He outlined in particular detail this image, which, as they say, was to occupy a prominent role in all three parts of Dead Souls.
Chichikov - the main character of Gogol's "Dead Souls"
Describing his heroes, Gogol almost always gives us, more or less, a detailed history of their personality. This story, in his eyes, explains a lot in the character of the hero, and makes him treat a lot more condescendingly. That is why he talks in detail about Chichikov's childhood and upbringing. This childhood was hopeless, bleak: poverty, lack of love and affection, the immorality of a callous, unloving father, external and internal dirt - this is the environment in which he grew up, loved by no one, needed by no one.
But fate endowed Chichikov with iron energy and the desire to arrange his life “more decently” than his father, a loser, unscrupulous both in the moral and in the physical sense. This "dissatisfaction with reality" inspired little Chichikov's energy. From early encounters with poverty and hunger, from his father’s complaints about lack of money, from his admonition: “to save money”, since you can rely on only one “money” in life, the boy made the conviction that money is the basis of earthly happiness. That is why the well-being of life began to appear to the hero of "Dead Souls" as something that can be obtained with money - a well-fed, luxurious life, comfort ...
And so Chichikov began to "invent" and "acquire": penny by penny he saved up money, dodging in every possible way in the company of his comrades, revealing extraordinary perseverance. Even at school, he began to "make a career", imitating the tastes of the teacher. Even at school, he developed the talent to peer into human weaknesses, skillfully play on them, slowly and stubbornly. The ability to adapt to a person helped the main character of "Dead Souls" in the service, but it also developed in Chichikov the desire to distinguish "necessary" people from "unnecessary". That is why he reacted coldly to the sad fate of his former teacher, that is why he did not have any feelings of gratitude towards the old farmer who helped him get a job. The feeling of gratitude is unprofitable - it requires "something" to give up, "something" to give up, and this was not included in the calculations of the "acquirer" Chichikov.
Money, as the only and main goal of life, is an impure goal, and the paths to it are impure, and Chichikov went to this goal by the road of fraud and deceit, without losing heart, struggling with failures ... Meanwhile, having entered the wide expanse of life, he expanded and deepened his ideal. The picture of a well-fed, luxurious life was replaced by another - he began to dream of a calm, clean family life, in the company of his wife and children. It was warm and cozy for him when he gave himself up to this dream. The hero of "Dead Souls" pictured in his mind a house where complete contentment reigns, where he is an exemplary husband, a respected father and a respected citizen of his native land. It seemed to Chichikov that when his dreams came true, he would forget all the past - his dirty, bleak and hungry childhood and the thorny road marked by fraud and roguery. It seemed to him that he would then give up cheating, “correct himself” and leave an “honest name” to his children. If earlier, cheating, he justified himself with the consciousness that "everyone does it," now a new justification has been added: "the end justifies the means."
Chichikov's ideals became wider, but the paths to them remained dirty, and he became more and more dirty. And, in the end, he himself had to admit that "roguishness" had become his habit, his second nature. “No more disgust from vice! he complains to Murazov in the second part of Dead Souls. - Nature has become coarse; there is no love for good, there is no such desire to strive for good, as there is for obtaining property!” Several times Chichikov succeeded in erecting the shaky edifice of his well-being on the basis of fraudulent tricks of all kinds; several times he was close to realizing his ideals, and each time everything collapsed, he had to build everything from the beginning.
The main character of "Dead Souls" is distinguished by considerable willpower. “Your purpose is to be a great man,” Murazov tells him, reproaching him for the fact that the great strength of his soul, his energy, was always directed towards an unclean goal. Gogol also speaks about Chichikov’s energy more than once in Dead Souls, at least telling his difficult “odyssey”, when he had to arrange his life all over again. In addition to willpower, Chichikov is endowed with a great mind, not only a practical one - ingenuity, cunning and resourcefulness, but also that contemplative, "philosophical" mind that puts him above all other heroes of the poem.
