Plot and characters. “Dead Souls” main characters Heroes of the story dead souls

• Landowner Portrait Characteristics Estate Attitude to housekeeping Lifestyle Result Manilov Handsome blond with blue eyes. At the same time, his appearance “seemed to have too much sugar in it.” Too ingratiating look and behavior Too enthusiastic and refined dreamer who does not feel any curiosity about his farm or anything earthly (he doesn’t even know whether his peasants died after the last revision). At the same time, his dreaminess is absolutely [...]
• Compositionally the poem " Dead Souls"consists of three externally closed, but internally interconnected circles. landowners, a city, a biography of Chichikov, united by the image of a road, plot-related by the main character’s scam. But the middle link - the life of the city - itself consists, as it were, of narrowing circles gravitating towards the center; This graphic image provincial hierarchy. It is interesting that in this hierarchical pyramid the governor, embroidering on tulle, looks like a puppet figure. True life boils in the civil […]
• Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is one of the most brilliant authors of our vast Motherland. In his works, he always spoke about painful issues, about how His Rus' lived in His time. And he does it so well! This man really loved Russia, seeing what our country really is - unhappy, deceptive, lost, but at the same time - dear. Nikolai Vasilyevich in the poem “Dead Souls” gives a social profile of the Rus' of that time. Describes landownership in all colors, reveals all the nuances and characters. Among […]
• The work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol fell on the dark era of Nicholas I. It was the 30s. XIX century, when reaction reigned in Russia after the suppression of the Decembrist uprising, all dissenters were persecuted, the best people were persecuted. Describing the reality of his time, N.V. Gogol creates the poem “Dead Souls”, which is brilliant in its depth of reflection of life. The basis of “Dead Souls” is that the book is a reflection not of individual features of reality and characters, but of the reality of Russia as a whole. Myself […]
• In Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" the way of life and morals of the feudal landowners is very correctly noted and described. Drawing images of landowners: Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdryov, Sobakevich and Plyushkin, the author recreated a generalized picture of the life of serf Russia, where arbitrariness reigned, the economy was in decline, and the individual suffered moral degradation. After writing and publishing the poem, Gogol said: ““Dead Souls” made a lot of noise, a lot of murmur, touched many people with mockery, truth, and caricature, touched […]
• Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol noted that the main theme of “Dead Souls” was contemporary Russia. The author believed that “there is no other way to direct society or even an entire generation towards the beautiful until you show the full depth of its real abomination.” That is why the poem presents a satire on the local nobility, bureaucracy and others social groups. The composition of the work is subordinated to this task of the author. The image of Chichikov traveling around the country in search of the necessary connections and wealth allows N.V. Gogol […]
• Chichikov, having met landowners in the city, received an invitation from each of them to visit the estate. The gallery of owners of “dead souls” is opened by Manilov. The author at the very beginning of the chapter gives a description of this character. His appearance initially made a very pleasant impression, then - bewilderment, and in the third minute “... you say: “The devil knows what this is!” and move away..." The sweetness and sentimentality highlighted in the portrait of Manilov constitute the essence of his idle lifestyle. He is constantly talking about something [...]
• French traveler, author of the famous book “Russia in 1839” The Marquis de Kestin wrote: “Russia is ruled by a class of officials who occupy administrative positions straight from school... each of these gentlemen becomes a nobleman, having received a cross in his buttonhole... Upstarts are among those in power, and they use their power as befits upstarts.” The Tsar himself admitted with bewilderment that it was not he, the All-Russian autocrat, who ruled his empire, but the head appointed by him. Provincial town [...]
• In his famous address to the “bird-troika”, Gogol did not forget the master to whom the troika owes its existence: “It seems that not a cunning, it seems, road projectile, not grabbed by an iron screw, but hastily, alive, with one ax and a chisel, the Yaroslavl equipped and assembled you a quick guy." There is another hero in the poem about swindlers, parasites, owners of living and dead souls. Gogol's unnamed hero is a serf slave. In “Dead Souls” Gogol composed such a dithyramb for the Russian serf people, with such direct clarity […]
• N.V. Gogol conceived the first part of the poem “Dead Souls” as a work that reveals the social vices of society. In this regard, he was looking for a plot that was not simple fact of life, but one that would make it possible to expose the hidden phenomena of reality. In this sense, the plot proposed by A. S. Pushkin suited Gogol perfectly. The idea of ​​“travelling all over Rus' with the hero” gave the author the opportunity to show the life of the entire country. And since Gogol described it in such a way “so that all the little things that elude […]
