Chichikov spent a week in the city, visiting officials. After this, he decided to take advantage of the invitations of the landowners. Having given orders to the servants in the evening, Pavel Ivanovich woke up very early. It was Sunday, and therefore, according to his long-standing habit, he washed himself, dried himself from head to toe with a wet sponge, shaved his cheeks until they were shiny, put on a lingonberry-colored tailcoat, an overcoat with large bears and went down the stairs. Pretty soon a barrier appeared, indicating the end of the pavement. Hitting last time head hitting the body, Chichikov rushed along the soft ground.
At the fifteenth verst, where, according to Manilov, his village was supposed to be located, Pavel Ivanovich became worried, since there was no trace of any village. We passed the sixteenth mile. Finally, two men came across the chaise and pointed in the right direction, promising that Manilovka would be a mile away. Having traveled about six more miles, Chichikov remembered that “if a friend invites you to his village fifteen miles away, it means that there are thirty faithful to her.”
The village of Manilovka was nothing special. The master's house stood on a hill, accessible to all winds. The sloping slope of the mountain was covered with trimmed turf, on which several round flower beds stood out in the English style. A wooden gazebo with blue columns and the inscription “temple of solitary reflection” was visible.
Manilov met the guest on the porch, and the newly made friends immediately kissed each other deeply. It was difficult to say anything definite about the owner’s character: “There is a kind of people known under the name so-so people, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan... His features were not without pleasantness, but in this pleasantness , it seemed, there was too much sugar; in his techniques and turns of phrase there was something ingratiating... In the first minute of conversation with him you can’t help but say: “What a pleasant and kind person!” The next minute you won’t say anything, and the third you’ll say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away; If you don’t leave, you will feel mortal boredom.” Manilov practically did not do housework, but at home mostly was silent, indulging in thoughts and dreams. Then he planned to build from the house underground passage, then build a stone bridge on which merchant shops would be located.
However, all this remained only ethereal dreams. There was always something missing in the house. For example, in the living room with beautiful furniture covered in smart silk fabric, there were two chairs on which there was not enough fabric. Some rooms had no furniture at all. However, this did not upset the owners at all.
Despite the fact that more than eight years of their marriage had already passed, they showed concern for each other: one brought the other either a piece of apple or candy and in a gentle voice asked him to open his mouth.
Walking into the living room, the friends stopped in the doorway, begging each other to go forward, until they finally decided to enter sideways. They were met in the room by a pretty young woman, Manilov’s wife. During mutual pleasantries, the owner vigorously expressed his joy at the pleasant visit: “But you have finally honored us with your visit. It really was such a pleasure... May Day... the name day of the heart.” This somewhat discouraged Chichikov. During the conversation, the married couple and Pavel Ivanovich went through all the officials, praising and noting only the pleasant aspects of each. Next, the guest and the owner began to confess to each other their sincere affection or even love. It is not known what it would have come to if it had not been for the servant who reported that the food was ready.
The dinner was no less pleasant than the conversation. Chichikov met Manilov's children, whose names were Themistoclus and Alcides.
After lunch, Pavel Ivanovich and the owner retired to the office for business conversation. The guest began to ask how many peasants had died since the last audit, to which Manilov could not give an intelligible answer. They called the clerk, who was also not aware of this matter. The servant was ordered to compile a name list of all deceased serfs. When the clerk came out, Manilov asked Chichikov the reason for the strange question. The guest replied that he would like to buy dead peasants, who, according to the audit, were listed as living. The owner did not immediately believe what he heard: “as he opened his mouth, he remained with his mouth open for several minutes.” Manilov still didn’t understand why Chichikov is dead souls, however, he could not refuse the guest. Moreover, when it came to drawing up a deed of sale, the guest kindly offered deeds of gift for all the deceased peasants.
“Dead Souls” is characterized by the author of the poem himself. The original version was conceived as a work consisting of three books. The first volume of the book was published, only drafts remained of the second, and only some fragmentary information is known about the third volume. I used the idea for the plot of the work at the suggestion of Alexander Sergeevich. Use case 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 of "N", Chichikov gains the trust of the city's residents, who occupy a privileged status. Neither the governor nor other residents of the city suspect the real purpose of Chichikov’s visit. Main goal His actions consist in purchasing the dead souls of peasants, but not registered as dead and listed as living in the register.
