Chichikov spent more than a week in the city, traveling to parties and dinners. Finally, he decided to visit Manilov and Sobakevich, to whom he gave his word. “Perhaps another, more significant reason prompted him to do this, a more serious matter, closer to his heart...” He ordered the coachman Selifan to put the horses into the famous chaise early in the morning, and Petrushka to stay at home, watch the room and suitcase. Here it makes sense to say a few words about these two serfs.
Petrushka wore a somewhat wide brown frock coat from a lord's shoulder and, according to the custom of people of his rank, had a large nose and lips. His character was more silent than talkative; he “even had a noble impulse towards enlightenment, that is, reading books, the content of which did not bother him; he read everything with equal attention.” He usually slept without undressing, “and always carried with him some special air...” - when he placed his bed “in a previously uninhabited room” and transferred his overcoat and belongings there, it immediately seemed that there were already ten in this room people lived for years. Chichikov, a scrupulous man, sometimes frowned in the morning and said displeasedly: “You, brother, the devil knows, you’re sweating or something. You should at least go to the bathhouse.” Parsley did not answer anything and hurried to go about his business. The coachman Selifan was a completely different person...
But we need to return to the main character. So, having given the necessary orders in the evening, Chichikov woke up early in the morning, washed himself, dried himself from head to toe with a wet sponge, which he usually did only on Sundays, shaved thoroughly, put on a tailcoat, and then an overcoat, went down the stairs and got into the chaise.
With a thunder, the chaise drove out from under the hotel gates and onto the street. A passing priest took off his hat, several boys in soiled shirts extended their hands, saying: “Master, give it to the orphan!” The coachman, noticing that one of them was a great hunter of standing on his heels, lashed him with a whip, and the chaise began to jump over the stones. It was not without joy that he saw a striped barrier in the distance, letting him know that the pavement, like any other torment, would soon end; and hitting his head quite hard several times into the back of the car, Chichikov finally rushed along the soft ground... There were villages stretched out along the cord, the structure of which looked like old stacked firewood, covered with gray roofs with carved wooden decorations underneath them in the form of hanging wipers embroidered with patterns. Several men, as usual, yawned, sitting on benches in front of the gate in their sheepskin coats. Women with fat faces and bandaged breasts looked out from the upper windows; a calf looked out from below, or a pig stuck out its blind muzzle. In a word, the species are known. Having driven the fifteenth mile, he remembered that here, according to Manilov, his village should be, but even the sixteenth mile flew past, and the village was still not visible...
Let's go find Manilovka. Having driven two miles, we came across a turn onto a country road, but two, three, and four miles had already gone, it seems, and the two-story stone house was still not visible. Then 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 could lure few people with its location.” The master's house, open to all winds, stood alone on a hill; “the slope of the mountain was covered with trimmed turf.” Here and there on the mountain there were plants scattered and a gazebo with a flat green dome, blue wooden columns and the inscription: “Temple of Solitary Reflection” was visible. Below was an overgrown pond. In the lowland, partly along the slope itself, darkened gray log huts, which Chichikov, for unknown reasons, immediately began to count and counted more than two hundred. Everything around was bare, only a pine forest darkened to the side.
Approaching the yard, Chichikov noticed the owner himself on the porch, who stood in a green shallot frock coat, putting his hand to his forehead in the form of an umbrella over his eyes in order to get a better look at the approaching carriage. As the chaise approached the porch, his eyes became more cheerful and his smile widened more and more.
Pavel Ivanovich! - he finally cried out when Chichikov climbed out of the chaise. - You really remembered us!
Both friends kissed very hard, and Manilov took his guest into the room...
God alone could have said what Manilov’s character was. There is a kind of people known by the name: so-so people, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan nor in the village of Selifan, according to the proverb. Maybe Manilov should join them. In appearance he was a distinguished man; His facial features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have too much sugar in it; in his techniques and turns there was something ingratiating favor and acquaintance.
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 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. You won’t get any lively or even arrogant words from him, which you can hear from almost anyone if you touch an object that offends him. Everyone has their own enthusiasm: one of them turned his enthusiasm to greyhounds; to another it seems that he is a strong lover of music and amazingly feels all the deep places in it; the third master of a dashing lunch; the fourth to play a role at least one inch higher than the one assigned to him; the fifth, with a more limited desire, sleeps and dreams of going on a walk with the adjutant, in front of his friends, acquaintances and even strangers; the sixth is already gifted with a hand that feels a supernatural desire to bend the corner of some ace or deuce of diamonds, while the hand of the seventh is trying to create order somewhere, to get closer to the person of the stationmaster or the coachmen - in a word, everyone has his own, but Manilov had nothing.
At home he spoke very little and mostly reflected and thought, but what he was thinking about was also known only to God. The farming went on by itself, he never even went to the fields. Sometimes, looking from the porch at the yard and the pond, he would talk about how nice it would be if suddenly an underground passage was built from the house or a stone bridge was built across the pond, with benches on both sides, and people sitting in them. merchants sold various small goods needed by the peasants. But it all ended in talk.
In Manilov’s office there was a book with a bookmark on page fourteen, which he had been constantly reading for two years. There was always something missing in his house: all the chairs were upholstered in beautiful silk, but there was not enough fabric for two chairs. Some rooms had no furniture at all. In the evening, a very smart candlestick was served on the table and next to it was placed a simple copper invalid, lame and covered in grease.
The wife was a match for her husband. Although eight years of their marriage had passed, each of them tried to please each other with an apple or candy, saying at the same time: “Open your mouth, darling, I’ll put this piece for you.” “And his mouth opened very gracefully on this occasion.” Sometimes, without any reason, they would give each other a long kiss, during which they could smoke a pipe. For his birthday, the wife always prepared some gift for her husband, for example, a beaded case for a toothpick. In a word, they were happy. Of course, it should be noted that there were many other activities in the house, besides long kisses and surprises... In the kitchen they cooked stupidly and to no avail, the pantry was empty, the housekeeper stole, the servants drank... “But these are all low things, and Manilova was brought up well, in a boarding school where they teach the three fundamentals of virtue: French, piano and knitting purses and other surprises.”
Meanwhile, Chichikov and Manilov were stuck at the door, trying to be sure to let their companion through first. Finally both squeezed through sideways. Manilov introduced his wife, and Chichikov noted to himself that she was “pretty good-looking and well-dressed.”
Manilova said, even burbling somewhat, that he made them very happy with his arrival and that her husband did not go by a day without thinking about him.
Yes,” Manilov said, “she used to keep asking me: “Why isn’t your friend coming?” - “Wait, darling, he’ll come.” And now you have finally honored us with your visit. Truly such a delight... May day... the name day of the heart...
Chichikov, having heard that it had already come to the name day of his heart, was even somewhat embarrassed and answered modestly that he had neither a big name nor even a noticeable rank.
“You have everything,” Manilov interrupted with the same pleasant smile, “you have everything, even more.”
How did our city seem to you? - Manilova said. - Did you have a pleasant time there?
“It’s a very good city, a wonderful city,” Chichikov answered, “and I spent a very pleasant time: the company was most courteous.”
