Characteristics of officials from dead souls. Depiction of the world of officials in the poem N
N.V. Gogol, when creating his poem “Dead Souls,” thought about showing what Rus' looks like from one side.” Chichikov is the main character of the poem and Gogol talks about him most of all. This is an ordinary official who is engaged in purchasing " dead souls"from the landowners. The author managed to show the entire sphere of activity of Russian officials, talk about the city and its inhabitants as a whole.
The first volume of the work clearly shows the bureaucratic and landowner life of Russia from the negative side. The entire provincial society, officials and landowners are part of a kind of “dead world”.
(Gogol's provincial town in the poem "Dead Souls")
The provincial town is shown very clearly. Here one can see the indifference of the authorities to ordinary residents, emptiness, disorder and dirt. And only after Chichikov comes to the landowners, a general view of Russian bureaucracy appears.
Gogol shows bureaucracy from the point of view of lack of spirituality and thirst for profit. The official Ivan Antonovich loves bribes very much, so he is ready to do anything for the sake of it. To get it, he is even ready to sell his soul.
(Official conversations)
Unfortunately, such officials are a reflection of the entire Russian bureaucracy. Gogol tries to show in his work a large concentration of swindlers and thieves who create a kind of corporation of corrupt officials.
The bribe becomes a legal matter the moment Chichikov goes to the chairman of the chamber. The most interesting thing is that the chairman himself accepts him as an old friend and immediately gets down to business, telling him that friends do not have to pay anything.
(Ordinary moments of social life)
During a conversation with an official, interesting moments in the life of city officials appear. Sobakevich characterizes the prosecutor as an “idle man” who constantly sits at home, and the lawyer does all the work for him. At the head of the entire system is the police chief, whom everyone calls the “benefactor.” His charity is to steal and enable others to do the same. No one in power has any idea what honor, duty and legality are. These are completely soulless people.
Gogol's story reveals all the masks, showing people from the side of their cruelty and inhumanity. And this applies not only to provincial, but also county officials. The work is dedicated to the heroic year of 1812, which shows all the contrast of the petty, soulless bureaucratic world that Gogol saw at that time in modern Russia.
(Courtyard meetings and balls)
The worst thing is that the work shows the fate of the captain, who fought for his Motherland, is completely crippled, he cannot feed himself, but this does not bother anyone at all. The highest ranks of St. Petersburg do not pay any attention to him and this is very frightening. Society is on the verge of indifference to everything.
The work written by Gogol many years ago does not leave residents indifferent modern world, since all the problems remain relevant at the moment.
« Dead souls"is one of the brightest works of Russian literature. According to the strength and depth of ideas, according to
The artistic mastery of “Dead Souls” is on a par with such masterpieces of Russian classical literature, like “Woe from Wit” by Griboyedov, “Eugene Onegin” and “ Captain's daughter» Pushkin, as well as the best works Goncharov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Leskov.
When starting to create “Dead Souls,” Gogol wrote to Pushkin that in his work he wanted to show “from one side” all of Rus'. “All Rus' will appear in it!” - he also told Zhukovsky. Indeed, Gogol was able to illuminate many aspects of the life of contemporary Russia, to reflect with wide completeness the spiritual and social conflicts in its life.
Undoubtedly, " Dead Souls And" were very relevant for their time. Gogol even had to change the title when publishing the work, as it irritated the censors. The high political effectiveness of the poem is due to both the sharpness of the ideas and the topicality of the images.
The poem widely reflected the Nikolaev reactionary era, when all initiative and freethinking were suppressed, the bureaucratic apparatus grew significantly, and a system of denunciations and investigations was in place.
Dead Souls poses extremely important questions both for its time and for Russia in general: the question of serfs and landowners, bureaucracy and corruption in all spheres of life.
Depicting contemporary Russia, Gogol devoted significant space to the description of: provincial (VII-IX chapters) and capital (“The Tale of Captain Kopeikin”).
Provincial officials are represented in the images of officials of the city of N. It is characteristic that they all live as one family: they spend their leisure time together, address each other by name and patronymic (“Dearest friend Ilya Ilyich!”), and are hospitable. Gogol doesn't even mention their last names. On the other hand, officials are bound by mutual responsibility in matters related to their service.