After completing a deal with local landowners, Chichikov transferred the peasants to himself. During his life, Chichikov tried many ways to achieve significant weight and high income in society. He once served at customs and collaborated with smugglers, but did not share something with an accomplice and he handed him over 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 on trial.
Manilov
Chichikov made his first visit to Manilov. The author is very critical of Manilov and characterizes him as too saccharine. After Chichikov expresses 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 mind the Emperor will definitely reward them both with the rank of general.
Visit to Korobochka
Chichikov's next visit was to Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, a woman who was undoubtedly very economical and distinguished by her frugality. Having spent the night on her estate, he, without unnecessary ado, declares to her his desire to buy dead souls from her, which greatly 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 Nozdrev, who, without much persuasion, rather unceremoniously, draws him in. The author characterizes the owner as an easy, broken person, with very diverse interests and unpredictable moods. Here the main character faces failure; the owner, seemingly agreeing to give Chichikov dead souls, persuades him to buy a horse, a dog and a barrel organ, to which he, of course, refuses. The whole adventure of Chichikov and Nozdryov ends with a game of checkers, as a result of which Chichikov manages only to miraculously avoid a flogging or even an ordinary beating, he escapes.
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 loves to treat his guest to a hearty lunch. 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 top quality, after lengthy bargaining, Chichikov acquired peasant souls two and a half rubles each.
Plyushkin
Dissatisfied with the bargaining, Chichikov goes to Plyushkin, whom Sobakevich informed him about. Complete disorder greeted Chichikov on the estate, and the master himself, whom the guest initially mistook for the housekeeper, made a depressing impression on him. Life's misfortunes have turned the once zealous owner into a stingy one. petty person. Having promised Plyushkin to pay taxes for them after acquiring souls, Chichikov made him very happy. Chichikov left in the most cheerful mood, because he managed to acquire as many as 120 souls.
Consequences
After completing all the actions, Chichikov enjoys universal respect in the city and is accepted for a millionaire. Trouble awaits the hero; Nozdryov accuses him of buying dead souls. Worried about whether she has sold herself short, Korobochka comes to town. The secret becomes clear. Chichikov's flirtation with the governor's daughter, Korobochka's message about his purchase of dead souls, did not produce favorable impression on the townspeople. And then there are the rumors and absurdities expressed by the ladies, the police chief’s notification about the escape of the criminal, the death of the prosecutor, everything was not at all favorable to the hero, he was refused admission in all houses. And Chichikov is forced to flee.
And again the road lies before him. Critics about the poem Despite the fact that critics greeted Gogol's poem ambiguously, they were all unanimous in their opinion about the unusualness of the work, both in their own way internal inconsistency both straightforwardness and beauty of writing, how beautiful, for example, is the description of the three-bird. How harmoniously the contradictions of life are shown existing world and the world of art. And only Gogol was able to give the reader a complete understanding of the difference between the reality of life and fiction.
The coachman Selifan harnessed the horses, and Chichikov's chaise rushed along the road.
The owner of the estate ran out onto the porch and, showering pleasantries, greeted the guest. Manilov was one of the people about whom the proverb says: neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan. His face was quite pleasant, but this pleasantness was too laced with sugar; there was something ingratiating in his techniques and turns. He didn't sin in any way strong passions and hobbies, but loved to spend time in fantastic dreams, which he never tried to put into practice. Manilov hardly did any housekeeping, relying on the clerk, but, looking at his overgrown pond, he often dreamed about how good it would be to build an underground passage from the house or to build a stone bridge across the pond with merchant shops. In Manilov's office there was always a book with a bookmark on page fourteen, which he had been constantly reading for two years. His wife was a match for Manilov, brought up in a boarding school where the three main subjects were French, playing the piano and knitting purses. (See Description of Manilov.)
