Dead souls 4 5 chapters. Dead Souls. Test on the poem "Dead Souls"

Chapter 1

The beginning unfolds in the provincial town of NN, a luxurious bachelor cart drove up to the hotel. Nobody paid much attention to the britzka, except for two men arguing about whether the wagon wheel could reach Moscow or not. Chichikov was sitting in it, the first thoughts about him were ambiguous. The hotel house looked like an old building with two floors, the first floor was not plastered, the second was painted with yellow copper paint. The decorations are characteristic, that is, miserable. The main character introduced himself as a collegiate adviser, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. After they received the guest, his lackey Petrusha and the servant Selifan (who is also a coachman) arrived.

Dinner time, a curious guest asks the tavern employee questions about local authorities, significant persons, landowners, the state of the region (diseases and epidemics). He leaves the task to the interlocutor to notify the police of his arrival, backing up the paper with the text: "College Councilor Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov." The hero of the novel goes to inspect the territory, remains satisfied. He drew attention to the incorrect information posted in the newspaper about the state of the park and its current situation. After the gentleman returned to the room, had dinner and fell asleep.

The next day was devoted to visits to members of the society. Pavel quickly understood to whom and how to present flattering speeches, he tactfully kept silent about himself. At a party at the governor's, he made acquaintance with Sobakevich Mikhail Semenovich and Manilov, along the way asking them questions about possessions and serfs, and specifically he wanted to know who had what number of souls. Chichikov received many invitations and appeared at each one, finding connections. Many began to speak well of him, until one passage left everyone bewildered.

Chapter 2

Footman Petrusha is silent, he liked to read books of different genres. He also had a peculiarity: to sleep in clothes. Now back to the well-known main character, finally, he decided to go with Manilov. The village, as the owner initially said, was 15 versts (16,002 km), but this turned out not to be the case. The manor stood on a hill, blown by the winds, a pitiful sight. The owner gladly welcomed the traveler. The head of the family did not take care of the estate, but indulged in reflections and dreams. He considered his wife an excellent match.

Both are idlers: the pantries are empty, the kitchen masters are not organized, the housekeeper steals, the servants are always drunk and unclean. The couple was capable of long kisses. At dinner, compliments were exchanged, the children of the steward showed their knowledge of geography. The time has come to resolve the issues. The hero was able to convince the owner to make a deal in which the dead people are considered alive according to the audit paper. Manilov decided to give Chichikov dead souls. When Pavel left, he sat for a long time on his porch and thoughtfully smoked his pipe. He thought that they would now become good friends, even dreamed that for their friendship, they would receive a reward from the king himself.

Chapter 3

Pavel Ivanovich was in a great mood. Maybe that's why he did not notice that Selifan did not follow the road, as he was drunk. It poured rain. Their cart turned over, and the main character fell into the mud. Somehow, with the onset of darkness, Selifan and Pavel came across the estate, they were allowed to spend the night. The interior of the rooms spoke of the fact that the housewives are one of those who cry about the lack of money and crops, while they themselves save money in secluded places. The hostess gave the impression that she was very frugal.

Waking up in the morning, the sharp-sighted figure examines the yard in detail: there are many poultry and livestock, the houses of the peasants are in good condition. Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka (lady) invites him to the table. Chichikov suggested that she conclude an agreement regarding the departed souls, the landowner was confused. Further, she began to represent hemp, flax and even bird feathers to everything. Agreement has been reached. Everything turned out to be a commodity. The traveler hurried to leave, as he could no longer endure the landowner. A girl saw them off, she showed them how to get out onto the main road and returned. A tavern appeared on the pavement.

Chapter 4

It was a simple cellar, with a standard menu. Peter's natural questions were asked to the staff: how long has the establishment been operating, what are the landowners doing. Fortunately for Pavel, the owner of the tavern knew a lot and was happy to share everything with him. Nozdryov arrived in the dining room. He shares his events: he was with his son-in-law at the fair and lost all the money, things and four horses. Nothing upsets him. There is not the best opinion about him: flaws in education, a tendency to lie.

Marriage did not affect him, unfortunately his wife died, leaving two children who were not taken care of. A gambler, dishonest in the game, he was often beaten. Dreamer, disgusting in everything. The insolent man called Chichikov to his place for dinner, and he gave a positive answer. A tour of the estate, as well as the lunch itself, caused outrage. The main character set the goal of the deal. It all ended in a fight. He slept badly at a party. The rogue in the morning offered the hero to play checkers for a deal. It would have come to a fight if the captain - police officer had not come with the news that Nozdryov was under investigation until the circumstances were clarified. The guest ran away and ordered the servant to drive the horses quickly.

Chapter 5

On the way to Sobakevich, Pavel Chichikov collided with a carriage that was harnessed by 6 horses. The harnesses are very entangled. Everyone who was close was in no hurry to help. In the carriage sat an elderly woman and a young girl with blond hair. Chichikov was fascinated by the beautiful stranger. When they parted, he thought about her for a long time, until the estate that interested him appeared. A wooded estate, with sturdy buildings of ambiguous architecture.

The owner outwardly resembled a bear, as he was strongly built. Massive furniture was present in his house, paintings depicting strong generals. It was not easy to start a conversation even at lunchtime: Chichikov began to carry on his flattering conversations, and Mikhail started talking about the fact that they were all swindlers and mentioned a certain man named Plyushkin, whose peasants were dying. After the meal, the bargaining of dead souls opened, and the main character had to compromise. The city decided to make a deal. He, of course, was dissatisfied with the crown of the head, that the owner asked too much for one soul. When Pavel left, he managed to find out where the cruel holder of souls lives.

Chapter 6

The hero drove into a vast village with a log pavement. This road was not safe: old wood, ready to fall apart under the weight. Everything was in a state of disrepair: clogged windows of houses, crumbling plaster, an overgrown and dried-up garden, poverty was felt everywhere. The landowner outwardly resembled a housekeeper, so outwardly he launched himself. The owner can be described as follows: small shifty eyes, greasy torn clothes, a strange bandage around his neck. Like a man begging for alms. Cold and hunger blew everywhere. It was impossible to be in the house: a complete mess, a lot of extra furniture, floating flies in containers, a huge collection of dust in all corners. But in fact, in fact, he has more stocks of provisions, utensils and other good things that were lost due to the greed of his owner.

Once everything prospered, he had a wife, two daughters, a son, a French teacher, a governess. But his wife died, the landowner began to harbor anxiety and greed. The eldest daughter secretly married an officer and ran away, the successor went to work without receiving anything from his father, the youngest daughter died. Bread and hay rotted in the merchant's barns, but he did not agree to the sale. The heiress came to him with her grandchildren, left with nothing. Also, lost in cards, the son asked for money and was refused.

Plyushkin's stinginess knew no bounds; he complained to Chichikov about his poverty. As a result, Plyushkin sold 120 dead souls and seventy runaway peasants to our master at 32 kopecks per one. Both felt happy.

Chapter 7

The current day was declared by the main character to be a notary. He saw that he already had 400 souls, he also noticed a female name on Sobakevich's list, thinking that he was unimaginably dishonorable. The character went to the ward, completed all the documents and began to bear the title of Kherson landowner. This was celebrated with a festive table with wines and snacks.

Everyone said toasts and someone hinted at marriage, which, due to the naturalness of the situation, the new merchant was happy about. They did not let him go for a long time and offered to stay in the city as long as possible. The feast ended like this: the satisfied owner returned to his chambers, and the inhabitants went to bed.

Chapter 8

The conversations of local residents were only about buying Chichikov. Everyone admired him. The townspeople were even worried about the emergence of a riot in the new estate, but the master reassured them that the peasants were calm. There were rumors about the millionth state of Chichikov. The ladies especially took notice. All of a sudden, the trade in expensive fabrics went well for the merchants. The newly appeared hero was glad to receive a letter with love confessions and poems. Delight was caused by the fact that he was invited to an evening reception with the governor.

At the ball, he caused a storm of emotions among the ladies: they surrounded him from all sides so much that he forgot to greet the hostess of this event. The character wanted to find the writer of the letter, but in vain. When he realized that he was acting indecently, he hurried to the governor's wife and was confused when he saw with her a beautiful blonde, whom he met on the road. It was the daughter of the owners, recently released from the institute. Our hero fell out of the rut and lost interest in other ladies, which caused their discontent and aggression towards the young lady.

Everything was spoiled by the appearance of Nozdryov, he began to speak loudly about Pavel's dishonorable deeds. What spoiled the mood and caused the hero to leave soon. The appearance in the city of a collegiate secretary, a lady with the surname Korobochka, had a bad effect; she wanted to find out the real price of dead souls, as she was afraid that she had sold too cheaply.

Chapter 9

The next morning, the collegiate secretary told that Pavel Ivanovich bought the souls of the deceased peasants from her.
Two women discussing the latest news. One of them shared the news that Chichikov appeared to the landowner by the name of Korobochka and demanded that she sell the souls of the dead. Another lady reported that her husband had heard similar information from Mr. Nozdrev.

They began to reason about why the newly-minted landowner needed such deals. Their thoughts ended with the following: the master truly pursues the goal of kidnapping the governor's daughter, and the irresponsible Nozdryov will assist him, and dealing with the departed souls of the peasants: fiction. During their disputes, the prosecutor appeared, the ladies told him their assumptions. Leaving the prosecutor alone with his thoughts, the two persons went to the city, spreading gossip and hypotheses. Soon the entire city was stunned. Due to the long absence of interesting events, everyone paid attention to the news. There was even such a rumor that Chichikov left his wife and walked at night with the daughter of the governor.

