In this article we will describe the image of landowners created by Gogol in the poem "Dead Souls". The table compiled by us will help you remember the information. We will sequentially talk about the five heroes presented by the author in this work.

The image of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" by N.V. Gogol is briefly described in the following table.

Depiction of landowners by Gogol

In the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich, one of the main topics is the theme of the landlord class in Russia, as well as the ruling class (nobility), its role in society and its fate.

The main method used by Gogol when depicting various characters is satire. The process of gradual degeneration of the landlord class was reflected in the heroes created by his pen. Nikolai Vasilievich reveals shortcomings and vices. Gogol's satire is colored with irony, which helped this writer to speak directly about what was impossible to speak openly under censorship conditions. At the same time, the laughter of Nikolai Vasilyevich seems to us good-natured, but he does not spare anyone. Each phrase has a subtext, hidden, deep meaning. Irony in general is a characteristic element of Gogol's satire. It is present not only in the speech of the author himself, but also in the speech of the characters.

Irony is one of the essential features of Gogol's poetics, it gives more realism to the narrative, it becomes a means of analyzing the surrounding reality.

Compositional construction of the poem

The images of the landlords in the poem, the largest work of this author, are given in the most multifaceted and complete way. It is built as the story of the adventures of the official Chichikov, who buys up "dead souls". The composition of the poem allowed the author to tell about different villages and the owners living in them. Almost half of the first volume (five of the eleven chapters) is devoted to characterizing different types of landowners in Russia. Nikolai Vasilyevich created five portraits, not similar friend on the other, however, in each of them at the same time there are features that are typical of the Russian serf-owner. Acquaintance with them begins with Manilov and ends with Plyushkin. Such a construction is not accidental. This sequence has its own logic: the process of impoverishment of a person's personality deepens from one image to another, it unfolds more and more as scary picture disintegration of feudal society.

Acquaintance with Manilov

Manilov - representing the image of the landowners in the poem "Dead Souls". The table only briefly describes it. Let's get to know this character better. The character of Manilov, which is described in the first chapter, is already manifested in the surname itself. The story about this hero begins with the image of the village of Manilovka, a few able to "lure" with its location. The author describes with irony the master's courtyard, created as an imitation with a pond, bushes and the inscription "Temple of solitary reflection". External details help the writer to create the image of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls".

Manilov: the character of the hero

The author, speaking of Manilov, exclaims that only God knows what kind of character this man had. By nature, he is kind, courteous, polite, but all this takes ugly, exaggerated forms in his image. sentimental and splendid to the point of cloying. Festive and idyllic seem to him the relationship between people. Various relationships, in general, are one of the details that create the image of landowners in the poem "Dead Souls". Manilov did not know life at all; reality was replaced by an empty fantasy with him. This hero loved to dream and reflect, sometimes even about things useful for the peasants. However, his ideas were far from the needs of life. He did not know about the real needs of the serfs and never even thought about them. Manilov considers himself a bearer of culture. He was considered the most educated person in the army. Nikolai Vasilyevich speaks ironically about the house of this landowner, in which "something was always missing", as well as about his sugary relationship with his wife.

Chichikov's conversation with Manilov about buying dead souls

Manilov in an episode of a conversation about buying dead shower is compared to an overly smart minister. Gogol's irony here intrudes, as if by accident, into a forbidden area. Such a comparison means that the minister differs not so much from Manilov, and "Manilovism" is a typical phenomenon of the vulgar bureaucratic world.

box

Let's describe one more image of landowners in the poem "Dead Souls". The table has already briefly introduced you to the Box. We learn about it in the third chapter of the poem. Gogol refers this heroine to the number of small landowners who complain about losses and crop failures and always keep their heads somewhat to one side, while gaining money little by little in the bags placed in the chest of drawers. This money is obtained through the sale of a variety of subsistence products. Korobochka's interests and horizons are completely focused on her estate. Her entire life and economy are patriarchal in nature.

How did Korobochka react to Chichikov's proposal?

