In the rich literary heritage of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, "Dead Souls" occupy a key place. The author defined the genre of his creation as a “poem in prose”, which is remarkable in itself, since, at the time of writing, such forms were not found in Russian literature. It is believed that the idea for Gogol was suggested by Pushkin, and this grandiose panorama of Russian life and characters, remarkable in its wit and accuracy, is dedicated to the memory of the great poet. grotesque, they amaze the reader, make him laugh or feel disgust, recognizing something close and vital in caricature images.
Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is the main character of Gogol's poem. His main difference from the rest of the characters is noticeable from the very first pages: in contrast to the landowners from whom this clever businessman will buy dead souls, Chichikov does not reveal any remarkable features in his behavior or appearance. Nothing to cling to:
“... sir, not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin; it’s impossible to say that it’s old, but it’s not so that it’s too young ... "
Deliberately trying to avoid excessive attention to himself, Chichikov further emphasizes his invisibility, insignificance:
“... The newcomer, as it seemed, avoided talking a lot about himself; if he said, then in some general places, with noticeable modesty ... that he is not a meaningful worm of this world and is not worthy of being taken care of a lot ... "
Making a characterization of Chichikov, it should be noted that he produces on everyone he meets the impression of a person who can be trusted, with whom it is pleasant to spend time. Pavel Ivanovich has a unique gift to please everyone. He listens attentively and shows interest in the personality of the interlocutor, is fond of his affairs, empathizes and, like a skillful chameleon, actually mimics, turning into a mirror of the one with whom he is currently communicating. It is as if Chichikov's temperament itself changes in accordance with what kind of person is in front of him: he can be insinuating and flattering, or he can show himself to be a cheeky rude person who is not shy in expressions. All this is done not only out of a desire to be pleasant and, probably, is the result of many years of practice, because Pavel Ivanovich has excellently studied people and ways of influencing them for his personal benefit:
“... where he acted with the pleasantness of turns, where with a touching speech, where he smoked with flattery, in no case spoiling the case, where he put in a little money ...”
Obviously, Chichikov does not have high morals, and cannot be considered a positive hero, but there are features in his character that favorably distinguish him from the background of those landowners with whom he meets throughout the story. Pavel Ivanovich is a purposeful person with strong business acumen and, above all, readiness for action. If the other heroes of the poem tend to waste their wealth or accumulate it until they become worthless, Chichikov knows how to take risks. Throughout the story, Gogol draws parallels between Chichikov and Sobakevich, Manilov and everyone else, focusing the reader's attention on those details that are common to the characters, but in the image of Chichikov there is something new that was not there before in Rus', and this phenomenon, type of character, the author strives to explore, understand.
The technical development of society in the 19th century contributed to the emergence of a large number of businessmen and merchants, as well as swindlers of all kinds, and Chichikov belongs to the latter. He comes from a poor environment, his childhood passed in need and was not happy, and therefore the desire for enrichment, for a decent life, which for the hero is embodied in material wealth, becomes a natural outcome. Chichikov is not ennobled by suffering, his soul is also dead and unyielding, like the landlords deceived by him, but he is steadily moving towards the goal, which he himself considers the main one in his life - to leave a legacy behind:
“... what will my children say then? Here, they will say, the father, the brute, did not leave us any fortune! "
It is already known that Chichikov took great care of his descendants ... But is everything lost for this person? According to Gogol's plan, in the second volume of Dead Souls, his hero was to be spiritually reborn.
The poem "Dead Souls" occupies a special place in Gogol's work. The writer considered this work the main work of his life, Pushkin's spiritual covenant, which prompted him the basis of the plot. In the poem, the author reflected the way of life and mores of different strata of society - peasants, landowners, officials. The images in the poem, according to the author, "are not at all portraits of insignificant people, on the contrary, they contain the features of those who consider themselves better than others." Close-ups are shown in the poem of landlords, owners of serf souls, "masters" of life. Gogol consistently, from hero to hero, reveals their characters and shows the insignificance of their existence. Starting with Manilov and ending with Plyushkin, the author intensifies his satire and exposes the underworld of landowner-bureaucratic Russia.
The protagonist of the work - Chichikov - remains a mystery to everyone until the last chapter of the first volume: both for officials of the city of N, and for readers. The author reveals the inner world of Pavel Ivanovich in the scenes of his meetings with the landowners. Gogol draws attention to the fact that Chichikov is constantly changing and almost copies the behavior of his interlocutors. Talking about Chichikov's meeting with Korobochka, Gogol says that in Russia a person speaks differently with the owners of two hundred, three hundred, five hundred souls: "... at least rise up to a million, there are all shades."
