The story of the dead souls summary. Brief retelling of "dead souls" by chapter

It was published in the second half of the 19th century and consists of two volumes. It tells about one landowner who roams the country in order to buy up peasant souls that are not alive. The work rivets to itself, forcing to read faster and faster in order to reach the moment in which the purpose of buying up dead souls will be told. I would like to know what benefits he will receive through such manipulations.

The main character of the poem is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a middle-aged man of ordinary build. Opportunity to draw your own conclusion about the moral character, the author does not give any assessment of the personality of the hero.

In addition to Chichikov, there are several other characters in the novel, with whom he makes acquaintance in order to make a deal that is beneficial to him. Among them:

• Sobakevich
• Manilov
• box
• Nozdrev
• Plushkin

Each chapter of the volume provides an opportunity to get to know each character individually. Sometimes it is not possible to read the poem in full, therefore the work “Dead Souls” is briefly presented here.

Chapter one

The first chapter tells how Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov drove into a hotel in a certain city NN in his britzka. He introduced himself as a collegiate adviser and said nothing more about himself. But he willingly asked about all the officials of this city, about the landowners and other influential personalities. In addition, he asked if there were epidemics in the province, and how many people died from diseases.

The protagonist was accompanied by his servants:

• Selifan, a middle-aged man who loves to drink.
• Petrushka, lackey of about thirty.

The councilor traveled around the city, inspected all the places and paid visits to the officials of the city. Thanks to his insight and ability to flatter, he quickly made friends.

Chichikov was invited to the governor's ball, where he had the opportunity to meet such landowners as Sobakevich, Manilov and Nozdryov. All three invited a new friend to visit him, and he promised to visit in the near future.

Chapter Two

Chichikov decided to keep his promise and went to visit his friend Manilov. Accompanied by his coachman Petrushka and servant Selifan, he left the city.

The adviser was warned that the village was fifteen miles from the city, but in fact it turned out to be much further. The hero finally reached the village of Manilovka. An unremarkable village could hardly call someone to itself. The master's house stood on a hill and was open to all winds. Chichikov counted about two hundred huts as he drove up to the landowner's house.

Finally, Pavel Ivanovich met with Manilov.

The man seemed to be very pleasant and sociable. I never took care of my name and was not interested in the affairs of the village, but he liked to dream. Manilov had a wife, with whom he was very pleased, and two sons - Themistoclus and Alkid.

The owner of the house invited Chichikov to the table. During dinner, the guest and the landowner showered mutual compliments on each other. Soon the conversation turned to the estate, and Pavel Ivanovich announced the purpose of his visit. He asked to sell him souls who are no longer alive, but according to the audit tale, they are listed as such.

After some persuasion, the main character nevertheless convinced the gentleman to make a deal. After discussing some details and arranging to meet in the city, he left the estate in high spirits. And the owner of the house was in complete confusion and pondered over such a strange proposal for a long time.

Chapter Three

On the way back, Chichikov got caught in the rain, it was already completely dark, and his wagon went astray. Suddenly they were at the gate of a landowner.

She turned out to be an elderly woman named Nastastya Petrovna Korobochka. The hostess let the wet poor fellows in to spend the night, and in the morning ordered them to feed them breakfast. It can be seen that Nastasya Petrovna was a thrifty housewife and an intelligent landowner. Compared to the previous village, this one was much more well-groomed.

At breakfast, an unexpected guest asked the hostess about the peasants and asked them to sell the dead, but listed as alive in the revision. The hostess was shocked by a strange question. It was the first time she had heard that dead souls could still be sold. The woman did not want to agree to a deal, she reasoned like this: if someone needs these souls, then they have some value; and since they have value, there will still be someone who wants to buy them, and it will already be possible to sell them at a higher price.

In the end, the deal went through and the main character left the landowner's village.

Chapter Four

After talking with Korobochka, Chichikov drove back to the city, on the way he stopped at a tavern, where he met his new acquaintance Nozdrev.

Nozdryov was a sociable person, he had many acquaintances. But at the same time, he could easily start a fight with his own friends. His wife died many years ago, and there were children at home, whom he did not take care of at all. His whole life was spent in entertainment establishments. He was at the same time a very sincere person, and at the same time a desperate liar. But he lied so naturally that he even believed it himself.

Despite being thirty years old, he remained in his soul the ringleader and reckless driver, as he was in the years of stormy youth.

Nozdryov invited Chichikov to dinner. After eating, the newly-made friends started talking about the estate and serfs. Pavel Ivanovich offered the landowner a deal for the sale of the so-called "dead souls", which he soon regretted greatly, because the conversation ended in a quarrel.

Nevertheless, despite this, the main character stayed to spend the night with the windy landowner. In the morning the conversation resumed and almost ended in a fight, but the police captain who arrived in time prevented this. He informed the owner of the estate that he was on trial for insulting the landowner Maksimov. Chichikov took advantage of this moment and ran out of the house.

Chapter Five

After the strange events in the previous estate, the collegiate adviser thought for a long time about the failed deal, but at the same time he was glad that he managed to escape.

The wagon brought him to the village to Sobakevich, whom he also met at the ball.

A few words about the landowner Sobakevich: he was a serious, demanding man, managed the household seriously and thoughtfully, somewhat resembled a bear. Either because of his strong physique, or because of the name Mikhail Semenovich. Everywhere in his house there were things as large as the owner.

A distinctive feature of Sobakevich was the ability to think very badly about everyone. He called everyone scammers and trusted no one.

The host invited the guest to dinner, after which Chichikov dared to name the reason for his visit. Sobakevich reacted absolutely calmly to such a strange offer, agreed to carry out the deal, and even became so carried away that he began to praise every dead peasant.

During the transaction, Mikhail Semenovich started talking about the strange landowner Plyushkin, whose peasants often die of starvation.

Chapter six

Soon after Chichikov left Sobakevich's estate, he found himself in front of a vast village. But her appearance was so dilapidated, abandoned and poor that it was hard to imagine that someone lives here. At the end of the street one could see the manor house, just as dilapidated and covered with mold.

Not far from the house, some old man in greasy rags was cursing, who could be mistaken for a beggar and give him alms. But it turned out to be none other than Plyushkin, the landowner of this village.

Once he was a happy family man, he had a wife, two daughters and a son. They ran their business smartly and thoughtfully. But after the death of his wife, the daughters got married, and the son went to serve in the regiment. Plyushkin after these events became very suspicious and stingy.

He stopped monitoring the estate, everything was slowly falling apart. The landowner walked the streets collecting carnations, feathers and every little thing. Then he carefully hid the collected at home in the hope that it would come in handy.

Chichikov thought for a long time how to approach and speak to Plyushkin. He pondered how to explain his visit. After several minutes of hesitation, he nevertheless dared and met the master. Over a cup of tea, he offered to buy dead souls from the master, for which he received approval.

The result of this visit was a deal on the purchase by Chichikov one hundred twenty dead and another seventy runaway souls.

After a bargain purchase, the newly-minted entrepreneur returned to the hotel and fell asleep soundly.

Chapter Seven

The next morning, the businessman prepared lists for making a bill of sale in the chamber. Sobakevich and Manilov were waiting for him there.

Having issued the bill of sale, the comrades began to celebrate a profitable deal. During the feast, Chichikov replied to those interested that he had bought the peasants for withdrawal and would take them with him to the Kherson province.

After a pleasant feast, the adviser arrived at the hotel and fell asleep.

Chapter Eight

In the city everyone spoke only about Pavel Ivanovich and his peasants. People often wondered how such a number of peasants could be taken to another province.

At the same time, the love of the people for the newly-minted landowner grew, and there were rumors that he was a millionaire. Women tried to get his attention on themselves and bought the most beautiful dresses in the city.

In the city there was again a ball at the governor's, at which the main character appeared. Officials greeted and hugged him, bombarded him with compliments.

Chichikov, in order to express his respect, went up to the governor's wife. Next to her stood her daughter, a pretty young blonde, from whom Chichikov could not take his eyes off.

But the unexpected happened - a drunken Nozdryov appeared at the ball. Seeing a new acquaintance, he asked if he could buy a lot of dead peasants. These words were heard by almost everyone and were surprised by strange words. The businessman after these words was very upset and did not find what to answer.

Chapter Nine

This chapter describes a conversation between two ladies. They tell each other the latest news, the main of which is the news about a certain Chichikov, who is buying up dead souls in order to kidnap the governor's daughter. And Nozdryov is his accomplice and helps in this dirty business.

