A brief retelling of dead souls 1. A brief retelling of "dead souls" by chapter

The work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol “Dead Souls” is one of the most bright works author. This poem, the plot of which is related to the description of Russian reality of the 19th century, is of great value for Russian literature. It was also significant for Gogol himself. No wonder he called it a “national poem” and explained that in this way he tried to expose the shortcomings Russian Empire, and then change the appearance of their homeland for the better.

The birth of the genre

The idea for Gogol to write “Dead Souls” was suggested to the author by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. At first, the work was conceived as a light humorous novel. However, after work began on the work “Dead Souls,” the genre in which the text was originally intended to be presented was changed.

The fact is that Gogol considered the plot to be very original and gave the presentation a different, more deep meaning. As a result, a year after the start of work on the work “Dead Souls,” its genre became more extensive. The author decided that his brainchild should become nothing more than a poem.

Main idea

The writer divided his work into 3 parts. In the first of them, he decided to point out all the shortcomings that took place in his contemporary society. In the second part, he planned to show how the process of correcting people takes place, and in the third - the lives of heroes who have already changed for the better.

In 1841, Gogol completed writing the first volume of Dead Souls. The plot of the book shocked the entire reading country, causing a lot of controversy. After the release of the first part, the author began work on a continuation of his poem. However, he was never able to finish what he started. The second volume of the poem seemed imperfect to him, and nine days before his death he burned the only copy of the manuscript. Only drafts of the first five chapters have been preserved for us, which today are considered a separate work.

Unfortunately, the trilogy remained unfinished. But the poem “Dead Souls” should have had significant meaning. Its main purpose was to describe the movement of the soul, which went through a fall, purification, and then rebirth. The main character of the poem, Chichikov, had to go through this path to the ideal.

Plot

The story told in the first volume of the poem “Dead Souls” takes us to the nineteenth century. It tells the story of a journey across Russia undertaken by the main character, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, to acquire so-called dead souls. The plot of the work provides the reader with a complete picture of the morals and life of the people of that time.

Let's look at the chapters of "Dead Souls" with their plot in a little more detail. This will give general idea about a brilliant literary work.

Chapter first. Start

Where does the work “Dead Souls” begin? The topic raised in it describes the events that took place at a time when the French were finally expelled from Russian territory.

At the beginning of the story, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, who held the position of collegiate adviser, arrived in one of the provincial cities. When analyzing “Dead Souls,” the image of the main character becomes clear. The author shows him as a middle-aged man with an average build and good appearance. Pavel Ivanovich is extremely inquisitive. Situations arise when one can even talk about his intrusiveness and annoyingness. So, from the tavern servant he is interested in the owner’s income, and also tries to find out about all the city officials and the most noble landowners. He is also interested in the state of the region to which he came.

A collegiate advisor does not sit alone. He visits all officials, finding them the right approach and choosing words that are pleasant for people. That is why they treat him just as well, which even surprises Chichikov a little, who has experienced many negative reactions towards himself and even survived an assassination attempt.

The main purpose of Pavel Ivanovich’s visit was to find a place for peaceful life. To do this, while attending a party in the governor’s house, he meets two landowners - Manilov and Sobakevich. At a dinner with the police chief, Chichikov became friends with the landowner Nozdryov.

Chapter two. Manilov

The continuation of the plot is connected with Chichikov’s trip to Manilov. The landowner met the official on the threshold of his estate and led him into the house. The road to Manilov's home lay among gazebos on which signs were posted indicating that these were places for reflection and solitude.

When analyzing “Dead Souls,” one can easily characterize Manilov based on this decoration. This is a landowner who has no problems, but at the same time is too cloying. Manilov says that the arrival of such a guest is comparable to a sunny day and the happiest holiday. He invites Chichikov to dinner. Present at the table are the mistress of the estate and the two sons of the landowner - Themistoclus and Alcides.

After a hearty lunch, Pavel Ivanovich decides to talk about the reason that brought him to these lands. Chichikov wants to buy peasants who have already died, but their death has not yet been reflected in the audit certificate. His goal is to draw up all the documents, supposedly these peasants are still alive.

How does Manilov react to this? He has dead souls. However, the landowner is initially surprised by this proposal. But then he agrees to the deal. Chichikov leaves the estate and goes to Sobakevich. Meanwhile, Manilov begins to dream about how Pavel Ivanovich will live next door to him and what kind of good friends they will be after he moves.

Chapter three. Getting to know the Box

On the way to Sobakevich, Selifan (Chichikov’s coachman) accidentally missed the right turn. And then it began to rain heavily, and Chichikov fell into the mud. All this forces the official to look for accommodation for the night, which he found with the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. Analysis of “Dead Souls” indicates that this lady is afraid of everything and everyone. However, Chichikov did not waste time and offered to purchase the deceased peasants from her. At first the old woman was intractable, but after the visiting official promised to buy everything from her lard and hemp (but next time), she agrees.

The deal was completed. The box treated Chichikov to pancakes and pies. Pavel Ivanovich, having eaten a hearty meal, moved on. And the landowner began to worry very much that she did not take enough money for the dead souls.

Chapter Four. Nozdryov

After visiting Korobochka, Chichikov drove onto the main road. He decided to visit a tavern he came across along the way to have a little snack. And here the author wanted to give this action some mystery. He makes lyrical digressions. In “Dead Souls” he reflects on the properties of appetite inherent in people like the main character of his work.

While in the tavern, Chichikov meets Nozdryov. The landowner complained that he had lost money at the fair. Then they follow to Nozdryov’s estate, where Pavel Ivanovich intends to make good money.

By analyzing “Dead Souls,” you can understand what Nozdryov is like. This is a person who really loves all kinds of stories. He tells them everywhere he goes. After a hearty lunch, Chichikov decides to bargain. However, Pavel Ivanovich cannot beg for dead souls or buy them. Nozdryov sets his own conditions, which consist of an exchange or a purchase in addition to something. The landowner even suggests using dead souls as bets in the game.

Serious disagreements arise between Chichikov and Nozdrev, and they postpone the conversation until the morning. The next day the men agreed to play checkers. However, Nozdryov tried to deceive his opponent, which was noticed by Chichikov. In addition, it turned out that the landowner was on trial. And Chichikov had no choice but to run when he saw the police captain.

Chapter five. Sobakevich

Sobakevich continues the images of landowners in Dead Souls. It is to him that Chichikov comes to him after Nozdryov. The estate he visited was a match for its owner. Just as strong. The owner treats the guest to dinner, talking during the meal about city officials, calling them all swindlers.

Chichikov talks about his plans. They did not frighten Sobakevich at all, and the men quickly moved on to concluding the deal. However, here troubles began for Chichikov. Sobakevich began to bargain, talking about the most best qualities already deceased peasants. However, Chichikov does not need such characteristics, and he insists on his own. And here Sobakevich begins to hint at the illegality of such a deal, threatening to tell anyone about it. Chichikov had to agree to the price offered by the landowner. They sign the document, still fearing a trick from each other.

There are lyrical digressions in “Dead Souls” in the fifth chapter. The author ends the story about Chichikov’s visit to Sobakevich with discussions about the Russian language. Gogol emphasizes the diversity, strength and richness of the Russian language. Here he points out the peculiarity of our people to give everyone nicknames associated with various offenses or the course of circumstances. They do not leave their owner until his death.

Chapter six. Plyushkin

Very interesting hero is Plyushkin. "Dead Souls" shows him as a very greedy person. The landowner does not even throw away his old sole that has fallen off his boot and carries it into the already quite decent pile of similar rubbish.

However, Plyushkin sells dead souls very quickly and without haggling. Pavel Ivanovich is very happy about this and refuses the tea with crackers offered by the owner.

Chapter seven. Deal

Having achieved his initial goal, Chichikov is sent to finally resolve the issue in civil chamber. Manilov and Sobakevich had already arrived in the city. The chairman agrees to become the attorney for Plyushkin and all other sellers. The deal took place, and champagne was opened for the health of the new landowner.

Chapter eight. Gossip. Ball

The city began to discuss Chichikov. Many decided that he was a millionaire. Girls began to go crazy for him and send love messages. Once at the governor's ball, he literally finds himself in the arms of the ladies. However, his attention is attracted by a sixteen-year-old blonde. At this time, Nozdryov comes to the ball, loudly inquiring about the purchase of dead souls. Chichikov had to leave in complete confusion and sadness.

Chapter Nine. Profit or love?

At this time, the landowner Korobochka arrived in the city. She decided to clarify whether she had made a mistake with the cost of dead souls. The news about the amazing purchase and sale becomes the property of the city residents. People believe that dead souls are a cover for Chichikov, but in fact he dreams of taking away the blonde he likes, who is the daughter of the governor.

Chapter ten. Versions

The city literally came to life. News appears one after another. They talk about the appointment of a new governor, the presence of supporting papers about false banknotes, about an insidious robber who escaped from the police, etc. Many versions arise, and they all relate to Chichikov’s personality. The excitement of people negatively affects the prosecutor. He dies from the blow.

