Dead Souls summary of chapters 5. Analysis of Gogol's poem “Dead Souls. What is unique about the work?
As part of the project "Gogol. 200 years"RIA Newspresents a summary of the second volume of “Dead Souls” by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol - a novel that Gogol himself called a poem. The plot of "Dead Souls" was suggested to Gogol by Pushkin. The white version of the text of the second volume of the poem was burned by Gogol. The text has been partially restored based on drafts.
The second volume of the poem opens with a description of the nature that makes up the estate of Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov, whom the author calls “the smoker of the sky.” The story of the stupidity of his pastime is followed by the story of a life inspired by hopes at the very beginning, overshadowed by the pettiness of his service and troubles later; he retires, intending to improve the estate, reads books, takes care of the man, but without experience, sometimes just human, this does not give the expected results, the man is idle, Tentetnikov gives up. He breaks off acquaintances with his neighbors, offended by General Betrishchev’s address, and stops visiting him, although he cannot forget his daughter Ulinka. In a word, without someone who would tell him an invigorating “go ahead!”, he completely turns sour.
Chichikov comes to him, apologizing for a breakdown in the carriage, curiosity and a desire to pay respects. Having won the favor of the owner with his amazing talent to adapt to anyone, Chichikov, having lived with him for a while, goes to the general, to whom he weaves a story about a quarrelsome uncle and, as usual, begs for the dead.
The poem fails at the laughing general, and we find Chichikov heading to Colonel Koshkarev. Contrary to expectations, he ends up with Pyotr Petrovich Rooster, whom he finds at first completely naked, keen on hunting sturgeon. At Rooster's, not having anything to get hold of, for the estate is mortgaged, he only overeats terribly, meets the bored landowner Platonov and, having encouraged him to travel together across Rus', goes to Konstantin Fedorovich Kostanzhoglo, married to Platonov's sister. He talks about the methods of management with which he increased the income from the estate tenfold, and Chichikov is terribly inspired.
Very quickly he visits Colonel Koshkarev, who has divided his village into committees, expeditions and departments and has organized a perfect paper production in the mortgaged estate, as it turns out. Having returned, he listens to the curses of the bilious Kostanzhoglo against the factories and manufactories that corrupt the peasant, the peasant’s absurd desire to educate, and his neighbor Khlobuev, who has neglected a sizable estate and is now selling it for next to nothing.
Having experienced tenderness and even a craving for honest work, having listened to the story of the tax farmer Murazov, who made forty million in an impeccable way, Chichikov the next day, accompanied by Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, goes to Khlobuev, observes the unrest and dissipation of his household in the neighborhood of a governess for children, dressed in fashion wife and other traces of absurd luxury.
Having borrowed money from Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, he gives a deposit for the estate, intending to buy it, and goes to Platonov’s estate, where he meets his brother Vasily, who efficiently manages the estate. Then he suddenly appears at their neighbor Lenitsyn, clearly a rogue, wins his sympathy with his ability to skillfully tickle a child and receives dead souls.
After many gaps in the manuscript, Chichikov is found already in the city at a fair, where he buys fabric that is so dear to him, the lingonberry color with a sparkle. He runs into Khlobuev, whom, apparently, he spoiled, either depriving him, or almost depriving him of his inheritance through some kind of forgery. Khlobuev, who let him go, is taken away by Murazov, who convinces Khlobuev of the need to work and orders him to collect funds for the church. Meanwhile, denunciations against Chichikov are discovered both about the forgery and about dead souls.
The tailor brings a new tailcoat. Suddenly a gendarme appears, dragging the smartly dressed Chichikov to the Governor-General, “angry as anger itself.” Here all his atrocities become clear, and he, kissing the general’s boot, is thrown into prison. In a dark closet, Murazov finds Chichikov, tearing his hair and tails of his coat, mourning the loss of a box of papers, with simple virtuous words awakens in him a desire to live honestly and sets off to soften the Governor-General.
At that time, officials who want to spoil their wise superiors and get a bribe from Chichikov, deliver a box to him, kidnap an important witness and write many denunciations in order to completely confuse the matter. Unrest breaks out in the province itself, greatly worrying the Governor-General. However, Murazov knows how to feel the sensitive strings of his soul and give him the right advice, which the Governor-General, having released Chichikov, is about to use, how... - at this point the manuscript breaks off.
Material provided by the internet portal briefly.ru, compiled by E. V. Kharitonova
Our summary of “Dead Souls” can be used by 9th grade students for a reading diary. See also the full text of “Dead Souls”, analysis of the work, texts of lyrical digressions in it and articles: Gogol - short biography, Gogol - biography, Gogol - chronology of life.
Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 1 – briefly
The nobleman Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov arrived in the provincial town of NN, a man not too old, but not quite young, not handsome, but not bad-looking, neither too fat, but not thin either. Having settled in a city hotel, he asked the servant in detail about local prominent persons, especially interested in how many peasant souls each had. (See the full text of the excerpt “Chichikov’s arrival in the provincial town of NN”.)
In the following days, Chichikov made visits to all the main city officials. He also attended a party at the governor’s, where he met the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. (See Who Chichikov met when he arrived in the provincial town.)
Dead Souls. Film-play 1960
A very dexterous man in his manners, Chichikov made a “pleasant” impression on everyone. (See The image of Chichikov - briefly, Chichikov in “Dead Souls”, Description of Chichikov.)
Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 1 – summary. You can read the full text of this chapter on our website.
