Characteristics of Nozdrev and Sobakevich are dead souls. Nozdryov and Sobakevich in Gogol's Dead Souls

Another type of "living dead" is represented by Nozdryov. “He was of medium height, very well-built fellow with full ruddy cheeks, with snow-white teeth and jet-black sideburns. He was as fresh as blood and milk, health seemed to squirt from his face.
Nozdrev is the exact opposite of both Manilov and Korobochka. He is a fidget, a hero of fairs, balls, drinking parties, a card table. He has "a restless briskness and briskness of character." He is a brawler, a reveler, a liar, a "knight of revelry." He is no stranger to Khlestakovism - the desire to appear more significant and richer than it really is. He completely ran his business. In an excellent position, he only has a kennel.
Nozdryov plays cards dishonestly, he is always ready to “go anywhere, even to the ends of the world, enter into whatever enterprise you want, change everything that is, for whatever you want.” However, all this does not lead Nozdryov to enrichment, but, on the contrary, ruins him.
The social significance of the image of Nozdryov lies in the fact that on it Gogol clearly shows all the contradiction between the interests of the peasantry and the landowners. Food was brought to the fair from Nozdryov's estate Agriculture and “sold at the best price”, and Nozdryov squandered everything and lost in a few days. A new stage in the moral fall of a person - "damn fist", in the words of Chichikov, - Sobakevich.
“It seemed,” writes Gogol, “that body did not have a soul at all, or it did have one, but not at all where it should, but, like an immortal koshchey, somewhere beyond the mountains, and covered with such a thick shell that everything that tossed and turned at the bottom of it did not produce any shock on the surface.
Sobakevich's attraction to the old feudal forms of farming, hostility to the city and enlightenment are combined with a passion for profit, predatory accumulation. Passion for enrichment pushes him to cheating, makes him look for various means of profit. Unlike other landowners brought out by Gogol, Sobakevich, in addition to the corvée, also uses the monetary system: for example, Ermiy Sorokoplekhin, who traded in Moscow, brought Sobakevich five hundred rubles dues.
Discussing the character of Sobakevich, Gogol emphasizes the broad generalizing meaning of this image. Sobakevichi, says Gogol, were not only in the landlord, but also in the bureaucratic and educational environment. And everywhere they showed their qualities of a "man-fist": greed, narrowness of interests, inertia.

Essay on literature on the topic: Nozdrev and Sobakevich. Contrasting types

Other writings:

  1. “Dead Souls” was published after the death of A. S. Pushkin, but N. V. Gogol managed to read the first chapters of the poem to him. The great poet, who always laughed while reading Gogol, this time became more and more gloomy as he read the chapters. When Read More ......
  2. Manilov, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Sobakevich - these heroes are anti-social, their characters are ugly, but each of them, as we saw on closer acquaintance, had at least something positive left. Manilov. This man reminds me a little of Chichikov himself. “God alone could say, Read More ......
  3. Visit to Nozdrev by Chichikov. Chichikov met with Nozdrev in a tavern. Nozdryov began to invite Ch. to his house, he denied it, but soon agreed. Upon entering the house, Ch. noticed that no guests were expected here. Then N. took Ch-va to his office. In the office Read More ......
  4. Nozdryov, with whom Chichikov is brought together by yet another “accident”, is the complete opposite of Korobochka, an example of unbelted, ugly broad Russian nature. About such people Dostoevsky will say later: "If there is no God, then everything is allowed." For Nozdryov, God is himself, his unlimited whims Read More ......
  5. In the image of Nozdrev, Gogol developed the features of Khlestakov. Khlestakov, a petty Petersburg official, “a simple Elistratishka”, on his way from Petersburg to the “Saratov province, to his own village”, was admitted to county town for the auditor. Received a substantial amount of money as bribes, treated kindly, declared the daughter's fiancé Read More ......
  6. In the poem "Dead Souls" Gogol vividly portrayed the "masters of the country", the landowners responsible for the economic and cultural state of Russia, for the fate of the people. One of them, Nozdrev, appears before us in the 4th chapter of the first volume. During a meeting in a tavern, Chichikov continues to get acquainted with Read More ......
  7. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is a talented satirist writer. His gift was especially bright and original in the poem "Dead Souls" when creating images of landowners. The characteristics of the heroes are full of sarcasm when Gogol describes the most useless little people, but vested with the right to dispose of the peasants. The author describes the estates of the landowners, Read More ......
  8. 1. Common features of heroes. 2. Differences in the character of Nozdrev and Khlestakov. 3. Characteristics of the characters from the point of view of the author. 4. The timelessness of their existence. This catchphrase, put by N.V. Gogol into the mouth of Khlestakov from the “Inspector General”, with good reason can be attributed to Read More ......
Nozdrev and Sobakevich. Contrasting types

