Summary of dead souls by chapter 1. Dead souls how it ends

A luxurious spring chaise drove through the gates of a hotel in one city. In it sat a gentleman, not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin; one cannot say that he is old, but it is not so that he is too young.

The crew drove into the courtyard of the hotel. There the gentleman was met by a tavern servant, who took him to the provided room. However, the room was terrible.

Then in the provincial cities often met hotels in the rooms of which for 2 rubles a day you could meet cockroaches peeking out from all angles. From the outside, the hotel matched the situation inside. Long two-story building. The first floor is not plastered and the brick that covered the walls was very old. The second floor was painted bright yellow.

The visiting gentleman looked around the room, and his luggage was brought in by the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka. First, a white leather suitcase was brought in, a little worn. Following the suitcase, they brought in a mahogany chest, shoe lasts, and a chicken wrapped in paper. The coachman coped and went to the stable, and the footman began to settle down himself. While the servants went about their business, this gentleman went to the common room. He sat down, unwound his scarf, and ordered dinner to be served. While various dishes were being brought to him, he began to question the servant or the servant about the former and current owners of the tavern. Does it give a lot of income and is the owner of this institution a big scoundrel. And they only answered him that the owner was a big scoundrel. In addition to such empty questions, the gentleman was interested in who the governor was in this region, he also asked about various officials and landlords. He also learned about the state of the region, about the presence of various diseases, etc.

After dinner he drank coffee and began to yawn. Then he bowed to his room, where he fell asleep for two hours. And when he woke up, he wrote on a piece of paper at the request of the tavern servant his name, surname and rank. For information to the police. And then it turned out that this gentleman's name was Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. He was a collegiate adviser, a landowner.

After his dream, Chichikov went for a walk around the city; he went around many streets and made certain conclusions for himself about the beauty of the buildings. This city turned out to be no worse than other provincial cities. After the walk, he went to his room, where he drank tea and began to read a theater poster he had taken out of his pocket. The drama of Mr. Kotzebue was being given. He read this brush absolutely completely, right down to the name of the printing house. And then, out of habit, he sent this poster to his chest. And the day ended with a portion of cold veal, a bottle of sour cabbage soup and a sound sleep.

The visiting gentleman spent the next day on visits. He walked around all the city officials and was able to win over everyone in a conversation. As a result, there were many invitations to Chichikov's evening visits. So the governor invited him to a house party that would take place on the same day.

In conversations with officials, he tried to say little about himself. It was only known that he considered himself a small man in order to be taken care of with his life. He had many ill-wishers, and now he wants to moderate his life and therefore wants to find a place for himself to live.

When he returned home after the visits, he immediately went to bed. After I woke up, I began to gather for a party at the governor's. He spent about two hours on it. I chose the toilet very carefully. He washed himself well, put on a lingonberry-colored tailcoat, pulled out a couple of hairs that had come out of his nose and went to the event.

When Chichikov arrived, he saw that the governor's house was lit up, as if not for a party, but for a ball. The people there were different. While the guest was looking at everyone and everything, the governor grabbed him by the arm and led Chichikov to meet his wife. The visiting gentleman duly dipped the lady in compliments.

While everyone was dancing, Chichikov stood with his hands folded behind his back, and watched what was happening, drawing conclusions. Some of the ladies at this party looked very good, they were dressed in fashion. And the rest are dressed in what was. The men were also divided into two parts. Some were thin, and tried to be closer to the ladies. And the second ones are full, or just bigger than the first ones. Among them was Chichikov. These gentlemen, on the contrary, tried to stay away from women. Basically, officials were fat. Apparently they are better able to work in such positions than thin ones. Chichikov approached the company of fat ones and met among them his recent acquaintances. Among the people whom he visited in the morning, he also met two landowners Manilov and Sobakevich.

After a short conversation. The whole company went to play whist. This card game was very silent. Since everyone tried to focus on a practical lesson. And sometimes they just argued. Chichikov also argued, only he did it very beautifully and never dared to say "You went" - instead he said "you deigned to go." And from time to time he offered everyone his snuffbox, at the bottom of which lay two violets for smell. The game dragged on until dinner. Everyone really liked Chichikov, and Manilov was so crazy about the visiting gentleman, and he asked very much to visit his house. Chichikov accepted this offer with joy. And Sobakevich also, but less warmly, offered to go to him.

The next day Chichikov went to dinner and the evening to the chief of police. Where he met the landowner Nozdrev. And, all the following days, the visiting gentleman went to dinner with officials. In the hotel room, he appeared only when he was sleeping. The rest of the time he went to visit. Everyone around was pleased that it was Chichikov who came to their city. This man seemed to know a lot about everything. Whatever they talked about in a conversation, he could always support her with sensible remarks. At least about horses, at least about wine, and indeed about everything. Everyone praised him, even Sobakevich, having come after the governor's party, went to bed with his wife and said that he had met Chichikov - a very good person. Everyone had such an opinion until one strange property of this man led to terrible bewilderment of all the inhabitants of the city.

It has already been more than a week since Chichikov arrived in this city. And, finally, he decided to visit Manilov and Sobakevich. At first I decided to go to the first one. The road was very bad, bumps, and in general the picture is not beautiful. Burnt pines, village houses covered with gray roofs, yawning men, fat-faced women, and so on.

Chichikov rode for a long time, despite the fact that, according to Manilov's stories, his village is only 15 miles from the city. But he remembered in time that if they say 15, they mean all 30. When Chichikov drove up to the master's house in the village of Manilovka, he saw the owner on the porch, who, with each approaching movement of Chichikov, smiled wider and wider.

Manilov was a pleasant person, but sometimes too much sugar was put into this quality. He did not take care of the house and the housework either, he agreed to all the proposal of the clerk to do this or that around the house. He never forbade his servants to leave early, despite the fact that they left to quickly drink. But most of all he loved his wife. They were idyllic. Despite the fact that they lived together for a long time. Constantly merged into passionate kisses. They had two sons, Alkid and Themistoclus.

At dinner, Manilov and Chichikov complimented each other, and also spoke well of the city officials. And after dinner, Chichikov asked Manilov to talk about some business. He asked the owner of the house to sell or give him the peasants who had already died, but they had not yet been entered in the register, i.e. sold dead souls that are listed as living. This strange request was a little taken aback by Manilov, but he agreed to give them to his friend. Manilov, from the fact that he tried to be a pleasant person, takes the whole process of the bill of sale upon himself. After they agreed to meet in a few days in the city, Chichikov left for Sobakevich. And Manilov told the coachman Selifan how best to get to him.

Manilov sat in an armchair thinking how great it would be if he lived next door to a friend, they would build a bridge, but his desires and dreams were interrupted by bewilderment, which concerned Chichikov's request.

Chichikov, meanwhile, was on his way to Sobakevich. However, his coachman Selifan was not sober and therefore did not follow the road. In addition, a strong thunderstorm began and the britzka completely lost its way, and even found itself in the mud into which Chichikov fell. It got dark, and the gentleman had to look for a lodging for the night, he heard the barking of a dog and went to the sound. He knocked on the door, and it was there, with one elderly lady, that he was able to find shelter. The hostess was not young, one of those people who always complain about the lack of money or crops, but slowly save money for themselves in bundles and bags. The visitor stayed overnight with her, and when he woke up, he began to examine the village in which this lady lived. Her name was Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, she was a secretary. At breakfast, Chichikov offered to buy dead souls from the landowner, but soon regretted it. Because she was very confused. The box began to offer Chichikov a bunch of other goods, and finally persuaded the guest. After the lady fed Chichikov goodies, he decided to leave this house as soon as possible. The box gave Chichikov a girl who showed the way to the high road. When they reached her, the girl wandered home, and Chichikov decided to stop by the tavern.

The tavern, like the hotel, was typical of all county roads. There he tasted a pig with horseradish and during the meal, according to custom, asked the hostess about everything, about how long she was the hostess, how much she earns, and down to the detailed life of the landowners living near. Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of wheels stopping. Two men got out of the carriage. One is blond and the other has black sideburns. And in this second he recognized the same Nozdryov whom Chichikov had met at a dinner at the police chief's.

Nozdryov belonged to the type of people who very quickly consider others friends and from this they begin to call them on you. This friendship is periodically interrupted and the person is already beating his new friend. And also these people are most often big talkers, revelers reckless and terrible liars.

Nozdrev, despite his age, always remained an 18-year-old guy. Nothing changed him. Not marriage, not the imminent death of his wife, not children, which, in fact, he did not need at all. He was a gambler and not very conscientious. Due to his passion for foul play, he often brought his partners to the point of physical assault. He could not be trusted, because as soon as he opened his soul to him, he immediately spat in it. Yes, and he loved to change anything.

In general, Nozdrev Chichikov was invited to visit him. He agreed. Arriving home, Nozdryov, accompanied by his friend, gives Chichikov a tour. During it, he constantly boasts, but in fact, everything that he demonstrated is much worse. The horse, which was allegedly bought for 10,000, was not worth a thousand. The field that completed his estate was actually a swamp. What they brought for lunch was terrible. All burnt, not tasty. The wines were disgusting. Ryabinovka smelled of fuselage, and Madeira turned out to be watered down with rum.

