A carriage drove into the gates of a hotel in the provincial town of NN, in which sits a gentleman “not handsome, but not of bad appearance, not too fat, not too thin; I can’t say that I’m old, but I can’t say that I’m too young.” This gentleman is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. At the hotel he eats a hearty lunch. The author describes the provincial town: “The houses were one, two and one and a half floors, with an eternal mezzanine, very beautiful, according to the provincial architects.
In some places these houses seemed lost among the streets as wide as a field and endless wooden fences; in some places they huddled together, and here the movement of people and liveliness was more noticeable. 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 there is a store with caps, caps and the inscription: “Foreigner Vasily Fedorov”... Most often, the darkened double-headed state eagles were noticeable, which have now been replaced by the laconic inscription: “Drinking House”. The pavement was pretty 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 relationships with everyone everywhere and with the help of flattery, gaining the trust of each of those he visited. Each of the officials invites Pavel Ivanovich to visit them, although they know little about him.
Chichikov attended the governor’s ball, where “he somehow knew how to find his way around everything and showed himself to be an experienced socialite. Whatever the conversation was about, he always knew how to support it: whether it was about a horse factory, he talked about a horse factory; were they talking about good dogs, and here he made very practical comments; whether they interpreted the investigation carried out by the treasury chamber, he showed that he was not unaware of the judicial tricks; whether there was a discussion about the billiard game - and in the billiard game he did not miss; they talked about virtue, and he talked about virtue very well, even with tears in his eyes; he knew about the production of hot wine, and Tsrok knew about hot wine; about customs overseers and officials, and he judged them as if he himself were both an official and an overseer. But it’s remarkable that he knew how to dress it all up with some kind of sedateness, he knew how to behave well. He spoke neither loudly nor quietly, but absolutely as he should.” At the ball he met the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich, whom he also managed to win over. Chichikov finds out what condition their estates are in and how many peasants they have. Manilov and Sobakevich invite Chichikov to their estate. While visiting the police chief, Chichikov meets the landowner Nozdryov, “a man of about thirty, a broken fellow.”
Chichikov has two servants - the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka. The latter reads a lot and everything, while he is not occupied with what he reads, but with putting letters into words. In addition, Parsley has a “special smell” because she very rarely goes to the bathhouse.
Chichikov goes to Manilov's estate. It takes a long time to find his estate. “The village of Manilovka could lure few people with its location. The manor's house stood alone on the jura, that is, on an elevation open to all the winds that could possibly blow; the slope of the mountain on which he stood was covered with trimmed turf. Two or three flower beds with lilac and yellow acacia bushes were scattered on it in English style; Five or six birches in small clumps here and there raised their thin, small-leaved tops. Under two of them was visible a gazebo with a flat green dome, blue wooden columns and the inscription: “Temple of Solitary Reflection”; Below is a pond covered with greenery, which, however, is not unusual in the English gardens of Russian landowners. At the bottom of this elevation, and partly along the slope itself, gray log huts were darkened along and across...” Manilov was glad to see the guest’s arrival. The author describes the landowner and his farm: “He was a prominent man; His facial features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have too much sugar in it; in his techniques and turns there was something ingratiating favor and acquaintance. He smiled enticingly, was blond, with blue eyes. In the first minute of conversation with him, you can’t help but say: “What a pleasant and a kind person!” The next minute you won’t say anything, and the third you’ll say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away; If you don’t leave, you will feel mortal boredom. You won’t get any lively or even arrogant words from him, which you can hear from almost anyone if you touch an object that bothers him... You can’t say that he was involved in farming, he never even went to the fields, farming somehow went on by itself... Sometimes, looking from the porch at the courtyard and the pond, he talked about how nice it would be if suddenly an underground passage was built from the house or a stone bridge was 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 just words. In his office there was always some kind of book, bookmarked on page fourteen, which he had been constantly reading for two years. There was always something missing in his house: in the living room there was beautiful furniture, upholstered in smart silk fabric, which was probably quite expensive; but there wasn’t enough for two chairs, and the chairs were simply upholstered in matting... In the evening, a very dandy candlestick made of dark bronze with three antique graces, with a mother-of-pearl dandy shield, was placed on the table, and next to it was placed some simple copper invalid, lame, curled up on side and covered in fat, although neither the owner, nor the mistress, nor the servants noticed this.”
Manilov's wife suits his character very well. There is no order in the house because she doesn't keep track of anything. She is well brought up, she received her education in a boarding school, “and in boarding schools, as is known, three main subjects form the basis of human virtues: the French language, necessary for the happiness of family life, the piano, for making pleasant moments for the spouse, and, finally, the economic part itself: knitting purses and other surprises.”
Manilov and Chichikov show inflated courtesy towards each other, which leads them to the point that they both squeeze through the same doors at the same time. The Manilovs invite Chichikov to dinner, which is attended by both of Manilov’s sons: Themistoclus and Alcides. The first one has a runny nose and bites his brother's ear. Alcides, swallowing tears, covered in fat, eats a leg of lamb.
At the end of lunch, 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 done Chichikov a huge 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 reward both with the rank of general.
Chichikov goes to Sobakevich's estate, but gets caught in heavy rain and gets lost on the road. His chaise overturns and falls into the mud. Nearby is the estate of the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, where Chichikov comes. He goes into a room that “was hung with old striped wallpaper; paintings with some birds; between the windows there are old small mirrors with dark frames in the shape of curled leaves; Behind every mirror there was either a letter, or an old deck 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 owner 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 when the harvest fails , losses and keep their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile they collect a little money in colorful bags placed on the drawers of the chest 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. Korobochka can’t understand what he needs them for, so he offers to buy honey or hemp from her. She is constantly afraid of selling herself short. 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 what was said. The bidding went on for a long time, after which the deal finally took place. Chichikov keeps his papers in a box, which consists of many compartments and has a secret drawer for money.