An empty conversation ensued, during which officials familiar to those present were discussed: the governor, the vice-governor, the police chief and his wife, the chairman of the chamber, etc. And they all turned out to be “the most worthy people.” Then Chichikov and Manilov started talking about how nice it was to live in the village and enjoy nature in the company of good educated people, and it is not known how the “mutual outpouring of feelings” would have ended, but a servant entered the room and reported that “the food is ready.”
There were already two boys in the dining room, the sons of Manilov. The teacher was standing with them. The hostess sat down to her soup cup; the guest was seated between the owner and the hostess, the servant tied napkins around the children's necks.
“What cute children,” Chichikov said, looking at them, “and what year is it?”
The eldest is eighth, and the youngest only turned six yesterday,” said Manilova.
Themistoclus! - said Manilov, turning to the elder, who was trying to free his chin, which the footman had tied in a napkin.
Chichikov raised a few eyebrows when he heard such a partly Greek name, which, for some unknown reason, Manilov ended with “yus,” but immediately tried to bring his face back to its normal position.
Themistoclus, tell me, what is the best city in France?
Here the teacher turned all his attention to Themistocles and seemed to want to jump into his eyes, but finally calmed down completely and nodded his head when Themistocles said: “Paris.”
What's our best city? - Manilov asked again.
The teacher focused his attention again.
Petersburg,” answered Themistoklus.
And what else?
Moscow,” answered Themistoclius.
Clever girl, darling! - Chichikov said to this. “Tell me, however...” he continued, immediately turning to the Manilovs with a certain look of amazement, “in such years and already such information!” I must tell you that this child will have great abilities.
“Oh, you don’t know him yet,” answered Manilov, he has an extremely large amount of wit. The smaller one, Alcides, is not so fast, but this one now, if he meets something, a bug, a booger, his eyes suddenly start running; will run after her and immediately pay attention. I read it on the diplomatic side. Themistoclus,” he continued, turning to him again, “do you want to be a messenger?”
“I want,” answered Themistoklus, chewing bread and shaking his head to right and left.
At this time, the footman standing behind wiped the messenger’s nose, and did a very good job, otherwise a fair amount of extraneous drop would have sunk into the soup. The conversation began at the table about the pleasures of a quiet life, interrupted by the hostess's remarks about the city theater and the actors.
After dinner, Manilov intended to escort the guest to the living room, when suddenly “the guest announced with a very significant look that he intended to talk to him about one very necessary matter.”
“In that case, let me ask you to come to my office,” Manilov said and led him into a small room with a window facing the blue forest. “Here is my corner,” said Manilov.
“It’s a pleasant room,” said Chichikov, looking around it with his eyes.
The room was definitely 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, which we already had occasion to mention, several papers written on, but more it was all tobacco. It came in different forms: in caps and in a tobacco box, and finally, it was simply poured out in a heap on the table. On both windows there were also piles of ash knocked out of the pipe, arranged, not without effort, in very beautiful rows. It was noticeable that this sometimes gave the owner a good time.
Let me ask you to sit in these chairs,” said Manilov. - You will be calmer here.
Let me sit on the chair.
Let me not let you do this,” Manilov said with a smile. - I have already allocated this chair for a guest: for the sake of it or not, but they must sit down.
Chichikov sat down.
Let me treat you to a straw.
No, I don’t smoke,” Chichikov answered affectionately and as if with an air of regret...
But let me make one request first... - he said in a voice that conveyed some strange or almost strange expression, and after that, for some unknown reason, he looked back. - How long ago did you deign to submit a revision tale ( a nominal list of serfs presented by landowners during the audit, census of peasants - approx. ed.)?
Yes, for a long time; or better yet, I don’t remember.
How many of your peasants have died since then?
But I can’t know; I think you need to ask the clerk about this. Hey man! call the clerk, he should be here today.
The clerk appeared...
Listen, my dear! How many of our peasants have died since the audit was submitted?
How much? “Many have died since then,” said the clerk, and at the same time hiccupped, slightly covering his mouth with his hand, like a shield.
Yes, I admit, I thought so myself,” Manilov picked up, “namely, a lot of people died!” - Here he turned to Chichikov and added: - Exactly, very many.
How about, for example, a number? - asked Chichikov.
Yes, how many in number? - Manilov picked up.
How can I say it in numbers? After all, it is unknown how many died; no one counted them.
Yes, exactly,” said Manilov, turning to Chichikov, “I also assumed a high mortality rate; It is completely unknown how many died.
Please, read them,” said Chichikov, “and make a detailed register of everyone by name.”
Yes, everyone by name,” said Manilov.
The clerk said: “I’m listening!” - and left.
And for what reasons do you need this? - Manilov asked after the clerk left.
This question seemed to make it difficult for the guest; a tense expression appeared on his face, from which he even blushed - a tension to express something, not entirely submissive to words. And in fact, Manilov finally heard such strange and extraordinary things as human ears had never heard before.
For what reasons, you ask? The reasons are this: I would like to buy the peasants... - said Chichikov, stuttered and did not finish his speech.
But let me ask you,” said Manilov, “how do you want to buy the peasants: with land or simply for withdrawal, that is, without land?
No, I’m not exactly a peasant,” said Chichikov, “I want to have the dead...
How, sir? Sorry... I'm a little hard of hearing, I heard a strange word...
“I plan to acquire dead ones, which, however, would be listed as alive according to the audit,” Chichikov said.
Manilov immediately dropped his pipe and pipe onto the floor and, as he opened his mouth, remained with his mouth open for several minutes. Both friends, talking about the pleasures of a friendly life, remained motionless, gazing at each other, like those portraits that in the old days were hung one against the other on both sides of the mirror. Finally, Manilov picked up his pipe and looked into his face from below, trying to see if he could see any smile on his lips, if he was joking; but nothing like that was visible; on the contrary, the face even seemed more sedate than usual; then he thought whether the guest had somehow accidentally gone crazy, and looked at him closely with fear; but the guest’s eyes were completely clear, there was no wild, restless fire in them, such as runs in the eyes of a crazy person, everything was decent and in order. No matter how hard Manilov thought about what he should do and what he should do, he could not think of anything else except to release the remaining smoke from his mouth in a very thin stream.
So, I would like to know if you can give me such, not living in reality, but living in relation to the legal form, transfer, assign, or whatever you prefer?
But Manilov was so embarrassed and confused that he only looked at him.
It seems to me that you are at a loss?.. - Chichikov remarked.
Me?.. no, I’m not that,” said Manilov, “but I can’t comprehend... excuse me... I, of course, could not receive such a brilliant education, which, so to speak, is visible in every movement of yours; I don’t have the high art of expressing myself... Maybe here... in this explanation you just expressed... something else is hidden... Maybe you deigned to express yourself this way for the beauty of the style?
No,” Chichikov picked up, “no, I mean the object as it is, that is, those souls that, for sure, have already died.
Manilov was completely at a loss. He felt that he needed to do something, to propose a question, and what question - the devil knows. He finally finished by blowing out smoke again, but not through his mouth, but through his nasal nostrils.