Chichikov
Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 2 – briefly
A few days later, Chichikov moved his visits out of town and first visited Manilov’s estate. (See Characteristics of Manilov with quotes.) Sweet Manilov claimed enlightened humanity, European education and loved to build fantastic projects, such as building a huge bridge across his pond, from where one could see Moscow during tea drinking. But, mired in dreams, he never put them into practice, being characterized by complete impracticality and mismanagement. (See Manilov in “Dead Souls”, Description of Manilov, his estate and dinner with him.)
Receiving Chichikov, Manilov demonstrated refined courtesy. But in a private conversation, Chichikov made him an unexpected and strange offer: to buy from him for a small sum recently deceased peasants (who, until the next financial audit, were listed as alive on paper). Manilov was extremely surprised by this, but out of courtesy he could not refuse the guest. (See the full text of the scene of Chichikov’s bargaining with Manilov.)
For more details, see the separate article Gogol “Dead Souls”, Chapter 2 - summary of the full text of this chapter.
Manilov
Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 3 – briefly
From Manilov, Chichikov thought of going to Sobakevich, but the drunken coachman Selifan took him in a completely different direction. Caught in a thunderstorm, the travelers barely made it to some village - and found an overnight stay with the local landowner Korobochka. (See Characteristics of the Box with Quotes, Box in Dead Souls.)
The widow Korobochka was a simple-minded and frugal old woman. (See Description of Korobochka, her estate and lunch with her.) The next morning, over tea, Chichikov made her the same proposal as before to Manilov. The box at first widened its eyes, but then calmed down, most of all caring about how not to make a cheap sale when selling the dead. She even began to refuse Chichikov, intending first to “apply to the prices of other merchants.” But her resourceful guest pretended to be a government contractor and promised to buy flour, cereals, lard and feathers in bulk from Korobochka. In anticipation of such a profitable deal, Korobochka agreed to sell the dead souls. (See Chichikov's bargaining scene with Korobochka.)
Chichikov personally drew up the deed of sale for the deceased men on stamp paper, which he took out of his travel box, which contained many compartments and partitions. (See Chichikov's box.)
For more details, see the separate article Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 3 - summary. You can read the full text of this chapter on our website.
Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 4 – briefly
After leaving Korobochka, Chichikov stopped for lunch at a roadside tavern. (See: What did Chichikov eat at the tavern?)
In the tavern he met the landowner Nozdryov, whom he had previously met at the governor’s party. (See the text of the excerpt “Meeting of Nozdryov and Chichikov in a tavern.”)
The incorrigible reveler, reveler, liar and sharpie Nozdryov (see Characteristics of Nozdryov with quotes) was returning from the fair, having completely lost at cards. He invited Chichikov to his estate. Pavel Ivanovich agreed to go there, hoping that the broken Nozdryov would give him the dead souls for free. (See Nozdryov in “Dead Souls”, Nozdryov’s Appearance, Nozdryov’s Estate, Nozdryov’s House Interior, Chichikov’s Lunch at Nozdryov’s.)
On his estate, Nozdryov led Chichikov around the stables and kennels for a long time, assuring him that his horses and dogs were worth many thousands of rubles. When the guest started talking about dead souls, Nozdryov suggested playing cards with them and immediately took out the deck. Thoroughly suspecting that it was marked, Chichikov refused. (See the full text of the scene of Chichikov’s bargaining with Nozdrev.)
The next morning, Nozdryov suggested playing the dead peasants not at cards, but at checkers, where cheating is impossible. Chichikov agreed, but during the game Nozdryov began to move several checkers at once with the cuffs of his robe in one move. Chichikov protested. Nozdryov responded by calling two hefty serfs and ordering them to beat the guest. Chichikov barely managed to escape unharmed thanks to the arrival of the police captain: he brought Nozdryov a summons to trial for an insult inflicted while drunk with rods on the landowner Maximov. (See the text of the excerpt “Nozdryov and Chichikov play checkers.”)
For more details, see the separate article Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 4 - summary. You can read the full text of this chapter on our website.
The Adventures of Chichikov (Nozdryov). An excerpt from a cartoon based on the plot of Gogol’s “Dead Souls”
Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 5 – briefly
Having galloped away at full speed from Nozdryov, Chichikov finally reached the estate of Sobakevich - a man whose character was the opposite of Manilov. Sobakevich deeply despised having his head in the clouds and was guided in everything only by material benefit. (See Characteristics of Sobakevich with quotes, Sobakevich (briefly), Portrait of Sobakevich, Description of the estate and interior of Sobakevich’s house.)
Explaining human actions solely by the desire for selfish gain, rejecting any idealism, Sobakevich certified city officials as swindlers, robbers and sellers of Christ. (See Sobakevich's attitude towards others.)
In figure and posture he resembled a medium-sized bear. At the table, Sobakevich disdained low-nutritive overseas delicacies, dined on simple dishes, but devoured them in huge pieces. (See Lunch at Sobakevich's.)
Unlike others, the practical Sobakevich was not at all surprised by Chichikov’s request to sell dead souls. However, he charged an exorbitant price for them - 100 rubles each, explaining it by the fact that his peasants, although dead, were “select goods”, because they used to be excellent craftsmen and hard workers. Chichikov laughed at this argument, but Sobakevich only after a long bargaining reduced the price to two rubles and a half per head. (See the text of the scene of their bargaining.)
Sobakevich
While the list of sold men was being compiled, Chichikov, annoyed by Sobakevich’s tight-fistedness, looked at his back with hatred and mentally cursed him with his “fist.” (See Chichikov's attitude towards Sobakevich.)
In a conversation with Chichikov, Sobakevich let it slip that an unusually stingy landowner Plyushkin lives not far from him, and with this owner, more than a thousand peasants are dying like flies. Having left Sobakevich, Chichikov immediately found out the way to Plyushkin.
