Read the summary of chapter 11 of dead souls. Dead Souls. Chichikov - the main character of Gogol's "Dead Souls"

Nothing, however, happened as Chichikov expected. Firstly, he woke up later than he thought - this was the first trouble. Getting up, he immediately sent to find out if the britzka was laid and if everything was ready; but they reported that the britzka had not yet been laid down and nothing was ready. This was the second problem. He got angry, even prepared to throw something like a fight at our friend Selifan and only waited impatiently for what reason he would give as an excuse. Soon Selifan appeared at the door, and the master had the pleasure of hearing the same speeches that are usually heard from servants in such cases when you need to leave soon.

“But, Pavel Ivanovich, you’ll have to shoe the horses.”

- Oh, you're crazy! chump! Why didn’t you say this before? Wasn't there time?

- Yes, it was time... Yes, and so is the wheel, Pavel Ivanovich, the tire will need to be completely re-threaded, because now the road is bumpy, such bumps have gone everywhere... Yes, if you allow me to report: the front of the chaise is completely loose, so maybe it , and won’t make two stations.

- You scoundrel! - Chichikov cried, clasping his hands, and walked up to him so close that Selifan, out of fear of not receiving a gift from the master, backed away a little and stood aside. -Are you going to kill me? A? do you want to stab me? On the high road he was going to kill me, you robber, you damn pig, you monster of the sea! A? A? We've been sitting still for three weeks, huh? If only he had stuttered, the dissolute one, but now he has driven him to the last hour! when you’re almost on your guard: I should sit down and drive, eh? And this is where you did something mischievous, huh? A? You knew this before, didn't you? you knew that, didn't you? A? Answer. Did you know? A?

“I knew,” Selifan answered, lowering his head.

- Well, why didn’t you tell me then, huh?

Selifan did not answer this question, but, lowering his head, seemed to be saying to himself: “You see how cleverly it happened; And he knew, but he didn’t say!”

“Now go get the blacksmith, so that everything will be done in two hours.” Do you hear? certainly at two o’clock, and if it doesn’t happen, then I will, I will… bend you into a horn and tie you in a knot! “Our hero was very angry.

Selifan turned to the door to go carry out the order, but stopped and said:

“And, sir, he really should at least sell the brown horse, because he, Pavel Ivanovich, is a complete scoundrel; He’s such a horse, God forbid, he’s just a hindrance.

- Yes! I'll go and run to the market to sell!

- By God, Pavel Ivanovich, he just looks handsome, but in reality he is the most crafty horse; there is no such horse anywhere...

- Fool! When I want to sell, I’ll sell it. Still started to speculate! I’ll see: if you don’t bring me the blacksmiths now and everything won’t be ready in two o’clock, then I’ll give you such a brawl... you won’t see your face! Let's go! go!

Selifan left.

Chichikov became completely out of sorts and threw on the floor the saber that had traveled with him on the road to instill appropriate fear in anyone. He fussed with the blacksmiths for more than a quarter of an hour until he got it right, because the blacksmiths, as usual, were notorious scoundrels and, realizing that the work was needed in a hurry, they charged exactly six times as much. No matter how excited he was, he called them swindlers, robbers, robbers of travelers, even hinted at Last Judgment , but nothing impressed the blacksmiths: they completely maintained their character - not only did they not budge on the price, but they even fussed about the work instead of two hours for five and a half. During this time, he had the pleasure of experiencing pleasant moments, known to every traveler, when everything is packed in the suitcase and only strings, pieces of paper and various rubbish are lying around the room, when a person does not belong to either the road or the seat in his place, he sees from the window passing weaving people, talking about their hryvnias and raising their eyes with some kind of stupid curiosity, so that, having looked at him, they would again continue their way, which further irritates the displeasure of the spirit of the poor traveler who is not traveling. Everything that is, everything that he sees: the little shop opposite his window, and the head of the old woman living in the opposite house, approaching the window with short curtains - everything is disgusting to him, but he does not move away from the window. He stands, now forgetting himself, now again paying some kind of dull attention to everything that moves and does not move in front of him, and out of frustration strangles some fly, which at this time is buzzing and beating against the glass under his finger. But everything has an end, and the desired moment came: everything was ready, the front of the britzka was properly adjusted, the wheel was covered with a new tire, the horses were brought from the watering hole, and the robber blacksmiths set off, counting the rubles they received and wishing them well-being. Finally, the chaise was laid down, and two hot rolls, just bought, were placed there, and Selifan had already put something for himself in the pocket that was the coachman's goat, and the hero himself, finally, waving his cap as a gentleman, standing in the same demicoton in a frock coat, with tavern and other people's footmen and coachmen gathered to yawn as someone else's master was leaving, and under all other circumstances accompanying the departure, he got into the carriage - and the chaise in which bachelors travel, which has stagnated in the city for so long and so, maybe Perhaps the reader got tired of it and finally left the hotel gates. “Glory to those, Lord!” - thought Chichikov and crossed himself. Selifan lashed with his whip; Petrushka, who had first been hanging on the footrest for some time, sat down next to him, and our hero, sitting down better on the Georgian rug, put a leather pillow behind his back, pressed two hot rolls, and the crew began to dance and sway again thanks to the pavement, which, as you know, had a tossing strength. With some vague feeling he looked at the houses, walls, fences and streets, which, for their part, as if jumping, were slowly moving back and which, God knows, whether he was destined to see again in the course of his life. When turning into one of the streets, the chaise had to stop, because an endless funeral procession was passing along its entire length. Chichikov, leaning out, told Petrushka to ask who was being buried, and learned that they were burying a prosecutor. Filled with unpleasant sensations, he immediately hid in a corner, covered himself with skin and drew the curtains. At this time, when the carriage was thus stopped, Selifan and Petrushka, piously taking off their hats, examined who, how, in what and on what, counting the number of everyone on foot and riding, and the master, ordering them not to confess and not to bow to any of the footmen he knew, he also began to look timidly through the glass that was in the leather curtains: all the officials were walking behind the coffin, having taken off their hats. He began to be afraid that his crew would not be recognized, but they had no time for that. They did not even engage in various everyday conversations, such as those mourning a dead person usually conduct among themselves. All their thoughts at that time were concentrated in themselves: they thought what the new governor-general would be like, how he would get down to business and how he would receive them. The officials, walking on foot, were followed by carriages, from which ladies in mourning caps looked out. It was clear from the movements of their lips and hands that they were engaged in a lively conversation; Perhaps they, too, were talking about the arrival of the new Governor-General and making assumptions about the balls he would give, and fussing over their eternal scallops and stripes. Finally, several empty droshies followed the carriages, stretched out in single file, and finally there was nothing left, and our hero could go. Opening the leather curtains, he sighed, saying from the heart: “Here, prosecutor! lived, lived, and then died! And so they will print in the newspapers that, to the regret of his subordinates and all mankind, a respectable citizen, a rare father, an exemplary husband has died, and they will write a lot of all sorts of things; They will add, perhaps, that he was accompanied by the crying of widows and orphans; but if you take a good look at the matter, all you really had was that thick eyebrows" Here he ordered Selifan to go quickly and meanwhile thought to himself: “It’s good, however, that there was a funeral; They say it means happiness if you meet a dead person.”

Meanwhile the britzka turned into more deserted streets; Soon there were only long wooden fences, foreshadowing the end of the city. Now the pavement is over, and the barrier, and the city is behind, and there is nothing, and again on the road. And again, on both sides of the main path, they began to write miles again, station wardens, wells, carts, gray villages with samovars, women and a lively bearded owner running from an inn with oats in his hand, a pedestrian in frayed bast shoes trudged eight hundred miles, small towns , built alive, with wooden shops, flour barrels, bast shoes, rolls and other small fry, pockmarked barriers, bridges being repaired, endless fields on both sides, landowners' weeping, a soldier on horseback, carrying a green box with lead peas and a signature : such and such an artillery battery, green, yellow and freshly dug black stripes flashing across the steppes, a song drawn out in the distance, pine tops in the fog, disappearing in the distance bell ringing, crows like flies and an endless horizon... Rus'! Rus! I see you, from my wonderful, beautiful distance I see you: poor, scattered and uncomfortable in you; the daring divas of nature, crowned by the daring divas of art, cities with many-windowed high palaces grown into the cliffs, picture trees and ivy grown into houses, in the noise and eternal dust of waterfalls will not amuse or frighten the eyes; her head will not fall back to look at the boulders of stone endlessly piled up above her and in the heights; the dark arches thrown one upon the other, entangled with grape branches, ivy and countless millions of wild roses, will not flash through them; the eternal lines of shining mountains, rushing into the silver clear skies, will not flash through them in the distance. Everything about you is open, deserted and even; like dots, like icons, your low cities stick out inconspicuously among the plains; nothing will seduce or enchant the eye. But what incomprehensible, secret force attracts you? Why is your melancholy song, rushing along your entire length and width, from sea to sea, heard and heard incessantly in your ears? What's in it, in this song? What calls and cries and grabs your heart? What sounds painfully kiss and strive into the soul and curl around my heart? Rus! what do you want from me? what incomprehensible connection lies between us? Why are you looking like that, and why has everything that is in you turned its eyes full of expectation on me?.. And yet, full of bewilderment, I stand motionless, and a menacing cloud has already overshadowed my head, heavy with the coming rains, and my thoughts are numb before yours. space. What does this vast expanse prophesy? Isn’t it here, in you, that a boundless thought will be born, when you yourself are endless? Shouldn't a hero be here when there is room for him to turn around and walk? And the mighty space envelops me menacingly, with terrible force reflected in my depths; My eyes lit up with unnatural power: oh! what a sparkling, wonderful, unknown distance to the earth! Rus!..

- Hold it, hold it, you fool! - Chichikov shouted to Selifan.

- Here I am with a broadsword! - shouted a courier with a mustache as long as he was galloping towards. - Don’t you see, damn your soul: it’s a government carriage! “And, like a ghost, the troika disappeared with thunder and dust.

How strange, and alluring, and carrying, and wonderful is the word: road! and how wonderful it is, this road: a clear day, autumn leaves, cold air... tighter in our travel overcoat, a hat over our ears, we’ll snuggle closer and more comfortably into the corner! IN last time a shudder ran through the limbs, and was already replaced by a pleasant warmth. The horses are racing... how seductively drowsiness creeps in and your eyes close, and already through your sleep you can hear “The snow is not white,” and the sound of horses, and the noise of wheels, and you are already snoring, pressing your neighbor to the corner. Woke up: five stations ran back; the moon, an unknown city, churches with ancient wooden domes and blackened peaks, dark log and white stone houses. The radiance of the month here and there: as if white linen scarves were hung on the walls, along the pavement, along the streets; shoals of coal-black shadows cross them; The wooden roofs, illuminated at random, shine like sparkling metal, and there is not a soul anywhere - everything is asleep. Alone, is there a light shining somewhere in the window: is it a city tradesman sewing his pair of boots, or a baker tinkering in his stove - what about them? And the night! heavenly powers! what a night is taking place on high! And the air, and the sky, distant, high, there, in its inaccessible depths, so immensely, sonorously and clearly spread out!.. But the cold night breath breathes fresh into your very eyes and lulls you to sleep, and now you doze, and forget yourself, and snore , and toss and turn angrily, feeling the weight on himself, the poor neighbor squeezed into the corner. You woke up - and again there were fields and steppes in front of you, nothing anywhere - wasteland everywhere, everything was open. A mile with a number flies into your eyes; practices in the morning; on the whitened cold sky there is a pale golden stripe; The wind becomes fresher and harsher: wear your warm overcoat tighter!.. what a glorious cold! what a wonderful dream that embraces you again! A push and he woke up again. The sun is at the top of the sky. “Easy! easier!" - a voice is heard, the cart descends from the steep slope: below there is a wide dam and a wide clear pond, shining like a copper bottom in front of the sun; village, huts scattered on the slope; like a star, the cross of a rural church shines to the side; the chatter of men and the unbearable appetite in the stomach... God! how beautiful you are sometimes, long, long way! How many times, like someone dying and drowning, have I grabbed onto you, and each time you generously carried me out and saved me! And how many wonderful ideas, poetic dreams were born in you, how many wondrous impressions were felt!.. But our friend Chichikov also felt at that time dreams that were not entirely prosaic. Let's see how he felt. At first he felt nothing and only looked behind him, wanting to make sure that he had definitely left the city; but when he saw that the city had long disappeared, neither the forges, nor the mills, nor anything that was located around the cities was visible, and even the white tops of the stone churches had long gone into the ground, he took up only one road, looking only to the right and left , and the city of N. seemed to have never been in his memory, as if he had passed it a long time ago, in childhood. Finally, the road ceased to occupy him, and he began to slightly close his eyes and bow his head to the pillow. The author admits that he is even happy about this, thus finding an opportunity to talk about his hero; for hitherto, as the reader saw, he was constantly disturbed by Nozdryov, balls, ladies, city gossip, and, finally, thousands of those little things that seem like little things only when they are included in a book, but while they are circulating in the world, are revered as very important matters. But now let’s put everything completely aside and get down to business.

It is very doubtful that our chosen hero will be liked by readers. The ladies will not like him, this can be said in the affirmative, because the ladies demand that the hero be a decisive perfection, and if there is any mental or physical blemish, then trouble! No matter how deeply the author looks into his soul, even if he reflects his image cleaner than a mirror, he will not be given any value. Chichikov's very plumpness and middle age will do him a lot of harm: the hero will never be forgiven for being plump, and quite a few ladies, turning away, will say: “Fee, so disgusting!” Alas! All this is known to the author, and despite all this, he cannot take a virtuous person as a hero, but... perhaps in this very story one will sense other, hitherto uncharacterized strings, the untold wealth of the Russian spirit will appear, a man gifted with divine virtues will pass by, or a wonderful Russian maiden, which cannot be found anywhere in the world, with all the wondrous beauty of a woman’s soul, all from generous aspiration and self-sacrifice. And all the virtuous people of other tribes will appear dead before them, just as a book is dead before a living word! Russian movements will rise up... and they will see how deeply ingrained in Slavic nature is something that slipped only through the nature of other peoples... But why and why talk about what is ahead? It is indecent for the author, who has long been a husband, brought up by a harsh inner life and the refreshing sobriety of solitude, to forget himself like a young man. Everything has its turn, place and time! But a virtuous person is still not taken as a hero. And you can even say why it wasn’t taken. Because it’s time to finally give rest to the poor virtuous man, because the word “virtuous man” is idly on the lips; because they turned a virtuous man into a horse, and there is no writer who would not ride him, urging him on with a whip and with anything else; because they have starved a virtuous man to such an extent that now there is not a shadow of virtue on him, but only ribs and skin instead of a body remain; because they hypocritically call for a virtuous person; because they do not respect a virtuous person. No, it’s time to finally hide the scoundrel too. So, let's harness the scoundrel!