The idea of ​​"Dead Souls" arose and took shape in the creative mind of Gogol under the direct influence of Pushkin. Pushkin, after reading the manuscript, said in a voice full of anguish: “God, how sad is our Russia?”. In 1842, the poem was published, despite the censorship ban, Belinsky helped print it. Her appearance turned out to be a great event in the Russian public and. literary life. Herzen noted that "Dead Souls" shook the whole of Russia. The release of the poem caused an even greater storm than the appearance of the comedy The Inspector General. The serf-owning nobles, who recognized themselves in different faces of Gogol's new work, reactionary criticism viciously condemned the author of the poem, accusing Gogol of not loving Russia, that this is a mockery of Russian society. The progressive camp, and among them Belinsky, believed that Gogol's satire was the satire of an ardent patriot who passionately loved his people. Gogol was firmly convinced of the great future of the country, he understood that great opportunities and forces were hidden in the people to change the face of Russia.

It was a deep love for Russia, a sense of anxiety for the fate of his people that nourished Gogol's merciless satire in the depiction of the noble-serf world. Gogol wrote in his diary: "There is a time when it is impossible to aspire society, even the whole generation, to the beautiful, until you show the full depth of its real abomination." The portrait gallery of "Dead Souls" is opened by Manilov. By nature, Manilov is courteous, kind, polite, but all this has taken on him ridiculous, ugly forms. He has done no good to anyone or anything, because his life is occupied with trifles. The word "manilovism" has become a household word. Good-heartedness is the most distinctive feature of Manilov. Relations between people always seemed to him festive, without clashes and contradictions. He did not know life at all, his reality was replaced by an empty fantasy, and therefore he looks at everything through “rose-colored glasses”. This is the only landowner who gave "dead souls" to Chichikov.

Following Manilov, Gogol shows Korobochka, one of "those mothers, small landowners who cry for crop failures and losses, and meanwhile they collect a little money in bags placed in chests of drawers." Korobochka has no claims to high culture, like Manilov, she does not indulge in empty fantasies, all her thoughts and desires revolve around the economy. For her, as for all landowners, serfs are a commodity. Therefore, Korobochka does not see the difference between the souls of the living and the dead. Korobochka says to Chichikov: "Really, my father, it has never happened to me to sell the dead." Chichikov calls Korobochka club-headed. This apt definition fully illuminates the psychology of a landowner, a typical representative of a noble serf society.

The image of Nozdrev is typical. This is a man of all trades. He is carried away by drunken revelry, violent fun, card game. In the presence of Nozdryov, not a single society could do without scandalous stories, therefore the author ironically calls Nozdryov a "historical man." Chatter, boasting, lies are the most typical features of Nozdryov. According to Chichikov, Nozdrev is a “rubbish man”. He behaves cheekily, impudently and has a "passion to spoil his neighbor." Sobakevich, unlike Manilov and Nozdrev, is associated with economic activity. Sobakevich is a fist and a cunning rascal. Gogol ruthlessly exposes the greedy hoarder, who was "medved" by the system of serfdom. Sobakevich's interests are limited. His purpose in life is material enrichment and delicious food. Furniture in Sobakevich's house: a table, armchairs, chairs resembled the owner himself. Through appearance, through comparison with household items, Gogol achieves great brightness and expressiveness in describing the characteristic features of the hero. The gallery of "dead souls" is completed by Plyushkin, in which pettiness, insignificance and vulgarity reach the limit.

