Gallery " dead souls“In Gogol’s poem, the images of officials of the city of N continue. The author depicts them as a single faceless mass, mired in bribes and corruption: “But let the devil get into the habit of turning up at your hand every day, so that you don’t want to take it, but he pokes you in.” " These features are clearly manifested in the seventh chapter, in which Chichikov comes to draw up a bill of sale to the civil chamber. The image of the official Ivan Antonovich “jug snout” is colorful, but, first of all, this chapter created a generalized image of middle-class Russian bureaucracy.
Sobakevich gives officials an evil but very accurate description: “The swindler sits on the swindler and drives the swindler.” Officials mess around, cheat, steal, offend the weak and tremble before the strong.
It is noteworthy that with the news of the appointment of a new governor-general (tenth chapter), the inspector of the medical board thinks feverishly about the patients who died in significant numbers from fever, against which proper measures were not taken. The chairman of the chamber turns pale at the thought that he has made a deed of sale for dead peasant souls. And the prosecutor actually came home and suddenly died. What sins were behind his soul that he was so afraid?
Gogol shows us that the life of officials is empty and meaningless. They are simply air smokers who have wasted their precious lives on meanness and fraud.

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The city governor is one of minor characters in the poem " Dead Souls"Like other officials of the city of N, the governor is delighted with the charming swindler Chichikov, invites him to his evenings and introduces him to his wife and daughter. The stupid governor, like all the other officials, understands too late who Chichikov is. The swindler Chichikov safely leaves the city with ready-made documents for “dead souls”.

Vice-Governor “...with the Vice-Governor and the Chairman of the Chamber, who were still only state councilors...” “...And the Vice-Governor, isn’t it, what a nice person?..” (Manilov about him) “...Very, very worthy a man,” answered Chichikov...” “... He and the vice-governor are Goga and Magog!...” (Sobakevich says that the vice-governor and the governor are robbers)

The prosecutor is one of the officials of the city of N in the poem “Dead Souls” by Gogol. The main features of the prosecutor's appearance are his thick eyebrows and his blinking eye. According to Sobakevich, among all the officials the prosecutor is the only decent person, but he is still a “pig.” When Chichikov's scam is revealed, the prosecutor is so worried that he suddenly dies.

The postmaster is one of the officials of the city of N in the poem “Dead Souls”. This article presents a quotation image and characteristics of the postmaster in the poem “Dead Souls”: a description of the appearance and character of the hero
The chairman of the chamber is one of the officials of the city N in the poem "Dead Souls". Ivan Grigorievich is a rather nice, amiable, but rather stupid person. Chichikov easily deceives both the chairman and other officials. The stupid chairman of the chamber does not suspect Chichikov’s scam and even helps himself draw up documents for the “dead souls.”

Police chief Alexey Ivanovich is one of the officials of the provincial city N in the poem “Dead Souls”. Sometimes this character is mistakenly called "police chief". But, according to the text of “Dead Souls,” the hero’s position is called “police chief.” This article presents a quotation image and characteristics of the police chief in the poem “Dead Souls”: a description of the appearance and character of the hero.
Inspector of the medical board “...he even came to pay respects to the inspector of the medical board...” “... Inspector of the medical board, he is also an idle person and, probably, at home, if he didn’t go somewhere to play cards...” (Sobakevich about him) “... Inspector the doctor's office suddenly turned pale; he imagined God knows what: didn’t the word “dead souls” mean sick people who died in significant numbers in hospitals and other places from epidemic fever, against which no proper measures were taken, and that Chichikov was not sent ... "

City mayor “...Then I was […] at a snack after mass, given by the city mayor, which was also worth lunch...” “Nozdryov […] read in the mayor’s note that there might be a profit, because they were expecting some newcomer for the evening...” (the mayor hopes to profit)

Gendarme colonel “...the gendarme colonel said that he learned man..." (Colonel about Chichikov)

Manager of state-owned factories “...then he was […] with the head of state-owned factories..”
City architect “...he even came to pay respects […] to the city architect