Manilov. Artist A. Laptev
As usual, Manilov went out of his way to please Chichikov. He did not agree to walk through the door ahead of him, called the meeting with him “the name day of the heart” and “exemplary happiness,” and assured that he would gladly give half of his fortune to have part of the advantages that his guest has. Manilov first asked how Chichikov liked the provincial officials - and he himself admired their extraordinary talents.
Chichikov was invited to the table. Manilov’s two sons, 8 and 6 years old, who bore the ancient names Themistoclus and Alcides, were also present at dinner.
After lunch, Chichikov said that he would like to talk with Manilov about an important matter. They both went into the study, where the owner of the house, according to fashionable custom, lit a pipe. A little worried and even looking back for some reason, Chichikov asked Manilov how many of his peasants had died since the last tax audit. Manilov himself did not know this, but he called the clerk and sent him to make a list of the deceased.
Chichikov explained that he would like to buy these dead souls. Hearing such a strange desire, Manilov dropped the pipe from his mouth and remained motionless for some time, gazing at his interlocutor. He then cautiously inquired whether there would be a deal with dead souls inconsistent with civil regulations and further types of Russia?
Chichikov assured that no, and pointed out that the treasury would even receive benefits from this in the form of legal duties. The calmed down Manilov, due to his courtesy, could not refuse the guest. Having agreed with him to buy the dead, Chichikov hurried with his departure, asking for directions to the neighboring landowner Sobakevich.
Manilov stood on the porch for a long time, following the retreating chaise with his eyes. Returning to the room, he, with a pipe in his mouth, indulged in plans to build a house with such a high belvedere that he could even see Moscow from there and drink tea there in the evening. outdoors and talk about pleasant subjects. Manilov dreamed that he would invite Chichikov to these tea parties, and the sovereign, having learned about such friendship, would grant them generals.
Dead souls. The poem, written by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol in 1841, had a grandiose plan. It was supposed to be a work in three parts. The first volume was supposed to introduce readers to a real Russian person, possessing many “gifts and riches” and, at the same time, a huge amount disadvantage. It was this first house that reached modern reader in full. Since the manuscript of the second volume was burned by the great Russian writer shortly before his death, only some chapters have survived.
The poem “Dead Souls” is the story of Chichikov, who bought up dead serfs in order to run a scam that would bring him a huge amount of money. Narrating the adventures of Mr. Chichikov, the author reflects on problems of a social and philosophical nature. The very title of the poem “Dead Souls” has several meanings.
“Dead souls” are, first of all, dead peasants whom Chichikov buys, following from landowner to landowner. But the situation when the sale and purchase of a person becomes everyday business, makes living serfs “dead”; they are a commodity in the hands of powerful masters. Gradually, the concept of “dead souls” is transformed, acquiring a new meaning. It becomes clear to the reader that the dead souls are the landowners themselves, people mired in their passions for petty things, “petty inhabitants.” And although all 5 landowners visited by the main character, at first glance, are not similar to each other, they have something in common - worthlessness, emptiness.
"Dead Souls" summary
Chapters 1-6
Chapter 1 of the poem is an exposition. The reader meets Mr. Chichikov, who arrives in the city. The hero stops at a tavern and then pays visits to all available officials. During such visits, Chichikov meets some landowners: Manilov, Sobakevich, Nozdrev. He finds out how many souls each landowner supports, how far away their estates are.
Chapters 2-6 – Chichikov’s journey through the landowners. Main character visited 5 estates, met with five landowners: Manilov, Sobakevich, Nozdrev, Korobochka and Plyushkin. Having traveled 30 miles, instead of the promised 15, Chichikov comes to Manilov. His estate is located in the Jura, among English flower beds. The owner of the estate is very kind, but as it turns out, after a few minutes, he is too kind, too cloying. He does not delve into the affairs of the estate, but lives in illusions, dreams, all day long indulging in thoughts about unrealizable ideas. Chichikov has lunch with the Manilovs, and then informs the owner that he wants to buy from him the dead serfs who are listed as alive. Manilov begins to be frightened, but then, becoming emotional, he happily agrees. Chichikov leaves for Sobakevich.