The landowner understood that trade dead souls profitable, and agreed after much persuasion to sell them. The author, describing the image of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" (Korobochka and other heroes), is ironic. For a long time, the "clubhead" cannot figure out what exactly is required of her, which infuriates Chichikov. After that, she bargains with him for a long time, fearing to miscalculate.

Nozdrev

In the image of Nozdryov in the fifth chapter, Gogol draws a completely different form of decomposition of the nobility. This hero is a man, as they say, "of all trades." There was something remote, direct, open in his very face. Characteristic for him is also the "breadth of nature." According to the ironic remark of Nikolai Vasilyevich, Nozdrev - " historical man"because not a single meeting he managed to attend was ever without stories. He loses a lot of money at cards with a light heart, beats a simpleton at a fair and immediately "squanders" everything. This hero is an utter liar and a reckless braggart , a real master of "pouring bullets". He behaves defiantly everywhere, if not aggressively. The speech of this character is replete with swear words, while he has a passion to "shat his neighbor." Gogol created in domestic literature a new socio-psychological type of the so-called Nozdrevshchina. In many ways, the image of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" is innovative. Brief image the following heroes are described below.

Sobakevich

The satire of the author in the image of Sobakevich, with whom we get acquainted in the fifth chapter, acquires a more accusatory character. This character bears little resemblance to previous landowners. This is a fisted, cunning merchant, a "landowner-fist". He is alien to the violent extravagance of Nozdryov, the dreamy complacency of Manilov, and also the hoarding of Korobochka. Sobakevich has an iron grip, he is laconic, he is on his mind. There are few people who could deceive him. Everything about this landowner is strong and durable. In all household items surrounding him, Gogol reflects the features of the character of this person. Everything surprisingly resembles the hero himself in his house. Each thing, as the author notes, seemed to say that she was "also Sobakevich."

Nikolai Vasilyevich depicts a figure that strikes with rudeness. This man seemed to Chichikov like a bear. Sobakevich is a cynic who is not ashamed of moral ugliness either in others or in himself. He is far from enlightened. This is a stubborn feudal lord who only cares about his own peasants. It is interesting that, apart from this hero, no one understood the true essence of the "scoundrel" Chichikov, and Sobakevich perfectly understood the essence of the proposal, which reflects the spirit of the times: everything can be sold and bought, it is necessary to benefit as much as possible. Such is the generalized image of the landowners in the poem of the work, however, it is not limited to the image of only these characters. We present you the next landowner.

Plushkin

The sixth chapter is devoted to Plyushkin. On it, the characteristics of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" are completed. The name of this hero has become a household name, denoting moral degradation and stinginess. This image is the last degree of degeneration of the landlord class. Gogol begins his acquaintance with the character, as usual, with a description of the estate and village of the landowner. At the same time, "special dilapidation" was noticeable on all buildings. Nikolai Vasilievich describes a picture of the ruin of a once rich serf-owner. Its cause is not idleness and extravagance, but the painful stinginess of the owner. Gogol calls this landowner "a hole in humanity." Its appearance itself is characteristic - it is a sexless creature resembling a housekeeper. This character no longer causes laughter, only bitter disappointment.

Conclusion

The image of the landowners in the poem "Dead Souls" (the table is presented above) is revealed by the author in many ways. The five characters that Gogol created in the work depict the versatile state of this class. Plyushkin, Sobakevich, Nozdrev, Korobochka, Manilov - different forms of one phenomenon - spiritual, social and economic decline. The characteristics of the landlords in Gogol's Dead Souls prove this.