For more details, see the separate article Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 5 - summary. You can read the full text of this chapter on our website.
Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 6 – briefly
Plyushkin's house turned out to be large, but unimaginably dilapidated. At the gate, Chichikov noticed a strange, dirty figure dressed in a robe. (See Plyushkin's appearance, Plyushkin's clothes.) At first he mistook her for the old housekeeper, but it was the owner of the estate himself. (See Characteristics of Plyushkin with quotes.)
In previous years, Plyushkin was a businesslike, thrifty owner. But in old age, after widowhood and a quarrel with his children, he developed extraordinary stinginess. Plyushkin's interests and concerns were shredded. Having abandoned important activities, he turned to various trifles. All day long, this owner of a thousand serf souls walked around his own village, collecting rubbish, such as broken shovels and old shoe soles. He put it in a dusty heap in the middle of one of the rooms of his house, vigilantly watching so that the servants did not steal anything from it. (See Plyushkin in “Dead Souls”, Plyushkin’s Estate, Plyushkin’s Garden, Interior of Plyushkin’s House, Plyushkin’s Household, Plyushkin’s Family, Chichikov’s Lunch at Plyushkin’s, Plyushkin is a hole in humanity, Quotes confirming Plyushkin’s stinginess.)
Seeing the visiting nobleman, Plyushkin at first suspected: he wanted to dine with him for free. For a long time he could not believe that Chichikov was ready to pay money for dead peasants and then pay state taxes for them until the next audit. But Chichikov managed to convince Plyushkin - and received from him a purchase list of the names of two hundred dead and runaway men, compiled from savings on a dirty, stale piece of paper. (See the full text of the scene of Chichikov’s bargaining with Plyushkin.)
For more details, see the separate article Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 6 - summary. You can read the full text of this chapter on our website.
Plyushkin
Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 7 – briefly
Returning to the provincial town of N, Chichikov began finalizing the registration of deeds of sale in the state chancellery. This chamber was located in the main city square. Inside it, many officials were diligently poring over papers. The noise from their feathers sounded as if several carts with brushwood were passing through a forest littered with withered leaves. To speed up the matter, Chichikov had to bribe the clerk Ivan Antonovich with a long nose, colloquially called a pitcher's snout.
Manilov and Sobakevich arrived to sign the bills of sale themselves, and the rest of the sellers acted through attorneys. Not knowing that all the peasants bought by Chichikov were dead, the chairman of the chamber asked what land he intended to settle them on. Chichikov lied about allegedly having an estate in the Kherson province.
To “sprinkle” the purchase, everyone went to the police chief. Among the city fathers, he was known as a miracle worker: he only had to blink when passing a fish row or a cellar, and the merchants themselves would carry snacks in great abundance. At the noisy feast, Sobakevich especially distinguished himself: while the other guests were drinking, in a quarter of an hour he secretly killed a huge sturgeon to the bones alone, and then pretended that he had nothing to do with it.
For more details, see the separate article Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 7 - summary. You can read the full text of this chapter on our website.
Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 8 – briefly
Chichikov bought dead souls from landowners for pennies, but on the paper in the deeds of sale it was stated that he had paid about a hundred thousand for everyone. Such a large purchase caused the most lively talk in the city. The rumor that Chichikov was a millionaire greatly raised his profile in everyone's eyes. In the opinion of the ladies, he became a true hero, and they even began to find in his appearance something similar to Mars. One emotional person sent him an anonymous romantic letter. (See Letter to Chichikov from an unknown lady.)
At the very end of the ball, Chichikov suddenly suffered a terrible and fatal blow. A drunken Nozdryov entered the hall and went straight to him and began loudly, laughingly asking how many dead souls he had bought. Confusion arose among those present, and although no one understood anything yet, Chichikov considered it best to leave quickly. (See Nozdryov and Chichikov at the ball.)
For more details, see the separate article Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 8 - summary. You can read the full text of this chapter on our website.
Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 9 – briefly
Nozdryov’s words were initially considered drunken nonsense. However, soon the news of Chichikov’s purchase of the dead was confirmed by Korobochka, who came to the city to find out if she had gone cheap in her deal with him. The wife of a local archpriest told Korobochka’s story to one well-known in the city world nice lady, and she - to her friend - lady, pleasant in every way. From these two ladies the word spread to everyone else. (See Conversation between a lady who is pleasant in all respects and a simply pleasant lady.)
The whole city was at a loss: why did Chichikov buy dead souls? In the female half of society, prone to frivolous romance, a strange thought arose that he wanted to cover up the preparations for the kidnapping of the governor’s daughter. More down-to-earth male officials wondered whether there was a strange visitor - an auditor sent to their province to investigate official omissions, and "dead souls" - some kind of conventional phrase, whose meaning is known only to Chichikov himself and the top authorities. The bewilderment reached the point of true trepidation when the governor received two papers from above, informing them that a well-known counterfeiter and a dangerous fugitive robber might be in their area. (See Why did excitement and panic grip the city with rumors about Chichikov’s purchases?)
For more details, see the separate article Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 9 - summary. You can read the full text of this chapter on our website.
Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 10 – briefly
The city fathers gathered for a meeting with the police chief to decide who Chichikov was and what to do with him. The most daring hypotheses were put forward here. Some considered Chichikov a forger of banknotes, others - an investigator who would soon arrest them all, and still others - a murderer. There was even an opinion that he was Napoleon in disguise, released by the British from the island of St. Helena, and the postmaster saw in Chichikov Captain Kopeikin, a disabled war veteran against the French, who did not receive a pension from the authorities for his injury and took revenge on them with the help of a gang of robbers recruited in the Ryazan forests. (See: What rumors were there about Chichikov? and “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” - read in full.)