No wonder Gogol puts into his head deep reflections on the fate of the Russian people (reading the list of bought peasants). In addition, Chichikov sensibly talks about the vulgarity of the life of a prosecutor, about the upbringing that spoils a girl in Russia. It is not for nothing that he understands not only human weaknesses, but also virtues; it is not for nothing that when confronted with honest people (Governor-General, Murazov), he is able, precisely at the moment of his humiliation, to rise morally. Not only is he a dodgy and crafty rogue in their society, but a fallen man who understands the depth and shame of his fall. “He did not respect a single person for his intelligence,” says Gogol, until fate brought him together (in the second volume) with Kostanzhoglo, Murazov, and others. He did not respect him because he himself was smarter than everyone he had met before.
In the practical rogue hero of Dead Souls, Gogol noted another characteristic feature - a penchant for poetry, for dreaminess. Chichikov’s momentary infatuation with a young lady he met on the way, pure infatuation with the governor’s daughter, his mood in the Platonovs’ house, enjoyment in the evening at the Petukh estate, in the spring in the village of Tentetnikova, his very dreams of quiet, handsome family happiness are full of real poetry ...
At the same time, Chichikov has a very high opinion of himself: he respects himself for his energy, for his mind, for his ability to live. He loves himself for his "pure dreams", which he zealously serves; he loves himself for his good looks, for his elegant suit, for his noble manners - in a word, for the fact that, having left the dirty hole, from the dirty society of his father, he managed to become, in his opinion, a "decent person".
The image of Chichikov in Gogol immediately becomes stale when he enters the society of the vulgar. This is because he always adapts to the people with whom he deals: he even speaks and behaves differently in the company of Manilov, Sobakevich and Korobochka. With the first, Chichikov is sentimental, daydreaming, rubbing himself into his sensitive heart; with the second, he is businesslike, and responds to the distrust of the owner with the same distrust (the scene with money and a receipt); he shouts at the harmless stupid Box, promises her "the devil." When Chichikov finds himself in "society", he imitates the "tone" of this society, adopts those manners that are considered "decent" here - and therefore for the crowd he will always be "decent", "well-intentioned", "pleasant" ... He will not go, like Chatsky in Griboyedov's Woe from Wit, against the whole of Moscow - Molchalin's policy is more convenient and easier for him.
Chichikov understands people and knows how to make a favorable impression - in the second part of "Dead Souls" he charms even the smart Costanjoglo, Platonov's incredulous brother, in his favor. In addition, he is cautious - even when drunk, he knows how to keep his tongue from excessive talkativeness: caution, obviously, has taught him life. However, sometimes Chichikov is mistaken: so he was mistaken in Nozdryov, he was mistaken with Korobochka. But this mistake is explained by the fact that these two characters in Dead Souls also have such peculiar characters that even Chichikov did not immediately comprehend.
The passion for “acquisition” left a certain stamp of “pettiness” on the main character of “Dead Souls” - he even collects old posters in his box - a trait worthy of Plyushkin. The device of his casket, with drawers and secret compartments, resembles a chest of drawers of the Box, with its pouches for dimes, two kopecks. At school, Chichikov saved up money using the Korobochka method. Chichikov's pettiness is also expressed in his curiosity: he always asks for sex, servants, collects all kinds of information "just in case" - just as Plyushkin collected various items in his office.
Not without irony, Gogol casually notes in "Dead Souls" another feature of Chichikov - his "compassion" - he always gave pennies to the poor. But this compassion is "penny" - it is far from the ability of self-sacrifice, renunciation of any benefits in favor of the neighbor. Chichikov has no love for his neighbor at all. He did not rise further than the ideals of family love, essentially selfish.
If Gogol really wanted to show the revival of a vicious person to goodness on Chichikovo, then we must admit that the choice of the hero of Dead Souls was made by him successfully. The complex nature of Chichikov is rich in a wide variety of qualities. His amazing energy was combined with intelligence, common sense, cunning, great flexibility and tirelessness.
But, besides all this, Gogol noted in him a "man-inventor", capable of inventing something "new", to tell a society mired in inertia, his new, albeit criminal, word. Chichikov has no inertia - his mind is free and his fantasy is winged. But all these qualities are, so to speak, "neutral" - they can be equally directed to evil and good. But Gogol emphasized the presence of consciousness in the soul of this hero of Dead Souls - Chichikov knows that he is doing evil, but consoles himself with the thought that "doing evil" in his life is only a "transitional moment." In this ability to distinguish between "good" and "evil" lies the source of Chichikov's revival. It is all the easier for him because, in essence, his life ideals (“pure family happiness”) were, if not especially high, then, nevertheless, impeccable. In addition, in his soul there are soft elements of poetry and dreaminess. Probably, on all these positive qualities of Chichikov, Gogol wished in further development of the action of "Dead Souls" build his revival.