• In the fall of 1835, Gogol began work on “ Dead souls", the plot of which, like the plot of The Inspector General, was suggested to him by Pushkin. “In this novel I want to show, although from one side, all of Rus',” he writes to Pushkin. Explaining the concept of “Dead Souls,” Gogol wrote that the images of the poem are “in no way portraits of insignificant people; on the contrary, they contain the features of those who consider themselves better than others.” Explaining the choice of the hero, the author says: “Because it’s time, finally, give rest to the poor virtuous man, because [...]
• It should be noted that the episode of the crews’ collision is divided into two micro-themes. One of them is the appearance of a crowd of onlookers and “helpers” from a neighboring village, the other is Chichikov’s thoughts caused by his meeting with a young stranger. Both of these themes have both an external, superficial layer that directly concerns the characters of the poem, and a deep layer that brings to the scale of the author’s thoughts about Russia and its people. So, the collision occurs suddenly when Chichikov silently curses Nozdryov, thinking that […]
• Chichikov met Nozdrev earlier, at one of the receptions in the city of NN, but the meeting in the tavern is the first serious acquaintance of both Chichikov and the reader with him. We understand what type of people Nozdryov belongs to, first by seeing his behavior in the tavern, his story about the fair, and then by reading the author’s direct description of this “broken fellow,” “ historical person”, who has a “passion to spoil his neighbor, sometimes for no reason at all.” We know Chichikov as a completely different person – [...]
• Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is one of the greatest and at the same time mysterious works of the XIX V. Genre definition“poem,” which then unambiguously meant a lyric-epic work written in poetic form and predominantly romantic, was perceived by Gogol’s contemporaries differently. Some found it mocking, while others saw hidden irony in this definition. Shevyrev wrote that “the meaning of the word “poem” seems to us twofold... because of the word “poem” a deep, significant […]
• At the literature lesson we got acquainted with the work of N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls". This poem gained great popularity. The work was repeatedly filmed both in the Soviet Union and in modern Russia. Also, the names of the main characters have become symbolic: Plyushkin is a symbol of stinginess and storage of unnecessary things, Sobakevich is an uncouth person, Manilovism is immersion in dreams that have no connection with reality. Some phrases have become catchphrases. The main character of the poem is Chichikov. […]
• What is an image literary hero? Chichikov is a great hero, classic work, created by a genius, a hero who embodied the result of the author’s observations and reflections on life, people, and their actions. An image that has absorbed typical features, and therefore has long gone beyond the scope of the work itself. His name became a household name for people - nosy careerists, sycophants, money-grubbers, outwardly “pleasant,” “decent and worthy.” Moreover, some readers' assessment of Chichikov is not so clear. Comprehension […]
• Gogol was always attracted by everything eternal and unshakable. By analogy with " Divine Comedy"For Dante, he decides to create a work in three volumes, where the past, present and future of Russia could be shown. The author even designates the genre of the work in an unusual way - a poem, since different fragments of life are collected in one artistic whole. The composition of the poem, which is built on the principle of concentric circles , allows Gogol to trace Chichikov’s movement through the provincial town of N, the estates of landowners and all of Russia […]
• "At the hotel gates provincial town NN a rather beautiful spring chaise drove in... In the chaise sat a gentleman, not handsome, but not bad-looking either, neither too fat nor too thin; One cannot say that he is old, but not that he is too young. His entry made absolutely no noise in the city and was not accompanied by anything special.” This is how our hero, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, appears in the city. Let us, following the author, get to know the city. Everything tells us that this is a typical provincial [...]
• Plyushkin is the image of a moldy cracker left over from Easter cake. Only he has a life story; Gogol portrays all other landowners statically. These heroes seem to have no past that would be in any way different from their present and explain something about it. Plyushkin's character is much more complex characters other landowners represented in Dead Souls. Traits of manic stinginess are combined in Plyushkin with morbid suspicion and distrust of people. Preserving an old sole, a clay shard, [...]
• The poem "Dead Souls" reflects social phenomena and the conflicts that characterized Russian life in the 30s and early 40s. XIX century It very accurately notes and describes the way of life and customs of that time. Drawing images of landowners: Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Sobakevich and Plyushkin, the author recreated a generalized picture of the life of serf Russia, where arbitrariness reigned, the economy was in decline, and the individual suffered moral degradation, regardless of whether she was a slave owner or [... ]