There were two sides: women and men. The women talked only about the impending theft of the governor's daughter, and the men about an incredible deal. As a result, the governor arranged an interrogation of her daughter, and she cried and did not understand what she was being accused of. At the same time, some strange stories came to light, in which they began to suspect Chichikov. Then the governor received a document that spoke of a fugitive criminal. Everyone wanted to know who this gentleman really is, and they decided to look for the answer from the chief of police.

Chapter 10 Summary Gogol Dead Souls

When all the officials, tormented by fears, gathered at the appointed place, many began to voice assumptions about who our hero is. One said that the character is none other than a distributor of counterfeit money. And later he stipulated that it was probably a lie. Another suggested that he was an official, the governor-general of the office. And the next comment refuted the previous one on its own. Nobody liked the idea that he was a common criminal. As soon as it dawned on one postmaster, he shouted that it was Mr. Kopeikin and began to tell a story about him. The Tale of Captain Kopeikin said this:

“After the war with Napoleon, a wounded captain was sent, bearing the name Kopeikin. No one knew for sure, under such circumstances he lost his limbs: an arm and a leg, and after that he became a hopeless invalid. The captain was left with his left hand, and it is not clear how he earns his living. He went to the commission. When he finally got into the office, he was asked a question about what brought him here, he replied that, while shedding blood for his homeland, he lost an arm and a leg, and could not earn a living, and from the commission he wanted to ask for the favor of the king. The worker said that the captain would come in 2 days.

When he returned after 3-4 days, the captain was told the following: you need to wait until the sovereign arrives in St. Petersburg. Kopeikin had no money left, and, in despair, the captain decided to take a rough step, he burst into the office and began to scream. The minister got angry, called the appropriate people, and the captain was taken out of the capital. How his fate turned out, no one knows. It is only known that a gang was organized in those parts, the leader of which, allegedly, is Kopeikin. Everyone rejected this strange version, because our hero's limbs were intact.

Officials, in order to clarify the situation, decided to invite Nozdrev, knowing that he constantly lies. He contributed to the story and said that Chichikov was a spy, a distributor of fake banknotes and a kidnapper of the governor's daughter. All this news had such a strong influence on the prosecutor that he died upon arrival home.

Our protagonist didn't know anything about it. He was, with a cold and with a flux, in the room. He was surprised that everyone ignored him. As soon as the main character feels better, he comes to the conclusion that it is time to pay visits to the officials. But everyone refused to accept him and conduct conversations, without explaining the reasons for this. In the evening, Nozdryov comes to the landowner and talks about his participation in counterfeit money and the failed kidnapping of a young lady. And yet, according to the public, through his fault the prosecutor dies and a new governor-general comes to their city. Peter was frightened and sent the narrator away. And he himself ordered Selifan and Petrushka to urgently pack their things and, as soon as dawn broke, set off.

Chapter 11

Everything went against the plans of Pavel Chichikov: he overslept, and the britzka was not ready, because it was in a deplorable state. He yelled at his servants, but it didn't help the situation. Our character was extremely angry. In the forge, they took a large fee from him, as they realized that the order was urgent. And the wait was no fun. When they nevertheless set off, they met a funeral procession, our character concluded that this was fortunate.

Chichikov's childhood was not the most joyful and carefree. His mother and father belonged to the nobility. Our hero lost his mother at an early age, she died, and his father was very often sick. He used violence on little Pavel and forced him to study. When Pavlusha became older, dad gave him to a relative living in the city so that he would go to the classes of the city school. Instead of money, his father left him an instruction in which he instructed his son to learn to please other people. With instructions, he still left 50 kopecks.

Our little hero took into account the words of his father with full seriousness. The educational institution did not arouse interest, but he willingly learned to increase capital. He sold what his comrades treated him to. Once I trained a mouse for two months and also sold it. There was a case when he made a bullfinch out of wax and sold it just as safely. Pavel's teacher appreciated the good behavior of his students, and therefore our hero, having graduated from an educational institution, and having taken a certificate, received a reward in the form of a book with golden letters. At this time, Chichikov's father dies. After his death, he left 4 frock coats, 2 jerseys and a small sum of money to Pavel. Our hero sold their old house for 1 thousand rubles, and redirected their family of serfs. Finally, Pavel Ivanovich learns the story of his teacher: he was expelled from an educational institution and, out of grief, the teacher begins to abuse alcohol. Those with whom he taught helped him, but our character referred to the lack of money, he allocated only five kopecks.

Fellows at the educational institution immediately threw out this disrespectful help. The teacher, when he learned about these events, wept for a long time. Here begins the military service of our hero. After all, he wants to live expensively, have a big house and a personal carriage. But everywhere you need acquaintances in high social circles. He got a job with a small annual salary of 30 or 40 rubles. He always tried to look good, he did it very well, especially considering the fact that his colleagues had an untidy appearance. Chichikov tried in every possible way to attract the attention of the chief, but he was indifferent to our hero. Until the main character found the weak point of the authorities, and his weakness is that his already mature and unattractive daughter is still alone. Pavel began to show her signs of attention:

stood next to her whenever possible. Then he was invited to visit for tea, and after a short time he was received in the house as a groom. After a while, the place of the head of office work in the order was vacated in the ward, Chichikov took this position. As soon as he moved up the career ladder, a chest with the things of the alleged groom disappeared from the bride's house, he ran away and stopped calling the boss daddy. Despite all this, he affectionately smiled at the failed father-in-law and invited him to visit when he met him. The boss, however, remained with an honest understanding that he had been vilely and skillfully deceived.

The most difficult thing, according to Chichikov, he did. In a new place, the main character began to fight those officials who accept material values ​​from someone, while he himself turned out to be the one who accepts bribes on a large scale. A project to build a building for the state began, Chichikov took part in this matter. For 6 long years, only the foundation was built near the building, while the members of the commission added to their property an elegant building of high architectural value.

Pavel Petrovich began to indulge himself in expensive things: thin Dutch shirts, thoroughbred horses and many other trifles. Finally, the old boss was replaced by a new one: a man of military hardening, honest, decent, a fighter against corruption. This ended the dawn of Chichikov's activities, he was forced to flee to another city and start all over again. In a short time, he changed several low positions in a new place, being in a circle of people who did not correspond to his status, our hero thought so. During his troubles, Pavel was a little exhausted, but the hero dealt with the troubles and got to a new position, he began to work at customs. Chichikov's dream came true, he was full of energy and put all his strength into a new position. Everyone believed that he was an excellent worker, quick-witted and attentive, he often managed to identify smugglers.

Chichikov was a furious punisher, honest and incorruptible so much that it did not look quite natural. He was soon noticed by the authorities, the main character was promoted, after which he provided the authorities with a plan to catch all the smugglers. His plan was approved. Pavel was given complete freedom to act in this area. The criminals felt fear, they even formed a criminal group and planned to give a bribe to Pavel Ivanovich, to which he gave them a secret answer, it said that they had to wait.

Chichikov's machinations came to an end: when, under the guise of Spanish sheep, smugglers smuggled expensive products. Chichikov earned about 500 thousand rubles on a particular fraud, and the criminals earned at least 400 thousand rubles. Being drunk, our protagonist went into conflict with a man who also took part in fraud with lace. Because of the incident, all the secret affairs of Chichikov with the smugglers were revealed. Our inflexible hero was put on trial, everything that belonged to him was confiscated. He lost almost all the money, but he decided the issue of criminal prosecution in his favor. I had to start all over again from the bottom. He was initiated into all matters, he again managed to gain confidence. In this place, he learned about how you can make money on the dead peasants. He really liked this possible way of earning.

He figured out how to earn a lot of capital, but realized that he needed land where the souls would be. And this place is Kherson province. And so he chose a convenient place, explored all the subtleties of the case, found the right people, received their trust. Human addictions are of different nature. From birth, our hero lived the life that he preferred for himself in the future. The environment of his growing up was not favorable. Of course, we ourselves have the right to choose what qualities to develop in ourselves. Someone chooses nobility, honor, dignity, someone sets the main goal of building capital, having a foundation under their feet, in the form of material wealth. But, unfortunately, the most important factor in our choice is that a lot depends on those who have been with a person since the beginning of life.

Not to succumb to weaknesses that drag us down spiritually - probably, this way you can even cope with the pressure of others. Each of us has our own natural essence, culture and worldview influence this essence. The desire of a person to be a person, this is important. Who is Pavel Chichikov for you - draw your own conclusions. The author showed all the qualities that were in our hero, but imagine that Nikolai Vasilyevich would submit the work from the other side and then you would change your mind about our hero. Everyone forgot that there is no need to be afraid of an honest, direct, open look, no need to be afraid to show such a look. After all, it is always easier not to pay attention to this or that action, to forgive someone for everything, and to offend someone to the end. You should always start work with yourself, think about how honest you are, whether you have responsibility, whether you laugh at other people's failures, whether you support a person close to you in moments of his despair, whether there are positive qualities in you at all.

Well, our hero safely disappeared in a britzka, which was carried by a trio of horses.

Conclusion

Dead Souls was published in 1842. The author planned to release three volumes. For some unknown reason, the writer destroyed the second volume, but several chapters remained in drafts. The third volume remained at the idea stage, little is known about it. Work on the poem was carried out in various parts of the world. The plot of the novel was suggested to the author by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

During the entire work, the author comments on how he admires the beautiful views of his homeland and people. The work is considered epic, since everything is touched in it at the same time. The novel shows the human capacity for degradation well. Many human shades of character are shown: uncertainty, lack of an inner core, stupidity, whim, laziness, greed. Although not all characters were originally like that.