In general, the city is overgrown with rumors and gossip. And in an instant, the image of a state councilor-millionaire who ransoms the peasants for withdrawal was destroyed. The town is divided into two parts:

• the female part of the city was interested in the story of the kidnapping of the governor's daughter;
• the male non-settlement was worried about the issue of dead souls.

Both those and others began to distrust the newly minted landowner. No one now could answer the question - who is Chichikov, and what is the purpose of his arrival in their city?

Chapter Ten

To discuss an important issue, everyone gathered at the police chief. Officials put forward their versions of Chichikov's arrival, suggested that he might be Captain Kopeikin.

Since few people knew about this captain, the postmaster began his story. It spoke of a certain captain who had a limb torn off in one of the battles. And in order to feed himself, he went to St. Petersburg to ask for the mercy of the monarch, but he was sent back a few years ago, without being given the opportunity to see the ruler.

After several such unsuccessful visits, the unfortunate man was expelled from the city at public expense.

After that, there were rumors about gangs of robbers., whose leader was considered Kopeikin.

After listening to the story, everyone unequivocally decided that Chichikov could not be the captain in any way, since all the limbs were in place. Then the officials decided to invite Nozdryov to clarify and explain to everyone who Chichikov was. However, the reveler introduced even more all in confusion, confidently declaring that our hero is:

• kidnapper
• spy
• forger of securities.

Against the backdrop of all these events, the prosecutor died.

Chichikov was ill at that time, he was tormented by a cold. The adviser sincerely wondered why no one came to visit him. And only in the evening he learned about the new gossip of the city. Nozdryov came to him and declared him a forger, a kidnapper and guilty of the death of the prosecutor.

Chapter Eleven

And, finally, the most interesting part of the work “Dead Souls” Chapter 11, summary. In this chapter, Chichikov's personality is finally revealed. Although Gogol himself does not give him any assessment, but leaves the reader the opportunity to decide for himself who the main character is after all.

Pavel Ivanovich decided to leave this city as soon as possible, but, unfortunately, he did not succeed.

It turns out that he was not spoiled by fate. His mother died early, and the sick father sent his little son to study in the city. There he ordered the child to "learn and please bosses and teachers, take care of money and increase it, be friends only with rich people."

The quick-witted child remembered his father's words for a long time and tried all his life to follow his advice: he learned to get grades not for knowledge, because he did not like to read, but for diligence and good behavior. He never treated his friends, but he knew how to profitably sell something.

Shortly after Chichikov graduated from college, his father died. He inherited several jerseys, frock coats, a dilapidated house and some money. Career then rose up, then broke off.

Immediately after college, Pavlush entered the public service. Having won the favor of his superior, he was promoted to the position of assistant officer.

Bribery was not alien to our hero. He skillfully organized the fight against bribes and at the same time took them without a twinge of conscience, bathed like cheese in butter.

But everything ends sometime, and a new, military and very strict one was sent to replace the old boss. Soon Chichikov was removed from his post, he had to leave his city and start his career from the very beginning in another place. In the new city, the hero got a job in customs, where he soon became a thunderstorm for all smugglers. But over time, he himself became a link in the chain of fraud and again earned hundreds of thousands.

However, it was not given to him to become rich. In the course of one drunken quarrel with another official, moments of agreements with smugglers surfaced and Chichikov was taken to court. All property fell under the reduction, the money left him about ten thousand. This was enough to get away from the court.

Again he started his career from the bottom. This time he was engaged in the pledge of peasants to the Board of Trustees. But someone suggested that it didn't matter for the mortgage whether they were alive or dead, the only important thing was that they were listed in the audit book. And that the council would still allocate money for each of them. Then a new plan ripened in the head of a businessman. He decided to go to those areas of the country that were most affected by epidemics and redeem the "dead souls" from the landowners.

"Dead Souls" is characterized by the author himself in the poem. The original version was conceived as a work consisting of three books. The first volume of the book saw the light, drafts remained from the second, and only some fragmentary information is known about the third volume. I used the idea of ​​​​the plot of the work at the prompt of Alexander Sergeevich. The case of the use of dead souls actually existed, and took place in Bessarabia.

"Dead Souls" summary

The first volume of the book begins with the appearance of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, who claimed to everyone that he was an ordinary landowner. Once in the small town "N", Chichikov enters into the confidence of the inhabitants of the city, who occupy a privileged status. Neither the governor nor other residents of the city have any idea about the real purpose of Chichikov's visit. The main goal of his actions is to buy the dead souls of peasants, but not registered as dead and listed as alive in the register.

After making a deal with local landowners, Chichikov transferred the peasants to himself. During his life, Chichikov tried many ways to achieve significant weight and high prosperity in society. Once he served at customs and collaborated with smugglers, but did not share something with an accomplice and he betrayed him to the authorities, as a result, a case was opened against both, but Chichikov, using his remarkable mind, connections and money, managed to get out of under court.

Manilov

Chichikov made his first visit to Manilov. The author is very critical of Manilov and characterizes him as too sugary. After Chichikov stated the purpose of his visit, Manilov, at first perplexed, simply completely without money, gives him the dead souls of the peasants. After Chichikov's departure, Manilov is convinced that the service rendered to Chichikov is so great, and the friendship is so significant, that, in his view, the Sovereign will surely reward them both with the rank of general.

Visit to Korobochka

Chichikov's next visit was to Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, a woman, no doubt, very economical and distinguished by frugality. He, having spent the night in her estate, without unnecessary ceremonies declares to her his desire to buy dead souls from her, which immeasurably surprises the landowner. He manages to persuade her to make a deal only after he promises to buy additional honey and hemp from her.

Failure with Nozdrev

On the way to the city, Chichikov meets Nozdryov, who, without much persuasion, rather unceremoniously, takes him to him. The author characterizes the owner as a light, broken person, very versatile interests and unpredictable mood. Here the protagonist fails, the owner, seemingly agreeing to give Chichikov dead souls, persuades him to buy a horse, a dog and a hurdy-gurdy, to which he, of course, refuses. The whole adventure of Chichikov with Nozdryov ends with a game of checkers, as a result of which Chichikov manages only by a miracle to avoid a whipping or even an ordinary beating, he runs away.

Visit to Sobakevich

Sobakevich, whom Chichikov visited next, impressed him with his bearish habits. The owner has a rather harsh opinion about the officials in the city, he is hospitable and likes to treat the guest to a hearty dinner. The guest's message about the desire to buy the dead souls of peasants from him was met in a businesslike manner, the price was requested at one hundred rubles for each soul, this was motivated by the fact that the men were all of the highest quality, after a long bargain, Chichikov acquired peasant souls for two and a half rubles.

Plushkin

Dissatisfied with the bargain, Chichikov goes to Plyushkin, about whom Sobakevich informed him. The most perfect disorder met Chichikov at the estate, and the master himself, whom the guest at first mistook for a housekeeper, made a depressing impression on him. Life's misfortunes have turned the once zealous owner into a stingy, petty person. Having promised Plyushkin to pay taxes for them after acquiring souls, Chichikov made him very happy. Chichikov was leaving in the most cheerful disposition, because he managed to acquire as many as 120 souls.

Effects

After completing all the actions, Chichikov enjoys universal respect in the city and is mistaken for a millionaire. Troubles lie in wait for the hero, Nozdryov accuses him of buying dead souls. Worried about whether she sold too cheap, Korobochka comes to town. The secret becomes clear. Chichikov's flirtation with the governor's daughter, Korobochka's message that he was buying dead souls, did not make a favorable impression on the townspeople. And then there are the rumors and absurdities expressed by the ladies, the police chief's notice of the escape of the criminal, the death of the prosecutor, everything was by no means favorable to the hero, he was refused admission in all houses. And Chichikov is forced to flee.

And again before him the road. Critics about the poem Despite the fact that critics ambiguously met Gogol's poem, they were all unanimous in their opinion about the unusualness of the work, both in its internal inconsistency and straightforwardness, and in the beauty of writing, for example, the description of the trio bird is beautiful. How harmoniously the vital contradictions of the existing world and the world of art are shown. And only Gogol was able to give the reader a complete understanding of the difference between the reality of life and fiction.

Here is a summary of the 5th chapter of the work “Dead Souls” by N.V. Gogol.

A very brief summary of "Dead Souls" can be found, and the one below is quite detailed.
General content by chapter:

Chapter 5 - summary.