Images of officials in the poem “Dead Souls”
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol more than once addressed the topic of bureaucratic Russia. This writer’s satire affected contemporary officials in such works as “The Inspector General,” “The Overcoat,” and “Notes of a Madman.” This theme is also reflected in N.V. Gogol’s poem “Dead Souls,” where, starting from the seventh chapter, bureaucracy is the focus. In contrast to the portraits of landowners depicted in detail in this work, the images of officials are given in only a few strokes. But they are so masterful that they give the reader a complete picture of what a Russian official was like in the 30s and 40s of the 19th century.
This is the governor, embroidering on tulle, and the prosecutor with thick black eyebrows, and the postmaster, the wit and philosopher, and many others. The miniature portraits created by Gogol are well remembered for their characteristic details, which give a complete picture of a particular character. For example, why is the head of the province, a person occupying a very responsible government position, described by Gogol as a good-natured man who embroiders on tulle? The reader is forced to think that he is not capable of anything else, since he is characterized only from this side. And a busy person is unlikely to have time for such an activity. The same can be said about his subordinates.
What do we know from the poem about the prosecutor? It is true that he, as an idle man, sits at home. This is how Sobakevich speaks of him. One of the most significant officials of the city, called upon to monitor the rule of law, the prosecutor did not bother public service. All he did was sign papers. And all the decisions were made for him by the solicitor, “the first grabber in the world.” Therefore, when the prosecutor died, few could say what was outstanding about this man. Chichikov, for example, thought at the funeral that the only thing the prosecutor could be remembered for was his thick black eyebrows. “...Why he died or why he lived, only God knows” - with these words Gogol speaks of the complete meaninglessness of the life of a prosecutor.
And what meaning is the life of the official Ivan Antonovich Kuvshinnoe Rylo filled with? Collect more bribes. This official is extorting them using his official position. Gogol describes how Chichikov placed a “piece of paper” in front of Ivan Antonovich, “which he did not notice at all and immediately covered with a book.”
N.V. Gogol in the poem “Dead Souls” not only introduces the reader to individual representatives of the bureaucracy, but also gives them a unique classification. He divides them into three groups - lower, thin and thick. The lower ones are represented by petty officials (clerks, secretaries) Most of them are drunkards. The thin ones are the middle stratum of the bureaucracy, and the fat ones are the provincial nobility, who know how to derive considerable benefit from their high position.
The author also gives us an idea of ​​the lifestyle of Russian officials in the 30s and 40s of the nineteenth century. Gogol compares officials with a squadron of flies swooping down on tasty morsels of refined sugar. They are occupied by playing cards, drinking, lunches, dinners, and gossip. In the society of these people, “meanness, completely disinterested, pure meanness” flourishes. Gogol portrays this class as thieves, bribe-takers and slackers. That is why they cannot convict Chichikov of his machinations - they are bound by mutual responsibility, each, as they say, “has a cannon.” And if they try to detain Chichikov for fraud, all their sins will come out.
In “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin,” Gogol completes the collective portrait of an official he gave in the poem. The indifference that the disabled war hero Kopeikin faces is terrifying. And here already we're talking about not about some petty county officials. Gogol shows how a desperate hero, who is trying to get the pension he is entitled to, reaches the highest authorities. But even there he does not find the truth, faced with the complete indifference of a high-ranking St. Petersburg dignitary. Thus, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol makes it clear that vices have affected the entire bureaucratic Russia - from a small county town to the capital. These vices make people “dead souls.”
The author's sharp satire not only exposes bureaucratic sins, but also shows the terrible social consequences of inactivity, indifference and thirst for profit.

Who did not become first of all
man, he is a bad citizen.
V.G. Belinsky

In his poem, Gogol mercilessly castigates officials with the light of satire. They are like a collection of strange and unpleasant insects collected by the author. Not a very attractive image, but are the officials themselves pleasant? If we remember that all these “statesmen” are in the service; if we remember that Gogol described the province (where the picture of the state is most typical); If we remember that Gogol was very criticized (which most clearly shows the veracity of the poem, despite all the grotesquery) for his work, it becomes truly scary for Russia, for the form in which it existed. Let's take a closer look at this eerie collection.

Russia has always been divided by modern critics into two parts: the peasantry, the people, and the landowners and officials. Here it would be necessary to add a third layer, which was still emerging at that time; his representative is Chichikov. He's like death cap, growing on the bodies of landowners collapsing into oblivion. But was the landowner and bureaucratic layer really doomed? After all, the state existed, and it seemed to be good...

What is an urban society? In his description, Gogol used one, but very bright image: officials “... flashed and rushed separately and in heaps here and there, like flies rushed,... and air squadrons..., lifted by light air, take off boldly, like complete masters... not to eat, but just to show oneself...” With one comparison, Gogol immediately shows the great Emptiness, Emptiness with a capital V, reigning in the minds and souls of officials.

What are landowners and officials like individually? Let's start with the “statesmen” who are in service, personifying state power; on which the life of the people depends.