Chapter Eleven. Purpose of the event

Chichikov does not know what the city is talking about about him. He goes to the governor, but he is not received there. In addition, the people he meets on the way shy away from the official in different directions. Everything becomes clear after Nozdryov arrives at the hotel. The landowner tries to convince Chichikov that he tried to help him kidnap the governor’s daughter.

And here Gogol decides to talk about his hero and why Chichikov buys dead souls. The author tells the reader about his childhood and schooling, where Pavel Ivanovich already showed the ingenuity given to him by nature. Gogol also talks about Chichikov’s relationships with his comrades and teachers, about his service and work in the commission located in a government building, as well as about his transfer to serve in customs.

The analysis of “Dead Souls” clearly indicates the inclinations of the protagonist, which he used to complete his deal described in the work. After all, in all his places of work, Pavel Ivanovich managed to make a lot of money by concluding fake contracts and conspiracies. In addition, he did not disdain working with smuggling. In order to avoid criminal punishment, Chichikov resigned. Having switched to work as an attorney, he immediately formed an insidious plan in his head. Chichikov wanted to purchase dead souls in order to pawn them, as if they were alive, in the treasury in order to receive money. Next in his plans was the purchase of a village in order to provide for future offspring.

In part, Gogol justifies his hero. He considers him the owner, who with his mind has built such an interesting chain of transactions.

Images of landowners

These heroes of Dead Souls are especially vividly presented in five chapters. Moreover, each of them is dedicated to only one landowner. There is a certain pattern in the placement of chapters. The images of the landowners of “Dead Souls” are arranged in them according to the degree of their degradation. Let's remember who was the first of them? Manilov. “Dead Souls” describes this landowner as a lazy and dreamy, sentimental and practically unadapted person to life. This is confirmed by many details, for example, a farm that has fallen into disrepair and a house standing in the south, open to all winds. The author, using the amazing artistic power of the word, shows his reader the deadness of Manilov and his worthlessness life path. After all, behind external attractiveness there is a spiritual emptiness.

What other vivid images were created in the work “Dead Souls”? The heroic landowners in the image of Korobochka are people who are focused only on their farm. It is not without reason that at the end of the third chapter the author draws an analogy between this landowner and all aristocratic ladies. The box is distrustful and stingy, superstitious and stubborn. In addition, she is narrow-minded, petty and narrow-minded.

Next in terms of degree of degradation comes Nozdryov. Like many other landowners, he does not change with age, not even trying to develop internally. The image of Nozdryov represents a portrait of a reveler and a braggart, a drunkard and a cheater. This landowner is passionate and energetic, but all of him positive traits are wasted. The image of Nozdryov is as typical as that of previous landowners. And this is emphasized by the author in his statements.

Describing Sobakevich, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol resorts to comparing him with a bear. In addition to clumsiness, the author describes his parodically inverted heroic power, earthiness and rudeness.

But the extreme degree of degradation is described by Gogol in the image of the richest landowner in the province - Plyushkin. During his biography, this man went from a thrifty owner to a half-crazy miser. And it was not social conditions that led him to this state. Plyushkin's moral decline provoked loneliness.

Thus, all landowners in the poem “Dead Souls” are united by such traits as idleness and inhumanity, as well as spiritual emptiness. And he contrasts this world of truly “dead souls” with faith in the inexhaustible potential of the “mysterious” Russian people. It is not for nothing that at the end of the work the image of an endless road along which a trio of birds rushes appears. And in this movement the writer’s confidence in the possibility of the spiritual transformation of humanity and in the great destiny of Russia is manifested.

Here is a summary of chapter 1 of the work “Dead Souls” by N.V. Gogol.

A very brief summary of “Dead Souls” can be found, and the one presented below is quite detailed.

Chapter 1 – summary.

A small chaise with a middle-aged gentleman of good appearance, not fat, but not thin either, drove into the provincial town of NN. The arrival did not make any impression on the inhabitants of the city. The visitor stopped at a local tavern. New visitor during lunch in more detail I asked the servant who used to run this establishment and who now, how much income there was and what the owner was like. Then the visitor found out who is the governor of the city, who is the chairman of the chamber, who is the prosecutor, i.e. “ did not miss a single significant official ».

Portrait of Chichikov

In addition to the city authorities, the visitor was interested in all the major landowners, as well as the general condition of the region: whether there were any epidemics in the province or widespread famine. After lunch and a long rest, the gentleman wrote down his rank, first and last name on a piece of paper to report to the police. Coming down the stairs, the floor guard read: “ Collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, landowner, according to his needs ».

Chichikov devoted the next day to visiting all city officials. He even paid his respects to the inspector of the medical board and the city architect.

Pavel Ivanovich showed himself to be a good psychologist, since he left the most favorable impressions of himself in almost every home - “ very skillfully knew how to flatter everyone " At the same time, Chichikov avoided talking about himself, but if the conversation turned to him, he got off with general phrases and somewhat bookish phrases. The newcomer began to receive invitations to the houses of officials. The first was an invitation to the governor. While getting ready, Chichikov very carefully put himself in order.

During the reception, the city guest managed to show himself as a skilled interlocutor; he successfully complimented the governor’s wife.

The male society was divided into two parts. Thin men hovered behind the ladies and danced, while the fat ones mostly concentrated at the gaming tables. Chichikov joined the latter. Here he met most of his old acquaintances. Pavel Ivanovich also met the rich landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, about whom he immediately made inquiries from the chairman and postmaster. Chichikov quickly charmed both of them and received two invitations to visit.

The next day the visitor went to the police chief, where they played whist from three o'clock in the afternoon until two o'clock in the morning. There Chichikov met Nozdrev, “ broken guy, who after three or four words began to tell him you " Chichikov visited all the officials in turn, and the city had a good opinion of him. In any situation he could show himself socialite. Whatever the conversation was about, Chichikov was able to support it. Moreover, " he knew how to dress it all up with some kind of sedateness, he knew how to behave well ».

Everyone was pleased with the arrival of a decent man. Even Sobakevich, who was rarely satisfied with his surroundings, recognized Pavel Ivanovich “ most pleasant person " This opinion persisted in the city until one strange circumstance did not lead the inhabitants of the city of NN into bewilderment.

Chapter first

The action takes place in the provincial town of NN, where collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov arrives. He is a middle-aged man of average build and good appearance. His servants arrived with him - the footman Petrushka and the coachman Selifan. The time of the events described is several years after the War of 1812.

Chichikov checks into a hotel, has lunch at a tavern and asks the servant there about the surrounding landowners. He is also interested in whether there was some kind of epidemic in these places from which many people died. Chichikov's goal is buying dead peasant souls.

The next day the official pays visits to important persons. At the governor's party, he meets the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, who invite Chichikov to their estates. And at the police chief, Pavel Ivanovich makes acquaintance with another landowner - Nozdryov. The city society is delighted with Chichikov.

Chapter two

Pavel Ivanovich, accompanied by Petrushka and Selifan, leaves the city to visit Manilov and Sobakevich. The first on his way is the village of Manilovka, the owner of which greets Chichikov with great joy.

Gogol characterizes Manilov as a characterless person - “neither this nor that,” and also “sugary” in his communication. Manilov constantly talks about his unrealizable and unnecessary ideas. He is a bad owner, just like his wife. No one here takes care of either the house or the fields. Servants without the master's eye steal, idle and get drunk.

After dinner, Chichikov explains to Manilov the reason for his arrival: he wants to buy peasants who are still listed as alive, but have already died. The owner does not understand why the guest needs this. But, wanting to do something nice, he agrees. To register the deed of sale, they agree to meet in the city. After Chichikov's departure, Manilov remains perplexed for a long time.

Chapter Three

On the way to Sobakevich, the hero gets caught in a rainstorm and gets lost on the road. The seeker of dead souls is forced to spend the night in the first place he comes across, which turns out to be the estate of the landowner Korobochka.

In the morning, Chichikov examines the estate and notes the thoroughness and thriftiness in everything. The elderly widow Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka was a slow-witted woman and completely impossible to talk to. Only after long explanations does Chichikov manage to buy dead souls from the landowner. True, I had to promise to buy lard and feathers from Korobochka in return. Nastasya Petrovna doubts for a long time: did she sell herself short in this deal?

Chapter Four

Chichikov stops by at a tavern, where he meets Nozdryov, and then accepts the landowner’s invitation to visit his village. Nozdryov, according to Gogol, was a historical man because he constantly found himself in various stories. He is an incorrigible talker, a liar, a gossip, a carouser, a reckless driver and a braggart. Nozdryov loves cards and other gambling games. At the table he constantly cheats and is often beaten for it, but remains on friendly terms with everyone.