The widespread bribery that reigned in Russia was also reflected in Gogol’s work. This motive is very important in the description of life Officialdom in the poem Dead Souls: the police chief, despite the fact that he visits the Gostiny Dvor as if it were his own storeroom, enjoys the love of the merchants because he is not proud and courteous; Ivan Antonovich accepts a bribe from Chichikov deftly, with knowledge of the matter, as a matter of course.
The motive of bribery also appears in the biography of Chichikov himself, and the episode with a certain generalized petitioner can be considered a digression on bribes.
All officials treat service as an opportunity to make money at someone else’s expense, which is why lawlessness, bribery and corruption flourish everywhere, disorder and red tape reign. Bureaucracy is a good breeding ground for these vices. It was in his conditions that Chichikov’s scam was possible.
Because of their “sins” in their service, all officials are afraid of being checked by an auditor sent by the government. Chichikov's incomprehensible behavior terrifies the city Officialdom in the poem Dead Souls: “Suddenly both of them turned pale; fear is more sticky than the plague and is communicated instantly. “Everyone suddenly found sins in themselves that didn’t even exist.” Suddenly they have assumptions, there are rumors that Chichikov is Napoleon himself, or Captain Kopeikan, an auditor. The motive of gossip is typical for describing the life of Russian society in XIX literature century, he is also present in “Dead Souls”.
The position of an official in society corresponds to his rank: the higher the position, the greater the authority, respect, and the preferable it is to get to know him. Meanwhile, there are some qualities necessary “for this world: pleasantness in appearance, in turns of speech and actions, and agility in business...” All of this was possessed by Chichikov, who knew how to carry on a conversation, present himself favorably to society, unobtrusively show respect, provide a service. “In a word, he was a very decent person; That’s why it was so well received by the society of the city of N.”
Officials generally do not engage in service, but spend their time in entertainment (dinners and balls). Here they indulge in their only “good occupation” - playing cards. Playing cards is more common for fat people than for thin people, and that’s what they do at the ball. The city fathers devote themselves to playing cards without reserve, showing imagination, eloquence, and liveliness of mind.
Gogol did not forget to point out the ignorance and stupidity of officials. Saying sarcastically that many of them “were not without education,” the author immediately points out the limits of their interests: “Lyudmila” by Zhukovsky, Karamzin or “Moscow News”; many didn’t read anything at all.
Having introduced “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” into the poem, Gogol also introduced a description of the capital’s officials. Just like in a provincial town, Bureaucracy Petersburg is subject to bureaucracy, bribery, and veneration of rank.
Despite the fact that Gogol presented Bureaucracy more as one whole, individual images can also be distinguished. Thus, the governor, representing in his person the highest city power, is shown in a somewhat comic light: he had “Anna around his neck” and, perhaps, was presented to the star; but, however, he was “a great good-natured person and sometimes even embroidered on tulle himself.” He was “neither fat nor thin.” And if Manilov says that the governor is “the most respectable and most amiable person,” then Sobakevich directly declares that he is “the first robber in the world.” It seems that both assessments of the governor’s personality are correct and characterize him from different sides.
The prosecutor is an absolutely useless person in the service. In his portrait, Gogol points out one detail: very thick eyebrows and a seemingly conspiratorial winking eye. One gets the impression of dishonesty, uncleanliness, and cunning of the prosecutor. Indeed, such qualities are characteristic of court officials, where lawlessness flourishes: the poem mentions two of the many cases where an unjust trial was committed (the case of a fight between peasants and the murder of an assessor).
The inspector of the medical board is no less frightened by the talk about Chichikov than the others, since he is also guilty of sins: in the infirmaries there is no proper care for the sick, so people die in large numbers. The inspector is not embarrassed by this fact, he is indifferent to the fate of ordinary people, but he is afraid of the auditor, who can punish him and deprive him of his position.
Nothing is said about the postmaster’s occupation of postal affairs, which indicates that he does not do anything remarkable in his service: just like other officials, he is either inactive or trying to loot and profit. Gogol mentions only
The fact that the postmaster is engaged in philosophy and makes large extracts from books.