Avarice and a passion for hoarding deprived Plyushkin of human feelings and led him to monstrous deformity. In people, he saw only plunderers of his property. Plyushkin himself abandoned society, did not go anywhere and did not invite anyone to visit him. He kicked out his daughter and cursed his son. His people were dying like flies, many of his serfs were on the run. Plyushkin considered all his peasants parasites and thieves. In the chapter on Plyushkin, the peasant question is touched upon more broadly than in the others. Already the appearance of the village speaks of the heavy and hopeless share of the serfs, of their complete ruin. The deep decline of the entire feudal way of life in Russia was most realistically reflected in the image of Plyushkin.

Gogol's images are deeply typified and are a true generalization of social order. The writer himself deeply and magnificently felt the universal breadth of the types he created. Gogol wrote: “Nozdryov will not leave the world for a long time. He is everywhere between us and, perhaps, only walks in a different caftan. Gogol painted in his poem a gloomy and terrible picture of a serf society that is incapable of leading national life, a society devoid of an elementary idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhonesty and public duty, devastated and spiritually dead. All advanced, thinking Russia, reading the poem, understood its title as Herzen understood: "Dead Souls" is the horror and shame of Russia. Gogol was highly appreciated by his contemporaries.

Chernyshevsky later wrote:

“For a long time there has not been a writer in the world who would be as important for his people as Gogol is for Russia.”

Now there are no landowners, but the character traits that Gogol so vividly captured in the poem "Dead Souls" remained, scattered in countless quantities of vices of a huge part of society. Zhirinovsky resembles Nozdryov, so he can be called a "historical figure." Boxes are found at almost every step, the Plyushkins who have survived from the mind are rare, but still can be found, only Manilov in our cruel century has nothing to do. Dreaming in vain is too much, a great luxury. Gogol is immortal, and this is clear to anyone who has studied Russian literature of the nineteenth century well. The main feature of Gogol's gift was especially clearly manifested in the depiction of the characters of the landowners. The ability to outline the “vulgarity of a vulgar” person with two, three features was later used by Chekhov.

The social soil on which the Chichikovs, Manilovs, Sobakevichs, and Nozdrevs flourished has long been destroyed. And the evil of bureaucracy, hoarding, hypocrisy is still indestructible in humanity. Gogol's smashing satire is also necessary for our time. Perhaps something else is important. The work has a frightening picture of the disunity of people, their alienation from the true meaning of life. The man has lost his human face. It's not funny anymore, it's scary. The "dead souls" of the landlords have finally lost the ability to truly see, hear, and think.

Their mechanical behavior, set once and for all, is subordinated to the sole purpose of acquiring in order to “sleep” in reality. This is spiritual death! Gogol's passionate desire to awaken the sleepy human consciousness is in tune with any era of stagnation. "Dead Souls" is an innovative work that boldly develops the traditions of Russian literature. The writer gave all his thoughts to the people, he saw the revival of Russia in the destruction of the idle caste of parasites, whose name is feudal nobles. This is the greatness of Gogol's literary feat.

Comparative characteristics of Plyushkin, Korobochka and Sobakevich and Nozdrev in the poem "Dead Souls"

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"Dead Souls" was published after the death of A. S. Pushkin, but N. V. Gogol managed to read the first chapters of the poem to him. The great poet, who always laughed while reading Gogol, this time became more and more gloomy as he read the chapters. When the reading was over, he said in a voice full of anguish: “God, how sad is our Russia!”