Chichikov expresses to Nozdryov his request for dead souls. The owner does not want to sell the peasants, but offers to play cards or exchange them. Having quarreled with Nozdryov, Pavel Ivanovich goes to bed. But in the morning the owner again offers to play for dead souls, now in checkers. During the game, Nozdryov openly cheats. A scandal breaks out and turns into a fight. Suddenly the police captain appears with a message about a lawsuit against Nozdryov. His visit saves Chichikov from beatings. Without stopping for a minute, Pavel Ivanovich rushes out and orders the coachman to drive at full speed.

Chapter Five

On the way, Chichikov's chaise collides with a carriage in which an elderly lady and a lovely girl are traveling. All the way to Sobakevich's estate, Pavel Ivanovich indulges in dreams of a beautiful stranger.

Sobakevich is a thorough owner. He himself is large and clumsy like a bear, he surrounds himself with the same strong and durable things. Pavel Ivanovich sets out his case, Sobakevich bargains desperately, but in the end the deal is concluded. The parties agree to arrange everything in the city. In a conversation with Sobakevich, Chichikov learns about the landowner Plyushkin, whose serfs are “dying like flies.” Pavel Ivanovich goes with his proposal to the new owner.

Chapter Six

The village of Plyushkina evokes a depressing impression: desolation and ruin reign everywhere. In the courtyard of a completely decrepit manor house, Chichikov meets a strange creature of unknown gender. Pavel Ivanovich at first mistakes him for the housekeeper, but it turns out that this is the owner of the house - Plyushkin. Chichikov is shocked by the old man's beggarly appearance. Having a huge estate, colossal reserves of provisions and various goods, Plyushkin walks around the village every day and collects various little things: strings, feathers, etc. He puts all this in his room.

Chichikov easily bargained with the miser for 120 dead souls and another 70 fugitives. Having refused the treat, which has long since turned into something fossilized, happy Pavel Ivanovich returns to the hotel.

Chapter Seven

The next day, as agreed, the hero meets with Sobakevich and Manilov to finalize the deal. They also concluded a deed of sale for the peasants of Plyushkin. They began to celebrate the deal and make a lot of toasts. They didn’t forget to drink to the future wife of the newly-minted landowner. Chichikov shared his plans to take the purchased peasants to the Kherson province.

Chapter Eight

The rumor about Chichikov's purchases quickly spreads throughout the city, everyone calls the hero a “millionaire.” A big stir begins among the ladies. Pavel Ivanovich even receives an anonymous love letter, and also an invitation to the governor’s ball.

Chichikov in great mood. At the ball he is surrounded by ladies, among whom Pavel Ivanovich is trying to guess the one who sent the letter. It turns out that the young lady who captivated his imagination is the daughter of the governor. Chichikov is shocked by the unexpected meeting and neglects the other ladies, which causes their displeasure. To top off the troubles, Nozdryov appears and tells how Chichikov traded dead souls with him. And although no one believes Nozdryov for a long time, Pavel Ivanovich begins to worry, he leaves the ball in confusion. At this time, the landowner Korobochka arrives in the city. She is going to find out how much dead souls are today.

Chapter Nine

In the morning, rumors spread around the city that Chichikov, with the help of Nozdryov, wants to kidnap the governor’s daughter. The gossip reaches the governor's wife, and she subjects her daughter to strict interrogation. Chichikov was ordered not to be allowed on the threshold. Society is puzzled by the question: who is Pavel Ivanovich? To understand and discuss everything, the city elite gathers with the police chief.

Chapter Ten

Here officials discuss Chichikov and the oddities associated with him for a long time. The postmaster talks about Captain Kopeikin, suggesting that this is Pavel Ivanovich.

During the War of 1812, Captain Kopeikin lost an arm and a leg. He turned to St. Petersburg with a request for a pension. While officials were delaying the matter, Kopeikin ran out of money. In desperation, the captain decided to seize the ministry, but he was caught and expelled from the city. Two months later, a gang of robbers led by Kopeikin began to hunt in the forests.

After listening to the story, society protested: Kopeikin was disabled, but Chichikov’s arms and legs were intact. It was decided to send for Nozdryov and question him thoroughly. Nozdryov immediately declares Chichikov a counterfeiter, a kidnapper of the governor's daughter and a spy. These rumors upset the prosecutor so much that he dies.

Now Pavel Ivanovich is not received by the governor. The situation is clarified by Nozdryov, who came to Chichikov at the hotel. Having learned that the official is accused of forging banknotes, the failed kidnapping of the governor's daughter, as well as the death of the prosecutor, Chichikov decides to urgently flee the city.

Chapter Eleven

We learn the story of the main character. Chichikov was from poor nobles, his mother died early, and his father was often ill. He took little Pavlusha to study in the city. The boy did not shine with his abilities, but he graduated from college with an award for diligent behavior. From an early age, he showed a talent for finding ways to make money.

Chichikov had barely graduated from college when his father died, leaving Pavel a penny inheritance. The young man zealously took up the service, but without patronage he could only get a seedy place. However, Chichikov came up with a cunning plan and wooed the boss’s ugly daughter. As soon as he was appointed to a good place, the groom immediately pretended that he had not promised anything.

After changing several positions, where he slowly took bribes, Pavel Ivanovich got a job at customs. There he became known as a terror for smugglers. When the authorities, convinced of the loyalty of their employee, gave Chichikov full powers, he conspired with the smugglers. After several scams, Pavel Ivanovich became incredibly rich. However, while drunk, he quarreled with one of his accomplices, who handed him over to justice. Chichikov still managed to avoid prison, but almost nothing was left of his huge fortune.

Pavel Ivanovich again began to earn money from lower positions. One day Chichikov learned that dead peasants, who, according to the audit fairy tale, were still alive, could be appointed to the guardianship council. So he came up with the idea of ​​acquiring dead souls.

And now Chichikov’s chaise, drawn by three horses, rushes on.

Volume two

As you know, Gogol burned the second volume of his work. Only a few drafts survived, from which it was possible to restore some of the chapters.

Chapter first

The author describes the magnificent landscape that opens from the balcony of landowner Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov, very lazy person. He rubs his eyes for two hours in the morning, sits for the same amount of time over tea and writes a global work on the structure of Russia. But which year has not advanced even a page in this essay.

And the young man started out quite worthy, showing great promise. But when his teacher died, Tentetnikov was disappointed in his further studies. Having entered the service under patronage, Andrei Ivanovich initially wanted to benefit the state, but soon became disillusioned with the service. He retired and returned to his estate.

One day, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov appears in his lonely house and lingers there for some time. Having learned about the owner’s quarrel with his neighbor, the general, whose daughter was intended to be Tentetnikov’s bride, Chichikov volunteers to settle the matter and goes to the military man.

Chapter two

Pavel Ivanovich meets the general and his daughter, manages to reconcile the old man with Tentetnikov and composes a fable about his uncle in order to buy from general's dead souls...

The text of the chapter ends here.

Chapter Three

Chichikov goes to Colonel Koshkarev, but ends up in a completely different estate - to Pyotr Petrovich Rooster. The hospitable owner turns out to be a food lover. Just in time for dinner, his neighbor Platon Mikhailovich Platonov arrives - a handsome man, languishing in the village from boredom. Chichikov has the idea of ​​taking Plato on his travels. He agrees, but first demands to stop by his estate for a while.

The next day, the heroes go to the village, which belongs to Platonov’s son-in-law Konstantin Konstanzhoglo. This is an amazingly economical person whose estate is thriving. Chichikov is so impressed that he asks Konstanzhoglo to teach him his wits and tell him how to successfully conduct business. The owner of the estate advises Chichikov to go to Koshkarev, and then return and live with him for a couple of days.

Koshkarev is considered crazy, not without reason. His village is a massive construction site. New, official-looking houses have signs like “Depot for agricultural implements.” Every business with Koshkarev goes through a lot of paperwork. Even oats cannot be given to horses without a whole bunch of bureaucratic permits.

Realizing that it will not be possible to buy dead souls here due to the terrible disorder and bureaucracy, Chichikov returns to Konstanjoglo in irritation. Over lunch, the owner shared his experience of farming and told how you can start a profitable business from any waste. The conversation also turns to the richest tax farmer Murazov, who started from scratch and now has a fortune of millions. Chichikov goes to bed with a firm determination to buy an estate and start a farm like Konstanjoglo’s. He hopes to purchase the neighboring Khlobuev estate.

Chapter Four

Chichikov, Platonov and Konstanzhoglo go to Khlobuev to negotiate the sale of the estate. The village and the owner's house are in severe desolation. We agreed on 35 thousand rubles. Then we went to Platonov, where Chichikov met his brother Vasily. It turns out that he is in trouble - his neighbor Lenitsin has captured the wasteland. Pavel Ivanovich volunteers to help with this problem and talk with the offender. At Lenitsin's, Chichikov starts his signature conversation about buying dead souls. The owner has doubts, but then his wife appears with their one-year-old son. Pavel Ivanovich begins to play with the child, and he “marks” Chichikov’s new tailcoat. To hush up the trouble, Lenitsin agrees to a deal.