"Dead Souls" summary 1 chapter

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

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

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

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

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 2

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

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

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

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

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

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 3

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

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

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 4

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

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

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

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

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 5

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

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

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

Chichikov says that he wants to buy dead souls, to which Sobakevich is not surprised, but immediately starts bidding. He promises to sell 100 rudders for each dead soul, while saying that the dead were real masters. Trade for a long time. In the end, they agree on three rubles apiece, and at the same time draw up a document, since each fears dishonesty on the part of the other. Sobakevich offers to buy female dead souls cheaper, but Chichikov refuses, although later it turns out that the landowner nevertheless entered one woman in the bill of sale. Chichikov leaves. On the way he asks the peasant how to get to Plyushkin.

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 6

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

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 7

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

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

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 8

Residents of the city are discussing what Chichikov bought. Everyone tries to offer him help in delivering the peasants to the place. Among the proposed - a convoy, a police captain to pacify a possible rebellion, enlightenment of serfs. A description of the city dwellers follows: “they were all kind people, living in harmony with each other, treated in a completely friendly way, and their conversations bore the stamp of some special simplicity and brevity: “Dear friend Ilya Ilyich”, “Listen, brother, Antipator Zakharyevich!”... To the postmaster, whose name was Ivan Andreevich, they always added: “Sprechen zadeich, Ivan Andreich?” - in a word, everything was very family. Many were not without education: the chairman of the chamber knew by heart "Lyudmila" Zhukovsky, which was still not a cold news then ... The postmaster went more into philosophy and read very diligently, even at night, Jung's "Nights" and "The Key to the Mysteries of Nature" by Eckartshausen , from which he made very long extracts ... he was witty, flowery in words and loved, as he himself put it, to equip speech. Others were also more or less enlightened people: some read Karamzin, some Moskovskiye Vedomosti, some didn’t even read anything at all ... As for plausibility, it’s already known, they were all reliable consumptive people, there was no one among them. All were of the kind to which the wives, in tender conversations taking place in solitude, gave names: egg-pods, plump, pot-bellied, nigella, kiki, buzz, and so on. But in general they were kind people, full of hospitality, and a person who ate bread with them or spent an evening playing whist was already becoming something close ... "

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

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

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 9

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

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

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 10

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

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

"Dead Souls" summary chapter 11

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

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

The author reflects on how readers can relate to Chichikov, recalls the parable of Kif Mokievich and Mokiya Kifovich, son and father. The existence of the father is turned into a speculative side, while the son is rowdy. Kifa Mokievich is asked to appease his son, but he does not want to interfere in anything: “If he remains a dog, then let them not find out about it from me, let it not be me who betrayed him.”

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

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

Chichikov spent more than a week in the city, driving around for parties and dinners. Finally, he decided to visit Manilov and Sobakevich, to whom he gave the floor. “Maybe another, more significant reason prompted him to do this, a more serious matter, closer to his heart ...” He ordered the coachman Selifan to put the horses in a well-known britzka early in the morning, and Petrushka to stay at home, look after the room and the suitcase. Here it makes sense to say a few words about these two serfs.

Petrushka wore a somewhat wide brown frock coat from a master's shoulder and had, in accordance with the custom of people of his rank, a large nose and lips. His character 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; he read everything with equal attention. He usually slept without undressing, “and always carried with him some special air ...” - when he placed his bed “in a previously uninhabited room” and transferred his overcoat and belongings there, it immediately seemed that there were already ten people have lived for years. Chichikov, a scrupulous man, sometimes frowned in the morning and said displeasedly: “You, brother, the devil knows you, are you sweating or something. You should have gone to the bath." Petrushka did not answer this, and hurried to go about his business. Selifan the coachman was a completely different person...

But we need to return to the main character. So, having given the necessary orders from the evening, Chichikov woke up early in the morning, washed himself, dried himself from head to toe with a wet sponge, which he usually did only on Sundays, shaved carefully, put on a tailcoat, and then an overcoat, went down the stairs and sat in the britzka.

With a thunder, the britzka drove out from under the gate of the hotel into the street. The passing priest took off his hat, several boys in soiled shirts held out their hands, saying: “Master, give it to the orphan!” The coachman, noticing that one of them was a big fan of standing on the heel, whipped him with a whip, and the britzka went to jump over the stones. Not without joy, a striped barrier was seen in the distance, letting know that the pavement, like any other torment, would soon end; and hitting the truck with his head several more times, Chichikov finally rushed across the soft earth ... There were villages stretched along a string, similar in structure to old stacked firewood, covered with gray roofs with carved wooden decorations under them in the form of hanging embroidered towels. Several peasants, as usual, yawned, sitting on benches in front of the gates in their sheepskin coats. Babas with fat faces and bandaged breasts looked out of the upper windows; a calf peeped out from below, or a pig stuck out its blind muzzle. In a word, the species are known. Having traveled the fifteenth verst, he remembered that, according to Manilov, his village should be here, but even the sixteenth verst flew by, and the village was still not visible ...

Let's go look for Manilovka. Having traveled two versts, they met a turn onto a country road, but already two, and three, and four versts, it seems, had been made, and the stone house on two floors was still not visible. Here Chichikov remembered that if a friend invites him to his village fifteen miles away, it means that there are sure thirty.

"The village of Manilovka could lure a few with its location." The master's house, open to all winds, stood alone on a hill; "the slope of the mountain was dressed in trimmed turf." Plants were scattered here and there on the mountain, and a gazebo with a flat green dome, blue wooden columns and the inscription: "Temple of Solitary Reflection" was visible. Below was an overgrown pond. In the lowland, partly and along the very slope, gray log huts were dark, which Chichikov, for some unknown reason, immediately began to count and counted more than two hundred. Everything was bare all around, only a pine forest darkened to the side.

Approaching the courtyard, Chichikov noticed the owner himself on the porch, who was standing in a green chalon frock coat, with his hand to his forehead in the form of an umbrella over his eyes, in order to get a better look at the approaching carriage. As the britzka drew nearer to the porch, his eyes grew merrier and his smile widened more and more.

Pavel Ivanovich! he cried at last, when Chichikov got out of the britzka. - Violently you did remember us!

Both friends kissed very warmly, and Manilov took his guest into the room ...

God alone could not say what the character of Manilov was. There is a kind of people known by the name: people are so-so, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan nor in the village of Selifan, according to the proverb. Perhaps Manilov should join them. In his eyes he was a prominent person; his features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have been conveyed too much sugar; in his manners and turns there was something ingratiating himself with favors and acquaintances.

He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes. In the first minute of a conversation with him, you can’t help but say: “What a pleasant and kind person!” In the next minute you will not say anything, and in the third you will say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away if you don’t move away, you will feel mortal boredom. You will not expect any lively or even arrogant word from him, which you can hear from almost anyone if you touch on the subject that bullies him. Everyone has his own enthusiasm: one has turned his enthusiasm to greyhounds; to another it seems that he is a strong lover of music and surprisingly feels all the deep places in it; the third is a master of famously dine; the fourth to play a role at least one inch higher than the one assigned to him; the fifth, with a more limited desire, sleeps and dreams about how to go on a walk with the adjutant wing, showing off to his friends, acquaintances and even strangers; the sixth is already gifted with such a hand that feels a supernatural desire to break the corner of some diamond ace or deuce, while the hand of the seventh climbs somewhere to put things in order, to get closer to the personality of the stationmaster or coachmen - in a word, everyone has his own, but Manilov had nothing.

At home he spoke very little and for the most part thought and thought, but what he thought about, too, only God knew. The economy went by itself, he never even went to the fields. Sometimes, looking from the porch at the yard and the pond, he talked about how nice it would be if all of a sudden to lead an underground passage from the house or build a stone bridge across the pond, on which there would be benches on both sides, and so that people would sit in them. merchants and sold various small goods needed by the peasants. But it all ended in conversation.

In Manilov's office lay some kind of book, bookmarked on the fourteenth page, which he had been constantly reading for two years. Something was always missing in his house: all the chairs were upholstered in fine silk, and there was not enough fabric for two chairs. Some rooms had no furniture at all. In the evening, a very smart candlestick was served on the table, and next to it was placed some kind of simply copper invalid, lame and covered in fat.

The wife was a match for her husband. Although eight years of their marriage had passed, each of them tried to please each other with an apple or candy, while saying: “Open your mouth, darling, I’ll put this piece for you.” "And the mouth opened in this case very gracefully." Sometimes, for no reason at all, they imprinted each other with a long kiss, during which it was possible to smoke a pipe. For his birthday, the wife always prepared a gift for her husband, for example, a beaded case for a toothpick. In short, they were happy. Of course, it should be noted that there were many other activities in the house, besides long kisses and surprises ... In the kitchen, they cooked stupidly and to no avail, the pantry was empty, the housekeeper stole, the servants drank ... “But these are all low objects, and Manilova was brought up well, in a boarding school where they teach the three foundations of virtue: French, piano and knitting purses and other surprises.

Meanwhile, Chichikov and Manilov got stuck at the door, trying without fail to let the companion through first. Finally, both squeezed sideways. Manilov introduced his wife, and Chichikov noted to himself that she was "not bad-looking and dressed to match."

Manilova said, even burping a little, that he made them very happy with his arrival and that her husband did not go a day without thinking about him.

Yes, - said Manilov, - she used to keep asking me: “But why isn’t your friend coming?” - "Wait, darling, he will come." But you finally honored us with your visit. Really, it was such a pleasure ... May day ... name day of the heart ...

Chichikov, hearing that it had already come to the name day of the heart, was even somewhat embarrassed and replied modestly that he had neither a big name, nor even a noticeable rank.

You have everything,” Manilov interrupted with the same pleasant smile, “you have everything, even more.

How do you feel about our city? Manilova said. - Did you have a good time there?

A very good city, a beautiful city, - answered Chichikov, - and he spent a very pleasant time: the society is most courteous.