The origins of our hero are dark and humble. The parents were nobles, but whether they were official or private, God knows; his face did not resemble them: at least the relative who was present at his birth, a short, short woman, who are usually called Pigalits, took the child in her hands and cried out: “He didn’t come out at all like I thought!” He should have taken after his mother’s grandmother, which would have been better, but he was born simply, as the proverb says: neither his mother nor his father, but a passing young man.” At the beginning, life looked at him somehow sourly and unpleasantly, through some muddy, snow-covered window: no friend, no comrade in childhood! A small house with small windows that did not open either in winter or in summer, the father, a sick man, in a long frock coat with fleeces and knitted flappers worn on his bare feet, sighed incessantly as he walked around the room and spat in the sandbox standing in the corner , eternal sitting on a bench, with a pen in his hands, ink on his fingers and even on his lips, an eternal inscription before his eyes: “don’t lie, listen to your elders and carry virtue in your heart”; the eternal shuffling and shuffling of the clappers around the room, the familiar but always stern voice: “I fooled you again!”, which responded at the time when the child, bored with the monotony of work, attached some kind of quotation mark or tail to a letter; and the ever-familiar, always unpleasant feeling when, following these words, the edge of his ear was twisted very painfully by the nails of long fingers reaching behind him: here is a poor picture of his initial childhood, of which he barely retained a pale memory. But in life everything changes quickly and vividly: and one day, with the first spring sun and overflowing streams, the father, taking his son, rode out with him on a cart, which was pulled by a fly-tailed pinto horse, known among horse dealers as a magpie; it was ruled by a coachman, a little hunchbacked man, the founder of the only serf family that belonged to Chichikov’s father, who occupied almost all positions in the house. They dragged themselves at forty for more than a day and a half; We spent the night on the road, crossed the river, ate cold pie and fried lamb, and only on the third day in the morning did we reach the city. The city streets flashed before the boy with unexpected splendor, making him gape for several minutes. Then the magpie splashed along with the cart into the hole, which began a narrow alley, all sloping down and filled with mud; She worked there for a long time with all her might and kneaded with her feet, incited by both the hunchback and the master himself, and finally dragged them into a small courtyard that stood on a slope with two blossoming apple trees in front of an old house and a garden behind it, low, small, consisting only of rowan trees, elderberry and hiding in the depths of its wooden booth, covered with shingles, with a narrow frosted window. Here lived a relative of theirs, a flabby old woman, who still went to the market every morning and then dried her stockings by the samovar, who patted the boy on the cheek and admired his plumpness. Here he had to stay and go to classes at the city school every day. The father, having spent the night, set out on the road the next day. At parting, no tears were shed from the parents' eyes; half a copper was given for expenses and delicacies and, what is much more important, a smart instruction: “Look, Pavlusha, study, don’t be stupid and don’t hang around, but most of all please your teachers and bosses. If you please your boss, then, even though you don’t have time in science and God hasn’t given you talent, you will put everything into action and get ahead of everyone else. Don’t hang out with your comrades, they won’t teach you any good; and if it comes to that, then hang out with those who are richer, so that on occasion they can be useful to you. Don’t treat or treat anyone, but behave better so that you will be treated, and most of all, take care and save a penny: this thing is more reliable than anything in the world. A comrade or friend will deceive you and in trouble will be the first to betray you, but a penny will not betray you, no matter what trouble you are in. You will do everything and ruin everything in the world with a penny.” Having given such instructions, the father parted with his son and trudged home again on his magpie, and from then on he never saw him again, but the words and instructions sank deep into his soul.

Pavlusha started going to classes the next day. He did not appear to have any special abilities for any science; He distinguished himself more by his diligence and neatness; but on the other hand, he turned out to have a great mind on the other side, on the practical side. He suddenly realized and understood the matter and behaved towards his comrades in exactly the same way: they treated him, and he not only never, but sometimes even hid the received treat and then sold it to them. Even as a child, he already knew how to deny himself everything. Of the half-ruble given by his father, he didn’t spend a penny; on the contrary, that same year he already made additions to it, showing almost extraordinary resourcefulness: he molded a bullfinch out of wax, painted it and sold it very profitably. Then, for some time, he embarked on other speculations, namely this: having bought food at the market, he sat in the classroom next to those who were richer, and as soon as he noticed that a friend was starting to feel sick - a sign of approaching hunger - he stuck out his shirt to him. under the benches, as if by chance, a corner of a gingerbread or a bun and, having provoked him, he took the money, depending on his appetite. For two months he fussed around in his apartment without rest around a mouse, which he had put in a small wooden cage, and finally got it to the point where the mouse stood on its hind legs, lay down and stood up when ordered, and then sold it for a very profit. When he had enough money to reach five rubles, he sewed up the bag and began saving it in another. In relation to his superiors, he behaved even smarter. No one knew how to sit on a bench so quietly. It should be noted that the teacher was a great lover of silence and good behavior and could not stand smart and sharp boys; it seemed to him that they must certainly laugh at him. It was enough for the one who was reprimanded for his wit, it was enough for him to just move or somehow inadvertently wink his eyebrow to suddenly fall under anger. He persecuted him and punished him mercilessly. “I, brother, will drive arrogance and disobedience out of you! - he said. “I know you through and through, just as you don’t know yourself.” Here you are, standing on my knees! I’ll make you go hungry!” And the poor boy, without knowing why, rubbed his knees and went hungry for days. “Abilities and gifts? “It’s all nonsense,” he used to say, “I only look at behavior.” I will give full marks in all sciences to someone who doesn’t know the basics but behaves commendably; and in whom I see a bad spirit and mockery, I am zero to him, although he put Solon in his belt! So said the teacher, who did not love Krylov to death because he said: “For me, it’s better to drink, but understand the matter,” and always told with pleasure in his face and eyes, as in the school where he taught before, There was such silence that you could hear a fly flying; that none of the students during all year round did not cough or blow his nose in class and that until the bell rang it was impossible to know whether anyone was there or not. Chichikov suddenly understood the spirit of the boss and what behavior should consist of. He did not move an eye or an eyebrow during the entire class, no matter how much they pinched him from behind; as soon as the bell rang, he rushed headlong and gave the teacher his hat first (the teacher wore a hat); Having handed over his hat, he was the first to leave the class and tried to catch him three times on the road, constantly taking off his hat. The business was a complete success. During his entire stay at the school, he was in excellent standing and upon graduation received full honors in all sciences, a certificate and a book with golden letters for exemplary diligence and trustworthy behavior. Coming out of school, he found himself already a young man of rather attractive appearance, with a chin that required a razor. At this time his father died. The inheritance included four irretrievably worn sweatshirts, two old frock coats lined with sheepskin, and a small amount of money. The father, apparently, was only versed in the advice of saving a penny, but he saved a little of it himself. Chichikov immediately sold the dilapidated little yard with an insignificant plot of land for a thousand rubles, and transferred a family of people to the city, intending to settle there and engage in service. At the same time, a poor teacher, a lover of silence and praiseworthy behavior, was expelled from the school for stupidity or other guilt. The teacher began to drink out of grief; finally he had nothing left to drink; sick, without a piece of bread and help, he disappeared somewhere in an unheated, forgotten kennel. His former students, clever men and wits, in whom he constantly imagined disobedience and arrogant behavior, having learned about his pitiful situation, immediately collected money for him, even selling many things he needed; Only Pavlusha Chichikov made the excuse of not having anything and gave some silver nickel, which his comrades immediately threw to him, saying: “Oh, you lived!” The poor teacher covered his face with his hands when he heard about such an act of his former students; Tears poured like hail from the fading eyes, like those of a powerless child. “On his deathbed, God brought me to cry,” he said in a weak voice and sighed heavily when he heard about Chichikov, adding immediately: “Eh, Pavlusha! This is how a person changes! After all, he was so well-behaved, nothing violent, silk! I cheated, I cheated a lot..."

It cannot be said, however, that the nature of our hero was so harsh and callous and his feelings were so dulled that he knew neither pity nor compassion; he felt both, he would even like to help, but only so that it would not be a significant amount, so as not to touch the money that should not have been touched; in a word, my father’s instruction: take care and save a penny - it went for future use. But he had no attachment to money itself for money’s sake; he was not possessed by stinginess and stinginess. No, it was not they who moved him: he imagined a life ahead of him in all comforts, with all sorts of prosperity; carriages, a well-appointed house, delicious dinners - that’s what was constantly running through his head. In order to finally, later, in time, definitely taste all this, that’s why the penny was saved, sparingly denied until time, both to oneself and to another. When a rich man rushed past him on a beautiful flying droshky, on trotters in a rich harness, he stopped dead in his tracks and then, waking up, as if after long sleep , said: “But there was a clerk who wore his hair in a circle!” And everything that smacked of wealth and contentment made an impression on him that was incomprehensible to himself. Having left school, he did not even want to rest: his desire was so strong to quickly get down to business and service. However, despite the commendable certificates, it was with great difficulty that he decided to join the government chamber. And in distant outbacks protection is needed! He got an insignificant place, a salary of thirty or forty rubles a year. But he decided to get busy in his service, to conquer and overcome everything. And indeed, he showed unheard-of self-sacrifice, patience and limitation of needs. From early morning until late evening, without getting tired either mentally or physically, he wrote, completely bogged down in stationery papers, did not go home, slept in the office rooms on tables, sometimes dined with the guards and with all this knew how to maintain neatness and dress decently , give your face a pleasant expression and even something noble in your movements. It must be said that the chamber officials were especially distinguished by their homeliness and ugliness. Some had faces like poorly baked bread: the cheek was swollen in one direction, the chin was sloping in the other, the upper lip was raised into a bubble, which in addition was cracked; in a word, completely ugly. They all spoke somehow sternly, in a voice as if they were going to kill someone; made frequent sacrifices to Bacchus, thus showing that in Slavic nature there are still many remnants of paganism; They even sometimes came into the presence, as they say, drunk, which is why it was not good to be in the presence and the air was not at all aromatic. Among such officials, Chichikov could not help but be noticed and distinguished, presenting a complete contrast in everything with his somber face, the friendliness of his voice, and his complete non-drinking of any strong drinks. But despite all this, his road was difficult; he fell under the command of an already elderly police officer, who was the image of some kind of stony insensibility and unshakeability: always the same, unapproachable, never in his life showing a smile on his face, never greeting anyone even with a request for health. No one had ever seen him be anything other than what he always was, whether on the street or at home; at least once he showed his participation in something, even if he got drunk and laughed while drunk; even if he indulged in the wild joy that a robber indulges in during a drunken moment, there was not even a shadow of anything like that in him. There was absolutely nothing in him: neither villainous nor good, and something terrible appeared in this absence of everything. His callous, marble face, without any sharp irregularity, did not hint at any resemblance; his features were in stern proportionality with each other. Only the frequent rowan trees and potholes that punctured them ranked him among those faces on which, according to popular expression, the devil came to thresh peas at night. It seemed that there was no human strength to approach such a person and attract his favor, but Chichikov tried. At first, he began to please in all sorts of unnoticeable details: he carefully examined the mending of the feathers with which he wrote, and, having prepared several according to their model, placed them under his hand every time; blew sand and tobacco off his table; got a new rag for his inkwell; I found his hat somewhere, the worst hat that had ever existed in the world, and every time I placed it next to him a minute before the end of his presence; cleaned his back if he stained it with chalk against the wall - but all this remained absolutely without any notice, as if none of this had happened or been done. Finally, he sniffed out his home, family life, learned that he had a mature daughter, with a face that also looked like it was threshing peas at night. It was from this side that he came up with the idea to launch an attack. He found out which church she came to on Sundays, stood opposite her every time, cleanly dressed, with a very starched shirtfront - and the matter was a success: the stern police officer staggered and invited him to tea! And before the office had time to look back, things had worked out in such a way that Chichikov moved into his house, became necessary and necessary person, bought flour and sugar, treated his daughter like a bride, called the police officer daddy and kissed his hand; Everyone in the ward decided that there would be a wedding at the end of February before Lent. The stern police officer even began to lobby his superiors for him, and after a while Chichikov himself became a police officer in one vacant position that had opened up. This, it seemed, was the main purpose of his connections with the old police officer, because he immediately sent his chest secretly home and the next day he found himself in another apartment. The police officer stopped calling him daddy and no longer kissed his hand, and the matter of the wedding was hushed up, as if nothing had happened at all. However, when meeting him, he always affectionately shook his hand and invited him to tea, so that the old police officer, despite his eternal immobility and callous indifference, shook his head every time and said under his breath: “You cheated, you cheated, you damn son !