Chichikov stops at a tavern, to which Nozdryov’s chaise soon arrives. Nozdryov is “of average height, a very well-built fellow with full rosy cheeks, teeth white as snow and jet-black sideburns. It was fresh, like blood and milk; his health seemed to be dripping from his face.” He said with a very satisfied look that he had lost, and not only lost his money,
I but also the money of his son-in-law Mizhuev, who is present right there. Nozdryov invites Chichikov to his place and promises a delicious treat. He himself drinks in the tavern at the expense of his son-in-law. The author characterizes Nozdryov as a “broken fellow”, from that breed of people who “even in childhood and at school are reputed to be good comrades and, for all that, they are painfully beaten... They soon get to know each other, and before you have time to look back, they are already telling you” You". They will make friends, it seems, forever: but it almost always happens that the person who has become friends will fight with them that same evening at a friendly party. They are always talkers, carousers, reckless people, prominent people. Nozdryov at thirty-five was exactly the same as he was at eighteen and twenty: a lover of a walk. Marriage did not change him at all, especially since his wife soon went to the next world, leaving behind two children who he absolutely did not need... He could not sit at home for more than a day. His sensitive nose heard him several dozen miles away, where there was a fair with all sorts of conventions and balls; in the blink of an eye he was there, arguing and causing chaos at the green table, for, like all such people, he had a passion for cards... Nozdryov was in some respects a historical man. Not a single meeting he attended was complete without a story. Some story would certainly happen: either the gendarmes would lead him out of the hall by the hand, or his friends would be forced to push him out... And he would lie completely unnecessarily: he would suddenly tell that he had a horse with some kind of blue or pink wool, and the like nonsense, so that those listening finally all leave, saying: “Well, brother, it seems you have already begun to pour bullets.”
Nozdryov is one of those people who have a “passion to spoil their neighbors, sometimes for no reason at all.” His favorite pastime was exchanging things and losing money and property. Arriving at Nozdryov’s estate, Chichikov sees an unprepossessing stallion, about which Nozdryov says that he paid ten thousand for it. He shows a kennel where a dubious breed of dog is kept. Nozdryov is a master of lying. He talks about how there are fish of extraordinary size in his pond, and that his Turkish daggers bear the mark of a famous master. The dinner to which this landowner invited Chichikov is bad.
Chichikov starts business negotiations, at the same time he says 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, is trying to sell a stallion, a mare, a barrel organ, etc. Chichikov flatly refuses. Nozdryov invites him to play cards, which Chichikov also refuses. For this refusal, Nozdryov orders that Chichikov’s horse be fed not with oats, but with hay, to which the guest is offended. Nozdryov does not feel awkward, and the next morning, as if nothing had happened, he invites Chichikov to play checkers. He rashly agrees. The landowner begins to cheat. Chichikov accuses him of this, Nozdryov starts fighting, calls the servants and orders them to beat the guest. Suddenly, a police captain appears and arrests Nozdryov for insulting the landowner Maximov while drunk. Nozdryov refuses everything, says that he does not know any Maksimov. Chichikov quickly leaves.
Through Selifan's fault, Chichikov's chaise collides with another chaise in which two ladies are traveling - an elderly one and a very sixteen-year-old beautiful girl. The men gathered from the village separate the horses. Chichikov is shocked by the beauty of the young girl, and after the chaises have left, he thinks about her for a long time. The traveler approaches the village of Mikhail Semenovich Sobakevich. " Wooden house with a mezzanine, a red roof and dark or, better, wild walls - a house like the ones we build for military settlements and German colonists. It was noticeable that during its construction the architect constantly struggled with the taste of the owner. The architect was a pedant and wanted symmetry, the owner wanted convenience and, apparently, as a result, he boarded up all the corresponding windows on one side and screwed 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 on the side to be thrown out, and therefore there were not four columns, as was intended, but only three. The yard was surrounded by a strong and excessively thick wooden lattice. The landowner seemed to be concerned a lot about strength. For the stables, barns and kitchens, full-weight and thick logs were used, determined to stand for centuries. The village huts of the peasants were also cut down, amazingly: there were no brick walls, carved patterns and other tricks, but everything was fitted tightly and properly. Even the well was lined with such strong oak, the kind that is used only for mills and ships. In a word, everything he looked at was stubborn, without swaying, in some kind of strong and clumsy order.”
The owner himself seems to Chichikov to look like a bear. “To complete the similarity, the tailcoat he was wearing was completely bear-colored, the sleeves were long, the trousers were long, he walked with his feet this way and that, constantly stepping on other people’s feet. The complexion had a red-hot, hot complexion, like what happens on a copper coin..."
Sobakevich had a manner of speaking straightforwardly about everything. He says about the governor that he is “the first robber in the world,” and the police chief is a “swindler.” At lunch Sobakevich eats a lot. 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, which Sobakevich is not surprised by, but immediately begins bidding. He promises to sell 100 steering wheels for each dead soul, and says that the dead were real masters. They trade for a long time. In the end, they agree on three rubles apiece and draw up a document, since each fears dishonesty on the part of the other. Sobakevich offers to buy dead female souls cheaper, but Chichikov refuses, although it later turns out that the landowner did include one woman in the deed of purchase. Chichikov leaves. On the way, he asks a man how to get to Plyushkin.
Chichikov heads to Plyushkin’s estate, but for a long time cannot find the owner’s house. Finally he finds a “strange castle” that looks like a “decrepit invalid”. “In some places it was one floor, in others it was two; on the dark roof, which did not always reliably protect his old age, two belvederes stuck out, one opposite the other, both already shaky, devoid of the paint that once covered them. The walls of the house were cracked in places by the bare plaster lattice and, apparently, had suffered a lot from all sorts of bad weather, rain, whirlwinds and autumn changes. Only two of the windows were open; the others were covered with shutters or even boarded up. These two windows, for their part, were also weak-sighted; on one of them there was a dark stick-on triangle made of blue sugar paper.” Chichikov meets a man of indeterminate gender (he cannot understand whether he 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 talks about how Plyushkin came to such a life. In the past, he was a thrifty landowner; he had a wife who was famous for her 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 because she ran away and married an officer of a cavalry regiment. The youngest daughter died, and the son, instead of studying, joined the military. Every year Plyushkin became more and 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, linen - everything rotted. Plyushkin saved everything, and at the same time picked up other people’s things that he did not need at all. His stinginess knew no bounds: for all of Plyushkin’s servants there are only boots, he stores crackers for several months, he knows exactly how much liqueur he has in the decanter, since he makes marks. When Chichikov tells him what he came for, Plyushkin is very happy. Offers the guest to buy not only dead souls, but also runaway peasants. Bargainable. The received money is hidden in a box. It is clear that he will never use this money, like others. Chichikov leaves, to the great joy of the owner, refusing the treat. Returns to the hotel.
After all the deeds of sale have been completed, Chichikov becomes the owner of four hundred dead souls. He reflects on who these people were when they were alive. Coming out of the hotel onto the street, Chichikov meets Manilov. They go together to complete the deed of sale. In the office, Chichikov gives a bribe to the official Ivan Antonovich Kuvshinnoye Rylo to speed up the process. However, the bribe is given unnoticed - the official covers the note with a book, and it seems to disappear. Sobakevich is sitting with the boss. Chichikov agrees that the deed of sale will 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 happily agrees.
The 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 successfully completed transaction, everyone goes to lunch with 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 those gathered that he is buying peasants for removal to the Kherson province, where he has already acquired an estate. He himself believes in what he says. Petrushka and Selifan, after sending the drunken owner to the hotel, go for a walk to the tavern.