Chichikov perfectly studied people, in any situation he knows how to find a benefit, he always says what they would like to hear from him. So, with Manilov, Chichikov is pompous, amiable and flattering.
He talks to Korobochka already without any special ceremonies, and his vocabulary is consonant with the style of the hostess. Communication with the arrogant liar Nozdrev is not easy, since Pavel Ivanovich does not tolerate familiar treatment, "... except if the person is of too high rank." However, hoping for a lucrative deal, he does not leave Nozdryov's estate until the last and tries to become like him: he turns to "you", adopts a boorish tone, and behaves familiarly. The image of Sobakevich, personifying the solidity of the landowner's life, immediately prompts Pavel Ivanovich to lead as thorough a conversation as possible about dead souls. Chichikov manages to win over "a hole in the human body" - Plyushkin, who has long lost touch with the outside world and has forgotten the norms of politeness. To do this, it was enough for him to play the role of a “motishka”, ready at a loss to save a casual acquaintance from having to pay taxes for the dead peasants.
It is not difficult for Chichikov to change his appearance, because he has all the qualities that form the basis of the characters of the depicted landowners. This is confirmed by episodes in the poem, where Chichikov is left alone with himself and he does not need to adapt to others. Looking around the city of N, Pavel Ivanovich “teared off the poster nailed to the post so that when he came home he could read it thoroughly,” and after reading it, “teared it neatly and put it in his chest, where he used to put everything that came across.” This is reminiscent of the habits of Plyushkin, who collected and kept various kinds of rags and toothpicks. The colorlessness and uncertainty that accompany Chichikov until the last pages of the first volume of the poem make him related to Manilov. That is why the officials of the provincial city make ridiculous guesses, trying to establish the true identity of the hero. Chichikov's love to neatly and meticulously lay out everything in his chest brings him closer to Korobochka. Nozdryov notices that Chichikov looks like Sobakevich. All this suggests that the character of the protagonist, as in a mirror, reflected the features of all the landowners: Manilov's love for meaningless conversations and "noble" gestures, and Korobochka's pettiness, and Nozdrev's narcissism, and Sobakevich's rudeness, and Plyushkin's hoarding.
And at the same time, Chichikov differs sharply from the landowners shown in the first chapters of the poem. He has a different psychology than that of Manilov, Sobakevich, Nozdrev and other landowners. He is characterized by extraordinary energy, business acumen, determination, although morally he does not rise above the owners of serf souls. Many years of bureaucratic activity left a noticeable imprint on his manner of behavior and speech. Evidence of this is the cordial welcome given to him in the provincial "high society". Among officials and landowners, he is a new person, an acquirer who will replace the Manilovs, Nozdrevs, Sobeviches and Plyushkins.
The soul of Chichikov, just like the souls of the landowners and officials, became dead. The “shining joy of life” is inaccessible to him, he is almost completely devoid of human feelings. In order to achieve his practical goals, he pacified his blood, which "played strong."
Gogol sought to understand the psychological nature of Chichikov as a new phenomenon, and for this, in the last chapter of the poem, he talks about his life. Chichikov's biography explains the formation of the character revealed in the poem. The hero's childhood was dull and joyless, without friends and maternal affection, with constant reproaches from his sick father, and could not but affect his future fate. His father left him a legacy of half a copper and a covenant to study diligently, please teachers and bosses, and, most importantly, save a penny. Pavlusha learned his father's instructions well and directed all his energy towards achieving his cherished goal - wealth. He quickly realized that all high concepts only hinder the achievement of his goal, and began to make his own way. At first, he acted in a childishly straightforward way - in every way he pleased the teacher and thanks to this he became his favorite. Growing up, he realized that each person can find a special approach, and began to achieve more significant success. Having promised to marry the daughter of his boss, he got a job as an assistant. While serving at customs, he managed to convince his superiors of his incorruptibility, and later to establish contact with smugglers and amass a huge fortune. All the brilliant victories of Chichikov ended in failure, but no setbacks could break his thirst for profit.