In the image of Manilov, Gogol begins the gallery of landowners. Before us there are typical characters. In each portrait created by Gogol, according to him, "the features of those who consider themselves better than others" are collected. Already in the description of the village and the estate of Manilov, the essence of his character is revealed. The house is located on a very unfavorable place open to all winds. The village makes a miserable impression, since Manilov does not take care of the household at all. Pretentiousness, sweetness are revealed not only in the portrait of Manilov, not only in his manners, but also in the fact that he calls the rickety arbor "the temple of solitary reflection", and gives the children the names of heroes Ancient Greece. The essence of Manilov's character is complete idleness. Lying on the couch, he indulges in dreams, fruitless and fantastic, which he will never be able to realize, since any work, any activity is alien to him. His peasants live in poverty, disorder reigns in the house, and he dreams of how good it would be to build a stone bridge across the pond or lead an underground passage from the house. He speaks favorably of all, all of whom are most preferable and most amiable. But not because he loves people and has an interest in them, but because he likes to live carefree and comfortable. About Manilov, the author says: "There is a kind of people known by the name: people are so-so, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan, according to the proverb." Thus, the author makes it clear that the image of Manilov is typical for his time. It is from the combination of such qualities that the concept of "Manilovism" comes.

The next image in the gallery of landlords is the image of the Box. If Manilov is a wasteful landowner, whose inactivity leads to complete ruin, then Korobochka can be called a hoarder, since hoarding is her passion. She owns a subsistence economy and trades in everything that is available in it: lard, bird feathers, serfs. Everything in her house is arranged in the old fashioned way. She neatly stores her belongings and saves money by putting them in bags. Everything works for her. In the same chapter, the author pays great attention to Chichikov's behavior, focusing on the fact that Chichikov behaves with Korobochka in a simpler, more cheeky manner than with Manilov. This phenomenon is typical of Russian reality, and, proving this, the author gives lyrical digression about the transformation of Prometheus into a fly. The nature of the Box is especially clearly revealed in the scene of sale. She is very afraid of selling cheap and even makes an assumption, which she herself is afraid of: “what if the dead ones will come in handy for her on the farm?”, And again the author emphasizes the typicality of this image: “Another and respectable, and statesman, even a person, but in reality it turns out a perfect Box” . It turns out that Korobochka's stupidity, her "club-headedness" is not such a rare occurrence.

The next in the gallery of landowners is Nozdrev. A carouser, a gambler, a drunkard, a liar and a brawler - that's a brief description of Nozdryova. This is a man, as the author writes, who had a passion "to spoil his neighbor, and for no reason at all." Gogol claims that the Nozdryovs are typical of Russian society: "The Nozdryovs will not leave the world for a long time. They are everywhere between us..." Nozdryov's disorderly nature is also reflected in the interior of his rooms. Part of the house is being repaired, the furniture is arranged somehow, but the owner does not care much about all this. He shows the guests the stable, in which there are two mares, a stallion and a goat. Then he boasts of a wolf cub, whom he keeps at home for no reason. Dinner at Nozdryov's was poorly prepared, but alcohol was plentiful. An attempt to buy dead souls almost ends tragically for Chichikov. Together with the dead souls, Nozdryov wants to sell him a stallion or a hurdy-gurdy, and then offers to play checkers against the dead peasants. When Chichikov is outraged by the dishonest game, Nozdryov calls the servants to beat the intractable guest. Only the appearance of the police captain saves Chichikov.

The image of Sobakevich occupies a worthy place in the gallery of landowners. "A fist! Yes, and a beast to boot" - Chichikov gave him such a description. Sobakevich is undoubtedly a hoarding landowner. His village is large and well-organized. All buildings, though clumsy, are strong to the extreme. Sobakevich himself reminded Chichikov medium size bear - big, clumsy. In the portrait of Sobakevich, there is no description of the eyes at all, which, as you know, are the mirror of the soul. Gogol wants to show that Sobakevich is so rude, uncouth, that in his body "there was no soul at all." Everything in Sobakevich's rooms is as clumsy and large as he is. The table, the armchair, the chairs, and even the thrush in the cage seemed to say: "And I, too, Sobakevich." Sobakevich takes Chichikov's request calmly, but demands 100 rubles for each dead soul, and even praises his goods like a merchant. Talking about typical similar image, Gogol emphasizes that people like Sobakevich are found everywhere - in the provinces and in the capital. After all, the point is not in appearance, but in the nature of a person: "no, whoever is a fist cannot straighten into a palm." Rough and uncouth Sobakevich is the lord over his peasants. And if such a person could rise higher and give him more power? How much trouble could he do! After all, he adheres to a strictly defined opinion about people: "A scammer sits on a scammer and drives a scammer."