Some of them also serve to reveal the images of officials lyrical digressions. For example, a satirical digression about fat and thin typifies the images of officials. The author divides men into two kinds, characterizing them depending on their physical appearance: thin men love to look after women, and fat men, preferring to play whist over ladies, know how to “manage their affairs better” and always firmly and invariably occupy reliable places.
Another example: Gogol compares Russian officials with foreigners - “wise men” who know how to treat people of different status differently and social status. Thus, speaking about the veneration of officials and their understanding of subordination, Gogol creates the image of a kind of conditional manager of the office, radically changing in appearance depending on whose company he is in: among subordinates or in front of his boss.
The world presented by Gogol, called " Officialdom in the poem “Dead Souls”"very colorful, many-sided. Comic images of officials, collected together, create a picture of the ugly social structure of Russia. Gogol’s creation evokes both laughter and tears, because even after more than a century, it allows you to recognize familiar situations, faces, characters, destinies. Great Gogol’s talent, so uniquely vividly, accurately described reality, pointed out the ulcer of society, which they could not heal even a century later.
Composition: Officialdom in the poem “Dead Souls”
A generalized description of city officials in Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls” and received the best answer
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Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna is a widow-landowner, the second “saleswoman” of dead souls to Chichikov. Main feature her character is commercial businesslike. For K., every person is only a potential buyer.
Manilov is a sentimental landowner, the first “seller” of dead souls.
Gogol emphasizes the emptiness and insignificance of the hero, covered by the sugary pleasantness of his appearance and the details of the furnishings of his estate. M.'s house is open to all winds, the sparse tops of birch trees are visible everywhere, the pond is completely overgrown with duckweed. But the gazebo in M.’s garden is pompously named “Temple of Solitary Reflection.” M.’s office is covered with “blue paint, sort of grey,” which indicates the lifelessness of the hero, from whom you won’t get a single living word.
Nozdryov is the third landowner from whom Chichikov is trying to buy dead souls. This is a dashing 35-year-old “talker, carouser, reckless driver.” N. lies constantly, bullies everyone indiscriminately; he is very passionate, ready to “take a shit” best friend without any purpose. N.’s entire behavior is explained by his dominant quality: “nimbleness and liveliness of character,” that is, unrestrainedness bordering on unconsciousness. N. doesn’t think or plan anything; he simply does not know the limits in anything.
Stepan Plyushkin is the last “seller” of dead souls. This hero personifies complete mortification human soul. In the image of P. the author shows the death of the bright and strong personality, consumed by the passion of stinginess.
The description of P.'s estate (“he does not grow rich according to God”) depicts the desolation and “cluttering” of the hero’s soul. The entrance is dilapidated, there is a special disrepair everywhere, the roofs are like a sieve, the windows are covered with rags. Everything here is lifeless - even the two churches, which should be the soul of the estate
Sobakevich Mikhailo Semenych is a landowner, the fourth “seller” of dead souls. The very name and appearance of this hero (reminiscent of a “medium-sized bear”, his tailcoat is of a “completely bearish” color, he walks at random, his complexion is “red-hot, hot”) indicate the power of his nature.
Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich - main character poems. He, according to the author, has betrayed his true purpose, but is still able to be cleansed and resurrected in soul.