This was the most difficult threshold he crossed. From then on things went easier and more successfully. He became a noticeable person. Everything turned out to be in him that is needed for this world: pleasantness in turns and actions, and agility in business affairs. With such funds, he obtained in a short time what is called a grain place, and took advantage of it in an excellent way. You need to know that at the same time the strictest persecution of all bribes began; He was not afraid of persecution and immediately turned it to his advantage, thus showing directly Russian ingenuity, which appears only during pressure. The thing was arranged like this: as soon as the petitioner arrived and put his hand in his pocket in order to pull out the known letters of recommendation signed by Prince Khovansky, as we say in Rus': “No, no,” he said with a smile, holding his hands, “do you think that I... no, no. This is our duty, our responsibility, without any retribution we must do! From this point of view, rest assured: everything will be done tomorrow. Let me find out your apartment, you don’t have to worry about it yourself, everything will be brought to your home.” The enchanted petitioner returned home almost in delight, thinking: “Finally, here is a man like we need more of, this is just a precious diamond!” But the petitioner waits a day, then another, they don’t bring the work to the house, and on the third, too. He went to the office, the matter had not even begun; it is to a precious diamond. “Oh, sorry! - Chichikov said very politely, grabbing him by both hands, - we had so much to do; but tomorrow everything will be done, tomorrow without fail, really, I’m even ashamed!” And all this was accompanied by charming movements. If at the same time the hem of the robe somehow swung open, then the hand at that very moment tried to correct the matter and hold the hem. But neither tomorrow, nor the day after tomorrow, nor on the third day do they bring work home. The petitioner comes to his senses: yes, is there anything? Finds out; they say it should be given to the clerks. “Why not give it? I’m ready for a quarter or another.” - “No, not a quarter, but a white piece.” - “For the little white clerks!” - the petitioner screams. “Why are you so excited? - they answer him, “it will come out like that, the clerks will get a quarter each, and the rest will go to the authorities.” The slow-witted petitioner hits himself on the forehead and scolds the new order of things, the persecution of bribes and the polite, ennobled treatment of officials. Before, at least you knew what to do: you brought a red one to the ruler of affairs, and it’s all in the bag, but now it’s a white one, and you still have to fiddle with it for a week before you figure it out; Damn selflessness and bureaucratic nobility! The petitioner, of course, is right, but now there are no bribe takers: all the rulers of affairs are the most honest and noble people, the secretaries and clerks are only scammers. Chichikov soon presented himself with a much more spacious field: a commission was formed to build some kind of government-owned, very capital building. He joined this commission and turned out to be one of the most active members. The commission immediately got down to business. I spent six years fiddling around the building; but the climate, perhaps, interfered, or the material was already like that, but the government building just couldn’t rise above the foundation. Meanwhile, in other parts of the city each member found himself with beautiful home civil architecture: apparently, the soil was better there. The members were already beginning to prosper and began to start families. Only then and only now did Chichikov begin to gradually extricate himself from the harsh laws of abstinence and his inexorable self-sacrifice. Only here the long-term fast was finally relaxed, and it turned out that he had always been no stranger to various pleasures, from which he knew how to resist in the years of ardent youth, when no person has complete control over himself. There were some extravagances: he hired a pretty good cook, thin Dutch shirts. He already bought himself some cloth that the whole province did not wear, and from then on he began to stick to more brown and reddish colors with a spark; he had already acquired an excellent pair and was holding one rein himself, causing the tie to curl in a ring; he had already started the custom of wiping himself with a sponge soaked in water mixed with cologne; He had already bought some very expensive soap to make his skin smooth, already...

But suddenly a new boss was sent to replace the old mattress, a military man, strict, an enemy of bribe-takers and everything that is called untruth. The next day he scared every single one of them, demanded reports, saw shortcomings, missing amounts at every step, noticed at that very moment houses of beautiful civil architecture, and the bulkhead began. The officials were removed from office; houses of civil architecture went to the treasury and were turned into various charitable institutions and schools for cantonists, everything was fluffed up, and Chichikov more than others. Suddenly, despite his pleasantness, the boss didn’t like his face, God knows why, sometimes there’s simply no reason for it, and he hated him to death. And the inexorable boss was very menacing to everyone. But since he was still a military man, and therefore did not know all the subtleties of civilian tricks, after a while, through a truthful appearance and the ability to fake everything, other officials ingratiated themselves into his favor, and the general soon found himself in the hands of even greater swindlers, whom he did not at all regard as such; He was even pleased that he had finally chosen people properly, and boasted seriously of his subtle ability to distinguish abilities. The officials suddenly understood his spirit and character. Everything that was under his command became terrible persecutors of untruth; everywhere, in all matters, they pursued her, like a fisherman with a spear pursues some fleshy beluga, and they pursued her with such success that soon each of them ended up with several thousand in capital. At this time, many of the former officials turned to the path of truth and were re-employed. But Chichikov was in no way able to get in, no matter how hard the first general secretary, instigated by letters from Prince Khovansky, tried and stood for him, who had completely mastered the management of the general’s nose, but here he absolutely could not do anything. The general was the kind of man who, although he was led by the nose (without his knowledge, however), if any thought got into his head, it was there like an iron nail: nothing could be done to get it out of there. . All that the smart secretary could do was to destroy the stained record, and he moved the boss to do this only with compassion, depicting to him in vivid colors the touching fate of the unfortunate Chichikov family, which, fortunately, he did not have.

"Well! - said Chichikov, - he caught it - he dragged it, it fell off - don’t ask. Crying won’t help your grief, you have to do something.” And so he decided to start his career again, to arm himself with patience again, to limit himself again in everything, no matter how freely and well he had turned around before. I had to move to another city and get myself known there. Everything somehow didn’t go well. He had to change two or three positions in a very short time. The positions were somehow dirty and base. You need to know that Chichikov was the most decent person who has ever existed in the world. Although at first he had to wear himself out in dirty society, he always maintained purity in his soul, he loved that his offices had tables made of varnished wood and that everything was noble. He never allowed himself an indecent word in his speech and was always offended if in the words of others he saw a lack of due respect for rank or title. The reader, I think, will be pleased to know that he changed his underwear every two days, and in the summer, during hot weather, even every day: any unpleasant smell offended him. For this reason, every time Petrushka came to undress him and take off his boots, he put a clove in his nose, and in many cases his nerves were as ticklish as a girl’s; and therefore it was hard for him to find himself again in those ranks where everything smacked of foam and indecency in actions. No matter how strong he was in spirit, he lost weight and even turned green during such adversity. He was already beginning to gain weight and take on those round and decent forms in which the reader found him when he made his acquaintance, and more than once, looking in the mirror, he thought about many pleasant things: about a woman, about a child, and a smile followed such thoughts; but now, when he somehow inadvertently looked at himself in the mirror, he could not help but cry out: “You are my most holy mother! How disgusting I have become!” And after that I didn’t want to look for a long time. But our hero endured everything, endured it strongly, endured it patiently, and finally transferred to the customs service. It must be said that this service had long been a secret subject of his thoughts. He saw what dandy foreign things the customs officials had, what porcelains and cambrics they sent to gossips, aunts and sisters. More than once, long ago, he said with a sigh: “I wish I could move somewhere: the border is close, and enlightened people, and what thin Dutch shirts you can get!” It should be added that at the same time he was also thinking about a special type of French soap, which imparted extraordinary whiteness to the skin and freshness to the cheeks; God knows what it was called, but, according to his assumptions, it was certainly located on the border. So, he would have long wanted to go to the customs office, but the current various benefits for the construction commission were withheld, and he reasoned correctly that the customs office, be that as it may, was still nothing more than a pie in the sky, and the commission was already a bird in its hands. Now he decided to get to customs at any cost, and he got there. He began his service with extraordinary zeal. It seemed that fate itself had destined him to be a customs official. Such efficiency, insight and foresight was not only unseen, but even unheard of. In three or four weeks he had already become so skilled in customs affairs that he knew absolutely everything: he didn’t even weigh or measure, but by the texture he knew how many arshins of cloth or other material there were in a piece; taking the bundle in his hand, he could suddenly tell how many pounds it contained. As for searches, here, as even his comrades themselves put it, he simply had a dog’s instinct: one could not help but be amazed to see how he had so much patience to feel every button, and all this was done with deadly composure, polite incredibly. And at a time when those being searched were furious, lost their temper and felt an evil urge to beat up his pleasant appearance with clicks, he, without changing either in his face or in his polite actions, said only: “Would you like to worry a little and get up?” Or: “Would you like, madam, to be welcomed into another room? there the wife of one of our officials will explain to you.” Or: “Let me, with a knife, I’ll rip open the lining of your overcoat a little,” and, saying this, he would pull out shawls and scarves from there, calmly, as if from his own chest. Even the authorities explained that it was a devil, not a man: he was looking in wheels, drawbars, horse ears and who knows what places, where no author would ever think of going and where only customs officials are allowed to go. So the poor traveler, who had crossed the border, still could not come to his senses for several minutes and, wiping off the sweat that appeared in small rashes all over his body, only crossed himself and said: “Well, well!” His position was very similar to that of a schoolboy running out of secret room , where the boss called him in order to give some instruction, but instead he was flogged in a completely unexpected way. For a short time there was no profit from him for the smugglers. It was a thunderstorm and despair of all Polish Judaism. His honesty and incorruptibility were irresistible, almost unnatural. He didn’t even make up a small capital for himself from various confiscated goods and selected little things that were not included in the treasury in order to avoid unnecessary correspondence. Such zealous and selfless service could not help but become the subject of general surprise and finally come to the attention of the authorities. He received a rank and promotion, and after that he presented a project to catch all the smugglers, asking only for the means to carry it out himself. He was immediately given the command and the unlimited right to carry out all sorts of searches. That's all he wanted. At that time, a strong society of smugglers was formed in a deliberate and correct manner; The daring enterprise promised benefits worth millions. He had already had information about him for a long time and even refused to bribe those sent, saying dryly: “It’s not the time yet.” Having received everything at his disposal, he immediately let the public know, saying: “Now it’s time.” The calculation was too correct. Here, in one year, he could receive something that he would not have won in twenty years of the most zealous service. Previously, he did not want to enter into any relations with them, because he was nothing more than a simple pawn, therefore, he would not have received much; but now... now it’s a completely different matter: he could offer any conditions he wanted. To make things go more smoothly, he persuaded another official, his comrade, who could not resist the temptation, despite the fact that he was gray. The terms were concluded, and the society began to act. The action began brilliantly: the reader, no doubt, has heard the so often repeated story of the ingenious journey of the Spanish rams, who, having crossed the border in double sheepskin coats, carried under their sheepskin coats a million worth of Brabant lace. This incident happened precisely when Chichikov was serving at customs. If he himself had not participated in this enterprise, no Jews in the world would have been able to carry out such a task. After three or four sheep trips across the border, both officials ended up with four hundred thousand in capital. Chichikov, they say, even exceeded five hundred, because he was smarter. God knows to what enormous figure the blessed sums would have increased if some difficult beast had not run across everything. The devil confused both officials; the officials, to put it simply, went crazy and quarreled over nothing. Once, in a heated conversation, and perhaps after drinking a little, Chichikov called another official a popovich, and he, although he really was a popovich, for some unknown reason was cruelly offended and immediately answered him strongly and unusually sharply, exactly like this: “No, You’re lying, I’m a state councilor, not a priest, but you’re such a priest!” And then he added to spite him to add further annoyance: “Well, that’s it!” Although he shaved it off in this way, turning the name he gave on it, and although the expression “that’s what!” It could have been strong, but, dissatisfied with this, he also sent a secret denunciation against him. However, they say that they already had a quarrel over some woman, fresh and strong, like a vigorous turnip, as the customs officials put it; that people were even bribed to beat our hero in a dark alley in the evening; but that both officials were fools and some staff captain Shamsharev took advantage of the woman. How things actually happened, God only knows; It’s better to let the reader-hunter finish it himself. The main thing is that secret relations with smugglers became obvious. Although the State Councilor himself disappeared, he still killed his comrade. The officials were put on trial, confiscated, everything they had was described, and all of this was suddenly resolved like thunder over their heads. After a while they came to their senses and saw with horror what they had done. The state councilor, according to Russian custom, started drinking out of grief, but the collegiate councilor resisted. He knew how to hide some of the money, no matter how sensitive the sense of smell was to the authorities who came upon the investigation. He used all the subtle twists of a mind that was already too experienced, knowing people too well: where he acted with the pleasantness of turns of phrase, where with a touching speech, where he smoked flattery, in no way spoiling the matter, where he slipped in some money - in a word, he worked the matter out, at least so that he was not dismissed with such dishonor as his comrade, and dodged a criminal trial. But no capital, no various foreign things, nothing was left to him; There were other hunters for all this. He kept tens of thousands, hidden away for a rainy day, and two dozen Dutch shirts, and a small britzka in which bachelors travel, and two serfs, the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka, and the customs officials, moved by the kindness of their hearts, left him five or six bars of soap to keep your cheeks fresh - that's all. So, this is the situation in which our hero once again finds himself! This is the magnitude of disasters that fell on his head! He called it: suffer in service for the truth. Now one could conclude that after such storms, trials, vicissitudes of fate and life's grief, he will retire with the remaining ten thousand of his hard-earned money to some peaceful, out-of-the-way provincial town and there he will be stuck forever in a chintz robe at the window of a low house, sorting out a fight between men on Sundays. appeared in front of the windows, or for refreshment, go to the chicken coop and personally feel the chicken assigned to the soup, and thus spend a quiet, but in its way also useful, century. But that didn't happen. We must do justice to the irresistible force of his character. After all that would have been enough, if not to kill, then to cool and pacify a person forever, the incomprehensible passion in him did not go out. He was in grief, annoyed, grumbled to the whole world, angry at the injustice of fate, indignant at the injustice of people and, however, could not refuse new attempts. In a word, he showed patience, compared to which the wooden patience of a German, already contained in the slow, lazy circulation of his blood, is nothing. Chichikov’s blood, on the contrary, was playing strongly, and it took a lot of reasonable will to put a rein on everything that wanted to jump out and walk free. He reasoned, and in his reasoning a certain side of justice was visible: “Why me? Why did trouble befall me? Who's yawning in office now? - everyone buys. I didn’t make anyone unhappy: I didn’t rob the widow, I didn’t let anyone go around the world, I used the excess, I took where anyone would take; If I hadn't used it, others would have. Why do others prosper, and why should I perish as a worm? So what am I now? Where am I fit? With what eyes will I now look into the eyes of every respectable father of the family? How can I not feel remorse, knowing that I am burdening the earth for nothing, and what will my children say later? So, they will say, father, the brute, did not leave us any fortune!”

It is already known that Chichikov cared greatly about his descendants. Such a sensitive subject! Others, perhaps, would not have sunk their hand so deeply if not for the question that, for some unknown reason, comes by itself: what will the children say? And so the future founder, like a cautious cat, squinting with only one eye to the side to see if the owner is looking from where, hastily grabs everything that is closest to him: whether there is soap, candles, lard, or a canary caught under his paw - in a word, he does not miss anything . So our hero complained and cried, and yet the activity did not die in his head; everyone there wanted to build something and was only waiting for a plan. Again he shrank, again began to lead a difficult life, again limited himself in everything, again from purity and a decent position he sank into dirt and a base life. And in anticipation of the best, I was even forced to take up the title of attorney, a title that had not yet acquired citizenship among us, pushed from all sides, poorly respected by petty officials and even by the trustees themselves, condemned to groveling in front, rudeness, etc., but necessity forced me to decide on All. Of the assignments, he received, by the way, one thing: to arrange for the inclusion of several hundred peasants in the guardianship council. The estate was in complete disarray. It was upset by bestial deaths, rogue clerks, crop failures, widespread diseases that destroyed the best workers, and, finally, by the stupidity of the landowner himself, who cleaned his house in Moscow in the last taste and spent his entire fortune on this cleaning, to the last penny, so that no what was there to eat? For this reason, it was finally necessary to mortgage the last remaining estate. Mortgaging into the treasury was then still a new matter, which was not decided on without fear. Chichikov as an attorney, having first arranged for everyone (without prior arrangement, as is known, even a simple certificate or correction cannot be taken, yet even a bottle of Madeira will have to be poured into every throat), - so, having placed everyone who should be in favor, he explained , that, by the way, this is the circumstance: half of the peasants died out, so that there would be no connections later...