The coachman Selifan misses the turn, which is why the travelers end up not with Sobakevich, but with Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. Korobochka is an elderly landowner, she is very homely. Nothing goes missing in her house, and the peasants have strong huts. For a long time she does not agree to give the dead serfs to Chichikov, she keeps wondering whether she will sell things too cheap, whether they will be useful to her. As a result, having paid fifteen rubles for each “dead soul”, Chichikov moves on.
On the highway, the hero stops to have a snack at a tavern. Here he meets the next landowner - Nozdryov. He returns with his son-in-law from the fair - Nozdryov lost his horses. Wherever Nozdryov appeared, everywhere a story happened to him, he is such a daring hooligan. The landowner takes Chichikov to his home, where the hero tries to persuade Nozdryov to sell him the dead peasants. Nozdryov is not that simple: he gets Chichikov involved in a game of checkers, where the bets are the “dead souls” so desired by Chichikov. As the game progresses, it becomes clear that Nozdryov is openly cheating. When it almost comes to a fight, the buyer of the dead is saved by a sudden visit from the police captain, who reports that Nozdryov is on trial. Chichikov manages to escape. On the road, the traveler's crew accidentally encounters an unfamiliar crew. While the means of transportation are being put in order, Chichikov admires the young, especially pleasant appearance and reflects on the pleasures of family life.
Sobakevich, the next landowner, thoroughly feeds the traveler lunch, at the same time discussing all the city officials. All of them, according to Sobakevich, are the most short people, swindlers and pigs. Having learned that, or rather who, Chichikov wants to buy, Sobakevich is not at all surprised. He bargains and asks Chichikov to leave a deposit.
Chichikov's journey ends with a visit to the last landowner - Plyushkin. The author calls it “the hole of humanity.” Chichikov, seeing Plyushkin, thinks that this is the housekeeper or servant. The owner of the estate is dressed in rags, strange rags. Nothing is thrown away in his house, but on the contrary, even the sole of a shoe will be brought into the house. The room is piled high with rubbish, Plyushkin invites Chichikov to drink a drink, which he himself has re-filtered to remove dirt. Having talked about the obvious benefits of selling dead souls and having concluded a successful deal, Chichikov returns to the city.
Chapters 7-10
The chapters show another layer of society - bureaucracy. Chichikov, having prepared all the lists of peasants, goes to the ward, where Manilov and Sobakevich are already waiting for him. The chairman of the chamber helps to prepare all the documents and signs the bill of sale for Plyushkin. Chichikov informs the officials that he will send all the peasants to the Kherson province. After completing the documents, all those present are sent to next room, where they eat and drink for the newly-minted landowner and his future lucky wife.
Chichikov returns to the tavern, exhausted and very tired. The very next day, rumors began to circulate in the city that Chichikov was a millionaire. The ladies began to go crazy, the hero even received a letter with amorous poems from an unknown woman. And most importantly, he is invited to the governor's ball. At the ball, Chichikov enjoys breathtaking success. He moves from one hug to another, from one conversation to another. Women don't take their eyes off him. But Chichikov was interested in only one girl - a sixteen-year-old blonde whom he had once encountered on the road.
She turned out to be the governor's daughter. But such an excellent state of affairs is spoiled by Nozdryov: drunk, in public, he asks the new Kherson landowner how many dead souls he has traded. Society does not take the drunken man’s words seriously, but Chichikov becomes noticeably upset, does not carry on the conversation, and makes a mistake in card game. The next day, Korobochka comes to the city to find out how much dead souls are worth these days. Her arrival provides fertile ground for gossip that divides the city into two parties: male and female.
The men's party is trying to find out why Chichikov bought up dead souls, and the women's party believes that Chichikov wants to steal the governor's daughter. Officials, talking about Chichikov, get confused in riddles. Some believe that he is a maker of counterfeit notes, others that he is Captain Kopeikin. Nozdryov also adds fuel to the fire, confirming every guess with invented details. After these proceedings, the shocked prosecutor comes home and dies.