Plyushkin is the last in the gallery of landowners. Gogol assigns this place to him, since Plyushkin is the result of the idle life of a person who lives off the labor of others. "This landowner has more than a thousand souls," but he looks like the last beggar. He became a parody of a person, and Chichikov does not even immediately understand who is standing in front of him - "a man or a woman." But there were times when Plyushkin was a thrifty, wealthy owner. But his insatiable passion for gain, for acquisitiveness, leads him to complete collapse: he has lost a real idea of ​​​​objects, has ceased to distinguish the necessary from the unnecessary. He destroys grain, flour, cloth, but saves a piece of stale Easter cake, which his daughter brought a long time ago. On the example of Plyushkin, the author shows us the disintegration of the human personality. A pile of rubbish in the middle of the room symbolizes Plyushkin's life. This is what he has become, this is what the spiritual death of a person means.

Plyushkin considers the peasants to be thieves and swindlers, starving them. After all, the mind has long ceased to guide his actions. Even to the only close person, to his daughter, Plyushkin has no paternal affection.

So consistently, from hero to hero, Gogol reveals one of the most tragic aspects of Russian reality. He shows how under the influence of serfdom the human element perishes in man. "My heroes follow one after another, one more vulgar than the other." That is why it is fair to assume that, giving the title to his poem, the author had in mind not the souls of dead peasants, but the dead souls of landowners. Indeed, in each image one of the varieties of spiritual death is revealed. Each of the images is no exception, since their moral ugliness is formed social order, social environment. These images reflect signs of spiritual degeneration. local nobility and human vices.

Education

The image of landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" (table). Characteristics of the landowners in the poem by N.V. Gogol

In this article we will describe the image of landowners created by Gogol in the poem "Dead Souls". The table compiled by us will help you remember the information. We will sequentially talk about the five heroes presented by the author in this work.

The image of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" by N.V. Gogol is briefly described in the following table.

Depiction of landowners by Gogol

In the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich, one of the main topics is the theme of the landlord class in Russia, as well as the ruling class (nobility), its role in society and its fate.

The main method used by Gogol when depicting various characters is satire. The process of gradual degeneration of the landlord class was reflected in the heroes created by his pen. Nikolai Vasilievich reveals shortcomings and vices. Gogol's satire is colored with irony, which helped this writer to speak directly about what was impossible to speak openly under censorship conditions. At the same time, the laughter of Nikolai Vasilyevich seems to us good-natured, but he does not spare anyone. Each phrase has a subtext, a hidden, deep meaning. Irony in general is a characteristic element of Gogol's satire. It is present not only in the speech of the author himself, but also in the speech of the characters.

Irony is one of the essential features of Gogol's poetics, it gives more realism to the narrative, it becomes a means of analyzing the surrounding reality.

Compositional construction of the poem

The images of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls", the largest work of this author, are given in the most multifaceted and complete manner. It is built as the story of the adventures of the official Chichikov, who buys up "dead souls". The composition of the poem allowed the author to tell about different villages and the owners living in them. Almost half of the first volume (five of the eleven chapters) is devoted to characterizing different types of landowners in Russia. Nikolai Vasilievich created five portraits that are not similar to each other, but at the same time, each of them contains features that are typical of a Russian serf-owner. Acquaintance with them begins with Manilov and ends with Plyushkin. Such a construction is not accidental. There is a logic to this sequence: the process of impoverishment of a person's personality deepens from one image to another, it unfolds more and more like a terrible picture of the disintegration of a feudal society.

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Acquaintance with Manilov

Manilov is the first person to represent the image of the landowners in the poem "Dead Souls". The table only briefly describes it. Let's get to know this character better. The character of Manilov, which is described in the first chapter, is already manifested in the surname itself. The story about this hero begins with the image of the village of Manilovka, a few able to "lure" with its location. The author describes with irony the manor's courtyard, created as an imitation of an English garden with a pond, bushes and the inscription "Temple of Solitary Reflection". External details help the writer to create the image of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls".