City residents discuss what Chichikov bought. Everyone tries to offer him help in delivering the peasants to their place. Among the proposals are a convoy, a police captain to pacify a possible riot, and education of the serfs. A description of the city residents follows: “they were all kind people, living in harmony with each other, treated themselves in a completely friendly manner, 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-like. Many were not without education: the chairman of the chamber knew by heart “Lyudmila” by Zhukovsky, which was still big news at that time... The postmaster delved 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 his speech. The others were also more or less enlightened people: some read Karamzin, some “Moskovskie Vedomosti”, some even read nothing at all... As for appearances, it is already known, they were all reliable people, there was no one consumptive among them. They were all of the kind to whom wives, in tender conversations taking place in solitude, gave names: egg capsules, chubby, pot-bellied, nigella, kiki, juju, 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 already became something close ... "
The city ladies were “what they call presentable, and in this respect they could safely be set as an example to everyone else... They dressed with great taste, drove around the city in carriages, as the latest fashion prescribed, with a footman swaying behind them, and a livery in gold braiding... In In morals, the ladies of the city of N. were strict, filled with noble indignation against everything vicious and all temptations, they executed all kinds of weaknesses without any mercy... It must also be said that the ladies of the city of N. were distinguished, like many ladies in St. Petersburg, by extraordinary 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 could one say: “this glass or this plate stinks.” And it was even impossible to 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 further refine the Russian language, 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 a different matter: there were allowed words that were much harsher 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 spends a long time spinning in front of the mirror. At the ball, he is the center of attention, trying to figure out who the author of the letter is. The governor's wife introduces Chichikov to her daughter - the same girl he saw in the chaise. He almost falls in love with her, but she misses his company. The other ladies are outraged that all of Chichikov's attention is going to the governor's daughter. Suddenly Nozdryov appears, who tells the governor about how Chichikov offered to buy dead souls from him. The news spreads quickly, and the ladies convey it as if they don’t believe it, since everyone knows Nozdryov’s reputation. Korobochka comes to the city at night, interested in the prices of dead souls - she is afraid that she has sold too cheap.
The chapter describes the visit of a “pleasant lady” to a “lady pleasant in every way.” Her visit comes an hour earlier than the usual time for visits in the city - she is in such a hurry to tell the news she 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 an excuse; in fact, Chichikov is going to take away the governor’s daughter. They discuss the girl’s behavior, herself, and recognize her as unattractive and 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, they decide that Chichikov has an accomplice, and this accomplice is probably Nozdryov. Chichikov is credited with organizing a peasant revolt in Borovki, Zadi-railovo-tozh, during which assessor Drobyazhkin was killed. On top of everything else, the governor receives news that a robber has escaped and a counterfeiter has appeared in the province. A suspicion arises that one of these persons is Chichikov. The public cannot decide what to do.
Officials are so concerned about the current situation that many are even losing weight out of grief. They call a meeting with the police chief. 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 received nothing from his father after returning from the front. He goes to St. 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, for an audience with whom he waits for a long time in the reception room. The general promises help and offers to come over 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 doorman will no longer let him see the general. He endures many hardships, eventually breaks through to see the general, and says that he can’t wait any longer. The general very rudely sends him away and sends him out of St. Petersburg at public expense. After some time, a gang of robbers led by Kopeikin appears in the Ryazan forests.
Other officials nevertheless decide that Chichikov is not Kopeikin, since 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 Chichikov several thousand worth of dead souls and that already at the time when he was studying with Chichikov at school, he was already a counterfeiter and a spy, that he was going to kidnap the governor’s daughter and Nozdryov himself helped him. Nozdryov realizes that he has gone too far in his tales, and possible problems scare him. But the unexpected happens - the prosecutor dies. Chichikov knows nothing about what is happening because he is sick. Three days later, leaving home, he discovers that he is either not received anywhere or is received in some strange way. Nozdryov tells him that the city considers him a counterfeiter, that he was going to kidnap the governor’s daughter, and that it was his fault that the prosecutor died. Chichikov orders things to be packed.
In the morning, Chichikov cannot leave the city for a long time - he overslept, the chaise was not laid, the horses were not shod. It is possible to leave only in the late afternoon. On the way, Chichikov encounters a funeral procession - the prosecutor is being buried. All the officials follow the coffin, each of them thinking about the new governor-general and their relationship with him. Chichikov leaves the city. Next is a lyrical digression about Russia. "Rus! Rus! I see you, from my wonderful, beautiful distance I see you: poor, scattered and uncomfortable in you; the daring divas of nature, crowned by the daring divas of art, cities with many-windowed high palaces grown into the cliffs, picture trees and ivy grown into houses, in the noise and eternal dust of waterfalls will not amuse or frighten the eyes; her head will not fall back to look at the boulders of stone endlessly piled up above her and in the heights; through the dark arches thrown one upon the other, entangled with grape branches, ivy and countless millions of wild roses, the eternal lines of shining mountains will not flash in the distance, rushing into the silver clear skies... But how incomprehensible, secret power attracted to you? 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 cries and grabs your heart? What sounds painfully kiss and strive into the soul and curl around my heart? Rus! what do you want from me? what incomprehensible connection lies between us? Why are you looking like that, and why has everything that is in you turned its eyes full of expectation on me?.. And a mighty space threateningly embraces me, reflecting with terrible force in my depths; My eyes lit up with unnatural power: oh! what a sparkling, wonderful, unknown distance to the earth! Rus!.."
The author talks about the hero of the work and the origin of Chichikov. His parents are nobles, but he is not like them. Chichikov's father sent his son to the city to visit an old relative so that he could enter college. The father gave his son instructions, which he strictly followed in life - to please his superiors, hang out only with the rich, not to share with anyone, to save money. No special talents were noticed in him, but he had a “practical mind.” Chichikov, even as a boy, knew how to make money - he sold treats, showed a trained mouse for money. He pleased his teachers and superiors, which is why he graduated from school with a gold certificate. His father dies, and Chichikov, having sold his father’s house, enters the service. He betrays the teacher who was expelled from school, who was counting on the fake of his beloved student. Chichikov serves, trying 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 joins 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 customs service, where his ability to conduct searches is discovered. He is promoted, and Chichikov presents a project to capture smugglers, with whom at the same time he manages to enter into an agreement and receive a lot of money from them. But Chichikov quarrels with the comrade with whom he shared, and both are put on trial. Chichikov manages to save some of the money and 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 a bank under the guise of living ones, and, having received a loan, escape.
The author reflects on how readers might relate to Chichikov, recalls the parable about Kif Mokievich and Mokiya Kifovich, son and father. The father's existence is turned into a speculative direction, while the son is rowdy. Kifa Mokievich is asked to calm his son down, but he does not want to interfere in anything: “If he remains a dog, then don’t let them know about it from me, don’t let me give him away.”