So, if there are no obstacles, then with God we could begin to complete the deed of sale,” said Chichikov.
What, a bill of sale for dead souls?
Oh no! - said Chichikov. - We will write that they are alive, as it really is in the revision fairy tale. I am used to not deviating from civil laws in anything, although I suffered for this in the service, but excuse me: duty is a sacred matter for me, the law - I am dumb before the law.
Manilov liked the last words, but he still didn’t understand the meaning of the matter itself and instead of answering, he began to suck on his chibouk so hard that it finally began to wheeze like a bassoon. It seemed as if he wanted to extract from him an opinion regarding such an unheard-of circumstance; but the chibouk wheezed and nothing more.
Maybe you have any doubts?
ABOUT! For mercy, not at all. I’m not saying that I have any, that is, critical, criticism of you. But allow me to report, whether this enterprise or, to put it even more, so to speak, a negotiation, will not this negotiation be inconsistent with civil regulations and further developments in Russia?
Chichikov nevertheless managed to convince Manilov that there would be no violation of civil law, that such an enterprise would in no way be inconsistent with civil regulations and further types of Russia. The treasury will even benefit in the form of legal duties. When Chichikov started talking about the price, Manilov was surprised:
How's the price? - Manilov said again and stopped. “Do you really think that I would take money for souls that have in some way ended their existence?” If you have come up with such a, so to speak, fantastic desire, then for my part I hand them over to you without interest and take over the deed of sale.
Chichikov was showered with gratitude, touching Manilov. After this, the guest got ready to leave, and, despite all the entreaties of the hosts to stay a little longer, he hastened to take his leave. Manilov stood on the porch for a long time, following the retreating chaise with his eyes. And when he returned to the room, he indulged in thoughts about how nice it would be to have a friend like Chichikov, to live next door to him, to spend time in pleasant conversations. I also dreamed that the sovereign, having learned about their friendship, would grant them generals. But Chichikov’s strange request interrupted his dreams. No matter how much he thought, he could not understand her, and all the time he sat and smoked his pipe.
For more than a century and a half, interest in the amazing work written by N.V. Gogol has not disappeared. “Dead Souls” (a brief chapter-by-chapter retelling is given below) is a poem about the writer’s contemporary Russia, its vices and shortcomings. Unfortunately, many things described in the first half of the 19th century by Nikolai Vasilyevich still exist, which makes the work relevant today.
Chapter 1. Meet Chichikov
A chaise drove into the provincial town of NN, in which sat a gentleman of ordinary appearance. She stopped at a tavern where she could rent a room for two rubles. Selifan, the coachman, and Petrushka, the footman, brought into the room a suitcase and a small chest, whose appearance indicated that they were often on the road. This is how you can begin a brief retelling of “Dead Souls.”
Chapter 1 introduces the reader to the visiting collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. He immediately went to the hall, where he ordered lunch and began asking the servant about local officials and landowners. And the next day the hero paid visits to all important persons of the city, including the governor. When we met, Pavel Ivanovich announced that he was looking for a new place of residence. He made a very pleasant impression, as he could flatter and show respect to everyone. As a result, Chichikov immediately received a lot of invitations: to a party with the governor and to tea with other officials.
A brief retelling of the first chapter of “Dead Souls” continues with a description of the reception with the mayor. The author gives an eloquent assessment of the high society of the city of NN, comparing the governor’s guests to flies hovering over refined sugar. Gogol also notes that all men here, as well as everywhere else, were divided into “thin” and “fat” - he classified the main character as the latter. The position of the former was unstable and unstable. But the latter, if they end up somewhere, will be there forever.
For Chichikov, the evening was useful: he met wealthy landowners Manilov and Sobakevich and received an invitation from them to visit. The main question that interested Pavel Ivanovich in his conversation with them was how many souls they have.
Over the next few days, the newcomer visited the officials and charmed all the noble residents of the city.
Chapter 2. At Manilov's
More than a week passed, and Chichikov finally decided to visit Manilov and Sobakevich.
A brief retelling of Chapter 2 of “Dead Souls” should begin with the characteristics of the hero’s servant. Petrushka was taciturn, but loved to read. He also never undressed and carried his special smell everywhere, which displeased Chichikov. This is what the author writes about him.
But let's return to the hero. He drove quite a distance before he saw Manilov's estate. The two-story manor house stood alone on a turf-decorated jug. It was surrounded by bushes, flower beds, and a pond. Particularly attractive was the gazebo with the strange inscription “Temple of Solitary Reflection.” The peasant huts looked gray and neglected.
A brief retelling of “Dead Souls” continues with a description of the meeting between host and guest. The smiling Manilov kissed Pavel Ivanovich and invited him into the house, which inside was just as unfurnished as the rest of the estate. So, one chair stood unupholstered, and on the windowsill in the office the owner laid out piles of ashes from a pipe. The landowner kept dreaming about some projects that remained unrealized. At the same time, he did not notice that his farm was increasingly falling into disrepair.
Gogol especially notes Manilov’s relationship with his wife: they cooed, trying to please each other in everything. City officials were the most wonderful people for them. And they gave their children strange antique names and at dinner everyone tried to show off their education. In general, when talking about the landowner, the author emphasizes the following idea: the owner’s appearance radiated so much sweetness that the first impression of his attractiveness quickly changed. And by the end of the meeting it already seemed that Manilov was neither this nor that. The author gives this characterization of this hero.
But let's continue with the briefest retelling. Dead souls soon became the subject of conversation between the guest and Manilov. Chichikov asked to sell him the dead peasants, who, according to the audit documents, were still listed as alive. The owner was at first confused, and then gave them to the guest just like that. There was no way he could take money from such a good person.
Chapter 3. Box
Having said goodbye to Manilov, Chichikov went to Sobakevich. But on the way I got lost, got caught in the rain and after dark found myself in some village. He was met by the hostess herself - Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka.
The hero slept well on a soft feather bed and, waking up, noticed his cleaned dress. Through the window he saw many birds and strong peasant huts. The furnishings of the room and the behavior of the hostess testified to her thrift and economy.
During breakfast, Chichikov, without ceremony, started talking about dead peasants. At first Nastasya Petrovna did not understand how a non-existent product could be sold. Then she was afraid to sell things short, saying that the matter was new to her. The box was not as simple as it seemed at first - a brief retelling of “Dead Souls” leads to this idea. Chapter 3 ends with Chichikov promising the landowner to buy honey and hemp in the fall. After this, the guest and the hostess finally agreed on the price and concluded a deed of sale.
Chapter 4. Quarrel with Nozdrev
The rain washed out the road so much that by noon the stroller ended up on a pillar. Chichikov decided to stop by the tavern, where he met Nozdryov. They met at the prosecutor's, and now the landowner behaved as if Pavel Ivanovich was his best friend. Having no way to get rid of Nozdryov, the hero went to his estate. You will learn about the trouble that happened there if you read the further brief retelling of “Dead Souls”.