"Dead Souls" is complex work with multi-level text where even experienced readers can get lost. Therefore, a brief retelling of Gogol’s poem chapter by chapter, as well as it, which will help students understand the author’s large-scale plans, will not harm anyone.

He asks that comments regarding the entire text or image of a particular class be sent to him personally, for which he will be grateful.

Chapter first

The chaise of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov (here is his) - a collegiate adviser - accompanied by servants Selifan and Petrushka, drives into the city of NN. Chichikov's description is quite typical: he is not handsome, but not bad-looking, not thin, but not fat, not young, but not old.

Chichikov, showing masterful hypocrisy and the ability to find an approach to everyone, gets acquainted with all the important officials and makes a pleasant impression on them. At the governor's he meets the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, and at the police chief he meets Nozdryov. He undertakes to pay a visit to everyone.

Chapter two

The author writes about Chichikov's servants: Petrushka and the drinking coachman Selifan. Pavel Ivanovich goes to see Manilov (here is him), in the village of Manilovka. Everything in the manners and portrait of the landowner was too sweet, he thinks only about abstract things, cannot finish reading one book and dreams of building a stone bridge, but only in words.

Manilov lives here with his wife and two children, whose names are Alcides and Themistoclus. Chichikov says that he wants to purchase “dead souls” from him - dead peasants who are still on the audit lists. He refers to the desire to relieve his newfound friend from paying taxes. The landowner, after a short fright, happily agrees to give them to the guest for free. Pavel Ivanovich hastily leaves him and goes to Sobakevich, pleased with the successful start of his enterprise.

Chapter Three

On the way to Sobakevich's house, due to the inattention of the coachman Selifan, the chaise goes far from the right road and gets into an accident. Chichikov is forced to ask for an overnight stay with the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka (here is her).

The old woman is too thrifty, incredibly stupid, but very successful. Order reigns in her estate, she conducts trade business with many merchants. The widow keeps all her old things and receives the guest with suspicion. In the morning, Chichikov tried to talk about “dead souls,” but Nastasya Petrovna for a long time could not understand how one could trade in the dead. Finally, after a small scandal, the irritated official makes a deal and sets off on a repaired chaise.

Chapter Four

Chichikov enters the tavern, where he meets the landowner Nozdryov (here is him). He is an avid gambler, a fan of making up tall tales, a carouser and a talker.

Nozdryov calls Chichikov to his estate. Pavel Ivanovich asks him about “dead souls,” but the landowner inquires about the purpose of such an unusual purchase. He offers the hero to buy other expensive goods along with the souls, but it all ends in a quarrel.

The next morning, the gambling Nozdryov invites the guest to play checkers: the prize is “dead souls.” Chichikov notices the landowner's fraud, after which he escapes from the danger of a fight, thanks to the police captain who entered.

Chapter Five

Chichikov's britzka runs into the carriage, which causes a slight delay. A pretty girl, noticed by Pavel Ivanovich, would later turn out to be the governor’s daughter. The hero approaches the huge village of Sobakevich (here is his), everything in his house is of impressive size, like the owner himself, whom the author compares to a clumsy bear. A particularly characteristic detail is a massive, roughly hewn table that reflects the character of the owner.

The landowner speaks rudely about everyone Chichikov talks about, remembering Plyushkin, whose serfs endlessly die because of the owner’s stinginess. Sobakevich calmly sets a high price for the dead peasants and begins to talk about selling them. After much bargaining, Chichikov manages to buy several souls. The chaise goes to the landowner Plyushkin.

Chapter Six

The village of Plyushkina has a miserable appearance: the windows are without glass, the gardens are abandoned, the houses are overgrown with mold. Chichikov mistakes the owner for an old housekeeper. Plyushkin (here is him), looking like a beggar, leads the guest into the dusty house.

This is the only landowner whose past the author talks about. The master's wife and youngest daughter died, and the rest of his children left him. The house was empty, and Plyushkin gradually sank to such a pitiful state. He is happy to get rid of the dead peasants so as not to pay taxes for them, and happily sells them to Chichikov at a low price. Pavel Ivanovich leaves back to NN.

Chapter Seven

Along the way, Chichikov examines the collected records and notices the variety of names of deceased peasants. He meets Manilov and Sobakevich.

The chairman of the chamber quickly draws up the documents. Chichikov reports that he bought serfs for removal to the Kherson province. Officials celebrate Pavel Ivanovich's success.

Chapter Eight

Chichikov's huge acquisitions become known throughout the city. Various rumors are spreading. Pavel Ivanovich finds an anonymous letter of love.

At the governor's ball, he meets a girl whom he saw on the way to Sobakevich. He becomes interested in the governor's daughter, forgetting about other ladies.

The sudden appearance of a drunken Nozdryov almost disrupts Chichikov’s plan: the landowner begins to tell everyone how the traveler bought dead peasants from him. He is taken out of the hall, after which Chichikov leaves the ball. At the same time, Korobochka goes to find out from her friends whether her guest has set the right price for the “dead souls.”

Chapter Nine

Friends Anna Grigorievna and Sofya Ivanovna gossip about the visiting official: they think that Chichikov is acquiring “dead souls” in order to please the governor’s daughter or kidnap her, in which Nozdryov may become his accomplice.

The landowners are afraid of punishment for the scam, so they keep the deal secret. Chichikov is not invited to dinners. Everyone in the city is busy with the news that somewhere in the province a counterfeiter and robber is hiding. Suspicion immediately falls on the buyer of dead souls.

Chapter Ten

The police chief is arguing over who Pavel Ivanovich is. Some people think he is Napoleon. The postmaster is sure that this is none other than Captain Kopeikin, and tells his story.

When Captain Kopeikin fought in 1812, he lost a leg and an arm. He came to St. Petersburg to ask for help from the governor, but the meeting was postponed several times. The soldier soon ran out of money. As a result, he is advised to return home and wait for the sovereign's help. Soon after his departure, robbers appeared in the Ryazan forests, whose ataman, by all indications, was Captain Kopeikin.

But Chichikov has all his arms and legs, so everyone understands that this version is wrong. The prosecutor dies due to anxiety; Chichikov has had a cold for three days and does not leave the house. When he recovers, he is refused admission to the governor, and others treat him the same way. Nozdryov tells him about the rumors, praises him for the idea of ​​kidnapping the governor’s daughter and offers his help. The hero understands that he urgently needs to escape from the city.

Chapter Eleven

In the morning, after slight delays in preparations, Chichikov sets off. He sees the prosecutor being buried. Pavel Ivanovich leaves the city.

The author talks about Chichikov's past. He was born into a noble family. His father often reminded his son to please everyone and save every penny. At school, Pavlusha already knew how to earn money, for example, by selling pies and showing performances of a trained mouse for a fee.

Then he began to serve in the government chamber. Pavel Ivanovich made his way to a high position by announcing to an old official that he was going to marry his daughter. In all positions, Chichikov took advantage of his official position, which is why he once found himself on trial for smuggling.

One day, Pavel Ivanovich got the idea of ​​purchasing “dead souls” in order to ask for the Kherson province to house them. Then he could get a lot of money on the security of non-existent people and make a big fortune for himself.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

Chapter first

“A rather beautiful small spring britzka, in which bachelors ride, drove into the gates of the hotel in the provincial town of NN.” In the chaise sat a gentleman of pleasant appearance, not too fat, but not too thin, not handsome, but not bad-looking, you couldn’t say that he was old, but he wasn’t too young either. The chaise drove up to the hotel. It was a very long two-story building with the lower floor unplastered and the upper floor painted in perpetual yellow paint. There were benches downstairs; in one of the windows there was a beater with a samovar made of red copper. The guest was greeted and taken to show his “peace”, usual for hotels of this kind, “where for two rubles a day travelers get... a room with cockroaches peeking out from everywhere, like prunes...” Following the master, his servants appear - coachman Selifan , a short man in a sheepskin coat, and the footman Petrushka, a young man of about thirty, with somewhat large lips and nose.

During dinner, the guest asks the inn servant various questions, starting with who previously owned this inn, and whether the new owner is a big scammer, and ending with other details. He asked the servant in detail about who was the chairman of the chamber in the city, who was the prosecutor, did not miss a single more or less significant person, and was also interested in the local landowners. Questions regarding the state of affairs in the region did not escape the attention of the visitor: were there any diseases, epidemics or other disasters? After dinner, the gentleman, at the request of the tavern servant, wrote his name and rank on a piece of paper to notify the police: “Collegiate Councilor Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov.” Pavel Ivanovich himself went to inspect the provincial town and was satisfied, since it was in no way inferior to other provincial towns. The same establishments as everywhere else, the same shops, the same park with thin trees that are still poorly established, but about which the local newspaper wrote that “our city has been decorated with a garden of branchy trees.” Chichikov questioned the guard in detail about the best way to get to the cathedral, to government offices, and to the governor. Then he returned to his hotel room and, having had dinner, went to bed.