Manilov: the character of the hero

The author, speaking of Manilov, exclaims that only God knows what kind of character this man had. By nature, he is kind, courteous, polite, but all this takes ugly, exaggerated forms in his image. This landowner is sentimental and beautiful-hearted to the point of cloying. Festive and idyllic seem to him the relationship between people. Various relationships, in general, are one of the details that create the image of landlords in the poem "Dead Souls". Manilov did not know life at all; reality was replaced by an empty fantasy with him. This hero loved to dream and reflect, sometimes even about things useful for the peasants. However, his ideas were far from the needs of life. He did not know about the real needs of the serfs and never even thought about them. Manilov considers himself a bearer of culture. He was considered the most educated person in the army. Nikolai Vasilyevich speaks ironically about the house of this landowner, in which "something was always missing," as well as about his sugary relationship with his wife.

Chichikov's conversation with Manilov about buying dead souls

Manilov in the episode of the conversation about buying dead souls is compared with an overly smart minister. Gogol's irony here intrudes, as if by accident, into a forbidden area. Such a comparison means that the minister differs not so much from Manilov, and "Manilovism" is a typical phenomenon of the vulgar bureaucratic world.

box

Let's describe one more image of landowners in the poem "Dead Souls". The table has already briefly introduced you to the Box. We learn about it in the third chapter of the poem. Gogol refers this heroine to the number of small landowners who complain about losses and crop failures and always keep their heads somewhat to one side, while gaining money little by little in the bags placed in the chest of drawers. This money is obtained through the sale of a variety of subsistence products. Korobochka's interests and horizons are completely focused on her estate. Her entire life and economy are patriarchal in nature.

How did Korobochka react to Chichikov's proposal?

The landowner realized that the trade in dead souls was profitable, and after much persuasion agreed to sell them. The author, describing the image of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" (Korobochka and other heroes), is ironic. For a long time, the "clubhead" cannot figure out what exactly is required of her, which infuriates Chichikov. After that, she bargains with him for a long time, fearing to miscalculate.

Nozdrev

In the image of Nozdryov in the fifth chapter, Gogol draws a completely different form of decomposition of the nobility. This hero is a man, as they say, "of all trades." There was something remote, direct, open in his very face. Characteristic for him is also the "breadth of nature." According to the ironic remark of Nikolai Vasilievich, Nozdrev is a "historical person", since not a single meeting that he managed to attend was ever complete without stories. He loses a lot of money at cards with a light heart, beats a simpleton at a fair and immediately "squanders" everything. This hero is an utter liar and a reckless braggart, a real master of "pouring bullets". He behaves defiantly everywhere, if not aggressively. The speech of this character is replete with swear words, and at the same time he has a passion to "shame on his neighbor." Gogol, in the image of Nozdrev, created in Russian literature a new socio-psychological type of the so-called Nozdrevshchina. In many ways, the image of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" is innovative. A brief image of the following heroes is described below.

Sobakevich

The satire of the author in the image of Sobakevich, with whom we get acquainted in the fifth chapter, acquires a more accusatory character. This character bears little resemblance to previous landowners. This is a fisted, cunning merchant, a "landowner-fist". He is alien to the violent extravagance of Nozdryov, the dreamy complacency of Manilov, and also the hoarding of Korobochka. Sobakevich has an iron grip, he is laconic, he is on his mind. There are few people who could deceive him. Everything about this landowner is strong and durable. In all household items surrounding him, Gogol reflects the features of the character of this person. Everything surprisingly resembles the hero himself in his house. Each thing, as the author notes, seemed to say that she was "also Sobakevich."

Nikolai Vasilyevich depicts a figure that strikes with rudeness. This man seemed to Chichikov like a bear. Sobakevich is a cynic who is not ashamed of moral ugliness either in others or in himself. He is far from enlightened. This is a hard-nosed serf-owner who only labor force takes care of his own peasants. It is interesting that, apart from this hero, no one understood the true essence of the "scoundrel" Chichikov, and Sobakevich perfectly understood the essence of the proposal, which reflects the spirit of the times: everything can be sold and bought, it is necessary to benefit as much as possible. Such is the generalized image of the landowners in the poem Dead Souls. Summary the work, however, is not limited to depicting only these characters. We present you the next landowner.