At the end of the poem, the chaise travels quickly along the road. “And what Russian doesn’t like driving fast?” “Oh, three! bird three, who invented you? You know, you could only have been born among a lively people, in that land that does not like to joke, but has spread out smoothly across half the world, and go ahead and count the miles until it hits your eyes. And not a cunning, it seems, road projectile, not grabbed by an iron screw, but hastily equipped and assembled alive by an efficient Yaroslavl man with only an ax and a hammer. The driver is not wearing German boots: he has a beard and mittens, and sits on God knows what; but he stood up, swung, and began to sing - the horses like a whirlwind, the spokes in the wheels mixed into one smooth circle, only the road trembled, and a pedestrian who stopped screamed in fear - and there she rushed, rushed, rushed!.. And there you can already see in the distance, like something is gathering dust and drilling into the air.
Aren't you, Rus, like a brisk, unstoppable troika, rushing along? The road beneath you smokes, the bridges rattle, everything falls behind and is left behind. The contemplator, amazed by God's miracle, stopped: was this lightning thrown from the sky? What does this terrifying movement mean? and what kind of unknown power is contained in these horses, unknown to the light? Oh, horses, horses, what kind of horses! Are there whirlwinds in your manes? Is there a sensitive ear burning in every vein of yours? They heard a familiar song from above, together and at once tensed their copper breasts and, almost without touching the ground with their hooves, turned into just elongated lines flying through the air, and all inspired by God rushes!.. Rus', where are you rushing? Give an answer. Doesn't give an answer. The bell rings with a wonderful ringing; The air, torn into pieces, thunders and becomes the wind; everything on earth flies past,
and, looking askance, other peoples and states step aside and give her way.”
Summary of Dead Souls
Volume one
ChapterI
One gentleman arrived at the hotel in the provincial town of NN in a beautiful chaise. Neither handsome, but not ugly, neither fat, nor thin, nor old, but no longer young. His name was Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. No one noticed his arrival. With him were two servants - the coachman Selifan and the footman Petrushka. Selifan was short and wore a sheepskin coat, and Petrushka was young, looked about thirty, and had a stern face at first glance. As soon as the gentleman moved into the chambers, he immediately went to dinner. They served cabbage soup with puff pastries, sausage and cabbage, and pickles.
While everything was being brought, the guest forced the servant to tell everything about the inn, its owner, and how much income they received. Then he found out who the governor of the city was, who the chairman was, the names of the noble landowners, how many servants they had, how far their estates were located from the city, and all that nonsense. After resting in his room, he went to explore the city. He seemed to like everything. AND stone houses, covered with yellow paint, and signs on them. Many of them bore the name of some tailor named Arshavsky. On the gambling houses it was written “And here is the establishment.”
The next day the guest paid visits. I wanted to express my respect to the governor, vice-governor, prosecutor, chairman of the chamber, head of state-owned factories and other city dignitaries. In conversations, he knew how to flatter everyone, and he himself took a rather modest position. He told almost nothing about himself, except superficially. He said that he had seen and experienced a lot in his lifetime, suffered in the service, had enemies, everything was like everyone else. Now he wants to finally choose a place to live, and having arrived in the city, he wanted first of all to show his respect to its “first” inhabitants.
By evening he was already invited to the governor's reception. There he joined the men, who, like him, were somewhat plump. Then he met the courteous landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. Both invited him to see their estates. Manilov was a man with amazingly sweet eyes, which he squinted every time. He immediately said that Chichikov simply had to come to his village, which was only fifteen miles from the city outpost. Sobakevich was more reserved and had an awkward look. He only said dryly that he too was inviting the guest to his place.
The next day Chichikov was at dinner with the police chief. In the evening we played whist. There he met the broken landowner Nozdryov, who after a couple of phrases switched to “you”. And so on for several days in a row. The guest almost never visited the hotel, but only came to spend the night. He knew how to please everyone in the city, and the officials were pleased with his arrival.
ChapterII
After about a week of traveling for dinners and evenings, Chichikov decided to visit his new acquaintances, the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. It was decided to start with Manilov. The purpose of the visit was not just to inspect the landowner’s village, but also to propose one “serious” matter. He took the coachman Selifan with him, and Petrushka was ordered to sit in the room and guard the suitcases. A few words about these two servants. They were ordinary serfs. Petrusha wore somewhat loose robes that came from his master's shoulder. He had large lips and nose. He was silent by nature, loved to read and rarely went to the bathhouse, which is why he was recognizable by his amber. The coachman Selifan was the opposite of a footman.
On the way to Manilov, Chichikov did not miss the opportunity to get acquainted with the surrounding houses and forests. Manilov's estate stood on a hillock, everything was bare, only a pine forest could be seen in the distance. A little lower down there was a pond and many log cabins. The hero counted about two hundred of them. The owner greeted him joyfully. There was something strange about Manilov. Despite the fact that his eyes were as sweet as sugar, after a couple of minutes of conversation with him there was nothing more to talk about. He smelled of deathly boredom. There are people who love to eat heartily, or are interested in music, greyhounds, but this one was not interested in anything. He had been reading one book for two years.
His wife did not lag behind him. She was fond of playing the piano, French and knitting all sorts of little things. For example, for her husband’s birthday, she prepared a beaded toothpick case. Their sons had strange names too: Themistoclus and Alcides. After dinner, the guest said that he wanted to talk with Manilov about one very important matter. He headed to the office. There Chichikov asked the owner how many dead peasants he had since the last audit. He didn’t know, but sent the clerk to find out. Chichikov admitted that he buys the “dead souls” of peasants who are listed as living in the census. Manilov at first thought that the guest was joking, but he was absolutely serious. They agreed that Manilov would give him what he needed even without money, if it did not violate the law in any way. After all, he will not take money for souls that no longer exist. And I don’t want to lose a new friend.
ChapterIII
In the chaise, Chichikov was already counting his profits. Selifan, meanwhile, was busy with the horses. Then thunder struck, then another, and then it began to rain like buckets. Selifan pulled something against the rain and rushed the horses. He was a little drunk, so he couldn't remember how many turns they made along the road. In addition, they did not know exactly how to get to the village of Sobakevich. As a result, the chaise left the road and drove across a ripped-up field. Fortunately, they heard a dog barking and drove up to small house. The hostess herself opened the gate for them, welcomed them cordially, and let them spend the night with her.
It was an elderly woman in a cap. To all questions about the surrounding landowners, in particular about Sobakevich, she answered that she did not know who he was. She listed some other names, but Chichikov did not know them. In the morning, the guest looked at the peasant houses and concluded that everything was kept in abundance. The owner's name was Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna. He decided to talk to her about buying up “dead souls.” She said the deal seemed profitable, but dubious, she needed to think about it, ask the price.