At this time, Chichikov is sick and does not understand why no one visits him. Fortunately, Nozdryov visits him and tells him who Chichikov is now in the eyes of the city residents. The hero decides to leave urgently, but when leaving the city he encounters a funeral procession. Chapter 11 occupies a special place; the author tells the biography of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. About his childhood, studies, career, service. Chichikov was poor, but had a practical mind, which helped him formulate a plan in his head on how to buy up dead peasants, and then, using the money, secure a calm future for himself.
As part of the project "Gogol. 200 Years", RIA Novosti presents a summary of the work "Dead Souls" by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol - a novel that Gogol himself called a poem. The plot of "Dead Souls" was suggested to Gogol by Pushkin.
The proposed history, as will become clear from what follows, took place somewhat shortly after the “glorious expulsion of the French.” Collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov arrives in the provincial town of NN (he is neither old nor too young, neither fat nor thin, rather pleasant in appearance and somewhat round) and checks into a hotel. He makes a lot of questions to the tavern servant - both regarding the owner and income of the tavern, and exposing his thoroughness: about city officials, the most significant landowners, asks about the state of the region and whether there were “any diseases in their province, epidemic fevers” and other similar things misfortunes.
Having gone on a visit, the visitor reveals extraordinary activity (having visited everyone, from the governor to the inspector of the medical board) and courtesy, for he knows how to say something nice to everyone. He speaks somewhat vaguely about himself (that he “has experienced a lot in his life, suffered in the service for the truth, had many enemies who even attempted his life,” and is now looking for a place to live). At the governor's house party, he manages to gain everyone's favor and, among other things, make acquaintance with the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. In the following days, he dines with the police chief (where he meets the landowner Nozdryov), visits the chairman of the chamber and the vice-governor, the tax farmer and the prosecutor, and goes to Manilov’s estate (which, however, is preceded by a fair author’s digression, where, justifying himself with a love of thoroughness, The author attests in detail to Petrushka, the visitor’s servant: his passion for “the process of reading itself” and the ability to carry with him a special smell, “resembling a somewhat residential peace”).
Having traveled, as promised, not fifteen, but all thirty miles, Chichikov finds himself in Manilovka, in the arms of a kind owner. Manilov's house, standing on the south, surrounded by several scattered English flower beds and a gazebo with the inscription “Temple of Solitary Reflection,” could characterize the owner, who was “neither this nor that,” not burdened by any passions, only overly cloying.
After Manilov’s confession that Chichikov’s visit is “a May day, the name day of the heart,” and dinner in the company of the hostess and two sons, Themistoclus and Alcides, Chichikov discovers the reason for his visit: he would like to acquire peasants who have died, but have not yet been declared as such in the audit certificate, registering everything in a legal manner, as if it were for the living (“the law—I am dumb before the law”). The first fear and bewilderment are replaced by the perfect disposition of the kind owner, and, having completed the deal, Chichikov leaves for Sobakevich, and Manilov indulges in dreams about Chichikov’s life in the neighborhood across the river, about the construction of a bridge, about a house with such a gazebo that Moscow can be seen from there, and about their friendship, if the sovereign had known about it, he would have granted them generals.
Chichikov's coachman Selifan, much favored by Manilov's servants, in conversations with his horses misses the necessary turn and, with the sound of a downpour, knocks the master over into the mud. In the dark, they find accommodation for the night with Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, a somewhat timid landowner, with whom in the morning Chichikov also begins trading in dead souls. Having explained that he himself would now begin to pay the tax for them, cursing the old woman’s stupidity, promising to buy both hemp and lard, but another time, Chichikov buys souls from her for fifteen rubles, receives a detailed list of them (in which Pyotr Savelyev was especially struck by Disrespect -Trough) and, having eaten unleavened egg pie, pancakes, pies and other things, departs, leaving the hostess in great concern as to whether she has sold too cheap.