However, the author notes that in Chichikov, in contrast to Plyushkin, “there was no attachment to money for the sake of money proper, he was not possessed by stinginess and stinginess. No, they didn’t move him - he imagined life ahead in all its pleasures, so that finally later, over time, he would certainly taste all this, that’s what the penny was saved for. Gogol notes that the protagonist of the poem is the only character capable of manifesting the movements of the soul. “It is clear that the Chichikovs turn into poets for a few minutes,” says the author, when his hero stops “as if stunned by a blow” in front of the young daughter of the governor. And it was this “human” movement of the soul that led to the failure of his promising undertaking. According to the author, sincerity, sincerity and selflessness are the most dangerous qualities in a world where cynicism, lies and profit reign. The fact that Gogol transferred his hero to the second volume of the poem suggests that he believed in his spiritual rebirth. In the second volume of the poem, the writer planned to spiritually "purify" Chichikov and put him on the path of spiritual resurrection. The resurrection of the "hero of time", according to him, was to be the beginning of the resurrection of the whole society. But, unfortunately, the second volume of "Dead Souls" was burned, and the third was not written, so we can only guess how Chichikov's moral revival took place.
Features of the poem "Dead Souls"
The poem Dead Souls is one of the most famous works of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The key character in it is the adventurer Chichikov. The image of the protagonist masterfully written by the author often becomes the subject of discussion both by professional critics and ordinary readers. To understand why this character deserves such attention, you need to turn to the plot of the work.
The work tells about a official named Chichikov. This man really wanted to get rich and gain weight in society. He decided to achieve his goal by buying up the so-called dead souls, that is, serfs who are owned by the landlord on paper, although in fact they are no longer alive. Both the seller and the buyer benefited from this. Chichikov thus acquired fictitious property, on the security of which he could take a loan from a bank, and the landowner was released from the obligation to pay taxes for a dead peasant.
The work is mandatory studied at school. In literature classes, students are often asked to write an essay on the topic: Dead Souls. The image of Chichikov. Of course, in order to write a competent work, you need to carefully read the original source and form your own idea of \u200b\u200bits main character. But if for some reason this is not possible, you can find detailed information about the character. This information will be useful when writing an essay, compiling comparative tables for different characters, or preparing a presentation.
Text analysis allows you to reveal all the main features image Chichikov in the poem Dead Souls. A brief summary of the actions and deeds of the character, revealing his nature, begins with an acquaintance with Chichikov.
Briefly, the author described the appearance of the hero already at the beginning of the work. Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is in some way an ordinary character who may meet in any historical era and in any geographical point. There is nothing remarkable in his portrait:
Thus, in all respects, this venerable collegiate adviser maintains a “golden mean”.
Chichikov starts your adventure from arrival in a city not named by the author. An intelligent man, who is also characterized by hypocrisy, he begins his activity by paying visits to the following officials:
Of course, under such behavior of Peter Ivanovich, a subtle calculation was visible. The hero's intentions are well revealed by his own quote: "Have no money, have good people to convert."
Get the location of those who had the rank and influence in the city, it was very useful for the implementation of the plan. And he did it perfectly. Chichikov knew how to impress the people he needed. Belittling his dignity and showing his insignificance in every possible way, he demonstrated impeccable speech manners, made skillful compliments to the rulers: he admired the success of their activities and called them such unjustifiably high titles as “Your Excellency”. He spoke a little about himself, but from his story one could conclude that he had to go through an exceptionally difficult life path and experience a lot for his own honesty and justice.
They began to call him to receptions, where he maintained a favorable first impression of himself by the ability to take part in a conversation on any topic. At the same time, he behaved very decently and showed extensive knowledge about the subject of conversation. His speech was meaningful, his voice was neither quiet nor loud.
At this moment, one can already catch a hint that this integrity is only a mask under which lies true character and aspirations of the hero. Chichikov divides all people into fat and thin. At the same time, the thick ones have a strong position in this world, while the thin ones only serve as executors of other people's orders. The protagonist himself, of course, belongs to the first category, because he intends to firmly take his place in life. The author himself speaks about this, and this information begins to reveal another, true face of the character.
Chichikov begins his scam with an offer to buy non-existent peasants from the landowner Manilov. The master, burdened by the need to pay taxes for the dead servants, gave them away for nothing, although he was surprised at the unusual deal. In this episode, the main character is revealed as an easily addicted person who can quickly turn his head with success.