Article menu:

Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" is not without a significant amount acting characters. All heroes, according to their significance and the time period of action in the poem, can be divided into three categories: main, secondary and tertiary.

The main characters of "Dead Souls"

As a rule, in poems the number of main characters is small. The same tendency is observed in Gogol’s work.

Chichikov
The image of Chichikov is undoubtedly the key one in the poem. It is thanks to this image that the episodes of the narrative are connected.

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is distinguished by his dishonesty and hypocrisy. His desire to get rich by deception is discouraging.

On the one hand, the reasons for this behavior can be explained by the pressure of society and the priorities operating in it - a rich and dishonest person is more respected than an honest and decent poor person. Since no one wants to eke out his existence in poverty, then financial issue and the problem of improving one’s material resources is always relevant and often borders on the norms of morality and integrity, which many are ready to cross.

The same situation happened with Chichikov. He, being a simple person by origin, he was actually deprived of the opportunity to make his fortune in an honest way, so he solved the problem that arose with the help of ingenuity, ingenuity and deception. The stinginess of “dead souls” as an idea is a hymn to his mind, but at the same time exposes the dishonest nature of the hero.

Manilov
Manilov became the first landowner to whom Chichikov came to buy souls. The image of this landowner is ambiguous. On the one hand, he creates a pleasant impression - Manilov is a pleasant and well-mannered person, but let us immediately note that he is apathetic and lazy.

Manilov is a person who always adapts to circumstances and never expresses his real opinion on this or that matter - Manilov takes the most favorable side.

Box
The image of this landowner is, perhaps, generally perceived as positive and pleasant. Korobochka is not smart, she is a stupid and, to some extent, uneducated woman, but at the same time she was able to successfully realize herself as a landowner, which significantly elevates her perception as a whole.

The box is too simple - to some extent, its habits and habits resemble the lifestyle of peasants, which does not impress those who aspire to aristocrats and life in high society Chichikov, but allows Korobochka to live quite happily and quite successfully develop her farm.

Nozdryov
Nozdryov, to whom Chichikov comes, after Korobochka, is perceived completely differently. And this is not surprising: it seems that Nozdryov was unable to fully realize himself in any field of activity. Nozdryov is a bad father who neglects communication with his children and their upbringing. He is a bad landowner - Nozdryov does not take care of his estate, but only wastes all his funds. Nozdryov’s life is the life of a man who prefers drinking, partying, cards, women and dogs.

Sobakevich
This landowner is controversial. On the one hand, he is a rude, manly person, but on the other hand, this simplicity allows him to live quite successfully - all the buildings on his estate, including the peasants' houses, are made to last - you won't find anything leaky anywhere, his peasants are well-fed and quite happy . Sobakevich himself often works together with peasants as equals and does not see anything unusual in this.

