Works on Literature: Peasants in Gogol's Poem " Dead Souls»

What is the real world of "Dead Souls"? This is a world whose typical representatives are Nozdrev, Sobakevich, a police officer, a prosecutor and many others. Gogol describes them with malicious irony, without sparing or pitying. He shows them funny and ridiculous, but this is laughter through tears. This is something terrible that has always been superfluous for Russia. The real world of "Dead Souls" is terrible, disgusting, insane. This is a world devoid of spiritual values, a world of immorality, human shortcomings. It is clear that this world is not a place for Gogol's ideal, therefore his ideal in the first volume of "Dead Souls" is found only in digressions and separated from reality by a huge abyss.

The landlords, residents of the provincial city N, are not the only inhabitants of the real world. Peasants also live in it. But Gogol in no way distinguishes living peasants from the crowd of immoral Manilovites, Nozdrevists and prosecutors. Living peasants actually appear before the reader as drunkards and ignoramuses. Men arguing whether the wheel will reach Moscow; stupid uncle Mityai and uncle Minyay; serf Manilov, asking for money, and going to get drunk himself - all of them do not arouse sympathy from either the readers or the author: he describes them with the same malicious irony as the landowners.

But there are still exceptions. These are the main representatives of the people in the poem - Selifan and Petrushka. There is no longer any malicious irony in their description. And although there is no high spirituality and morality in Selifan, he is often stupid, lazy, but still he differs from Uncle Mityai and Uncle Minya. Often Gogol laughs at Selifan, but this is a good laugh, a laugh from the heart. The image of Selifan is associated with the author's reflections on the soul of the common people, an attempt to understand their psychology.

In "Dead Souls" the exponent of the ideal is folk russia described in lyrical digressions. Gogol presents his ideal, as it were, in two perspectives: as a generalized image of the people in lyrical digressions, as a concretization of this ideal in the images of dead peasants, “ dead souls". In the final lyrical digression, Gogol notes that such a "troika bird", flying across the vast expanses, "could only be born among a lively people." Where Chichikov, rewriting the names of the dead peasants he had just bought, draws in his imagination their earthly life, Gogol imagines how they lived, how their fate turned out, how they died.

In general, such reasoning is not characteristic of Chichikov. One gets the impression that Gogol himself argues this. images of the dead the peasants in the poem are ideal. Gogol endows them with such qualities as heroism and strength. Bogatyr-carpenter Stepan Cork. Here is how Sobakevich said about him: “After all, what a force it was! If he had served in the guards, God knows what they would have given him, three arshins with a verst of growth! And what hard-working, skillful people these shoemaker Maxim Telyatnikov, carriage maker Mikheev are. It's hard not to notice with what enthusiasm the author writes about these men! He pities them, sympathizes with their hard life. Gogol contrasts this dead people, but with a living soul, with the living people of the poem, whose soul is dead.

In "Dead Souls" Gogol shows us not only a strange reality Russian life, but at the same time, in digressions, Gogol draws us his ideal future Russia and the Russian people, who are very far from modern life. It is likely that in the second, burned volume, Gogol planned to transfer this perfect image in real life to turn it into reality. After all, Gogol ardently believed that Russia would someday emerge from this terrible world, that it would be reborn, and that moment would certainly come. But, unfortunately, Gogol was never able to find the ideal heroes of reality. This is the tragedy of his whole life, the tragedy of Russia.

