shell, just like Sobakevich himself in his house, surrounded by a thick wooden fence. This character also requires special attention, showing some of the most unpleasant human vices.

Sobakevich is a landowner to whom Chichikov offers a lucrative deal for the sale of "dead" souls. The character complements the image gallery created by . Initially, the writer planned to create three volumes of the work, starting from the composition "Hell - Purgatory - Paradise", but later abandoned this plan. Literary critics still analyze and analyze the characteristics and descriptions of characters in order to analyze the poem.

History of creation

The book "Dead Souls" was born thanks to. In his memoirs, Gogol wrote that Pushkin motivated him to create the work and even gave him the idea of ​​a plot for it. The poet told his friend a funny story that he heard while in exile in Chisinau. The retelling of the anecdote reached Gogol 15 years after the event. It was about a scoundrel who bought dead souls from landlords in order to get a bank loan.

In that era, such incidents were not uncommon, and the idea, appropriated, was used by more than one scammer. The plot and images of the characters are written in detail and in detail, and the reality of that era allowed the reader to feel the story.

Work on the poem began in 1835, shortly before the writing of The Inspector General. The idea did not seem exciting to the writer, so the work was difficult. Having finished the play and returning from a trip to Europe, Gogol made an attempt to complete the work. The chapters were repeatedly rewritten, and the work was delayed. The book was completed in 1841. Arriving from abroad in Russia, the author submitted the creation to the censorship committee for consideration.

In Moscow, the book was received with distrust, so Gogol turned to Alexander Belinsky for help. The critic helped the author, and "Dead Souls" was published in St. Petersburg in 1842.

Biography

The "mortality" of the hero's soul is similar to that shown by others. The lifestyle of the heroes is comfortable, and they do not intend to change it. They have no life goals, and the souls are callous and motionless. The heroes have no relatives, or they do not take part in family life. There is a feeling that the landlords appeared out of nowhere.

The meaning of the name and surname of each landowner described in the work is important. The portrait of Sobakevich is based on associations with animals. The author compares Mikhailo Semenovich with a big clumsy bear and even rewards the hero with a tailcoat of a similar shade. The perception of the inner world of the hero begins with an acquaintance with his appearance.

Sobakevich approached all issues thoroughly, which made him different from his neighbors and aroused the respect of the public. The description of the estate, the interior and the character's relationship to the household suggests that he does not live in poverty. The landowner wants the peasants to have a material basis, realizing that the fate of his estate largely depends on the welfare of the serfs. In this matter nobility is mixed with greed. With all the shortcomings of Sobakevich, one cannot call him a stingy person. This distinguishes him from Plyushkin, who lives from hand to mouth. A meal for the glutton Sobakevich is a pleasure, and for the author it is another way to emphasize the animal nature in the hero.

A man of strong build, standing firmly on his feet, Sobakevich adheres to maximalism in everything, preferring large amounts of food. The author calls his hero "man-fist". He is a man who gives preference to the carnal, the worldly. This character has physical strength, but appears as a rough, clumsy creature. He has good health, a large physique and appearance, reminiscent of the type of epic heroes.

The surname Sobakevich seems to indicate an animal origin. The man has a strong grip, is rude to people around him, has a "dog" disposition. At the same time, the landowner is cunning and seeks his own benefit and convenience in everything. His straightforwardness and rudeness are amazing. Sobakevich doesn't believe in anything and tends to judge those around him. The speaking surname and the description of appearance exaggerate his image.

Sobakevich blames officials, but builds mutually beneficial relations with them. The master does not like to study and hates those who promote intellectual interests and a passion for obtaining new knowledge. In education, Sobakevich sees opportunities that can shake the conditions comfortable for his existence.

"Dead Souls"

Mikhailo Semenovich Sobakevich deserves special attention from readers. The reader gets to know him long before the plot starts. The author describes the hero's house, the estate as a whole, and only after that reveals the features of his character. The estate and the manor house are distinguished by their quality factor, and Chichikov first of all notices the reliability of the buildings when he enters the village of Sobakevich. The estate of the landowner was practical without unnecessary embellishments and completely coincided with his image. Every detail that accompanied Sobakevich in the house is similar to him.

The peasants lived quietly under the auspices of such a master. Satiety and well-being represented his meaning of life. Sobakevich, in a conversation with Chichikov, demonstrates his acumen and talent as a businessman. He quickly avoids hints, calling a spade a spade, and even manages to cheat Chichikov around his finger.

The landowner wrote a list of the deceased peasants with his own hand, explaining in detail who was who during his lifetime. Calculation, ingenuity and cynicism moved him. The result of the deal left both participants satisfied.