After dinner, comrade Nozdryova went home to his wife, and Chichikov decided to ask the owner of the house to give him dead souls. But Nozdryov began to set conditions that both of them quarreled in the region and went to bed. In the morning the situation did not change, after many unsuccessful attempts by Nozdrev to invite Chichikov to play cards with him. He began to offer to play checkers. After the same large number of attempts by Nozdryov, Chichikov nevertheless agreed. According to Nozdrev's terms, if Chichikov wins, Nozdrev gives his opponent dead souls. However, the instigator of the game began to cheat very clearly, which brought Chichikov out. These two had a conflict that would develop into something more, as Nozdryov threatened to beat his guest with the hands of his servant. Chichikov would have got it very badly, but a carriage arrived at Nozdryov's house in time, from which the police captain left. Who appeared in order to warn the brawler that he is under trial until the end of the investigation.

The fact is that in a drunken state he insulted the landowner Maximov. In general, while the captain was explaining everything to Nozdryov, Chichikov quickly ran out into the yard and told his Selifan to drive the horses as soon as possible.

Chichikov sat in his carriage and was lost in thought. However, this activity was disturbed by a collision with another carriage, in which sat a beautiful young girl, accompanied by an elderly lady. When those who collided parted, Chichikov thought about that girl for a long time. But soon the village of Sobakevich appeared and thoughts were dispelled. When Chichikov drove up, he saw faces looking out. Sobakevich reminded Chichikov of a bear both in appearance and clumsiness. They even called him Mikhail Semenovich. Sobakevich was a large man and in his house all the items were also large.

Chichikov tried to strike up a conversation at dinner. He spoke for local officials, but Sobakevich called them all swindlers. And in this conversation, Chichikov learned about Sobakevich's neighbor Plyushkin, who had recently died a lot of souls.

After a hearty dinner, Chichikov asks to sell the dead souls of Sobakevich, but he is somehow strangely not surprised by anything. Sobakevich understands that these souls are needed for something, and this leads to very high prices of 100 rubles per person. Chichikov is amazed at such prices, and Sobakevich argues this with the merits of the dead peasants. Chichikov does not understand what the dignity has to do with it if people are not alive. After arguing for a long time, they nevertheless agreed on a sum of two and a half rubles per person. And Sobakevich asked for a deposit, Chichikov gave it, and agreed to meet after some time in the city.

The visiting gentleman decided to take his leave and went to Plyushkin. Having previously learned the way from a passerby. Arriving, the guest saw an incomprehensible figure in a slightly strange attire, which was arguing with some peasant. From a distance it was hard to determine who this person was, a man or a woman. He was dressed in a woman's cap and hood, but the voice was not at all female, and this creature had a bunch of keys on his belt. Because of which Chichikov thought it was a housekeeper. And he began to look at her. This man, in turn, examined Chichikov from head to toe. He also examined the guest's servants, and even the horse was not left without a keen eye.

It turned out that this strange gentleman is the same gentleman Plyushkin. This was very surprising, since he did not look like a gentleman at all. A greasy dressing gown, from which cotton paper was crawling out, it was not clear what was tied around the neck. In general, he looked like a beggar, although in reality he was not. This man had a lot of good things, and there were about a thousand souls. But the master himself always seemed not enough. And from this, every day he walked around the village and collected all sorts of little things, whether it was a feather or a nail. This man had a family before. Wife, son and two daughters. However, his wife died, and Plyushkin had a lot of trouble, which made him more greedy and suspicious. The eldest daughter soon betrayed him. She secretly married a staff captain and fled with him, knowing that Plyushkin did not like officers. The youngest daughter died, and the son decided to serve in the regiment. However, he soon lost at cards, asked his father for money, but he refused.

Chichikov thought for a long time what reason it would be better to come up with to justify his visit. He said that he had heard about the ability to save. Plyushkin answered Chichikov's questions that he had 120 dead souls. And then the guest decided to make him an offer to buy them. Plyushkin thought that Chichikov was stupid and sold them. Chichikov also bought 70 runaway souls at 32 kopecks per person. They agreed on a deal with the purchase of a fortress and Chichikov left.

Chichikov ended up at the hotel, where he fell into a very sound sleep.

The next day Chichikov woke up in a good mood. Manilov and Sobakevich were already waiting for him in the chamber in order to sign the bill of sale. The chairman of this chamber signed it for Plyushkin, who asked him to do so in a letter. After signing, all participants in the action went to the next room, where a feast awaited them. Everyone asked Chichikov why he needed so many peasants, he replied that they were determined to be sent to the Kherson province. After a lot of toasts and compliments, everyone left. But Chichikov and his servants Selifan and Petrusha fell into a very exhausted sleep and snored very loudly.

In the city, everyone was talking about Chichikov's purchases, but it should be noted that no one knew that the souls were dead. Later, everyone decided that Chichikov was a millionaire. After such facts, the gentleman had a lot of admirers and friends. One lady even sent a letter with love content. And the governor soon invited Chichikov to the ball. The hero was going to him for a long time, picking up a toilet. Arriving at the event, he was surrounded by ladies. He was the center of everyone's attention. He was so carried away that he forgot to approach the governor's wife and express his respect.

Remembering, he immediately ran to the governor's wife and saw next to her that very young girl from the colliding crew. It turned out that this was the daughter of the governor. Forgetting about the other ladies, Chichikov began to go after the governor's wife and watch the girl, which served as a mockery towards Chichikov himself and, as it were, accidentally hitting that young girl with a scarf. But all this attention was disturbed by the visit of Nozdrev, who began to shout out questions addressed to Chichikov about dead souls. The hero felt uneasy, he was a little scared. After Nozdryov climbed into Chichikov's arms, he strongly pushed him away, that the brawler fell, no one else listened to him, but the words, namely about dead souls, settled in everyone's head.

Chichikov lost that former confidence and, without waiting for the end of dinner, Chichikov went to the hotel. In the meantime, the collegiate secretary Korobochka arrived at the other end of the city. The next morning, the two ladies began to discuss the latest news. One said that Chichikov came armed to Korobochka and ordered the souls that had already died to be sold. The second said that Nozdryov had told a similar story to her husband. Then these two ladies told everything to the chief of police. After that, a riot broke out in the city. Everyone just talked about these stories. No one could understand who this Chichikov was. There were rumors that he intended to kidnap the governor's daughter. The news reached the governor's wife. She, in turn, began to question her young daughter, and the girl was crying, because she did not understand why she was being accused. In the end, the governor ordered not to let Chichikov on the threshold.

Everyone gathered at the police chief to discuss and understand who this Chichikov was. All participants in the discussions wondered for a long time who this person was. There were different versions. And that he makes false banknotes, and a robber in disguise. Some began to say that this is Kopeikin - a man who lost an arm and a leg in the war, and after the authorities did not give him money, he went into the forest and created his own bandit group. Then they decided to call Nozdryov, who generally declared that Chichikov was a spy, a maker of false papers, and a kidnapper of the governor's daughter. In general, they wondered for a long time. And Chichikov himself was sitting in the room and was ill with a flux and a cold and had no idea about everything that was happening. He wondered why no one came to see him. After all, until recently, carriages constantly stopped under the windows.

Having recovered a little, he decided to visit the officials, but found out that it was ordered not to let him into the governor's house, and the police chief after that evening where everyone thought who Chichikov was dead. And then the hero decided to pack his things and leave, so that some kind of trouble would not happen. After Selifan had shod the horses, Chichikov set off.

And here the author finally tells about the life of this Peter Ivanovich Chichikov. His parents were nobles. The mother died early, and the father, having taken his son to the city, left him in the care of a relative. He gave instructions about studies and life and left. And soon he died. Chichikov strictly carried out everything that his father told him. He did not find in himself a penchant for learning. However, he was able to learn how to make money. He graduated from college, received a certificate and a book with gold letters for good behavior. After college, Chichikov took up the service, as he dreamed of a beautiful life. In the beginning, he didn't get a very good job. And the chief there was no longer young, he had a daughter who did not have beauty. This was the leader's weak point. Then Chichikov understood this and began to drop in at his house. And soon he was considered the groom of this daughter. However, one vacancy soon appeared in the ward, and Chichikov ran away from both the boss and his daughter. Then, in a new place, he began to fight with bribes and soon began to take them himself. Then Chichikov began to allow himself a lot. But, alas, this had to end, as a new boss came and the hero's career in this city ended.

He moved to another city, changed several positions. And finally, he began to work, so much so that the authorities could not get enough of it. He knew how to find contraband where no one can even think that it is there. He was promoted, and Chichikov proposed a project on how to catch all the smugglers. But soon these smugglers decided to bribe Chichikov. He said it wasn't time yet. And when this time came, he was able to earn about five hundred thousand rubles on the smuggling of lace. However, in one of the drunken conversations, Chichikov quarreled with one official. And all the secret relationships with the smugglers surfaced. Chichikov was taken to court, his property was confiscated, and he spent the remaining money to pay off the court. And then he began to live again from the bottom. It was then that the idea came to him with dead peasants who were considered alive. He buys one peasant, and the Board of Trustees pays him 200 rubles for this. If there are more peasants, then more money. However, it is impossible to buy them without land, which is why he said that they are needed for withdrawal to the Kherson province. And then he began to travel around the cities where there were some kind of troubles. Buying dead souls.

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 medium build and good looks. His servants, the lackey Petrushka and the coachman Selifan, arrived with him. The time of the events described is a few years after the war of 1812.

Chichikov checks into a hotel, dine in a tavern and asks the servant there about the surrounding landowners. He is also interested in whether there was any epidemic in these places, from which many people died. Chichikov's goal is to buy dead peasant souls.

The next day, the official pays visits to important people. At a party at the governor's, 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 meets Chichikov with great joy.