In the “acquirer” of Ch., the author portrayed a new evil for Russia - quiet, average, but enterprising. The average character of the hero is emphasized by his appearance: he is an “average gentleman”, not too fat, not too thin, etc. Ch. is quiet and inconspicuous, round and smooth. Ch.'s soul is like his box - there is a place there only for money (following his father's commandment to “save a penny”). He avoids talking about himself, hiding behind empty book phrases. But Ch.’s insignificance is deceptive. It is he and others like him who begin to rule the world. Gogol speaks of people like Ch.: “terrible and vile force.” She is vile because she cares only about her own benefit and profit, using all means. And it’s scary because it’s very strong. “Acquirers,” according to Gogol, are not capable of reviving the Fatherland. In the poem, Ch. travels around Russia and stops in the city of NN. There he meets all the important people, and then goes to the estates of the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, along the way he also ends up with Korobochka, Nozdryov and Plyushkin. Ch. sells dead souls to all of them, without explaining the purpose of his purchases. In bargaining, Ch. reveals himself as a great expert on the human soul and as a good psychologist. He finds his own approach to each landowner and almost always achieves his goal. Having bought up the souls, Ch. returns to the city to draw up deeds of sale for them. Here he announces for the first time that he intends to “take out” the purchased souls to new lands, to the Kherson province. Gradually, in the city, the hero’s name begins to become surrounded by rumors, at first very flattering for him, and later destructive (that Ch is a counterfeiter, a fugitive Napoleon and almost the Antichrist). These rumors force the hero to leave the city. Ch. is endowed with the most detailed biography. This speaks of
Relevance of images
In the artistic space of one of the most famous works Gogol, landowners and people in power are connected. Lies, bribery and the desire for profit characterize each of the images of officials in Dead Souls. It’s amazing with what ease and ease the author draws essentially disgusting portraits, and so masterfully that you don’t doubt for a minute the authenticity of each character. Using the example of officials in the poem “Dead Souls,” the most current problems Russian Empire mid-19th century. In addition to serfdom, which hampered natural progress, the real problem was the extensive bureaucratic apparatus, for the maintenance of which huge sums were allocated. People in whose hands power was concentrated worked only to accumulate own capital and improving their well-being by stealing from both the treasury and ordinary people. Many writers of that time addressed the topic of exposing officials: Gogol, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Dostoevsky.
Officials in "Dead Souls"
In “Dead Souls” there are no separately described images of civil servants, but nevertheless, the life and characters are shown very accurately. Images of city N officials appear from the first pages of the work. Chichikov, who decided to pay a visit to each of powerful of the world This, gradually introduces the reader to the governor, vice-governor, prosecutor, chairman of the chamber, police chief, postmaster and many others. Chichikov flattered everyone, as a result of which he managed to win over everyone important person, and all this is shown as a matter of course. In the bureaucratic world, pomp reigned, bordering on vulgarity, inappropriate pathos and farce. Thus, during a regular dinner, the governor’s house was lit up as if for a ball, the decoration was blinding, and the ladies were dressed in their best dresses.
Officials in county town There were two types: the first were thin and followed the ladies everywhere, trying to charm them with bad French and greasy compliments. Officials of the second type, according to the author, resembled Chichikov himself: neither fat nor thin, with round pockmarked faces and slicked hair, they looked sideways, trying to find an interesting or profitable business for themselves. At the same time, everyone tried to harm each other, to do some kind of meanness, usually this happened because of the ladies, but no one was going to fight over such trifles. But at dinners they pretended that nothing was happening, they discussed Moscow News, dogs, Karamzin, delicious dishes and gossiped about officials from other departments.
When characterizing the prosecutor, Gogol combines the high and the low: “he was neither fat nor thin, had Anna on his neck, and it was even rumored that he was introduced to a star; however, he was a great good-natured man and sometimes even embroidered on tulle himself...” Note that nothing is said here about why this man received the award - the Order of St. Anne is given to “those who love truth, piety and fidelity,” and is also awarded for military merit. But no battles or special episodes where piety and loyalty were mentioned are mentioned at all. The main thing is that the prosecutor is engaged in needlework, not his own job responsibilities. Sobakevich speaks unflatteringly about the prosecutor: the prosecutor, they say, is an idle person, so he sits at home, and the lawyer, a well-known grabber, works for him. There is nothing to talk about here - what kind of order can there be if a person who does not understand the issue at all is trying to solve it while an authorized person is embroidering on tulle.
A similar technique is used to describe the postmaster, a serious and silent man, short, but witty and philosopher. Only in this case, various qualitative characteristics are combined into one row: “short”, “but a philosopher”. That is, here growth becomes an allegory for the mental abilities of this person.
The reaction to worries and reforms is also shown very ironically: from new appointments and the number of papers, civil servants are losing weight (“And the chairman lost weight, and the inspector of the medical board lost weight, and the prosecutor lost weight, and some Semyon Ivanovich ... and he lost weight”), but there were and those who courageously kept themselves in their previous form. And meetings, according to Gogol, were only successful when they could go out for a treat or have lunch, but this, of course, is not the fault of the officials, but the mentality of the people.