Remembering that Nozdryov was the first to talk about dead souls, they decided to send for him. But this famous liar, having come to the meeting, began to confirm all the assumptions at once. He said that Chichikov had previously kept two million counterfeit money and that he even managed to escape with it from the police who surrounded the house. According to Nozdryov, Chichikov really wanted to kidnap the governor’s daughter, prepared horses at all stations and bribed the priest, Sidor’s father, in the village of Trukhmachevka for a secret wedding for 75 rubles. (See Nozdryov on Chichikov.)
Realizing that Nozdryov was carrying game, those present drove him away, remaining in great bewilderment. All these rumors and hypotheses affected the city prosecutor so strongly that, upon arriving home, he suddenly died, plopping down backwards from his chair. (See Death of the Prosecutor in Dead Souls.)
Nozdryov went to Chichikov, who was ill and knew nothing about the city rumors. Nozdryov “out of friendship” told Pavel Ivanovich: everyone in the city considers him a counterfeiter and an extremely dangerous person. Shocked, Chichikov decided to hastily leave early tomorrow morning.
For more details, see the separate articles Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 10 – summary and Gogol “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin” – summary. You can read the full text of this chapter on our website.
Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 11 – briefly
The next day, Chichikov almost escaped from the city of NN. His chaise rolled along the high road, and during this journey Gogol told readers the life story of his hero and finally explained for what purpose he acquired dead souls.
Chichikov's parents were nobles, but very poor. As a young boy, he was taken from the village to the city and sent to school. (See Chichikov's childhood.) The father finally gave his son advice to please his bosses and save a penny.
Chichikov always followed this parental instruction. He did not have brilliant talents, but he constantly curried favor with teachers - and graduated from school with an excellent certificate. Selfishness, the thirst to rise from the poor into wealthy people were the main properties of his soul. After school, Chichikov entered the lowest bureaucratic position, achieved a promotion by promising to marry the ugly daughter of his boss, but deceived him. Through lies and hypocrisy, Chichikov twice achieved prominent official positions, but the first time he stole money allocated for government construction, and the second time he acted as the patron of a gang of smugglers. On both occasions he was exposed and narrowly escaped prison. (See Chichikov's official career.)
He had to be content with the position of trial attorney. At that time, loans against the mortgaging of landowners' estates to the treasury became widespread. While doing one such thing, Chichikov suddenly learned that dead serfs were listed as alive on paper until the next financial audit, which took place in Russia only once every few years. When mortgaging their estates, the nobles received from the treasury amounts according to the number of their peasant souls - 200 rubles per person. Chichikov came up with the idea of traveling around the provinces, buying up dead peasant souls for pennies, but not yet marked as such in the audit, then pawning them wholesale - and thus getting a rich sum...
Gogol thought to continue the adventures of Chichikov in the second and third volumes of Dead Souls. He ended the first with a famous passage where he compared Russia to a trio of birds galloping to God knows where. An original interpretation of the meaning of this Gogolian reasoning was given by another great Russian writer - Vasily Shukshin, in the story “Stalled”.
For more details, see the separate article Gogol “Dead Souls”, chapter 11 - summary. You can read the full text of this chapter on our website.
Detailed summary of dead souls
Tags:brief detailed contents dead souls, detailed, brief, dead souls, contents, chapter by chapter, brief detailed contents by chapter dead souls , Gogol
Detailed contents of "Dead Souls" by chapters
Chapter first
"In thecompany of the hotel of the provincial town of NN drove into a rather beautiful spring small chaise, in which bachelors travel." In the chaise sat a gentleman of pleasant appearance, not too fat, but not too thin, not handsome, but not bad-looking either, one cannot say that he was old, but he was not too young either. The chaise drove up to the hotel. It was a very long two-story building with a lower unplastered floor and an upper one painted with eternal yellow paint. Below there were benches, in one of the windows there was a beater with a samovar made of red copper. The guest was greeted and taken to show his “peace,” usual for hotels of this kind, “where for two rubles a day travelers get... a room with cockroaches peeking out from everywhere, like prunes...” Following the master, his servants appear - the coachman Selifan , a short man in a sheepskin coat, and the footman Petrushka, a young man of about thirty, with somewhat large lips and nose.