Gogol characterizes Manilov as a spineless person - "neither this nor that", and in communication also "sweet". Manilov constantly talks about his unrealizable and unnecessary ideas. He is a bad owner, as is his wife. Nobody cares about the house or the fields here. Servants without a master's eye steal, mess around and get drunk.

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

Chapter Three

On the way to Sobakevich, the hero gets caught in a downpour and loses his way. The seeker of dead souls is forced to spend the night in the first place that comes across, which turns out to be the estate of the landowner Korobochka.

In the morning, Chichikov inspects 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 Chichikov manages to buy dead souls from the landowner. True, I had to promise to buy fat and feathers from Korobochka. Nastasya Petrovna doubts for a long time: did she sell too cheap in this deal?

Chapter Four

Chichikov stops 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 fell into various stories. He is an incorrigible talker, a liar, a gossip, a reveler, a scorcher and a braggart. Nozdrev loves cards and other games of chance. He constantly cheats at the table and is often beaten for it, but remains on friendly terms with everyone.

Chichikov makes his request for dead souls to Nozdryov. The owner does not want to sell the peasants, but offers to play cards for them 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, turning into a fight. Suddenly, the police captain appears with a message about a lawsuit against Nozdryov. His visit saves Chichikov from beatings. Without a moment's delay, Pavel Ivanovich rushes out and orders the coachman to drive at full speed.

Chapter Five

On the way, Chichikov's britzka runs into a carriage in which an elderly lady and a lovely girl are riding. All the way to the estate of Sobakevich, Pavel Ivanovich indulges in dreams of a beautiful stranger.

Sobakevich is a thorough host. Himself large and clumsy as a bear, he surrounds himself with the same strong and durable things. Pavel Ivanovich sets out his case, Sobakevich is desperately bargaining, but in the end the deal is nevertheless 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 Plyushkin evokes a depressing impression: desolation and devastation reign everywhere. In the courtyard of a completely decrepit manor house, Chichikov meets a strange creature of an incomprehensible gender. Pavel Ivanovich at first takes him for a housekeeper, but it turns out that this is the owner of the house - Plyushkin. Chichikov is shocked by the beggarly appearance of the old man. Having a huge estate, colossal supplies of provisions and various goods, Plyushkin daily walks around the village and collects various little things: strings, feathers, etc. He puts all this in his room.

Chichikov easily bargained for 120 dead souls and 70 more fugitives from the miser. Having refused the treat, which has long turned into something petrified, the 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 concluded a bill of sale for the peasants of Plyushkin. The deal began to celebrate, to say a lot of toasts. They did not 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 around the city, everyone calls the hero a "millionaire". There is a big stir among the ladies. Pavel Ivanovich even receives an anonymous love letter, as well as an invitation to the governor to the ball.

Chichikov is in a great mood. At the ball, he is surrounded by ladies, among whom Pavel Ivanovich tries to guess the one that sent the letter. It turns out that the young lady who captivated his imagination is the governor's daughter. Chichikov is shocked by an unexpected meeting and neglects other ladies, which causes their displeasure. To complete the trouble, 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 disarray. At this time, the landowner Korobochka arrives in the city. She is going to find out: how much the dead souls are now.

Chapter Nine

In the morning, rumors are spreading around the city that Chichikov, with the help of Nozdryov, wants to kidnap the governor's daughter. Gossip reaches the governor's wife, and she inflicts a strict interrogation on her daughter. Chichikov was ordered not to be allowed on the threshold. Society is puzzled by the question: so who is Pavel Ivanovich? In order to understand and discuss everything, the city elite gathers at 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 appealed to St. Petersburg with a request for a pension. While the officials were dragging out the case, Kopeikin ran out of money. In desperation, the captain decided to take over the ministry, but he was caught and expelled from the city. Two months later, a band of robbers led by Kopeikin began to hunt in the forests.

After listening to the story, the society protested: Kopeikin was disabled, while 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 Nozdrev, who appeared at Chichikov's hotel. Upon learning that the official is accused of forging banknotes, the failed kidnapping of the governor's daughter, and the death of the prosecutor, Chichikov decides to urgently flee the city.

Chapter Eleven

We learn the story of the main character. Chichikov from poor nobles, his mother died early, and his father was often sick. He took little Pavlush 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.

As soon as Chichikov graduated from college, 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.

Having changed several positions, where he slowly took bribes, Pavel Ivanovich got a job at customs. There he was known as a storm of smugglers. When the authorities, convinced of the loyalty of their employee, gave Chichikov all powers, he conspired with the smugglers. After several scams, Pavel Ivanovich became incredibly rich. However, while drinking, he quarreled with one of his accomplices, who brought him to justice. Chichikov nevertheless managed to escape prison, but almost nothing remained 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 revision tale, were still alive, could be placed in the board of trustees. So he had the idea to acquire dead souls.

And now Chichikov's britzka, harnessed by a trio of horses, rushes on.

Volume two

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

Chapter first

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

And the young man started quite worthy, showed great promise. But when his teacher died, further education caused disappointment in Tentetnikov. Entering the service under patronage, Andrei Ivanovich at first 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 quarrel between the owner and the neighbor-general, whose daughter was predicted to be Tentetnikov's bride, Chichikov volunteers to settle the matter and goes to the military.

Chapter Two

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

This is where the text of the chapter ends.

Chapter Three

Chichikov goes to Colonel Koshkarev, but ends up in a completely different estate - to Pyotr Petrovich Petukh. The hospitable host turns out to be a lover of food. Just in time for dinner, his neighbor Platon Mikhailovich Platonov arrives - a hand-written handsome man, languishing in the village from boredom. Chichikov has the idea to take Plato on his wanderings. He agrees, but first requires a short visit to his estate.

The next day, the heroes leave for the village, which belongs to Platonov's son-in-law Konstantin Konstanzhoglo. This is a surprisingly economic man, whose estate is flourishing. Chichikov is so impressed that he asks Constanjoglo to teach him the mind and tell him how to successfully conduct business. The owner of the estate advises Chichikov to go to Koshkarev, and then return and stay with him for a couple of days.

Koshkarev, not without reason, is considered crazy. His village is a ubiquitous construction site. The new state-of-the-art houses are adorned with signs like "Depot for agricultural implements." Every business with Koshkarev goes through the execution of many papers. 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 because of the terrible mess and bureaucracy, Chichikov returns to Constanjoglo in annoyance. At dinner, the owner shared his experience of housekeeping and tells how a profitable business can be started from any waste. The conversation also turns to the richest farmer Murazov, who started from scratch, and now has a million dollar fortune. Chichikov goes to bed with a firm determination to buy an estate and start a household like Constantjoglo. He hopes to acquire the neighboring Khlobuev estate.

Chapter Four

Chichikov, Platonov and Konstanzhoglo go to Khlobuev to negotiate the sale of the estate. The village and the master's house are in a severe state of disrepair. We agreed for 35 thousand rubles. Then we went to Platonov, where Chichikov met his brother Vasily. It turns out that he is in trouble - the neighbor Lenitsin captured the wasteland. Pavel Ivanovich volunteers to help in this problem and talk with the offender. At Lenitsin's, Chichikov starts his signature conversation about buying dead souls. The owner doubts, but then his wife appears with a 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.

Very short content (in a nutshell)

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov arrives in the provincial town of NN. He begins to actively get acquainted with all the first persons of the city - the governor, vice-governor, prosecutor, chairman of the chamber, etc. Soon, he is invited to the governor's reception, where he also gets acquainted with the landowners. After about a week of acquaintances and receptions, he visits the village of the landowner Manilov. In a conversation, he says that he is interested in the "dead souls" of the peasants, who appear according to the census as still alive. Manilov is surprised, but to please his new friend, he gives them to him for free. Chichikov goes to the next landowner Sobakevich, but loses his way and stops by the landowner Korobochka. He makes her the same offer, Box in doubt, but still decides to sell him his dead souls. Then he meets Nozdryov, who refuses to sell them to him, behaves cheekily, and almost even beats Chichikov for refusing to play checkers with him. Finally, he gets to Sobakevich, who agrees to sell his "dead souls", and also talks about the stingy neighbor - Plyushkin, whose peasants are dying like flies. Chichikov, of course, visits Plyushkin and negotiates with him to sell a large number of souls. The next day, he draws up all the purchased souls, except for the Korobochkins. In the city, everyone thinks that he is a millionaire, because they think that he buys living people. Girls begin to pay attention to him, and he falls in love with the governor's daughter. Nozdryov begins to tell everyone that Chichikov is a swindler, but they do not believe him, but then Korobochka arrives and asks everyone in the city how much dead souls are. Now more people believe that he is a fraud, and even trying to kidnap the governor's daughter. Then the prosecutor suddenly dies, and the inhabitants again think that Chichikov is involved. He quickly leaves, and we find out that he is really a swindler who was going to pawn "dead souls" in the bank, and after receiving the money, hide.

Summary (detailed by chapter)

ChapterI

A gentleman arrived at the hotel in the provincial city of NN in a beautiful britzka. Neither handsome, but not bad, neither fat, nor thin, nor old, but no longer young. His name was Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. Nobody noticed his arrival. He had two servants with him - the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka. Selifan was short and in a sheepskin coat, while Petrushka was young, looked about thirty, and had a stern face at first glance. As soon as the master moved into the chambers, he immediately went to dinner. They served cabbage soup with puff pastries, sausage with cabbage, and pickles.