Plyushkin
The image of this landowner is perhaps perceived as the most negative - he is a stingy and angry old man. Plyushkin looks like a beggar, since his clothes are incredibly thin, his house looks like ruins, as do the houses of his peasants.

Plyushkin lives unusually frugally, but he does this not because there is a need for it, but because of a feeling of greed - he is ready to throw away a spoiled thing, but not to use it for good. That is why fabric and food rot in its warehouses, but at the same time its serfs walk around with their heads and tatters.

Minor characters

Minor characters There is also not much in Gogol's story. In fact, all of them can be characterized as significant figures in the county, whose activities are not related to landownership.

The Governor and his family
This is perhaps one of the most significant people in the county. In theory, he should be insightful, smart and reasonable. However, in practice everything turned out to be not quite so. The governor was a kind and pleasant man, but he was not distinguished by his foresight.

His wife was also a nice woman, but her excessive coquetry spoiled the whole picture. The governor's daughter was a typical cutesy girl, although in appearance she was very different from the generally accepted standard - the girl was not plump, as was customary, but was slender and cute.

That it was true that, due to her age, she was too naive and gullible.

Prosecutor
The image of the prosecutor defies significant description. According to Sobakevich, he was the only decent person, although, to be completely honest, he was still a “pig.” Sobakevich does not explain this characteristic in any way, which makes it difficult to understand his image. In addition, we know that the prosecutor was a very impressionable person - when Chichikov’s deception was discovered, due to excessive excitement, he dies.

Chairman of the Chamber
Ivan Grigorievich, who was the chairman of the chamber, was a nice and well-mannered man.

Chichikov noted that he was very educated, unlike most significant people in the district. However, his education does not always make a person wise and far-sighted.

This happened in the case of the chairman of the chamber, who could easily quote works of literature, but at the same time could not discern Chichikov’s deception and even helped him draw up documents for dead souls.

Chief of Police
Alexey Ivanovich, who performed the duties of police chief, seemed to have become accustomed to his work. Gogol says that he was able to ideally comprehend all the intricacies of the work and it was already difficult to imagine him in any other position. Alexey Ivanovich comes to any shop as if it were his own home and can take whatever his heart desires. Despite such arrogant behavior, he did not cause indignation among the townspeople - Alexey Ivanovich knows how to successfully get out of a situation and smooth out the unpleasant impression of extortion. So, for example, he invites you to come over for tea, play checkers, or watch a trotter.

We suggest following the image of Plyushkin in Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”.

Such proposals are not made spontaneously by the police chief - Alexey Ivanovich knows how to find a weak point in a person and uses this knowledge. So, for example, having learned that a merchant has a passion for card games, then immediately invites the merchant to a game.

Episodic and tertiary heroes of the poem

Selifan
Selifan is Chichikov's coachman. Like most ordinary people, he is an uneducated and stupid person. Selifan faithfully serves his master. Typical of all serfs, he likes to drink and is often absent-minded.

Parsley
Petrushka is the second serf under Chichikov. He serves as a footman. Parsley loves to read books, however, he does not understand much of what he reads, but this does not prevent him from enjoying the process itself. Parsley often neglects the rules of hygiene and therefore it gives off an incomprehensible smell.

Mizhuev
Mizhuev is Nozdryov's son-in-law. Mizhuev is not distinguished by prudence. At his core, he is a harmless person, but he loves to drink, which significantly spoils his image.

Feoduliya Ivanovna
Feodulia Ivanovna is Sobakevich’s wife. She is a simple woman and in her habits resembles a peasant woman. Although, it cannot be said that the behavior of aristocrats is completely alien to her - some elements are still present in her arsenal.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the images and characteristics of landowners in Nikolai Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls”

Thus, in the poem Gogol presents to the reader broad system images And although most of them are collective images and in their structure they are a depiction of characteristic types of personalities in society, but still arouse the interest of the reader.

The main character of the poem “Dead Souls” is Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. The complex character of literature opened his eyes to the events of the past and showed many hidden problems.