Gogol in Dead Souls depicts officials only at dinners, playing whist or other card games. Only once does the reader see officials at the workplace, when Chichikov came to draw up a bill of sale for the peasants. The department unequivocally hints to Pavel Ivanovich that things will not be done without a bribe, and there is nothing to say about a quick resolution of the issue without a certain amount. This is confirmed by the police chief, who “only has to blink when passing a fish row or a cellar,” and balyks and good wines appear in his hands. No request is considered without a bribe.
Officials in “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin”
The most cruel story is the story of Captain Kopeikin. A disabled war veteran, in search of truth and help, travels from the Russian hinterland to the capital to ask for an audience with the Tsar himself. Kopeikin’s hopes are dashed by a terrible reality: while cities and villages are in poverty and lacking money, the capital is chic. Meetings with the king and high-ranking officials are constantly postponed. Completely desperate, Captain Kopeikin makes his way into the reception room of a high-ranking official, demanding that his question be immediately put forward for consideration, otherwise he, Kopeikin, will not leave the office. The official assures the veteran that now the assistant will take the latter to the emperor himself, and for a second the reader believes in a happy outcome - he rejoices along with Kopeikin, riding in the chaise, hopes and believes in the best. However, the story ends disappointingly: after this incident, no one met Kopeikin again. This episode is actually frightening, because human life turns out to be an insignificant trifle, the loss of which will not suffer at all to the entire system.
When Chichikov’s scam was revealed, they were in no hurry to arrest Pavel Ivanovich, because they could not understand whether he was the kind of person who needed to be detained, or the kind who would detain everyone and make them guilty. The characteristics of officials in “Dead Souls” can be the words of the author himself that these are people who sit quietly on the sidelines, accumulate capital and arrange their lives at the expense of others. Extravagance, bureaucracy, bribery, nepotism and meanness - this is what characterized the people in power in Russia in the 19th century.
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Poem "Dead Souls"
Depiction of the world of officials in the poem by N.V., Gogol “Dead Souls”
Society of Officials provincial town outlined by N.V. Gogol in the poem “Dead Souls” is sharply critical. Researchers have noted that Gogol’s images of officials are impersonal, devoid of individuality (unlike the images of landowners), their names are often repeated (Ivan Antonovich, Ivan Ivanovich), but their surnames are not indicated at all. Only the governor, prosecutor, police chief and postmaster are described in more detail by the author.
The officials of the provincial city are not very smart and educated. With caustic irony, Gogol speaks about the enlightenment of city officials: “some have read Karamzin, some have read Moskovskie Vedomosti, some have not even read anything at all.” The speech of these characters in the poem is nothing more than a mechanical repetition of words, symbolizing their slow-wittedness. All of them could not recognize a fraudster in Chichikov, considering him a millionaire, a Kherson landowner, and then Captain Kopeikin, a spy, Napoleon, a maker of counterfeit banknotes, and even the Antichrist.
These people are far from everything Russian and national: “you won’t hear a single decent Russian word” from them, but they will “endow you with French, German, and English words in such quantities that you won’t even want...”. High society worships everything foreign, forgetting its original traditions and customs. These people's interest in national culture limited to building a “hut in Russian taste” at the dacha.
This is a society in which idleness and idleness flourish. Thus, when registering a transaction for the sale and purchase of serfs, witnesses were required. “Send now to the prosecutor,” notes Sobakevich, “he is an idle man and probably sits at home: the lawyer Zolotukha, the greatest grabber in the world, does everything for him. An inspector of the medical board, he is also an idle man and, probably, at home, if he has not gone somewhere to play cards...” The rest of the officials are no less idle. According to Sobakevich, “there are many here who are closer, Trukhachevsky, Begushkin, they are all burdening the land for nothing.”