While everything was being brought, the guest forced the servant to tell everything about the tavern, its owner, how much income they receive. Then he found out who was the governor in the city, who was the chairman, what were the names of noble landowners, how many servants they had, how far from the city their estates were located, and all that nonsense. After resting in his room, he went to explore the city. He seemed to like everything. And stone houses covered with yellow paint, and signs on them. Many of them bore the name of a tailor named Arshavsky. On the gambling houses was written "And here is the institution."

The next day the guest paid visits. I wanted to express my respect to the governor, vice-governor, prosecutor, chairman of the chamber, head of state-owned factories and other city dignitaries. In conversations, he knew how to flatter everyone, and he himself occupied a rather modest position. He said almost nothing about himself, except superficially. He said that he had seen and experienced a lot in his lifetime, had suffered in the service, had enemies, everything was like everyone else. Now he wants, finally, to choose a place to live, and, having arrived in the city, he wanted first of all to testify his respect to the “first” of its inhabitants.

By evening, he was already invited to the governor's reception. There he joined the men, who, like him, were somewhat plump. Then he met the courteous landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. Both invited him to see their estates. Manilov was a man with surprisingly sweet eyes, which he squinted every time. He immediately said that Chichikov simply had to come to his village, which was only fifteen miles from the city outpost. Sobakevich was more reserved and had a clumsy look. He only said dryly that he, too, was inviting a guest to his place.

The next day Chichikov was at the police chief's dinner. In the evening they played whist. There he met the broken landowner Nozdrev, who, after a couple of phrases, switched to "you". And so for several days in a row. The guest almost did not visit the hotel, but only came to spend the night. He knew how to please everyone in the city, and the officials were pleased with his arrival.

ChapterII

After about a week of traveling for dinners and evenings, Chichikov decided to visit his new acquaintances, the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. It was decided to start with Manilov. The purpose of the visit was not just to see the village of the landowner, but also to propose one "serious" business. He took the coachman Selifan with him, and Petrushka was ordered to stay in the room, guarding the suitcases. A few words about these two servants. They were ordinary serfs. Petrusha wore somewhat wide robes, which he got from his master's shoulder. He had large lips and a nose. By nature, he was silent, loved to read and rarely went to the bathhouse, which is why he was recognizable by the ambergris. The coachman Selifan was the opposite of a footman.

On the way to Manilov, Chichikov did not miss the opportunity to get acquainted with the surrounding houses and forests. The Manilov estate stood on a hillock, it was bare all around, only a pine forest could be seen in the distance. A little lower there was a pond and many log huts. The hero counted them about two hundred. The owner greeted him warmly. There was something strange about Manilow. Despite the fact that his eyes were sweet as sugar, after a couple of minutes of conversation with him there was nothing more to talk about. Deathly boredom emanated from him. There are people who love to eat heartily, or are fond of music, greyhounds, this one was not fond of anything. He had been reading one book for two years.

His wife was not far behind him. She was fond of playing the piano, French and knitting every little thing. So, for example, for her husband's birthday, she prepared a beaded case for a toothpick. Their sons were also called strangely: Themistoclus and Alkid. After dinner, the guest said that he wanted to talk to Manilov about a very important matter. Heb went to the office. There Chichikov asked the owner how many dead peasants he had since the last revision. He did not know, but sent the clerk to clarify. Chichikov admitted that he was buying the "dead souls" of peasants, who are listed as alive in the census. Manilov at first thought that the guest was joking, but he was absolutely serious. They agreed that Manilov would give him what he needed even without money, if it did not violate the law in any way. After all, he will not take money for souls that are no longer there. And I don't want to lose a new friend.

ChapterIII

In the cart, Chichikov was already counting his profit. Selifan, meanwhile, took care of the horses. There was thunder, then another, and then it began to rain like buckets. Selifan pulled something against the rain and sped off the horses. He was a little drunk, so he couldn't remember how many turns they made on the road. In addition, they did not know exactly how to get to the village of Sobakevich. As a result, the britzka left the road and drove through the open field. Luckily, they heard the barking of dogs and rolled up to a small house. The hostess herself opened the gate for them, welcomed them cordially, and left them to spend the night.

It was an elderly woman in a cap. To all questions about the surrounding landowners, in particular about Sobakevich, she answered that she did not know who it was. She listed some other names, but Chichikov did not know them. In the morning, the guest assessed the peasant houses with a glance and concluded that everything was in abundance. The hostess's name was Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna. He decided to talk to her about buying up "dead souls." She said that the deal seems to be profitable, but doubtful, she needs to think, ask the price.

Chichikov then got angry and compared her to a mongrel. He said that he was already thinking about buying household products from her, but now he won’t. Although he lied, but the phrase had an effect. Nastasya Petrovna agreed to sign a power of attorney to make a bill of sale. He brought his documents and stamped paper. The deed is done, he and Selifan got ready to go. The box gave them a girl as a conductor, and on that they parted. At the tavern, Chichikov rewarded the girl with a copper penny.

ChapterIV

Chichikov dined at the tavern, the horses rested. We were going to go further in search of Sobakevich's estate. By the way, the neighboring landowners whispered to him that the old woman knew both Manilov and Sobakevich very well. Then two people drove up to the tavern. In one of them Chichikov recognized Nozdryov, a broken landowner whom he had recently met. He immediately rushed to hug him, introduced him to his son-in-law and invited him to his place.

It turned out that he was driving from the fair, where he not only played to the nines, but also drank an unmeasured amount of champagne. But then I met my son-in-law. He took it from there. Nozdryov was from that category of people who make a fuss around themselves. He easily got acquainted with people, switched to "you", immediately sat down to drink with them and play cards. He played cards dishonestly, so he was often beaten. Nozdryov's wife died, leaving two children, whom the reveler did not care about. Wherever Nozdryov visited, there were adventures. Either the gendarmes took him in public, or not unreasonably pushed out by their own friends. And he was from the breed of those who could spoil their neighbor for no reason.

The son-in-law, at the behest of Nozdryov, also went with them. For two hours they examined the village of the landowner, and then went to the estate. At dinner, the host strove to get the guest drunk, but Chichikov managed to pour the drink into a vat of soup. Then he insisted on playing cards, but the guest refused this too. Chichikov spoke to him about his "business", that is, the redemption of the souls of dead peasants, because of which Nozdryov called him a real swindler and ordered not to feed his horses. Chichikov already regretted his arrival, but there was nothing left to do but spend the night here.

In the morning the owner again offered to play cards, this time for "souls". Chichikov refused, but agreed to play checkers. Nozdryov, as always, cheated, so the game had to be interrupted. Because the guest refused to bring the game to the end, Nozdryov called his guys and ordered to beat him. But Chichikov was lucky this time too. A carriage rolled up to the estate, someone in a semi-military frock coat got out of it. It was a police captain who had come to inform the owner that he was on trial for beating the landowner Maksimov. Chichikov did not listen to the end, but sat down in his britzka and ordered Selifan to drive out of here.

ChapterV

Chichikov looked back at the village of Nozdryov all the way and was afraid. Along the way, they met a carriage with two ladies: one is elderly, and the other is young and unusually beautiful. This did not escape Chichikov's eyes, and all the way he thought about the young stranger. However, these thoughts left him as soon as he noticed the village of Sobakevich. The village was quite large, but a little awkward, like the owner himself. In the middle stood a huge house with a mezzanine in the style of military settlements.

Sobakevich received him, as he was supposed to, and led him into the living room, decorated with portraits of generals. When Chichikov tried, as usual, to flatter and start a pleasant conversation, it turned out that Sobakevich could not stand all these chairmen, police chiefs, governors and other swindlers. He considers them fools and Christ-sellers. Of all, he liked the prosecutor the most, and he, according to him, was a pig.

Sobakevich's wife invited him to the table. The table was laid abundantly. As it turned out, the owner loved to eat with all his heart, which distinguished him from the neighboring landowner Plyushkin. When Chichikov asked who this Plyushkin was and where he lived, Sobakevich recommended not to know him. After all, he has eight hundred souls, and eats worse than a shepherd. And yes, people are dropping like flies. Chichikov spoke to the owner about "dead souls." We bargained for a long time, but we came to a consensus. We decided tomorrow in the city to settle matters with the bill of sale, but to keep the deal a secret. Chichikov went to Plyushkin by detours so that Sobakevich would not see him.

ChapterVI

Swaying in his britzka, he reached a log pavement, behind which stretched dilapidated and dilapidated houses. Finally, the master's house appeared, a long and decrepit castle that looked like an invalid. It was evident that the house had endured more than one bad weather, the plaster was crumbling in places, only two of all the windows were open, and the rest were boarded up with shutters. And only the old garden behind the house somehow refreshed this picture.

Soon someone showed up. From the outlines, Chichikov thought it was a housekeeper, since the silhouette had a woman's bonnet and cap, as well as keys in a belt. In the end, it turned out that it was Plyushkin himself. Chichikov could not understand how the landowner of such a large village had turned into such a thing. He was terribly old, dressed in everything dirty and decrepit. If Chichikov had met this man somewhere on the street, he would have thought that he was a beggar. In fact, Plyushkin was incredibly wealthy, and with age he turned into a terrible miser.

When they entered the house, the guest was stunned by the surroundings. There was an incredible mess, chairs piled on top of each other, around the cobwebs and a lot of small pieces of paper, a broken arm of the chair, some kind of liquid in a glass with three flies. In a word, the situation was appalling. Plyushkin had almost a thousand souls at his disposal, and he walked around the village, picked up all sorts of rubbish and dragged it home. But once he was just an economical owner.