Chichikov then got angry and compared her to a mongrel. He said that he had already thought about buying household products from her, but now he won’t. Although he lied, the phrase had an effect. Nastasya Petrovna agreed to sign a power of attorney to complete the deed of sale. He brought his documents and stamp paper. The job was done, he and Selifan got ready to set off. Korobochka gave them a girl to act as their guide, and so they parted. At the tavern, Chichikov rewarded the girl with a copper penny.
ChapterIV
Chichikov had lunch at the tavern and the horses rested. We decided to go further in search of Sobakevich’s estate. By the way, the surrounding landowners whispered to him that the old woman knew both Manilov and Sobakevich very well. Then two people drove up to the tavern. In one of them Chichikov recognized Nozdryov, a broken landowner whom he had recently met. He immediately rushed to hug him, introduced him to his son-in-law and invited him to his place.
It turned out that he was driving from the fair, where he not only lost to smithereens, but also drank an enormous amount of champagne. But then my son-in-law met. He took it from there. Nozdryov was from that category of people who create fuss around themselves. He easily met people, became familiar with them, and immediately sat down to drink and play cards with them. He played cards dishonestly, so he was often pushed around. Nozdryov’s wife died, leaving two children, whom the reveler didn’t care about. Where Nozdryov visited was not without adventure. Either he was taken away by gendarmes in public, or his own friends pushed him out, not without reason. And he was from the breed of those who could spoil their neighbors without any reason.
The son-in-law, at the behest of Nozdryov, also went with them. We spent two hours exploring the landowner's village, and then headed to the estate. At dinner, the owner kept trying to get the guest drunk, but Chichikov managed to pour the booze into a vat of soup. Then he insisted on playing cards, but the guest refused this too. Chichikov started talking to him about his “business,” that is, ransoming the souls of dead peasants, which is why Nozdryov called him a real swindler and ordered him not to feed his horses. Chichikov already regretted his arrival, but there was nothing left to do but spend the night here.
In the morning the owner again offered to play cards, this time for “souls”. Chichikov refused, but agreed to play checkers. Nozdryov, as always, cheated, so the game had to be interrupted. Because the guest refused to finish the game, Nozdryov called his guys and ordered them to beat him. But Chichikov was lucky this time too. A carriage rolled up to the estate, and someone in a semi-military frock coat got out. It was a police captain who had come to notify the owner that he was on trial for beating the landowner Maksimov. Chichikov did not listen to the end, but got into his chaise and ordered Selifan to drive away from here.
ChapterV
Chichikov looked back at Nozdryov’s village all the way and was afraid. On the way, they met a carriage with two ladies: one was elderly, and the other was young and unusually beautiful. This did not hide from Chichikov’s eyes, and all the way he thought about the young stranger. However, these thoughts left him as soon as he noticed Sobakevich’s village. The village was quite large, but a little awkward, like the owner himself. In the middle stood a huge house with a mezzanine in the style of military settlements.
Sobakevich received him as expected and led him into the living room, decorated with portraits of commanders. When Chichikov tried to flatter him as usual and start a pleasant conversation, it turned out that Sobakevich could not stand all these chairmen, police chiefs, governors and other swindlers. He considers them fools and sellers of Christ. Of all of them, he liked the prosecutor the most, and even he, according to him, was a pig.
Sobakevich’s wife invited him to the table. The table was set abundantly. As it turned out, the owner loved to eat from the heart, which distinguished him from the neighboring landowner Plyushkin. When Chichikov asked who this Plyushkin was and where he lived, Sobakevich recommended not to know him. After all, he has eight hundred souls, and eats worse than a shepherd. And his people are dying like flies. Chichikov started talking to the owner about “dead souls.” They bargained for a long time, but reached a consensus. We decided to settle the deed of sale in the city tomorrow, but keep the deal a secret. Chichikov went to Plyushkin by roundabout routes so that Sobakevich would not see.
ChapterVI
Rocking in his chaise, he reached a log pavement, behind which stretched dilapidated and dilapidated houses. Finally, the master's house appeared, a long and decrepit castle, looking like an invalid. It was clear that the house had endured more than one bad weather, the plaster was crumbling in places, only two of all the windows were open, and the rest were boarded up with shutters. And only the old garden behind the house somehow refreshed this picture.
Soon someone appeared. Judging by the outline, Chichikov thought it was a housekeeper, since the silhouette had a woman’s hood and cap, as well as keys in the belt. In the end it turned out that it was Plyushkin himself. Chichikov could not understand how the landowner was like this big village turned into this. He was terribly old, dressed in everything dirty and decrepit. If Chichikov had met this man somewhere on the street, he would have thought that he was a beggar. In fact, Plyushkin was incredibly rich, and with age he turned into a terrible miser.
When they entered home, the guest was stunned by his surroundings. There was an incredible mess, chairs piled on top of each other, cobwebs and a lot of small pieces of paper around, a broken arm of a chair, some kind of liquid in a glass with three flies. In a word, the situation was terrifying. Plyushkin had almost a thousand souls at his disposal, and he walked around the village, picking up all sorts of rubbish and dragging them home. But once upon a time he was simply a thrifty owner.
The landowner's wife died. The eldest daughter married a cavalryman and left. Since then, Plyushkin cursed her. He began to take care of the farm himself. The son went into the army, and the youngest daughter died. When his son lost at cards, the landowner cursed him and did not give him a penny. He drove away the governess and the French teacher. The eldest daughter somehow tried to improve relations with her father and at least get something from him, but nothing worked out. Merchants who came to buy goods also could not come to an agreement with him.
Chichikov was even afraid to offer him anything and did not know which direction to approach. Although the owner invited him to sit down, he said that he would not feed him. Then the conversation turned to the high mortality rate of peasants. This is what Chichikov needed. Then he spoke about his “business”. Together with the fugitives, there were about two hundred souls. The old man agreed to give power of attorney for the deed of sale. With grief, a blank piece of paper was found and the deal was finalized. Chichikov refused tea and good location spirit went to the city.
ChapterVII
Chichikov, having slept, realized that he had neither more nor less, but already four hundred souls, so it was time to act. He prepared a list of people who were once alive, thought, walked, felt, and then went to the civil chamber. On the way I met Manilov. He hugged him, then handed him a rolled-up piece of paper and together they went to the office to see the chairman, Ivan Antonovich. Despite the good acquaintance, Chichikov still “slipped” him something. Sobakevich was also here.