The image and characterization of Chichikov in the poem “Dead Souls” will allow you to understand yourself and find the traits that you need to get rid of so as not to become his likeness.

Hero's appearance

The main character, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, does not have an exact indication of his age. You can do mathematical calculations, distributing the periods of his life marked by ups and downs. The author says that this is a middle-aged man, there is an even more precise indication:

“...decent middle years...”

Other appearance features:

• full figure;
• roundness of shapes;
• pleasant appearance.

Chichikov is pleasant in appearance, but no one calls him handsome. Fullness is in those sizes that it can no longer be thicker. In addition to his appearance, the hero has a pleasant voice. That is why all his meetings are based on negotiations. He easily talks to any character. The landowner is attentive to himself, he carefully chooses clothes, uses cologne. Chichikov admires himself, he likes his appearance. The most attractive thing for him is the chin. Chichikov is sure that this part of the face is expressive and beautiful. The man, having studied himself, found a way to charm. He knows how to evoke sympathy, his techniques bring a charming smile. The interlocutors do not understand what secret is hidden inside ordinary person. The secret is the ability to please. Ladies call him a charming creature, they even look for things in him that are hidden from view.

Hero's personality

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov has a fairly high rank. He is a collegiate advisor. For man

“...without tribe and clan...”

Such an achievement proves that the hero is very persistent and purposeful. From childhood, a boy cultivates the ability to deny himself pleasure if it interferes with big things. To obtain a high rank, Pavel received an education, and he studied diligently and taught himself to get what he wanted by all means: by cunning, sycophancy, and patience. Pavel is strong in mathematical sciences, which means he has logical thinking and practicality. Chichikov is a cautious person. He can talk about various phenomena in life, noticing what will help achieve the desired result. The hero travels a lot and is not afraid of meeting new people. But the restraint of his personality does not allow him to conduct long stories about the past. The hero is an excellent expert in psychology. He easily finds his way and common topics conversation with different people. Moreover, Chichikov’s behavior changes. He, like a chameleon, easily changes his appearance, demeanor, and style of speech. The author emphasizes how unusual the twists of his mind are. He knows his own worth and penetrates into the depths of the subconscious of his interlocutors.

Positive character traits of Pavel Ivanovich

The character has a lot of traits that do not allow us to treat him only as negative character. His desire to buy up dead souls is frightening, but before last pages the reader is at a loss as to why the landowner needs dead peasants, what Chichikov had in mind. One more question: how did you come up with this method of enriching yourself and increasing your status in society?

• protects his health, he does not smoke and monitors the amount of wine he drinks.
• doesn't play gambling: cards.
• a believer, before starting an important conversation, a man crosses himself in Russian.
• takes pity on the poor and gives alms (but this quality cannot be called compassion; it does not manifest itself to everyone and not always).
• slyness allows the hero to hide his true face.
• neat and thrifty: things and objects that help to remember important events, stored in a box.

Chichikov brought up in himself a strong character. The firmness and conviction that one is right is somewhat surprising, but also captivating. The landowner is not afraid to do what should make him richer. He is firm in his convictions. Many people need such strength, but most get lost, doubt and go astray from a difficult path.

Negative traits of a hero

The character has negative qualities. They explain why the image was perceived by society, how a real man, similarities with him were found in any environment.

• never dances, although he attends balls with zeal.
• loves to eat, especially at someone else's expense.
• hypocritical: he can cry, lie, pretend to be upset.
• deceiver and bribe-taker: in speech there are statements of honesty, but in reality everything says the opposite.
• composure: politely, but without feelings, Pavel Ivanovich conducts business that makes his interlocutors shrink inside with fear.

Chichikov does not feel the right feeling for women - love. He considers them as an object capable of giving him offspring. He even evaluates the lady he likes without tenderness: “nice grandma.” The “acquirer” seeks to create wealth that will go to his children. On the one hand, this positive trait, the meanness with which he approaches this is negative and dangerous.