Chapter 4 introduces the reader to the landowner, who has earned the reputation of a rowdy and scandal-maker, a gambler and a money changer. "Pig" and other similar words were common in his vocabulary. Not a single meeting with this man ended peacefully, and the people who suffered the most were those who had the misfortune of getting to know him closely.
Upon arrival, Nozdryov took his son-in-law and Chichikov to look at the empty stalls, kennels, and fields. Our hero felt defeated and disappointed. But the main thing was ahead. At lunch there was a quarrel that continued the next morning. As the briefest retelling shows, dead souls became the reason for this. When Chichikov started a conversation for which he went to the landowners, Nozdryov easily promised to give him non-existent peasants. The guest was only required to buy from him a horse, a barrel organ and a dog. And in the morning the owner offered to play checkers for souls and began to cheat. Pavel Ivanovich, who discovered this, was almost beaten. It is difficult to describe how happy he was at the appearance of the police captain in the house, who had come to arrest Nozdryov.
Chapter 5. In Sobakevich’s house
On the way, another trouble happened. Selifan's unreasonableness caused Chichikov's carriage to collide with another cart, which was harnessed to six horses. Men who came running from the village took part in unraveling the horses. And the hero himself drew attention to the cute blond young lady sitting in the stroller.
The brief retelling of Gogol’s “Dead Souls” continues with a description of the meeting with Sobakevich, which finally took place. The village and house that appeared before the hero’s eyes were large. Everything was distinguished by good quality and durability. The landowner himself resembled a bear: in appearance, gait, and the color of his clothes. And all the objects in the house resembled their owner. Sobakevich was taciturn. At lunch he ate a lot, and spoke negatively about the mayors.
He took the offer to sell dead souls calmly and immediately set a rather high price (two rubles and a half), since all of his peasants were registered and each of them had some special quality. The guest did not like this very much, but he accepted the conditions.
Then Pavel Ivanovich went to Plyushkin, whom he learned about from Sobakevich. According to the latter, his peasants were dying like flies, and the hero hoped to acquire them profitably. The correctness of this decision is confirmed by a brief retelling (“Dead Souls”).
Chapter 6 Patched
This nickname was given to the master by a man from whom Chichikov asked for directions. And Plyushkin’s appearance completely justified him.
Having driven through strange, dilapidated streets, which indicated that there had once been a strong economy here, the carriage stopped at an invalid man's house. A certain creature was standing in the yard and quarreling with a man. It was impossible to immediately determine his gender and position. Seeing a bunch of keys on his belt, Chichikov decided that it was the housekeeper and ordered to call the owner. Imagine his surprise when he found out: standing in front of him was one of the richest landowners in the area. In Plyushkin’s appearance, Gogol draws attention to his lively, darting eyes.
A brief chapter-by-chapter retelling of “Dead Souls” allows us to note only the essential features of the landowners who became the heroes of the poem. Plyushkin stands out because the author tells the story of his life. He was once an economical and hospitable host. However, after the death of his wife, Plyushkin became more and more stingy. As a result, the son shot himself because his father did not help pay off his debts. One daughter ran away and was cursed, the other died. Over the years, the landowner turned into such a miser that he picked up all the garbage on the street. He himself and his farm turned into rot. Gogol calls Plyushkin “a hole in humanity,” the reason for which, unfortunately, cannot be fully explained by a brief retelling.
Chichikov bought dead souls from the landowner at a very favorable price for himself. It was enough to tell Plyushkin that this freed him from paying duties for long-defunct peasants, and he happily agreed to everything.
Chapter 7. Paperwork
Chichikov, who returned to the city, woke up in a good mood in the morning. He immediately rushed to review the lists of purchased souls. He was especially interested in the paper compiled by Sobakevich. The landowner gave a full description of each man. Russian peasants seem to come to life in front of the hero, and therefore he embarks on discussions about their difficult fate. Everyone, as a rule, has the same fate - to pull the burden until the end of their days. Having come to his senses, Pavel Ivanovich got ready to go to the ward to fill out the documents.
A brief retelling of “Dead Souls” takes the reader into the world of officials. On the street Chichikov met Manilov, still caring and good-natured. And, fortunately for him, Sobakevich was in the ward. Pavel Ivanovich walked for a long time from one office to another and patiently explained the purpose of the visit. Finally he paid a bribe, and the matter was immediately completed. And the hero’s legend that he takes peasants for export to the Kherson province did not raise any questions among anyone. At the end of the day, everyone went to the chairman, where they drank to the health of the new landowner, wished him good luck and promised to find a bride.
Chapter 8. Things are heating up
Rumors about a large purchase of peasants soon spread throughout the city, and Chichikov began to be considered a millionaire. He received signs of attention everywhere, especially since the hero, as a brief chapter-by-chapter retelling of “Dead Souls” shows, could easily win people over. However, the unexpected soon happened.
The governor gave a ball, and the center of attention, of course, was Pavel Ivanovich. Now everyone wanted to please him. Suddenly the hero noticed the same young lady (she turned out to be the governor’s daughter) whom he had met on the way from Korobochka to Nozdryov. Even at their first meeting, she charmed Chichikov. And now all the hero’s attention was turned to the girl, which aroused the anger of the other ladies. They suddenly saw in Pavel Ivanovich a terrible enemy.
The second trouble that happened that day was that Nozdryov appeared at the ball and began to talk about how Chichikov was buying up the souls of dead peasants. And although no one attached any importance to his words, Pavel Ivanovich felt awkward all evening and returned to his room ahead of time.
After the guest left, the box kept wondering if it had sold out. Exhausted, the landowner decided to go to the city to find out how much dead peasants were being sold these days. The next chapter (its brief retelling) will tell about the consequences of this. Gogol continues “Dead Souls” with a description of how unsuccessfully events began to develop for the main character.
Chapter 9 Chichikov at the center of the scandal
The next morning, two ladies met: one was simply pleasant, the other was pleasant in all respects. They discussed the latest news, the main one of which was Korobochka’s story. Let us give a very brief retelling of it (this directly concerned dead souls).
According to the guest, the first lady, Nastasya Petrovna was staying at the house of her friend. It was she who told her about how an armed Pavel Ivanovich appeared at the estate at night and began to demand that the souls of the dead be sold to him. The second lady added that her husband heard about such a purchase from Nozdryov. After discussing the incident, the women decided that it was all just a cover. Chichikov's true goal is to kidnap the governor's daughter. They immediately shared their guess with the prosecutor who entered the room and went to the city. Soon all its inhabitants were divided into two halves. The ladies discussed the version of the kidnapping, and the men discussed the purchase of dead souls. The governor's wife ordered Chichikov's servants not to be allowed on the threshold. And the officials gathered with the police chief and tried to find an explanation for what happened.
Chapter 10 The story of Kopeikin
We went through many options for who Pavel Ivanovich could be. Suddenly the postmaster exclaimed: “Captain Kopeikin!” And he told the life story of a mysterious man about whom those present knew nothing. It is with this that we will continue our brief retelling of chapter 10 of “Dead Souls.”