The poem "Dead Souls" is one of the most remarkable works of Russian literature. The great realist writer N.V. Gogol showed the whole of modern Russia, satirically depicting the local nobility and provincial bureaucracy. But in the poem there is also a completely new hero in Russian literature, a representative of the emerging class of "acquirers". In the image of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, Gogol brought to public view the features of the “knight of the penny”.
Chichikov at first glance gives the impression of a slippery, many-sided person. This is emphasized by appearance: “The gentleman was sitting in the britzka, not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat nor too thin, one cannot say that he was old, but not so that he was too young.”
Chichikov, like a chameleon, is constantly changing. He is able to give his face the right expression to seem like a pleasant conversationalist. Speaking with officials, the hero of the poem "very skillfully knew how to flatter everyone." Therefore, he quickly gains the necessary reputation in the city. Chichikov also finds a common language with the landowners, from whom he buys dead peasants. With Manilov, he looks like a particularly amiable and courteous person, which charms the owner. At Korobochka, Noz-tree, Sobakevich and Plyushkin, Chichikov behaves in accordance with the situation and knows how to find an approach to everyone. Only he did not catch Nozdryov in his nets. But this was Chichikov's only failure.
He uses all his ability to charm a person to achieve a result. And he has one goal - wealth, and for this Pavel Ivanovich is ready to be hypocritical, practicing for hours at the mirror. The main thing for him is money. The hero of the poem needs them not by themselves, but as a means of further accumulation. Even as a child, Chichikov well learned his father's order to please the bosses, to be friends "with those who are richer" and to save "penny". Father's words sunk into the boy's soul: "You will do everything and break everything in the world with a penny."
Possessing a great mind "from the side of practice," Chichikov began to save money at school, profiting from his comrades and being especially stingy. Already in those years, the soul of this “acquirer” manifested itself. By deceit, toadying, Chichikov fought his way through, stopping at nothing. He is cunning, robs the state, "inflates" his colleagues. Bribery becomes his element.
Gradually, Chichikov's scams gained more and more scope. From a modest clerk to a customs official, Gogol traces the path of his hero. By any means he seeks to increase the state. The hero immediately grabs the idea of buying "dead souls". Chichikov's entrepreneurial talent is not consistent with moral standards. There are no moral principles for him. Chichikov concludes with joy: “But now the time is convenient, not long ago there was an epidemic, the people died out, thank God, a lot.” On human grief, on other people's deaths, he builds his well-being.
Chichikov is the same product of time as Onegin or Pechorin. Belinsky wrote about this, noting that "Chichikov, as an acquirer, no less, if not more than Pechorin, is a hero of our time." This hero, with all the power of his skill, is shown by Gogol in the wonderful poem "Dead Souls", which has become an example of accusatory satire. The image of Chichikov should serve as a warning to those who are trying to get rich in any way, turning into a ruthless predator
The creation of the poem "Dead Souls" fell just at the time when in Russia there was a change in the traditional, outdated foundations of society, reforms were brewing, changes in people's thinking. Even then it was clear that the nobility with its old traditions and outlook on life was slowly dying out, and a new type of person had to come to replace it. Gogol's goal is to describe the hero of his time, declare him in full voice, describe his positive and explain what his activities will lead to, as well as how it will affect the fate of other people.
Nikolai Vasilyevich Chichikov made the central character in the poem, he cannot be called the main character, but it is on him that the plot of the poem rests. The journey of Pavel Ivanovich is the framework for the entire work. It is not for nothing that the author placed the hero’s biography at the very end, the reader is not interested in Chichikov himself, he is curious about his actions, why he collects these dead souls and what it will lead to in the end. Gogol does not even try to reveal the nature of the character, but he introduces the peculiarities of his thinking, thus giving a hint where to look for the essence of this act of Chichikov. Childhood is where the roots come from, even at a tender age the hero formed his own worldview, vision of the situation and the search for ways to solve problems.