Chichikov provided a letter from Plyushkin and added that there should be another attorney from the landowner Korobochka. The chairman promised to do everything. Chichikov asked to finish everything quickly, since he wanted to leave the next day. Ivan Antonovich quickly got it done, wrote everything down and entered it where it should be, and also ordered Chichikov to take half the duty. Afterwards, he offered to drink for the deal. Soon everyone was sitting at the table, slightly tipsy, trying to persuade the guest not to leave at all, to stay in the city and get married. After the feast, Selifan and Petrushka put the owner to bed, and they themselves went to the tavern.
ChapterVIII
Rumors about Chichikov's profits quickly spread in the city. Some people had doubts about this, since the owner would not sell good peasants, which means they were either drunkards or thieves. Some thought about the difficulties of moving so many peasants and were afraid of a riot. But for Chichikov everything worked out in the best possible way. They began to say that he was a millionaire. The residents of the city already liked him, and now they completely fell in love with the guest, so much so that they did not want to let him go.
The ladies generally idolized him. He liked local women. They knew how to behave in society and were quite presentable. Vulgarities were not allowed in conversation. So, for example, instead of “I blew my nose,” they said “I lightened my nose.” No liberties were allowed on the part of the men, and if they met with anyone, it was only in secret. In a word, they could give a head start to any young lady in the capital. Everything was decided at a reception with the governor. There Chichikov saw a blond girl whom he had previously met in a stroller. It turned out that it was the governor's daughter. And immediately all the ladies disappeared.
He stopped looking at anyone and thought only about her. In turn, the offended ladies began to say unflattering things about the guest. The situation was aggravated by the sudden appearance of Nozdryov, who publicly announced that Chichikov was a fraudster and that he was in the business of " dead souls" But since everyone knew Nozdryov’s nonsense and deceitful nature, they did not believe him. Chichikov, feeling awkward, left early. While he was suffering from insomnia, another trouble was being prepared for him. Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka arrived in the city and was already interested in how much “dead souls” were now, so as not to sell them too cheap.
ChapterIX
The next morning, one “beautiful” lady ran to another similar lady to tell how Chichikov bought “dead souls” from her friend Korobochka. They also have thoughts about Nozdryov. The ladies think that Chichikov started all this in order to get the governor’s daughter, and Nozdryov is his accomplice. The ladies immediately spread the version to other friends and the city begins to discuss this topic. True, men have a different opinion. They believe that Chichikov was still interested in “dead souls.”
City officials are even beginning to believe that Chichikov was sent for some kind of check. But they were guilty of sins, so they got scared. During this period, a new governor-general was just appointed in the province, so this was quite possible. Then, as if on purpose, the governor received two strange papers. One said that a well-known counterfeiter who changed names was wanted, and the other said about an escaped robber.
Then everyone wondered who this Chichikov really was. After all, none of them knew for sure. They interviewed the landowners from whom he bought the souls of the peasants, but there was little use. We tried to find out something from Selifan and Petrushka, also to no avail. Meanwhile, the governor's daughter got it from her mother. She strictly ordered not to communicate with the dubious guest.
ChapterX
The situation in the city became so tense that many officials began to lose weight from worry. Everyone decided to gather at the chief of police to confer. It was believed that Chichikov was Captain Kopeikin in disguise, whose leg and arm were torn off during the 1812 campaign. When he returned from the front, his father refused to support him. Then Kopeikin decided to turn to the sovereign and went to St. Petersburg.
Due to the absence of the sovereign, the general promises to receive him, but asks him to come in a few days. Several days pass, but he is not accepted again. One nobleman assures that this requires the king’s permission. Soon Kopeikin runs out of money, he is in poverty and starving. Then he again turns to the general, who rudely escorts him out and expels him from St. Petersburg. After some time, a gang of robbers begins to operate in the Ryazan forest. Rumor has it that this was the work of Kopeikin.
After consulting, the officials decide that Chichikov cannot be Kopeikin, because his legs and arms are intact. Nozdryov appears and tells his version. He says that he studied with Chichikov, who was already a counterfeiter. He also says that he sold him a lot of “dead souls” and that Chichikov really intended to take away the governor’s daughter, and he helped him in this. As a result, he lies so much that he himself understands that he has gone too far.
At this time, in the city, a prosecutor dies for no reason from stress. Everyone blames Chichikov, but he knows nothing about it, since he suffers from gumboil. He is sincerely surprised that no one visits him. Nozdryov comes to him and tells him everything about how the city considers him a swindler who tried to kidnap the governor’s daughter. He also talks about the death of the prosecutor. After he leaves, Chichikov orders things to be packed.
ChapterXI
The next day Chichikov gets ready to go on the road, but cannot leave for a long time. Either the horses were not shod, or he overslept, or the chaise was not laid. As a result, they leave, but on the way they encounter a funeral procession. This is the prosecutor being buried. All the officials go to the procession, and everyone is thinking about how to improve relations with the new governor-general. What follows is a lyrical digression about Russia, its roads and buildings.
The author introduces us to the origin of Chichikov. It turns out that his parents were nobles, but he doesn’t look much like them. Since childhood, he was sent to an old relative, where he lived and studied. In parting, his father gave him parting words to always please his superiors and hang out only with the rich. At school, the hero studied mediocrely, had no special talents, but was a practical guy.
When his father died, he mortgaged his father's house and entered the service. There he tried to please his superiors in everything and even courted the boss’s ugly daughter and promised to marry. But when I got promoted, I didn’t get married. Then he changed more than one service and did not stay anywhere for long because of his machinations. At one time he even participated in the capture of smugglers, with whom he himself entered into an agreement.
The idea of buying “dead souls” came to him once again, when everything had to start all over again. According to his plan, the “dead souls” had to be pledged to the bank, and having received a significant loan, he had to hide. Further, the author complains about the properties of the hero’s nature, but he himself partly justifies him. At the end, the chaise rushed so quickly along the road. What Russian doesn't like driving fast? The author compares the flying troika with rushing Russia.
Volume two
The second volume was written by the author as a draft, revised more than once, and then burned by him. It told about Chichikov’s further adventures, about his acquaintance with Andrei Ivanovich Tententikov, Colonel Koshkarev, Khlobuev and other “useful” characters. At the end of the second volume, Chichikov's tricks were made public and he ended up in prison. However, a certain Murazov is working on his behalf. That's where the story ends.
Chichikov could not recover from Nozdrev’s visit for a long time. Selifan was also dissatisfied with the landowner because the horses were not given oats. The britzka flew at full speed until it collided with a carriage with six horses and the screams of the ladies and the swearing of the coachman were heard almost overhead. Although Selifan felt his mistake, he began to argue with the stranger’s coachman.