Prosecutor. His “silence” and “seriousness”, taken by everyone as a sign great mind, there is only evidence that he simply has nothing to say. It is clear that he is the biggest bribe-taker: the news of “dead souls” and the worries associated with it shock him so much that he, unable to withstand the enormous, all-consuming fear... dies.

Here is the chairman of the chamber. He is a “very” reasonable “amiable person”. All! This is where his characterization ends. Nothing is said about this person’s hobbies or inclinations - there’s simply nothing to talk about!

The postmaster is not much better than the rest. Only during the card game is a “thinking face” depicted on his face. The rest of the time he is “talkative.” But nothing is said about the content of the speeches. Obviously, as unnecessary.

One should not think that there are important differences between landowners and officials. Both are endowed with power that brings money.

Chichikov successively visits four landowners in the poem. A visit to Manilov shows highest degree emptiness and worthlessness. Manilov, about whom it can be said that his hobby - dreams - turned into a “profession”, brought his farm to such a state in which everything is collapsing from airy dilapidation and instability. One can guess about the future fate of Manilovka and the estate: they will be mortgaged if they do not fall apart first.

Korobochka and Plyushkin. These are two forms of the same phenomenon: senseless and greedy hoarding. This greed is brought to the point of absurdity: Korobochka and Plyushkin differ only in the size of the smallest and most worthless object, dragged into the house, into chests, and generally “inside.” Both Korobochka and Plyushkin have complete isolation and isolation from the world, in one it is expressed in a solid fence and chained dogs, in sitting at home all the time; the other - in misanthropism, hatred of all potential wasters, and, as a consequence, of all people. Plyushkin's farm is already ruined remains; Korobochka’s farm is a “fortress”, ready to become moldy and collapse within itself.

Sobakevich is a strong owner. It seems that it is his farm - strong, although uncouth, made of oak - that will last the longest. The peasants live relatively well... Although we don’t know if this is so - we know about the peasants of Sobakevich only from their dwellings - gray but strong huts. One can guess that Sobakevich keeps his peasants under strict discipline. Who can guarantee that in some bad year the peasants will not rebel and sweep away Sobakevich with his family and estate? The Russian revolt will be all the more senseless and merciless because peasants from Manilovki, Vshivy Spesei and other villages will probably join it.

And so - Chichikov, by position - an official, by intentions - a landowner, by nature - a crafty slave, humiliating himself before the right person. “By adapting, people want to preserve themselves, and at the same time they lose themselves,” said Russian essayist M.I. Prishvin. This is very similar to Chichikov. Looking at the masks under which Chichikov hides, one can barely see his true face as a scoundrel and opportunist. But the failures that haunt him are an inevitable consequence of his machinations directed against people.

As for the environment in which such ugly personal computers appeared, they shaped it, adjusted it to themselves. The environment, musty and dark, produced more and more officials and landowners serving it. Only a revolution could break this vicious circle, which ultimately took place after 1861 and 1905.

So, where is the future of Russia, which will eventually rise and bloom? It is already clear that these are neither landowners nor Chichikov, the latter does not even have his own clear face, he is rather an exception; nor the officials who have subjugated power and law. The people, the Russian people, who will rise up, finally feeling freedom, part of which are both the intelligentsia and part of the truly tenacious, business people, this is Russia, us and our future.

Gogol, a contemporary of Pushkin, created his works in historical conditions, which developed in our country after the unsuccessful performance of the Decembrists in 1825. Thanks to the new socio-political situation, figures of literature and social thought were faced with tasks that were deeply reflected in the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich. Developing the principles in his work, this author became one of the most significant representatives of this trend in Russian literature. According to Belinsky, it was Gogol who for the first time managed to look directly and boldly at Russian reality.

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

Collective image of officials

In Nikolai Vasilyevich’s notes relating to the first volume of the novel, there is the following remark: “The dead insensibility of life.” This, according to the author, is the collective image of officials in the poem. It should be noted the difference in the image of them and the landowners. The landowners in the work are individualized, but the officials, on the contrary, are impersonal. It is possible to create only a collective portrait of them, from which the postmaster, police chief, prosecutor and governor stand out slightly.

Names and surnames of officials

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

It should be noted the grotesque beginning in the image of Ivan Antonovich, his comic, rude nickname (Pitcher Snout), which simultaneously refers to the world of animals and inanimate things. The department is ironically described as a “temple of Themis.” This place is important for Gogol. The department is often depicted in St. Petersburg stories, in which it appears as an anti-world, a kind of hell in miniature.