Deciding that the activity he invented is safe, he goes to a new deal. His path lies to a certain Sobakevich, but the long road forces the hero to make a stop at the landowner Korobochka. As a quick-witted person, he does not waste time there either, acquiring almost two dozen more coveted dead souls.
Only after escaping from Korobochka, he gets to visit Nozdryov. The main feature of this man was the desire to spoil the life of everyone around him. But Chichikov did not immediately understand this and inadvertently decided to try his luck in a deal with this landowner as well. Nozdryov led the swindler by the nose for a long time. He agreed to sell souls only together with real goods, for example, a horse, or offered to win them in dominoes, but in the end, Pyotr Ivanovich was left with nothing. This meeting showed that the hero of the poem is a frivolous person, unable to calculate his own actions.
Chichikov finally got to Sobakevich and outlined his proposal to him. However, the landowner was no less cunning than the buyer. His benefits he didn't want to miss out. Guessing that the actions of Pyotr Ivanovich were not entirely legal, he skillfully played on this, inflating the price of non-existent peasants. This made Chichikov very tired, but he showed determination. Ultimately, the seller and the buyer found a compromise, and the deal was made.
While Sobakevich was bargaining, he said a few words about a certain Plyushkin, and the hero followed to visit this landowner. The economy of the master did not cause positive emotions in the arrival. Everything there was in disrepair, and the owner himself had a dirty, untidy appearance. The landowner was not poor, but turned out to be a real miser. All money and things of any value, he kept hidden in chests. The painful stinginess of this character, whose name has become a household name, helped Chichikov make a good deal. Plyushkin was wary of this sale, but he was pleased to be able to get rid of the need to pay taxes on dead peasants.
At first glance, Plyushkin did not play a big role in the plot of the work, but if we compare this character with the main character, there is something in common between them. Being a landowner and a nobleman, they were supposed to be a support for the state and an example to follow, while in reality both turned out to be useless people for society, seeking to fill their pockets.
Be that as it may, but after the deal with Plushkin, Chichikov reached his goal and no longer saw the need to stay in the city. In an effort to leave him as soon as possible, he went to court to certify the authenticity of the documents. But this procedure required time, which he gladly spent at receptions and surrounded by ladies interested in him.
However, the triumph turned into a failure. Nozdryov hastened to expose Chichikov's scam. This message caused quite a commotion in the city. The guest accepted everywhere suddenly became unwelcome.
Throughout the story, the reader, although he understands the dubious good intentions of the actions of the protagonist, does not yet know his full story, according to which a final opinion about Chichikov could be formed. The author tells about the origin and upbringing of the hero, as well as the events preceding his arrival in the "city N", in chapter 11.
The hero grew up in a poor family. Although they belonged to the high class of the nobility, they had very few serfs at their disposal. The childhood of Pavel Ivanovich was overshadowed by the absence of friends and acquaintances. When the child grew up a little, his father sent him to school. Parting with his son did not upset Ivan, but in parting he gave Pavel one order. The instruction spoke of the need to learn and win the favor of those who are higher in position. The head of the family called money the most valuable and reliable thing that should be protected.
Chichikov followed this advice all his life. He did not have good learning abilities, but he quickly figured out how to earn the love of teachers. Quiet and meek behavior allowed him to get a good certificate, but after graduating from college, he showed his unsightly quality. His face was revealed when one of the mentors who loved him fell into an extremely difficult financial situation. For the almost starving teacher, classmates-hooligans collected money, while the diligent Chichikov sparingly allocated an insignificant amount.
Meanwhile, the father of the protagonist died, leaving behind a miserable legacy. Chichikov, who is not stingy by nature, is forced to starve and look for ways to earn money. He is hired and tries to work honestly, but soon realizes that such work will not bring him the desired wealth with a luxurious house, a carriage with a coachman and expensive entertainment.
Wanting to get promoted, he wooed his boss by marrying his daughter. But as soon as the goal was achieved, he did not need a family. While Chichikov was advancing in the service, there was a change of leadership. Despite all efforts, the hero could not find a common language with the new leader and was forced to look for other ways to obtain material wealth.
The luck of becoming a customs officer smiled at the hero in the next city. But he decided to improve his financial situation with bribes, for which he soon appeared before the court. Always striving to please those in power, Chichikov had some connections that allowed him to escape punishment for a crime.
His nature was such that he turned this discrediting episode of his life into a story about how he innocently suffered in the service.