The landowner's wife has died. The eldest daughter jumped out to marry a cavalryman and left. Since then Plyushkin cursed her. He himself began to take care of the household. The son went into the army, and the youngest daughter died. When his son lost at cards, the landowner cursed him too, and did not give him a penny. He drove the governess and the French teacher away. The eldest daughter somehow tried to establish relations with her father and at least get something from him, but nothing came of it. The merchants who came for the goods also could not agree with him.

Chichikov was even afraid to offer him anything and did not know which way to approach him. Although the owner invited him to sit down, he said that he would not feed him. Then the conversation turned to the high mortality of peasants. This is what Chichikov needed. Then he told about his "case". Together with the fugitives, about two hundred souls were gathered. The old man agreed to give a power of attorney for the bill of sale. With grief in half, a clean piece of paper was found and the deal was finalized. Chichikov refused tea and went to town in good spirits.

ChapterVII

Chichikov, having slept, realized that he had neither more nor less, but already four hundred souls, so it was time to act. He prepared a list of people who were once alive, thought, walked, felt, and then went to the civil chamber. On the way I met Manilov. He embraced him, then handed him a rolled-up paper, and together they went to the office of the chairman, Ivan Antonovich. Despite a good acquaintance, Chichikov nevertheless “shove” him something. Sobakevich was also here.

Chichikov provided a letter from Plyushkin and added that there should be another attorney from the landowner Korobochka. The chairman promised to do everything. Chichikov asked him to put an end to everything as soon as possible, because he wanted to leave the next day. Ivan Antonovich quickly managed, wrote everything down and brought it in where it should be, and he also ordered to take half the duty from Chichikov. After, he offered to drink for the deal. Soon everyone was sitting at the table, a little tipsy, trying to persuade the guest not to leave at all, to stay in the city and get married. After the feast, Selifan and Petrushka put the host to bed, and they themselves went to the tavern.

ChapterVIII

Rumors quickly spread in the city about Chichikov's profit. For some, this raised doubts, since the owner would not sell good peasants, which means either drunkards or thieves. Some thought about the difficulties of moving so many peasants, they were afraid of a rebellion. But for Chichikov, everything worked out in the best way. They began to say that he was a millionaire. The inhabitants of the city liked him anyway, and now they completely fell in love with the guest, so much so that they did not want to let him go.

The ladies idolized him. He liked the local women. They knew how to behave in society and were quite presentable. There was no vulgarity in the conversation. So, for example, instead of “I blew my nose,” they said “I relieved my nose.” Liberties on the part of men were not allowed, and if they met with anyone, it was only secretly. In a word, they could give odds to any metropolitan young lady. Everything was decided at the reception of the governor. There Chichikov saw a blond girl whom he had previously met in a carriage. It turned out that it was the governor's daughter. And immediately all the ladies disappeared.

He stopped looking at anyone and thought only of her. In turn, offended ladies with might and main began to say unflattering things about the guest. The situation was aggravated by the sudden appearance of Nozdryov, who publicly announced that Chichikov was a swindler and that he was hunting for "dead souls." But since everyone knew the absurdity and deceitful nature of Nozdryov, they did not believe him. Chichikov, feeling uncomfortable, left early. While he was tormented by insomnia, another trouble was being prepared for him. Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka arrived in the city and was already interested in how much “dead souls” are now, so as not to sell too cheap.

ChapterIX

The next morning, one "beautiful" lady ran to another lady of the same kind to tell how Chichikov bought "dead souls" from her friend Korobochka. They also have thoughts about Nozdryov. The ladies think that Chichikov started all this to get the governor's daughter, and Nozdryov is his accomplice. The ladies immediately spread the version to other friends and the city begins to discuss this topic. True, men have a different opinion. They believe that Chichikov was still interested in "dead souls."

City officials even begin to believe that Chichikov was sent for some kind of check. And there were sins behind them, so they got scared. During this period, a new governor-general had just been appointed in the province, so this was quite possible. Here, as if on purpose, the governor received two strange papers. One said that a well-known counterfeiter was wanted, who changed names, and the other - about an escaped robber.

Then everyone wondered who this Chichikov really was. After all, none of them knew for sure. They interviewed the landlords, from whom he bought the souls of the peasants, there was little sense. They tried to learn something from Selifan and Petrushka, also to no avail. Meanwhile, the governor's daughter inherited from her mother. She strictly ordered not to communicate with a dubious guest.

ChapterX

The situation in the city became so tense that many officials began to lose weight from the experience. Everyone decided to meet with the police chief to confer. It was believed that Chichikov was Captain Kopeikin in disguise, who had his leg and arm torn off during the campaign of 1812. When he returned from the front, his father refused to support him. Then Kopeikin decided to turn to the sovereign, went to St. Petersburg.

Due to the absence of the sovereign, the general promises to receive him, but asks to come in a few days. A few days pass, but it is not accepted again. One nobleman assures that this requires the permission of the king. Soon Kopeikin runs out of money, he is poor and starving. Then he again turns to the general, who rudely sees him off and sends him out of St. Petersburg. After some time, a gang of robbers begins to operate in the Ryazan forest. Rumor has it that this is the work of Kopeikin.

After conferring, the officials decide that Chichikov cannot be Kopeikin, because his legs and arms are intact. Nozdryov appears and tells his version. He says that he studied with Chichikov, who was already a counterfeiter then. He also says that he sold him a lot of "dead souls" and that Chichikov really intended to take away the governor's daughter, and he helped him in this. As a result, he lies so much that he himself realizes that he overdid it.

At this time, in the city, from experiences, for no reason, the prosecutor dies. Everyone blames Chichikov, but he does not know anything about this, as he suffers from flux. He is genuinely surprised that no one visits him. Nozdryov comes to him and tells everything about the fact that in the city he is considered a swindler who tried to kidnap the daughter of the governor. And also talks about the death of the prosecutor. After he leaves, Chichikov orders to pack things.

ChapterXI

The next day, Chichikov is going on the road, but for a long time he cannot leave. Now the horses are not shod, then he overslept, then the chaise was not laid. As a result, they leave, but on the way they encounter a funeral procession. They are burying the prosecutor. All the officials go to the procession, and everyone thinks about how to improve relations with the new governor-general. This is followed by a lyrical digression about Russia, its roads and buildings.

The author introduces us to the origin of Chichikov. It turns out that his parents were nobles, but he does not look much like them. From childhood, he was sent to an old relative, where he lived and studied. At parting, his father gave him parting words to always please the authorities and hang out only with the rich. At school, the hero studied mediocre, had no special talents, but was a practical fellow.

When his father died, he mortgaged his father's house and entered the service. There he tried to please the authorities in everything and even looked after the boss's ugly daughter, promised to marry. But as he received a promotion, he did not marry. Further, he changed more than one service and did not stay anywhere for a long time because of his machinations. At one time, he even participated in the capture of smugglers, with whom he himself entered into an agreement.

The idea of ​​​​buying "dead souls" visited him once again, when everything had to be started all over again. According to his plan, "dead souls" had to be mortgaged to the bank, and after receiving an impressive loan, to hide. Further, the author complains about the properties of the hero's nature, while he himself partly justifies him. In the finale, the chaise rushed so quickly along the road. And what Russian does not like to drive fast? The author compares the flying troika with the rushing Russia.

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

In contact with

Author's intent

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

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

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

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

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

Genre of the work

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

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

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

The plot of the poem

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

Chapter 1

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

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

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

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

Chapter 2

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

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

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

Chapter 3

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

Chapter 4

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

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

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

Chapter 5

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

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

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

Chapter 6

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

Chapter 7

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

Chapter 8

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

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

Chapters 9-10

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

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

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

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

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

Chapter 11

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

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

Dead Souls - summary, retelling, analysis of the poem

Conclusion

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

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

DEAD SOULS

Gogol called his work a "poem", the author meant "a lesser kind of epic ... A prospectus for an educational book of literature for Russian youth. The hero of the epic is a private and invisible person, but significant in many respects for observing the human soul. Nevertheless, the poem contains features of a social and adventurous-adventure novel. The composition of "Dead Souls" is built on the principle of "concentric circles" - the city, the estates of landowners, all of Russia as a whole.

Volume 1

CHAPTER 1

At the gate of the hotel in the provincial town of NN, a britzka drove in, in which the gentleman “is not handsome, but not bad-looking, not too fat, not too thin; one cannot say that he is old, but it is not so that he is too young. This gentleman is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. At the hotel, he eats a hearty meal. The author describes the provincial town: “The houses were one, two and one and a half stories high, with an eternal mezzanine, very beautiful, according to provincial architects.

In places, these houses seemed lost among the wide, field-like streets and endless wooden fences; in some places they crowded together, and here there was noticeably more movement of the people and liveliness. There were signs almost washed away by the rain with pretzels and boots, in some places with painted blue trousers and the signature of some Arshavian tailor; where is the store with caps, caps and the inscription: “Foreigner Vasily Fedorov” ... Most often, darkened double-headed state eagles were noticeable, which have now been replaced by a laconic inscription: “Drinking House”. The pavement was bad everywhere.”

Chichikov pays visits to city officials - the governor, vice-governor, chairman of the chamber * prosecutor, police chief, as well as the inspector of the medical board, the city architect. Chichikov builds excellent relations everywhere and with everyone with the help of flattery, gains confidence in each of those whom he visited. Each of the officials invites Pavel Ivanovich to visit him, although little is known about him.