Chapter second
After spending more than a week in the city, Pavel Ivanovich finally decided to pay visits to Manilov and Sobakevich. As soon as Chichikov left the city, accompanied by Selifan and Petrushka, the usual picture appeared: bumps, bad roads, burnt pine trunks, village houses covered with gray roofs, yawning men, women with fat faces, and so on.Manilov, inviting Chichikov to his place, told him that his village was located fifteen miles from the city, but the sixteenth mile had already passed, and there was no village. Pavel Ivanovich was a smart man, and he remembered that if you are invited to a house fifteen miles away, it means you will have to travel all thirty.But here is the village of Manilovka. She could lure few guests to her place. The master's house stood on the south, open to all winds; the hill on which he stood was covered with turf. Two or three flower beds with acacia, five or six sparse birch trees, a wooden gazebo and a pond completed this picture. Chichikov began to count and counted more than two hundred peasant huts. The owner had been standing on the porch of the manor house for a long time and, putting his hand to his eyes, tried to make out a man approaching in a carriage. As the chaise approached, Manilov’s face changed: his eyes became more and more cheerful, and his smile became wider. He was very happy to see Chichikov and took him to his place.What kind of person was Manilov? It is quite difficult to characterize it. He was, as they say, neither this nor that - neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan. Manilov was a pleasant person, but this pleasantness was laced with too much sugar. When the conversation with him just began, at the first moment the interlocutor thought: “What a pleasant and kind person!”, but after a minute I wanted to say: “The devil knows what it is!” Manilov did not take care of the house, nor did he manage the farm; he never even went to the fields. Mostly he thought and reflected. About what? - no one knows. When the clerk came to him with proposals for managing the household, saying that this and that should be done, Manilov usually answered: “Yes, not bad.” If a man came to the master and asked to leave in order to earn rent, then Manilov would immediately let him go. It didn’t even occur to him that the man was going out to drink. Sometimes he came up with different projects, for example, he dreamed of building a stone bridge across a pond, on which there would be shops, merchants sitting in the shops and selling various goods. He had beautiful furniture in his house, but two armchairs were not upholstered in silk, and the owner had been telling guests for two years that they were not finished. In one room there was no furniture at all. On the table next to the dandy one stood a lame and greasy candlestick, but no one noticed it. Manilov was very pleased with his wife, because she was a match for him. During their rather long life together, the spouses did nothing but press long kisses on each other. A sensible guest might have many questions: why is the pantry empty and why is there so much cooking in the kitchen? Why does the housekeeper steal, and the servants are always drunk and unclean? Why does the mongrel sleep or openly idle? But these are all questions of a low nature, and the mistress of the house is well brought up and will never stoop to them. Over dinner, Manilov and the guest said compliments to each other, as well as various pleasant things about city officials. Manilov's children, Alcides and Themistoclus, demonstrated their knowledge of geography.After lunch there was a conversation directly about the matter. Pavel Ivanovich informs Manilov that he wants to buy souls from him, which, according to the latest revision tale, are listed as living, but in fact have long since died. Manilov is at a loss, but Chichikov manages to persuade him to make a deal. Since the owner is a person trying to be pleasant, he takes upon himself the execution of the deed of sale. To register the deed of sale, Chichikov and Manilov agree to meet in the city, and Pavel Ivanovich finally leaves this house. Manilov sits in a chair and, smoking a pipe, ponders the events of today, rejoicing that fate brought him together with such a pleasant person. But Chichikov’s strange request to sell him dead souls interrupted his previous dreams. Thoughts about this request could not be digested in his head, and so he sat on the porch for a long time and smoked his pipe until dinner.
Chapter third
Chichikov, meanwhile, was driving along the main road, hoping that Selifan would soon bring him to Sobakevich’s estate. Selifan was drunk and, therefore, did not watch the road. The first drops dripped from the sky, and soon a real long torrential rain began to fall. Chichikov's britzka completely lost its way, it got dark, and it was no longer clear what to do, when a dog was heard barking. Soon Selifan was already knocking on the gate of the house of a certain landowner, who allowed them to spend the night.The inside of the rooms of the landowner's house were covered with old wallpaper, paintings with some birds and huge mirrors hung on the walls. Behind each such mirror was tucked either an old deck of cards, or a stocking, or a letter. The owner turned out to be an elderly woman, one of those landowner mothers who always cry about crop failures and lack of money, and themselves little by little put money away in little bundles and bags.Chichikov stays overnight. Waking up, he looks through the window at the landowner’s farm and the village in which he finds himself. The window overlooks the chicken coop and fence. Behind the fence are spacious beds with vegetables. All the plantings in the garden are well thought out, here and there several apple trees grow to protect them from birds, and from them there are scarecrows with outstretched arms; one of these scarecrows was wearing the cap of the owner herself. The appearance of peasant houses showed the "contentment of their inhabitants." The fence on the roofs was new everywhere, no rickety gates were visible anywhere, and here and there Chichikov saw a new spare cart standing.Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka (that was the name of the landowner) invited him to have breakfast. Chichikov behaved much more freely in conversation with her. He stated his request regarding the purchase of dead souls, but soon regretted it, since his request caused bewilderment of the hostess. Then Korobochka began to offer hemp, flax, and other things, even bird feathers, in addition to the dead souls. Finally, an agreement was reached, but the old woman was always afraid that she had sold herself short. For her, dead souls turned out to be the same commodity as everything produced on the farm. Then Chichikov was fed pies, crumpets and shanezhki, and a promise was made from him to also buy lard and bird feathers in the fall. Pavel Ivanovich hurried to leave this house - Nastasya Petrovna was very difficult in conversation. The landowner gave him a girl to accompany him, and she showed him how to get onto the main road. Having let the girl go, Chichikov decided to stop at a tavern that stood on the way.