- But they are listed according to the audit fairy tale? - said the secretary.

“They are listed,” answered Chichikov.

- Well, why are you afraid? - said the secretary, - one died, another will be born, but everything is good for business.

The secretary, apparently, knew how to speak in rhyme. Meanwhile, our hero was struck by the most inspired thought that had ever occurred to him. human head. “Oh, I’m Akim-simplicity,” he said to himself, “I’m looking for mittens, and both are in my belt! Yes, if I bought all these people who died out, and have not yet submitted new revision tales, buy them, let’s say, a thousand, yes, let’s say, the guardianship council will give two hundred rubles per head: that’s two hundred thousand for capital! And now the time is convenient, recently there was an epidemic, a lot of people died out, thank God. The landowners gambled away at cards, went on a spree and squandered their money; everyone went to St. Petersburg to serve; the estates are abandoned, managed in a haphazard way, taxes are becoming more difficult to pay every year, so everyone will gladly give them up to me just so as not to pay per capita money for them; Maybe next time it will happen that I’ll make another penny for it. Of course, it’s difficult, troublesome, scary, so that somehow you don’t get it, so that you don’t get stories out of it. Well, after all, man is given a mind for something. And the main thing is that the good thing is that the subject will seem incredible to everyone, no one will believe it. True, without land you can neither buy nor mortgage. Why, I’ll buy for withdrawal, for withdrawal; Now the lands in the Tauride and Kherson provinces are given away for free, just populate them. I will move them all there! to Kherson! let them live there! But resettlement can be done legally, as follows through the courts. If they want to examine the peasants: perhaps I’m not averse to that, so why not? I will also present a certificate signed by the police captain. The village can be called Chichikova Slobodka or by the name given at baptism: the village of Pavlovskoye.” And this is how this strange plot came together in our hero’s head, for which I don’t know whether the readers will be grateful to him, and how grateful the author is, it’s difficult to express. For, no matter what you say, if this thought had not occurred to Chichikov, this poem would not have been born.

Having crossed himself according to Russian custom, he began to perform. Under the guise of choosing a place to live and under other pretexts, he undertook to look into these and other corners of our state, and mainly into those that suffered more than others from accidents, crop failures, deaths, etc., etc. - in a word, wherever it was possible more conveniently and It’s cheaper to buy the people you need. He did not turn at random to every landowner, but chose people more to his taste or those with whom he could make similar transactions with less difficulty, trying first to get to know each other, to win him over, so that, if possible, through friendship rather than purchase men. So, readers should not be indignant at the author if the persons who have appeared so far are not to his taste: this is Chichikov’s fault, here he is the complete master, and wherever he pleases, we must drag ourselves there too. For our part, if, for sure, the blame falls for the pallor and homeliness of faces and characters, we will only say that at first the whole wide flow and scope of the matter is never visible. Entering any city, even the capital, is always somehow pale; at first everything is gray and monotonous: endless plants and factories stretch, covered with smoke, and then the corners of six-story buildings, shops, signs, huge vistas of streets, all in bell towers, columns, statues, towers, with city splendor, noise and thunder and everything , what a marvelous thing the hand and thought of man produced. The reader has already seen how the first purchases were made; How things will go further, what successes and failures the hero will have, how he will have to resolve and overcome more difficult obstacles, how colossal images will appear, how the hidden levers of the broad story will move, how its horizon will be heard in the distance and the whole of it will take on a majestic lyrical flow, we will see later. There is still a long way to go for the entire traveling crew, consisting of a middle-aged gentleman, a britzka in which bachelors ride, a footman Petrushka, a coachman Selifan and a trio of horses, already known by name from the Assessor to the black-haired scoundrel. So, here is our hero as he is! But they will perhaps require a final definition in one line: who is he in relation to moral qualities? That he is not a hero, full of perfections and virtues, is clear. Who is he? So he's a scoundrel? Why a scoundrel, why be so strict with others? Nowadays we don’t have scoundrels, we have well-intentioned, pleasant people, and only two or three people would be found who would expose their physiognomy to public disgrace and be slapped in the face in public, and even those are now talking about virtue. It is fairer to call him: owner, acquirer. Acquisition is the fault of everything; because of him, deeds were carried out that the world calls not very pure. True, there is already something repulsive in such a character, and the same reader who on his life’s path will be friends with such a person, will take bread and salt with him and spend a pleasant time, will begin to look askance at him if he turns out to be a hero dramas or poems. But he is wise who does not disdain any character, but, fixing an inquiring gaze on it, probes it to its original causes. Everything quickly turns into a person; Before you have time to look back, a terrible worm has already grown inside, autocratically turning all the vital juices to itself. And more than once not only a broad passion, but an insignificant passion for something small grew in one born to the best deeds, forced him to forget great and holy duties and see great and holy things in insignificant trinkets. Countless, like the sands of the sea, are human passions, and all are different from one another, and all of them, low and beautiful, are at first submissive to man and then become his terrible rulers. Blessed is he who has chosen for himself the most beautiful passion of all; His immeasurable bliss grows and increases tenfold with every hour and minute, and he enters deeper and deeper into the endless paradise of his soul. But there are passions whose election is not of man. They were already born with him at the moment of his birth into the world, and he was not given the strength to deviate from them. They are guided by higher inscriptions, and there is something eternally calling in them, incessant throughout life. They are destined to perform a great earthly mission: it doesn’t matter whether in a dark image or to sweep through with a bright phenomenon that will rejoice the world - they are equally called for a good unknown to man. And, perhaps, in this same Chichikov, the passion that attracts him is no longer from him, and in his cold existence lies what will later drive a person to dust and to his knees before the wisdom of heaven. And it’s also a mystery why this image appeared in the poem that is now coming to light.

But it’s not that it’s hard that they will be dissatisfied with the hero, it’s hard that there is an irresistible confidence in the soul that readers would be happy with the same hero, the same Chichikov. Do not the author look deeper into his soul, do not stir at the bottom of it that which escapes and hides from the light, do not discover the innermost thoughts that a person does not entrust to anyone else, but show him the way he appeared to the whole city, Manilov and other people, and everyone would be happy and take him for interesting person. There is no need that neither his face nor his whole image darted as if alive before his eyes; but at the end of reading, the soul is not alarmed by anything, and you can turn again to the card table, which amuses all of Russia. Yes, my good readers, you would not like to see human poverty revealed. Why, you say, what is this for? Don’t we ourselves know that there is much that is despicable and stupid in life? Even without that, we often see things that are not at all comforting. It’s better to present us with something beautiful and exciting. Let us better forget! “Why are you, brother, telling me that things are going badly on the farm? - the landowner says to the clerk. - I, brother, know this without you, but don’t you have other speeches, or what? You let me forget this, don’t know this, then I’ll be happy.” And so the money that would improve things to some extent goes to various means to bring oneself into oblivion. The mind sleeps, perhaps finding a sudden spring of great means; and there the estate went up for auction, and the landowner went to wander around the world with a soul, out of extremity, ready for baseness, which he himself would have been horrified by before.

The author will also be accused by the so-called patriots, who quietly sit in their corners and engage in completely unrelated matters, accumulating capital for themselves, arranging their fate at the expense of others; but as soon as something happens that, in their opinion, is offensive to the fatherland, some book appears in which sometimes the bitter truth will be revealed, they will run out from all corners, like spiders who see that a fly has become entangled in a web, and suddenly start screaming : “Is it good to bring this to light, to proclaim it? After all, everything that is described here is all ours - is it good? What will foreigners say? Is it fun to hear bad opinions about yourself? They think, doesn't it hurt? They think, aren’t we patriots?” To such wise remarks, especially about the opinions of foreigners, I admit, nothing can be taken away in response. But here's what: two inhabitants lived in one remote corner of Russia. One was the father of the family, named Kifa Mokievich, a man of meek disposition, who spent his life in a negligent manner. He did not take care of his family; his existence was turned to a more speculative side and occupied with the following, as he called it, philosophical question: “For example, a beast,” he said, walking around the room, “a beast will be born naked. Why exactly naked? Why not like a bird, why doesn't it hatch from an egg? How, really, this: you won’t understand nature at all, no matter how deep you go into it!” This is how the resident Kifa Mokievich thought. But this is not the main point. Another inhabitant was Mokiy Kifovich, native son his. He was what is called a hero in Rus', and while his father was busy giving birth to the beast, his twenty-year-old broad-shouldered nature was trying to unfold. He could never grasp anything lightly: either someone’s hand would crack, or a blister would pop up on someone’s nose. In the house and in the neighborhood, everything, from the yard girl to the yard dog, ran away when they saw him; He even broke his own bed in the bedroom into pieces. Such was Mokiy Kifovich, but by the way, he was a kind soul. But this is not the main point. And the main thing is this: “Have mercy, father master, Kifa Mokievich,” both his own and others’ servants said to his father, “what kind of Moky Kifovich do you have? No one has any peace from him, he’s so confined! “Yes, he’s playful, he’s playful,” my father usually said to this, “but what can I do: it’s too late to fight him, and everyone will accuse me of cruelty; and he is an ambitious man, reproach him in front of another or another, he will calm down, but publicity is a disaster! The city will find out and call him a complete dog. What, really, they think, isn’t it painful for me? Am I not the father? Because I study philosophy and sometimes don’t have time, so I’m not a father? but no, father! father, damn them, father! Mokiy Kifovich sits right here in my heart! “Here Kifa Mokievich beat himself very hard in the chest with his fist and became completely excited. “If he remains a dog, then let them not find out about it from me, let it not be me who gave him away.” And, showing such a fatherly feeling, he left Mokiy Kifovich to continue his heroic exploits, and he himself turned again to his favorite subject, suddenly asking himself some similar question: “Well, if an elephant was born in an egg, after all, the shell, tea, would greatly it was thick, you couldn’t hit it with a gun; we need to invent some new firearm." This is how two inhabitants of a peaceful corner spent their lives, who unexpectedly, as if from a window, looked out at the end of our poem, looked out in order to respond modestly to the accusation from some ardent patriots, until time calmly engaged in some philosophy or increments on the account of sums tenderly their beloved fatherland, thinking not about not doing bad, but about not saying that they are doing bad. But no, it is not patriotism or the first feeling that are the reasons for the accusations; another is hidden under them. Why hide the word? Who, if not the author, should tell the holy truth? You are afraid of a deeply fixed gaze, you are afraid to fix your deep gaze on something, you like to glide over everything with unthinking eyes. You will even laugh heartily at Chichikov, maybe even praise the author, say: “However, he cleverly noticed something, he must be a cheerful person!” And after such words, turn to yourself with doubled pride, a self-satisfied smile will appear on your face, and you will add: “But I must agree, there are strange and ridiculous people in some provinces, and quite a few scoundrels at that!” And which of you, full of Christian humility, not publicly, but in silence, alone, in moments of solitary conversations with yourself, will deepen this difficult question into the interior of your own soul: “Isn’t there some part of Chichikov in me too?” Yes, no matter how it is! But if at that time some acquaintance of his, who has a rank neither too high nor too low, passed by him, he would at that very moment push his neighbor’s arm and say to him, almost snorting with laughter: “Look, look, There’s Chichikov, Chichikov is gone!” And then, like a child, forgetting all decency due to knowledge and age, he will run after him, teasing him from behind and saying: “Chichikov! Chichikov! Chichikov!

But we began to speak quite loudly, forgetting that our hero, who had been sleeping throughout the telling of his story, had already woken up and could easily hear his name being repeated so often. He is a touchy person and is dissatisfied if people talk about him disrespectfully. The reader is hesitant whether Chichikov will be angry with him or not, but as for the author, he should under no circumstances quarrel with his hero: they will have to walk quite a long way and road together hand in hand; two large parts in front are not a trifle.

- Ehe-he! what are you doing? - Chichikov said to Selifan, - you?

- Like what? You goose! how are you driving? Come on, touch it!

And in fact, Selifan had been riding for a long time with his eyes closed, occasionally only shaking the reins in his drowsiness on the sides of the horses, who were also dozing; and Petrushka’s cap had long since fallen off in God knows where, and he himself, tipping back, buried his head in Chichikov’s knee, so that he had to give it a click. Selifan perked up and, having spanked the brown-haired man several times on the back, after which he set off at a trot, and waving his whip at everyone from above, said in a thin, melodious voice: “Don’t be afraid!” The horses stirred up and carried the light chaise like feathers. Selifan just waved and shouted: “Eh! eh! eh! - smoothly bouncing on the goats, as the troika either flew up the hill, or rushed in spirit from the hillock, which dotted the entire highway, which was rushing downwards with a barely noticeable roll. Chichikov only smiled, flying up slightly on his leather cushion, for he loved driving fast. And what Russian doesn’t like driving fast? Is it possible for his soul, trying to get dizzy, to go on a spree, to sometimes say: “damn it all!” - Is it his soul not to love her? Isn’t it possible to love her when you hear something enthusiastically wonderful in her? It seems that an unknown force has taken you on its wing, and you yourself are flying, and everything is flying: miles are flying, merchants are flying towards you on the beams of their wagons, a forest is flying on both sides with dark formations of spruces and pines, with a clumsy knock and the cry of a crow, it flies the whole road goes to God knows where into the disappearing distance, and something terrible is contained in this quick flickering, where the disappearing object does not have time to appear - only the sky above your head, and the light clouds, and the rushing month alone seem motionless. Eh, three! bird three, who invented you? to know, you could only have been born among a lively people, in that land that does not like to joke, but has spread out smoothly across half the world, and go ahead and count the miles until it hits your eyes. And not a cunning, it seems, road projectile, not grabbed by an iron screw, but hastily equipped and assembled alive by an efficient Yaroslavl man with only an ax and a chisel. The driver is not wearing German boots: he has a beard and mittens, and sits on God knows what; but he stood up, swung, and began to sing - the horses like a whirlwind, the spokes in the wheels mixed into one smooth circle, only the road trembled, and a pedestrian who stopped screamed in fear - and there she rushed, rushed, rushed!.. And there you can already see in the distance, like something is gathering dust and drilling into the air.