The next day, Pavel Ivanovich went to pay visits to city officials: the governor, vice-governor, chairman of the chamber, police chief and other authorities. He even paid a visit to the inspector of the medical board and the city architect. I thought for a long time about who else I should pay my respects to, but more significant persons there are none left in the city. And everywhere Chichikov behaved very skillfully, he was able to very subtly flatter everyone, which resulted in an invitation from each official for a shorter acquaintance at home. The collegiate adviser avoided talking much about himself and was content with general phrases.

Chapter two

After spending more than a week in the city, Pavel Ivanovich finally decided to pay visits to Manilov and Sobakevich. As soon as Chichikov left the city, accompanied by Selifan and Petrushka, the usual picture appeared: bumps, bad roads, burnt pine trunks, village houses covered with gray roofs, yawning men, women with fat faces, and so on.

Manilov, inviting Chichikov to his place, told him that his village was located fifteen miles from the city, but the sixteenth mile had already passed, and there was no village. Pavel Ivanovich was a smart man, and he remembered that if you are invited to a house fifteen miles away, it means you will have to travel all thirty.

But here is the village of Manilovka. She could lure few guests to her place. The master's house stood on the south, open to all winds; the hill on which he stood was covered with turf. Two or three flower beds with acacia, five or six sparse birch trees, a wooden gazebo and a pond completed this picture. Chichikov began to count and counted more than two hundred peasant huts. The owner had been standing on the porch of the manor house for a long time and, putting his hand to his eyes, tried to make out a man approaching in a carriage. As the chaise approached, Manilov’s face changed: his eyes became more and more cheerful, and his smile became wider. He was very happy to see Chichikov and took him to his place.

What kind of person was Manilov? It is quite difficult to characterize it. He was, as they say, neither this nor that - neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan. Manilov was a pleasant person, but this pleasantness was laced with too much sugar. When the conversation with him just began, at first the interlocutor thought: “What a pleasant and a kind person!”, but after a minute I wanted to say: “The devil knows what it is!” Manilov did not take care of the house, nor did he manage the farm; he never even went to the fields. For the most part he thought and reflected. About what? - no one knows. When the clerk came to him with proposals for managing the household, saying that this and that should be done, Manilov usually answered: “Yes, not bad.” If a man came to the master and asked to leave in order to earn rent, then Manilov would immediately let him go. It didn’t even occur to him that the man was going out to drink. Sometimes he came up with various projects, for example, he dreamed of building a stone bridge across a pond, on which there would be benches, merchants sitting in the shops and selling various goods. He had beautiful furniture in his house, but two armchairs were not upholstered in silk, and the owner had been telling guests for two years that they were not finished. In one room there was no furniture at all. On the table next to the dandy one stood a lame and greasy candlestick, but no one noticed it. Manilov was very pleased with his wife, because she was a match for him. In continuation of quite a long time already life together Both spouses did nothing but press long kisses on each other. A sensible guest might have many questions: why is the pantry empty and why is there so much cooking in the kitchen? Why does the housekeeper steal, and the servants are always drunk and unclean? Why does the mongrel sleep or openly idle? But these are all questions of a low nature, and the mistress of the house is well brought up and will never stoop to them. Over dinner, Manilov and the guest said compliments to each other, as well as various pleasant things about city officials. Manilov's children, Alcides and Themistoclus, demonstrated their knowledge of geography.

After lunch there was a conversation directly about the matter. Pavel Ivanovich informs Manilov that he wants to buy souls from him, which, according to the latest revision tale, are listed as living, but in fact have long since died. Manilov is at a loss, but Chichikov manages to persuade him to make a deal. Since the owner is a person trying to be pleasant, he takes upon himself the execution of the deed of sale. To register the deed of sale, Chichikov and Manilov agree to meet in the city, and Pavel Ivanovich finally leaves this house. Manilov sits in a chair and, smoking a pipe, ponders the events of today, rejoicing that fate brought him together with such a pleasant person. But Chichikov’s strange request to sell him dead souls interrupted his previous dreams. Thoughts about this request could not be digested in his head, and so he sat on the porch for a long time and smoked his pipe until dinner.

Chapter Three

Chichikov, meanwhile, was driving along the main road, hoping that Selifan would soon bring him to Sobakevich’s estate. Selifan was drunk and, therefore, did not watch the road. The first drops dripped from the sky, and soon a real long torrential rain began to fall. Chichikov's britzka completely lost its way, it got dark, and it was no longer clear what to do, when a dog was heard barking. Soon Selifan was already knocking on the gate of the house of a certain landowner, who allowed them to spend the night.

The inside of the rooms of the landowner's house were covered with old wallpaper, paintings with some birds and huge mirrors hung on the walls. Behind each such mirror was tucked either an old deck of cards, or a stocking, or a letter. The owner turned out to be an elderly woman, one of those landowner mothers who always cry about crop failures and lack of money, and themselves little by little put money away in little bundles and bags.

Chichikov stays overnight. Waking up, he looks through the window at the landowner’s farm and the village in which he finds himself. The window overlooks the chicken coop and fence. Behind the fence are spacious beds with vegetables. All the plantings in the garden are well thought out, here and there several apple trees grow to protect them from birds, and from them there are scarecrows with outstretched arms; one of these scarecrows was wearing the cap of the owner herself. Appearance peasant houses showed "the contentment of their inhabitants." The fence on the roofs was new everywhere, no rickety gates were visible anywhere, and here and there Chichikov saw a new spare cart standing.

Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka (that was the name of the landowner) invited him to have breakfast. Chichikov behaved much more freely in conversation with her. He stated his request regarding the purchase of dead souls, but soon regretted it, since his request caused bewilderment of the hostess. Then Korobochka began to offer hemp, flax, and other things, even bird feathers, in addition to the dead souls. Finally, an agreement was reached, but the old woman was always afraid that she had sold herself short. For her, dead souls turned out to be the same commodity as everything produced on the farm. Then Chichikov was fed pies, crumpets and shanezhki, and a promise was made from him to also buy lard and bird feathers in the fall. Pavel Ivanovich hurried to leave this house - Nastasya Petrovna was very difficult in conversation. The landowner gave him a girl to accompany him, and she showed him how to get onto the main road. Having let the girl go, Chichikov decided to stop at a tavern that stood on the way.

Chapter Four

Just like the hotel, it was a regular tavern for all county roads. The traveler was served traditional pig with horseradish, and, as usual, the guest asked the hostess about everything in the world - from how long she had been running the tavern to questions about the condition of the landowners living nearby. During the conversation with the hostess, the sound of the wheels of an approaching carriage was heard. Two men came out of it: blond, tall, and shorter than him, dark-haired. First, the blond man appeared in the tavern, followed by his companion who entered, taking off his cap. He was a young man of average height, very well built, with full rosy cheeks, teeth as white as snow, jet-black sideburns, and as fresh as blood and milk. Chichikov recognized him as his new acquaintance Nozdryov.

The type of this person is probably known to everyone. People of this kind are considered good friends at school, but at the same time they often get beaten. Their face is clean, open, and before you have time to get to know each other, after a while they say “you” to you. They will make friends seemingly forever, but it happens that after a while they fight with a new friend at a party. They are always talkers, revelers, reckless drivers and, at the same time, desperate liars.

By the age of thirty, life had not changed Nozdryov at all; he remained the same as he was at eighteen and twenty years old. His marriage did not affect him in any way, especially since his wife soon went to the next world, leaving her husband with two children who he did not need at all. Nozdryov had a passion for card game, but, being dishonest and dishonest in the game, he often brought his partners to assault, leaving two sideburns with one, liquid. However, after a while he met people who pestered him as if nothing had happened. And his friends, oddly enough, also behaved as if nothing had happened. Nozdryov was a historical man, i.e. he always and everywhere ended up in stories. There was no way you could get along with him on short terms, much less open your soul - he would spoil it, and invent such a tall tale about the person who trusted him that it would be difficult to prove otherwise. After some time, he took this same person by the buttonhole when they met in a friendly manner and said: “You’re such a scoundrel, you’ll never come to see me.” Another passion of Nozdryov was barter - its subject was anything, from a horse to the smallest things. Nozdryov invites Chichikov to his village, and he agrees. While waiting for lunch, Nozdryov, accompanied by his son-in-law, gives his guest a tour of the village, while boasting to everyone right and left. His extraordinary stallion, for which he supposedly paid ten thousand, is in fact not worth even a thousand, the field that ends his domain turns out to be a swamp, and for some reason the Turkish dagger, which the guests are examining while waiting for dinner, has the inscription “Master Savely Sibiryakov.” Lunch leaves much to be desired - some things were not cooked, and some were burnt. The cook, apparently, was guided by inspiration and put in the first thing that came to hand. There was nothing to say about the wine - the mountain ash smelled like fusel, and the Madeira turned out to be diluted with rum.