Chapter fourth
Just like the hotel, it was a regular tavern for all county roads. The traveler was served traditional pig with horseradish, and, as usual, the guest asked the hostess about everything in the world - from how long she had been running the tavern to questions about the condition of the landowners living nearby. During the conversation with the hostess, the sound of the wheels of an approaching carriage was heard. Two men came out of it: blond, tall, and shorter than him, dark-haired. First, the blond man appeared in the tavern, followed by his companion who entered, taking off his cap. He was a young man of average height, very well built, with full rosy cheeks, teeth as white as snow, jet-black sideburns, and as fresh as blood and milk. Chichikov recognized him as his new acquaintance Nozdryov.The type of this person is probably known to everyone. People of this kind are considered good friends at school, but at the same time they often get beaten. Their face is clean, open, and before you have time to get to know each other, after a while they say “you” to you. They will make friends seemingly forever, but it happens that after a while they fight with a new friend at a party. They are always talkers, revelers, reckless drivers and, at the same time, desperate liars.By the age of thirty, life had not changed Nozdryov at all; he remained the same as he was at eighteen and twenty years old. His marriage did not affect him in any way, especially since his wife soon went to the next world, leaving her husband with two children who he did not need at all. Nozdryov had a passion for playing cards, but, being dishonest and dishonest in the game, he often brought his partners to assault, leaving two sideburns with only one, liquid. However, after a while he met people who pestered him as if nothing had happened. And his friends, oddly enough, also behaved as if nothing had happened. Nozdryov was a historical man, i.e. he always and everywhere ended up in stories. There was no way you could get along with him on short terms, much less open your soul - he would spoil it, and invent such a tall tale about the person who trusted him that it would be difficult to prove otherwise. After some time, he would take this same person by the buttonhole in a friendly manner when they met and say: “You’re such a scoundrel, you’ll never come to see me.” Another passion of Nozdryov was barter - its subject was anything, from a horse to the smallest things. Nozdryov invites Chichikov to his village, and he agrees. While waiting for lunch, Nozdryov, accompanied by his son-in-law, gives his guest a tour of the village, while boasting to everyone right and left. His extraordinary stallion, for which he supposedly paid ten thousand, is in fact not worth even a thousand, the field that ends his domain turns out to be a swamp, and for some reason the Turkish dagger, which the guests are examining while waiting for dinner, has the inscription “Master Savely Sibiryakov.” Lunch leaves much to be desired - some things were not cooked, and some were burnt. The cook, apparently, was guided by inspiration and put in the first thing that came to hand. There was nothing to say about the wine - the mountain ash smelled like fusel, and the Madeira turned out to be diluted with rum.After lunch, Chichikov nevertheless decided to present his request to Nozdryov regarding the purchase of dead souls. It ended with Chichikov and Nozdryov completely quarreling, after which the guest went to bed. He slept disgustingly, waking up and meeting his owner the next morning was just as unpleasant. Chichikov was already scolding himself for trusting Nozdryov. Now Pavel Ivanovich was offered to play checkers for dead souls: if he won, Chichikov would get the souls for free. The game of checkers was accompanied by Nozdryov's cheating and almost ended in a fight. Fate saved Chichikov from such a turn of events - a police captain came to Nozdryov to inform the brawler that he was on trial until the end of the investigation, because he had insulted the landowner Maximov while drunk. Chichikov, without waiting for the end of the conversation, ran out onto the porch and ordered Selifan to drive the horses at full speed.
Chapter fifth
Thinking about everything that had happened, Chichikov rode in his carriage along the road. A collision with another stroller shook him up somewhat - a lovely young girl was sitting in it with an elderly woman accompanying her. After they parted, Chichikov thought for a long time about the stranger he had met. Finally the village of Sobakevich appeared. The traveler's thoughts turned to his constant subject.The village was quite large, it was surrounded by two forests: pine and birch. In the middle one could see the manor's house: wooden, with a mezzanine, a red roof and gray, one might even say wild, walls. It was evident that during its construction the taste of the architect was constantly in conflict with the taste of the owner. The architect wanted beauty and symmetry, and the owner wanted convenience. The windows on one side were boarded up, and one window was checked in their place, apparently needed for a closet. The pediment was not in the middle of the house, since the owner ordered one column to be removed, of which there were not four, but three. The owner’s concerns about the strength of his buildings were felt throughout. Very strong logs were used for the stables, sheds and kitchens; the peasant huts were also cut down firmly, firmly and very carefully. Even the well was lined with very strong oak. Approaching the porch, Chichikov noticed faces looking out the window. The footman came out to meet him.When looking at Sobakevich, it immediately suggested itself: a bear! perfect bear! And indeed, his appearance was similar to that of a bear. A big, strong man, he always walked at random, which is why he constantly stepped on someone’s feet. Even his tailcoat was bear-colored. To top it all off, the owner's name was Mikhail Semenovich. He hardly moved his neck, kept his head down rather than up, and rarely looked at his interlocutor, and if he managed to do this, then his gaze fell on the corner of the stove or on the door. Since Sobakevich himself was a healthy and strong man, he wanted to be surrounded by equally strong objects. His furniture was heavy and pot-bellied, and portraits of strong, big men hung on the walls. Even the blackbird in the cage was very similar to Sobakevich. In a word, it seemed that every object in the house said: “And I, too, look like Sobakevich.”Before dinner, Chichikov tried to start a conversation by speaking flatteringly about local officials. Sobakevich replied that “these are all swindlers. The whole city there is like this: a swindler sits on a swindler and drives the swindler.” By chance, Chichikov learns about Sobakevich's neighbor - a certain Plyushkin, who has eight hundred peasants who are dying like flies.After a hearty and plentiful lunch, Sobakevich and Chichikov relax. Chichikov decides to state his request regarding the purchase of dead souls. Sobakevich is not surprised by anything and listens carefully to his guest, who began the conversation from afar, gradually leading him to the subject of the conversation. Sobakevich understands that Chichikov needs dead souls for something, so the bargaining begins with a fabulous price - one hundred rubles apiece. Mikhailo Semenovich talks about the merits of dead peasants as if the peasants were alive. Chichikov is perplexed: what kind of conversation can there be about the merits of dead peasants? In the end, they agreed on two rubles and a half for one soul. Sobakevich receives a deposit, he and Chichikov agree to meet in the city to complete the deal, and Pavel Ivanovich leaves. Having reached the end of the village, Chichikov called a peasant and asked how to get to Plyushkin, who feeds people poorly (otherwise it was impossible to ask, because the peasant did not know the name of the neighbor's gentleman). "Ah, patched, patched!" - the peasant cried and pointed the way.