Unfortunately, one can judge such a curious character as Chichikov only by the first volume. The second part of the work was burned by the author himself, and he never started the third. According to the surviving sketches and drafts, it is known that the hero tried to continue his fraudulent activities. It is not known how the poem would end, but the talentedly created image is still relevant. After all, to this day on the path of life you can meet such a person as Chichikov.
Critics, for the most part deservedly those who appreciated the poem noted this grasp and the fraudulent nature of the character. Experts made the following judgments about the hero:
The final image of Chichikov is ambiguous. This clearly intelligent person sets goals for himself to arrange his own life, but each time he chooses the wrong means for this. His ebullient activity and determination could have brought him prosperity for a long time, but the thirst for wealth and luxury, inaccessible to him in childhood, pushes him to commit crimes and fraud.
The image of Chichikov is the leading image of the poem "Dead Souls"
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“It is very doubtful,” writes Gogol, “that the hero we have chosen will be liked by the readers.” In appearance, this person is very pleasant and courteous. He knows how to talk to everyone, to say a pleasant compliment to a person, to throw a good word into the conversation in time and appropriately, to charm a person with his behavior and good manners, and, finally, to show off his intelligence and experience. However, all this is only the external guise of a notorious rogue and swindler, a clever businessman.
From childhood, Chichikov embarked on the path of acquisition and from the school bench steadily followed the advice of his father: "Take care of everything and save a penny, this thing is the most reliable thing in the world." As a child, he quickly made an increment to the fifty given by his father: “he molded a bullfinch out of wax, painted it and sold it very profitably,” and then embarked on other speculations. Having accumulated one bag of money, he began to accumulate another.
At the school, "having comprehended" the spirit of his superiors, Chichikov groveled and kowtowed before the teachers; in his assessment, he always had a mark of "exemplary diligence and trustworthy behavior." Ahead of him, he imagined life “in all contentment, with all sorts of prosperity, carriages, a house perfectly arranged, delicious dinners ...”
Upon leaving the school, he zealously set to work and tried to please his superiors in everything. Having become a clerk, he immediately began to take bribes, but soon a “much more extensive” field of activity opened up before him: he ended up on a commission to build a “very capital” building. Here Chichikov quickly enriched himself, but unexpectedly his thieves' tricks were discovered, and he lost everything. Tirelessly and energetically, Chichikov again sets about creating a career and gets a job at the customs, where he earns himself over five hundred thousand rubles. Having been wrecked here too, he decided on a new adventure: to acquire "dead souls".
His new enterprise was based on the fact that it was beneficial for the landowners to get rid of taxes for peasants who died after the revision, since they had to pay these taxes until the next revision, which brought significant damage to the “owners of souls”. The peasants, who died between revisions, were officially considered alive, and therefore they could be put on the board of trustees and thus receive a lot of money.
In order to buy dead souls, Chichikov arrives in the provincial town of N.
With greater caution and prudence, he embarks on the implementation of a far-fetched plan and, at the very first steps, shows an exceptional ability to orient himself. “He asked with extreme accuracy who the governor was in the city, who was the chairman of the chamber, who was the prosecutor, in a word, he did not miss a single significant official, but with even greater accuracy, if not even with participation, he asked about all the significant landowners: how many people have souls peasants, how far he lives from the city, even what character and how often he comes to the city; asked carefully about the state of the region: were there any diseases in their province, epidemic fevers, any murderous fevers, smallpox, and the like, and all this and with such accuracy that showed more than one simple curiosity. Chichikov learned in detail how to get to all government places, and made visits to "all city dignitaries", deftly flattering everyone. In the meantime, he had already outlined the landowners whom he needed to visit.
In the city of N, he makes acquaintance with precisely those officials who, in his opinion, can be useful in drawing up documents for "dead souls". In order to ensure complete success in the upcoming business, he seeks to arouse the trust and appreciation of officials, which he achieves without much difficulty.
Chichikov's ability to adapt to any situation is revealed even brighter on a trip to the landowners. With great skill, he recognizes the character of each landowner and deftly determines his attitude towards them: pretending to be a sensitive and dreamy person, he receives “dead souls” from Manilov for free, inclines Korobochka to sell “dead souls” with a promise to buy honey, hemp, flour from her, grits and feathers. He managed to win over even the “fist” of Sobakevich.