Having reached the main road to the tavern, Chichikov stops to have a snack, which the author provides with a lengthy discussion about the properties of the appetite of middle-class gentlemen. Here Nozdryov meets him, returning from the fair in the chaise of his son-in-law Mizhuev, for he had lost everything on his horses and even his watch chain. Describing the delights of the fair, the drinking qualities of the dragoon officers, a certain Kuvshinnikov, a big fan of “taking advantage of strawberries” and, finally, presenting a puppy, “a real little face,” Nozdryov takes Chichikov (thinking of making money here too) to his home, taking his reluctant son-in-law as well.
Describing Nozdryov, “in some respects historical person“(for wherever he was, there was a story), his possessions, the unpretentiousness of the dinner with an abundance of, however, drinks of dubious quality, the author sends the dazed son-in-law to his wife (Nozdryov admonishes him with abuse and the word “fetyuk”), and Chichikov forces him to turn to your subject; but he fails to either beg or buy a soul: Nozdryov offers to exchange them, take them in addition to the stallion, or make them a bet in a card game, finally scolds, quarrels, and they part for the night. In the morning, the persuasion resumes, and, having agreed to play checkers, Chichikov notices that Nozdryov is shamelessly cheating. Chichikov, whom the owner and the servants are already attempting to beat, manages to escape due to the appearance of the police captain, who announces that Nozdryov is on trial.
On the road, Chichikov’s carriage collides with a certain carriage, and while the onlookers come running to separate the tangled horses, Chichikov admires the sixteen-year-old young lady, indulges in speculation about her and dreams of family life.
A visit to Sobakevich in his strong estate, like himself, is accompanied by a thorough dinner, a discussion of city officials, who, according to the owner, are all swindlers (one prosecutor decent person, “and that one, to tell the truth, is a pig”), and ends with a deal that interests the guest. Not at all frightened by the strangeness of the object, Sobakevich bargains, characterizes the advantageous qualities of each serf, provides Chichikov with a detailed list and forces him to give a deposit.
Chichikov’s path to the neighboring landowner Plyushkin, mentioned by Sobakevich, is interrupted by a conversation with the man who gave Plyushkin an apt, but not very printed nickname, and the author’s lyrical reflection on his former love for unfamiliar places and the indifference that has now appeared. Chichikov at first takes Plyushkin, this “hole in humanity,” for a housekeeper or a beggar whose place is on the porch. His most important feature is his amazing stinginess, and he even carries the old sole of his boot into a pile piled up in the master's chambers. Having shown the profitability of his proposal (namely, that he will bear the taxes for the dead and runaway peasants), Chichikov is completely successful in his enterprise and, having refused tea and crackers, equipped with a letter to the chairman of the chamber, departs in the most cheerful mood.
While Chichikov sleeps in the hotel, the author sadly reflects on the baseness of the objects he depicts. Meanwhile, a satisfied Chichikov, having woken up, composes merchant fortresses, studies the lists of acquired peasants, reflects on their expected fates and finally goes to the civil chamber in order to quickly conclude the deal. Met at the hotel gate, Manilov accompanies him. Then follows a description of the office, Chichikov’s first ordeals and a bribe to a certain pitcher’s snout, until he enters the chairman’s apartment, where, by the way, he finds Sobakevich. The chairman agrees to be Plyushkin’s attorney, and at the same time speeds up other transactions. The acquisition of Chichikov is discussed, with land or for withdrawal he bought peasants and in what places. Having found out that they were heading to the Kherson province, having discussed the properties of the sold men (here the chairman remembered that the coachman Mikheev seemed to have died, but Sobakevich assured that he was still alive and “became healthier than before”), they finished with champagne and went to the police chief, “father and to a benefactor in the city" (whose habits are immediately outlined), where they drink to the health of the new Kherson landowner, become completely excited, force Chichikov to stay and attempt to marry him.
Chichikov's purchases create a sensation in the city, rumors spread that he is a millionaire. The ladies are crazy about him. Several times approaching to describe the ladies, the author becomes timid and retreats. On the eve of the ball, Chichikov even receives a love letter from the governor, although unsigned.