Is it not so for you, Rus', that you are rushing along like a brisk, unstoppable troika? The road beneath you smokes, the bridges rattle, everything falls behind and is left behind. The contemplator, amazed by God's miracle, stopped: was this lightning thrown from the sky? What does this terrifying movement mean? and what kind of unknown power is contained in these horses, unknown to the light? Oh, horses, horses, what kind of horses! Are there whirlwinds in your manes? Is there a sensitive ear burning in every vein of yours? They heard a familiar song from above, together and at once tensed their copper breasts and, almost without touching the ground with their hooves, turned into just elongated lines flying through the air, and all inspired by God rushes!.. Rus', where are you rushing? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer. The bell rings with a wonderful ringing; The air, torn into pieces, thunders and becomes the wind; everything that is on earth flies past, and, looking askance, other peoples and states step aside and give way to it.

The story is about a gentleman whose identity remains a mystery. This man comes to a small town, the name of which the author did not voice, in order to give free rein to the reader’s imagination. The character's name is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. Who he is and why he came is not yet known. The real goal: buying dead souls, peasants. Chapter 1 talks about who Chichikov is and about those who will surround him to carry out his plan.

Our main character developed a good skill: recognizing a person’s strengths and weaknesses. It also adapts well to changing external environment. From chapters 2 to 6, it talks about landowners and their possessions. In the work we learn that one of his friends is a gossip who leads a riotous lifestyle. This terrible man puts Chichikov’s position at risk and after the rapid development of some events, he flees the city. The post-war period is presented in the poem.

Summary of Gogol Dead Souls by chapters

Chapter 1

The beginning takes place in the provincial town of NN, a luxurious bachelor's carriage drove up to the hotel. Nobody paid much attention to the chaise, except for two men who argued about whether the cart wheel could reach Moscow or not. Chichikov was sitting in it, the first thoughts about him were ambiguous. The hotel house looked like an old building with two floors, the first floor was not plastered, the second was painted with yellow copper paint. The decorations are typical, that is, shabby. The main character introduced himself as collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. After the guest was received, his footman Petrusha and servant Selifan (aka coachman) arrived.

It’s lunch time, a curious guest asks the tavern employee questions about local authorities, significant persons, landowners, and the state of the region (diseases and epidemics). He leaves the task to the interlocutor to notify the police about his arrival, supporting a paper with the text: “Collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov.” The hero of the novel goes to inspect the territory and is satisfied. He drew attention to the incorrect information posted in the newspaper about the state of the park and its current situation. Afterwards the gentleman returned to the room, had dinner and fell asleep.

The next day was devoted to visits to people in society. Pavel quickly realized to whom and how to present flattering speeches, but tactfully kept silent about himself. At a party with the governor, he made acquaintance with Sobakevich Mikhail Semenovich and Manilov, simultaneously asking them questions about possessions and serfs, and specifically, he wanted to know who had what number of souls. Chichikov received many invitations and attended each one, finding connections. Many began to speak well of him, until one passage led everyone to bewilderment.

Chapter 2

Lackey Petrusha is silent, he loved to read books of different genres. He also had a peculiarity: sleeping in clothes. Now back to the well-known main character, he finally decided to go with Manilov. The village, as the owner initially said, is 15 versts (16,002 km), but this turned out not to be the case. The estate stood on a hill, blown by the winds, a pitiful sight. The owner happily greeted the traveler. The head of the family did not take care of the estate, but indulged in thoughts and dreams. He considered his wife a wonderful match.

Both are slackers: the pantries are empty, the kitchen masters are disorganized, the housekeeper steals, the servants are always drunk and unclean. The couple was capable of long kisses. At dinner, compliments were exchanged, and the manager's children showed off their knowledge of geography. The time has come to resolve matters. The hero was able to convince the owner to make a deal in which dead people were listed as alive on the audit paper. Manilov decided to give Chichikov dead souls. When Pavel left, he sat on his porch for a long time and thoughtfully smoked his pipe. He thought that they would now become good friends, even dreamed that for their friendship they would receive a reward from the king himself.

Chapter 3

Pavel Ivanovich was in a great mood. Maybe that’s why he didn’t notice that Selifan wasn’t watching the road because he was drunk. It began to rain. Their chaise overturned, and the main character fell into the mud. Somehow, as darkness fell, Selifan and Pavel came across the estate and were allowed to spend the night. The inside of the rooms indicated that the housewives were the type who lamented about the lack of money and harvest, while they themselves put money aside in secluded places. The hostess gave the impression that she was very thrifty.

Waking up in the morning, the vigilant worker studies the yard in detail: there are a lot of poultry and livestock, the peasants’ houses are in good condition. Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka (the lady) invites him to the table. Chichikov invited her to conclude an agreement regarding deceased souls, the landowner was confused. Then she began to introduce hemp, flax and even bird feathers to everything. Agreement has been reached. Everything turned out to be goods. The traveler hurried to leave, because he could no longer tolerate the landowner. A girl accompanied them, she showed them how to get onto the main road and returned. A tavern appeared on the pavement.

Chapter 4

It was a simple tavern, with a standard menu. The staff were asked Peter’s natural questions: how long has the establishment been operating, what is the business of the landowners. Fortunately for Pavel, the owner of the inn knew a lot and gladly shared everything with him. Nozdryov arrived in the dining room. He shares his events: he was with his son-in-law at the fair and lost all the money, things and four horses. Nothing upsets him. There is a bad opinion about him: flaws in his upbringing, a tendency to lie.

The marriage did not affect him; unfortunately, his wife died, leaving two children who were not cared for. A gambling person, dishonest in the game, he was often subjected to assault. A visionary, disgusting in everything. The impudent man invited Chichikov to his place for lunch and he gave a positive answer. The tour of the estate, as well as the lunch itself, caused outrage. The main character set the goal of the deal. It all ended in a quarrel. He slept badly at a party. In the morning the swindler invited the hero to play checkers for a deal. It would have come to a fight if the police captain had not come with the news that Nozdryov was under investigation until the circumstances were clarified. The guest ran away and ordered the servant to drive the horses quickly.

Chapter 5

On the way to Sobakevich, Pavel Chichikov collided with a carriage drawn by 6 horses. The teams were very confused. Everyone who was close was in no hurry to help. She was sitting in a stroller elderly woman and a young girl with blond hair. Chichikov was fascinated by the beautiful stranger. When they parted, he thought about her for a long time, until the estate that interested him appeared. An estate surrounded by forest, with strong buildings of ambiguous architecture.

The owner looked like a bear, as he was strongly built. His house had massive furniture and paintings depicting strong commanders. It was not easy to start a conversation even at lunch hour: Chichikov began to carry on his flattering conversations, and Mikhail started talking about how everyone was a swindler and mentioned a certain man named Plyushkin, whose peasants were dying. After the meal, the auction of dead souls opened, and the main character had to compromise. The city decided to carry out the deal. He, of course, was dissatisfied that the owner asked too much for one soul. When Pavel left, he managed to find out where the cruel holder of souls lived.

Chapter 6

The hero entered a vast village from a log road. This road was unsafe: old wood, ready to fall apart under the weight. Everything was in a state of disrepair: boarded-up windows of the houses, crumbling plaster, an overgrown and dried-out garden, and poverty was felt everywhere. The landowner outwardly resembled the housekeeper, he had neglected himself so outwardly. The owner can be described as follows: small shifty eyes, greasy torn clothes, a strange bandage around his neck. It's like a man begging for alms. Cold and hunger wafted from everywhere. It was impossible to be in the house: complete chaos, a lot of unnecessary furniture, flies floating in containers, a huge collection of dust in all corners. But in fact, he has more reserves of provisions, dishes and other goods that were lost due to the greed of his owner.

Once everything flourished, he had a wife, two daughters, a son, a French teacher, and a governess. But his wife died, the landowner began to harbor anxiety and greed. The eldest daughter secretly married an officer and ran away, the receiver went into service without receiving anything from his father, the youngest daughter died. Bread and hay were rotting in the merchant's barns, but he did not agree to sell. The heiress came to him with her grandchildren and left with nothing. Also, having lost at cards, the son asked for money and was refused.

Plyushkin's stinginess knew no bounds; he complained to Chichikov about his poverty. As a result, Plyushkin sold our master 120 dead souls and seventy runaway peasants at 32 kopecks per one. Both felt happy.

Chapter 7

The present day was declared by the main character to be a notary. He saw that he already had 400 souls, and he also noticed Sobakevich on the list female name, thinking that he was unimaginably dishonest. The character went to the ward, completed all the documents and began to bear the title of Kherson landowner. This was celebrated with a festive table with wines and snacks.

Everyone said toasts and someone hinted at marriage, which, due to the naturalness of the situation, the new merchant was happy about. They didn’t let him go for a long time and asked him to stay in the city as long as possible. The feast ended like this: the satisfied owner returned to his chambers, and the residents went to bed.

Chapter 8

The conversations of local residents were only about the purchase of Chichikov. Everyone admired him. The townspeople were even worried about the outbreak of a riot in the new estate, but the master reassured them that the peasants were calm. There were rumors about Chichikov's million-dollar fortune. The ladies especially paid attention to this. Suddenly, merchants began to trade in expensive fabrics well. The newly-minted hero was glad to receive a letter with love confessions and poems. He was delighted when he was invited to an evening reception with the governor.

At a party, he caused a storm of emotions among the ladies: they surrounded him on all sides so much that he forgot to greet the hostess of the event. The character wanted to find the writer of the letter, but in vain. When he realized that he was acting indecently, he hurried to the governor’s wife and was confused when he saw with her the beautiful blonde whom he had met on the road. It was the owners' daughter, recently graduated from college. Our hero fell out of his rut ​​and lost interest in other ladies, which caused their discontent and aggression towards the young lady.

Everything was spoiled by the appearance of Nozdryov; he began to speak loudly about Pavel’s dishonorable deeds. This spoiled the mood and caused the hero’s quick departure. The appearance of a college secretary, a lady with the last name Korobochka, in the city had a bad effect; she wanted to find out the real price of dead souls, because she was afraid that she had sold too cheap.

Chapter 9

The next morning, the college secretary said that Pavel Ivanovich bought the souls of deceased peasants from her.
Two women were discussing the latest news. One of them shared the news that Chichikov came to a landowner named Korobochka and demanded that she sell the souls of those who had already died. Another lady reported that her husband heard similar information from Mr. Nozdryov.

They began to reason about why the newly minted landowner needed such deals. Their thoughts ended with the following: the master truly pursues the goal of kidnapping the governor’s daughter, and the irresponsible Nozdryov will assist him, and the matter with the departed souls of the peasants is fiction. During their arguments, the prosecutor appeared, the ladies told him their assumptions. Leaving the prosecutor alone with his thoughts, the two persons headed into the city, spreading gossip and hypotheses behind them. Soon the whole city was stunned. Due to the long absence of interesting events, everyone paid attention to the news. There was even a rumor that Chichikov left his wife and walked at night with the governor’s daughter.

Two sides emerged: women and men. The women talked only about the impending theft of the governor's daughter, and the men about the incredible deal. As a result, the governor’s wife interrogated her daughter, but she cried and did not understand what she was accused of. At the same time, some strange stories came to light, in which Chichikov began to be suspected. Then the governor received a document that spoke of a fugitive criminal. Everyone wanted to know who this gentleman really was and decided to look for the answer from the police chief.

Chapter 10 summary Gogol Dead Souls

When all the officials, exhausted by fears, gathered at the appointed place, many began to voice assumptions about who our hero was. One said that the character is none other than a distributor of counterfeit money. And later he stipulated that this might be a lie. Another suggested that he was an official, the Governor-General of the Chancellery. And the next comment refuted the previous one on its own. Nobody liked the idea that he was a common criminal. Then it dawned on one postmaster, he shouted that it was Mr. Kopeikin and began to tell a story about him. The Tale of Captain Kopeikin said this:

“After the war with Napoleon, a wounded captain with the surname Kopeikin was sent. No one knew exactly, under such circumstances he lost his limbs: an arm and a leg, and after which he became a hopeless invalid. The captain was left with his left hand, and it was unclear how he could earn a living. He went to the reception at the commission. When he finally got into the office, he was asked a question about what brought him here, he replied that while shedding blood for his homeland, he lost an arm and a leg, and could not earn a living, and from the commission he wanted to ask the king’s favor. The activist said that the captain would come in 2 days.

When he returned after 3-4 days, the captain was told the following: he needed to wait until the sovereign arrived in St. Petersburg. Kopeikin had no money left, and, in despair, the captain decided to take a rude step; he burst into the office and began to scream. The minister got angry, called the appropriate people, and the captain was taken out of the capital. No one knows what his fate would be like next. It is only known that a gang was organized in those parts, the leader of which is supposedly Kopeikin.” Everyone rejected this strange version, because our hero’s limbs were intact.

Officials, to clarify the situation, decided to invite Nozdryov, knowing that he constantly lies. He contributed to the story and said that Chichikov was a spy, a distributor of counterfeit banknotes and the kidnapper of the governor's daughter. All this news affected the prosecutor so much that upon arriving home he died.

Our main character knew nothing about this. He was in his room, cold and suffering from flux. He was surprised that everyone ignored him. As soon as the main character feels better, he comes to the conclusion that it is time to pay visits to officials. But everyone refused to accept him and talk to him, without explaining the reasons. In the evening, Nozdryov comes to the landowner and talks about his involvement in counterfeit money and the failed kidnapping of a young lady. And also, according to the public, it is his fault that the prosecutor dies and a new governor-general comes to their city. Peter got scared and sent the narrator out. And he himself ordered Selifan and Petrushka to urgently pack their things and hit the road as soon as dawn broke.

Chapter 11

Everything went against Pavel Chichikov’s plans: he overslept, and the chaise was not ready because it was in a deplorable state. He yelled at his servants, but this did not help the situation. Our character was extremely angry. At the forge they charged him a large fee because they realized that the order was urgent. And the waiting did not bring pleasure. When they finally set off, they met a funeral procession, our character concluded that this was fortunate.

