The image of officials in the poem "Dead Souls" (by chapters)

Gogol, a contemporary of Pushkin, created his works in the historical conditions that prevailed in our country after the unsuccessful performance of the Decembrists in 1825. Before the figures of literature and public thought, thanks to the new social and political situation, the tasks that have found deep reflection in the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich arose. Developing in his work the principles of critical realism, this author became one of the most significant representatives of this trend in Russian literature. According to Belinsky, it was Gogol who managed to look directly at the Russian reality for the first time and boldly.

In this article, we describe the image of officials in the poem "Dead Souls".

Collective image of officials

In the notes of Nikolai Vasilyevich, referring to the first volume of the novel, there is the following remark: "Dead insensitivity of life." Such, in the author's opinion, is the collective image of officials in the poem Dead Souls. It should be noted the difference in the image of them and the landlords. The landowners in the work are individualized, but the officials, on the contrary, are impersonal. You can only make a collective portrait of them, insignificantly stand out from which the postmaster, the police chief, the prosecutor and the governor.

Names and surnames of officials

It should be noted that all persons who make up the collective image of officials in the poem "Dead Souls" do not have names, and names are often called in grotesque and comic contexts, sometimes duplicated (Ivan Antonovich, Ivan Andreevich). Of these, some are brought to the fore only for a short time, after which they disappear in the crowd of others. The subject of Gogol's satire was not posts and personalities, but social vices, social environment, which is the main object of the image in the poem.

It should be noted the grotesque beginning in the image of Ivan Antonovich, his comical, rude nickname (Pitcher's Rifle), simultaneously referring to the world of animals and inanimate things. Ironically, the department is described as the "Temple of Themis". This place is important for Gogol. The department is depicted often in the St. Petersburg stories, in which it appears as an anti-world, a kind of hell in miniature.

The most important episodes in the image of officials

The image of officials in the poem "Dead Souls" can be traced to the following episodes. This is primarily governor's "home party", described in the first chapter; Then - a ball at the governor (the eighth chapter), and also a breakfast at politsmejstera (the tenth). In general, in the 7th and 10th chapters, it is the bureaucracy that is the first to appear as a psychological and social phenomenon.

Traditional motives in the image of officials

You can find a lot of traditional motifs, typical for Russian satirical comedies, in the "bureaucratic" stories of Nikolai Vasilyevich. These techniques and motifs go back to Griboyedov and Fonvizin. Very similar to the officials of the provincial city of their "colleagues" from the work "The Inspector General". Typical for them abuse, arbitrariness, inactivity. Bribery, riches, bureaucracy is a social evil, traditionally ridiculed. Suffice it to recall the story described in "The Overcoat" with a "significant person", fear of the auditor and the desire to bribe him in the same name work and a bribe given to Ivan Antonovich in the 7th chapter of the poem "Dead Souls". Very characteristic are the images of the police chief, "philanthropist" and "father", who visited the drawing-room and shops as in his pantry; Chairman of the Civil Chamber, who not only exempted bribes, but also from the need to pay fees for processing documents of his friends; Ivan Antonovich, who did nothing without "gratitude".

Compositional construction of the poem

The poem itself is built on the adventures of an official (Chichikov), who buys dead souls. This image is impersonal: the author practically does not tell about Chichikov himself.

The first volume of the work according to Gogol's conception shows various negative aspects of the life of Russia at that time - both bureaucratic and landlord. All provincial society is part of the "dead world".

The exposition is given in the first chapter, in which a portrait of one provincial city is drawn. Everywhere desolation, disorder, dirt, which emphasizes the indifference of local authorities to the needs of residents. Then, after Chichikov visited the landowners, chapters 7 to 10 describe a collective portrait of the officials of the then Russia. In several episodes various images of officials in the poem "Dead Souls" are given. According to the chapters, one can see how the author characterizes this social class.

What does the officials have in common with the landlords?

With the landlords, officials are brought together, as shown by Nikolai Vasilyevich, lack of spirituality, greed for profit, a habit of parasitic existence. Such, for example, Ivan Antonovich, drawn by runaway strokes. He is ready to sell his soul for a bribe, assuming, of course, that he has it. And that's why, despite his comic nickname, it's not funny, even scary.

However, the worst thing is that such officials are no exception. These are typical representatives of the system of bureaucracy in Russia. In their midst corruptness and bureaucracy prevail.

Registration of deed of purchase

Together with Chichikov, who has returned to the city, we are transferred to the court chamber, where it is necessary for this hero to issue a deed (chapter 7). Characteristics of images of officials in the poem "Dead Souls" is given in this episode is very detailed. Ironically, Gogol uses a high symbol - a temple in which the "priests of Themis" serve, impartial and incorruptible. However, first of all, the destruction and filth in this "temple" is striking. The "unattractive appearance" of Themis is explained by the fact that it accepts visitors in a simple way, "in a dressing-gown".

However, this simplicity in practice turns out to be a frank contempt for laws. Nobody is going to do business, and the "priests of Themis" (officials) care only about how to take visitors from the tribute, that is, bribes. And they do succeed in this.

Running around with papers and fuss, all this serves only one purpose - to confuse petitioners, so that they can not do without the help, kindly provided for a fee, of course. Chichikov, this scoundrel and connoisseur of behind-the-scenes cases, nevertheless had to use it to get into the presence.

He got access to the necessary person only after he offered an open bribe to Ivan Antonovich. As far as it became a legal phenomenon in the life of the Russian bureaucracy, we understand when the main character finally gets to the chairman of the chamber, who accepts him as his old acquaintance.

Conversation with the chairman

Heroes after courteous phrases go to work, and here the chairman says that "his friends should not pay". A bribe here, it turns out, is so compulsory that only close friends of officials can do without it.

Another remarkable detail of the life of city officials is revealed in conversation with the chairman. Very interesting in this episode is the analysis of the official's image in the poem Dead Souls. It turns out that even for such an unusual activity, which was described in the Trial Chamber, not all representatives of this class consider it necessary to go to the service. As an "idle person" the prosecutor sits at home. All matters for him solves the solicitor, which in the work is called "the first grave."

The governor's ball

In the scene described by Gogol at the governor's ball (Chapter 8) we see a review of dead souls. Gossip and balls are becoming a form of poor mental and social life for people. The image of officials in the poem "Dead Souls", a brief description of which we compose, can be supplemented in this episode with the following details. At the level of discussing fashionable styles and coloring of the material, officials have a notion of beauty, and solidity is determined by how a person tie a tie and blow his nose. No and there can not be a real culture, morality, because the norms of behavior depend entirely on the ideas of how it should be. That's why Chichikov at first was received so cordially: he is able to react sensitively to the requests of this public.

This is a brief image of officials in the poem "Dead Souls". We did not describe the content of the work itself. We hope you remember it. The characteristics presented by us can be supplemented, based on the content of the poem. Very interesting topic "The image of officials in the poem" Dead Souls ". Quotations from the work, which can be found in the text, referring to the chapters mentioned by us, will help you to supplement this characteristic.