Chichikov could not recover for a long time after visiting Nozdryov. Selifan was also dissatisfied with the landowner, because the horses were not given oats. The britzka flew at full speed until it collided with a carriage with six horses and almost overhead came the cry of the ladies and the cursing of the coachman. Selifan, although he felt his mistake, nevertheless began to quarrel with a strange coachman.

At this time, the ladies sitting in the britzka - an old woman and a young fair-haired girl - watched everything that happened with fear. Chichikov stared at the sixteen-year-old beauty. Finally, they began to disperse, but the horses stood opposite each other as if rooted to the spot and did not want to disperse. They were taken up by men who had come running from a nearby village. While the different sides of the horses were being bred, Pavel Ivanovich looked at the young stranger and even wanted to talk to her, however, while he was getting ready, the carriage left, taking the beauty with it.

Since Chichikov had long since passed the age when they instantly fall in love, and then stand for a long time, seeing off their beloved with a suffering look, he ordered to go further. However, he thought about the stranger, deciding that she was good because she had just left the boarding house. Very little time will pass, and being in the care of various mothers and aunts, she will learn to lie and " will finally lie all his life ».

Soon the village of Sobakevich appeared, and Chichikov's thoughts returned to their usual subject. The estate was large, two forests stretched to the right and left - birch and pine. The house with a mezzanine looked like a military settlement of German colonists. The yard was surrounded by a thick wooden lattice. The landowner cared more about strength than about beauty. Even village houses were solid and solid, without any patterned decorations.

The owner himself outwardly resembled an average bear. Nature did not philosophize here for long:

she grabbed with an ax once - her nose came out, she grabbed another one - her lips came out, she poked her eyes with a large drill and, without scraping, let her out into the light, saying: “he lives!”

Seeing the guest, Sobakevich briefly said: “Please!” - and led him to the inner chambers.

The master's living room was hung with paintings depicting full-length Greek generals. Chichikov met Sobakevich's wife, Feodulia Ivanovna, a tall lady, straight as a palm tree.

There was silence for about five minutes, after which the guest was the first to start talking about the chairman of the chamber, to which he heard in response that the chairman “ such a fool, what light did not produce».

Enumerating city officials, Sobakevich scolded each and each gave an unflattering definition. At dinner, the owner praised the dishes served and scolded the cuisine of other landowners and city officials.

Sobakevich tells Chichikov about Plyushkin, who has eight hundred souls, but lives and dines worse than any shepherd. Pavel Ivanovich learns that Sobakevich's neighbor is a rare miser, he starved all his peasants to death, while others ran away.

Carefully, the guest found out in which direction and where Plyushkin's estate was located.

After a hearty dinner, the host and guest retired to the living room, where Chichikov spoke about his business. Sobakevich quickly realized that the purchase of dead souls brought some benefit to the guest, so he immediately broke a hundred rubles per soul. When Pavel Ivanovich became indignant, the owner began to list the merits of each dead peasant. In the process of hard bargaining, they agreed on two rubles and a half for each soul. The guest asked for a list of the peasants he had bought, and Sobakevich, with his own hand, by name, indicating laudable qualities, began to copy the dead souls. When the note was ready, the owner demanded a deposit of fifty rubles from Chichikov. New friends again began to bargain and agreed on twenty-five rubles. Having received the money, Sobakevich looked at the banknotes for a long time and complained that one of them was old.

Leaving Sobakevich, Pavel Ivanovich was dissatisfied that he had to give so much money for the dead peasants. He ordered Selifan to go to Plyushkin's estate.

Summary

VOLUME 1 Chapter 1

At the gates of the hotel in the provincial city of NN, a britzka enters, in which Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is located. He is “not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin; one cannot say that he is old, but it is not so that he is too young. Two peasants are standing at the door of the tavern and, looking at the wheel of the carriage, they argue: “Will that wheel reach Moscow, if it happens, or will it not?” The tavern servant meets Chichikov. The guest looks around his room, where the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka are bringing in "his belongings." While the servants were busy, "the master went to the common room", where he ordered lunch, during which he asked the servant about the city and its order, "did not miss a single significant official", "asked about all the significant landowners", "asked carefully about the state of the region ". After dinner, Chichikov rested in his room, and then "he wrote on a piece of paper, at the request of the tavern servant, the rank, first name and surname to report where he should go, to the police," the following: "College adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, landowner, in his own needs."

Chichikov went to inspect the city and "found that the city was in no way inferior to other provincial cities." In the text, the author gives a description of a provincial town. During a walk, Chichikov tears off a poster from a post and, returning to the hotel, reads it, "squinting his right eye a little."

The next day, Chichikov pays visits to all city dignitaries: he visits the governor, then the vice-governor, the prosecutor, the chairman of the chamber, the police chief, the farmer, the head of state-owned factories, the inspector of the medical board and the city architect. In conversations with officials, Chichikov "skillfully knew how to flatter everyone," for which the officials invited him "some for lunch, some for a Boston party, some for a cup of tea." Very little is known about the traveler, since he spoke about himself "in some general places, with noticeable modesty", referring to the fact that "he is an insignificant worm of this world and is unworthy of being taken care of a lot."

At the governor's party, where "everything was flooded with light" and the guests resembled flies that flew into the room, "just to show themselves, to walk up and down the sugar heap," the governor introduces Chichikov to the governor. At the ball, the passer-by is busy thinking about men who, as elsewhere, "were of two kinds," thin and fat, "or the same as Chichikov." Chichikov gets acquainted with the "very courteous and courteous landowner Manilov and the somewhat clumsy-looking Sobakevich", from whom he learns the state of their estates and how many peasants they have. Manilov, "who had eyes as sweet as sugar, and squinted them every time he laughed," invites Chichikov to his estate, as he is "without memory" from the guest. Pavel Ivanovich receives the same invitation from Sobakevich.

On the next day, visiting the police chief, Chichikov met the landowner Nozdrev, a “broken fellow,” who, after three or four words, began to say “you” to him. The next day Chichikov spent the evening with the chairman of the chamber, who received his guests in a dressing gown. After that, he was at the vice-governor's, at a dinner with a farmer, at the prosecutor's. He returned to the hotel only to “sleep”. He is ready to support a conversation on any topic. City officials were pleased that such a "decent person" visited them. “The governor said about him that he was a well-intentioned person; the prosecutor - that he is an efficient person; the gendarmerie colonel said that he was a learned man; the chairman of the chamber - that he is a knowledgeable and respectable person; police chief - that he is a respectable and amiable person, ”and in the opinion of Sobakevich, Chichikov was an “unpleasant person” at all.

Chichikov has been in the city for more than a week. He decides to visit Manilov and Sobakevich and therefore gives orders to his servants, the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka. The latter should stay at the inn and look after things. Petrushka “read everything with equal attention”, as he preferred “the process of reading itself, that “some word always comes out of letters”, slept without undressing and “always carried with him some special air of his own” As for the coachman, he "was a completely different person."

Chichikov goes to Manilov. Long search for the estate of the landowner. Description of the estate. The guest is joyfully greeted by Manilov. “In his eyes, he was a prominent person; his features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have been conveyed too much sugar; in his manners and turns there was something ingratiating himself with favors and acquaintances. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes. In the first minute of a conversation with him, you can’t help but say: “What a pleasant and kind person!” The next minute you will say nothing, and the third you will say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away if you don’t move away, you will feel mortal boredom. You will not expect any lively or even arrogant word from him, which you can hear from almost anyone if you touch the subject that torments him. Manilov cannot be called a master, since his "household somehow went on by itself." He had a lot of ideas in his head, but "all these projects ended in only one word." For two years he has been reading a book, bookmarked on the fourteenth page. In the living room there is beautiful furniture upholstered in expensive silk fabric, but two armchairs, on which there was not enough fabric, are upholstered in matting. In some rooms there was no furniture at all. “In the evening, a very smart candlestick made of dark bronze with three antique graces, with a mother-of-pearl smart shield, was served on the table, and next to it was placed some kind of simply copper invalid, lame, curled up on the side and covered in fat, although neither the owner noticed this, neither mistress nor servant.

Manilov's wife corresponds to her husband. There is no order in the house. "Manilova was brought up well." She received her upbringing in a boarding school, where “three main subjects form the basis of human virtues: the French language, which is necessary for the happiness of family life, the piano, for delivering pleasant moments to her husband, and, finally, the economic part itself: knitting purses and other surprises.”