Chichikov's childhood was not the most joyful and carefree. His mother and father belonged to the nobility. Our hero in early age I lost my mother, she died, and my father was sick very often. He used violence against little Pavel and forced him to study. When Pavlusha became older, his dad gave him to a relative living in the city so that he could go to classes at the city school. Instead of money, his father left him an instruction in which he instructed his son to learn to please other people. He still left 50 kopecks with the instructions.

Our little hero I took my father’s words into account with complete seriousness. The educational institution did not arouse interest, but he willingly learned to increase capital. He sold what his comrades treated him to. Once I trained a mouse for two months and also sold it. There was a case when he made a bullfinch from wax and sold it just as successfully. Pavel's teacher valued the good behavior of his students, and therefore our hero, having graduated from the educational institution and received a certificate, received a reward in the form of a book with golden letters. At this time, Chichikov's father dies. After his death, he left Pavel 4 frock coats, 2 sweatshirts and a small sum of money. Our hero sold their old house for 1 thousand rubles, and redirected their family to serfs. Finally, Pavel Ivanovich learns the story of his teacher: he was expelled from an educational institution and, out of grief, the teacher begins to abuse alcohol. Those with whom he taught helped him, but our character cited a lack of money; he allocated only five kopecks.

Comrades educational institution This disrespectful help was immediately thrown away. When the teacher learned about these events, he cried for a long time. This is where our hero’s military service begins. After all, he wants to live expensively, have a big house and a personal carriage. But everywhere you need acquaintances in high social circles. He got a position with a small annual salary of 30 or 40 rubles. He always tried to look good, he did it perfectly, especially considering the fact that his colleagues had an unkempt appearance. Chichikov tried in every possible way to attract the attention of the boss, but he was indifferent to our hero. Until the main character found the weak point of the authorities, and his weakness is that his already mature and unattractive daughter is still alone. Pavel began to show her signs of attention:

stood next to her whenever possible. Then he was invited to visit for tea, and after a short time he was received in the house as a groom. After a while, the place of the head of office work in the order became vacant in the ward, Chichikov took this position. As soon as he moved up the career ladder, a chest with the things of the prospective groom disappeared from the bride's house, he ran away and stopped calling his boss daddy. Despite all this, he smiled affectionately at his failed father-in-law and invited him to visit him when he met him. The boss remained with the honest understanding that he had been vilely and skillfully deceived.

According to Chichikov, he did the most difficult thing. In a new place, the main character began to fight against those officials who accept material assets from someone, while he himself turned out to be the one who accepts bribes on a large scale. A project to build a building for the state began, Chichikov took part in this project. For 6 long years, only the foundation of the building was built, while the members of the commission added to their property an elegant building of high architectural value.

Pavel Petrovich began to pamper himself with expensive things: thin Dutch shirts, thoroughbred horses and many other little things. Finally, the old boss was replaced by a new one: a military-trained man, honest, decent, a fighter against corruption. This marked the end of Chichikov’s activity; he was forced to flee to another city and start all over again. In a short time, he changed several low positions in a new place, being in a circle of people who did not correspond to his status, so our hero thought. During his troubles, Pavel was a little drained, but the hero dealt with the troubles and got to a new position, he began working at customs. Chichikov’s dream came true; he was full of energy and put all his strength into his new position. Everyone thought that he was an excellent worker, quick-witted and attentive, he often managed to identify smugglers.

Chichikov was a fierce punisher, honest and incorruptible to such an extent that it did not look entirely natural. He was soon noticed by his superiors, the main character was promoted, after which he provided his superiors with a plan to catch all the smugglers. His elaborate plan was approved. Pavel was given full freedom of action in this area. The criminals felt fear, they even formed a criminal group and planned to bribe Pavel Ivanovich, to which he gave them a secret answer, it said that they needed to wait.

The culmination of Chichikov's machinations had come: when, under the guise of Spanish sheep, smugglers smuggled expensive products. Chichikov earned about 500 thousand from a specific fraud, and the criminals earned at least 400 thousand rubles. Being drunk, our main character came into conflict with a man who also took part in the lace fraud. Because of the event, all of Chichikov’s secret affairs with smugglers were revealed. Our indomitable hero was put on trial, everything that belonged to him was confiscated. He lost almost all his money, but he resolved the issue of criminal prosecution in his favor. Again we had to start from the bottom. He was initiated into all matters, and again managed to gain trust. It was in this place that he learned how to make money from dead peasants. He really liked this possible way of earning money.

He figured out how to earn a lot of capital, but realized that he needed land where souls would be located. And this place is Kherson province. And so he chose a convenient place, explored all the intricacies of the matter, found the right people, and gained their trust. Human passions are of different natures. From birth, our hero lived the life that he preferred for himself in the future. His growing up environment was not favorable. Of course, we ourselves have the right to choose what qualities to develop in ourselves. Someone chooses nobility, honor, dignity, someone sets the main goal of building capital, having a foundation under their feet, in the form of material wealth. But, unfortunately, the most important factor in our choice is that much depends on those who have been with the person from the beginning of his life’s journey.

Do not succumb to the weaknesses that drag us down spiritually - this is probably how you can even cope with the pressure of others. Each of us has our own natural essence, and this essence is influenced by culture and worldview. A person has a desire to be human, this is important. Who is Pavel Chichikov for you? Draw your own conclusions. The author showed all the qualities that were in our hero, but imagine that Nikolai Vasilyevich would present the work from a different angle and then you would change your opinion about our hero. Everyone has forgotten that there is no need to be afraid of an honest, direct, open look, there is no need to be afraid to show such a look. After all, it is always easier not to pay attention to this or that action, to forgive someone everything, and to insult someone completely. You should always start your work with yourself, think about how honest you are, do you have responsibility, do you laugh at other people’s failures, do you support a person close to you in moments of his despair, do you have positive traits at all.

Well, our hero safely disappeared into a chaise carried by three horses.

Conclusion

The work “Dead Souls” was published in 1842. The author planned to release three volumes. For some unknown reason, the writer destroyed the second volume, but several chapters were preserved in drafts. The third volume remains at the planning stage, very little is known about it. Work on the poem was carried out in various parts of the world. The plot of the novel was suggested to the author by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

Throughout the work there are comments from the author about how he admires beautiful views homeland and people. The work is considered epic because it touches on everything at once. The novel shows well the human capacity for degradation. Many human shades of character are shown: uncertainty, lack of inner core, stupidity, whim, laziness, greed. Although not all characters were originally like this.

Nothing, however, happened as Chichikov expected. Firstly, he woke up later. It also turned out that the horses needed shoeing, and the chaise required repairs. The blacksmiths whom Selifan brought, realizing that the work was needed in a hurry, charged exactly six times. No matter how excited Chichikov was, calling them swindlers and robbers, they did not yield, and even spent five and a half hours with their work. Finally the chaise was loaded and drove out of the hotel gates. When turning onto one of the streets, the carriage had to stop to let the funeral procession pass; the prosecutor was being buried. Pavel Ivanovich hid in a corner and drew the curtains. Officials followed the coffin. Absorbed in their thoughts, they did not notice Chichikov's stroller. When the road was clear, he ordered to drive faster and meanwhile thought: “It’s good that we met a funeral, they say, fortunately...” Meanwhile, the city was left behind and on both sides of the road they began to write miles, station keepers, wells, carts, gray villages, much more and an endless horizon...

Rus! I see you from my wonderful, beautiful distance... poor, scattered and uncomfortable in you... your low cities stick out inconspicuously among the plains; nothing will seduce or enchant the eye. But what incomprehensible force attracts you? Why is your sad song heard and heard incessantly in our minds? What's in it, in this song? What calls and cries and grabs your heart? What does this vast expanse read? Shouldn't a hero be here when there is room for him to turn around and walk? And the mighty space envelops me menacingly... Ooh! what a sparkling, wonderful, unknown distance to the earth! Rus!..

Hold it, hold it, you fool! - Chichikov shouted to Selifan.

Here I am... - shouted the courier galloping towards him. And, like a ghost, the oncoming trio disappeared into the dust.

God! How beautiful you are sometimes, long, long way! How many times, like someone dying and drowning, have I grabbed onto you, and each time you generously carried me out and saved me!

But let's return to Chichikov. It is very doubtful that our chosen hero will be liked by readers. Probably, it was necessary to take a virtuous man as the hero, but he has already been turned into a horse and there is no writer who would not ride him. No, it’s time to finally hide the scoundrel too!

The origins of our hero are dark and humble. At the beginning, life looked at him somehow sourly and unpleasantly. A small house with small windows that never opened, a father, a sick man, eternal sitting at the table with a pen in hand over the copybooks, eternal teachings: “don’t lie, listen to your elders and carry virtue in your heart.” But in life everything changes. And one day he and his father went to the city. Here he was supposed to live with a relative and attend classes at the city school. The next day, the father left, leaving his son half a copper for expenses and instructions: “Look, Pavlusha, study, don’t be stupid and don’t hang around, but most of all please your teachers and bosses. If you please your boss, then, even though you don’t have time in science and God hasn’t given you talent, you will put everything into action and get ahead of everyone else. Don’t hang out with your comrades, they won’t teach you any good; and if it comes to that, then hang out with those who are richer, so that on occasion they can be useful to you. Don’t treat or treat anyone, but behave better so that you will be treated, and most of all, take care and save a penny: this thing is more reliable than anything in the world. A comrade or friend will deceive you and in trouble will be the first to betray you, but a penny will not betray you, no matter what trouble you are in. You will do everything and ruin everything in the world with a penny.”

At school he did not show any special abilities; he distinguished himself more by his diligence and neatness. But he turned out to have a great mind on the practical side. He behaved in such a way that his comrades treated him, and he not only never, but sometimes even hid the treat and then sold it to them. Of the half ruble left by his father, he not only did not spend a penny, but also increased his capital. He molded a bullfinch from wax, painted it and sold it very profitably. In the class, he sold to those who were richer, edibles bought at the market, and the price depended on the appetite of the buyer. He spent two months training the mouse, and got it to stand up on its hind legs, lie down and get up when ordered, and he also sold it very profitably. When he had five rubles in money, he sewed it into a bag and began saving it in another. In relation to his superiors, he behaved even smarter. During the entire lesson he never moved an eye or an eyebrow. As soon as the bell rang, he was always the first to hand the teacher his hat, the first to leave the classroom and tried to meet him three times along the way, bowing incessantly. Throughout his studies, he was in the best standing and received an excellent certificate. At this time, his father died, who, it turned out, was only knowledgeable in the advice of saving a penny, but did not save it himself. Chichikov decided to stay in the city and take up service. At this time, his teacher was expelled from the school for stupidity or other guilt. The poor teacher started drinking and fell into poverty. Then the former students, whom he mercilessly punished for disobedience and arrogant behavior, collected money for him; Only Pavlusha made the excuse of not having enough and gave a nickel. “Oh, you lived!” - said his comrades and threw him his nickel. The teacher cried when he received the money, and when he learned about Chichikov, he said: “Eh, Pavlusha!.. He cheated, he cheated a lot...”

Despite his excellent certificate, he received an insignificant place in the service, and he ended up under the command of an elderly official, distinguished by his stony insensitivity and inaccessibility. It seemed that there was no human power to attract his favor. Pavel Ivanovich mended his feathers, swept his desk, got a new rag for his inkwell, put his hat next to him every minute before he left home, cleaned his back if he got dirty on the wall, but everything went unnoticed. Finally, Chichikov caught wind of his mature daughter, with a face that looked like someone had threshed peas. I found out what church she went to, began going there and standing opposite. The old official staggered and invited him to tea. Then Chichikov moved into his house, helped with the housework, treated his daughter like a bride, called the official papa and kissed his hand, everyone decided that there would be a wedding soon. Thanks to Chichikov’s patronage, he received a position equal to “daddy’s.” Immediately after his promotion, Pavel Ivanovich moved to another apartment, he stopped calling the official papa and kissing his hand, and the wedding somehow fell into disarray. All the official could do when meeting Chichikov was to say under his breath: “You cheated, you damn son!”

Having crossed this difficult threshold, Pavel Ivanovich soon got himself what is called a grain place. The matter was handled with Russian ingenuity. No bribes. As soon as the petitioner put his hand in his pocket to take out a letter signed by Prince Khovansky, Pavel Ivanovich, holding him back, said: “No, no, this is our duty, we must do this without any retribution, tomorrow everything will be ready and brought to to your home." The petitioner waits a day, two, three - no one brings him anything. He went to the office - the matter had not even begun. They apologize to him and say: tomorrow everything will definitely be done. But things are not moving either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. The petitioner makes inquiries: it turns out that the clerks need to be given, and a considerable amount at that. The petitioner is surprised: why are there so many clerks? They answer him: the clerks will get what they are entitled to, and everything else will go to the authorities. That's how all the bosses are now the most honest and noble people, only the clerks are scammers. Chichikov joined the commission for the construction of some government-owned building. The commission worked for ten years, but the building never rose above the foundation. But in different parts of the city, the members of the commission found themselves with a beautiful house.

But suddenly a new boss was sent. The next day he demanded reports. Chichikov has lost his place, I am home. I had to move to another city and start all over again. As soon as he managed to enter the customs service, he quickly got used to it and achieved remarkable success, which greatly worried the smugglers. His honesty and incorruptibility were irresistible, almost unnatural. Having received a promotion, Chichikov ensured that he was assigned to catch all the smugglers. Pavel Ivanovich now had the opportunity to dictate his terms to the smugglers and in one year amassed capital that he could not have received in twenty years. God knows how rich Chichikov would have become if he had not quarreled with the official dedicated to him in the business so that it would go unhindered. He sent a denunciation, and the secret relationship with the smugglers became clear. Even though the informer himself disappeared, he still greatly annoyed his comrade. Both officials were put on trial and everything was confiscated. Chichikov with difficulty dodged a criminal trial, but only ten thousand were left of his savings, so, about a rainy day.