At this time, the ladies sitting in the chaise - an old woman and a young fair-haired girl - watched everything that was happening with fear. Chichikov stared at the sixteen-year-old beauty. Finally they began to disperse, but the horses stood rooted to the spot against each other and did not want to disperse. The men who came running from a nearby village took care of them. While they were bred in different sides horses, Pavel Ivanovich looked at the young stranger and even wanted to talk to her, however, while he was getting ready, the carriage drove away, taking the beauty with it.
Since Chichikov had long since passed the age when one instantly falls in love and then stands for a long time, following his beloved with a pained gaze, he ordered to move on. However, he thought about the stranger, deciding that she was good because she had just come from the boarding school. Very little time will pass, and finding herself in the care of various mothers and aunties, she will learn to lie and “will finally begin to lie all her life.”
Soon Sobakevich’s village appeared, and Chichikov’s thoughts returned to the usual subject. The estate was large, with two forests stretching to the right and left - birch and pine. The house with a mezzanine resembled a military settlement of German colonists. The courtyard was surrounded by a thick wooden lattice. The landowner was more concerned about strength than beauty. Even village houses were solid and durable, without any patterned decorations.
The owner himself looked like an average bear. Nature didn’t think long here: “she grabbed it with an ax once and her nose came out, she grabbed it again and her lips came out, she picked out her eyes with a large drill and, without scraping them, released her into the light, saying: “he lives!”
Seeing the guest, Sobakevich briefly said: “Please!” - and led him into the inner chambers.
The owner's living room was hung with full-length paintings of Greek commanders. Chichikov met Sobakevich’s wife, Feodulia Ivanovna, a tall lady, straight as a palm tree.
There was silence for about five minutes, after which the guest was the first to start talking about the chairman of the chamber, to which he heard in response that the chairman was “such a fool as the world has ever seen.”
Listing city officials, Sobakevich scolded each one and gave each one an unflattering definition. At dinner, the owner praised the dishes served and scolded the cuisine of other landowners and city officials.
Sobakevich tells Chichikov about Plyushkin, who has eight hundred souls, but lives and dines worse than some shepherd. Pavel Ivanovich learns that Sobakevich's neighbor is a rare miser, he starved all his peasants to death, and others ran away on their own.
Carefully, the guest found out in which direction and where Plyushkin’s estate was located.
After a hearty dinner, the host and guest retired to the living room, where Chichikov began talking about his business. Sobakevich quickly realized that buying dead a shower brings some benefit to the guest, so he immediately charged a hundred rubles per soul. When Pavel Ivanovich became indignant, the owner began to list the merits of each deceased peasant. In the process of tough bargaining, they agreed on two rubles and a half for each soul. The guest asked for a list of the peasants he had purchased, and Sobakevich began to copy down the dead souls in his own hand, by name, indicating the commendable qualities. When the note was ready, the owner also demanded a deposit of fifty rubles from Chichikov. The new friends began to bargain again and agreed on twenty-five rubles. Having received the money, Sobakevich looked at the banknotes for a long time and complained that one of them was old.
In front of you summary 2 chapters of the work " Dead Souls» N.V. Gogol.
Very short summary " Dead souls» can be found, and the one presented below is quite detailed.
General content by chapter:
Chichikov spent a week in the city, visiting officials. After this, he decided to take advantage of the invitations of the landowners. Having given orders to the servants in the evening, Pavel Ivanovich woke up very early. It was Sunday, and therefore, according to his long-standing habit, he washed himself, dried himself from head to toe with a wet sponge, shaved his cheeks until they were shiny, put on a lingonberry-colored tailcoat, an overcoat with large bears and went down the stairs. Pretty soon a barrier appeared, indicating the end of the pavement. Hitting his head on the body for the last time, Chichikov rushed along the soft ground.
At the fifteenth verst, where, according to Manilov, his village was supposed to be located, Pavel Ivanovich became worried, since there was no trace of any village. We passed the sixteenth mile. Finally, two men came across the chaise and pointed in the right direction, promising that Manilovka would be a mile away. Having traveled about six more miles, Chichikov remembered that “ if a friend invites you to his village fifteen miles away, it means that there are thirty faithful to her ».
The village of Manilovka was nothing special. The master's house stood on a hill, accessible to all winds. The sloping slope of the mountain was covered with trimmed turf, on which stood out several round flower beds in the English manner. was visible wooden gazebo with blue columns and the inscription " temple of solitary contemplation ».
Manilov met the guest on the porch, and the newly made friends immediately kissed each other deeply. It was difficult to say anything definite about the owner’s character:
There is a race of people known as so-so people, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan... His features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to be too much of a touch of sugar; there was something ingratiating in his techniques and turns of phrase... In the first minute of conversation with him, you can’t help but say: “What a pleasant and kind person!” The next minute you won’t say anything, and the third you’ll say: “The devil knows what it is!” - and move away; If you don’t leave, you will feel mortal boredom.
Manilov practically did not do housework, and at home he was mostly silent, indulging in thoughts and dreams. Either he planned to build an underground passage from the house, or to build a stone bridge on which merchant shops would be located.
However, this remained only an ethereal dream. There was always something missing in the house. For example, in the living room with beautiful furniture covered in smart silk fabric, there were two chairs on which there was not enough fabric. Some rooms had no furniture at all. However, this did not upset the owners at all.
Despite the fact that more than eight years of their marriage had already passed, they showed concern for each other: one brought the other either a piece of apple or candy and in a gentle voice asked him to open his mouth.
Walking into the living room, the friends stopped in the doorway, begging each other to go forward, until they finally decided to enter sideways. They were met in the room by a pretty young woman, Manilov’s wife. During mutual pleasantries, the host vigorously expressed his joy at the pleasant visit:
And now you have finally honored us with your visit. It really was such a delight... May day... the name day of the heart.
This somewhat discouraged Chichikov. During the conversation, the married couple and Pavel Ivanovich went through all the officials, praising and noting only the pleasant aspects of each. Next, the guest and the host began to confess to each other their sincere affection or even love. Unknown. what would it have come to if it weren’t for the servant who reported that the food was ready.
The dinner was no less pleasant than the conversation. Chichikov met Manilov's children, whose names were Themistoclus and Alcides.
After lunch, Pavel Ivanovich and the owner retired to the office for a business conversation. The guest began to ask how many peasants had died since the last audit, to which Manilov could not give an intelligible answer. They called the clerk, who was also not aware of this matter. The servant was ordered to compile a name list of all deceased serfs. When the clerk came out, Manilov asked Chichikov the reason for the strange question. The guest replied that he would like to buy dead peasants, who, according to the audit, were listed as living. The owner did not immediately believe what he heard: “ as he opened his mouth, he remained with his mouth open for several minutes ».
Manilov still did not understand why Chichikov needed dead souls, but he could not refuse his guest. Moreover, when it came to drawing up a deed of sale, the guest kindly offered deeds of gift for all the deceased peasants.