Plushkin

The sixth chapter is devoted to Plyushkin. On it, the characteristics of the landlords in the poem "Dead Souls" are completed. The name of this hero has become a household name, denoting moral degradation and stinginess. This image is the last degree of degeneration of the landlord class. Gogol begins his acquaintance with the character, as usual, with a description of the estate and village of the landowner. At the same time, "special dilapidation" was noticeable on all buildings. Nikolai Vasilievich describes a picture of the ruin of a once rich serf-owner. Its cause is not idleness and extravagance, but the painful stinginess of the owner. Gogol calls this landowner "a hole in humanity." Its appearance itself is characteristic - it is a sexless creature resembling a housekeeper. This character no longer causes laughter, only bitter disappointment.

Conclusion

The image of the landowners in the poem "Dead Souls" (the table is presented above) is revealed by the author in many ways. The five characters that Gogol created in the work depict the versatile state of this class. Plyushkin, Sobakevich, Nozdrev, Korobochka, Manilov - different forms of one phenomenon - spiritual, social and economic decline. The characteristics of the landlords in Gogol's Dead Souls prove this.

The compositional basis of Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is Chichikov's journey through the cities and provinces of Russia. According to the author's intention, the reader is invited to "travel the whole of Russia with the hero and bring out a wide variety of characters." In the first volume of Dead Souls, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol introduces the reader to a number of characters that represent " dark kingdom”, familiar from the plays of A. N. Ostrovsky. The types created by the writer are relevant to this day, and many proper names eventually became common nouns, although in recent times in colloquial speech are used less and less. Below is a description of the heroes of the poem. In "Dead Souls" the main characters are the landlords and the main adventurer, whose adventures are the basis of the plot.

Chichikov, main character"Dead Souls", travels around Russia, buying documents for the dead peasants, who, according to the audit book, are still considered alive. In the first chapters of the work, the author tries in every possible way to emphasize that Chichikov was a completely ordinary, unremarkable person. Knowing how to find an approach to every person, Chichikov, without any problems, was able to achieve location, respect and recognition in any society that he had to face. Pavel Ivanovich is ready for anything to achieve his goal: he lies, impersonates another person, flatters, uses other people. But at the same time, he seems to readers to be a completely charming person! Gogol masterfully showed the multifaceted human personality which combines depravity and the pursuit of virtue.

Another hero of the work "Dead Souls" by Gogol is Manilov. Chichikov comes to him first. Manilov gives the impression of a carefree person who does not care about worldly problems. Manilov found his wife to match - the same dreamy young lady. Servants took care of the house, and teachers come to their two children, Themistoclus and Alkid. It was difficult to determine the character of Manilov: Gogol himself says that in the first minute you might think “what an amazing person!”, A little later, you will be disappointed in the hero, and after another minute you will be convinced that they can’t say anything about Manilov at all. It has no desires, no life itself. The landowner spends his time in abstract thoughts, completely ignoring everyday problems. Manilov easily gave the dead souls to Chichikov without asking about the legal details.

If we continue the list of heroes of the story, then the next will be Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna, an old lonely widow who lives in a small village. Chichikov came to her by chance: the coachman Selifan lost his way and turned onto the wrong road. The hero was forced to stop for the night. External attributes were an indicator internal state landowners: everything in her house was done sensibly, firmly, but nevertheless there were a lot of flies everywhere. Korobochka was a real entrepreneur, because in every person she was used to seeing only a potential buyer. Nastasya Petrovna was remembered by the reader for the fact that she did not agree to the deal in any way. Chichikov persuaded the landowner and promised to give her several blue papers for petitions, but until he agreed to order flour, honey and lard from Korobochka next time, Pavel Ivanovich did not receive several dozen dead souls.