At dinner, the sons of the Manilovs are present: Thepistoclus and Alkid, who are at that age “when they are already putting children at the table, but not yet. high chairs." Next to the children was their teacher, who followed the conversation and tried to show the same emotions as they, because "he wanted to pay this owner for good treatment." His face took on a serious look when one of Manilov's sons bit his brother on the ear, and the second was ready to burst into tears, but restrained himself and, through tears, smeared with fat, began to gnaw a mutton bone. At dinner there is a conversation "about the pleasure of a quiet life."

After dinner, Chichikov and Manilov are having a business conversation in the owner's office. “The room was certainly not without pleasantness: the walls were painted with some kind of blue paint, like gray, four chairs, one armchair, a table on which lay a book with a bookmark ... a few scribbled papers, but most of all there was tobacco. It was in different forms: in caps and in a tobacco box, and, finally, it was simply poured in a heap on the table. On both windows there were also mounds of ash knocked out of a pipe, arranged, not without diligence, in very beautiful rows. It was noticeable that this sometimes gave the owner a pastime. The guest is interested: “How long ago did you deign to submit a revision tale?” The clerk appears, who reports that the peasants were dying, but they were not counted. Chichikov asks him to make a "detailed register of everyone by name." Manilov wonders why Chichikov is doing this, and in response he hears "such strange and unusual things that human ears have never heard before." Chichikov offers to buy dead souls, which "would be listed as alive according to the revision." After that, both sat, "gazing into each other's eyes, like those portraits that were hung in the old days one against the other on both sides of the mirror." Chichikov promises that the law will be observed, as he "goes dumb before the law." According to Chichikov, "such an enterprise, or bargaining, will in no way be inconsistent with civil decrees and further types of Russia," and "the treasury will even receive benefits, because it will receive legal duties." Manilov gives the dead souls to Chichikov "without interest." The guest thanks the host and hurries to. road. He says goodbye to the Manilov family and, having asked how to get to Sobakevich, leaves. Manilov indulges in daydreams, imagining how he lives with a friend in the neighborhood, how they are engaged in landscaping the area together, spend evenings over tea, in pleasant conversations, and comes to the conclusion that the sovereign, for strong friendship, favors him and Chichikov as a general rank.

Chichikov goes to Sobakevich and gets caught in the rain, his coachman goes astray. "The darkness was so, even gouge out the eye." Hearing the barking of dogs, Chichikov orders the coachman to speed up the horses. The cart hits the fence with shafts, Selifan goes to look for the gate. A hoarse woman's voice reports that they ended up at the estate of Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. Chichikov stops at the landowner's house for the night. He is led into a room that “was hung with old striped wallpaper; pictures with some birds; between the windows there are small antique mirrors with dark frames in the form of curled leaves; behind every mirror there was either a letter, or an old pack of cards, or a stocking; wall clock with painted flowers on the dial ... it was impossible to notice anything. The mistress of the estate, “an elderly woman, in some kind of sleeping cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck, one of those mothers, small landowners who cry for crop failures, losses and hold their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile they are gaining a little money in variegated bags placed in the drawers of chests of drawers. All the banknotes are taken into one bag, fifty dollars into another, and quarters into the third, although it looks as if there is nothing in the chest of drawers except linen, and night blouses, and thread hanks, and a torn coat. The hostess says that it is already late and nothing can be cooked. When asked how far it is from her estate to the estate of Sobakevich, she replies that she had not heard of such a landowner.

In the morning, over tea, Chichikov asks Korobochka about the dead souls he wants to buy from her. Afraid to sell cheap and not understanding why the guest "is such a strange product", she offers him to buy honey or hemp from her. Chichikov continues to insist on buying dead souls. Mentally, he calls the old woman "clubhead", because he can not convince her that this is a profitable enterprise for her. Only after he reports that he is conducting government contracts (which is not true), the hostess agrees to make a bill of sale. Chichikov asks if she has anyone she knows in the city so that she can authorize him to "make a fortress and everything that follows." He composes a trusted letter to himself. The hostess wants to appease an important official. In the box where Chichikov keeps his papers, there are many compartments and a secret drawer for money. The box admires his casket. The guest asks the hostess of the house to prepare a "little list of men." She informs him that she does not keep any records and knows almost everyone by heart. Korobochka's men have strange surnames. “He was especially struck by some Pyotr Savelyev Disrespect-Trough, so that he could not help but say: “What a long one!” Another had "Cow Brick" attached to the name, the other turned out to be simply: Wheel Ivan. After that, the hostess treats the guest with an unleavened egg pie and pancakes. Chichikov leaves. The box sends a girl of about eleven years old with a chaise, who “does not know where the right is, where the left is,” to see off the guests. When the tavern became visible, the girl was released home, giving her a copper penny for the service.

Hungry, Chichikov stops at a tavern, which "was something like a Russian hut, somewhat larger." He is invited to enter by an old woman, who, at a meal, Chichikov asks if she herself runs a tavern. In a conversation, he tries to find out what kind of landowners live nearby. Nozdryov's chaise drives up, and then the landowner himself appears, who arrived with his son-in-law Mizhuev. “He was of medium height, a very well-built fellow with full ruddy cheeks, snow-white teeth and jet-black sideburns. He was fresh as blood and milk; health seemed to spurt from his face. Chichikov finds out that Nozdryov lost his money at the fair and the money of his son-in-law Mizhuev, who is right there, and also “thumped four trotters - he let everything down.” He had no chain or watch. It seemed to Chichikov that "one of his sideburns was smaller and not as thick as the other." Nozdryov assures that “the fair was excellent”, that he drank seventeen bottles of champagne, to which his fellow traveler objected that he could not even drink ten bottles. Hearing that Chichikov was heading for Sobakevich, Nozdryov laughs and calls this landowner a "Jewish man." He persistently invites Chichikov to his place, promising a tasty treat, and then asks Porfiry to bring a puppy from the britzka to show it to Chichikov. Nozdryov offers Chichikov to visit him first, and then to Sobakevich. He, thinking, agrees. In a tavern, Nozdryov's son-in-law pays for the vodka that Nozdryov drank. There are many people like Nozdrev. “They are called broken fellows, they are known even in childhood and at school for good comrades, and for all that they are very painfully beaten. Something open, direct, daring is always visible in their faces. They soon get to know each other, and “you don’t have time to look back, as they already say“ you ”to you. Friendship will seem to be established forever; but it almost always happens that the one who makes friends fights with them on the same evening at a friendly feast. They are always talkers, revelers, reckless people, prominent people. Nozdryov at thirty-five years old was the same perfect as he was at eighteen and twenty: a hunter for a walk. Marriage did not change him in the least, especially since his wife soon went to the other world, leaving two children who were decidedly not to him needed ... Nozdryov was in some respects a historical person. Not a single meeting where he was could do without history ... The closer someone got along with him, he was more likely to piss everyone off: spread a fable, more stupid than which it is difficult to invent, upset a wedding, a trade deal and did not consider himself your enemy at all ... Nozdryov was in many respects a versatile person, that is, a man of all trades. He liked to "change everything for whatever you want." Such Nozdryovs are “everywhere between us.”

In his estate, Nozdryov shows Chichikov "absolutely everything." First they went to the stable, where Chichikov saw two mares, one dappled gray, the other brown, and also an unsightly bay stallion, which, according to the owner, cost him ten thousand, which his relative immediately doubted. Nozdryov showed his guest a wolf cub on a leash, fed raw meat. Showing the pond, Nozdryov boasted that the fish in it were of incredible size. In the yard, Chichinov saw "all sorts of dogs, both thick-dogs and pure-dogs, of all possible colors and stripes." Then they examined the blind Crimean female. We went to inspect the water mill, the smithy, having reached the borders of the estate through the field, and then returned to the house. Only sabers and two guns hung in the office. The guest was shown Turkish daggers, one of which bore the mark of master Saveliy Sibiryakov, and then a hurdy-gurdy and pipes. Chichikov was dissatisfied with dinner, which was not given much attention in this house, since "some things were burnt, some were not cooked at all." Various wines were served, which Chichikov was afraid to drink.