An empty conversation ensued, during which officials familiar to those present were discussed: the governor, the vice-governor, the police chief and his wife, the chairman of the chamber, and so on. And they all turned out to be "the most worthy people." Then Chichikov and Manilov talked about how pleasant it is to live in the countryside and enjoy nature in the company of well-educated people, and it is not known how the “mutual outpouring of feelings” would have ended, but a servant entered the room and reported that “the meal is ready.”

There were already two boys in the dining room, Manilov's sons. The teacher was with them. The hostess sat down to her soup bowl; the guest was seated between the host and the hostess, the servant tied napkins around the children's necks.

What nice little children, - said Chichikov, looking at them, - and what year?

The eldest is eighth, and the youngest has only just passed six yesterday,” said Manilova.

Themistoclus! - said Manilov, turning to the elder, who was trying to free his chin, which was tied up in a napkin by the footman.

Chichikov raised a few eyebrows when he heard such a partly Greek name, to which, for some unknown reason, Manilov gave the ending in "yus", but he tried at the same time to bring his face back to its usual position.

Themistoclus, tell me, what is the best city in France?

Here the teacher turned all his attention to Themistoclus and seemed to want to jump into his eyes, but at last he completely calmed down and nodded his head when Themistoclus said: "Paris."

What is our best city? asked Manilov again.

The teacher turned his attention back.

Petersburg, answered Themistoclus.

And what else?

Moscow, answered Themistoclus.

Clever, sweetie! Chichikov said to this. “Tell me, but…” he continued, turning immediately to the Manilovs with a certain look of amazement, “in such years and already such information! I must tell you that this child will have great abilities.

Oh, you don’t know him yet,” answered Manilov, he has an extremely large amount of wit. Here is the smaller one, Alkid, that one is not so fast, but this one now, if he meets something, a bug, a goat, his eyes suddenly start to run; run after her and immediately pay attention. I'll read it on the diplomatic side. Themistoclus,” he continued, turning to him again, “do you want to be a messenger?

I want it, - answered Themistoclus, chewing bread and shaking his head right and left.

At this time, the footman who was standing behind wiped the envoy's nose, and he did it very well, otherwise a pretty extraneous drop would have sunk into the soup. The conversation began around the table about the pleasures of a quiet life, interrupted by the remarks of the hostess about the city theater and about the actors.

After dinner, Manilov intended to escort the guest into the living room, when suddenly "the guest announced with a very significant air that he intended to talk with him about one very necessary matter."

In that case, let me ask you to my office, ”Manilov said and led him into a small room with a window overlooking a blue forest. “Here is my corner,” said Manilov.

Pleasant little room," said Chichikov, glancing over it with his eyes.

The room was certainly not without pleasantness: the walls were painted with some kind of blue paint, like gray, four chairs, one armchair, a table on which lay a book with a bookmark, which we have already had occasion to mention, a few scribbled papers, but more everything was tobacco. It was in different forms: in caps and in a tobacco box, and, finally, it was simply poured in a heap on the table. On both windows there were also mounds of ash knocked out of a pipe, arranged, not without diligence, in very beautiful rows. It was noticeable that this sometimes gave the owner a pastime.

Allow me to ask you to sit in these chairs, - said Manilov. - Here you will be calmer.

Let me sit on a chair.

Allow me not to allow this, ”said Manilov with a smile. - This chair I have already assigned for the guest: for the sake of it or not for the sake of it, but they must sit down.

Chichikov sat down.

Let me treat you with a pipe.

No, I don’t smoke,” Chichikov answered affectionately and, as it were, with an air of regret ...

But first, allow me one request...” he uttered in a voice in which some strange or almost strange expression was heard, and after that he looked back for some unknown reason. - How long ago did you deign to submit a revision tale ( the nominal list of serfs, submitted by the landowners during the audit, the census of peasants - approx. ed.)?

Yes, a long time ago; Or rather, I don't remember.

How many peasants have died since that time?

But I can't know; about this, I think, you need to ask the clerk. Hey man! call the clerk, he should be here today.

The teller came...

Listen, dear! how many peasants have died in our country since the revision was filed?

Yes, how much? Many have died since then,” said the clerk, and at the same time he hiccupped, covering his mouth slightly with his hand, like a shield.

Yes, I confess, I myself thought so, - Manilov picked up, - exactly, very many died! - Here he turned to Chichikov and added: - Exactly, very many.

How about a number, for example? Chichikov asked.

Yes, how many? - picked up Manilov.

How to say number? After all, it is not known how many died, no one counted them.

Yes, exactly, - said Manilov, turning to Chichikov, - I also assumed a high mortality; it is not known how many died.

You, please, re-read them, - said Chichikov, - and make a detailed register of everyone by name.

Yes, all by name, - said Manilov.

The clerk said: "I'm listening!" - and left.

For what reasons do you need it? Manilov asked the clerk as he left.

This question seemed to embarrass the guest, his face showed some kind of tense expression, from which he even blushed, - the tension to express something, not quite submissive to words. And in fact, Manilov finally heard such strange and unusual things that human ears had never heard before.

For what reason, you ask? The reasons are as follows: I would like to buy the peasants ... - said Chichikov, stammered and did not finish his speech.

But let me ask you, - said Manilov, - how do you want to buy the peasants: with land or just for withdrawal, that is, without land?

No, I'm not exactly peasants, - said Chichikov, - I want to have dead ...

How? excuse me... I'm a little hard of hearing, I heard a strange word...

I suppose to acquire the dead, which, however, would be listed as alive according to the revision, - said Chichikov.

Manilov immediately dropped the chibouk with his pipe on the floor, and as he opened his mouth, he remained with his mouth open for several minutes. The two friends, who were talking about the pleasures of a friendly life, remained motionless, gazing at each other, like those portraits that in the old days were hung one against the other on both sides of the mirror. Finally Manilov picked up the pipe with the chibouk and looked down into his face, trying to see if there was any kind of smile on his lips, if he was joking; but nothing of the kind was visible, on the contrary, the face even seemed more sedate than usual; then he wondered if the guest had somehow accidentally lost his mind, and looked intently at him with fear; but the visitor's eyes were perfectly clear, there was no wild, restless fire in them, which runs in the eyes of a crazy person, everything was decent and in order. No matter how Manilov thought out how to be and what to do, he could not think of anything else but to let out the remaining smoke from his mouth in a very thin stream.

So, I would like to know if you can give me those who are not really alive, but alive in relation to the legal form, to transfer, to cede, or as you please better?

But Manilov was so embarrassed and confused that he only looked at him.

It seems to me that you are at a loss? .. - Chichikov remarked.

I? .. No, I'm not that, - said Manilov, - but I can't comprehend ... excuse me ... I, of course, could not receive such a brilliant education, which, so to speak, is visible in your every movement; I don’t have a high art of expressing myself... Maybe here... in this explanation you have just expressed... something else is hidden... Maybe you deigned to express yourself like that for the beauty of the style?

No, - Chichikov picked up, - no, I mean the subject as it is, that is, those souls who, for sure, have already died.

Manilov was completely at a loss. He felt that he needed to do something, to propose a question, and what question - the devil knows. He finally ended by exhaling smoke again, only not through his mouth, but through his nasal nostrils.

So, if there are no obstacles, then with God it would be possible to start making a fortress, - said Chichikov.

How about a bill of sale for dead souls?

Ah, no! Chichikov said. - We will write that they are alive, as it really is in the revision tale. I am used to not deviating from civil laws in anything, although I suffered for this in the service, but excuse me: duty is a sacred thing for me, the law - I am dumb before the law.

Manilov liked the last words, but he still did not penetrate into the meaning of the matter itself, and instead of answering, he began to suck his chibouk so hard that he finally began to wheeze like a bassoon. It seemed as if he wanted to extract from him an opinion on such an unheard-of circumstance; but the chubuk wheezed and nothing more.

Maybe you have any doubts?

O! sorry, nothing. I'm not talking about having some, that is, critical prejudice against you. But allow me to report whether this enterprise or, to put it even more, so to speak, negotiation, will not this negotiation be inconsistent with civil decrees and further types of Russia?

Chichikov nevertheless managed to convince Manilov that there would be no violation of the civil law, that such an enterprise would in no way be inconsistent with civil decrees and further types of Russia. The treasury will even receive benefits in the form of legal duties. When Chichikov spoke about the price, Manilov was surprised:

How about the price? said Manilov again and stopped. “Do you really think that I would take money for souls that, in some way, ended their existence?” If you have received such, so to speak, a fantastic desire, then for my part I pass them on to you without interest and take over the bill of sale.

Chichikov was overflowing with thanks, touching Manilov. After that, the guest got ready to leave, and, despite all the persuasion of the hosts to stay for a little longer, he hastened to take his leave. Manilov stood for a long time on the porch, following the retreating britzka with his eyes. And when he returned to the room, he indulged in thoughts about how good it would be to have such a friend as Chichikov, to live next door to him, to spend time in pleasant conversations. He also dreamed that the sovereign, having learned about their friendship, would grant them generals. But Chichikov's strange request interrupted his dreams. No matter how much he thought, he could not understand her, and all the time he sat and smoked his pipe.

Summary

VOLUME 1 Chapter 1

At the gates of the hotel in the provincial city of NN, a britzka enters, in which Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is located. 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. Two peasants are standing at the door of the tavern and, looking at the wheel of the carriage, they argue: “Will that wheel reach Moscow, if it happens, or will it not?” The tavern servant meets Chichikov. The guest looks around his room, where the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka are bringing in "his belongings." While the servants were busy, “the master went to the common room”, where he ordered lunch, during which he asked the servant about the city and its order, “did not miss a single significant official”, “asked about all the significant landowners”, “asked carefully about the state of the region ". After dinner, Chichikov rested in his room, and then "he wrote on a piece of paper, at the request of the tavern servant, the rank, first name and surname to report where he should go, to the police," the following: "Collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, landowner, in his own needs."