Chichikov attended a ball at the governor's, where “he somehow knew how to find himself in everything and showed in himself an experienced secular person. Whatever the conversation was about, he always knew how to support it: if it was about a horse farm, he talked about a horse farm; whether they talked about good dogs, and here he reported very sensible remarks; whether they interpreted it with regard to the investigation carried out by the Treasury, he showed that he was not unfamiliar with judicial tricks; whether there was a discussion about the billiard game - and in the billiard game he did not miss; whether they talked about virtue, and he talked about virtue very well, even with tears in his eyes; about making hot wine, and in hot wine he knew Zrok; about customs overseers and officials, and he judged them as if he himself were both an official and an overseer. But it is remarkable that he knew how to clothe all this with some degree, knew how to behave well. He spoke neither loudly nor softly, but exactly as he should. At the ball, he met the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, whom he also managed to win over. Chichikov finds out the condition of their estates and how many peasants they have. Manilov and Sobakevich invite Chichikov to their estate. While visiting the chief of police, Chichikov met the landowner Nozdrev, "a man of about thirty, a broken fellow."

CHAPTER 2

Chichikov has two servants - the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka. The latter reads a lot and everything in a row, while he is not interested in what he has read, but in folding letters into words. In addition, Parsley has a "special smell" because he very rarely goes to the bathhouse.

Chichikov goes to the Manilov estate. For a long time he cannot find his estate. “The village of Manilovka could lure a few with its location. The master's house stood alone in the south, that is, on a hill, open to all the winds that only take it into their head to blow; the slope of the mountain on which he stood was dressed in trimmed turf. Two or three flowerbeds with lilac and yellow acacia bushes were scattered on it in the English style; here and there five or six birches in small clusters raised their small-leaved thin tops. Beneath two of them was a gazebo with a flat green dome, blue wooden columns and the inscription: "Temple of Solitary Reflection"; lower down is a pond covered with greenery, which, however, is not a wonder in the English gardens of Russian landowners. At the foot of this elevation, and partly along the slope itself, gray log huts darkened up and down ... ”Manilov is glad to have a guest. The author describes the landowner and his household: “He was a prominent person; his features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have been conveyed too much sugar; in his manners and turns there was something ingratiating himself with favors and acquaintances. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes. In the first minute of a conversation with him, you can’t help but say: “What a pleasant and kind person!” In the next minute you will not say anything, and in the third you will say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away if you don’t move away, you will feel mortal boredom. You won’t expect any lively or even arrogant word from him, which you can hear from almost anyone if you touch on a subject that provokes him ... You can’t say that he was engaged in farming, he never even went to the fields, farming somehow went on by itself. .. Sometimes, looking from the porch at the yard and at the pond, he would talk about how nice it would be if all of a sudden to lead an underground passage from the house or build a stone bridge across the pond, on which there would be shops on both sides, and so that in merchants sat there and sold various small goods needed by the peasants ... All these projects ended with only one word. In his study there was always some kind of book, bookmarked on the fourteenth page, which he had been constantly reading for two years. Something was always missing in his house: in the living room there was beautiful furniture, upholstered in smart silk fabric, which, no doubt, was very expensive; but it was not enough for two armchairs, and the armchairs were simply upholstered with matting ... In the evening, a very smart candlestick made of dark bronze with three antique graces, with a mother-of-pearl smart shield, was placed on the table, and next to it was placed some kind of simple copper invalid, lame, curled up on the side and covered in fat, although neither the owner, nor the hostess, nor the servants noticed this.

Manilov's wife is very suitable for him in character. There is no order in the house, because she does not follow anything. She is well brought up, she received her upbringing in a boarding school, “and in boarding schools, as you know, three main subjects form the basis of human virtues: the French language, which is necessary for the happiness of family life, the piano, for composing pleasant minutes for a spouse, and, finally, the economic part itself: knitting purses and other surprises.

Manilov and Chichikov show an exaggerated courtesy towards each other, which brings them to the point that they both squeeze through the same door at the same time. The Manilovs invite Chichikov to dinner, which is attended by both of Manilov's sons: Themistoclus and Alkid. The first has a runny nose and bites his brother's ear. Alkid, swallowing tears, all smeared with fat, eats a leg of lamb.

At the end of dinner, Manilov and Chichikov go to the owner's office, where they have a business conversation. Chichikov asks Manilov for revision tales - a detailed register of peasants who died after the last census. He wants to buy dead souls. Manilov is amazed. Chichikov convinces him that everything will happen in accordance with the law, that the tax will be paid. Manilov finally calms down and gives away the dead souls for free, believing that he has rendered Chichikov a great service. Chichikov leaves, and Manilov indulges in dreams, in which it comes to the point that for their strong friendship with Chichikov, the tsar will grant both of them the rank of general.

CHAPTER 3

Chichikov is poisoned at Sobakevich's estate, but gets caught in heavy rain and loses his way. His cart flips over and falls into the mud. Nearby is the estate of the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, where Chichikov comes. He goes into the room, which “was hung with old striped wallpaper; pictures with some birds; between the windows there are small antique mirrors with dark frames in the form of curled leaves; behind every mirror there was either a letter, or an old pack of cards, or a stocking; a wall clock with painted flowers on the dial ... it was impossible to notice anything else ... A minute later the hostess entered, an elderly woman, in some kind of sleeping cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck, one of those mothers, small landowners, who cry for crop failures, losses and keep their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile they collect a little money in colorful bags placed in drawers of chests of drawers ... "

Korobochka leaves Chichikov to spend the night in his house. In the morning, Chichikov starts a conversation with her about selling dead souls. The box cannot understand why he needs them, he offers to buy honey or hemp from her. She is constantly afraid to sell cheap. Chichikov manages to convince her to agree to the deal only after he tells a lie about himself - that he conducts government contracts, promises to buy both honey and hemp from her in the future. The box believes it. Bidding has been going on for a long time, after which the deal did take place. Chichikov keeps his papers in a box, consisting of many compartments and having a secret drawer for money.

CHAPTER 4

Chichikov stops at a tavern, to which Nozdryov's chaise soon drives up. Nozdryov is “of medium height, a very well-built fellow with full ruddy cheeks, teeth as white as snow, and sideburns as black as pitch. He was fresh as blood and milk; health seemed to spurt from his face. He said with a very pleased look that he lost, and lost not only his money,

I but also the money of his son-in-law Mizhuev, who is present right there. Nozdryov invites Chichikov to his place, promising a tasty treat. He himself drinks in a tavern at the expense of his son-in-law. The author characterizes Nozdryov as a “broken fellow”, from that breed of people who “even in childhood and at school are known as good comrades and, for all that, are heavily beaten painfully ... They soon get to know each other, and before you have time to look back, as they already say you "you". Friendship will start, it seems, forever: but it almost always happens that the one who makes friends will fight with them that same evening at a friendly feast. They are always talkers, revelers, reckless people, prominent people. Nozdryov at thirty-five was exactly the same as he had been at eighteen and twenty: a go-getter. His marriage did not change him at all, especially since his wife soon departed for the next world, leaving behind two children who he absolutely did not need ... At home, he could not sit for more than a day. His sensitive nose could hear him for several tens of miles, where there was a fair with all sorts of congresses and balls; he was already there in the twinkling of an eye, arguing and causing confusion at the green table, for, like all such, he had a passion for cards ... Nozdryov was in a certain sense a historical person. Not a single meeting he attended was without a story. Some kind of story was bound to happen: either they would lead him out of the gendarme hall by the arms, or they would be forced to push him out of his own buddies ... And he would lie completely without any need: he would suddenly tell that he had a horse of some blue or pink wool, and such nonsense, so that the listeners finally all move away, saying: “Well, brother, it seems you have already begun to pour bullets.”

Nozdrev refers to those people who have "a passion to spoil their neighbor, sometimes for no reason at all." His favorite pastime was to exchange things and lose money and property. Arriving at Nozdryov's estate, Chichikov sees an unsightly stallion, about which Nozdryov says that he paid ten thousand for him. He shows a kennel where a dubious breed of dog is kept. Nozdrev is a master of lies. He talks about the fact that in his pond there is a fish of unusual size, that on his Turkish daggers there is a brand of a famous master. The dinner to which this landowner invited Chichikov was bad.

Chichikov begins business negotiations, while saying that he needs dead souls for a profitable marriage, so that the bride's parents believe that he is a wealthy person. Nozdryov is going to donate dead souls and, in addition, he is trying to sell a stallion, a mare, a hurdy-gurdy, and so on. Chichikov flatly refuses. Nozdryov invites him to play cards, which Chichikov also refuses. For this refusal, Nozdryov orders to feed Chichikov's horse not with oats, but with hay, which the guest is offended by. Nozdryov does not feel awkward, and in the morning, as if nothing had happened, he invites Chichikov to play checkers. He recklessly agrees. The landlord starts cheating. Chichikov accuses him of this, Nozdryov climbs in to fight, calls the servants and orders to beat the guest. Suddenly, a police captain appears, who arrests Nozdryov for insulting the landowner Maksimov while drunk. Nozdryov refuses everything, says that he does not know any Maksimov. Chichikov quickly leaves.