After Mizhuev leaves home, Chichikov asks Nozdryov to transfer the dead souls that have not yet been deleted from the revision to his name, and explains that he needs them for a successful marriage, since it is extremely important for the bride's parents how many peasants he has . Nozdryov does not believe Chichikov. He is ready to give him dead souls, but Chichikov must buy from him a stallion, a mare, a dog, a hurdy-gurdy, etc. Chichikov refuses this. Nozdryov offers to play cards with him. Chichikov himself is not happy that he contacted Nozdrev, who began to insult him. Holding a grudge against Chichikov, Nozdryov orders the coachman not to give his horses oats, but only to feed him hay. After supper, Nozdryov leads Chichikov to a side room without saying good night. The night was unpleasant for the visitor, as "small naughty insects" bit him. The next morning, Chichikov hurries to leave. Nozdryov invites Chichikov to play checkers with him, promising that if he wins, he will give him dead souls. During the game, Nozdrev is clearly cheating. Suspecting this, Chichikov stops the game, accusing Nozdryov of cheating. He is ready to hit the guest in the face, but does not do this, but calls the servants and orders to beat the offender. The police captain appears, who "on the occasion of inflicting personal insult on the landowner Maximov with rods in a drunken state" arrests Nozdryov. Taking advantage of these circumstances, Chichikov hurries to leave and orders his coachman to "drive the horses at full speed."

Chichikov thought with horror about Nozdryov. His coachman was also dissatisfied, calling the landowner a "bad master." It seemed that even the horses were thinking “unfavorably” about Nozdryov. Soon, through the fault of the coachman, Chichikov's chaise collides with another chaise, in which there is an elderly lady and a sixteen-year-old beauty. Village peasants separate the horses, and then pick up the carts. After the collision, Chichikov thinks about the young stranger, calling her "glorious grandmother" to himself. “Everything can be done from it, it can be a miracle, or it can turn out to be rubbish, and rubbish will come out! Now let only mothers and aunts take care of it now. He wonders who the parents of this girl are and whether they are wealthy. “After all, if, let’s say, this girl is given two hundred thousand dowry, a very, very tasty morsel could come out of her. This could be, so to speak, the happiness of a decent person.

Description of the estate of Sobakevich. The landowner’s house was “like those we build for military settlements and German colonists. It was noticeable that during the construction of its architect, he constantly fought with the taste of the owner. The architect was a pedant and wanted symmetry, the owner - convenience ... The landowner seemed to be fussing a lot about strength. Everything is done thoroughly, "without faltering, in some kind of strong and clumsy order." Chichikov's owner resembles a "medium-sized bear." “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. It is known that there are many such persons in the world, over the finishing of which nature did not think long, did not use any small tools, such as files, gimlets and other things, but simply chopped from her shoulder: she grabbed with an ax once - her nose came out, she had enough in another - her lips came out, she poked her eyes out with a large drill and, without scraping, let them into the light, saying: “lives!”. The owner's name is Mikhail Semenovich. In the living room on the walls there are paintings depicting Greek generals, by the window there is a cage with a thrush. Sobakevich introduces the guest to his wife, Feodulia Ivanovna. In the room where the owner brings the guest, “everything was solid, clumsy to the highest degree and had some strange resemblance to the owner of the house himself; in the corner of the living room stood a pot-bellied walnut office on absurd four legs, a perfect bear. The table, the armchairs, the chairs—everything was of the most heaviest and restless quality—in a word, every object, every chair, seemed to say: “I, too, am Sobakevich!” or: “and I, too, am very similar to Sobakevich!”” Sobakevich speaks straightforwardly about officials: the chairman of the chamber - “he is just a freemason, but such a fool as the world has not produced”, the governor - “the first robber in the world, give him only a knife Yes, let him out on the main road - he will kill him, he will kill him for a penny! He and even the vice-governor are Goga and Magog!”, the police chief is a “swindler”, the prosecutor is a “decent person”, but at the same time, “to tell the truth, a pig”.

Over a plentiful dinner, Sobakevich talks about Plyushkin as an extremely stingy man who lives next door to him and owns eight hundred peasants.

After a hearty dinner, Chichikov decides to talk with the owner about his business. Sobakevich listens to him for a long time. “It seemed that this body did not have a soul at all, or it did have one, but not at all where it should, but, like an immortal koshchey, somewhere behind the mountains and covered with such a thick shell that everything that did not toss and turn on bottom of it, did not produce any shocks on the surface. Sobakevich is not surprised that Chichikov is buying up dead souls. He is ready to sell them "for a hundred rubles apiece", characterizing each peasant as a master of his craft: the coachman Mikheev, the carpenter Stepan Cork, the brickmaker Milushkin, the shoemaker Maxim Telyatnikov. Chichikov notes that the qualities of the peasants are not so important, since the souls are dead. Sobakevich hints "that such purchases... are not always permissible...". After a long auction for a dead soul, the price is three rubles. Sobakevich writes a list of peasants and asks for a deposit. In response to this, Chichikov wants him to give him a receipt for receiving money. Everyone is afraid of being deceived. Sobakevich offers to buy "female" cheap, but Chichikov refuses. Chichikov goes to Plyushkin, whom the peasants call "patched", adding to this word the noun "very successful, but uncommon in secular conversation." “The Russian people are expressing themselves strongly! And if he rewards someone with a word, then it will go to his family and offspring, he will drag him with him to the service, and to retirement, and to St. Petersburg, and to the ends of the world. And no matter how cunning you later ennoble your nickname, even if you force writing people to derive it for hire from an ancient princely family, nothing will help: the nickname will croak for itself at the top of its crow’s throat and clearly say where the bird flew from.

Lyrical digression about travel. The author notes that at the time of his youth, “it was fun for him to drive up to an unfamiliar place for the first time,” since “a childish curious look revealed a lot of curiosity in him.” “Now I indifferently drive up to any unfamiliar village and indifferently look at its vulgar appearance; my chilled gaze is uncomfortable, it’s not funny to me, and what in previous years would have awakened a lively movement in the face, laughter and incessant speeches, now slips by, and my motionless lips keep an indifferent silence. O my youth!

Once in the estate of Plyushkin, "he noticed a special dilapidation on all the village buildings." The master's house appeared before Chichikov's gaze. “This strange castle looked like some kind of decrepit invalid, long, unreasonably long. In some places it was one story, in other places it was two; on the dark roof, which did not reliably protect his old age everywhere, two belvederes stuck out, one opposite the other, both already tottering, deprived of the paint that once covered them. The walls of the house slitted bare stucco lattice in places and, apparently, suffered a lot from all sorts of bad weather, rains, whirlwinds and autumn changes. Of the windows, only two were open; the rest were shuttered or even boarded up. These two windows, for their part, were also half-sighted; one of them had a dark pasted triangle of blue sugar paper. Chichikov sees some figure and for a long time cannot recognize what gender she is: "is it a man or a woman." “The dress on her was completely indefinite, very similar to a woman’s hood, on her head was a cap, which village yard women wear, only one voice seemed to him somewhat hoarse for a woman.” Chichikov decided that the housekeeper was in front of him, then, looking closer, "he saw that it was rather a housekeeper ...".

The key keeper leads Chichikov into the house, which amazes him with the "disarray that has appeared." “It seemed as if the floors were being washed in the house and all the furniture had been piled up here for a while. On one table there was even a broken chair, and next to it was a clock with a stopped pendulum, to which a spider had already attached a web. Right there, leaning sideways against the wall, was a cupboard filled with antique silver, decanters, and Chinese china. On the bureau, lined with mother-of-pearl mosaics, which had already fallen out in places and left behind only yellowish grooves filled with glue, lay a lot of all sorts of things ... "

Chichikov asked where the owner was, and was surprised when the key keeper said that it was he. Chichikov saw all sorts of people, but this was the first time he saw such a person in his life. “His face was nothing special; it was almost the same as that of many thin old men, only one chin protruded very far forward, so that he had to cover it with a handkerchief every time so as not to spit; little eyes had not yet gone out and were running from under high-growing eyebrows like mice when, sticking out their pointed snouts from dark holes, pricking up their ears and blinking their mustaches, they look out for a cat or a naughty boy hiding somewhere, and suspiciously smell the very air. Much more remarkable was his attire: no means and efforts could have got to the bottom of what his dressing gown was concocted from: the sleeves and upper floors were so greasy and glossy that they looked like yuft, which is used for boots; behind, instead of two, four floors dangled, from which cotton paper climbed in flakes. Plyushkin had "more than a thousand souls." Despite the fact that in his working yard there is a “death” of all kinds of supplies that cannot be used in a lifetime, it seems to Plyushkin that this is not enough, and therefore he goes around the village and picks up what he finds, putting everything in a heap in the corner of the room.