In 12, Kopeikin lost an arm and a leg in the war. He could not earn money himself and therefore went to the capital to ask for well-deserved help from the monarch. In St. Petersburg, he stopped at a tavern, found a commission and began to wait for the reception. The nobleman immediately noticed the disabled man and, having learned about his problem, advised him to come over in a few days. The next time, he assured that everything would be decided soon and a pension would be awarded. And at the third meeting, Kopeikin, who never received anything, made a fuss and was expelled from the city. No one knew exactly where the disabled man was taken. But when a gang of robbers appeared in the Ryazan region, everyone decided that its leader was none other than... Further, all the officials agreed that Chichikov could not be Kopeikin: he had both an arm and a leg in the right place. Someone suggested that Pavel Ivanovich is Napoleon. After some more deliberation, the officials dispersed. And the prosecutor, coming home, died of shock. With this, the brief retelling of “Dead Souls” comes to an end.
All this time, the culprit of the scandal sat in the sick room and was surprised that no one was visiting him. Feeling a little better, he decided to go on a visit. But Governor Pavel Ivanovich was not received, and the others clearly avoided the meeting. Everything was explained by Nozdryov’s arrival at the hotel. It was he who said that Chichikov was accused of preparing a kidnapping and making false banknotes. Pavel Ivanovich immediately ordered Petrushka and Selifan to prepare for departure early in the morning.
Chapter 11. Chichikov's life story
However, the hero woke up later than planned. Then Selifan said that it was necessary. Finally, we set off and on the way we met a funeral procession - they were burying the prosecutor. Chichikov hid behind the curtain and secretly examined the officials. But they didn’t even notice him. Now they were concerned about something else: what the new governor-general would be like. As a result, the hero decided that it was good to celebrate the funeral. And the carriage moved forward. And the author gives the life story of Pavel Ivanovich (we will give a brief retelling of it below). Dead souls (Chapter 11 indicates this) did not come to Chichikov’s mind by chance.
Pavlusha’s childhood can hardly be called happy. His mother died early, and his father often punished him. Then Chichikov Sr. took his son to the city school and left him to live with a relative. When parting, he gave some advice. To please teachers. Make friends only with rich classmates. Don’t treat anyone, but arrange everything so that you yourself are treated. And the main thing is to save a pretty penny. Pavlusha fulfilled all his father’s behests. He soon added his own earnings to the fifty dollars he left behind when they parted. He captivated the teachers with his diligence: no one could sit in class as well as he could. And although I received a good certificate, I started working from the very bottom. Moreover, after the death of his father, he inherited only a dilapidated house, which Chichikov sold for a thousand, and servants.
Having entered the service, Pavel Ivanovich showed incredible diligence: he worked a lot, slept in the office. At the same time, he always looked great and pleased everyone. Having learned that the boss had a daughter, he began to look after her, and things even went towards a wedding. But as soon as Chichikov was promoted, he moved away from his boss to another apartment, and soon everyone somehow forgot about the engagement. This was the most difficult step towards the goal. And the hero dreamed of great wealth and an important place in society.
When the fight against bribery began, Pavel Ivanovich made his first fortune. But he did everything through secretaries and clerks, so he himself remained clean and earned a reputation with the management. Thanks to this, I was able to get a job in construction - instead of the planned buildings, officials, including the hero, had new houses. But failure awaited Chichikov here: the arrival of a new boss deprived him of both his position and his fortune.
I started building my career from the very beginning. Miraculously I got to customs - a fertile place. Thanks to his efficiency and servility, he achieved a lot. But suddenly he quarreled with an official friend (they did business with smugglers together), and he wrote a denunciation. Pavel Ivanovich was again left with nothing. He managed to hide only ten thousand and two servants.
A way out of the situation was suggested by the secretary of the office, in which Chichikov, as part of his new service, had to mortgage the estate. When it came to the number of peasants, the official noted: “They died, but they are still on the audit lists. Some will disappear, others will be born - everything is good.” It was then that the idea came to buy dead souls. It will be difficult to prove that there are no peasants: Chichikov purchased them for export. For this purpose, he acquired land in advance in the Kherson province. And the guardianship council will give two hundred rubles for each registered soul. This is the state now. This is how the main character’s plan and the essence of all his actions are revealed to the reader. The main thing is to be careful and everything will work out. The carriage rushed on, and Chichikov, who loved fast driving, only smiled.
Here is a brief summary of the famous work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol - Dead Souls. This book is required in the school curriculum, so it is important to familiarize yourself with its contents, or, if you have forgotten some points, remember the main plot points.
Volume one
The story took place immediately after the famous expulsion of the French. Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a collegiate adviser, (not very young and not old, pleasant and slightly rounded in appearance, neither thin nor fat) finds himself in the provincial town of NN and stays at a hotel. He asks the tavern servants about the owners and income of the establishment, significant landowners, officials, and inquires about the state of the region and about rampant diseases, epidemic fevers and other misfortunes.
A visitor to the city visits all the residents and notices the courtesy of the people and their active activity. He hardly talks about himself, brushing it off, saying that he has seen a lot in life, that he had many enemies who wanted to kill him. Currently he is looking for a place to live. At the governor's party, he achieves everyone's favor and meets the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. Then he dines at the police chief's (where he meets the landowner Nozdryov), visits the vice-governor and the chairman, the prosecutor and the tax farmer - and goes to Manilov's estate.
Having covered 30 miles, Chichikov arrived in Manilovka to his kind owner. The landowner's don, which was located on the south, surrounded by flower beds and a gazebo, characterized the owner, not burdened by passions. After lunch with the landlady and the landowner's two sons, Alcides and Themistoclius, Chichikov talks about the purpose of his visit: he wants to buy dead peasants who were not declared in the audit certificate, but register them as living. The kind owner was initially frightened and perplexed, but then he was happy and made a deal. Then Chichikov goes to Sobakevich, and Manilov dreams of living next door to Chichikov across the river, building a bridge, a house with a gazebo allowing him to see Moscow, and being friends with him, for which the sovereign would make them generals. Chichikov's coachman Selifan, who was caressed by Manilov's servants while talking to the horses, misses the necessary turn and during a downpour drops the master into the slush. In the darkness, they manage to find accommodation for the night with Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, a slightly timid landowner from whom Chichikov buys dead souls in the morning. He said that he himself would pay taxes for them. He purchases souls from her for 15 rubles, takes the list and, after tasting pancakes, pie and pies, leaves, leaving the hostess worried about whether she has sold too cheap.
On the main road, Chichikov heads to the tavern for a meal. He meets with Nozdryov, who is riding in Mizhuev’s chaise, because he lost everything he had. Talking about the fair he visited, he praises the drinking qualities of the officers and, demonstrating the puppy, Nozdryov takes Chichikov with him, also taking his reluctant son-in-law Mizhuev. After describing Nozdryov, his house, dinner, the author switches to his son-in-law’s wife, and Chichikov starts a conversation about his interest, but the landowner does not agree. Nozdryov suggested an exchange, take him to the stallion or play cards, in the end they quarrel and say goodbye for the night. The persuasion continues again in the morning, and Chichikov agrees to play checkers, but sees Nozdryov cheating during the game. Chichikov, whom his master and servants are about to beat, runs away during a visit from the police captain, who announces that Nozdryov has been taken to trial. On the way, Chichikov's carriage encounters an unknown crew and while the tangled horses are being separated, Chichikov sees a 16-year-old young lady, talking about her and dreaming of a family. The visit to Sobakevich is accompanied by lunch, during which they discuss city officials, who, according to the owner, are all scammers; the conversation ends with a proposal for a deal. Sobakevich begins to bargain, characterizing the good qualities of the serfs, gives Chichikov a list and forces him to make a deposit.