The childhood and early years of Pavel Ivanovich are unknown to the reader at the beginning of the poem. Gogol portrayed his character as faceless and voiceless: against the backdrop of bright, colorful images of landowners with their quirks, Chichikov's figure is lost, becomes small and insignificant. He has neither his own face nor the right to vote, the hero resembles a chameleon, skillfully adapting to his interlocutor. This is an excellent actor and psychologist, he knows how to behave in a given situation, instantly determines the character of a person and does everything to win him over, says only what they want to hear from him. Chichikov skillfully plays a role, pretends to hide true feelings, tries to be his own among strangers, but he does all this in order to achieve the main goal - his own well-being.
A person's worldview is formed at a young age, so many of his actions in adulthood can be explained by studying his biography well. What guided him, why he collected dead souls, what he wanted to achieve with this - all these questions are answered. The hero’s childhood cannot be called happy, he was constantly haunted by boredom and loneliness. Pavlush did not know any friends or entertainment in his youth, he did monotonous, tedious and completely uninteresting work, listened to the reproaches of his sick father. The author did not even hint about maternal affection. One conclusion can be drawn from this - Pavel Ivanovich wanted to make up for lost time, to receive all the benefits that were not available to him in childhood.
But do not think that Chichikov is a soulless cracker, thinking only about his enrichment. He was a kind, active and sensitive child, subtly perceiving the world around him. The fact that he often ran away from his nanny in order to explore places never seen before indicates Chichikov's curiosity. Childhood shaped his character, taught him to achieve everything on his own. Father taught Pavel Ivanovich to save money and please bosses and rich people, and he put these instructions into practice.
Chichikov's childhood and studies were gray and uninteresting, he tried in every possible way to break into people. First, he pleased the teacher in order to become a favorite student, then he promised the boss to marry his daughter in order to get a promotion, working at customs, he convinces everyone of his honesty and impartiality, and he makes a huge fortune on smuggling. But Pavel Ivanovich does all this not with malicious intent, but with the sole purpose of making his childhood dream of a big and bright house, a caring and loving wife, a bunch of cheerful children come true.
Pavel Ivanovich could find an approach to everyone, from the first minutes of communication to understand what a person is. For example, he did not stand on ceremony with Korobochka, he spoke in a patriarchal-pious and even slightly patronizing tone. With the landowner, Chichikov felt relaxed, used colloquial, rude expressions, completely adjusting to the woman. With Manilov, Pavel Ivanovich is pompous and amiable to the point of cloying. He flatters the landowner, uses flowery phrases in his speech. Refusing the proposed treat, even Plyushkin was pleased by Chichikov. "Dead Souls" very well demonstrate the changeable nature of a person, because Pavel Ivanovich adapted to the mores of almost all landowners.
The activities of Pavel Ivanovich greatly frightened the city officials and landowners. At first they compared him with the romantic robber Rinald Rinaldin, then they began to look for similarities with Napoleon, thinking that he had escaped from the island of Helena. In the end, the real Antichrist was recognized in Chichikovo. Of course, such comparisons are absurd and even somewhat comical, Gogol ironically describes the fright of the narrow-minded landowners, their speculation about why Chichikov actually collects dead souls. The characterization of the character hints that the characters are no longer the same as they were before. The people could be proud, take an example from the great commanders and defenders, and now there are no such people, they were replaced by selfish Chichikovs.
One would think that Pavel Ivanovich is an excellent psychologist and actor, since he easily adapts to the people he needs, instantly guesses their character, but is it really so? The hero was never able to adapt to Nozdryov, because arrogance, arrogance, familiarity are alien to him. But even here he is trying to adapt, because the landowner is incredibly rich, hence the appeal to “you”, the boorish tone of Chichikov. Childhood taught Pavlusha to please the right people, so he is ready to step over himself, forget about his principles.
At the same time, Pavel Ivanovich practically does not pretend to be with Sobakevich, because they are united by serving the “penny”. And with Plyushkin, Chichikov has some similarities. The character tore off the poster from the post, having read it at home, folded it neatly and put it in a chest in which all sorts of unnecessary things were stored. This behavior is very much like Plyushkin, who is prone to hoarding various rubbish. That is, Pavel Ivanovich himself did not depart so far from the same landowners.