After lunch, Chichikov nevertheless decided to present his request to Nozdryov regarding the purchase of dead souls. It ended with Chichikov and Nozdryov completely quarreling, after which the guest went to bed. He slept disgustingly, waking up and meeting his owner the next morning was just as unpleasant. Chichikov was already scolding himself for trusting Nozdryov. Now Pavel Ivanovich was offered to play checkers for dead souls: if he won, Chichikov would get the souls for free. The game of checkers was accompanied by Nozdrev's cheating and almost ended in a fight. Fate saved Chichikov from such a turn of events - a police captain came to Nozdryov to inform the brawler that he was on trial until the end of the investigation, because he had insulted the landowner Maximov while drunk. Chichikov, without waiting for the end of the conversation, ran out onto the porch and ordered Selifan to drive the horses at full speed.

Chapter Five

Thinking about everything that had happened, Chichikov rode in his carriage along the road. A collision with another stroller shook him up somewhat - a lovely young girl was sitting in it with an elderly woman accompanying her. After they parted, Chichikov thought for a long time about the stranger he had met. Finally the village of Sobakevich appeared. The traveler's thoughts turned to his constant subject.

The village was quite large, it was surrounded by two forests: pine and birch. In the middle one could see the manor's house: wooden, with a mezzanine, a red roof and gray, one might even say wild, walls. It was evident that during its construction the taste of the architect was constantly in conflict with the taste of the owner. The architect wanted beauty and symmetry, and the owner wanted convenience. The windows on one side were boarded up, and one window was checked in their place, apparently needed for a closet. The pediment was not in the middle of the house, since the owner ordered one column to be removed, of which there were not four, but three. The owner’s concerns about the strength of his buildings were felt throughout. Very strong logs were used for stables, barns and kitchens, peasant huts They were also cut down firmly, tightly and very neatly. Even the well was lined with very strong oak. Approaching the porch, Chichikov noticed faces looking out the window. The footman came out to meet him.

When looking at Sobakevich, it immediately suggested itself: a bear! perfect bear! And indeed, his appearance was similar to that of a bear. A big, strong man, he always walked at random, which is why he constantly stepped on someone’s feet. Even his tailcoat was bear-colored. To top it all off, the owner's name was Mikhail Semenovich. He hardly moved his neck, kept his head down rather than up, and rarely looked at his interlocutor, and if he managed to do this, then his gaze fell on the corner of the stove or on the door. Since Sobakevich himself was a healthy and strong man, he wanted to be surrounded by equally strong objects. His furniture was heavy and pot-bellied, and portraits of strong, big men hung on the walls. Even the blackbird in the cage was very similar to Sobakevich. In a word, it seemed that every object in the house said: “And I, too, look like Sobakevich.”

Before dinner, Chichikov tried to start a conversation by speaking flatteringly about local officials. Sobakevich replied that “these are all swindlers. The whole city there is like this: a swindler sits on a swindler and drives the swindler.” By chance, Chichikov learns about Sobakevich's neighbor - a certain Plyushkin, who has eight hundred peasants who are dying like flies.

After a hearty and plentiful lunch, Sobakevich and Chichikov relax. Chichikov decides to state his request regarding the purchase of dead souls. Sobakevich is not surprised by anything and listens carefully to his guest, who began the conversation from afar, gradually leading him to the subject of the conversation. Sobakevich understands that Chichikov needs dead souls for something, so the bargaining begins with a fabulous price - one hundred rubles apiece. Mikhailo Semenovich talks about the merits of dead peasants as if the peasants were alive. Chichikov is perplexed: what kind of conversation can there be about the merits of dead peasants? In the end, they agreed on two rubles and a half for one soul. Sobakevich receives a deposit, he and Chichikov agree to meet in the city to complete the deal, and Pavel Ivanovich leaves. Having reached the end of the village, Chichikov called a peasant and asked how to get to Plyushkin, who feeds people poorly (otherwise it was impossible to ask, because the peasant did not know the name of the neighbor's gentleman). "Ah, patched, patched!" - the peasant cried and pointed the way.

Chapter Six

Chichikov grinned all the way, remembering Plyushkin’s description, and soon he didn’t notice how he drove into a vast village, with many huts and streets. The jolt produced by the log pavement brought him back to reality. These logs looked like piano keys - they either rose up or fell down. A rider who did not protect himself or, like Chichikov, who did not pay attention to this feature of the pavement, risked getting either a bump on his forehead, or a bruise, and, even worse, biting off the tip of his own tongue. The traveler noticed on all the buildings the imprint of some kind of special disrepair: the logs were old, many of the roofs were see-through, like a sieve, and others were left with only a ridge at the top and with logs that looked like ribs. The windows were either without glass at all, or covered with a rag or zipun; in some huts, if there were balconies under the roofs, they had long since turned black. Between the huts stretched huge piles of grain, neglected, the color of old brick, in places overgrown with bushes and other rubbish. From behind these treasures and huts two churches could be seen, also neglected and dilapidated. In one place the huts ended and some kind of wasteland surrounded by a dilapidated fence began. It made the manor's house look like a decrepit invalid. This house was long, in some places two floors, in others one; peeling, having seen a lot of all sorts of bad weather. All the windows were either tightly shuttered or completely boarded up, and only two of them were open. But they were also blind: a blue triangle from sugar paper was glued to one of the windows. The only thing that enlivened this picture was the wild and magnificent garden in its desolation. When Chichikov drove up to the manor's house, he saw that up close the picture was even sadder. The wooden gates and fence were already covered with green mold. From the nature of the buildings it was clear that once the economy here was carried out extensively and thoughtfully, but now everything around was empty, and nothing enlivened the picture of general desolation. The whole movement consisted of a man who arrived in a cart. Pavel Ivanovich noticed a figure in a completely incomprehensible attire, which immediately began to argue with the man. Chichikov tried for a long time to determine what gender this figure was - a man or a woman. This creature was dressed in something similar to a woman’s hood, and on its head was a cap worn by courtyard women. Chichikov was embarrassed only by the hoarse voice that could not belong to the woman. The creature scolded the man who arrived last words; he had a bunch of keys on his belt. Based on these two signs, Chichikov decided that this was the housekeeper in front of him, and decided to take a closer look at her. The figure, in turn, looked very closely at the newcomer. It was clear that the arrival of a guest here was a novelty. The man examined Chichikov carefully, then his gaze turned to Petrushka and Selifan, and even the horse was not left without attention.

It turned out that this creature, either a woman or a man, was the local gentleman. Chichikov was dumbfounded. The face of Chichikov's interlocutor was similar to the faces of many old people, and only small eyes were constantly running around in the hope of finding something, but the outfit was out of the ordinary: the robe was completely greasy, cotton paper was coming out of it in shreds. The landowner had something between a stocking and a belly tied around his neck. If Pavel Ivanovich had met him somewhere near the church, he would certainly have given him alms. But it was not a beggar who stood before Chichikov, but a master who had a thousand souls, and it is unlikely that anyone else would have had such huge reserves of provisions, so many goods, dishes that had never been used, as Plyushkin had. All this would be enough for two estates, even such huge ones as this. All this seemed to Plyushkin not enough - every day he walked along the streets of his village, collecting various little things, from a nail to a feather, and putting them in a pile in his room.

But there was a time when the estate flourished! Plyushkin had a nice family: a wife, two daughters, a son. The son had a French teacher, and the daughters had a governess. The house was famous for its hospitality, and friends gladly came to the owner to dine, listen to smart speeches and learn how to run a household. But the good housewife died, and part of the keys and, accordingly, the worries passed to the head of the family. He became more restless, more suspicious and stingier, like all widowers. He could not rely on his eldest daughter Alexandra Stepanovna, and for good reason: she soon secretly married the captain and ran away with him, knowing that her father did not like officers. Her father cursed her, but did not pursue her. Madame, who looked after her daughters, was fired because she turned out to be guilty of kidnapping the eldest, and the French teacher was also released. The son decided to serve in the regiment without receiving a penny from his father for uniforms. The youngest daughter died, and Plyushkin’s lonely life provided satisfying food for stinginess. Plyushkin became more and more intractable in his relations with the buyers, who bargained and bargained with him, and even abandoned this business. Hay and bread rotted in the barns, it was scary to touch matter - it turned into dust, flour in the basements had long ago become stone. But the quitrent remained the same! And everything brought became “rot and a hole,” and Plyushkin himself gradually turned into a “hole in humanity.” I came once eldest daughter with his grandchildren, hoping to get something, but he didn’t give her a penny. The son had lost money at cards a long time ago and asked his father for money, but he refused him too. More and more, Plyushkin turned to his jars, carnations and feathers, forgetting how much stuff he had in his pantries, but remembering that in his closet there was a decanter with unfinished liqueur, and he needed to make a mark on it so that no one would secretly drink the liqueur. drank.