And the weight of Chichikov cannot be considered only the personification of a rogue entrepreneur. Chichikov appears before us as a living person, with feelings of joy and grief, love and disappointment inherent in every person. True, these character traits do not make Chichikov attractive. They only create the life fullness of the image. The constant desire for personal gain, narrowly selfish calculations and the absence of any public interests turn Chichikov into a sharply negative type. Giving a generalized description of your hero. Gogol speaks of him not only as an owner-acquirer, but also as a scoundrel.
In the image of Chichikov, Gogol denounced the new hero of Russian life, who imperiously declared the right to his existence - a bourgeois businessman, a clever businessman who set himself the goal of personal enrichment.
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We often say that happiness is not in money, but at the same time we always note that a person with money is in a better position, can afford more than a poor person. A lot of works of art on the theme of a wedding with an unloved, but rich, or the resulting injustice associated with bribery leads to another well-known phrase: money rules the world. Perhaps that is why a person with little capital often seeks to improve his financial situation at any cost. Not always these methods and methods are legal, they often contradict the principles of morality. N. Gogol tells about one of these acts in the poem "Dead Souls".
The protagonist of the story is a retired official Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. He is “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. He considers himself a man of pleasant appearance, he especially liked his face "which he sincerely loved and in which, as it seems, he found the chin most attractive of all, for he very often boasted of it before one of his friends."
This man travels through the villages of Russia, but his goal is by no means as noble as it seems at first glance. Pavel Ivanovich buys "dead souls", that is, documents for the right to own people who have died, but have not yet been included in the lists of the dead. The census of peasants was carried out every few years, so these very “dead souls” hung up and were documented as living. They represented a lot of trouble and waste, since it was necessary to make payments for them until the next census (revision tales).
Chichikov's offer to sell these people to the landowners sounds more than tempting. Many find the subject of purchase very strange, it sounds suspicious, but the desire to get rid of the "dead souls" takes its toll - one by one the landowners agree to the sale (only Nozdrev was an exception). But why does Chichikov need "dead souls"? He himself says this about it: “Yes, if I buy all these who have died out, have not yet filed new revision tales, get them, let’s say, a thousand, yes, let’s say, the board of trustees will give two hundred rubles per capita: that’s two hundred thousand capital ". In other words, Pavel Ivanovich plans to resell his "dead souls", passing them off as living people. Of course, it is impossible to sell serfs without land, but he finds a way out here too - buying land in a remote place, "for a penny." Naturally, such a plan is not dictated by good living conditions and financial situation, but, whatever one may say, this is a dishonorable act.
It is difficult to judge unequivocally about the etymology of the name of Pavel Ivanovich. It is not as prosaic as the names of other characters in the poem, but the very fact that the names of other characters are their characteristics (pay attention to moral or physical flaws) suggests that there should be a similar situation with Chichikov.
And so, it is likely that this surname came from the word "chichik". In Western Ukrainian dialects, this was the name of a songbird of small size. N. Gogol was associated with Ukraine, so it can be assumed that he had in mind exactly this meaning of the word - Chichikov, like a bird, sings beautiful songs to everyone. There are no other meanings fixed by dictionaries. The author himself does not explain anywhere why the choice fell on this particular word and what he wanted to say by awarding Pavel Ivanovich with such a surname. Therefore, this information should be taken at the level of a hypothesis, it should be argued that this absolutely correct explanation is impossible due to the small amount of information on this subject.
Arriving in the city of N, Pavel Ivanovich gets acquainted with the local landowners, the governor. He makes a good impression on them. This beginning of a trusting relationship contributed to Chichikov's further purchases - they spoke of him as a man of high morals and excellent education - such a person cannot be a swindler and a deceiver. But, as it turned out, it was just a tactical move, allowing you to cleverly deceive the landowners.
The first thing that surprises in Chichikov is his attitude to hygiene. For many of his new acquaintances, this has become a sign of a person from high society. Pavel Ivanovich “woke up very early in the morning, washed himself, dried himself from head to toe with a wet sponge, which was done only on Sundays.” He "rubbed both cheeks with soap for an extremely long time", when he washed himself, "plucked out two hairs that had come out of his nose." As a result, the people around decided that “the newcomer turned out to be such attentiveness to the toilet, which is not even seen everywhere.”
Chichikov is a sucker. “In conversations with these rulers, he very skillfully knew how to flatter everyone.” At the same time, he tried not to tell anything specific about himself, to manage with general phrases, those present thought that he was doing this because of modesty.