The importance of the peasant theme in the work of N.V. Gogol is already indicated by its title. The problem of the people, their social status and future fate is one of the central ones in the poem. Gogol reveals different facets of the national character. He shows in the peasants traits worthy only of condemnation, and qualities that cause respect and admiration. Some images of people from the people are given in a satirical light, while others are created by lyrical-epic means.
Grotesque-comic couples of peasants appear periodically throughout the story. These are “two Russian peasants” who are importantly discussing the “wheel” of Chichikov’s britzka, whether it will reach Kazan or Moscow. It is significant that the "philosophers" stand at the door of the tavern, and their phrases are characteristic of drinking people echo: “will reach” - “will reach”, “will not reach” - “will not reach”. The author's irony shines through in relation to two peasants who came across Chichikov on the way to Manilovka. One of them - "smarter", he answered the master. Despite this flattering definition of mental abilities, the peasant turns out to be stupid, stupid. He explains the way to the passer-by in the same way that, apparently, he is accustomed to listening to explanations for himself. The man repeats the same thing over and over, as if hammering it into his head. These peasants involuntarily deceived Chichikov, saying that a verst was left to Manilovka, but even after four versts the village did not show up. The same dense ignorance distinguishes the girl Pelageya, who "does not know where the right is, where the left is." In the description of these people, there is not only a condescending smile, but also the author's regret that the peasants, due to their position, did not receive basic ideas about the world and do not know, do not understand elementary things. The reason for their helplessness is the realities of feudal Russia. The "club-headed" landlords turned out to have the most stupid peasants and courtyard people.
Another pair of comic images in the poem are Uncle Mityai and Uncle Minyay. They are also stupid and inept. They cannot breed horses entangled in harness. The portraits of these peasants are given with the help of the grotesque. Long Uncle Mityai recalls village bell tower, and Uncle Minyay is "a broad-shouldered man with a beard black as coal and a belly that looks like a gigantic samovar."
The most colorful couple in the work are the servants of Chichikov, who accompany their master. They are cunning, resourceful, do not like to admit their guilt to others, they are used to acting in Russian, "at random", they get drunk at the first opportunity. The author characterizes the lackey with a mockery: “He was more silent than talkative; he even had a noble impulse to enlightenment, that is, to read books, the content of which was not difficult for him: he didn’t care at all ... ”Petrushka is distinguished by a passion for meaningless reading, and Selifan is remembered for meaningless humility, indifference. He was “agreeable to everything”, he didn’t care if Chichikov whipped him or not. The coachman says: “If you flog, then flog; I don't mind at all…” It is not by chance that Gogol notices how Selifan is scratching the back of his head. This truly Russian gesture, as a rule, is characteristic of people who have difficulty formulating their thoughts. Dull obedience, indifference to life, laziness, drunkenness, ignorance, spiritual poverty - these are the features of the Russian national character that appeared in an ugly system of social relations.
The corrupting influence of serfdom is shown in the image of the clerk Manilov. This man, knowing the letter, deftly achieved a "quiet" life: he married a housekeeper, "a lady's favorite, he became a housekeeper himself, and then a clerk." Accurate portrait detail exposes the character. His attitude to duties becomes clear: "... the yellowish skin color and small eyes showed that he knew too well what down jackets and feather beds were."
However, in the poem Gogol also shows other peasants who embody the best features of the Russian character. The breadth of nature, the love of freedom of the people are reflected in the image of Abakum Fyrov, a fugitive peasant who “walks noisily and cheerfully on the grain pier”, and then is hired as barge haulers. The author notes the vitality, the extraordinary endurance of the Russian peasant. Porters on their backs drag up to nine pounds of wheat, and barge haulers unanimously pull the strap "under one endless song, like Russia." Gogol is also fascinated by the industriousness of a Russian person, such as that of Stepan Cork, “a hero who went all over the provinces with an ax in his belt”; “the ability to get used to everything and every climate”, “the liveliness of the mind of a lively nugget that does not go into his pocket for a word ...” Skill, talent are also primordially Russian features. The crews of the coachman Mikheev were famous throughout the district.
The cruel irony lies in the fact that in the poem the souls turn out to be truly alive, just the dead - the peasants bought by Chichikov. Many of them are "good men", builders, plowmen, hard workers, craftsmen. Some had tragic fate. So, the carpenter Cork, most likely, died after falling from the bell tower. Fugitive peasants who fled from captivity, oppression, humiliation and bullying were caught and imprisoned.
The images of the peasants are recreated in the statements of Sobakevich, Plyushkin, Chichikov, officials. Officials, like Plyushkin, did not keep silent about the rebellious properties of the peasants, recalling a long-standing example: for the addiction of the assessor Dobryazhkin to village women and girls, the state-owned peasants of the villages Vshivaya arrogance and Zadirailovo wiped out the Zemstvo police from the face of the earth.
So, in the poem, on the one hand, people from the people are shown satirically, on the other hand, the image of the people-heroes, the people-craftsmen, whose forces are shackled by the feudal way of life, is created.