Chichikov's path to Plyushkin is interrupted by a conversation with the man who gave Plyushkin a petty nickname and the author's reflection on love and indifference. Seeing the landowner, Chichikov thought that he was the housekeeper or a wandering beggar. His most important feature is his amazing penny-pinching, he dragged all unnecessary things into his chambers. Having demonstrated the profitability of the offer, Chichikov refuses tea with crackers and leaves in a good mood, taking with him a letter to the chairman of the chamber.
During Chichikov's sleep, the author sadly talks about the baseness of objects. After sleep, Chichikov begins to study the lists of purchased peasants, thinking about their fates, and goes to the ward to conclude the case. Manilov meets him near the hotel and goes with him. Then the official place, Chichikov’s troubles and the giving of a bribe are described. The chairman becomes Plyushkin's attorney, speeding up other deals. People begin to discuss Chichikov’s purchases, what he intends to do: in what places, with land or for withdrawal he acquired peasants. Having learned that the peasants will be sent to the Kherson province, after discussing the qualities of the sold men, the transactions are completed with champagne, then they go to the police chief to drink to the new landowner. Excited after the strong drinks, they began to force Chichikov to stay and start a family.
Chichikov's acquisitions lead to a stir in the city, everyone says that he is a millionaire. The ladies line up. Trying to describe women, the author becomes timid and falls silent. Before the governor's ball, Chichikov receives a love note. Having spent a lot of time on the toilet and being satisfied, Chichikov goes to the ball, where he almost cannot escape from the embrace. The girls, among whom he is looking for the author of the letter, begin to quarrel. But when the governor’s wife approaches him, his behavior changes radically, because she is accompanied by her daughter, a 16-year-old blonde, whose crew he encountered on the road. He begins to lose the affection of women because he starts talking to an interesting blonde, pointedly not paying attention to the others. In addition, Nozdryov comes to the ball and loudly asks how many Chichikovs have bought up the dead. Despite Nozdryov's drunken state, society is embarrassed, Chichikov does not have dinner or whist, and he leaves the ball in upset feelings.
At this time, a carriage arrives in the town with the landowner Korobochka, who arrived to find out about the price of dead souls. In the morning, the news is learned by a certain pleasant woman at home, who hurries to notify others, as a result, the most interesting details appear in the story (armed Chichikov burst into Korobochka at night, demanding dead souls - everyone came running, screaming, crying children). Her friend says that the dead souls are only a cover for Chichikov’s cunning plan to steal the governor’s daughter. After discussing the details of the enterprise, Nozdryov’s accomplice, the women tell everything to the prosecutor and go to the city to rebel.
The town quickly begins to seethe, to this is added the news that a new governor-general has been appointed, and there is information about papers: about the appearance of false banknotes in the province, about a robber who escaped from legal prosecution. Trying to find out who Chichikov is, they begin to remember his vague certification and the conversation about the attempt on his life. The postmaster suggested that Chichikov is the captain of Kopeika, who took up arms against an unjust world and became a robber, but this is rejected because the captain is missing limbs, but Chichikov is intact. There is an assumption that this is Napoleon in disguise, with whom he has many similar features. Conversations with Sobakevich, Manilov and Korobochka did not yield results. And Nozdryov only increases the confusion, saying that Chichikov is a spy, making false notes and wanting to steal the governor’s daughter, in which he must help him. All the conversations had a strong effect on the prosecutor; he suffered a stroke from which he died.
Chichikov, with a slight cold, stays at the hotel and is surprised that not a single official comes to see him. However, when he decided to pay everyone a visit, he finds out that the governor does not want to see him, and the others step aside in fear. Nozdryov, coming to his hotel, tells him everything, announcing that he is ready to help in the kidnapping of the governor’s daughter. In the morning, Chichikov quickly leaves, but he is stopped by the funeral procession, he has to look at the officials who are walking behind the coffin of the prosecutor. The britzka leaves the city, and the opening spaces make the author think about sad and joyful things, about Russia, and then he becomes sad about the hero.
Having concluded that the hero needs to rest, the author tells the story about Pavel Ivanovich, reveals his childhood, studies, where he showed practical intelligence, what kind of relationships he had with teachers and peers, how he served in the government chamber, the commission for the construction of government buildings , where for the first time he showed his weaknesses, how he later went to other less profitable jobs, how he served at customs, where it is almost impossible to work honestly and incorruptibly, he received a lot of money by conspiring with smugglers, went bankrupt, but was able to avoid a criminal trial, although was forced to retire. Having become an attorney and taking care of the peasants' pledge, he came up with a plan: he began to travel around Rus', buying dead souls and pawning them in the treasury to receive money that would be used to purchase a village and provide for offspring.
Having again complained about the hero’s nature and justified him a little, calling him “the acquirer, the owner,” the author compared the flying troika with Russia, ending the story with the ringing of a bell.
Volume two
The estate of Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov, whom the author calls “the smoker of the sky,” is described. The author talks about his waste of time, tells the story of his life, which was inspired by hopes and overshadowed by official troubles and trifles. He retires, wanting to renew his estate, take care of the man, read books, but without any experience this does not provide the desired results, the man begins to idle, and Tentetnikov simply gives up. He avoids his neighbors, offended by the attitude of General Betrishchev, and does not visit him, although he often thinks about his daughter Ulinka. In general, he begins to sour.
Pavel Ivanovich goes to him, complaining about the breakdown in the carriage, trying to pay respects. Having won over the owner, Chichikov goes to the general, telling him about the grumpy guy and asks about the dead souls. The narration is interrupted by a laughing general, then we find Chichikov going to Colonel Koshkarev. He turns up to the Rooster, who appears naked before him, he is interested in catching sturgeon. The Rooster has almost nothing except the mortgaged estate, so he simply overeats, meets with the landowner Platonov and persuades him to take a ride around Rus'. After this, he goes to Konstantin Kostanzhoglo, the wife of Platonov’s sister. From him he learns about management methods that significantly increase the profit from the estate; Chichikov is greatly inspired by this.
He quickly comes to Koshkarev, who has divided his village into expeditions, departments, committees, organizing ideal paper production on the estate. After returning, Kostanzhoglo criticizes the manufactories and factories that have a bad influence on the peasant, the absurd desires of the peasant and neighbor Khlobuev, who abandoned his estate and is giving it away for pennies. Chichikov is touched and even yearns for honest work, listening to the story of the tax farmer Murazov, who flawlessly earned 40 million, the next day, together with Platonov and Kostanzhoglo, he goes to Khlobuev, sees his obscene and disorderly household, along with a governess for children, a fashionable wife and other luxury . Having borrowed money from Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, he pays for the estate, wanting to purchase it, and goes to Platonov’s estate, where he meets his brother Vasily, who skillfully manages the farm. Then he ends up with his neighbor Lenitsyn, winning his sympathy with his ability to tickle a child, thanks to which he receives dead souls.