Chichikov went to inspect the city and "found that the city was in no way inferior to other provincial cities." In the text, the author gives a description of a provincial town. During a walk, Chichikov tears off a poster from a post and, returning to the hotel, reads it, "squinting his right eye a little."

The next day, Chichikov pays visits to all city dignitaries: he visits the governor, then the vice-governor, the prosecutor, the chairman of the chamber, the police chief, the farmer, the head of state-owned factories, the inspector of the medical board and the city architect. In conversations with officials, Chichikov "skillfully knew how to flatter everyone," for which the officials invited him "some for lunch, some for a Boston party, some for a cup of tea." Very little is known about the traveler, since he spoke about himself "in some general places, with noticeable modesty", referring to the fact that "he is an insignificant worm of this world and is unworthy of being taken care of a lot."

At the governor's party, where "everything was flooded with light" and the guests resembled flies that flew into the room, "just to show themselves, to walk up and down the sugar heap," the governor introduces Chichikov to the governor. At the ball, the passer-by is busy thinking about men who, as elsewhere, "were of two kinds," thin and fat, "or the same as Chichikov." Chichikov gets acquainted with the "very courteous and courteous landowner Manilov and the somewhat clumsy-looking Sobakevich", from whom he learns the state of their estates and how many peasants they have. Manilov, "who had eyes as sweet as sugar, and squinted them every time he laughed," invites Chichikov to his estate, as he is "without memory" from the guest. Pavel Ivanovich receives the same invitation from Sobakevich.

On the next day, visiting the police chief, Chichikov met the landowner Nozdrev, a “broken fellow,” who, after three or four words, began to say “you” to him. The next day Chichikov spent the evening with the chairman of the chamber, who received his guests in a dressing gown. After that, he was at the vice-governor's, at a dinner with a farmer, at the prosecutor's. He returned to the hotel only to “sleep”. He is ready to support a conversation on any topic. City officials were pleased that such a "decent person" visited them. “The governor said about him that he was a well-intentioned person; the prosecutor - that he is an efficient 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, ”and in the opinion of Sobakevich, Chichikov was an “unpleasant person” at all.

Chichikov has been in the city for more than a week. He decides to visit Manilov and Sobakevich and therefore gives orders to his servants, the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka. The latter should stay at the inn and look after things. Petrushka “read everything with equal attention,” since he preferred “the process of reading itself, that “some word always comes out of the letters”, slept without undressing and “always carried with him some kind of special air of his own” As for the coachman, he "was a completely different person."

Chichikov goes to Manilov. Long search for the estate of the landowner. Description of the estate. The guest is joyfully greeted by Manilov. “In his eyes, he was a prominent person; his features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have been conveyed too much sugar; in his manners and turns there was something ingratiating himself with favors and acquaintances. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes. In the first minute of a conversation with him, you can’t help but say: “What a pleasant and kind person!” The next minute you will say nothing, and the third you will say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away if you don’t move away, you will feel mortal boredom. You will not expect any lively or even arrogant word from him, which you can hear from almost anyone if you touch the subject that torments him. Manilov cannot be called a master, since his "household somehow went on by itself." He had a lot of ideas in his head, but "all these projects ended in only one word." For two years he has been reading a book, bookmarked on the fourteenth page. In the living room there is beautiful furniture upholstered in expensive silk fabric, but two armchairs, on which there was not enough fabric, are upholstered in matting. In some rooms there was no furniture at all. “In the evening, a very smart candlestick made of dark bronze with three antique graces, with a mother-of-pearl smart shield, was served on the table, and next to it was placed some kind of simply copper invalid, lame, curled up on the side and covered in fat, although neither the owner noticed this, neither mistress nor servant.

Manilov's wife corresponds to her husband. There is no order in the house. "Manilova was brought up well." She received her upbringing in a boarding school, where "three main subjects form the basis of human virtues: the French language, which is necessary for the happiness of family life, the piano, for delivering pleasant moments to her husband, and, finally, the economic part proper: knitting purses and other surprises."

At dinner, the sons of the Manilovs are present: Thepistoclus and Alkid, who are at that age “when they are already putting children at the table, but not yet. high chairs." Next to the children was their teacher, who followed the conversation and tried to show the same emotions as they, because "he wanted to pay this owner for good treatment." His face took on a serious look when one of Manilov's sons bit his brother on the ear, and the second was ready to burst into tears, but restrained himself and, through tears, smeared with fat, began to gnaw a mutton bone. At dinner there is a conversation "about the pleasure of a quiet life."

After dinner, Chichikov and Manilov are having a business conversation in the owner's office. “The room was, of course, not without pleasantness: the walls were painted with some kind of blue paint, like gray, four chairs, one armchair, a table on which lay a book with a bookmark ... a few scribbled papers, but most of all there was tobacco. It was in different forms: in caps and in a tobacco box, and, finally, it was simply poured in a heap on the table. On both windows there were also mounds of ash knocked out of a pipe, arranged, not without diligence, in very beautiful rows. It was noticeable that this sometimes gave the owner a pastime. The guest is interested: “How long ago did you deign to submit a revision tale?” The clerk appears, who reports that the peasants were dying, but they were not counted. Chichikov asks him to make a "detailed register of everyone by name." Manilov wonders why Chichikov is doing this, and in response he hears "such strange and unusual things that human ears have never heard before." Chichikov offers to buy dead souls, which "would be listed as alive according to the revision." After that, both sat, "gazing into each other's eyes, like those portraits that were hung in the old days one against the other on both sides of the mirror." Chichikov promises that the law will be observed, as he "goes dumb before the law." According to Chichikov, "such an enterprise, or negotiation, will in no way be inconsistent with civil decrees and further types of Russia," and "the treasury will even receive benefits, because it will receive legal duties." Manilov gives the dead souls to Chichikov "without interest." The guest thanks the host and hurries to. road. He says goodbye to the Manilov family and, having asked how to get to Sobakevich, leaves. Manilov indulges in daydreams, imagining how he lives with a friend in the neighborhood, how they are engaged in landscaping together, spend evenings over tea, in pleasant conversations, and comes to the conclusion that the sovereign, for strong friendship, favors him and Chichikov as a general rank.

Chichikov goes to Sobakevich and gets caught in the rain, his coachman goes astray. "The darkness was so, even gouge out the eye." Hearing the barking of dogs, Chichikov orders the coachman to speed up the horses. The cart hits the fence with shafts, Selifan goes to look for the gate. A hoarse woman's voice reports that they ended up at the estate of Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. Chichikov stops at the landowner's house for the night. He is led into a room that “was hung with old striped wallpaper; pictures with some birds; between the windows there are small antique mirrors with dark frames in the form of curled leaves; behind every mirror there was either a letter, or an old pack of cards, or a stocking; wall clock with painted flowers on the dial ... it was impossible to notice anything. The mistress of the estate, “an elderly woman, in some kind of sleeping cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck, one of those mothers, small landowners who cry for crop failures, losses and hold their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile gain a little money in variegated bags placed in the drawers of chests of drawers. All the banknotes are taken into one bag, fifty dollars into another, quarters into the third, although it seems as if there is nothing in the chest of drawers except linen, and night blouses, and thread hanks, and a torn coat. The hostess says that it is already late and nothing can be cooked. When asked how far it is from her estate to the estate of Sobakevich, she replies that she had not heard of such a landowner.

In the morning, over tea, Chichikov asks Korobochka about the dead souls he wants to buy from her. Afraid to sell cheap and not understanding why the guest "is such a strange product", she offers him to buy honey or hemp from her. Chichikov continues to insist on buying dead souls. Mentally, he calls the old woman "clubhead", because he can not convince her that this is a profitable enterprise for her. Only after he reports that he is conducting government contracts (which is not true), the hostess agrees to make a bill of sale. Chichikov asks if she has anyone she knows in the city so that she can authorize him to "make a fortress and everything that follows." He composes a trusted letter to himself. The hostess wants to appease an important official. In the box where Chichikov keeps his papers, there are many compartments and a secret drawer for money. The box admires his casket. The guest asks the hostess of the house to prepare a "little list of men." She informs him that she does not keep any records and knows almost everyone by heart. Korobochka's men have strange surnames. “He was especially struck by some Pyotr Savelyev Disrespect-Trough, so that he could not help but say: “What a long one!” Another had "Cow Brick" attached to the name, the other turned out to be simply: Wheel Ivan. After that, the hostess treats the guest with an unleavened egg pie and pancakes. Chichikov leaves. The box sends a girl of about eleven years old with a chaise, who “does not know where the right is, where the left is,” to see off the guests. When the tavern became visible, the girl was released home, giving her a copper penny for the service.