Screen adaptations

Directors, inspired by classical literary works, filmed Gogol's work. The first motion picture was released in 1909. It was a black-and-white silent film by Pyotr Chardynin, in which Vasily Stepanov played Sobakevich.

A few decades later, in 1960, Leonid Trauberg staged a film-play based on the plot of the poem. In the work on the project, they used a staging of the work, which belonged to the pen and was written in 1930. He performed in the image of Sobakevich.

Director Alexander Belinsky in 1969 also filmed a television play based on the book. Sobakevich in the production was played by Yuri Tolubeev.

The premiere of the next film adaptation took place in 1984 thanks to director Mikhail Schweitzer. He appeared in the image of Sobakevich.

The first television series based on the works of Gogol was released in 2005. Pavel Lungin released a project called "The Case of Dead Souls". The role of Sobakevich went to.

Quotes

A skilled businessman, Sobakevich did not want to blunder with a good deal. Demonstrating scope, he boasted to Chichikov, using his favorite expressions:

“When I have pork - put the whole pig on the table, lamb - drag the whole ram, goose - just the goose!”

The hero was not shy in terms, describing his worldview and trying to prove that his way of life has its advantages and is much more honest than the rest:

“I know them all: they are all scammers, the whole city is like this: a scammer sits on a scammer and drives a scammer.”

Honest stories about his point of view did not prevent Sobakevich from cheating, boldly twisting the guest around his finger and inflating the price of the dead serfs:

"That's right, it's cheap! Another swindler will deceive you, sell you rubbish, not souls; and I have - like a vigorous nut, everything is for selection: not a workman, but some other healthy man.

Sobakevich follows fourth in the gallery of Gogol's landowners. This image is compared with Shakespeare's Caliban, but there is also a lot of purely Russian, national in it.

The main features of Sobakevich are intelligence, efficiency, practical acumen, but at the same time, he is characterized by stinginess, some kind of heavy stability in views, character, lifestyle. These features are already noticeable in the Hero's Portrait itself, which looks like a bear of "medium size". They even call him Mikhail Semenovich. “To complete the resemblance, the tailcoat on him was completely bearish in color, the sleeves were long, the pantaloons were long, he stepped with his feet and at random and stepped incessantly on other people's legs. The complexion was red-hot, hot, which happens on a copper penny.

In the portrait of Sobakevich, one can feel the grotesque motif of the hero's rapprochement with an animal, with a thing. Thus, Gogol emphasizes the limited interests of the landowner in the world of material life.

Gogol also reveals the qualities of the hero through the landscape, interior and dialogues. The village of Sobakevich is "quite large". To the left and to the right of it are "two forests, birch and pine, like two wings, one dark, the other lighter." Already these forests speak of the thriftiness of the landowner, his practical acumen.

Fully corresponds to the external and internal appearance of the owner and his estate. Sobakevich does not care at all about the aesthetics, the external beauty of the objects surrounding him, thinking only about their functionality. Chichikov, approaching Sobakevich's house, notes that during the construction, obviously, "the architect constantly fought with the taste of the owner." “The architect was a pedant and wanted symmetry, the owner wanted convenience…”, remarks Gogol. This “convenience”, concern for the functionality of objects is manifested in Sobakevich in everything. The landowner's yard is surrounded by a "strong and excessively thick wooden lattice", the stables and sheds are made of full-weight, thick logs, even the village huts of the peasants are "cut down wonderfully" - "everything ... is fitted tightly and as it should."

The situation in Sobakevich's house reproduces the same "strong, clumsy order." A table, armchairs, chairs - all "of the most heaviest and restless nature", in the corner of the living room stands "a pot-bellied walnut bureau on absurd four legs, a perfect bear." Paintings of "Greek generals" hang on the walls - unusually strong and tall fellows, "with such thick thighs and unheard-of mustaches that a shiver passes through the body."

It is characteristic that here the motif of heroism reappears, "playing the role of a positive ideological pole in the poem." And this motif is set not only by the images of Greek commanders, but also by the portrait of Sobakevich himself, who has "the strongest and most marvelously stitched image." This motif reflected Gogol's dream of Russian heroism, concluded, according to the writer, not only in physical strength, but also in "the untold wealth of the Russian spirit." The writer captures here the very essence of the Russian soul: “Russian movements will rise ... and they will see how deeply that which slipped only through the nature of other peoples has sunk into Slavic nature.”

However, in the image of Sobakevich, the "wealth of the Russian spirit" is suppressed by the world of material life. The landowner is concerned only with the preservation of his wealth and the abundance of the table. Most of all, he loves to eat well and tasty, not recognizing foreign diets. So, lunch at Sobakevich's is very "diverse": stuffed mutton's stomach is served with cabbage soup, then "mutton's side with porridge", cheesecakes, stuffed turkey and jam follow. “When I have pork, put the whole pig on the table, lamb - drag the whole ram, goose - just the goose!” he says to Chichikov. Here Gogol debunks gluttony, one of the human vices that Orthodoxy struggles with.