After many omissions in the manuscript, Chichikov finds himself at the city fair, where he purchases lingonberry fabric with a spark. He meets Khlobuev, whose life he ruined. Khlobuev was led away by Murazov, who convinced him that he needed to work and raise funds for the church. Meanwhile, slander against Chichikov is recognized by dead souls and forgery. The tailor delivers the tailcoat. Suddenly a gendarme arrives and drags Chichikov to the Governor General. Then all his atrocities become known, and he ends up in prison. Chichikov ends up in the closet, where Murazov finds him. He tears his hair and clothes, mourning the loss of the box with papers. Murazov, with kind words, tries to awaken in him a desire for an honest life and goes to soften the governor-general. At the same moment, officials who want to annoy the authorities and take a bribe from Chichikov bring him a box, send denunciations to confuse the case and kidnap the witness. Unrest is unfolding in the province, which is of great concern to the Governor-General. But Murazov is able to feel the sensitive sides of his soul and provide the right advice that the Governor-General wants to take advantage of when releasing Chichikov. After this the manuscript breaks off...
VOLUME ONE
The proposed history, as will become clear from what follows, took place somewhat shortly after the “glorious expulsion of the French.” A collegiate adviser arrives in the provincial town of NN Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov(he is neither old nor too young, neither fat nor thin, rather pleasant and somewhat round in appearance) 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 also 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, endured in the service for the truth, had many enemies who even attempted on 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, contrary to the promise, not fifteen, but all thirty miles, Chichikov ends up in Manilovka, in the arms of a kind owner. House Manilova, 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 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 required turn and, with the sound of a rainstorm, knocks the master over into the mud. In the darkness they find accommodation for the night with Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, a somewhat timid landowner, with whom Chichikov also begins to trade in the morning 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; the author provides 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. Having described Nozdryov, “in some respects a historical man” (for everywhere he went, there was history), his possessions, the unpretentiousness of the dinner with an abundance of, however, drinks of dubious quality, the author sends his dazed son-in-law to his wife (Nozdryov admonishes him with abuse and words “fetyuk”), and Chichikov is forced to turn to his 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 mongrels 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 is a decent person, “and even that one, to tell the truth, is a pig”), and is married to the guest of interest deal. 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.
Path Chichikova 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 paints. 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 official place, Chichikov’s first ordeals and a bribe to a certain jug 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 the conclusion and 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 released”), a sixteen-year-old blonde whose carriage he encountered 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 was. dead souls. The next morning, this news becomes the property of a certain pleasant lady, and she rushes 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 dead souls It’s just 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 a short time, the city is seething, adding news about the appointment of a new governor-general, as well as information about the papers received: about a counterfeit banknote maker who showed up in the province, and about a 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 opened 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, finding 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.
VOLUME TWO
It opens with a description of the nature that makes up the estate of Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov, whom the author calls “the smoker of the sky.” The story of the stupidity of his pastime is followed by the story of a life inspired by hopes at the very beginning, overshadowed by the pettiness of his service and troubles later; he retires, intending to improve the estate, reads books, takes care of the man, but without experience, sometimes just human, this does not give the expected results, the man is idle, Tentetnikov gives up. He breaks off acquaintances with his neighbors, offended by General Betrishchev’s address, and stops visiting him, although he cannot forget his daughter Ulinka. In a word, without someone who would tell him an invigorating “go ahead!”, he completely turns sour.
Chichikov comes to him, apologizing for a breakdown in the carriage, curiosity and a desire to pay respects. Having won the favor of the owner with his amazing ability to adapt to anyone, Chichikov, having lived with him for a while, goes to the general, to whom he weaves a story about a quarrelsome uncle and, as usual, begs for the dead. The poem fails at the laughing general, and we find Chichikov heading to Colonel Koshkarev. Contrary to expectations, he ends up with Pyotr Petrovich Rooster, whom he finds at first completely naked, keen on hunting sturgeon. At Rooster's, not having anything to get hold of, for the estate is mortgaged, he only overeats terribly, meets the bored landowner Platonov and, having encouraged him to travel together across Rus', goes to Konstantin Fedorovich Kostanzhoglo, married to Platonov's sister. He talks about the methods of management with which he increased the income from the estate tenfold, and Chichikov is terribly inspired.
Very quickly he visits Colonel Koshkarev, who has divided his village into committees, expeditions and departments and has organized a perfect paper production in the mortgaged estate, as it turns out. Returning, he listens to the curses of the bilious Kostanzhoglo against the factories and manufactories that corrupt the peasant, the peasant’s absurd desire to educate, and his neighbor Khlobuev, who has neglected a sizable estate and is now selling it for next to nothing. Having experienced tenderness and even a craving for honest work, having listened to the story of the tax farmer Murazov, who made forty million in an impeccable way, Chichikov the next day, accompanied by Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, goes to Khlobuev, observes the unrest and dissipation of his household in the neighborhood of a governess for children, dressed in fashion wife and other traces of absurd luxury. Having borrowed money from Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, he gives a deposit for the estate, intending to buy it, and goes to Platonov’s estate, where he meets his brother Vasily, who efficiently manages the estate. Then he suddenly appears at their neighbor Lenitsyn, clearly a rogue, wins his sympathy with his ability to skillfully tickle a child and receives dead souls.
After many seizures in the manuscript, Chichikov is found already in the city at a fair, where he buys fabric that is so dear to him, the lingonberry color with a spark. He runs into Khlobuev, whom, apparently, he spoiled, either depriving him, or almost depriving him of his inheritance through some kind of forgery. Khlobuev, who let him go, is taken away by Murazov, who convinces Khlobuev of the need to work and orders him to collect funds for the church. Meanwhile, denunciations against Chichikov are discovered both about the forgery and about dead souls. The tailor brings a new tailcoat. Suddenly a gendarme appears, dragging the smartly dressed Chichikov to the Governor-General, “angry as anger itself.” Here all his atrocities become clear, and he, kissing the general’s boot, is thrown into prison. In a dark closet, Murazov finds Chichikov, tearing his hair and tails of his coat, mourning the loss of a box of papers, with simple virtuous words awakens in him a desire to live honestly and sets off to soften the Governor-General. At that time, officials who want to spoil their wise superiors and get a bribe from Chichikov, deliver a box to him, kidnap an important witness and write many denunciations in order to completely confuse the matter. Unrest breaks out in the province itself, greatly worrying the Governor-General. However, Murazov knows how to feel the sensitive strings of his soul and give him the right advice, which the Governor-General, having released Chichikov, is about to use when “the manuscript breaks off.”
N.V. Gogol
Dead souls
Volume one
Chapter One
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 also 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, endured in the service for the truth, had many enemies who even attempted on 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”).