Next on the list was Nozdryov- a reveler, a liar and a merry fellow, a playboy. The meaning of his life was entertainment, even two children could not keep the landowner at home for more than a few days. Nozdryov often got into various stories, but thanks to his innate talent to find a way out of any situation, he always got out of the water dry. Nozdryov communicated easily with people, even with those with whom he managed to quarrel, after a while he talked like with old friends. However, many tried not to have anything in common with Nozdryov: the landowner invented various fables about others hundreds of times, telling them at balls and dinner parties. It seemed that Nozdryov was not at all worried about the fact that he often lost his property in cards - he certainly wanted to win back. The image of Nozdryov is very important for characterizing other heroes of the poem, in particular Chichikov. After all, Nozdryov was the only person with whom Chichikov did not make a deal and, in general, did not want to meet with him anymore. Pavel Ivanovich barely managed to escape from Nozdryov, but Chichikov could not even imagine under what circumstances he would see this man again.

Sobakevich was the fourth seller of dead souls. his appearance and in behavior he resembled a bear, even the interior of his house and household utensils were huge, out of place and cumbersome. From the very beginning, the author focuses on Sobakevich's thriftiness and prudence. It was he who first offered Chichikov to buy documents for the peasants. Chichikov was surprised by this course of events, but did not argue. The landowner was also remembered for the fact that he filled the price of the peasants, despite the fact that the latter were long dead. He talked about their professional skills or personal qualities, trying to sell documents at a higher price than Chichikov offered.

Surprisingly, it is this hero who is much more likely to spiritual rebirth, after all, Sobakevich sees how small people have become, how insignificant they are in their aspirations.

This list of characteristics of the heroes of "Dead Souls" contains the most important characters for understanding the plot, but do not forget about coachman Selifane, and about Pavel Ivanovich's servant, and about good-natured landowner Plyushkin. Being a master of words, Gogol created very vivid portraits of heroes and their types, which is why all descriptions of the heroes of Dead Souls are so easy to remember and immediately recognizable.

Artwork test

1. Most interesting place in the poem, these are chapters dedicated to five landowners.
2. The image of Manilov.
3. Image of the Box.
4. The image of Sobakevich.
5. The image of Nozdryov!
6. The image of Plushkin.
7. The role of the images of landlords in the novel.

The most interesting place in I. V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is the chapters devoted to five landowners: Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Sobakevich and Plyushkin. It is easy to see that the chapters are arranged in a special sequence: from smallest to most character degradation.

The surname of the landowner Manilov is derived from the verb "beckon". The main features of this character are dreaminess, sentimentality and laziness. Gogol characterizes his hero as follows: "...a man is so-so, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan." Manilov's house is located on the Jura, which is blown by all the winds, which speaks of his frivolity and inability to think realistically. The landowner is very fond of indulging in his dreams in the gazebo, on which the inscription flaunts: "The Temple of Solitary Reflection." This is the only secluded place for Manilov, where he can calmly fantasize about some completely unrealistic projects. But, as it seems to him, digging an underground passage from the house or building a stone bridge across the pond are quite normal ideas. Housekeeping is not part of Manilov. In his estate, everything goes awry, and the hero does not even care about this.

Gogol says that Manilov's hospitality and good looks are too cloying: "In the first minute of a conversation with him, you cannot but say:" What a pleasant kind person!" The next ... you won’t say anything, but the third you’ll say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away! .. ". This is manifested not only in the manners of the landowner, but also in his relationship with his wife. They lisp all the time with each other, and this amuses the author a lot.

The image of this hero has become one of the key for literature. From him came the name of such a phenomenon as "Manilovism", which means the unnaturalness of a person.