Robbery, deception, and bribes reign in the world of officials. These people strive to live well “at the expense of the sums of their dearly beloved fatherland.” Bribes are commonplace in the world of the provincial city. The department is ironically called by the writer “the temple of Themis.” Thus, the chairman of the chamber advises Chichikov: “...don’t give anything to officials... My friends shouldn’t pay.” From this statement we can conclude that these people regularly extort money. Describing the execution of the deal by his hero, Gogol notes: “Chichikov had to pay very little. Even the chairman gave an order to take only half of the duty money from him, and the other, unknown how, was assigned to the account of some other petitioner.” This remark reveals to us the lawlessness that reigns in “public places.” It is interesting that in the original edition this place in the poem was accompanied by the author’s remark: “This has always been the case in the world since ancient times. A rich person doesn't need to pay anything, he just needs to be rich. They will give him a glorious place, and let him use it, and the money will remain in the box; Only those who have nothing to pay pay.”
Describing the governor's party, Gogol talks about two types of officials: “fat” and “thin.” The existence of the former is “too easy, airy and completely unreliable.” The latter “never occupy indirect places, but all are direct, and if they sit somewhere, they will sit securely and firmly... they won’t fly off.” “Thin” in the author’s view are dandies and dandies hanging around the ladies. They are often prone to extravagance: “for three years, the thin one does not have a single soul left that is not pawned in a pawnshop.” Fat people are sometimes not very attractive, but they are “thorough and practical”, “the true pillars of society”: “having served God and the sovereign,” they leave the service and become famous Russian bars, landowners. The author's satire is obvious in this description: Gogol perfectly understands what this “official service” was like, which brought a person “universal respect.”
Both the first and second types are illustrated by Gogol with images of city officials. Here is the first official of the city - the governor. This is an idle man. His only advantage comes down to his ability to embroider different patterns on tulle. Here is the chief of police, “the father and benefactor of the city,” running the merchant shops in his own way. The police chief “only has to blink when passing a fish row or a cellar,” and he is immediately presented with balyks and expensive wine. At the same time, the police terrify the entire people. When a rumor appears in society about a possible revolt of Chichikov’s men, the police chief notes that in order to prevent this rebellion, “there is the power of the captain-police officer, that the captain-police officer, even though he doesn’t go himself, but only went to his place with his cap, then one cap will drive the peasants to their very place of residence.” These are “fat” officials. But the writer describes their “subtle” brothers no less critically, including, for example, Ivan Antonovich, who received a bribe from Chichikov.
The writer emphasizes in the poem that arbitrariness and lawlessness reign in Russia not only at the level provincial town, but also at the level of government. Gogol speaks about this in the story of Captain Kopeikin, the hero Patriotic War 1812, who became disabled and went to the capital to ask for help. He tried to get himself a pension, but his case was not crowned with success: an angry minister, under escort, expelled him from St. Petersburg.
Thus, Gogol’s officials are deceitful, selfish, calculating, soulless, and prone to fraud. Civic duty, patriotism, public interests - these concepts are alien to NN city officials. According to the author, “these guardians of order and law” are the same “dead souls” as the landowners in the poem. The pinnacle of Gogol’s satirical exposure is the picture of the general confusion that gripped city society when rumors spread about Chichikov’s purchase of “dead souls.” Here the officials were confused, and everyone “suddenly found ... sins in themselves.” “In a word, there was talk and talk and the whole city started talking about dead souls and the governor’s daughter, about Chichikov and dead souls, about the governor’s daughter and Chichikov, and everything that was there rose up. Like a whirlwind, the hitherto dormant city was thrown up like a whirlwind!” The writer uses the technique of hyperbole here. The possibility of government checks in connection with Chichikov’s scam frightened city officials so much that panic began among them, “the city was completely in revolt, everything was in ferment...”. This story ended with the death of the prosecutor, the main “guardian of the law,” and those around him only realized after his death that he had a “soul.” And this episode is symbolic in many ways. This is the author's call to heroes, a reminder of God's judgment for all life's deeds.
As the researchers note, “in Gogol’s depiction of the world of officials one can detect many traditional motifs of Russian satirical comedies. These motives go back to Fonvizin and Griboyedov. Red tape, bureaucracy, veneration, bribery... are traditionally ridiculed social evils. However, Gogol’s depiction techniques are different; they are close to the satirical techniques of Saltykov-Shchedrin.” According to Herzen’s precise remark, “with laughter on his lips,” the writer “without pity penetrates into the innermost folds of the unclean, evil bureaucratic soul. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is a terrible confession of modern Russia."
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