Having, as usual, spent a lot of time on the toilet and being satisfied with the result, Chichikov goes to the ball, where he passes from one embrace to another. The ladies, among whom he is trying to find the sender of the letter, even quarrel, challenging his attention. But when the governor’s wife approaches him, he forgets everything, for she is accompanied by her daughter (“Institute, just graduated”), a sixteen-year-old blonde whose carriage he collided with on the road. He loses the favor of the ladies because he starts a conversation with a fascinating blonde, scandalously neglecting the others. To top off the troubles, Nozdryov appears and loudly asks whether Chichikov has sold many dead people. And although Nozdryov is obviously drunk and the embarrassed society is gradually distracted, Chichikov is not given either whist or the subsequent dinner, and he leaves upset.
About this time, a carriage enters the city with the landowner Korobochka, whose growing anxiety forced her to come in order to find out what the price of dead souls is. The next morning, this news becomes the property of a certain pleasant lady, and she hurries to tell it to another, pleasant in all respects, the story acquires amazing details (Chichikov, armed to the teeth, bursts into Korobochka in the dead of midnight, demands the souls that have died, instills terrible fear - “ the whole village came running, the children were crying, everyone was screaming"). Her friend concludes that the dead souls are only a cover, and Chichikov wants to take away the governor’s daughter. Having discussed the details of this enterprise, Nozdryov’s undoubted participation in it and the qualities of the governor’s daughter, both ladies let the prosecutor know everything and set off to riot the city.
IN short time the city is seething, to this is added the news about the appointment of a new governor-general, as well as information about the papers received: about the maker of counterfeit notes who showed up in the province, and about the robber who fled from legal prosecution.
Trying to understand who Chichikov was, they remember that he was certified very vaguely and even spoke about those who attempted to kill him. The postmaster's statement that Chichikov, in his opinion, is Captain Kopeikin, who took up arms against the injustices of the world and became a robber, is rejected, since from the postmaster's entertaining story it follows that the captain is missing an arm and a leg, but Chichikov is whole. The assumption arises whether Chichikov is Napoleon in disguise, and many begin to find a certain resemblance, especially in profile.
Questions of Korobochka, Manilov and Sobakevich do not produce results, and Nozdryov only increases the confusion by declaring that Chichikov is definitely a spy, a maker of false banknotes and had an undoubted intention to take away the governor’s daughter, in which Nozdryov undertook to help him (each of the versions was accompanied by detailed details right down to the name the priest who took up the wedding). All this talk has an enormous effect on the prosecutor; he suffers a blow and dies.
Chichikov himself, sitting in a hotel with a slight cold, is surprised that none of the officials are visiting him. Having finally gone on a visit, he discovers that the governor does not receive him, and in other places they fearfully shun him. Nozdryov, having visited him at the hotel, amid the general noise he made, partly clarifies the situation, announcing that he agrees to facilitate the kidnapping of the governor’s daughter. The next day, Chichikov hurriedly leaves, but is stopped by the funeral procession and forced to contemplate the whole world of officialdom flowing behind the coffin of the prosecutor. The brichka leaves the city, and the open spaces on both sides bring to the author sad and joyful thoughts about Russia, the road, and then only sad ones about his chosen hero.
Having concluded that it is time to give the virtuous hero a rest, but, on the contrary, to hide the scoundrel, the author sets out the life story of Pavel Ivanovich, his childhood, training in classes, where he had already shown a practical mind, his relationships with his comrades and the teacher, his later service in the government chamber, some commission for the construction of a government building, where for the first time he gave vent to some of his weaknesses, his subsequent departure to other, not so profitable places, transfer to the customs service, where, showing honesty and integrity almost unnatural, he made a lot of money in an agreement with smugglers, he went bankrupt, but dodged a criminal trial, although he was forced to resign. He became an attorney and, during the troubles of pledging the peasants, he formed a plan in his head, began to travel around the expanses of Rus', so that, having bought dead souls and deposited them in the treasury as living ones, he would receive money, perhaps buy a village and provide for future offspring.
Having again complained about the properties of his hero’s nature and partly justified him, having found him the name of “owner, acquirer,” the author is distracted by the urged running of horses, by the similarity of the flying troika with rushing Russia and ends the first volume with the ringing of a bell.
Material provided by the internet portal briefly.ru, compiled by E. V. Kharitonova