It is impossible to accurately describe the character of Pavel Ivanovich, to say that this positive character or bad guy. A real person taken from life is both good and bad at the same time. Combined into one character different personalities, but one can only envy his desire to achieve his goal. The classic helps young people to stop the traits of Chichikov in themselves, a man for whom life becomes a matter of profit, the value of existence, the mystery of the afterlife are lost.

The main characters of the poem “Dead Souls” personify the society of past centuries.

"Dead Souls" main characters

The figurative system of the poem is built in accordance with three main plot-compositional links: landowner, bureaucratic Russia and the image of Chichikov.

The main character of "Dead Souls" Chichikov. This former official(retired collegiate adviser), and now a schemer: he is engaged in buying up so-called “dead souls” (written information about peasants who have died since the last audit) in order to mortgage them as if they were alive, in order to take out a loan from a bank and gain weight in society. He dresses smartly, takes care of himself, and after a long and dusty Russian road manages to look as if he only came from a tailor and barber. His name became a household name for people - nosy careerists, sycophants, money-grubbers, outwardly “pleasant”, “decent and worthy”

Manilov— A pleasant, but boring and lazy middle-aged man. He doesn't do much about his estate. There are 200 in his village peasant huts. The peasants of Manilov are lazy, like the owner himself. Manilov likes to sit in his office and dream all day, smoking a pipe. A romantic and sensitive man who loves his family.

Box- old widow. She is a good housewife, thrifty and thrifty, a stupid and suspicious old woman. There are only 80 souls in her village. The peasants of Korobochka work properly, and the farm is well organized. The huts and buildings in the Korobochki estate are intact and strong. Korobochka sells goods produced by its peasants. This is “one of those mothers, small landowners who cry about crop failures, losses and keep their heads somewhat to one side, and meanwhile they gradually collect a little money in colorful bags placed in dresser drawers.” Watercolor portrait Korobochki is represented by a good-natured old woman of small stature, wearing a cap and hood, and funny knitted shoes. The round, soft figure of Nastasya Petrovna, with some kind of rag tied around her neck, surprisingly resembles a tightly stuffed sack or sack - an important attribute of a homely landowner.

Nozdryov— Young widower, 35 years old. Lively, cheerful and noisy. Likes to have fun and get drunk. Cannot sit at home for more than one day. He cares little about his estate and the peasants. Doesn't take care of his two children. He keeps a whole pack of dogs and loves them more than his children.

Sobakevich- a wealthy landowner 40-50 years old. Married. Outwardly similar to a bear. Healthy and strong. Clumsy, rude and straightforward. He takes good care of his estate. His peasants have strong and reliable huts. Loves to eat well.

Plyushkin- A rich landowner. He has about 1000 souls. He has many dead and fugitive souls. Plyushkin lives like a beggar: he wears cast-offs and eats breadcrumbs. He doesn't throw anything away. Its peasants live in old, dilapidated houses. He inflates prices and does not sell goods to merchants, so the goods rot in storerooms.

The main work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, undoubtedly, was the poem “Dead Souls”, the first volume of which was written in 1842. The poem was written for the most part abroad, where Gogol went after the unsuccessful premiere of The Government Inspector, but the author still talks about Russia, its present and future. According to the original plan, the work should have consisted of three volumes. The first volume described Russian reality, with all its unrest in society and in ruling circles, the second volume proposed ways of revival, and in the third - a society of perhaps a utopian heavenly tomorrow, which should ultimately reign on Russian soil. But the writer was never able to fully cope with his task, so the second volume of “Dead Souls” was burned twice by its creator. It never came to the third.