Pavel Ivanovich had to start all over again. And he became an intercessor in other people's affairs. It was then that he learned that the bank was issuing a loan secured by the peasants listed in the audit tale. And the idea came to his mind to buy those peasants who died, but were still considered alive, at least a thousand, and pawning them at two hundred rubles per head would turn out to be a solid capital. Having crossed himself, according to Russian custom, he began to fulfill his idea. We already know how the first purchases were made. So, here is our hero in full view, as he is! who is he? So he's a scoundrel? It is fairer to call him: owner, acquirer. And who among you, in moments of solitary conversations with yourself, has not asked yourself a difficult question: “Isn’t there some part of Chichikov in me too?”

But our hero has already woken up and can hear what we are talking about him.

How are you driving? - he said to Selifan. - Come on, touch it!

Selifan waved his whip. The horses stirred up and carried the light chaise like feathers. Chichikov just smiled, flying up slightly on the leather cushion, for he loved driving fast.

And what Russian doesn’t like driving fast? Is it possible for his soul, trying to get dizzy, to go on a spree, to sometimes say: “damn it all!” - Is it possible for his soul not to love her?.. It seems that an unknown force has taken you on its wing, and you yourself are flying, and everything is flying... Eh, three! bird three, who invented you? to know, you could only have been born among a lively people, in that land that does not like to joke, but has spread out smoothly across half the world, and go ahead and count the miles until it hits your eyes.

Isn’t it also true for you, Rus', that a brisk, unstoppable troika is rushing?.. Where are you rushing to? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer. The bell rings with a wonderful ringing; The air, torn into pieces, thunders and becomes the wind; everything that is on earth flies past, and, looking sideways, other peoples and states step aside and give way to it.

The poem by the great classic of Russian literature “Dead Souls” represents a man who travels around the Russian land with a strange desire to buy up dead peasants who are listed as alive on paper. In the work there are characters of different characters, classes and virtues. A summary of the poem “Dead Souls” in chapters (a brief retelling) will help you quickly find the necessary pages and events in the text.

Chapter 1

A chaise drives into a city without a name. She is met by men chatting about nothing. They look at the wheel and try to figure out how far it can go. The guest of the city turns out to be Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. He came to the city on business about which there is no exact information - “according to his needs.”

The young landowner has an interesting appearance:

• narrow short trousers made of white rosin fabric;
• fashionable tailcoat;
• pin in the shape of a bronze pistol.

The landowner is distinguished by his innocent dignity; he “blows his nose” loudly, like a trumpet, and those around him are frightened by the sound. Chichikov checked into a hotel, asked about the residents of the city, but did not tell anything about himself. In communication he managed to create the impression of a pleasant guest.

The next day, the city guest spent time on visits. He managed to find a kind word for everyone, flattery penetrated the hearts of the officials. The city started talking about the pleasant man who visited them. Moreover, Chichikov managed to charm not only men, but also women. Pavel Ivanovich was invited by landowners who were in the city on business: Manilov and Sobakevich. At a dinner with the police chief, he met Nozdryov. The hero of the poem managed to make a pleasant impression on everyone, even those who rarely spoke positively about anyone.

Chapter 2

Pavel Ivanovich has been in the city for more than a week. He attended parties, dinners and balls. Chichikov decided to visit the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. The reason for this decision was different. The master had two serfs: Petrushka and Selifan. The first silent reader. He read everything he could get his hands on, in any position. He liked unknown and incomprehensible words. His other passions: sleeping in clothes, preserving his scent. The coachman Selifan was completely different. In the morning we went to Manilov. They looked for the estate for a long time, it turned out to be more than 15 miles away, which the landowner spoke about. The master's house stood open to all winds. The architecture was in the English style, but only vaguely resembled it. Manilov broke into a smile as the guest approached. The owner's character is difficult to describe. The impression changes depending on how close a person gets to him. The landowner has an alluring smile, blond hair and blue eyes. The first impression is that he is a very pleasant man, then his opinion begins to change. They began to get tired of him because they did not hear a single living word. The economy went on by itself. The dreams were absurd and impossible: underground passage, For example. He could read one page for several years in a row. There was not enough furniture. The relationship between wife and husband resembled voluptuous dishes. They kissed and created surprises for each other. They didn't care about anything else. The conversation begins with questions about the residents of the city. Manilov considers everyone to be pleasant people, sweet and kind. The intensifying particle pre- is constantly added to the characteristics: most amiable, most venerable, and others. The conversation turned into an exchange of compliments. The owner had two sons, the names surprised Chichikov: Themistoclus and Alcides. Slowly, but Chichikov decides to ask the owner about the dead on his estate. Manilov did not know how many people died; he ordered the clerk to write down everyone’s names. When the landowner heard about the desire to buy dead souls, he was simply dumbfounded. I couldn’t imagine how to draw up a bill of sale for those who were no longer among the living. Manilov transfers souls for free, even pays the costs of transferring them to Chichikov. The farewell was as sweet as the meeting. Manilov stood on the porch for a long time, following the guest with his gaze, then plunged into daydreaming, but the guest’s strange request did not fit into his head, he turned it over until dinner.

Chapter 3

The hero, in excellent spirits, heads to Sobakevich. The weather turned bad. The rain made the road look like a field. Chichikov realized that they were lost. Just when it seemed that the situation was becoming unbearable, dogs were heard barking and a village appeared. Pavel Ivanovich asked to come into the house. He dreamed only of a warm night's sleep. The hostess did not know anyone whose names the guest mentioned. They straightened out the sofa for him, and he woke up only the next day, quite late. The clothes were cleaned and dried. Chichikov went out to the landlady, he communicated with her more freely than with the previous landowners. The hostess introduced herself as college secretary Korobochka. Pavel Ivanovich finds out if her peasants were dying. The box says there are eighteen people. Chichikov asks to sell them. The woman doesn’t understand, she imagines how the dead are dug out of the ground. The guest calms down and explains the benefits of the deal. The old woman doubts, she never sold the dead. All the arguments about the benefits were clear, but the essence of the deal itself was surprising. Chichikov silently called Korobochka a clubhead, but continued to convince. The old lady decided to wait, in case there were more buyers and prices were higher. The conversation did not work out, Pavel Ivanovich began to swear. He was so excited that sweat was rolling off him in three streams. The box liked the guest's chest, the paper. While the deal was being finalized, pies and other food appeared on the table. homemade food. Chichikov ate pancakes, ordered to lay the chaise and give him a guide. The box gave the girl, but asked not to take her away, otherwise the merchants had already taken one.

Chapter 4

The hero stops at the tavern for lunch. The old woman of the house pleases him by eating pig with horseradish and sour cream. Chichikov asks the woman about her affairs, income, family. The old woman talks about all the local landowners, who eats what. During lunch, two people arrived at the tavern: a blond man and a black man. The blond man was the first to enter the room. The hero had almost begun his acquaintance when the second one appeared. It was Nozdryov. He gave out a ton of information in one minute. He argues with the blond man that he can handle 17 bottles of wine. But he does not agree to the bet. Nozdryov calls Pavel Ivanovich to his place. The servant brought the puppy into the tavern. The owner examined whether there were fleas and ordered to take it back. Chichikov hopes that the losing landowner will sell him the peasants cheaper. The author describes Nozdryov. The appearance of a broken fellow, of which there are many in Rus'. They quickly make friends and become familiar. Nozdryov could not sit at home, his wife quickly died, and a nanny looked after the children. The master constantly got into trouble, but after a while he reappeared in the company of those who beat him. All three carriages drove up to the estate. First, the owner showed the stable, half empty, then the wolf cub, and a pond. Blond doubted everything that Nozdryov said. We came to the kennel. Here the landowner was among his own. He knew each puppy's name. One of the dogs licked Chichikov and immediately spat out of disgust. Nozdryov composed at every step: you can catch hares in the field with your hands, he recently bought timber abroad. After inspecting the property, the men returned to the house. Lunch was not very successful: some things were burnt, others were undercooked. The owner leaned heavily on the wine. The blond son-in-law began to ask to go home. Nozdryov did not want to let him go, but Chichikov supported his desire to leave. The men went into the room, Pavel Ivanovich saw the card in the hands of the owner. He started a conversation about dead souls and asked to donate them. Nozdryov demanded to explain why he needed them, but the guest’s arguments did not satisfy him. Nozdryov called Pavel a fraudster, which greatly offended him. Chichikov proposed a deal, but Nozdryov offers a stallion, a mare and a gray horse. The guest didn’t need any of this. Nozdryov haggles further: dogs, barrel organ. He begins to offer an exchange for a chaise. Trade turns into dispute. The owner's violence frightens the hero; he refuses to drink or play. Nozdryov gets more and more excited, he insults Chichikov and calls him names. Pavel Ivanovich stayed overnight, but scolded himself for his carelessness. He should not have started a conversation with Nozdryov about the purpose of his visit. The morning starts again with a game. Nozdryov insists, Chichikov agrees to checkers. But during the game, the checkers seemed to move on their own. The argument almost turned into a fight. The guest turned white as a sheet when he saw Nozdryov swinging his hand. It is unknown how the visit to the estate would have ended if a stranger had not entered the house. It was the police captain who informed Nozdryov about the trial. He inflicted bodily injuries on the landowner with rods. Chichikov no longer waited for the conversation to end; he slipped out of the room, jumped into the chaise and ordered Selifan to rush at full speed away from this house. Dead souls Couldn't buy it.

Chapter 5

The hero was very frightened, rushed into the chaise and rushed quickly from the village of Nozdryov. His heart was beating so hard that nothing could calm it down. Chichikov was afraid to imagine what could have happened if the police officer had not appeared. Selifan was indignant that the horse was left unfed. Everyone's thoughts were stopped by a collision with six horses. The stranger's coachman scolded, Selifan tried to defend himself. There was confusion. The horses moved apart and then huddled together. While all this was happening, Chichikov was looking at the unfamiliar blonde. A pretty young girl caught his attention. He didn’t even notice how the chaises uncoupled and drove off in different directions. The beauty melted away like a vision. Pavel began to dream of a girl, especially if he had a large dowry. A village appeared ahead. The hero examines the village with interest. The houses are strong, but the order in which they were built was clumsy. The owner is Sobakevich. Outwardly similar to a bear. The clothes made the resemblance even more precise: a brown tailcoat, long sleeves, a clumsy gait. The master constantly stepped on his feet. The owner invited the guest into the house. The design was interesting: full-length paintings of Greek generals, a Greek heroine with strong, thick legs. The owner was a tall woman, resembling a palm tree. All the decoration of the room, the furniture spoke about the owner, about the resemblance to him. The conversation didn't go well at first. Everyone whom Chichikov tried to praise drew criticism from Sobakevich. The guest tried to praise the table from the city officials, but even here the owner interrupted him. All the food was bad. Sobakevich ate with an appetite that one can only dream of. He said that there is a landowner Plyushkin, whose people are dying like flies. They ate for a very long time, Chichikov felt that he had gained a whole pound of weight after lunch.

Chichikov began talking about his business. He called dead souls non-existent. Sobakevich, to the surprise of the guest, calmly called things by their proper names. He offered to sell them even before Chichikov spoke about it. Then trading began. Moreover, Sobakevich raised the price because his men were strong, healthy peasants, not like others. He described each person who died. Chichikov was amazed and asked to return to the topic of the deal. But Sobakevich stood his ground: his dead were dear. They bargained for a long time and agreed on Chichikov's price. Sobakevich prepared a note with a list of sold peasants. It indicated in detail the craft, age, marital status, and in the margins there were additional notes about behavior and attitude towards drunkenness. The owner asked for a deposit for the paper. The line of transferring money in exchange for an inventory of peasants makes me smile. The exchange was carried out with distrust. Chichikov asked to leave the deal between them and not to disclose information about it. Chichikov leaves the estate. He wants to go to Plyushkin, whose men are dying like flies, but he doesn’t want Sobakevich to know about it. And he stands at the door of the house to see where the guest will turn.

Chapter 6

Chichikov, thinking about the nicknames that the men gave Plyushkin, drives up to his village. The large village greeted the guest with a log pavement. The logs rose like piano keys. It was a rare rider who could ride without a bump or bruise. All the buildings were dilapidated and old. Chichikov examines the village with signs of poverty: leaky houses, old stacks of bread, ribbed roofs, windows covered with rags. The owner's house looked even stranger: the long castle resembled a disabled person. All but two windows were closed or covered. The open windows did not look familiar. The strange-looking garden located behind the master's castle was corrected. Chichikov drove up to the house and noticed a figure whose gender was difficult to determine. Pavel Ivanovich decided that it was the housekeeper. He asked if the master was at home. The answer was negative. The housekeeper offered to go into the house. The house was as creepy as the outside. It was a dump of furniture, piles of papers, broken objects, rags. Chichikov saw a toothpick that had turned yellow as if it had lain there for centuries. Paintings hung on the walls, and a chandelier in a bag hung from the ceiling. It looked like a big cocoon of dust with a worm inside. There was a pile in the corner of the room; it would hardly have been possible to understand what was collected in it. Chichikov realized that he was mistaken in determining the gender of a person. More accurately, it was the key keeper. The man had a strange beard, like an iron wire comb. The guest, after waiting for a long time in silence, decided to ask where the master was. The key keeper replied that it was him. Chichikov was taken aback. Plyushkin's appearance amazed him, his clothes amazed him. He looked like a beggar standing at the door of a church. There was nothing in common with the landowner. Plyushkin had more than a thousand souls, full pantries and barns of grain and flour. The house has a lot of wood products and dishes. Everything that Plyushkin had accumulated would have been enough for more than one village. But the landowner went out into the street and dragged into the house everything he found: an old sole, a rag, a nail, a broken piece of crockery. The found objects were placed in a pile, which was located in the room. He took into his hands what the women left behind. True, if he was caught in this, he didn’t argue, he returned it. He was just thrifty, but he became stingy. The character changed, first he cursed his daughter, who ran away with a military man, then his son, who lost at cards. The income was replenished, but Plyushkin was constantly cutting expenses, depriving even himself of small joys. The landowner's daughter visited him, but he held his grandchildren on his lap and gave them money.

There are few such landowners in Rus'. Most people want to live beautifully and widely, but only a few can shrink like Plyushkin.

Chichikov could not start a conversation for a long time; there were no words in his head to explain his visit. In the end, Chichikov started talking about savings, which he wanted to see in person.