Characteristically, Sobakevich is far from stupid: he immediately realized what the essence of Pavel Ivanovich's lengthy speech was and quickly set his price for the dead peasants. The landowner is logical and consistent during the bargaining with Chichikov.

Sobakevich is insightful in his own way, endowed with a sober view of things. He has no illusions about city officials: “... they are all swindlers; the whole city is like this: a swindler sits on a swindler and drives a swindler. In the words of the hero here lies the truth of the author, his position.

The mind of Sobakevich, his insight and, at the same time, "wildness", unsociableness, unsociableness of the landowner are manifested in his speech. Sobakevich speaks very clearly, briefly, without excessive "prettyness" and ornateness. So, to Chichikov's lengthy rantings about the burdensome duty of the landowner to pay taxes for the revision souls, "who have finished their careers", Mikhail Ivanovich "reacts" with one phrase; "Do you need dead souls?" Discussing acquaintances, the landowner may scold, use a "strong word."

The image of Sobakevich in the poem is static: readers are not presented with the life story of the hero, any spiritual changes in him. However, the character before us is alive and multifaceted. As in the chapters on the rest of the landowners, Gogol uses here all the elements of the composition (landscape, interior, portrait, speech), subordinating them to the leitmotif of this image.

Mikhail Semenovich Sobakevich is a small landowner 40 years old. Chichikov, the buyer of dead souls, visits him fourth in a row. He appears to the reader as a strong and big man. Gogol had a special talent for giving surnames to his characters according to the peculiarities of their character. So Sobakevich, initially presented as kind and strong, later turns out to be dissatisfied and cursing.

Sobakevich lives in a remote backwater, which left a unique imprint on him. He actively takes care of his estate, leading a measured and long-rooted life with his wife Feduliya Ivanovna. The wife is presented in the guise of a tall and at the same time thin person. Yes, quite a harmonious couple turns out.

(Sobakevich's estate in his village)

The village of Sobakevich is equipped with strong peasant huts, which have a rather awkward appearance, but are solid and reliable. Sobakevich surrounded his estate with a reliable fence. In his house, the whole atmosphere is strong and reliable, it seems that every chair shouts: "I, too, Sobakevich." Everything is somewhat similar to a bear's lair. Large and bulky chairs and beds, and paintings are hung everywhere in the same bulky frames.

Characteristics of the hero

("Sobakevich", artist Alexander Agin, 1846-47)

Sobakevich is the simplest landowner who firmly stands on his land, knows how to soberly and quickly evaluate people, without feeling the slightest sympathy for them. According to Mikhail Semenovich himself, his life was a success, which he managed to furnish fundamentally and thoroughly. He does not have a sense of fear for anyone, although he is an excellent conversationalist with a certain rudeness, straightforwardness and donkey obstinacy.

Mikhail Semenovich is deprived of any emotional impulses and spiritual experiences, he is completely free from daydreaming and philosophizing. Sobakevich perceives with complete disgust everything new that does not fit in his mind, believing that all these delights of enlightenment are harmful inventions for the people. His life credo is "A scammer sits on a scammer and drives a scammer."

He scolds everyone and believes that only the prosecutor remains the most decent person for him, but he considers the police chief a swindler, and the governor a robber. For him, every person is a liar and dishonest. Although he calmly lies to the chairman of the chamber that he decided to sell the carriage maker Mikheev, despite the fact that the chairman himself already knew about his death.

("Sobakevich presents his wife to Chichikov", artist Alexander Agin, 1846-47)

Opinion about Chichikov. Unlike the landowner Korobochka, cut off from the realities of life and the sebarite-dreamer Manilov, Sobakevich quickly understood the essence of the rogue Chichikov and did not give himself the opportunity to be fooled.

After listening to Chichikov's request to sell dead souls to him, Sobakevich, despite his clumsiness and eccentricity, quickly realized what Chichikov was talking about, and therefore he set such a high price - 100 rubles for each dead soul sold. In the course of a conversation with Chichikov, the psychology of Sobakevich, a strong landowner-fist, who managed to organize the work of his peasants in such a way that he derived the maximum benefit for himself, is fully revealed. Sobakevich will never miss his benefit, so he firmly decided not to deviate from the appointed price.

The image of the hero in the work

("Lunch at Sobakevich's", illustration by P.P. Sokolov, early 1890s)

Sobakevich is one of the main characters of Gogol's poem "Dead Souls", in which he created a collective image that was found both in the remote provinces and in the capital's salons. The poem reflects the reality that was in Russia at the end of the 19th century, when the peasants were serfs, and their life was completely dependent on the landowner.