Already in its finished form, the poem evoked not only melancholy, but also horror. The five landlords at the center of the story replace each other in a certain sequence. Gogol explained the change of types in this order by the fact that the truth about the spiritual, moral and moral life of an entire class is thus revealed more fully.

Each landowner is distinguished by a sharp individuality, but their attitude towards the peasants, full of cynicism, unites all owners of “baptized property”. For them, the living and dead souls of peasants are ordinary goods. They speak of the living as if they were dead, and they sell the dead as "steamed turnips." The portrait gallery is represented by the beautiful-hearted dreamer Manilov, the “club-headed” Korobochka, the man of all trades Nozdrev, the kulak Sobakevich and the miser Plyushkin. Of these five, Nozdryov and Sobakevich seem to be somewhat more lively and active. About Nozdryov, Gogol writes that he is one of those people who “start with a satin stitch, and end with a reptile.” He is endowed with a phenomenal ability to lie unnecessarily, but with inspiration, cheat at cards, change for anything, arrange “stories”, buy whatever comes up, and lower everything to the ground. “Nozdryov,” Gogol ironically remarks, “in many respects was a versatile person, that is, a man of all trades.” In Nozdryov we see a kind of “breadth of nature”. With a light heart, he loses a lot of money at cards, and having beaten some simpleton at the fair, he is ready to immediately let the whole loss go down the drain, buy a bunch of unnecessary things that come to hand.

But that's not all. Nozdrev is a master of "pouring bullets". He is a reckless braggart and an outrageous liar. A rogue and a brawler, Nozdryov always behaves defiantly, arrogantly, aggressively. Nozdrev, according to Chichikov, is a "rubbish man." It is interesting that Nozdryov's behavior in society does not shock anyone. His high-ranking card partners are only keeping a close eye on him so that he does not cheat. True, another “combination” of Nozdrev ended in a scandal, and sometimes he returned home with one sideburn. But he did not lose friendship with anyone. There is no person among the provincial authorities who has not heard about Nozdryov's "weaknesses". But when a commotion began in the city about Chichikov, they first turned to Nozdryov. Gogol ironically remarks: “These gentlemen officials are strange ... after all, they knew very well that Nozdryov was a liar, that he could not be trusted in a single word, not in the trifle itself, but meanwhile they resorted to him.” They cannot live without Nozdryov, just as he cannot live without them.

Sobakevich, unlike Nozdryov, is an economic man. His character begins to unfold even before meeting him. Approaching the estate of Sobakevich, Chichikov drew attention to a large wooden house with a mezzanine, "like those that we build for military settlements and German colonists." Everything about him was "stubborn", without precariousness, in some kind of "strong and clumsy order." Sobakevich bears little resemblance to other landowners. This is a prudent, tight-fisted owner, a cunning huckster. He is alien to the dreamy complacency of Manilov, as well as the violent extravagance of Nozdryov or the petty hoarding of Korobochka. He is taciturn, has an iron grip, has a mind of his own, and there are few people who would be able to deceive him. Not only in his house, but in the whole estate - down to the farm of the last peasant - everything is strong and strong with him. Compared to other landlords who inadvertently ripped off their peasants, Sobakevich looks like a positive person. However, Gogol draws our attention to the surrounding things: a huge table, a pot-bellied walnut bureau, heavy armchairs, chairs that seemed to say: “I am also Sobakevich!”. Things, as if alive, reveal “some strange resemblance to the owner of the house himself”, and the owner, in turn, reminds “ medium size bear." Rough, animal strength emanates from Sobakevich, in whose head not a single breath of human thought stirred. Chichikov feels a dangerous opponent in Sobakevich, he tried for a long time how to start a conversation about business. But Sobakevich himself, unexpectedly simply asked: “Do you need dead souls?” After that, a direct conversation began between two swindlers, two business people. A staunch serf-owner, an opponent of everything new in life, Sobakevich understands the spirit of the times: everything is subject to sale and purchase, one can benefit from everything. And Sobakevich is trading. Chichikov was well dressed up until he came to an agreement with Sobakevich.