But the first volume was saved and published. Against the backdrop of the scam of Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov (the purchase of dead peasants, but still listed as alive according to the revision tale), Gogol masterfully depicts the diverse Russian life different layers population and shows the negative sides of rulers. At the same time, the entire depth was revealed main topic works. The concepts of “dead” and “living” in the poem gradually move from their true lexical meaning into the symbolic. The landowners and officials of the city of N are representatives of the so-called “dead souls” who have long stopped in their spiritual development, and Chichikov is a typical “ alive soul", the man who must lead Russia onto the path of revival.

Gogolevsky Chichikov - very unusual image, personifying great power, conquering all evil. Throughout the first volume, he is constantly on the road. His home, unlike the “dead” landowners, is the road. The road leads to a bright future and symbolizes life. Already at the very beginning of the poem, Gogol gives a description of his main character:

In the chaise sat a gentleman, not handsome, but not bad-looking either, neither too fat nor too thin; One cannot say that he is old, but not that he is young.

The author describes his hero not as a person, but as a mystical creature without certain external data. The reader should not be distracted by appearance Chichikov, so as not to miss the main thing - his mission. Pavel Ivanovich’s scam is not carried out for the sake of money, as it might seem at first glance. This is a kind of test that ultimately shows whether the souls of the landowners are “dead” or whether there is hope for their resurrection.

In the person of one hero, Nikolai Vasilyevich represents the Russia of the future, and the Russia of the present is shown in the faces of many landowners and officials. This suggests that one single Chichikov is much more “alive” than all the Manilovs, Nozdrevs and Sobakeviches combined.

Chichikov had a very difficult life. He was left without parents early and was forced to enter adulthood independent life. He had to make his way through with the help of his manners and courtesy, since the main character did not have any special talents. Since childhood, he was very attentive and diligent, so he remembered his father’s order for the rest of his life:

...and most of all, take care of your penny, a penny will ruin everything.

Pavel Ivanovich obediently fulfills his father’s will and the meaning of his life becomes “folding a penny.” Gogol portrays him as a very mysterious person, because secrecy is the main quality of a swindler:

The visitor, it seemed, avoided talking much about himself, and if he did speak, it was in some commonplaces, and with noticeable modesty.

But, like any living person, Chichikov is characterized by various emotional manifestations, for example, a feeling of fear. Probably only Nozdryov sees the true essence of his guest, since he himself is not sinless. “You are a big swindler, let me tell you this out of friendship. If I were your boss, I would hang you from the first tree,” Nozdryov reports with great enthusiasm. Chichikov ruined his career due to excessive greed, but mistakes and omissions do not frighten the hero. The loss of a lucrative position only gives him strength to commit new scams. He was always an outstanding and never cheerful person. He had enormous professional experience accumulated over a long period of service, and in particular, excellent knowledge human souls. A brilliant idea about buying dead peasants came to the hero precisely in a moment of despondency, because the deal promised to be very profitable.

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov has an excellent understanding of human characters, and it is not difficult for him to find an individual approach to everyone. For example, with Manilov he is cultured and courteous, but with Nozdryov he is rude and unceremonious. He combines the traits of each interlocutor and skillfully uses them at the right moment. The only obstacle in Chichikov’s plan was the “club-headed” Korobochka, who came to the city to find out how much dead souls “walk” now. It is she who casts a shadow on our adventurer, and after her the whole city learns that the visiting gentleman has deceived everyone. Meanness will always be punished by retaliatory meanness. It is completely natural that Chichikov is defeated. Because of his greed, he could not predict such a sad ending, because he was smart, and meeting stupidity was not part of his plans. As it turned out, good manners, the hero's iron grip and prudence cannot always predict him possible consequences, because in huge country very often it is impossible to understand who is who. Start bourgeois era helped Chichikov in acquiring qualities different from the landowners.

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov is a man of new times, possessing both professional and adventurous qualities. Although Chichikov is called a nice fellow, the word “businessman” in his case still carries negative character. That's why main character gives us mixed feelings: on the one hand, he is a good person, smart and optimistic, but on the other hand, his passion is money, which forces the hero to live dishonestly.