Hungry, Chichikov stops at a tavern, which "was something like a Russian hut, somewhat larger." He is invited to enter by an old woman, at whom, at a meal, Chichikov asks if she herself runs a tavern. In a conversation, he tries to find out what kind of landowners live nearby. Nozdryov's chaise drives up, and then the landowner himself appears, who arrived with his son-in-law Mizhuev. “He was of medium height, a very well-built fellow with full ruddy cheeks, snow-white teeth and jet-black sideburns. He was fresh as blood and milk; health seemed to spurt from his face. Chichikov learns that Nozdryov lost his money and the money of his son-in-law Mizhuev, who is right there, at the fair, and also "thumped four trotters - he lost everything." He had no chain or watch. It seemed to Chichikov that "one of his sideburns was smaller and not as thick as the other." Nozdryov assures that “the fair was excellent”, that he drank seventeen bottles of champagne, to which his fellow traveler objected that he could not even drink ten bottles. Hearing that Chichikov was heading to Sobakevich, Nozdryov laughs and calls this landowner a "Jewish man." He persistently invites Chichikov to his place, promising a tasty treat, and then asks Porfiry to bring a puppy from the britzka to show it to Chichikov. Nozdryov offers Chichikov to visit him first, and then to Sobakevich. He, thinking, agrees. In a tavern, Nozdryov's son-in-law pays for the vodka that Nozdryov drank. There are many people like Nozdrev. “They are called broken fellows, they are known even in childhood and at school for good comrades, and for all that they are very painfully beaten. Something open, direct, daring is always visible in their faces. They soon get to know each other, and “you don’t have time to look back, as they already say“ you ”to you. Friendship will start, it seems, forever; but it almost always happens that the one who makes friends fights with them that evening at a friendly feast. They are always talkers, revelers, reckless people, prominent people. Nozdryov at thirty-five years old was the same perfect as he was at eighteen and twenty: a hunter for a walk. Marriage did not change him in the least, especially since his wife soon went to the other world, leaving two children who were decidedly not to him needed ... Nozdryov was in some respects a historical person. Not a single meeting where he was could do without history ... The closer someone got along with him, he was more likely to piss everyone off: spread a fable, more stupid than which it is difficult to invent, upset a wedding, a trade deal and did not consider himself your enemy at all ... Nozdryov was in many respects a versatile person, that is, a man of all trades. He liked to "change everything for whatever you want." Such Nozdryovs are “everywhere between us.”

In his estate, Nozdryov shows Chichikov "absolutely everything." First they went to the stable, where Chichikov saw two mares, one dappled gray, the other brown, and also an unsightly bay stallion, which, according to the owner, cost him ten thousand, which his relative immediately doubted. Nozdryov showed his guest a wolf cub on a leash, fed raw meat. Showing the pond, Nozdryov boasted that the fish in it were of incredible size. In the yard, Chichinov saw "all sorts of dogs, both thick-dogs and pure-dogs, of all possible colors and stripes." Then they examined the blind Crimean female. We went to inspect the water mill, the smithy, having reached the borders of the estate through the field, and then returned to the house. Only sabers and two guns hung in the office. The guest was shown Turkish daggers, one of which bore the mark of master Saveliy Sibiryakov, and then a hurdy-gurdy and pipes. Chichikov was dissatisfied with dinner, which was not given much attention in this house, since "some things were burnt, some were not cooked at all." Various wines were served, which Chichikov was afraid to drink.

After Mizhuev leaves home, Chichikov asks Nozdryov to transfer the dead souls that have not yet been deleted from the revision to his name, and explains that he needs them for a successful marriage, since it is extremely important for the bride's parents how many peasants he has . Nozdryov does not believe Chichikov. He is ready to give him dead souls, but Chichikov must buy from him a stallion, a mare, a dog, a hurdy-gurdy, etc. Chichikov refuses this. Nozdryov offers to play cards with him. Chichikov himself is not happy that he contacted Nozdrev, who began to insult him. Holding a grudge against Chichikov, Nozdryov orders the coachman not to give his horses oats, but only to feed him hay. After supper, Nozdryov leads Chichikov to a side room without saying good night. The night was unpleasant for the visitor, as "small naughty insects" bit him. The next morning, Chichikov hurries to leave. Nozdryov invites Chichikov to play checkers with him, promising that if he wins, he will give him dead souls. During the game, Nozdrev is clearly cheating. Suspecting this, Chichikov stops the game, accusing Nozdryov of cheating. He is ready to hit the guest in the face, but does not do this, but calls the servants and orders to beat the offender. The police captain appears, who "on the occasion of inflicting personal insult on the landowner Maximov with rods in a drunken state" arrests Nozdryov. Taking advantage of these circumstances, Chichikov hurries to leave and orders his coachman to "drive the horses at full speed."

Chichikov thought with horror about Nozdryov. His coachman was also dissatisfied, calling the landowner a "bad master." It seemed that even the horses were thinking “unfavorably” about Nozdryov. Soon, through the fault of the coachman, Chichikov's chaise collides with another chaise, in which there is an elderly lady and a sixteen-year-old beauty. Village peasants separate the horses, and then pick up the carts. After the collision, Chichikov thinks about the young stranger, calling her "glorious grandmother" to himself. “Everything can be done from it, it can be a miracle, or it can turn out to be rubbish, and rubbish will come out! Now let only mothers and aunts take care of it now. He wonders who the parents of this girl are and whether they are wealthy. “After all, if, let’s say, this girl is given two hundred thousand dowry, a very, very tasty morsel could come out of her. This could be, so to speak, the happiness of a decent person.

Description of the estate of Sobakevich. The landowner’s house was “like those we build for military settlements and German colonists. It was noticeable that during the construction of its architect, he constantly fought with the taste of the owner. The architect was a pedant and wanted symmetry, the owner - convenience ... The landowner seemed to be fussing a lot about strength. Everything is done thoroughly, "without faltering, in some kind of strong and clumsy order." Chichikov's owner resembles a "medium-sized bear." “To complete the resemblance, the tailcoat on him was completely bearish in color, the sleeves were long, the pantaloons were long, he stepped with his feet and at random and stepped incessantly on other people's legs. The complexion was red-hot, hot, which happens on a copper penny. It is known that there are many such persons in the world, over the finishing of which nature did not think long, did not use any small tools, such as files, gimlets and other things, but simply chopped from her shoulder: she grabbed with an ax once - her nose came out, she had enough in another - her lips came out, she poked her eyes out with a large drill and, without scraping, let them into the light, saying: “lives!”. The owner's name is Mikhail Semenovich. In the living room on the walls there are paintings depicting Greek generals, by the window there is a cage with a thrush. Sobakevich introduces the guest to his wife, Feodulia Ivanovna. In the room where the owner brings the guest, “everything was solid, clumsy to the highest degree and had some strange resemblance to the owner of the house himself; in the corner of the living room stood a pot-bellied walnut office on absurd four legs, a perfect bear. The table, the armchairs, the chairs—everything was of the most heaviest and restless quality—in a word, every object, every chair, seemed to say: “I, too, am Sobakevich!” or: “and I, too, am very similar to Sobakevich!” ”Sobakevich speaks straightforwardly about officials: the chairman of the chamber -“ he is just a freemason, but such a fool as the world has not produced, ”the governor -“ the first robber in the world, give him only a knife Yes, let him out on the main road - he will kill him, he will kill him for a penny! He and even the vice-governor are Goga and Magog!”, the police chief is a “swindler”, the prosecutor is a “decent person”, but at the same time, “to tell the truth, a pig”.

Over a plentiful dinner, Sobakevich talks about Plyushkin as an extremely stingy man who lives next door to him and owns eight hundred peasants.

After a hearty dinner, Chichikov decides to talk with the owner about his business. Sobakevich listens to him for a long time. “It seemed that this body did not have a soul at all, or it did have one, but not at all where it should, but, like an immortal koshchey, somewhere beyond the mountains and covered with such a thick shell that everything that did not toss and turn on bottom of it, did not produce any shocks on the surface. Sobakevich is not surprised that Chichikov is buying up dead souls. He is ready to sell them "for a hundred rubles apiece", characterizing each peasant as a master of his craft: the coachman Mikheev, the carpenter Stepan Cork, the bricklayer Milushkin, the shoemaker Maxim Telyatnikov. Chichikov notes that the qualities of the peasants are not so important, since the souls are dead. Sobakevich hints "that such purchases... are not always permissible...". After a long auction for a dead soul, the price is three rubles. Sobakevich writes a list of peasants and asks for a deposit. In response to this, Chichikov wants him to give him a receipt for receiving money. Everyone is afraid of being deceived. Sobakevich offers to buy "female" cheap, but Chichikov refuses. Chichikov goes to Plyushkin, whom the peasants call "patched", adding to this word the noun "very successful, but uncommon in secular conversation." “The Russian people are expressing themselves strongly! And if he rewards someone with a word, then it will go to his family and offspring, he will drag him with him to the service, and to retirement, and to St. Petersburg, and to the ends of the world. And no matter how cunning you later ennoble your nickname, even if you force writing people to derive it for hire from an ancient princely family, nothing will help: the nickname will croak for itself at the top of its crow’s throat and say clearly where the bird flew from.

Lyrical digression about travel. The author notes that at the time of his youth, “it was fun for him to drive up to an unfamiliar place for the first time,” since “a childish curious look revealed a lot of curiosity in him.” “Now I indifferently drive up to any unfamiliar village and indifferently look at its vulgar appearance; my chilled gaze is uncomfortable, it’s not funny to me, and what in previous years would have awakened a lively movement in the face, laughter and incessant speeches, now slips by, and my motionless lips keep an indifferent silence. O my youth!

Once in the estate of Plyushkin, "he noticed a special dilapidation on all the village buildings." The master's house appeared before Chichikov's gaze. “This strange castle looked like some kind of decrepit invalid, long, unreasonably long. In some places it was one story, in other places it was two; on the dark roof, which did not reliably protect his old age everywhere, two belvederes stuck out, one opposite the other, both already tottering, deprived of the paint that once covered them. The walls of the house slitted bare stucco lattice in places and, apparently, suffered a lot from all sorts of bad weather, rains, whirlwinds and autumn changes. Of the windows, only two were open; the rest were shuttered or even boarded up. These two windows, for their part, were also half-sighted; one of them had a dark pasted triangle of blue sugar paper. Chichikov sees some figure and for a long time cannot recognize what gender she is: "is it a man or a woman." “The dress on her was completely indefinite, very similar to a woman’s hood, on her head was a cap, which village yard women wear, only one voice seemed to him somewhat hoarse for a woman.” Chichikov decided that the housekeeper was in front of him, then, looking closer, "he saw that it was rather a housekeeper ...".