The poem "Dead Souls" is a brilliant satire on feudal Russia. But fate has no mercy on the One whose noble genius Became the accuser of the crowd, Her passions and delusions. The work of N.V. Gogol is multifaceted and varied. The writer is talented...

Manilov is a character in N.V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls". The name Manilov (from the verb "beckon", "lure") is played ironically by Gogol. It parodies laziness, fruitless daydreaming, projecting, sentimentality. ( historical prototype, according to...

Every era has its heroes. They determine its face, character, principles, ethical guidelines. With the advent of "Dead Souls" in Russian literature entered new hero not like its predecessors. The elusive, slippery is felt in the description of his appearance....

In general, I love life, but I can’t stand our life, the district, Russian, philistine life, and despise it with all the strength of my soul. A.P. Chekhov, “Uncle Vanya” When you read the work “Dead Souls”, the unusually kind attitude of Nikolai is very surprising ...

Dead Souls is a novel called a poem. A permanent resident of all anthologies on Russian literature. A work of classics, which is as topical and relevant today as it was a century and a half ago. "Try to remember the plot in detail...

"Dead Souls" is the pinnacle of Gogol's work, and at the same time his last word as an artist. Gogol worked on his poem for seventeen years (from 1835 to 1852). Initially conceived, according to contemporaries, as a predominantly comic work, the poem, gradually deepening, turned into a broad accusatory picture of serfdom. RF.

Moving along with Chichikov from landowner to landowner, the reader seems to sink deeper and deeper into the “amazing mud” of vulgarity, pettiness, and depravity. Negative Traits gradually thicken, and the gallery of landowners, beginning with the comic Manilov, is closed by Plyushkin, who is not so much ridiculous as disgusting.

The main subject of the image for Gogol was the noble RF, but in the depths of the picture - in Chichikov's reflections on the list of fugitives and in the author's digressions - folk Russia, full of prowess and courage, with a “smart” word and a “smart” will.

The theme of the people is one of the central themes of the poem. In addressing this topic, Gogol deviates from the traditional approach and identifies two aspects in its comprehension. On the one hand, this is an ironic and sometimes satirical depiction of the life of a people, and a real people at that. Gogol emphasizes the stupidity, ignorance, laziness, drunkenness, characteristic of the Russian peasant. On the other hand, this is an image of the deep foundations of the Russian character. Gogol notes the inexhaustible diligence of the Russian peasant, intelligence and ingenuity, heroic strength. The Russian man is a master of all trades. And it is no coincidence that Gogol draws attention to the rebellious qualities of serfs - this proves that an irresistible desire for freedom lives in a Russian person. It is also noteworthy that the dead peasants appear before us as living people, because after death their deeds remained.

The images of serfs occupy a significant place in Dead Souls. Some of them run through the entire work, while the author mentions others only in connection with individual events and scenes. The lackey Petrushka and the coachman Selifan, uncle Mityai and uncle Minyay, Proshka and the girl Pelageya, who “does not know where the right is, where the left is”, are humorously depicted. The spiritual world of these downtrodden people is narrow. Their actions cause bitter laughter. Drunk Selifan makes long speeches addressed to horses. Petrushka, reading books, watches how some words are obtained from individual letters, not at all interested in the content of what he read: “If he had been given chemistry, he would not have refused it.” Stupid uncle Mityai and uncle Minyay cannot breed horses entangled in traces.