February 24, 1852 Nikolay Gogol burned the almost completed second volume of Dead Souls, on which he had been working for more than 10 years. The story itself was originally conceived by Gogol as a trilogy. In the first volume, the adventurer Chichikov, traveling around Russia, encountered exclusively human vices, but in the second part, fate brought the protagonist together with some positive characters. In the third volume, which was never written, Chichikov had to go through exile in Siberia and finally take the path of moral purification.
AiF.ru tells why Gogol burned the second volume of Dead Souls and what adventures were supposed to happen to Chichikov in the continuation of the story.
Why did Gogol burn the second volume of Dead Souls?
Most likely, Gogol burned the second volume of Dead Souls by accident. In the last years of his life, the writer felt constant weakness in his body, but instead of receiving treatment, he continued to exhaust his body with strict observance of religious fasts and exhausting work. In one of the letters to poet Nikolai Yazykov Gogol wrote: “My health has become rather poor... Nervous anxiety and various signs of complete disintegration throughout my body frighten me.” It is possible that this “unsticking” prompted the writer to throw the manuscripts into the fireplace on the night of February 24 and then set them on fire with his own hands. A servant witnessed this scene Semyon, who persuaded the master to spare the papers. But he only rudely replied: “It’s none of your business! Pray!
The next morning, Gogol, amazed by his action, lamented to his friend Count Alexander Tolstoy: “That's what I did! I wanted to burn some things that had been prepared for a long time, but I burned everything. How strong the evil one is - that’s what he brought me to! And I understood and presented a lot of useful things there... I thought I would send out a notebook to my friends as a souvenir: let them do what they wanted. Now everything is gone."
Gogol claimed that he wanted to burn only drafts and unnecessary papers, and the second volume of “Dead Souls” was sent to the fireplace due to his oversight. Nine days after this fatal mistake, the writer died.
What is the second volume of Dead Souls about?
Gogol's letters and remaining drafts make it possible to reconstruct the approximate contents of some parts of the burned manuscript. The second volume of “Dead Souls” begins with a description of the estate of Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov, whom the author calls “the smoker of the sky.” An educated and fair person, due to laziness and lack of willpower, drags out a meaningless existence in the village. Tentetnikov's fiancee Ulinka is the daughter of the neighboring general Betrishchev. It is she who becomes the “ray of light in the dark kingdom” of the story: “If a transparent picture suddenly flashed in a dark room, illuminated from behind by a lamp, it would not have struck as much as this figure shining with life, which seemed to appear then to illuminate the room... It was difficult to say what land she was born in. Such a pure, noble outline of a face could not be found anywhere, except perhaps on some ancient cameos,” this is how Gogol describes her. Tentetnikov, according to Gogol’s plan, should have been convicted of participation in an anti-government organization, and his beloved would have followed him to hard labor. Then, in the third volume of the trilogy, these heroes had to go through exile in Siberia along with Chichikov.
Further on, according to the plot of the second volume, Chichikov meets the bored landowner Platonov and, having encouraged him to travel together around Russia, goes to see the master Kostanzhoglo, who is married to Platonov’s sister. He talks about the methods of management with which he increased the income from the estate tens of times, which Chichikov is terribly inspired by. Soon after this, Chichikov, having borrowed money from Platonov and Kostanzhoglo, tries to buy the estate from the bankrupt landowner Khlobuev.
On the “border line” between good and evil in the second volume of the story, financier Afanasy Murazov unexpectedly appears. He wants to spend the 40 million rubles he earned not in the most honest way on “saving Russia,” but his ideas are more reminiscent of sectarian ones.
In the surviving drafts of the end of the manuscript, Chichikov is found in the city at a fair, where he buys fabric that is so dear to him, the lingonberry color with a sparkle. He encounters Khlobuev, whom, apparently, he “messed up”, either depriving, or almost depriving, his estate through forgery. Chichikov is saved from continuing the unpleasant conversation by Murazov, who convinces the bankrupt landowner of the need to work and instructs him to collect funds for the church. Meanwhile, denunciations against Chichikov are discovered both about the forgery and about dead souls. However, the help of the corrupt official Samosvistov and the intercession of Murazov allow the hero to avoid prison.
Cameo is a piece of jewelry or decoration made using the bas-relief technique on precious or semi-precious stones.
Dead Souls. The poem, written by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol in 1841, had a grandiose plan. It was supposed to be a work in three parts. The first volume was supposed to introduce readers to a real Russian person, possessing many “gifts and riches” and, at the same time, a huge number of disadvantages. It was this first house that reached the modern reader in full. Since the manuscript of the second volume was burned by the great Russian writer shortly before his death, only some chapters have survived.
The poem “Dead Souls” is the story of Chichikov, who bought up dead serfs in order to run a scam that would bring him a huge amount of money. Narrating the adventures of Mr. Chichikov, the author reflects on problems of a social and philosophical nature. The very title of the poem “Dead Souls” has several meanings.
“Dead souls” are, first of all, dead peasants whom Chichikov buys, following from landowner to landowner. But the situation when the sale and purchase of a person becomes an everyday matter makes living serfs “dead”; they are a commodity in the hands of powerful masters. Gradually, the concept of “dead souls” is transformed, acquiring a new meaning. It becomes clear to the reader that the dead souls are the landowners themselves, people mired in their passions for petty things, “petty inhabitants.” And although all 5 landowners visited by the main character, at first glance, are not similar to each other, they have something in common - worthlessness, emptiness.