Seeing the genuine joy of the guest, the owner was completely moved. The friends shook hands for a long time, and in the end Chichikov no longer knew how to free his own. Having finished his business, the guest began to quickly get ready for the road, because he still wanted to have time to visit Sobakevich. Having seen off the guest, Manilov was in the most complacent mood. His thoughts were occupied with dreams of how he and Chichikov would become good friends, and the sovereign would reward them with the rank of general, having learned about their friendship. Manilov again mentally returns to the guest’s request, but still cannot explain it to himself.
The story “Dead Souls” was written by Nikolai Gogol at the end of the 19th century, but has not yet lost its relevance. We continue to read this work and think about moral standards and criteria.
Here is a summary of the chapters of the poem “Dead Souls” and the main characters of the story are described in detail.
“Dead Souls” summary by chapter
Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov arrives in the city of N. By position - collegiate adviser, by age - middle-aged, pleasant and unremarkable in appearance. He makes acquaintance with local residents and collects information about government officials and wealthy landowners.
Having attended parties held in the houses of the governor and the police chief, Chichikov meets Manilov, Sobakevich and Nozdrev and immediately receives an invitation from them to visit them.
The main character charms everyone with his aristocratic manners and cultural speech and pays visits to all city officials in order to get to know everyone personally and show his respect.
Chichikov decides to take advantage of the invitation and goes to Manilovka. The owner of the village, Manilov, appears before us as a spineless, lazy dreamer, unable to maintain order in his household and family, but only indulging in empty thoughts.
Chichikov explains the purpose of his visit and offers to buy from Manilov documents for peasants who have already died, but the data about them has not yet been changed.
With this proposal, the guest plunges the owner into a state of bewilderment and receives consent to “take them for free.” After such an unexpectedly positive solution to his question, Chichikov goes to meet Sobakevich.
On the way, Selifan loses direction and the chaise overturns. In order not to stay overnight in an open field, Chichikov asks to go to the first house he comes across.
This turns out to be the home of Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, an elderly widow who sees the meaning of her life as correct device and the functioning of their farm.
Chichikov’s proposal to sell “dead souls” evoked a lively response in the soul of the greedy old woman. After a long bargaining, they agreed on a price, however, even after the guest’s departure, Korobochka was tormented for a long time by the question: had she sold herself too cheap?
Chichikov decides to eat at a tavern and meets Nozdryov. With black sideburns, white teeth and a blush all over his cheek, he was a storyteller and an incorrigible liar, as well as a card sharper.
Nozdryov immediately invites Pavel Ivanovich to visit his house and, giving a tour of the village, never ceases to brag about his imaginary achievements.
After a rather unsuccessful dinner, Chichikov tries to negotiate the purchase of documents for the peasants. Nozdryov begins to ridicule his intentions, inquire about the true purposes of the purchase, and the new acquaintances end the conversation.
However, in the morning the owner changes his decision and invites Chichikov to win “dead souls” from him. But this dispute was not destined to be resolved. Nozdryov is notified of legal proceedings against him, and Chichikov at this time hastily leaves the house.
On his way to visit Sobakevich, Chichikov’s chaise runs into another carriage, in which Chichikov notices a beautiful stranger. The girl took over all of Pavel Ivanovich’s thoughts and for the rest of the journey he indulged in dreams about her.
The village of Sobakevich amazes Chichikov with its size, the impressive house of the owner and the roughly knocked together wooden huts of the peasants. Sobakevich himself was the same - a bear-like, rude, clumsy man.
Sobakevich listened carefully to the proposal to sell non-existent peasants, without surprise, and immediately began to raise the price, describing the merits of the “dead souls”, as if it mattered. As a result, the owner received an advance payment, and the guest, very puzzled, went further to Plyushkin.
The village into which Pavel Ivanovich moved had a dilapidated and neglected appearance. The owner's house was not in the best condition - with boarded up windows, dilapidated. Seeing an incomprehensible creature near the house in a woman’s hood, in a dressing gown, but with a hoarse voice and stubble, Chichikov was surprised to learn that this was the local gentleman.
Plyushkin was the first to offer to buy non-existent peasants from him and was very pleased with the result of the deal.
Having completed the journey, Chichikov returns to the hotel.
Chichikov is pleased with how his affairs are going in the city of N and decides to devote this day to the finalization of previously concluded contracts.
He meets with Manilov and Sobakevich, with whom he draws up a bill of sale for the peasants, and the chairman of the court signs for Plyushkin.
It is done. Everyone sits down at the set table and celebrates the successful completion of the transaction. The exhausted Chichikov is escorted to the hotel in the most pleasant state of mind. This is how the day ends.
Chichikov's transition from an ordinary unremarkable subject to the category of wealthy soul-owners did not go unnoticed by the residents of the provincial town.
At the ball, Chichikov meets a beautiful stranger he saw on the road. It turns out to be the governor's daughter. Chichikov is fascinated and conquered. All his attention is focused on the young lady.
But Nozdryov, whom he met at the reception, almost revealed secret plan the main character and forced him to hastily leave. The upset landowner returned to the hotel room.
The situation of the newly minted “rich man” is getting worse – Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka arrives. The city is filled with rumors in which truth is mixed with fiction, and Chichikov is presented in a very unsightly light.
The society ladies talk among themselves and spread information that Chichikov is a swindler and wants to steal the governor’s daughter. This news reaches the governor herself. The result is a tough conversation with his daughter and the refusal of the house to Chichikov.
Those gathered in the police chief's house vied with each other to express their assumptions, explaining Chichikov's behavior. They are trying to convict him of fraud, forgery valuable papers, even in espionage.
The debate was so passionate that the prosecutor present at the meeting, unable to withstand the nervous shock, died upon arriving home.
Unaware of such events, Chichikov is at the hotel at this time, suffering from a cold. Nozdryov, who came for a visit, talks about rumors in society regarding Pavel Ivanovich, and also that he is considered to be the culprit in the death of the prosecutor.
The seriously frightened Chichikov tries to leave the city.
This chapter reveals the whole history of the life and career of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. Left early without a mother, he received clear instructions for life from his father - please those in power, pursue your own benefit everywhere and never do anything for nothing.
From his youth, Chichikov zealously followed these tips. When his bureaucratic activity began, he did not let go of a single opportunity to enrich himself.
By being mean, substituting those around him, the hero of the poem achieved considerable heights, where he carried out his dark deeds. However, he could not stay on top and was forced to start all over again.
By this time, a plan had arisen in his cunning head to ransom “dead souls” who, according to documents, were living people. By submitting these papers to the board of trustees, Chichikov planned to receive large payments from them and get rich.