CHAPTER 5

Through the fault of Selifan, Chichikov's chaise collides with another chaise, in which two ladies are traveling - an elderly and sixteen-year-old very beautiful girl. The men gathered from the village separate the horses. Chichikov is shocked by the beauty of the young girl, and after the carts have parted, he thinks about her for a long time. The traveler drives up to the village of Mikhail Semenovich Sobakevich. “A wooden house with a mezzanine, a red roof and dark or, better, wild walls - a house like those we build for military settlements and German colonists. It was noticeable that during the construction of its architect, he constantly fought with the taste of the owner. The architect was a pedant and wanted symmetry, the owner - convenience and, apparently, as a result of this he boarded up all the corresponding windows on one side and turned in their place one small one, probably needed for a dark closet. The pediment also did not fit in the middle of the house, no matter how hard the architect struggled, because the owner ordered one column to be thrown out from the side, and therefore there were not four columns, as it was appointed, but only three. The yard was surrounded by a strong and unreasonably thick wooden lattice. The landowner seemed to be fussing a lot about strength. For the stables, sheds and kitchens, full-weight and thick logs were used, determined to stand for centuries. The village huts of the peasants were also built marvelously: there were no brick walls, carved patterns, and other frills, but everything was fitted tightly and properly. Even the well was lined with such strong oak, which is used only for mills and ships. In a word, everything he looked at was stubbornly, without shaking, in some kind of strong and clumsy order.

The owner himself seems to Chichikov like a bear. “To complete the resemblance, the tailcoat on him was completely bearish in color, the sleeves were long, the pantaloons were long, he stepped with his feet and at random and stepped incessantly on other people's legs. The complexion was red-hot, hot, which happens on a copper penny ... "

Sobakevich had a habit of expressing himself straightforwardly about everything. About the governor, he says that he is "the first robber in the world," and the police chief is "a swindler." Sobakevich eats a lot at dinner. He tells the guest about his neighbor Plyushkin, a very stingy man who owns eight hundred peasants.

Chichikov says that he wants to buy dead souls, to which Sobakevich is not surprised, but immediately starts bidding. He promises to sell 100 rudders for each dead soul, while saying that the dead were real masters. Trade for a long time. In the end, they agree on three rubles apiece, and at the same time draw up a document, since each fears dishonesty on the part of the other. Sobakevich offers to buy female dead souls cheaper, but Chichikov refuses, although it later turns out that the landowner nevertheless entered one woman in the bill of sale. Chichikov leaves. On the way, he asks the peasant how to get to Plyushkina. The chapter ends with a lyrical digression about the Russian language. “The Russian people are expressing themselves strongly! and if he rewards someone with a word, then it will go to his family and offspring, he will drag him with him to service, and retirement, and to St. . And where is everything that came out of the depths of Rus', where there are neither German, nor Chukhonian, nor any other tribes, and everything is itself a nugget, a lively and lively Russian mind that does not climb into a pocket for a word, does not hatch it out? , like a hen chickens, but immediately slaps like a passport on an eternal sock, and there is nothing to add later, what kind of nose or lips you have - you are outlined in one line from head to toe! Just as a myriad of churches, monasteries with domes, domes, and crosses are scattered over holy, pious Rus', so a myriad of tribes, generations, peoples throng, motley, and rush about on the face of the earth. And every people, bearing in itself a guarantee of strength, full of the creative abilities of the soul, its bright features and other gifts of the foot, each in a peculiar way distinguished itself by its own word, which, expressing any object, reflects in the expression of it a part of its own character. The word of the Briton will echo with the knowledge of the heart and the wise knowledge of life; The short-lived word of a Frenchman will flash and scatter like a light dandy; the German will intricately invent his own, not accessible to everyone, cleverly thin word; but there is no word that would be so bold, so smartly burst out from under the very heart, so seething and quivering like a well-spoken Russian word.

CHAPTER 6

The chapter begins with a lyrical digression about travel. “Before, a long time ago, in the summers of my youth, in the summers of my irretrievably flashed childhood, it was fun for me to drive up to an unfamiliar place for the first time: it doesn’t matter whether it was a village, a poor county town, a village, a suburb, - I discovered a lot of curious things in him a childlike curious look. Every building, everything that bore only on itself the imprint of some noticeable feature, everything stopped and amazed me ... Now I indifferently drive up to any unfamiliar village and indifferently look at its vulgar appearance; my chilled gaze is uncomfortable, it’s not funny to me, and what in previous years would have awakened a lively movement in the face, laughter and incessant speeches, now slips by, and my motionless lips keep an indifferent silence. O my youth! O my freshness!

Chichikov goes to Plyushkin's estate, for a long time he cannot find the master's house. Finally finds a "strange castle" that looks like a "decrepit invalid". “In places it was one floor, in places two; on the dark roof, which did not reliably protect his old age everywhere, two belvederes stuck out, one opposite the other, both already tottering, deprived of the paint that once covered them. The walls of the house slitted bare stucco lattice in places and, apparently, suffered a lot from all sorts of bad weather, rains, whirlwinds and autumn changes. Of the windows, only two were open; the rest were shuttered or even boarded up. These two windows, for their part, were also half-sighted; one of them had a dark pasted triangle of blue sugar paper. Chichikov meets a man of indeterminate sex (he cannot understand whether this is a man or a woman). He decides that this is the housekeeper, but then it turns out that this is the rich landowner Stepan Plyushkin. The author tells how Plyushkin came to such a life. In the past, he was a thrifty landowner, he had a wife who was famous for hospitality, and three children. But after the death of his wife, "Plyushkin became more restless and, like all widowers, more suspicious and stingy." He cursed his daughter, as she ran away and married an officer of the cavalry regiment. The youngest daughter died, and the son, instead of studying, decided to join the military. Every year Plyushkin became more stingy. Very soon the merchants stopped taking goods from him, because they could not bargain with the landowner. All his goods - hay, wheat, flour, canvas - everything rotted. Plyushkin, on the other hand, saved up everything, and at the same time picked up other people's things that he didn’t need at all. His stinginess knew no bounds: for all Plyushkin's household there were only boots, he kept rusk for several months, he knew exactly how much liquor he had in his decanter, because he made marks. When Chichikov tells him what he came for, Plyushkin is very happy. He offers the guest to buy not only dead souls, but also runaway peasants. Traded. The received money hides in a box. It is clear that this money, like others, he will never use. Chichikov leaves, to the great joy of the owner, refusing the treat. Returns to the hotel.

CHAPTER 7

The narrative begins with a lyrical digression about two types of writers. “Happy is the writer who, past the characters of boring, nasty, striking in their sad reality, approaches characters that show the high dignity of a person who, from the great pool of daily revolving images, chose only a few exceptions, who never changed the sublime order of his lyre, did not descend from his peak to his poor, insignificant brethren, and, without touching the earth, all plunged into his images far torn away from her and exalted ... indifferent eyes do not see - all the terrible, amazing, trifles that have entangled our life, all the depths of cold, fragmented, everyday characters that our earthly, sometimes bitter and boring road is teeming with, and with the strong force of an inexorable chisel that dares to expose them convexly and brightly on public eyes! He cannot gather popular applause, he cannot see grateful tears and the unanimous delight of the souls excited by him ... Without division, without answer, without participation, like a familyless traveler, he will remain alone in the middle of the road. Severe is his field, and he will bitterly feel his loneliness.

After all the registered merchants, Chichikov becomes the owner of four hundred dead souls. He reflects on who these people were in life. Leaving the hotel on the street, Chichikov meets Manilov. Together they go to make a bill of sale. In the office, Chichikov gives a bribe to the official Ivan Antonovich Kuvshinnoye Rylo to speed up the process. However, the giving of a bribe goes unnoticed - the official covers the banknote with a book, and it seems to disappear. Sobakevich sits at the head. Chichikov arranges for the bill of sale to be completed within a day, since he supposedly needs to leave urgently. He gives the chairman a letter from Plyushkin, in which he asks him to be an attorney in his case, to which the chairman gladly agrees.

Documents are drawn up in the presence of witnesses, Chichikov pays only half of the fee to the treasury, while the other half "was attributed in some incomprehensible way to the account of another petitioner." After a successful deal, everyone goes to dinner at the police chief, during which Sobakevich eats a huge sturgeon alone. The tipsy guests ask Chichikov to stay and decide to marry him. Chichikov informs the audience that he is buying peasants for withdrawal to the Kherson province, where he has already acquired an estate. He himself believes in what he says. Parsley and Se-lifan, after sending the drunken owner to the hotel, go for a walk in a tavern.

CHAPTER 8

Residents of the city are discussing what Chichikov bought. Everyone tries to offer him help in delivering the peasants to the place. Among the proposed - a convoy, a police captain to pacify a possible rebellion, enlightenment of serfs. A description of the city dwellers follows: “they were all kind people, living in harmony with each other, treated in a completely friendly way, and their conversations bore the stamp of some special simplicity and brevity: “Dear friend Ilya Ilyich”, “Listen, brother, Antipator Zakharyevich!”... To the postmaster, whose name was Ivan Andreyevich, they always added: “Sprechen zadeich, Ivan Andreich?” - in a word, everything was very family. Many were not without education: the chairman of the chamber knew by heart Zhukovsky's "Lyudmila", which was still news that had not caught a cold ... The postmaster went more into philosophy and read very diligently, even at night, Jung's "Nights" and "The Key to the Mysteries of Nature ” Eckartshausen, from which he made very long extracts ... he was witty, flowery in words and loved, as he himself put it, to equip speech. Others were also more or less enlightened people: some read Karamzin, some Moskovskiye Vedomosti, some even read nothing at all... It is already known about plausibility, they were all reliable consumptive people, there was no one among them. All were of the kind to which the wives, in tender conversations taking place in solitude, gave names: egg-pods, plump, pot-bellied, nigella, kiki, buzz, and so on. But in general they were kind people, full of hospitality, and a person who ate bread with them or spent an evening playing whist was already becoming something close ... "

The ladies of the city were "what they call presentable, and in this respect they could be safely set as an example to everyone else ... They dressed with great taste, drove around the city in carriages, as the latest fashion prescribed, a lackey swayed behind, and a livery in gold braids ... In morals, the ladies of the city of N. were strict, full of noble indignation against everything vicious and all sorts of temptations, they executed all weaknesses without any mercy ... It must also be said that the ladies of the city of N. were distinguished, like many ladies from St. Petersburg, by unusual caution and propriety in words and expressions. They never said: “I blew my nose”, “I sweated”, “I spat”, but they said: “I relieved my nose”, “I managed with a handkerchief”. In no case was it possible to say: "this glass or this plate stinks." And you couldn't even say anything that would give a hint of this, but instead they said: "this glass is not behaving well" or something like that. In order to ennoble the Russian language even more, almost half of the words were completely thrown out of the conversation, and therefore it was very often necessary to resort to the French language, but there, in French, it’s another matter: such words were allowed there that were much harder than those mentioned.