"Dead Souls" summary
Chapters 1-6
Chapter 1 of the poem is an exposition. The reader meets Mr. Chichikov, who arrives in the city. The hero stops at a tavern and then pays visits to all available officials. During such visits, Chichikov meets some landowners: Manilov, Sobakevich, Nozdrev. He finds out how many souls each landowner supports, how far away their estates are.
Chapters 2-6 – Chichikov’s journey through the landowners. The main character visited 5 estates, met with five landowners: Manilov, Sobakevich, Nozdrev, Korobochka and Plyushkin. Having traveled 30 miles, instead of the promised 15, Chichikov comes to Manilov. His estate is located in the Jura, among English flower beds. The owner of the estate is very kind, but as it turns out, after a few minutes, he is too kind, too cloying. He does not delve into the affairs of the estate, but lives in illusions, dreams, all day long indulging in thoughts about unrealizable ideas. Chichikov has lunch with the Manilovs, and then informs the owner that he wants to buy from him the dead serfs who are listed as alive. Manilov begins to be frightened, but then, becoming emotional, he happily agrees. Chichikov leaves for Sobakevich.
The coachman Selifan misses the turn, which is why the travelers end up not with Sobakevich, but with Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka. Korobochka is an elderly landowner, she is very homely. Nothing goes missing in her house, and the peasants have strong huts. For a long time she does not agree to give the dead serfs to Chichikov, she keeps wondering whether she will sell things too cheap, whether they will be useful to her. As a result, having paid fifteen rubles for each “dead soul”, Chichikov moves on.
On the highway, the hero stops to have a snack at a tavern. Here he meets the next landowner - Nozdryov. He returns with his son-in-law from the fair - Nozdryov lost his horses. Wherever Nozdryov appeared, everywhere a story happened to him, he is such a daring hooligan. The landowner takes Chichikov to his home, where the hero tries to persuade Nozdryov to sell him the dead peasants. Nozdryov is not that simple: he gets Chichikov involved in a game of checkers, where the bets are the “dead souls” so desired by Chichikov. As the game progresses, it becomes clear that Nozdryov is openly cheating. When it almost comes to a fight, the buyer of the dead is saved by a sudden visit from the police captain, who reports that Nozdryov is on trial. Chichikov manages to escape. On the road, the traveler's crew accidentally encounters an unfamiliar crew. While the means of transportation are being put in order, Chichikov admires the young, especially pleasant appearance and reflects on the pleasures of family life.
Sobakevich, the next landowner, thoroughly feeds the traveler lunch, at the same time discussing all the city officials. All of them, according to Sobakevich, are the lowest people, swindlers and pigs. Having learned that, or rather who, Chichikov wants to buy, Sobakevich is not at all surprised. He bargains and asks Chichikov to leave a deposit.
Chichikov's journey ends with a visit to the last landowner - Plyushkin. The author calls it “the hole of humanity.” Chichikov, seeing Plyushkin, thinks that this is the housekeeper or servant. The owner of the estate is dressed in rags, strange rags. Nothing is thrown away in his house, but on the contrary, even the sole of a shoe will be brought into the house. The room is piled high with rubbish, Plyushkin invites Chichikov to drink a drink, which he himself has re-filtered to remove dirt. Having talked about the obvious benefits of selling dead souls and having concluded a successful deal, Chichikov returns to the city.
Chapters 7-10
The chapters show another layer of society - bureaucracy. Chichikov, having prepared all the lists of peasants, goes to the ward, where Manilov and Sobakevich are already waiting for him. The chairman of the chamber helps to prepare all the documents and signs the bill of sale for Plyushkin. Chichikov informs the officials that he will send all the peasants to the Kherson province. After completing the paperwork, everyone present goes to the next room, where they eat and drink to the newly minted landowner and his future lucky wife.
Chichikov returns to the tavern, exhausted and very tired. The very next day, rumors began to circulate in the city that Chichikov was a millionaire. The ladies began to go crazy, the hero even received a letter with amorous poems from an unknown woman. And most importantly, he is invited to the governor's ball. At the ball, Chichikov enjoys breathtaking success. He moves from one hug to another, from one conversation to another. Women don't take their eyes off him. But Chichikov was interested in only one girl - a sixteen-year-old blonde whom he had once encountered on the road.
She turned out to be the governor's daughter. But such an excellent state of affairs is spoiled by Nozdryov: drunk, in public, he asks the new Kherson landowner how many dead souls he has traded. Society does not take the drunken man's words seriously, but Chichikov becomes noticeably upset, does not maintain a conversation, and makes a mistake in a card game. The next day, Korobochka comes to the city to find out how much dead souls are worth these days. Her arrival provides fertile ground for gossip that divides the city into two parties: male and female.
The men's party is trying to find out why Chichikov bought up dead souls, and the women's party believes that Chichikov wants to steal the governor's daughter. Officials, talking about Chichikov, get confused in riddles. Some believe that he is a maker of counterfeit notes, others that he is Captain Kopeikin. Nozdryov also adds fuel to the fire, confirming every guess with invented details. After these proceedings, the shocked prosecutor comes home and dies.
At this time, Chichikov is sick and does not understand why no one visits him. Fortunately, Nozdryov visits him and tells him who Chichikov is now in the eyes of the city residents. The hero decides to leave urgently, but when leaving the city he encounters a funeral procession. Chapter 11 occupies a special place; the author tells the biography of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. About his childhood, studies, career, service. Chichikov was poor, but had a practical mind, which helped him formulate a plan in his head on how to buy up dead peasants, and then, using the money, secure a calm future for himself.