The key keeper leads Chichikov into the house, which amazes him with the "disarray that has appeared." “It seemed as if the floors were being washed in the house and all the furniture had been piled up here for a while. On one table there was even a broken chair, and next to it was a clock with a stopped pendulum, to which a spider had already attached a web. Right there, leaning sideways against the wall, was a cupboard filled with antique silver, decanters, and Chinese china. On the bureau, lined with mother-of-pearl mosaics, which had already fallen out in places and left behind only yellowish grooves filled with glue, lay a lot of all sorts of things ... "

Chichikov asked where the owner was, and was surprised when the key keeper said that it was he. Chichikov saw all sorts of people, but this was the first time he saw such a person in his life. “His face was nothing special; it was almost the same as that of many thin old men, only one chin protruded very far forward, so that he had to cover it with a handkerchief every time so as not to spit; little eyes had not yet gone out and were running from under high-growing eyebrows like mice when, sticking out their pointed muzzles from dark holes, pricking up their ears and blinking their mustaches, they look out for a cat or a naughty boy hiding somewhere, and suspiciously smell the very air. Much more remarkable was his attire: no means and efforts could have got to the bottom of what his dressing gown was concocted from: the sleeves and upper floors were so greasy and shiny that they looked like yuft, which is used for boots; behind, instead of two, four floors dangled, from which cotton paper climbed in flakes. Plyushkin had "more than a thousand souls." Despite the fact that in his working yard there is a “death” of all kinds of supplies that cannot be used in a lifetime, it seems to Plyushkin that this is not enough, and therefore he goes around the village and picks up what he finds, putting everything in a heap in the corner of the room.

The once rich landowner Stepan Plyushkin lived differently. He was a thrifty owner, to whom a neighbor stopped by to "learn from him housekeeping and wise stinginess." Plyushkin had a wife, two daughters and a son; in addition, a French teacher and mentor of two girls lived in the house. He was widowed early and therefore "became more restless and, like all widowers, more suspicious and stingy." He cursed his eldest daughter after she, having escaped with an officer of the cavalry regiment, married him. The son decided to join the military, and the youngest daughter died. “Lonely life has given nourishing food to avarice, which, as you know, has a wolfish hunger and the more it devours, the more insatiable it becomes; human feelings, which were already not deep in him, grew shallow every minute, and every day something was lost in this worn-out ruin. Due to stinginess, he could not bargain with anyone. “Hay and bread rotted, stacks and haystacks turned into clean manure, flour in the cellars turned into stone, it was terrible to touch cloth, canvas and household materials: they turned into dust.” Plyushkin accumulated his fortune on trifles, picking up other people's things, forgotten by someone by accident. He does not use a large quitrent from serfs. For the entire household, he has only a pair of boots, the peasants go barefoot. Plyushkin, with his economy, "finally turned into some kind of hole in humanity." Twice his daughter came to Plyushkin, hoping to get something from her father, but both times she left with nothing.

Chichikov tells Plyushkin what the purpose of his visit is. Plyushkin agrees to sell him the dead peasants, and also offers to buy the fugitives as well. Traded for every penny. Plyushkin hides the banknotes received from Chichikov in a box in which they lie until the death of the owner. Refusing tea and treats, Chichikov, to Plyushkin's delight, returns to the hotel. Plyushkin sees to it that the breadcrumbs from the Easter cake are put away in the pantry. All the way Chichikov was in a good mood. Petrushka meets him at the hotel.

A lyrical digression in which Gogol reflects on two types of writers, one of whom "... from the great pool of daily revolving images chose only a few exceptions ...", and the other exposes "... all the terrible, amazing mire of trifles that have entangled our lives, all the depths of the cold, fragmented, everyday characters ... ".

Chichikov woke up and felt that he had slept well. After registration of merchant's fortresses, he became the owner of four hundred dead souls. Looking at himself in the mirror, Chichikov “made two leaps around the room, slapping himself very deftly with the heel of his foot”, “rubbed his hands in front of the box with the same pleasure as the incorruptible zemstvo court rubs them”, and began to compose, write and rewrite fortresses, "so as not to pay anything to clerks." He reflects on who the peasants he bought were during his lifetime. He finds out that Sobakevich deceived him by adding Elizaveta Sparrow to the list, and crosses her out.

On the street, Chichikov meets Manilov, with whom they go to make a bill of sale. In order to speed things up, in the office, Chichikov discreetly gives a bribe to an official, whose name is Ivan Antonovich Kuvshinnoye Rylo, who covers the banknote with a book. The chief is Sobakevich. Chichikov, referring to the fact that he urgently needs to leave, asks to make a bill of sale within one day. Gives the chairman a letter from Plyushkin with a request that he be a chargé d'affaires in his case. The chairman agrees to be an attorney. Witnesses appear, the necessary documents are drawn up. Chichikov pays half the fee to the treasury, since "the other half was attributed in some incomprehensible way to the account of another petitioner."

Everyone goes to dinner at the police chief, who was "in his place and comprehended his position to perfection." The merchants said about him that "Alexei Ivanovich," although he will take it, it will certainly not give you away ". During dinner, Sobakevich eats a large sturgeon, with which the police chief wanted to surprise those present, but did not have time. There were many toasts at the table. Those gathered decide to marry Chichikov, to which he remarks that "there would be a bride." In a good position, on the prosecutor's droshky, Chichikov goes to the hotel, where he gives Selifan "household orders." Petrushka takes off his master's boots and puts him to bed.

Petrushka and Selifan head "to the house that was opposite the hotel," from which they leave an hour later, "holding hands, maintaining perfect silence, showing each other great attention and warning each other against all corners." In the hotel, everyone soon falls asleep, only a light is on in the window of the lieutenant who has arrived from Ryazan.

Chichikov's purchases do not leave the inhabitants of the city alone. There are various conversations about what kind of peasants Chichikov bought and what it will be like in a new place, what kind of manager is needed on the farm, and it is also suggested that during the resettlement a rebellion may arise among the peasants, and advice is given to Chichikov to treat the peasants with "military cruelty ” or engage in “beneficent education”. For the safe delivery of the peasants to the place, Chichikov is offered an escort, which Chichikov flatly refuses, since, according to him, the purchased peasants have an "excellently meek character." Residents of the city of Chichikov "fell in love even more sincerely", calling him a "millionaire". The text follows a description of the inhabitants of the city N.

Ladies are delighted with Chichikov. One day, returning home, he found a letter on the table that began with the words: “No, I must write to you!” Then there was a confession of sincere feelings and it was said that at the ball, which would take place the next day, Chichikov would have to recognize the one that had opened up to him. Chichikov is invited to the governor's ball. For an hour he sits in front of the mirror, taking significant postures and facial expressions. While at the ball, he tries to find out who sent him a love letter. Chichikov meets the governor's daughter. She turns out to be that sixteen-year-old beauty that he saw when two chaises collided. “It is impossible to say for sure whether the feeling of love has definitely awakened in our hero - it is even doubtful that gentlemen of this kind, that is, not so fat, but not exactly thin, were capable of love; but for all that, there was something so strange here, something of a kind that he himself could not explain to himself: it seemed to him, as he later confessed, that the whole ball, with all its talk and noise, became a few minutes as if somewhere far away. The ladies present at the ball were offended by Chichikov because he did not pay any attention to them. “In some dry and ordinary words he casually uttered, they found sharp hints.” The ladies began to whisper about him "in the most unfavorable way." He cannot captivate the girl with secular conversation, as the military knows how to do, and therefore causes boredom in her. Nozdryov, who appeared at the governor's ball, tells how Chichikov tried to buy dead souls from him. Heard hard to believe, but the ladies pick up the news. Chichikov tries to distract himself, sat down to play whist, but the game did not go. Even at the table, despite the fact that Nozdryov was dismissed for scandalous behavior, he feels uncomfortable, talking to himself about balls. “But the man is strange: he was greatly upset by the dislike of the very ones whom he did not respect and about whom he spoke sharply, vilifying their vanity and outfits.”

Korobochka comes to the city to find out if she has sold her dead souls to Chichikov.

Gossip is spreading throughout the city. The men of the city are interested in buying dead souls, and the ladies are discussing how Chichikov is going to kidnap the governor's daughter. New gossip is added to the existing gossip. Two incidents are associated with the “dead souls”: the first happened with “some Solvychegodsk merchants who came to the city for a fair and after the auction gave their friends Ustsysolsky merchants a feast”, which ended in a fight, as a result of which “Solvychegodsk merchants left Ustsysolsky to death” and their “ buried like the dead"; another event was as follows: “official peasants of the village of Vshivaya-arrogance, having united with the same peasants of the village of Borovka, Zadirailovo, too, wiped off the face of the earth, as it were, the zemstvo police in the person of an assessor, some Drobyazhkin”, who “looked at the women and the village girls." The governor received two papers, one of which contained information about "a fake banknote maker hiding under different names," and the other reported about a "robber who had fled from legal persecution" and should be detained. This circumstance completely confused the inhabitants of the city. The officials decide to question the landlords from whom Chichikov bought dead souls. Chichikov's servants are subjected to the same questions. There comes a moment when you need to figure everything out: “Is this a person who needs to be detained and seized as unintentional, or is he such a person who himself can seize and detain them all as unintentional.” The officials decide to meet with the police chief.

City officials gather at the police chief for advice, in which "there was a noticeable absence of that necessary thing that the common people call plainly." The author discusses the peculiarities of holding meetings or charitable meetings.

According to the postmaster, Chichikov is none other than Captain Kopeikin, and the postmaster tells his story.