And once again money - it was for this that Chichikov collected dead souls. The characterization of the character indicates that he invents various frauds not just for the sake of profit, there is no stinginess and stinginess in him. Pavel Ivanovich dreams that the time will come when he will finally be able to use his savings, live a calm, prosperous life, not thinking about tomorrow.
There is an assumption that in subsequent volumes Gogol planned to re-educate Chichikov, to make him repent of his actions. Pavel Ivanovich in the poem is not opposed to the landowners or officials, he is the hero of the capitalist formation, the “primary accumulator”, who replaced the nobility. Chichikov is a skilled businessman, an entrepreneur who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. The scam with dead souls failed, but Pavel Ivanovich did not suffer any punishment either. The author hints that there are a huge number of such Chichikovs in the country, and no one wants to stop them.
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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.
Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov - the main character of the famous poem by N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls", in the past he was an official and an avid careerist, then he became a clever swindler and manipulator. He travels through the villages of the Russian hinterland, meets with various landowners and nobles, tries to earn their trust and thus turn out profitable business for himself.
Chichikov is interested in buying the so-called "dead souls", documents for serfs who have already died, but due to the fact that the population census was carried out once every few years, they are documented as living. An enterprising businessman plans to resell these souls, along with the land he plans to buy for a penny, and earn good capital from this. The image of Chichikov is a fresh and new look at the adventurous image of an entrepreneur in Russian literature.
("Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich. In front of the box" Artist P. Sokolov, 1890)
The inner world of Chichikov until the last chapter in the book remains mysterious and ambiguous for everyone. The description of his appearance is averaged to the maximum: not handsome, and not bad, not very fat, but not thin, not old, and not young. The main features of this hero are averageness (this is a quiet and inconspicuous gentleman, distinguished by pleasant manners, roundness and smoothness) and a high degree of enterprise. Even the manner of communication does not betray his character: he does not speak loudly, not quietly, he knows how to find an approach everywhere and is known everywhere as his person.
The features of Chichikov's inner world are revealed through the manner of his communication with the landowners, whom he attracts to his side and, skillfully manipulating, persuades them to sell "dead souls". The author notes the ability of a cunning adventurer to adapt to his interlocutor and copy his manners. Chichikov knows people very well, finds his own advantage in everything, and how a subtle psychologist tells people what they need.
(Illustration by V. Makovsky "Chichikov at Manilov")
Chichikov is an active and active person, it is very important for him not only to keep what he has earned, but also to increase it (as many times as possible). Moreover, irrepressible greed does not torment him like Plyushkin, because money for him is only a means to ensure a decent life.
Chichikov comes from a poor, respectable family, and his father advised to always please the authorities and hang out with the right people, and taught him that "a penny opens any door." Having no initial concepts of duty and conscience, Chichikov, having matured, understands that moral values only prevent him from achieving his goals and therefore often neglects the voice of conscience, paving the way in life with his own forehead.
(Illustration "Little Chichikov")
And although Chichikov is a swindler and a rogue, he cannot be denied perseverance, talent and ingenuity. At school, he sold buns to his classmates (whom they treated him to), at every job he tried to find his own profit and tried to get rich, as a result, he came up with an idea with “dead souls” and tried to turn it around, playing on the feelings and base instincts of those around him of people. At the end of the work, Chichikov's scam opens and becomes public, he is forced to leave.
("Chichikov's toilet" Artist P.P. Sokolov 1966)
In his famous work, which took him 17 years of painstaking work, Gogol created a comprehensive picture of modern Russian realities and revealed a diverse gallery of characters and types of people of that time. The image of Chichikov, a talented entrepreneur and unprincipled swindler, is, according to the author, "a terrible and vile force that is not capable of reviving the Fatherland."
Trying to live according to the precepts of his father, Chichikov tried to live economically and save every penny, but realizing that you can’t make a lot of wealth in an honest way, he finds a loophole in the Russian legislation of those years and proceeds to fulfill his plan. Not having achieved the desired, he stigmatizes himself as a swindler and a rogue, and is forced to abandon his ideas.
What lesson this character learned from this situation remains unclear to us, because the second volume of this work was destroyed by the author, we can only assume what happened next and whether Chichikov is to blame for what he tried to do or society and the principles to which it is subject are guilty.