The once rich landowner Stepan Plyushkin lived differently. He was a thrifty owner, to whom a neighbor stopped by to "learn from him housekeeping and wise stinginess." Plyushkin had a wife, two daughters and a son; in addition, a French teacher and mentor of two girls lived in the house. He was widowed early and therefore "became more restless and, like all widowers, more suspicious and stingy." He cursed his eldest daughter after she, having escaped with an officer of the cavalry regiment, married him. The son decided to join the military, and the youngest daughter died. “Lonely life has given nourishing food to avarice, which, as you know, has a wolfish hunger and the more it devours, the more insatiable it becomes; human feelings, which were already not deep in him, grew shallow every minute, and every day something was lost in this worn-out ruin. Due to stinginess, he could not bargain with anyone. “Hay and bread rotted, stacks and haystacks turned into clean manure, flour in the cellars turned into stone, it was terrible to touch cloth, canvas and household materials: they turned into dust.” Plyushkin accumulated his fortune on trifles, picking up other people's things, forgotten by someone by accident. He does not use a large quitrent from serfs. For the entire household, he has only a pair of boots, the peasants go barefoot. Plyushkin, with his economy, "finally turned into some kind of hole in humanity." Twice his daughter came to Plyushkin, hoping to get something from her father, but both times she left with nothing.

Chichikov tells Plyushkin what the purpose of his visit is. Plyushkin agrees to sell him the dead peasants, and also offers to buy the fugitives as well. Traded for every penny. Plyushkin hides the banknotes received from Chichikov in a box in which they lie until the death of the owner. Refusing tea and treats, Chichikov, to Plyushkin's delight, returns to the hotel. Plyushkin sees to it that the breadcrumbs from the Easter cake are put away in the pantry. All the way Chichikov was in a good mood. Petrushka meets him at the hotel.

A lyrical digression in which Gogol reflects on two types of writers, one of whom "... from the great pool of daily revolving images chose only a few exceptions ...", and the other exposes "... all the terrible, amazing mire of trifles that have entangled our lives, all the depths of the cold, fragmented, everyday characters ... ".

Chichikov woke up and felt that he had slept well. After registration of merchant's fortresses, he became the owner of four hundred dead souls. Looking at himself in the mirror, Chichikov “made two jumps around the room, slapping himself very deftly with the heel of his foot”, “rubbed his hands in front of the box with the same pleasure as the incorruptible zemstvo court rubs them”, and began to compose, write and rewrite fortresses, "so as not to pay anything to clerks." He reflects on who the peasants he bought were during his lifetime. He finds out that Sobakevich deceived him by adding Elizaveta Sparrow to the list, and crosses her out.

On the street, Chichikov meets Manilov, with whom they go to make a bill of sale. In order to speed things up, in the office, Chichikov discreetly gives a bribe to an official, whose name is Ivan Antonovich Kuvshinnoye Rylo, who covers the banknote with a book. The chief is Sobakevich. Chichikov, referring to the fact that he urgently needs to leave, asks to make a bill of sale within one day. Gives the chairman a letter from Plyushkin with a request that he be a chargé d'affaires in his case. The chairman agrees to be an attorney. Witnesses appear, the necessary documents are drawn up. Chichikov pays half the fee to the treasury, since "the other half was attributed in some incomprehensible way to the account of another petitioner."

Everyone goes to dinner at the police chief, who was "in his place and comprehended his position to perfection." The merchants said about him that "Alexei Ivanovich," although he will take it, it will certainly not give you away ". During dinner, Sobakevich eats a large sturgeon, with which the police chief wanted to surprise those present, but did not have time. There were many toasts at the table. Those gathered decide to marry Chichikov, to which he remarks that "there would be a bride." In a good position, on the prosecutor's droshky, Chichikov goes to the hotel, where he gives Selifan "household orders." Petrushka takes off his master's boots and puts him to bed.

Petrushka and Selifan head "to the house that was opposite the hotel", from which they leave an hour later, "holding hands, maintaining perfect silence, showing each other great attention and warning each other against all corners." In the hotel, everyone soon falls asleep, only a light is on in the window of the lieutenant who has arrived from Ryazan.

Chichikov's purchases do not leave the inhabitants of the city alone. There are various conversations about what kind of peasants Chichikov bought and what it will be like in a new place, what kind of manager is needed on the farm, and it is also suggested that during the resettlement a rebellion may arise among the peasants, and advice is given to Chichikov to treat the peasants with "military cruelty ” or engage in “beneficent education”. For the safe delivery of the peasants to the place, Chichikov is offered an escort, which Chichikov flatly refuses, since, according to him, the purchased peasants have an "excellently meek character." Residents of the city of Chichikov "fell in love even more sincerely", calling him a "millionaire". The text follows a description of the inhabitants of the city N.

Ladies are delighted with Chichikov. One day, returning home, he found a letter on the table that began with the words: “No, I must write to you!” Then there was a confession of sincere feelings and it was said that at the ball, which would take place the next day, Chichikov would have to recognize the one that had opened up to him. Chichikov is invited to the governor's ball. For an hour he sits in front of the mirror, taking significant postures and facial expressions. While at the ball, he tries to find out who sent him a love letter. Chichikov meets the governor's daughter. She turns out to be that sixteen-year-old beauty that he saw when two chaises collided. “It is impossible to say for sure whether the feeling of love has definitely awakened in our hero - it is even doubtful that gentlemen of this kind, that is, not so thick, but not exactly thin, were capable of love; but with all that, there was something so strange here, something of a kind that he himself could not explain to himself: it seemed to him, as he himself later confessed, that the whole ball, with all its talk and noise, became a few minutes as if somewhere far away. The ladies present at the ball were offended by Chichikov because he did not pay any attention to them. “In some dry and ordinary words he casually uttered, they found sharp hints.” The ladies began to whisper about him "in the most unfavorable way." He cannot captivate the girl with secular conversation, as the military knows how to do, and therefore causes boredom in her. Nozdryov, who appeared at the governor's ball, tells how Chichikov tried to buy dead souls from him. Heard hard to believe, but the ladies pick up the news. Chichikov tries to distract himself, sat down to play whist, but the game did not go. Even at the table, despite the fact that Nozdryov was dismissed for scandalous behavior, he feels uncomfortable, talking to himself about balls. “But the man is strange: he was greatly upset by the dislike of the very ones whom he did not respect and about whom he spoke sharply, vilifying their vanity and outfits.”

Korobochka comes to the city to find out if she has sold her dead souls to Chichikov.

Gossip is spreading throughout the city. The men of the city are interested in buying dead souls, and the ladies are discussing how Chichikov is going to kidnap the governor's daughter. New gossip is added to the existing gossip. Two incidents are associated with the "dead souls": the first happened with "some Solvychegodsk merchants who came to the city for a fair and after the auction gave their friends Ustsysolsky merchants a feast", which ended in a fight, as a result of which "Solvychegodsk merchants left Ustsysolsky to death" and their " buried like the dead"; another event was as follows: “the state-owned peasants of the village of Vshivaya-arrogance, having united with the same peasants of the village of Borovka, Zadirailovo, too, wiped off the face of the earth, as it were, the zemstvo police in the person of an assessor, some kind of Drobyazhkin,” who “looked at the women and the village girls." The governor received two papers, one of which contained information about "a fake banknote maker hiding under different names," and the other reported about a "robber who had fled from legal persecution" and should be detained. This circumstance completely confused the inhabitants of the city. The officials decide to question the landlords from whom Chichikov bought dead souls. Chichikov's servants are subjected to the same questions. There comes a moment when you need to figure everything out: “Is this a person who needs to be detained and seized as unintentional, or is he such a person who himself can seize and detain them all as unintentional.” The officials decide to meet with the police chief.

City officials gather at the police chief for advice, in which "there was a noticeable absence of that necessary thing that the common people call plainly." The author discusses the peculiarities of holding meetings or charitable meetings.

According to the postmaster, Chichikov is none other than Captain Kopeikin, and the postmaster tells his story.