The most important episodes in the depiction of officials

The image of officials in the poem “Dead Souls” can be traced through the following episodes. This is primarily the governor's "house party" described in the first chapter; then - a ball at the governor's (chapter eight), as well as breakfast at the police chief's (tenth). In general, in chapters 7-10, it is bureaucracy as a psychological and social phenomenon that comes to the fore.

Traditional motives in the depiction of officials

You can find many traditional motifs characteristic of Russian satirical comedies in the “bureaucratic” plots of Nikolai Vasilyevich. These techniques and motives go back to Griboyedov and Fonvizin. The officials of the provincial city are also very reminiscent of their “colleagues” from Abuse, arbitrariness, and inactivity. Bribery, veneration, bureaucracy are social evils that are traditionally ridiculed. Suffice it to recall the story described in “The Overcoat” with a “significant person”, the fear of the auditor and the desire to bribe him in work of the same name and the bribe that is given to Ivan Antonovich in the 7th chapter of the poem “Dead Souls”. Very characteristic are the images of the police chief, the “philanthropist” and the “father” who visited the guest courtyard and shops as if they were his own storeroom; the chairman of the civil chamber, who not only exempted his friends from bribes, but also from the need to pay fees for processing documents; Ivan Antonovich, who did nothing without “gratitude.”

Compositional structure of the poem

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

The 1st volume of the work, as conceived by Gogol, shows various negative aspects of the life of Russia at that time - both bureaucratic and landowner. The entire 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. There is desolation, disorder, and dirt everywhere, which emphasizes the indifference of local authorities to the needs of residents. Then, after Chichikov visited the landowners, chapters 7 to 10 describe collective portrait bureaucrats of the then Russia. In several episodes, various images of officials are given in the poem "Dead Souls". Through the chapters you can see how the author characterizes this social class.

What do officials have in common with landowners?

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

Registration of a bill of sale

Together with Chichikov, who has returned to the city, we are transported to the court chamber, where this hero will have to draw up a bill of sale (Chapter 7). The characterization of the images of officials in the poem “Dead Souls” is given in this episode in very detail. Gogol uses it ironically tall symbol- a temple in which the “priests of Themis” serve, impartial and incorruptible. However, what is most striking is the desolation and dirt in this “temple”. Themis's "unattractive appearance" is explained by the fact that she receives visitors in a simple way, "in a dressing gown."

However, this simplicity actually turns into outright disregard for the laws. No one is going to take care of business, and the “priests of Themis” (officials) only care about how to take tribute, that is, bribes, from visitors. And they are really successful at it.

There is a lot of paperwork and fuss all around, but all this serves only one purpose - to confuse the applicants, so that they cannot do without help, kindly provided for a fee, of course. Chichikov, this rascal and expert in behind-the-scenes affairs, nevertheless had to use it to get into the presence.

He gained access to the necessary person only after he openly offered a bribe to Ivan Antonovich. We understand how much of a legitimate phenomenon it has become in the life of Russian bureaucrats when main character finally gets to the chairman of the chamber, who receives him as his old acquaintance.

Conversation with the Chairman

The heroes, after polite phrases, get down to business, and here the chairman says that his friends “shouldn’t pay.” A bribe here, it turns out, is so obligatory that only close friends of officials can do without it.

Another remarkable detail from the life of city officials is revealed in a conversation with the chairman. Very interesting in this episode analysis of the image of an official in the poem "Dead Souls". It turns out that even for such an unusual activity, which was described in the judicial chamber, not all representatives of this class consider it necessary to go to service. Like an “idle man,” the prosecutor sits at home. All cases are decided for him by a lawyer, who in the work is called “the first grabber.”

Governor's Ball

In the scene described by Gogol in (Chapter 8) we see a review of dead souls. Gossip and balls become a form of wretched mental and public life. The image of officials in the poem "Dead Souls" short description which we are compiling, can be supplemented in this episode with the following details. At the level of discussing fashionable styles and colors of materials, officials have ideas about beauty, and respectability is determined by the way a person ties a tie and blows his nose. There is not and cannot be real culture or morality here, since norms of behavior depend entirely on ideas about how things should be. This is why Chichikov is initially received so warmly: he knows how to sensitively respond to the needs of this public.

This is briefly the image of officials in the poem “Dead Souls”. Summary We did not describe the work itself. We hope you remember him. The characteristics presented by us can be supplemented based on the content of the poem. The topic “The image of officials in the poem “Dead Souls”” is very interesting. Quotes from the work, which can be found in the text by referring to the chapters we indicated, will help you supplement this characteristic.