In addition, the phrase “he is not a meaningful worm of this world and is not worthy of being cared for a lot, that he experienced a lot in his lifetime, endured in the service of truth, had many enemies who even attempted on his life, and that now, wishing calm down, looking for a place to finally choose a place to live ”caused a certain feeling of pity for Chichikov among those around him.
Soon, all new acquaintances began to speak flatteringly about him, they tried to please "such a pleasant, educated guest."
Manilov, characterizing Chichikov, argued that "he is ready to vouch, as for himself, that he would sacrifice all his estate in order to have a hundredth of the qualities of Pavel Ivanovich."
“The governor said about him that he was a well-intentioned person; the prosecutor - that he is a good person; the gendarmerie colonel said that he was a learned man; the chairman of the chamber - that he is a knowledgeable and respectable person; police chief - that he is a respectable and amiable person; the police chief's wife - that he is the most amiable and courteous person.
As you can see, Pavel Ivanovich managed to infiltrate the trust of the landowners and the governor in the best possible way.
He managed to keep a fine line and not go too far with flattery and praise in the direction of the landlords - his lies and sycophancy were sweet, but not so much that the lies were conspicuous. Pavel Ivanovich knows how not only to present himself in society, but also has the talent to convince people. Not all landowners agreed to say goodbye to their "dead souls" without question. Many, like Korobochka, were very doubtful about the legality of such a sale. Pavel Ivanovich manages to achieve his goal and convince that such a sale is not unusual.
It should be noted that Chichikov has developed intellectual abilities. This manifests itself not only when thinking about a plan to get rich on “dead souls”, but also in the manner of conducting a conversation - he knows how to keep the conversation up to the mark, without having sufficient knowledge in this or that issue, it is unrealistic to look smart in the eyes of others and no flattery and sycophancy unable to save the situation.
In addition, he is very friendly with arithmetic and knows how to quickly perform mathematical operations in his mind: “Seventy-eight, seventy-eight, thirty kopecks per soul, it will be ... - here our hero for one second, no more, thought and said suddenly: - it will be twenty-four rubles ninety-six kopecks.”
Pavel Ivanovich knows how to adapt to new conditions: “he felt that the words “virtue” and “rare properties of the soul” can be successfully replaced by the words “economy” and “order”,” although he cannot always quickly figure out what to say: “Already Plyushkin stood for several minutes without saying a word, but Chichikov still could not start a conversation, entertained both by the sight of the owner himself and by everything that was in his room.
Having acquired serfs, Pavel Ivanovich feels awkward and anxious, but these are not pangs of conscience - he wants to quickly finish the job and is afraid that something might go wrong “still, the thought came: that the souls are not quite real and that in such cases such a burden is always needed quickly from the shoulders.
However, his deceit was revealed - Chichikov in an instant turns from an object of worship and a desired guest into an object of ridicule and rumors, he is not allowed into the governor's house. “Yes, it’s just you alone who are not ordered to let in, everyone else is allowed,” the doorman tells him.
The others are also not happy to see him - they mumble something indistinct. This confuses Chichikov - he cannot understand what happened. Rumors about his scam reach Chichikov himself. As a result, he leaves home. In the last chapter, we learn that Pavel Ivanovich was of humble origin, his parents tried to provide him with a better life, therefore, sending him into an independent life, they gave him such advice that, as parents thought, would allow him to take a good place in life: “ Pavlusha, study ... most of all please teachers and bosses. Don't hang out with your comrades, they won't teach you good things; and if it comes to that, then hang out with those who are richer, so that on occasion they can be useful to you. Do not treat or treat anyone, but behave better so that you are treated, and most of all, take care and save a penny ... You will do everything and break everything in the world with a penny.
Thus, Pavel Ivanovich, guided by the advice of his parents, lived in such a way that he would not spend money anywhere and save money, but earning considerable capital in an honest way turned out to be an unrealistic matter, even with strict economy and acquaintance with the rich. The plan to buy "dead souls" was supposed to provide Chichikov with fortune and money, but in practice everything turned out to be wrong. The stigma of a swindler and a dishonest person firmly stuck to him. Whether the hero himself learned the lesson of their current situation is a rhetorical question, it is likely that the second volume should reveal the secret, but, unfortunately, Nikolai Vasilievich destroyed him, so the reader can only guess what happened next and whether Chichikov should be blamed for such an act or it is necessary to mitigate his guilt, referring to the principles to which society is subject.