Another no less striking character in the story is the landowner Korobochka. Her surname was chosen by Gogol not by chance. By nature, the landowner is immensely economical and superstitious. The box belongs to the type of women who can cry for a crop failure, but still always save themselves a pretty penny. Her chest of drawers, besides all the nonsense, is filled with bags of money. The box is very petty, she only cares about housekeeping, in it she sees the meaning of life. Her entourage Gogol endows with "animal" surnames: Bobrov and Svinin, which once again emphasizes that the heroine is only passionate about her estate. The author highlights, among other "merits" of his character, his clubhead. Korobochka shows this quality in a situation where Chichikov is trying to negotiate with her about the sale of "dead souls". The heroine thinks that her interlocutor is going to dig out graves of the dead peasants. She is not in a hurry to sell her "wealth", but instead she tries to slip hemp and honey. Korobochka agrees to Chichikov's proposal only after he mentions the devil.

The next landowner visited by Chichikov was Sobakevich. His image was compiled by N.V. Gogol from everything big: big boots, cheesecakes “much larger than a plate”, “a turkey as tall as a calf”. Even the health of this character is heroic. Thanks to such descriptions, the author achieves comic effect. Parodying the great feats of heroes, Gogol thereby emphasizes the true essence of Sobakevich himself, whose main qualities can be called rudeness and clumsiness. All items in the house are as bulky and clumsy as their owner: a table, chairs, a wooden bureau - everything seems to be screaming: “And I, too, Sobakevich!”. In his opinion, everyone around is liars and the last scammers. He doesn't care at all human soul, interest for Sobakevich is only in money.

From the foregoing, we can conclude that Sobakevich is one of the most "dead souls" of the poem. There is nothing spiritual for him. Valuable for this hero are only money and things. He is only interested in "earthly" affairs.

The most striking character, in my opinion, is Nozdryov. This is the image of an inveterate reveler. The author is ironic about his character, speaking of him as a "historical" person. In relation to his hero, Gogol uses figurative sense this word. Nozdryov's "historicism" lies in the fact that he always gets into some kind of story: either he gets drunk in the buffet, or he lies mercilessly about the supposedly acquired horse. Like any rake, he loves women. But most main feature Nozdrevskaya character is a great desire to "spoil one's neighbor." Not once did he commit despicable deeds. For example, he told fictitious stories, disrupted a wedding, upset a trade deal, etc. But the most outstanding thing in his character is that after all his tricks he, without a twinge of conscience, continued to consider himself a comrade of the victim.

According to tradition, in the poem, the situation in the house of each landowner corresponds to the character of his owner. So the dwelling of Nozdryov is saturated with the spirit of excitement and boasting. According to Nozdrev himself, in his possessions there was once "a fish of such size that two people could hardly pull out a thing." The walls of his choir are haphazardly filled with paint, as the peasants whitewash them. His office is filled with weapons instead of books and papers. Nozdryov likes to change one thing for another, but not because of money or some other material interest, but simply because he is fascinated by this process. Since all kinds of tricks are main passion character, it is not difficult for him to cheat Chichikov, whom Nozdryov gets drunk and tries to deceive when playing checkers.

What else can be said about Nozdrev? His description will tell everything much better: “... he sometimes returned home with only one sideburn, and then quite thin. But his healthy and full cheeks were so well created and contained so much plant power that the sideburns soon grew again, even better than before.

And the final image in the gallery of Russian "dead souls" is a landowner named Plyushkin. As you know, in the poem all the surnames are speaking. Only "Plyushkin" is given in figurative meaning. It looks more like not a rich bun, but a completely dried-up cracker. The image of the landowner Plyushkin is very sloppy. Gogol mentions his double chin, which has to be constantly covered, as well as a greasy dressing gown, which causes nothing but disgust in the reader. The author gives his hero a very capacious definition: "a hole in humanity." This character is a symbol of decadent mood and decay of all living things. And again the house speaks for its owner: the bread in the pantries is rotting, the gates and the fence are covered with mold, and the roofs in the huts are completely leaky. Gogol adds short story about the fate of his hero, whose wife first died, and after that his daughter fled with the headquarters captain. These events became for Plushkin last moments real life. After that time for the hero stopped.

All images of N. V. Gogol are very bright and unique in their own way. But there is one the main idea that unites them. The author, showing illustrative examples of the degradation of mankind, urges readers not to become a "dead soul", but always remain "alive".