THE STORY ABOUT CAPTAIN KOPEIKIN

Captain Kopeikin was sent along with the wounded after the campaign of 1812, and his arm and leg were torn off. He returned home, but his father told him that he had nothing to feed him, and therefore Kopeikin was forced to go to St. Petersburg to the sovereign to find out "whether there would be any royal mercy." Somehow he got to the capital, where he "sheltered in a Revel tavern for a ruble a day." He was advised to apply to the higher commission. Since the sovereign "at that time was not yet in the capital," he goes to the head of the commission, whom he has been waiting for four hours in the waiting room. When the nobleman came out, those gathered in the waiting room fell silent. He asks everyone with what business he came to him. After listening to Kopeikin, he promised to do his best and offered to come in one of these days. The captain went to a tavern, where he drank vodka, dined at the London, went to the theater - "drank". Looking at the Englishwoman, he decided to follow her, but postponed until the time when he received a “pension”. After the next visit to the nobleman, it turns out that he will not be able to help without the special permission of the king. Kopeikin's money is running out, but the nobleman does not want to accept him anymore. Having broken through to the general, the invalid tries to achieve a solution to his fate, but in vain. The general sends Kopeikin out of the capital at public expense. Since the captain did not get a solution to his problem, he decided that he would take care of himself. Where Kopeikin went is unknown, but a gang of robbers appeared in the Ryazan forests.

The police chief interrupted the story in bewilderment, since Chichikov's arm and leg were intact. After that, the postmaster, slapping his forehead, calls himself "veal" in front of everyone. According to the new version, Chichikov is Napoleon in disguise. After long conversations and thoughts, Nozdryov is again asked about Chichikov, and he lies that he sold dead souls to Chichikov for several thousand rubles, that they studied together at a school where Chichikov was called a “fiscal”, that Chichikov prints fake banknotes, which is actually Chichikov wanted to take away the governor’s daughter and that he, Nozdryov, helped him in this, and the village where the young people were to get married was “precisely the village of Trukhmachevka,” what kind of wedding - “seventy-five rubles.” After listening to Nozdryov's tales, "the officials were left in an even worse position than they were before."

The prosecutor dies of fear. Chichikov got a slight cold - "a flux and a slight inflammation in the throat", and therefore does not leave the house. He cannot understand why no one visited him during his illness, did not inquire about his health. Three days later, he goes "out into the fresh air." Finding himself in front of the governor's entrance, he hears from the porter that "it is not ordered to receive." The chairman of the chamber told him such "rubbish" that they both felt ashamed. Chichikov notices that he is not accepted anywhere, and if they are accepted, then in a rather strange way. When he returns to his hotel in the evening, Nozdryov appears and tells Chichikov about who the townspeople consider him to be, adding to everything that the prosecutor died through Chichikov's fault. Hearing that he is suspected of intending to take away the governor's daughter, Chichikov is perplexed. Fearing that he will not be able to get out of this story in a healthy way, Chichikov orders to get ready for the road: Selifan must prepare everything by six, and Petrushka is told to pull the suitcase out from under the bed.

The next morning, for a number of reasons, Chichikov was unable to leave the city: he overslept, the chaise was not laid, the horses were not shod, the wheel would not pass even two stations. He scolds Selifan, who did not inform him earlier about all the shortcomings. I had to take a long time with the blacksmiths. Only in the evening he manages to set off. Because of the funeral procession, they were forced to stop. When Chichikov found out who was being buried, "he immediately hid in a corner, covered himself with skin and drew the curtains." He did not want anyone to recognize his crew, but he "began to look timidly through the glass, which were in leather curtains," for the mourners of the deceased. City officials follow the coffin, talking about the new governor-general. Chichikov thinks that, "they say it means happiness if you meet a dead person." Finally he leaves the city. Lyrical digression about Russia. "Rus! Russia! I see you, from my wonderful, beautiful far away I see you: poor, scattered and uncomfortable in you ... Russia! what do you want from me? what incomprehensible bond lurks between us?

The author exclaims: “What a strange, and enticing, and carrying, and wonderful in the word: road! And how wonderful she herself is, this road ... ”Then there are arguments about the hero of a literary work and about the origin of Chichikov. The author says that the reader did not like him, since "a virtuous person is still not taken as a hero." The author's goal was "finally to hide the scoundrel."

Chichikov was born into a noble family and outwardly does not look like his parents. “Life at the beginning looked at him somehow sourly and uncomfortably, through some kind of muddy, snow-covered window: no friend, no comrade in childhood!” His father took him to the city to a relative, "a flabby old woman," who "patted the boy on the cheek and admired his fullness." Here he had to go to the classes of the city school. When parting, the parent advised his son to please his teachers and superiors, communicate only with rich comrades, do not share with anyone, behave in such a way that he is treated, save a penny, which in life can do everything. The words of his father "buried deep into his soul." The boy was not distinguished by his abilities, but "more diligence and neatness." His comrades treated him, and he hid treats, and then sold them to those who treated him. To the fifty received from his father, he made “increments, showing almost extraordinary resourcefulness: he molded a bullfinch from wax, painted it and sold it very profitably.” He sold “edibles” to rich comrades during classes, showed a trained mouse for money, which “stands on its hind legs, lay down and got up on orders.” Having saved five rubles, "he sewed up the bag and began to save in another." “Chichikov suddenly comprehended the spirit of the boss and what behavior should consist of,” and therefore “he was in excellent standing and upon graduation he received a full certificate in all sciences, a certificate and a book with golden letters for exemplary diligence and trustworthy behavior.” When his father dies, Chichikov sells "a dilapidated courtyard with an insignificant piece of land for a thousand rubles." A teacher is expelled from the school, who considered Pavlusha the best student. Former students collect money for him, but only Chichikov refused to help him, to which the teacher remarks with tears: “Oh, Pavlusha! that's how a person changes! after all, what a well-behaved, nothing violent, silk! Puffed up, puffed up a lot ... "

Chichikov lived with thoughts about "life in all contentments, with all sorts of prosperity," and therefore saved a penny. He is determined to serve in the state chamber, where he turns out to be the complete opposite of officials. Chichikov pleases the boss, takes care of his ugly daughter, soon moves into his house, becomes a fiancé, seeks promotion: instead of the old assistant, “he himself sat down as an assistant to one vacant position that had opened up.” After that, he moves to a new apartment, and "the matter was hushed up" about the wedding. Chichikov becomes a "notable person". In the service he takes bribes, is included in the commission for the construction of a state building, but "the state building did not go above the foundation." With the arrival of a new boss, Chichikov is forced to start his career anew. He enters the service of customs, "this service has long been a secret subject of his thoughts." He has a talent for searches and searches. For his selfless service, he was noticed by his superiors, received a rank and a promotion. Presenting a project to catch smugglers, he receives a lot of money from them. Chichikov quarrels with the official, calling him a priest, and he, offended, sends a secret denunciation to him, and therefore "secret relations with smugglers have become obvious." Chichikov and the comrade with whom he shared are put on trial, their property is confiscated. Chichikov is all in thought about why it was he who "fell in trouble."

Taking care of "his descendants", Chichikov begins to work as an attorney. The matter that he was entrusted with was the following: "to petition for the placement of several hundred peasants in the board of trustees." And here Chichikov “was struck by the most inspired thought”: “Yes, buy all these who have died out, have not yet filed new revision tales, get them, let’s say, a thousand, yes, let’s say, the board of trustees will give two hundred rubles per capita: that’s really two hundred thousand capital!

The author, reflecting on the attitude of readers to the hero, says that it is not known how the further fate of Chichikov will turn out, where his britzka will call. “It is most fair to call him: the owner, the acquirer. The acquisition is his fault; because of him things have been done that the light will give the name of not very clean. The author talks about human passions. Fearing that accusations from the patriots might fall on him, he talks about Kif Mokievich and Mokii Kifovich, father and son, who “lived in one distant place.” The father did not deal with the family, but rather turned "in a speculative way", for example, to the question of the birth of animals. “At the time when the father was engaged in the birth of the beast, the twenty-year-old broad-shouldered nature” of his son “was trying to turn around.” Everyone in the neighborhood is afraid of the son, since he destroys everything that comes into his hands, and the father does not want to interfere in anything: “If he remains a dog, then let them not know about it from me, let it not be me who gave him away ".

The author reproaches readers: "You are afraid of a deeply aspiring gaze, you are afraid to direct your own gaze at something, you love to glimpse everything with unthinking eyes." It is possible that everyone can find in themselves "some part of Chichikov."

Chichikov woke up and shouted at Selifan. "The horses stirred and carried, like fluff, a light britzka." Chichikov smiled, because he liked fast driving. “And what Russian does not like to drive fast?” A lyrical digression about a trio bird. “Isn’t it true that you too, Rus, are rushing about with a brisk, unbeaten troika? .. Russ, where are you rushing to?”