For some time Chichikov did not know what reason to come up with for his arrival. Then he said that he had heard a lot about Plyushkin’s ability to manage the estate in strict economy, so he decided to visit him, get to know him better and pay his respects. The landowner reported in response to Pavel Ivanovich’s questions that he had one hundred and twenty dead souls. In response to Chichikov's offer to buy them, Plyushkin thought that the guest was obviously stupid, but he could not hide his joy and even ordered the samovar to be installed. Chichikov received a list of one hundred and twenty dead souls and agreed to complete the deed of sale. Plyushkin complained about the presence of seventy fugitives, which Chichikov also bought at thirty-two kopecks per head. He hid the money he received in one of the many drawers. Chichikov refused the liqueur, cleared of flies, and the gingerbread that Alexandra Stepanovna had once brought and hurried to the hotel. There he fell asleep like a happy man, knowing neither hemorrhoids nor fleas.

Chapter Seven

The next day Chichikov woke up in an excellent mood, prepared all the lists of peasants for completing the deed of sale and went to the ward, where Manilov and Sobakevich were already waiting for him. All the necessary documents were drawn up, and the chairman of the chamber signed a bill of sale for Plyushkin, whom he asked in a letter to be his charge d'affaires. When asked by the chairman and officials of the chamber what the newly-minted landowner was going to do next with the purchased peasants, Chichikov replied that they had been destined for withdrawal to the Kherson province. The purchase had to be celebrated, and in the next room the guests were already waiting for a decently laid table with wines and snacks, of which a huge sturgeon stood out. Sobakevich immediately attached himself to this work of culinary art and left nothing of it. Toasts followed one after another, one of them was to the future wife of the newly minted Kherson landowner. This toast brought a pleasant smile from Pavel Ivanovich’s lips. For a long time, the guests complimented the man, who was pleasant in all respects, and persuaded him to stay in the city for at least two weeks. The result of the abundant feast was that Chichikov arrived at the hotel in a completely exhausted state, already in his thoughts a Kherson landowner. Everyone went to bed: Selifan and Petrushka, snoring with unprecedented intensity, and Chichikov, answering them from the room with a thin nasal whistle.

Chapter Eight

Chichikov's purchases became the number one topic of all conversations taking place in the city. Everyone argued that it was quite difficult to transport so many peasants overnight to the lands in Kherson, and gave their advice on preventing riots that might arise. To this Chichikov replied that the peasants he bought were of a calm disposition, and a convoy would not be needed to escort them to new lands. All these conversations, however, benefited Pavel Ivanovich, since the opinion was formed that he was a millionaire, and the residents of the city, who had fallen in love with Chichikov even before all these rumors, fell in love with him even more after the rumors about millions. The ladies were especially zealous. The merchants were surprised to discover that some of the fabrics they brought to the city and were not sold due to the high price were sold out like hot cakes. An anonymous letter with a declaration of love and amorous poems arrived at Chichikov’s hotel. But the most remarkable of all the mail that arrived in Pavel Ivanovich’s room these days was an invitation to a ball with the governor. The newly-minted landowner took a long time to get ready, spent a long time working on his toilet, and even did a ballet entrechat, causing the chest of drawers to tremble and a brush to fall from it.

Chichikov's appearance at the ball created an extraordinary sensation. Chichikov moved from embrace to embrace, carried on first one conversation, then another, constantly bowed, and in the end completely charmed everyone. He was surrounded by ladies, dressed and perfumed, and Chichikov tried to guess among them the writer of the letter. He became so dizzy that he forgot to fulfill the most important duty of politeness - to approach the hostess of the ball and pay his respects. A little later, in confusion, he approached the governor’s wife and was stunned. She was not standing alone, but with a young, pretty blonde who was riding in the same carriage that Chichikov’s crew had encountered on the road. The governor's wife introduced Pavel Ivanovich to her daughter, who had just graduated from the institute. Everything that was happening moved away somewhere and lost interest for Chichikov. He was even so discourteous towards the ladies' company that he withdrew from everyone and went to see where the governor's wife had gone with her daughter. The provincial ladies did not forgive this. One of them immediately touched the blonde with her dress, and used her scarf in such a way that he waved it right in her face. At the same time, a very caustic remark was heard addressed to Chichikov, and satirical poems were even attributed to him, written by someone in mockery of provincial society. And then fate prepared a very unpleasant surprise for Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov: Nozdryov appeared at the ball. He walked arm in arm with the prosecutor, who did not know how to get rid of his companion.

"Ah! Kherson landowner! How many dead people have you traded in?" - Nozdryov shouted, walking towards Chichikov. And he told everyone how he traded with him, Nozdryov, dead souls. Chichikov did not know where to go. Everyone was confused, and Nozdryov continued his half-drunk speech, after which he crawled towards Chichikov with kisses. This trick didn’t work for him, he was so pushed away that he flew to the ground, everyone abandoned him and didn’t listen anymore, but the words about buying dead souls were pronounced loudly and accompanied by such loud laughter that they attracted everyone’s attention. This incident upset Pavel Ivanovich so much that during the course of the ball he no longer felt so confident, made a number of mistakes in the card game, and was unable to maintain a conversation where at other times he felt like a duck to water. Without waiting for the end of dinner, Chichikov returned to the hotel room. Meanwhile, at the other end of the city, an event was being prepared that threatened to aggravate the hero’s troubles. The collegiate secretary Korobochka arrived in the city in her car.

Chapter Nine

The next morning, two ladies - simply pleasant and pleasant in every way - were discussing last news. The lady, who was simply pleasant, told the news: Chichikov, armed from head to toe, came to the landowner Korobochka and ordered the souls that had already died to be sold to him. The hostess, a pleasant lady in all respects, said that her husband heard about this from Nozdryov. Therefore, there is something in this news. And both ladies began to speculate on what this purchase of dead souls could mean. As a result, they came to the conclusion that Chichikov wants to kidnap the governor’s daughter, and the accomplice in this is none other than Nozdryov. While both ladies were deciding on such a successful explanation of events, the prosecutor entered the living room and was immediately told everything. Leaving the prosecutor completely confused, both ladies went to riot the city, each in their own direction. For a short time the city was in turmoil. At another time, under other circumstances, perhaps no one would have paid attention to this story, but the city had not received fuel for gossip for a long time. And here it is!.. Two parties were formed - women's and men's. The women's party focused exclusively on the kidnapping of the governor's daughter, and the men's party dead souls. It got to the point that all the gossip was delivered to the governor’s own ears. She, as the first lady in the city and as a mother, interrogated the blonde with passion, and she sobbed and could not understand what she was accused of. The doorman was strictly ordered not to let Chichikov enter the door. And then, as luck would have it, several dark stories surfaced, into which Chichikov fit quite well. Who is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov? No one could answer this question for sure: neither city officials, nor the landowners with whom he traded souls, nor the servants Selifan and Petrushka. In order to talk about this subject, everyone decided to gather with the police chief.

Chapter Ten

Having gathered with the police chief, the officials discussed for a long time who Chichikov was, but they never came to a consensus. One said that he was a maker of counterfeit notes, and then he himself added, “or maybe not a maker.” The second assumed that Chichikov was most likely an official of the Governor General’s Office, and immediately added “but, the devil knows, you can’t read it on his forehead.” The suggestion that he was a robber in disguise was brushed aside. And suddenly it dawned on the postmaster: “This, gentlemen! is none other than Captain Kopeikin!” And, since no one knew who Captain Kopeikin was, the postmaster began to tell “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.”

“After the campaign of the twelfth year,” the postmaster began to tell, “a certain captain Kopeikin was sent with the wounded. Either near Krasny, or near Leipzig, his arm and leg were torn off, and he turned into a hopeless invalid. And then there were no orders about the wounded , and the disabled capital was established much later. Therefore, Kopeikin had to work somehow to feed himself, and, unfortunately, he had only his left hand. Kopeikin decided to go to St. Petersburg to ask for the royal favor. , he spilled, he remained disabled... And so he tried to rent an apartment in St. Petersburg, but it turned out to be unusually expensive. In the end, he stayed in a tavern for a ruble a day. He saw that there was nothing to live for. He asked where the commission was. which he should contact, and went to the reception. He waited for a long time, about four hours. At this time, people crowded into the reception room, like beans on a plate. And more and more generals, fourth or fifth class officials.

Finally, the nobleman entered. It was Captain Kopeikin’s turn. The nobleman asks: “Why are you here? What is your business?” Kopeikin gathered his courage and answered: “So, yes, and so, Your Excellency, I shed blood, lost my arms and legs, I can’t work, I dare to ask for royal mercy.” The minister, seeing this situation, replies: “Okay, come see me one of these days.” Kopeikin left the audience in complete delight; he decided that in a few days everything would be decided and he would be given a pension.