Plyushkin does not treat Pavel Ivanovich, explaining that he has a terrible kitchen. A conversation about souls begins. Plyushkin has more than a hundred dead souls. People are dying of hunger, of disease, some are simply running away. To the surprise of the stingy owner, Chichikov offers a deal. Plyushkin is indescribably happy, he considers the guest a stupid man dragging after the actresses. The deal was completed quickly. Plyushkin suggested washing the deal with liquor. But when he described that there were boogers and bugs in the wine, the guest refused. Having copied the dead on a piece of paper, the landowner asked if anyone needed the fugitives. Chichikov was delighted and after a small trade bought 78 fugitive souls from him. Pleased with the acquisition of more than 200 souls, Pavel Ivanovich returned to the city.

Chapter 7

Chichikov got enough sleep and went to the chambers to register ownership of the purchased peasants. To do this, he began to rewrite the papers received from the landowners. Korobochka's men had their own names. Plyushkin's inventory was notable for its brevity. Sobakevich painted each peasant with detail and qualities. Each one had a description of their father and mother. Behind the names and nicknames there were people; Chichikov tried to introduce them. So Pavel Ivanovich was busy with papers until 12 o’clock. On the street he met Manilov. The acquaintances froze in an embrace that lasted more than a quarter of an hour. The paper with the inventory of the peasants was rolled into a tube and tied with a pink ribbon. The list was beautifully designed with an ornate border. Hand in hand, the men went to the wards. In the chambers, Chichikov spent a long time looking for the table he needed, then carefully paid a bribe and went to the chairman for an order allowing him to complete the deal quickly. There he met Sobakevich. The chairman gave orders to gather all the people needed for the deal and gave orders for its rapid completion. The chairman asked why Chichikov needed peasants without land, but he himself answered the question. People gathered, the purchase was completed quickly and successfully. The Chairman proposed to celebrate the acquisition. Everyone headed to the police chief's house. The officials decided that they definitely needed to marry Chichikov. During the evening, he clinked glasses with everyone more than once, noticing that he had to go, Pavel Ivanovich left for the hotel. Selifan and Petrushka, as soon as the master fell asleep, went to the basement, where they stayed almost until the morning; when they returned, they lay down so that it was impossible to move them.

Chapter 8

In the city everyone was talking about Chichikov's purchases. They tried to calculate his wealth and admitted that he was rich. Officials tried to calculate whether it was profitable to purchase peasants for resettlement, and what kind of peasants the landowner bought. The officials scolded the men and felt sorry for Chichikov, who had to transport so many people. There were miscalculations about a possible riot. Some began to give Pavel Ivanovich advice, offering to escort the procession, but Chichikov reassured him, saying that he had bought men who were meek, calm and willing to leave. Chichikov aroused a special attitude among the ladies of the city of N. As soon as they calculated his millions, he became interesting to them. Pavel Ivanovich noticed a new extraordinary attention to himself. One day he found a letter from a lady on his desk. She called him to leave the city for the desert, and out of despair she ended the message with poems about the death of a bird. The letter was anonymous; Chichikov really wanted to figure out the author. The governor is having a ball. The hero of the story appears on it. The eyes of all the guests are turned to him. There was joy on everyone's faces. Chichikov tried to figure out who the messenger of the letter to him was. Ladies showed interest in him and looked for attractive features in him. Pavel was so carried away by conversations with the ladies that he forgot about the decency of approaching and introducing himself to the hostess of the ball. The governor's wife approached him herself. Chichikov turned to her and was already preparing to utter some phrase, when he stopped short. Two women stood in front of him. One of them is a blonde who charmed him on the road when he was returning from Nozdryov. Chichikov was embarrassed. The governor's wife introduced him to her daughter. Pavel Ivanovich tried to get out, but he wasn’t very successful. The ladies tried to distract him, but they didn't succeed. Chichikov tries to attract his daughter’s attention, but she is not interested in him. The women began to show that they were not happy with this behavior, but Chichikov could not help himself. He was trying to charm a beautiful blonde. At that moment Nozdryov appeared at the ball. He began to scream loudly and ask Chichikov about dead souls. Addressed a speech to the governor. His words left everyone confused. His speeches sounded crazy. The guests began to look at each other, Chichikov noticed evil lights in the eyes of the ladies. The embarrassment passed, and some people took Nozdryov’s words for lies, stupidity, and slander. Pavel decided to complain about his health. They calmed him down, saying that the brawler Nozdryov had already been taken out, but Chichikov did not feel calmer.

At this time, an event occurred in the city that further increased the hero’s troubles. A carriage that looked like a watermelon drove in. The woman who got out of the cart is the landowner Korobochka. She was tormented for a long time by the thought that she had made a mistake in the deal, and decided to go to the city to find out at what price dead souls were sold here. The author does not convey her conversation, but what it led to is easy to find out from the next chapter.

Chapter 9

The governor received two papers containing information about a fugitive robber and a counterfeiter. Two messages were combined into one, the Robber and the counterfeiter was hiding in the image of Chichikov. First, we decided to ask those who communicated with him about him. Manilov spoke flatteringly about the landowner and vouched for him. Sobakevich recognized Pavel Ivanovich as a good person. The officials were overcome with fear and decided to get together and discuss the problem. The meeting place is with the police chief.

Chapter 10

The officials gathered together and first discussed changes in their appearance. Events led to them losing weight. The discussion was of no use. Everyone was talking about Chichikov. Some decided that he was a government money maker. Others suggested that he was an official from the Governor General's office. They tried to prove to themselves that he could not be a robber. The guest's appearance was very well-intentioned. The officials did not find any violent behavior that is typical of robbers. The postmaster interrupted their arguments with a startling cry. Chichikov - Captain Kopeikin. Many did not know about the captain. The postmaster tells them “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.” The captain's arm and leg were torn off during the war, and no laws were passed regarding the wounded. He went to his father, who refused him shelter. He himself did not have enough for bread. Kopeikin went to the sovereign. I came to the capital and was confused. He was pointed to the commission. The captain got to her and waited for more than 4 hours. The room was packed with people like beans. The minister noticed Kopeikin and ordered him to come in a few days. Out of joy and hope, he went into the tavern and drank. The next day, Kopeikin received a refusal from the nobleman and an explanation that no orders had yet been issued regarding disabled people. The captain went to see the minister several times, but they stopped receiving him. Kopeikin waited for the nobleman to come out and asked for money, but he said that he could not help, there were many important things to do. He ordered the captain to look for food himself. But Kopeikin began to demand a resolution. He was thrown into a cart and taken by force out of the city. And after some time a gang of robbers appeared. Who was its leader? But the police chief did not have time to pronounce his name. He was interrupted. Chichikov had both an arm and a leg. How could he be Kopeikin? The officials decided that the police chief had gone too far in his fantasies. They came to the decision to call Nozdryov to talk with them. His testimony was completely confusing. Nozdryov made up a bunch of tall tales about Chichikov.

The hero of their conversations and disputes at this time, suspecting nothing, was ill. He decided to lie down for three days. Chichikov gargled and applied herbal decoctions to the gumboil. As soon as he felt better, he went to the governor. The doorman said that he was not ordered to be received. Continuing his walk, he went to the chairman of the chamber, who was very embarrassed. Pavel Ivanovich was surprised: he was either not accepted, or was greeted very strangely. In the evening Nozdryov came to his hotel. He explained the incomprehensible behavior of city officials: false papers, the kidnapping of the governor's daughter. Chichikov realized that he needed to get out of the city as quickly as possible. He sent Nozdryov out, ordered him to pack his suitcase and prepare to leave. Petrushka and Selifan were not very happy with this decision, but there was nothing to do.

Chapter 11

Chichikov is getting ready to go on the road. But unforeseen problems arise that keep him in the city. They are quickly resolved, and the strange guest leaves. The road is blocked by a funeral procession. The prosecutor was buried. All the noble officials and residents of the city walked in the procession. She was absorbed in thoughts about the future governor-general, how to impress him so as not to lose what she had acquired and not change her position in society. The women thought about the upcoming balls and holidays regarding the appointment of a new person. Chichikov thought to himself that this good omen: meeting a dead person on the way is fortunate. The author is distracted from describing the protagonist's trip. He reflects on Rus', songs and distances. Then his thoughts are interrupted by the government carriage, which almost collided with Chichikov’s chaise. Dreams go to the word road. The author describes where and how the main character came from. Chichikov's origins are very modest: he was born into a family of nobles, but took after neither his mother nor his father. Childhood in the village ended, and the father took the boy to a relative in the city. Here he began to go to classes and study. He quickly understood how to succeed, began to please the teachers and received a certificate and a book with gold embossing: “For exemplary diligence and trustworthy behavior.” After the death of his father, Pavel was left with an estate, which he sold, deciding to live in the city. I inherited my father’s instruction: “Take care and save a penny.” Chichikov began with zeal, then with sycophancy. Having made his way into the family of the police chief, he received a vacant position and changed his attitude towards the one who promoted him. The first meanness was the most difficult, then everything went easier. Pavel Ivanovich was a pious man, loved cleanliness, and did not use foul language. Chichikov dreamed of serving in customs. His zealous service did its job, the dream came true. But luck ran out, and the hero had to again look for ways to make money and create wealth. One of the orders - to put the peasants on the Guardian Council - gave him the idea of ​​​​how to change his condition. He decided to buy dead souls and then resell them for settlement underground. The strange idea is difficult for an ordinary person to understand; only cleverly intertwined schemes in Chichikov’s head could fit into the enrichment system. During the author's reasoning, the hero sleeps peacefully. The author compares Rus'

In the morning, Chichikov cannot leave the city (he overslept, the chaise was not laid, the horses were not shod). He leaves only in the evening, on the way he meets a funeral procession (the funeral of a prosecutor), all the officials follow the coffin, and everyone thinks about the new governor-general and their future relationship with him. The chaise leaves the city. A lyrical digression about Russia follows.

"Rus! Rus! I see you, from my wonderful, beautiful distance I see you: poor, scattered and uncomfortable in you; The daring divas of nature, crowned by the daring divas of art, will not amuse or frighten the eyes... Everything in you is open, deserted and even; like dots, like icons, your low cities stick out inconspicuously among the plains; nothing will seduce or enchant the eye. But what incomprehensible, secret force attracts you? Why is your melancholy song, rushing along your entire length and width, from sea to sea, heard and heard incessantly in your ears? What's in it, in this song? What calls and cries and grabs your heart? What sounds painfully kiss and strive into the soul and curl around my heart? Rus! what do you want from me? what incomprehensible connection is hidden between us?... What does this vast expanse prophesy? Isn’t it here, in you, that a boundless thought will be born, when you yourself are endless? Shouldn't a hero be here when there is a place for him to turn around and pass? and a mighty space envelops me menacingly, reflecting with terrible force in my depths; My eyes lit up with unnatural power: oh! what a sparkling, wonderful, unknown distance to the earth! Rus!.."

The author's discussion follows about the hero of the literary work (this is not a virtuous person) and about the origin of Chichikov. Chichikov's parents were nobles, their son does not look like them, “life looked at him... sourly and unpleasantly.” Pavlusha’s father took Pavlusha to the city to go to school with an old relative. The father's instructions boiled down to the fact that the boy should please his teachers and superiors, hang out only with rich friends, not share with anyone, but behave in such a way that he would be treated, and most of all, save a penny. Chichikov was never known to have any special abilities, but the boy had a “practical mind”, saved his own money, sold the treats offered to him, showed him a trained mouse for money, curried favor with teachers and as a result received a certificate with golden letters. Towards the end of school, Chichikov's father dies, his son sells the dilapidated house and enters the service. He betrays the teacher who was expelled from school, whom all his former comrades helped and who really counted on the support of his favorite student Chichikov. Chichikov serves, pleasing his boss in everything, takes care of his ugly daughter, hints that he would not mind getting married, seeks promotion and does not marry. He is a member of the commission for the construction of a government building, for which a lot of money has been allocated, but the building is being built “no higher than the foundation” (Chichikov’s austerity and abstinence have ended). The new boss, a military man, hated Chichikov at first sight, and the latter was forced to start his career from scratch. Chichikov enters the customs service, since from this place he can fuck a lot. Chichikov reveals a talent for searches and inspections. Chichikov is promoted, and he presents a project to capture smugglers. At this time he himself conspires with smugglers and receives a lot of money (400-500 thousand). He quarrels with the friend with whom he shared, and they are brought to justice. The resourceful Chichikov manages to save some of the money and starts all over again as an attorney. There he is struck by the idea of ​​buying and reselling dead souls (he is going to put them in the bank under the guise of living ones, and having received a loan as collateral, he will hide).

Thinking about how readers will react to his hero, the author cites the parable of Kif Mokievich and Mokiya Kifovich, father and son. The existence of the father is turned into a speculative direction (a sample of reflection: “a beast is not born from an egg”), and the son is rowdy. In response to requests to appease his son, Kifa Mokievich does not want to interfere in anything, “if he remains a dog, then let them not find out about it from me, let it not be me who gave him away.”

At the end of the poem, the chaise is moving quickly along the road, the horses are rushing at full speed. “And what Russian doesn’t like driving fast?”

“Oh, three! bird-three, who invented you? You know, you could only have been born among a lively people, in that land that does not like to joke, but has spread out smoothly across half the world, and go ahead and count the miles until it hits your eyes. And not a cunning, it seems, road projectile, not grabbed by an iron screw, but hastily equipped and assembled alive by an efficient Yaroslavl man with only an ax and a chisel. The driver is not wearing German boots: he has a beard and mittens, and sits on God knows what; and he stood up and swung, and began to sing - the horses were like a whirlwind, the spokes in the wheels mixed into one smooth circle, only the road trembled, and a pedestrian who stopped screamed in fear - there it rushed, rushed, rushed!.. And you can already see in the distance how that It’s dusty and drills into the air.

Is it not so for you, Rus', that you are rushing along like a brisk, unstoppable troika? The road beneath you smokes, the bridges rattle, everything falls behind and is left behind. The contemplator, amazed by God's miracle, stopped: was this lightning thrown from the sky? What does this terrifying movement mean? and what kind of unknown power is contained in these horses, unknown to the light? Oh, horses, horses, what kind of horses! Are there whirlwinds in your manes? Is there a sensitive ear burning in every vein of yours? They heard a familiar song from above, together and at once tensed their copper chests and, almost without touching the ground with their hooves, turned into just elongated lines flying through the air, and all inspired by God rushes!.. Rus', where are you rushing? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer. The bell rings with a wonderful ringing; The air, torn into pieces, thunders and becomes the wind; everything that is on earth flies past, and, looking askance, other peoples and states step aside and give way to it.