In the poem "Dead Souls" Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol managed to portray the numerous vices of his contemporary. He raised questions that kept up to date still. After reviewing the summary of the poem, the main character, the reader will be able to find out the plot and the main idea, as well as how many volumes the author managed to write.

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Author's intent

In 1835, Gogol began work on the poem Dead Souls. In the annotation to the poem, the author states that storyline of the future masterpiece was donated by A.S. Pushkin. The idea of ​​​​Nikolai Vasilyevich was huge, it was planned to create a three-part poem.

1. The first volume was supposed to be made predominantly accusatory in order to reveal the painful places in Russian life, to study them, to explain the reasons for their occurrence. In other words, Gogol depicts the souls of the heroes and names the cause of their spiritual death.
2. In the second volume, the author was going to continue creating a gallery of "dead souls" and, first of all, pay attention to the problems of the consciousness of the heroes, who begin to understand the full extent of their fall and grope for ways out of the state of necrosis.
3. It was decided to dedicate the third volume to depicting the difficult process of spiritual resurrection.

The idea of ​​the first volume of the poem has been fully implemented.

The third volume has not even been started, but researchers can judge its content from the book “Selected passages from correspondence with friends”, dedicated to intimate thoughts about the ways of transforming Russia and the resurrection of human souls.

Traditionally, the first volume of "Dead Souls" is studied at school as an independent work.

Genre of the work

Gogol, as you know, in the annotation to the book called "Dead Souls" a poem, although in the process of work he defined the genre of the work in different ways. For a brilliant writer, following genre canons is not an end in itself, the creative thought of the author should not be bound by no boundaries and, and soar freely.

Moreover, artistic genius always transcends the genre and creates something original. A letter has been preserved, where in one sentence Gogol three times defines the genre of the work he is working on, calling it alternately a novel, a short story and, finally, a poem.

The specificity of the genre is associated with the author's lyrical digressions and the desire to show the national element of Russian life. Contemporaries repeatedly compared Gogol's work with Homer's Iliad.

The plot of the poem

We offer summary by chapter. First, there is an annotation to the poem, where, with some irony, the author wrote an appeal to readers: to read the work as carefully as possible, and then send their comments and questions.

Chapter 1

The action of the poem develops in small county town, where the main character named Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich arrives.

He travels accompanied by his servants Petrushka and Selifan, who will play an important role in the story.

Upon arrival at the hotel, Chichikov went to a tavern to find out information about the most important people in the city, making acquaintance with Manilov and Sobakevich here.

After dinner, Pavel Ivanovich walks around the city and makes several important visits: he meets the governor, vice-governor, prosecutor, police chief. A new acquaintance has everyone to himself, therefore he receives many invitations to social events and home evenings.

Chapter 2

The second chapter details the Chichikov's servants. Parsley is distinguished by a silent disposition, a peculiar smell and a passion for superficial reading. He looked through the books, not really delving into their content. The coachman Chichikov Selifan, according to the author, did not deserve a separate story, since he had a very low origin.

Further events develop as follows. Chichikov goes out of town to visit the landowner Manilov. With difficulty finds his estate. The first impression that formed when looking at the owner of Manilovka, almost everyone was positive. At first it seemed that he was a nice and kind person, but then it became obvious that he did not have any character, his own tastes and interests. This, of course, acted repulsively on those around him. There was a feeling that time had stopped in Manilov's house, flowing sluggishly and slowly. The wife was a match for her husband: she was not interested in the household, considering this matter not obligatory.

The guest announces the true purpose of his visit, asks a new acquaintance to sell him the peasants who died, but according to the papers they are listed as alive. Manilov is discouraged by his request, but agrees to the deal.

Chapter 3

On the way to Sobakevich, the protagonist's carriage goes astray. To wait out the storm That is, Chichikov asks for the night to the landowner Korobochka, who opened the door only after she heard that the guest had a title of nobility. Nastasya Filippovna was very thrifty and thrifty, one of those who would not do anything just like that. Our hero had to have a long conversation with her about selling dead souls. The hostess did not agree for a long time, but eventually gave up. Pavel Ivanovich was greatly relieved that the conversation with Korobochka was over and continued on his way.

Chapter 4

Along the way, a tavern comes across, and Chichikov decides to dine there, the hero is famous for his excellent appetite. Here a meeting with an old acquaintance Nozdrev took place. He was a noisy and scandalous man, constantly getting into unpleasant stories because of features of his character: constantly lied and cheated. But since Nozdryov is of great interest to the case, Pavel Ivanovich accepts an invitation to visit the estate.

Visiting his noisy friend, Chichikov starts a conversation about dead souls. Nozdryov is stubborn, but agrees to sell papers for dead peasants along with a dog or a horse.

The next morning, Nozdryov offers to play checkers for dead souls, but both heroes try to deceive each other, so that the game ends in a scandal. At that moment, a police officer came to Nozdryov to inform him that a case had been opened against him for beating. Chichikov, taking advantage of the moment, hides from the estate.

Chapter 5

On the way to Sobakevich, Pavel Ivanovich's carriage hit a small a road accident, the image of a girl from a carriage moving towards him sinks into his heart.

Sobakevich's house is striking in its resemblance to the owner. All interior items are huge and ridiculous.

The image of the owner in the poem is very interesting. The landowner begins to bargain, trying to get more for the dead peasants. After this visit, Chichikov has an unpleasant aftertaste. This chapter characterizes the image of Sobakevich in the poem.

Chapter 6

From this chapter, the reader will learn the name of the landowner Plyushkin, since he was the next person visited by Pavel Ivanovich. The landowner's village could well live richly, if not for the huge stinginess of the owner. He made a strange impression: at first glance it was difficult to determine even the sex of this creature in tatters. Plyushkin sells a large number of souls to an enterprising guest, and he returns to the hotel satisfied.

Chapter 7

Having already about four hundred souls, Pavel Ivanovich is in high spirits and strives to finish things in this city as soon as possible. He goes with Manilov to the Court of Justice to finally certify his acquisitions. In court, the consideration of the case drags on very slowly, a bribe is extorted from Chichikov in order to speed up the process. Sobakevich appears, who helps to convince everyone of the legitimacy of the plaintiff.

Chapter 8

A large number of souls acquired from the landlords give the main character a huge weight in society. Everyone begins to please him, some ladies imagine themselves in love with him, one sends him a love message.

At the Governor's Reception Chichikov is introduced to his daughter, in whom he recognizes the very girl who captivated him during the accident. Nozdryov is also present at the ball, telling everyone about the sale of dead souls. Pavel Ivanovich begins to worry and quickly leaves, which causes suspicion among the guests. Adds problems and the landowner Korobochka, who comes to the city to find out about the value of the dead peasants.

Chapters 9-10

Rumors are crawling around the city that Chichikov not clean-handed and, allegedly, is preparing the kidnapping of the governor's daughter.

Rumors are overgrown with new conjectures. As a result, Pavel Ivanovich is no longer accepted in decent houses.

The high society of the city is discussing the question of who Chichikov is. Everyone gathers at the police chief. A story pops up about Captain Kopeikin, who lost his arm and leg on the field of hostilities in 1812, but never received a pension from the state.

Kopeikin became the leader of the robbers. Nozdryov confirms the fears of the townspeople, calling the recent universal favorite a counterfeiter and a spy. This news shocks the prosecutor so much that he dies.

The main character is hastily going to hide from the city.

Chapter 11

This chapter gives a brief answer to the question why Chichikov bought dead souls. Here the author tells about the life of Pavel Ivanovich. Noble origin was the hero's only privilege. Realizing that in this world wealth does not come by itself, from an early age he worked hard, learned to lie and cheat. After another fall, he starts all over again and decides to present information about the dead serfs as if they were alive in order to receive financial payments. That is why Pavel Ivanovich so diligently bought up paper from the landowners. How the adventures of Chichikov ended is not completely clear, because the hero is hiding from the city.

The poem ends with a wonderful lyrical digression about a trinity bird, which symbolizes the image of Russia in N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls". We will try to briefly outline its content. The author wonders where Russia is flying, where is she going leaving everything and everyone behind.

Dead Souls - summary, retelling, analysis of the poem

Conclusion

Numerous reviews of Gogol's contemporaries define the genre of the work as a poem, thanks to lyrical digressions.

Gogol's work has become an immortal and wonderful contribution to the treasury of great works of Russian literature. And many questions related to it are still waiting for answers.