Three or four days later he appears to the minister again. He recognized him again, but now stated that Kopeikin’s fate was not decided, since he had to wait for the sovereign’s arrival in the capital. And the captain ran out of money a long time ago. He decided to take the minister's office by storm. This made the minister extremely angry. He called a courier, and Kopeikin was expelled from the capital at public expense. Where exactly the captain was taken, history is silent about this, but only two months later a gang of robbers appeared in the Ryazan forests, and their ataman was none other than..." The police chief, in response to this story, objected that Kopeikin had no legs, no arms, but Chichikov has everything in place. Others also rejected this version, but came to the conclusion that Chichikov is very similar to Napoleon.

After gossiping some more, the officials decided to invite Nozdryov. For some reason they thought that since Nozdryov was the first to announce this story with dead souls, he might know something for sure. Nozdryov, upon arriving, immediately listed Mr. Chichikov as a spy, maker of false papers and kidnappers of the governor’s daughter at the same time.

All these rumors and rumors had such an effect on the prosecutor that he died when he came home. Chichikov did not know any of this, sitting in his room with a cold and flu, and was very surprised why no one was coming to see him, because just a few days ago there were always someone’s droshky under the window of his room. Feeling better, he decided to pay visits to officials. Then it turned out that the governor had ordered him not to receive him, and other officials were avoiding meetings and conversations with him. Chichikov received an explanation for what was happening in the evening at the hotel, when Nozdryov showed up to visit him. It was then that Chichikov learned that he was a maker of counterfeit notes and a failed kidnapper of the governor’s daughter. And he is also the reason for the death of the prosecutor and the arrival of the new governor-general. Being very frightened, Chichikov quickly sent Nozdryov out, ordered Selifan and Petrushka to pack their things and prepare to leave at dawn tomorrow.

Chapter Eleven

It was not possible to leave quickly. Selifan came and said that the horses needed to be shoed. Finally everything was ready, the chaise left the city. On the way they met funeral procession, and Chichikov decided that this was fortunate.

And now a few words about Pavel Ivanovich himself. As a child, life looked at him sourly and unpleasantly. Chichikov's parents were nobles. Pavel Ivanovich's mother died early, his father was sick all the time. He forced little Pavlusha to study and often punished him. When the boy grew up, his father took him to the city, which amazed the boy with its splendor. Pavlusha was handed over to a relative in order to stay with her and attend classes at the city school. The father left on the second day, leaving his son an instruction instead of money: “Study, Pavlusha, don’t be stupid and don’t hang around, but please your teachers and bosses most of all. Don’t hang out with your comrades, and if you do hang out, then with those who are richer. Never.” Don’t treat anyone, but make sure they treat you. And most of all, save a penny.” And he added half a copper to his instructions.

Pavlusha remembered these tips well. Not only did he not take a penny from his father’s money, but, on the contrary, a year later he had already added half a penny to that. The boy showed no abilities or inclinations in his studies, he was distinguished most of all by his diligence and neatness and discovered a practical mind in himself. Not only did he never treat his comrades, but he made it so that he sold their treats to them. One day Pavlusha made a bullfinch from wax and then sold it very profitably. Then he trained a mouse for two months, which he later also sold at a profit. Teacher Pavlushi valued his students not for knowledge, but for exemplary behavior. Chichikov was an example of this. As a result, he graduated from college, receiving a certificate and, as a reward for exemplary diligence and trustworthy behavior, a book with golden letters.

When the school was completed, Chichikov's father died. Pavlusha inherited four frock coats, two sweatshirts and a small amount of money. Chichikov sold the dilapidated house for a thousand rubles, and transferred his only family of serfs to the city. At this time, the teacher, a lover of silence and good behavior, was kicked out of the gymnasium, he began to drink. All former students They helped him as much as they could. Only Chichikov made the excuse of not having money, giving a nickel of silver, which was immediately thrown away by his comrades. The teacher cried for a long time when he learned about this.

After college, Chichikov eagerly took up the service, because he wanted to live richly, have a beautiful house, and carriages. But even in the outback, patronage is needed, so he got a seedy place, with a salary of thirty or forty rubles a year. But Chichikov worked day and night, and against the background of the sloppy officials of the chamber he always looked impeccable. His boss was an elderly military commander, an unapproachable man, with a complete absence of any emotion on his face. Trying to approach from different sides, Chichikov finally discovered the weak point of his boss - he had a mature daughter with an ugly, pockmarked face. At first he stood opposite her in church, then he was invited to tea, and soon he was already considered a groom in the boss’s house. A vacant position as a police officer soon appeared in the ward, and Chichikov decided to fill it. As soon as this happened, Chichikov secretly sent the supposed father-in-law out of the house with his belongings, ran away himself and stopped calling the police officer daddy. At the same time, he did not stop smiling affectionately at his former boss when they met and inviting him to visit, but every time he just turned his head and said that he had been masterfully deceived.

This was the most difficult threshold for Pavel Ivanovich, which he successfully overcame. At the next grain market, he successfully launched a fight against bribes, but in fact he himself turned out to be a major bribe-taker. Chichikov's next business was participation in the commission for the construction of some state-owned, very capital building, in which Pavel Ivanovich was one of the most active members. For six years, the construction of the building did not move beyond the foundation: either the soil interfered, or the climate. At this time, in other parts of the city, each member of the commission had a beautiful building of civil architecture - probably the soil there was better. Chichikov began to allow himself excesses in the form of material on his frock coat that no one had, thin Dutch shirts, and a pair of excellent trotters, not to mention other little things. Soon fate changed for Pavel Ivanovich. In place of the previous boss, a new one was sent, a military man, a terrible persecutor of all kinds of untruths and abuses. Chichikov's career in this city ended, and the houses of civil architecture were transferred to the treasury. Pavel Ivanovich moved to another city in order to start over. In a short time he was forced to change two or three low-level positions in an environment unacceptable to him. Having already begun to plump up, Chichikov even lost weight, but overcame all the troubles and decided to go to customs. His old dream came true, and he set about his new service with extraordinary zeal. As his superiors put it, he was a devil, not a man: he looked for contraband in places where no one would think of going, and where only customs officials are allowed to go. It was a storm and despair for everyone. His honesty and integrity were almost unnatural. Such service zeal could not go unnoticed by the authorities, and soon Chichikov was promoted, and then he presented the authorities with a project on how to catch all the smugglers. This project was adopted, and Pavel Ivanovich received unlimited power in this area. At that time, “a strong society of smugglers had formed,” which wanted to bribe Chichikov, but he answered those sent: “It’s not the time yet.”

As soon as Chichikov received unlimited power into his hands, he immediately let this society know: “It’s time.” And then, during Chichikov’s service at customs, a story happened about the witty journey of Spanish sheep across the border, when under their double sheepskin coats they carried millions of Brabant laces. They say that Chichikov's fortune, after three or four such campaigns, amounted to about five hundred thousand, and his accomplices - about four hundred thousand rubles. However, Chichikov, in a drunken conversation, quarreled with another official who also participated in these frauds. As a result of the quarrel, all secret relations with the smugglers became obvious. The officials were put on trial and their property was confiscated. As a result, out of five hundred thousand, Chichikov had only ten thousand left, which partly had to be spent in order to get out of the criminal court. Again he started life from the bottom of his career. Being a chargé d'affaires, having previously earned the full favor of the owners, he was somehow engaged in pledging several hundred peasants to the guardianship council. And then they told him that, despite the fact that half of the peasants had died out, according to the audit fairy tale, they were listed as alive!.. Therefore, he had nothing to worry about, and the money would be there, regardless of whether these peasants were alive or given to God soul. And then it dawned on Chichikov. This is where the field for action is! Yes, if he bought dead peasants, who, according to the audit tale, are still listed as living, if he acquired at least a thousand of them, and the guardianship council would give two hundred rubles for each - that’s two hundred thousand capital for you!.. True, you can’t buy them without land, so it should be announced that the peasants are being bought to leave, for example, in the Kherson province.

And so he began to carry out his plans. He looked into those places of the state that suffered most from accidents, crop failures and deaths, in a word, those in which it was possible to buy the people Chichikov needed.

“So, here is our hero in full... Who is he in terms of moral qualities? A scoundrel? Why a scoundrel? Now we don’t have scoundrels, we have well-intentioned, pleasant people... It’s most fair to call him: master, acquirer... And which of you, not publicly, but in silence, alone, will deepen this difficult question into your own soul: “Isn’t there some part of Chichikov in me too?”

Meanwhile, Chichikov's chaise rushes on. “Eh, troika! bird troika, who invented you?.. Isn’t it you too, Rus', that you’re rushing along like a brisk, unovertaking troika?.. Rus', where are you rushing? Give an answer. Doesn’t give an answer. The bell rings with a wonderful ringing; it rattles and the air becomes torn into pieces by the wind; everything that is on the earth flies past and, looking askance, other peoples and states step aside and give way to it.”