Chapter two
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 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.Chapter Three
Chichikov's coachman Selifan, much favored by Manilov's servants, in conversations with his horses misses the required turn and, with the sound of a rainstorm, knocks the master over into the mud. In the darkness, 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.Chapter Four
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. Having described Nozdryov, “in some respects a historical man” (for everywhere he went, there was history), his possessions, the unpretentiousness of the dinner with an abundance of, however, drinks of dubious quality, the author sends his dazed son-in-law to his wife (Nozdryov admonishes him with abuse and words “fetyuk”), and Chichikov is forced to turn to his 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 mongrels are already attempting to beat, manages to escape due to the appearance of the police captain, who announces that Nozdryov is on trial.Chapter Five
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 is a decent person, “and even that one, to tell the truth, is a pig”), and is married to the guest of interest deal. 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. Sobakevich promises to sell dead souls for 100 rubles apiece, citing the fact that his peasants are real craftsmen (carriage maker Mikheev, carpenter Stepan Probka, shoemaker Maxim Telyatnikov). The bargaining continues for a long time. In his hearts, Chichikov silently calls Sobakevich “fist”, and says out loud that the qualities of the peasants are not important, since they are dead. Not agreeing with Chichikov on the price and fully understanding that the deal is not entirely legal, Sobakevich hints that “this kind of purchase, I say this between us, out of friendship, is not always permissible, and tell me - I or someone else - such a person will not no power of attorney...” Ultimately, the parties agree on three rubles apiece, draw up a document, and each is afraid of being cheated by the other. Sobakevich offers Chichikov to buy a “female” at a cheap price, but the guest refuses (although he will later discover that Sobakevich nevertheless included a woman, Elizaveta Vorobey, in the deed of sale). Chichikov leaves and asks a peasant in the village how to get to Plyushkin’s estate (Plyushkin’s nickname among the peasants is “patched”). The chapter ends with a lyrical digression about the Russian language. “The Russian people are expressing themselves strongly! And if he rewards someone with a word, then it will go to his family and posterity... And then no matter how cunning and how you ennoble your nickname, even force the writing people to derive it from the ancient princely family for a rent, nothing will help... Like countless many churches, monasteries with domes, domes, crosses are scattered in holy, pious Rus', so a countless number of tribes, generations, peoples crowd, motley and rush about the face of the earth... The word of the British will respond with heart knowledge and wise knowledge of life; The short-lived word of a Frenchman will flash and spread like a light dandy; the German will intricately come up with his own, not accessible to everyone, clever and thin word; but there is no word that would be so sweeping, lively, would burst out from under the very heart, would boil and vibrate so much, like an aptly spoken Russian word.”You are reading a summary of Gogol's novel "Dead Souls" on Everything in Brief.ru
Chapter Six
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.Chapter Seven
While Chichikov sleeps in the hotel, the author sadly reflects on the baseness of the objects he paints. 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 official place, Chichikov’s first ordeals and a bribe to a certain jug 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 the conclusion and 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.Chapter Eight
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.Chapter Nine
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 rushes 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.Chapter Ten
In a short time, the city is seething, adding news about the appointment of a new governor-general, as well as information about the papers received: about a counterfeit banknote maker who showed up in the province, and about a 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.Chapter Eleven
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 opened 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, finding 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.
Volume two
It opens with a description of the nature that makes up the estate of Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov, whom the author calls “the smoker of the sky.” The story of the stupidity of his pastime is followed by the story of a life inspired by hopes at the very beginning, overshadowed by the pettiness of his service and troubles later; he retires, intending to improve the estate, reads books, takes care of the man, but without experience, sometimes just human, this does not give the expected results, the man is idle, Tentetnikov gives up. He breaks off acquaintances with his neighbors, offended by General Betrishchev’s address, and stops visiting him, although he cannot forget his daughter Ulinka. In a word, without someone who would tell him an invigorating “go ahead!”, he completely turns sour.
Chichikov comes to him, apologizing for a breakdown in the carriage, curiosity and a desire to pay respects. Having won the favor of the owner with his amazing ability to adapt to anyone, Chichikov, having lived with him for a while, goes to the general, to whom he weaves a story about a quarrelsome uncle and, as usual, begs for the dead. The poem fails at the laughing general, and we find Chichikov heading to Colonel Koshkarev. Contrary to expectations, he ends up with Pyotr Petrovich Rooster, whom he finds at first completely naked, keen on hunting sturgeon. At Rooster's, not having anything to get hold of, for the estate is mortgaged, he only overeats terribly, meets the bored landowner Platonov and, having encouraged him to travel together across Rus', goes to Konstantin Fedorovich Kostanzhoglo, married to Platonov's sister. He talks about the methods of management with which he increased the income from the estate tenfold, and Chichikov is terribly inspired.
Very quickly he visits Colonel Koshkarev, who has divided his village into committees, expeditions and departments and has organized a perfect paper production in the mortgaged estate, as it turns out. Returning, he listens to the curses of the bilious Kostanzhoglo against the factories and manufactories that corrupt the peasant, the peasant’s absurd desire to educate, and his neighbor Khlobuev, who has neglected a sizable estate and is now selling it for next to nothing. Having experienced tenderness and even a craving for honest work, having listened to the story of the tax farmer Murazov, who made forty million in an impeccable way, Chichikov the next day, accompanied by Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, goes to Khlobuev, observes the unrest and dissipation of his household in the neighborhood of a governess for children, dressed in fashion wife and other traces of absurd luxury. Having borrowed money from Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, he gives a deposit for the estate, intending to buy it, and goes to Platonov’s estate, where he meets his brother Vasily, who efficiently manages the estate. Then he suddenly appears at their neighbor Lenitsyn, clearly a rogue, wins his sympathy with his ability to skillfully tickle a child and receives dead souls.
After many seizures in the manuscript, Chichikov is found already in the city at a fair, where he buys fabric that is so dear to him, the lingonberry color with a spark. He runs into Khlobuev, whom, apparently, he spoiled, either depriving him, or almost depriving him of his inheritance through some kind of forgery. Khlobuev, who let him go, is taken away by Murazov, who convinces Khlobuev of the need to work and orders him to collect funds for the church. Meanwhile, denunciations against Chichikov are discovered both about the forgery and about dead souls. The tailor brings a new tailcoat. Suddenly a gendarme appears, dragging the smartly dressed Chichikov to the Governor-General, “angry as anger itself.” Here all his atrocities become clear, and he, kissing the general’s boot, is thrown into prison. In a dark closet, Murazov finds Chichikov, tearing his hair and tails of his coat, mourning the loss of a box of papers, with simple virtuous words awakens in him a desire to live honestly and sets off to soften the Governor-General. At that time, officials who want to spoil their wise superiors and get a bribe from Chichikov, deliver a box to him, kidnap an important witness and write many denunciations in order to completely confuse the matter. Unrest breaks out in the province itself, greatly worrying the Governor-General. However, Murazov knows how to feel the sensitive strings of his soul and give him the right advice, which the Governor-General, having released Chichikov, is about to use when “the manuscript breaks off.”