All the ladies of the city are delighted with Chichikov, one of them even sent him a love letter. Chichikov is invited to the governor's ball. Before the ball, he spins for a long time in front of the mirror. At the ball, he is in the spotlight, trying to figure out who the author of the letter is. The governor introduces Chichikov to her daughter - the very girl he saw in the britzka. He almost falls in love with her, but she misses his company. Other ladies are outraged that all of Chichikov's attention goes to the governor's daughter. Suddenly, Nozdryov appears, who tells the governor about how Chichikov offered to buy dead souls from him. The news quickly spreads, while the ladies pass it on as if they do not believe in it, since everyone knows the reputation of Nozdryov. Korobochka comes to the city at night, who is interested in the prices of dead souls - she is afraid that she has sold too cheap.

CHAPTER 9

The chapter describes the visit of a "pleasant lady" to a "lady pleasant in every way". Her visit falls an hour earlier than the usual time for visits in the city - she is in such a hurry to tell the news she has heard. The lady tells her friend that Chichikov is a robber in disguise, who demanded that Korobochka sell him dead peasants. The ladies decide that the dead souls are just a pretext, in fact Chichikov is going to take the governor's daughter away. They discuss the behavior of the girl, herself, recognize her as unattractive, mannered. The husband of the mistress of the house appears - the prosecutor, to whom the ladies tell the news, which confuses him.

The men of the city are discussing the purchase of Chichikov, the women are discussing the kidnapping of the governor's daughter. The story is replenished with details, it is decided that Chichikov has an accomplice, and this accomplice is probably Nozdrev. Chichikov is credited with organizing a peasant riot in Borovki, Zadi-railovo-tozh, during which the assessor Drobyazhkin was killed. In addition, the governor receives news that a robber has escaped and a counterfeiter has appeared in the province. There is a suspicion that one of these persons is Chichikov. The public can't decide what to do.

CHAPTER 10

Officials are so concerned about the current situation that many even lose weight from grief. They collect a meeting from the chief of police. The chief of police decides that Chichikov is Captain Kopeikin in disguise, an invalid without an arm and a leg, a hero of the war of 1812. Kopeikin, after returning from the front, received nothing from his father. He goes to Petersburg to seek the truth from the sovereign. But the king is not in the capital. Kopeikin goes to the nobleman, the head of the commission, whose audience he has been waiting for a long time in the waiting room. The general promises help, offers to come in one of these days. But the next time he says that he cannot do anything without the special permission of the king. Captain Kopeikin is running out of money, and the porter won't let him see the general anymore. He endures many hardships, eventually breaking through to an appointment with the general, saying that he can no longer wait. The general escorts him very rudely, sends him out of St. Petersburg at public expense. After some time, a gang of robbers appears in the Ryazan forests, led by Kopeikin.

Other officials nevertheless decide that Chichikov is not Kopeikin, since both his arms and legs are intact. It is suggested that Chichikov is Napoleon in disguise. Everyone decides that it is necessary to interrogate Nozdryov, despite the fact that he is a known liar. Nozdryov says that he sold dead souls to Chichikov for several thousand and that already at the time when he studied with Chichikov at school, he was already a counterfeiter and a spy, that he was going to kidnap the daughter of the governor and Nozdryov himself helped him. Nozdryov realizes that he has gone too far in his stories, and possible problems frighten him. But the unexpected happens - the prosecutor dies. Chichikov does not know anything about what is happening because he is ill. Three days later, having left the house, he discovers that he is either not received anywhere, or is received in a strange way. Nozdryov informs him that the city considers him a counterfeiter, that he was going to kidnap the daughter of the governor, that the prosecutor died through his fault. Chichikov orders to pack things.

CHAPTER 11

In the morning Chichikov could not leave the city for a long time - he overslept, the chaise was not laid, the horses were not shod. Leave only in the evening. On the way, Chichikov meets a funeral procession - the prosecutor is being buried. Behind the coffin are all the officials, each of whom thinks about the new governor-general and their relationship with him. Chichikov leaves the city. Next - a lyrical digression about Russia. "Rus! Rus! I see you, from my wonderful, beautiful far away I see you: poor, scattered and uncomfortable in you; daring divas of nature, crowned with daring divas of art, will not amuse, will not frighten the eyes, cities with many-windowed high palaces, grown into cliffs, picture trees and ivy, grown into houses, in noise and in the eternal dust of waterfalls; the head will not tip back to look at the stone blocks piled up endlessly above it and in the heights; they will not flash through the dark arches thrown one on top of the other, entangled in vine branches, ivy and countless millions of wild roses; 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 sobs, and grabs the heart? What sounds painfully kiss, and strive to the soul, and curl around my heart? Rus! what do you want from me? what incomprehensible bond lurks between us? Why do you look like that, and why does everything that is in you turn eyes full of expectation on me? .. And a mighty space menacingly embraces me, reflecting with terrible force in my depths; my eyes lit up with an unnatural power: wow! what a sparkling, wonderful, unfamiliar distance to the earth! Rus!.."

The author discusses the hero of the work and the origin of Chichikov. His parents are nobles, but he doesn't look like them. Chichikov's father sent his son to the city to an old relative so that he could enter the school. The father gave his son parting words, which he strictly followed in life - to please the authorities, to hang out only with the rich, not to share with anyone, to save money. He did not have any special talents, but he had a "practical mind." Chichikov knew how to make money as a boy - he sold treats, showed a trained mouse for money. He pleased the teachers, the authorities, and therefore graduated from school with a gold certificate. His father dies, and Chichikov, having sold his father's house, enters the service. He betrays a teacher expelled from school, who was counting on a fake of his beloved student. Chichikov serves, striving to please his superiors in everything, even caring for his ugly daughter, hinting at a wedding. Gets a promotion and doesn't get married. Soon Chichikov is included in the commission for the construction of a government building, but the building, for which a lot of money has been allocated, is being built only on paper. Chichikov's new boss hated his subordinate, and he had to start all over again. He enters the service at the customs, where his ability to search is revealed. He is promoted, and Chichikov presents a project to catch smugglers, with whom at the same time he manages to collude and get a lot of money from them. But Chichikov quarrels with a friend with whom he shared, and both are put on trial. Chichikov manages to save some of the money, starts everything from scratch as an attorney. He comes up with the idea of ​​​​buying dead souls, which in the future can be pledged to the bank under the guise of living ones, and, having received a loan, hide.

The author reflects on how readers can relate to Chichikov, recalls the parable of Kif Mokievich and Mokiya Kifovich, son and father. The existence of the father is turned into a speculative side, while the son is rowdy. Kifa Mokievich is asked to appease his son, but he 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 betrayed him.”

At the end of the poem, the britzka is moving quickly along the road. “And what Russian does not like to drive fast?” "Oh, threesome! bird troika, who invented you? To know that you could only be born among a lively people, in that land that does not like to joke, but spread out half the world as evenly as possible, and go and count the miles until it fills your eyes. And not a cunning, it would seem, road projectile, not captured by an iron screw, but hastily, alive with one ax and a hammer, a smart Yaroslavl peasant equipped and assembled you. The coachman is not in German boots: a beard and mittens, and the devil knows what he sits on; but he got up, and swung, and dragged on a song - the horses whirlwind, the spokes in the wheels mixed up in one smooth circle, only the road trembled, and the pedestrian who stopped screamed in fright - and there she rushed, rushed, rushed! .. And you can already see in the distance, as something dusts and drills the air.

Isn't that how you, Rus', that brisk, unbeatable troika, are rushing about? The road smokes under you, the bridges rumble, everything lags behind and is left behind. The contemplative, amazed by God's miracle, stopped: is it not lightning thrown from the sky? what does this terrifying movement mean? and what kind of unknown power lies in these horses unknown to the light? Oh, horses, horses, what horses! Are whirlwinds sitting in your manes? Does a sensitive ear burn in every vein of yours? They heard a familiar song from above, together and at once strained their copper breasts and, almost without touching the ground with their hooves, turned into only elongated lines flying through the air, and all inspired by God rushes! .. Rus', where are you rushing to? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer. A bell is filled with a wonderful ringing; the air torn to pieces rumbles and becomes the wind; flies past everything that is on earth,
and, squinting, step aside and give her way to other peoples and states.

In a letter to Zhukovsky, Gogol writes that he sees his main task in the poem to portray "all of Rus'." The poem is written in the form of a journey, and separate fragments of the life of Russia are combined into a common whole. One of Gogol's main tasks in "Dead Souls" is to show typical characters in typical circumstances, that is, to reliably depict modernity - the period of the crisis of serfdom in Russia. The key orientation in the image of landowners is a satirical description, social typification, and a critical orientation. The life of the ruling class and peasants is given by Gogol without idealization, realistically.