THE STORY ABOUT CAPTAIN KOPEIKIN

Captain Kopeikin was sent along with the wounded after the campaign of 1812, and his arm and leg were torn off. He returned home, but his father told him that he had nothing to feed him, and therefore Kopeikin was forced to go to St. Petersburg to the sovereign to find out "whether there would be any royal mercy." Somehow he got to the capital, where he "sheltered in a Revel tavern for a ruble a day." He was advised to apply to the higher commission. Since the sovereign "at that time was not yet in the capital," he goes to the head of the commission, for whom he has been waiting for four hours in the waiting room. When the nobleman came out, those gathered in the waiting room fell silent. He asks everyone with what business he came to him. After listening to Kopeikin, he promised to do his best and offered to come in one of these days. The captain went to a tavern, where he drank vodka, dined at the London, went to the theater - "drank". Looking at the Englishwoman, he decided to follow her, but put it off until he received his “pension”. After the next visit to the nobleman, it turns out that he will not be able to help without the special permission of the king. Kopeikin's money is running out, but the nobleman does not want to accept him anymore. Having broken through to the general, the invalid tries to achieve a solution to his fate, but in vain. The general sends Kopeikin out of the capital at public expense. Since the captain did not get a solution to his problem, he decided that he would take care of himself. Where Kopeikin went is unknown, but a gang of robbers appeared in the Ryazan forests.

The police chief interrupted the story in bewilderment, since Chichikov's arm and leg were intact. After that, the postmaster, slapping his forehead, calls himself "veal" in front of everyone. According to the new version, Chichikov is Napoleon in disguise. After long conversations and thoughts, Nozdryov is again asked about Chichikov, and he lies that he sold dead souls to Chichikov for several thousand rubles, that they studied together at a school where Chichikov was called a “fiscal”, that Chichikov prints fake banknotes, which is actually Chichikov wanted to take the governor's daughter away and that he, Nozdryov, helped him in this, and the village where the young people were to get married, "exactly the village of Trukhmachevka," what kind of wedding - "seventy-five rubles." After listening to Nozdryov's tales, "the officials were left in an even worse position than they were before."

The prosecutor dies of fear. Chichikov got a slight cold - "a flux and a slight inflammation in the throat", and therefore does not leave the house. He cannot understand why no one visited him during his illness, did not inquire about his health. Three days later, he goes "out into the fresh air." Finding himself in front of the governor's entrance, he hears from the porter that "it is not ordered to receive." The chairman of the chamber told him such "rubbish" that they both felt ashamed. Chichikov notices that he is not accepted anywhere, and if they are accepted, then in a rather strange way. When he returns to his hotel in the evening, Nozdryov appears and tells Chichikov about who the townspeople consider him to be, adding to everything that the prosecutor died through Chichikov's fault. Hearing that he is suspected of intending to take away the governor's daughter, Chichikov is perplexed. Fearing that he will not be able to get out of this story in a good way, Chichikov orders to get ready for the road: Selifan must prepare everything by six, and Petrushka is told to pull the suitcase out from under the bed.

The next morning, for a number of reasons, Chichikov was unable to leave the city: he overslept, the chaise was not laid, the horses were not shod, the wheel would not pass even two stations. He scolds Selifan, who did not inform him earlier about all the shortcomings. I had to take a long time with the blacksmiths. Only in the evening he manages to set off. Because of the funeral procession, they were forced to stop. When Chichikov found out who was being buried, "he immediately hid in a corner, covered himself with skin and drew the curtains." He did not want anyone to recognize his crew, but he "began to look timidly through the glass, which were in leather curtains," for the mourners of the deceased. City officials follow the coffin, talking about the new governor-general. Chichikov thinks that, "they say it means happiness if you meet a dead person." Finally he leaves the city. Lyrical digression about Rus'. "Rus! Rus! I see you, from my wonderful, beautiful far away I see you: poor, scattered and uncomfortable in you ... Rus'! what do you want from me? what incomprehensible bond lurks between us?

The author exclaims: “What a strange, and enticing, and carrying, and wonderful in the word: road! And how wonderful she herself is, this road ... ”Then there are arguments about the hero of a literary work and about the origin of Chichikov. The author says that the reader did not like him, since "a virtuous person is still not taken as a hero." The author's goal was "finally to hide the scoundrel."

Chichikov was born into a noble family and outwardly does not look like his parents. “Life at the beginning looked at him somehow sourly and uncomfortably, through some kind of muddy, snow-covered window: no friend, no comrade in childhood!” His father took him to the city to a relative, a “flabby old woman,” who “patted the boy on the cheek and admired his fullness.” Here he had to go to the classes of the city school. When parting, the parent advised his son to please his teachers and superiors, communicate only with rich comrades, do not share with anyone, behave in such a way that he is treated, save a penny, which in life can do everything. The words of his father "buried deep into his soul." The boy was not distinguished by his abilities, but "more diligence and neatness." His comrades treated him, and he hid treats, and then sold them to those who treated him. To the fifty received from his father, he made "increments, showing almost extraordinary resourcefulness: he molded a bullfinch from wax, painted it and sold it very profitably." He sold "edibles" to rich comrades during classes, showed a trained mouse for money, which "stands on its hind legs, lay down and got up on orders." Having saved five rubles, "he sewed up the bag and began to save in another." “Chichikov suddenly comprehended the spirit of the boss and what behavior should consist of,” and therefore “he was in excellent standing and upon graduation he received a full certificate in all sciences, a certificate and a book with golden letters for exemplary diligence and trustworthy behavior.” When his father dies, Chichikov sells "a dilapidated courtyard with an insignificant piece of land for a thousand rubles." A teacher is expelled from the school, who considered Pavlusha the best student. Former students collect money for him, but only Chichikov refused to help him, to which the teacher remarks with tears: “Oh, Pavlusha! that's how a person changes! after all, what a well-behaved, nothing violent, silk! Puffed up, puffed up a lot ... "

Chichikov lived with thoughts about "life in all contentment, with all sorts of prosperity," and therefore saved a penny. He is determined to serve in the state chamber, where he turns out to be the complete opposite of officials. Chichikov pleases the boss, takes care of his ugly daughter, soon moves into his house, becomes a fiancé, seeks promotion: instead of the old assistant, "he himself sat down as an assistant to one vacant position that had opened up." After that, he moves to a new apartment, and "the matter was hushed up" about the wedding. Chichikov becomes a "notable person". In the service he takes bribes, is included in the commission for the construction of a state building, but "the state building did not go above the foundation." With the arrival of a new boss, Chichikov is forced to start his career anew. Enters the customs service, "this service has long been a secret subject of his thoughts." He has a talent for searches and searches. For his selfless service, he was noticed by his superiors, received a rank and a promotion. Presenting a project to catch smugglers, he receives a lot of money from them. Chichikov quarrels with the official, calling him a priest, and he, offended, sends a secret denunciation to him, and therefore "secret relations with smugglers have become obvious." Chichikov and the comrade with whom he shared are put on trial, their property is confiscated. Chichikov is all in thought about why it was he who "fell in trouble."

Taking care of "his descendants", Chichikov begins to work as an attorney. The task that he was entrusted with was as follows: "to petition for the placement of several hundred peasants in the board of trustees." And here Chichikov “was struck by an inspirational thought”: “Yes, 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 really two hundred thousand capital!

The author, reflecting on the attitude of readers to the hero, says that it is not known how the further fate of Chichikov will turn out, where his britzka will call. “It is most fair to call him: the owner, the acquirer. The acquisition is his fault; because of him things have been done that the light will give the name of not very clean. The author talks about human passions. Fearing that accusations from the patriots might fall on him, he talks about Kif Mokievich and Mokii Kifovich, father and son, who “lived in one distant place.” The father did not deal with the family, but rather turned "in a speculative way", for example, to the question of the birth of animals. “At the time when the father was engaged in the birth of the beast, the twenty-year-old broad-shouldered nature” of his son “was trying to turn around.” Everyone in the neighborhood is afraid of the son, since he destroys everything that comes into his hands, and the father does not want to interfere in anything: “If he remains a dog, then let them not know about it from me, let it not be me who gave him away ".

The author reproaches readers: "You are afraid of a deeply aspiring gaze, you are afraid to direct your own gaze at something, you love to glimpse everything with unthinking eyes." It is possible that everyone can find in themselves "some part of Chichikov."

Chichikov woke up and shouted at Selifan. "The horses stirred and carried, like fluff, a light britzka." Chichikov smiled, because he liked fast driving. “And what Russian does not like to drive fast?” A lyrical digression about a trio bird. “Isn’t it true that you too, Rus, are rushing about with a brisk, unbeaten troika? .. Russ, where are you rushing to?”

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

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

Chapter 1 - summary.

A small chaise with a middle-aged gentleman of good appearance, not fat, but not thin, drove into the provincial town of NN. The arrival made no impression on the inhabitants of the city. The visitor stopped at a local tavern. During dinner, a new visitor asked the servant in the most detailed way, who used to run this institution, and who now, how much income and what kind of owner. Then the visitor found out who is the governor in the city, who is the chairman of the chamber, who is the prosecutor, that is: “ did not miss a single significant official ».

Portrait of Chichikov

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

The next day Chichikov devoted visits to all city officials. He testified his respect even to the inspector of the medical board and the city architect.

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

During the reception, the guest of the city managed to show himself to be a skillful interlocutor, he successfully made a compliment to the governor's wife.

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

The next day the newcomer went to the chief of police, where from three o'clock in the afternoon they played whist until two in the morning. There Chichikov met Nozdrev, " a broken fellow, who, after three or four words, you began to say to him ". In turn, Chichikov visited all the officials, and a good opinion developed about him in the city. He could show a secular person in any situation. Whatever the conversation turned to, Chichikov was able to support it. Furthermore, " he knew how to clothe all this with some kind of gravity, knew how to behave well ».

Everyone was pleased with the arrival of a decent person. Even Sobakevich, who in general was rarely satisfied with his surroundings, recognized Pavel Ivanovich " the nicest person ". This opinion in the city persisted until one strange circumstance led the inhabitants of the city of NN into bewilderment.