Interest in Gogol's work does not weaken even today. Probably the reason is that Gogol was able to most fully show the character traits of a Russian person, the greatness and beauty of Russia.

"Dead Souls" begins with a depiction of city life, sketches of pictures of the city and a description of bureaucratic society. Five chapters of the poem are devoted to the image of officials, five - to the landowners and one - to the biography of Chichikov. As a result, a general picture of Russia with a huge number of actors different positions and states that are snatched

Gogol from the general mass, because in addition to officials and landowners, Gogol also describes other urban and rural residents - petty bourgeois, servants, peasants. All this adds up to a complex panorama of the life of Russia, its present.

Let's see how Gogol portrays the christening.

Gogol is by no means inclined to idealize them. Let us recall the beginning of the poem, when Chichikov entered the city. Two peasants, examining the britzka, determined that one wheel was out of order and Chichikov would not go far. Gogol did not hide the fact that the peasants were standing near the tavern. Uncle Mityai and Uncle Minyay, the serf Manilov, who asks for work, are shown as stupid in the poem,

And he going to get drunk. The girl Pelageya does not know how to distinguish where the right is, where the left is. Proshka and Mavra are downtrodden and intimidated. Gogol does not blame them, but rather laughs good-naturedly at them.

Describing the coachman Selifan and the lackey Petrushka - Chichikov's yard servants, the author shows kindness and understanding. Petrushka is seized by a passion for reading, although he is more attracted not by what he reads, but by the process of reading itself, as it is from the letters “some word always comes out, which sometimes the devil knows what it means.” We do not see high spirituality and morality in Selifan and Petrushka, but they already differ from Uncle Mityai and Uncle Minya. Revealing the image of Selifan, Gogol shows the soul of the Russian peasant and tries to understand this soul. Let us recall what he says about the meaning of scratching the back of the head among the Russian people: “What did this scratching mean? and what does it mean anyway? Is it annoyance that the meeting planned for the next day with your brother didn’t work out ... or what kind of heartfelt sweetheart has already begun in a new place ... Or is it just a pity to leave a warm place in the people’s kitchen under a sheepskin coat in order to again drag yourself through the rain and slush and all kinds of road adversity?"

The spokesman for the ideal future of Russia is Russia, described in lyrical digressions. The people are also represented here. Let this nation consist of "dead souls", but it has a lively and lively mind, it is a people "full of the creative abilities of the soul ...". It was among such a people that a “troika bird” could appear, which is easily controlled by a coachman. This, for example, is a smart Yaroslavl man who “with one ax and a chisel” made a miracle crew. Chichikov bought him and other dead peasants. Rewriting them, he draws in his imagination their earthly life: “My fathers, how many of you are stuffed here! what have you, my hearts, been doing in your lifetime?” dead peasants in the poem are opposed to living peasants with their poor inner world. They are endowed with fabulous, heroic features. Selling the carpenter Stepan, the landowner Sobakevich describes him this way: “After all, what a force it was! If he had served in the guards, God knows what they would have given him, three arshins and a verst in height.

The image of the people in Gogol's poem gradually develops into the image of Russia. Here, too, one can see the opposition of the real Russia to the ideal future Russia. At the beginning of the eleventh chapter, Gogol gives a description of Russia: “Rus! Russia! I see you ... "and" What a strange, and alluring, and bearing, and wonderful in the word: the road! But these two lyrical digressions are torn apart by the phrases: “Hold it, hold it, you fool!” Chichikov shouted to Selifan. “Here I am with your broadsword! shouted a courier with a arshin mustache galloping towards. “You don’t see, the goblin tear your soul: a state-owned carriage! ..”

In lyrical digressions, the author refers to the "immense expanse", "mighty space" of the Russian land. In the last chapter of the poem, Chichikov's britzka, the Russian troika turns into symbolic image Russia, rapidly rushing into the unknown distance. Gogol, being a patriot, believes in a bright and happy future for the Motherland. Gogol's Russia in the future is a great and powerful country.