Gogol, describing Sobakevich's appearance, compared him to a clumsy bear who suddenly pierced his interlocutor with his close-set eyes, which made him uncomfortable. For all his monumentality, Michael is not without some weaknesses, the main one being gluttony. Boasting in front of Chichikov, he said: “When I have pork, put the whole pig on the table!”

To describe the image of Sobakevich, Gogol used all the methods of compositional construction of the narrative: landscapes, portraits and the speech of his hero.

As a practical, cold-blooded and reasonable nature, Sobakevich perfectly understands what is necessary and useful in his position. He is a sober realist, stands on the basis of facts and leads his own line. Sobakevich is very intelligent and intelligent, although he does not read books. If, for all that, Sobakevich has a non-stupid, ridiculous appearance, then this is explained not by his personal qualities, but by his position: he is very clever and sensible in his line, but his line is completely meaningless. He is a soul-owner and, as such, lives without contradicting himself, cleverly and prudently, but since soul-ownership itself has become nonsense, Sobakevich's whole life has acquired the absurd character of intelligent and calculating nonsense. Perhaps one can ask the question: why does Sobakevich, with his mind, not leave the senseless line of soul ownership? Yes, simply because for such an act, one mind is not enough; here one needs enthusiasm, even heroism, which the apathetic, utilitarian Sobakevich is completely incapable of. He does not even think about the question of whether a soul-possessing existence is reasonable. He simply exists, lives in the conditions of soul possession and does not do stupid things that are inconsistent with these conditions.

Sobakevich understands perfectly well that the phenomena of the new exchange culture are hostile to soul ownership, and therefore shuns them as much as possible. He scolds all sorts of city delicacies and prefers homemade products to everything. He prefers a fat "nanny" prepared by a serf cook to all purchased fricasseys and a dress made by a serf tailor to all purchased fashionable clothes.

Neither new science, nor new technology, nor money capital could be applied in the serf estate. All attempts to apply them here should have taken on a stupid and stupid character, should only hasten the ruin of the fortress estate. Common sense saved Sobakevich from the role of a caricature employee of the new culture. But that doesn't make him any less funny. Refusing to participate in the construction of a money-exchange culture, Sobakevich necessarily refused any cultural construction and, consequently, a meaningful, rational existence. Sobakevich and no one in the world could resurrect the old natural local culture, breathe a living soul into it. Sobakevich could not become a service man receiving food from the sovereign's peasants. He could serve only as an official for money, and not as a landowner, and from the peasants he could only pull corvee and dues for nothing, and not food. In a word, in Sobakevich's life there was no room for any serious creative activity, nor for serious deep thought, nor for any important duties. Therefore, his sober practical mind, not finding a practical application for itself, turns into rude skiffing, in which there is absolutely no sense.

The sobriety, practicality and prudence of Sobakevich are expressed in gross gluttony, incredible modeling, regular collection of dues, collection completely aimless, because all this will lie in the box without any use,

In fact, Sobakevich's prudent stinginess makes no more sense than Nozdryov's extravagance. Aimless spending is just as absurd as an aimless accumulation, and Sobakevich's accumulation and skulking are completely aimless. No matter how much he accumulates in his box, this accumulated will not be needed either to expand his personal life, or for other productive and creative purposes. This is not the prudence and accumulation of a worker about a rainy day, this is not the accumulation of a person who has grandiose creative plans in front of him, but simply gathering by inertia, completely unnecessary and useless. All life is empty and insignificant, all of it is devoid of purpose, and it is natural that prudent accumulation turns out to be aimless, prudent non-smoking.

All the nonsense of Sobakevichism will come out for us in all clarity when we look at this phenomenon in its extreme expression. Imagine that Sobakevich's stinginess and hoarding acquire the character of passion, a painfully exaggerated need to collect and save. By the way, the environment and circumstances in which the Sobakevichs live are very favorable for such a rebirth. One has only to remember that this is the time of the ruin of the estate economy under the influence of a money-exchange culture, that Sobakevich from all sides hears only the crackling of collapsing estates and, with a slight chill in his heart, feels how, gradually fading, booming underground tremors are reaching him in order to understand with what anxiety and suspicion Sobakevich's prudent and stingy soul must have been filled. In his rude speech, one really hears bilious irritation and gloomy, although not entirely understandable for him, melancholy. Let this anxiety and suspicion make a firm nest in Sobakevich's soul, and his prudence will take on a more intense character; a vague fear of ruin will make him cringe even more, hitting hoarding more vigorously, until his stinginess finally grows into unbridled stinginess. In a word, Sobakevich will turn into a miser Plyushkin.