The characters of Nozdrev and Sobakevich are Gogol's discovery. No one before him showed the full depth of their socio-psychological significance. Comparing them with other landowners, we are convinced that Nozdryov's activity and economic activity Sobakevich are just a parody of the reality of that time. And we agree with Gogol, who wrote that "... my heroes are one more vulgar than the other."

Give a description of Nozdryov and Sobakevich from the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol "Dead Souls". and got the best answer

Answer from Nikita Bayurinov[guru]
Nozdrev is a broken, frivolous person. He loses cards easily.
This person can easily betray, he does not know such a thing as strong friendship.
He has two children whom he does not raise at all. This speaks of his irresponsibility.
Nozdrev is a master of "pouring bullets". He is a liar, but he is a liar under duress. He deliberately imposes one lie on another. Perhaps in this way he is trying to draw attention to his person.
Nozdryov loves to brag and exaggerate. He almost swore to Chichikov that he was catching a huge fish in his pond.
The society of the provincial city treated Nozdryov and his antics with a certain indifference. But even without Nozdryov they couldn't either. After all, the inhabitants of the city call Nozdrev when they want to find out who Chichikov really is.
Unlike Nozdryov, Sobakevich cannot be counted as people hovering in the clouds. This hero stands firmly on the ground, does not entertain illusions, soberly evaluates people and life, knows how to act and achieve what he wants. With the character of his life, Gogol notes solidity and fundamentality in everything. These are natural features of Sobakevich's life. On him and on the furnishings of his house lies the stamp of clumsiness, ugliness. Physical strength and clumsiness appears in the guise of the hero himself. "He looked like a medium-sized bear," Gogol writes about him. In Sobakevich, the animal principle prevails. He is devoid of any spiritual inquiries, far from daydreaming, philosophizing and noble impulses of the soul. The meaning of his life is to saturate the stomach. He himself has a negative attitude towards everything connected with culture and education: "Enlightenment is a harmful invention." The local being and the hoarder coexist in it. Unlike Korobochka, he understands the environment well and understands the time in which he lives, knows people. Unlike other landowners, he immediately understood the essence of Chichikov. Sobakevich is a cunning rogue, an impudent businessman who is difficult to deceive. He evaluates everything around him only from the point of view of his own benefit. In his conversation with Chichikov, the psychology of a kulak is revealed, who knows how to make the peasants work for themselves and extract the maximum benefit from this. He is straightforward, quite rude and does not believe in anyone. Unlike Manilov, in his perception all people are robbers, scoundrels, fools. (Everything in Sobakevich's house surprisingly resembled himself. Every thing seemed to say: "And I, too, Sobakevich."
The description of the village and the landowner's economy testifies to a certain prosperity. “The yard was surrounded by a strong and unreasonably thick wooden lattice. The landowner, it seemed, was fussing a lot about strength ... The village huts of the peasants were also cut down marvelously ... everything was fitted tightly and as it should.
Describing the appearance of Sobakevich, Gogol resorts to zoological analogy - a comparison of a landowner with a bear. Sobakevich is a glutton. In his judgments about where he rises to a kind of “gastronomic” pathos: “When I have pork - put the whole pig on the table, lamb - drag the whole ram, goose - just the goose! ” However,
Sobakevich, and in this he differs from Plyushkin and most other landowners, except perhaps for Korobochka, has a certain economic streak: he does not ruin his own serfs, he achieves a certain order in the economy, he profitably sells dead souls to Chichikov, he knows very well the business and human qualities of his peasants.
The image of Sobakevich occupies a worthy place in the gallery of landowners. "A fist! Yes, and a beast to boot" - Chichikov gave him such a description. Sobakevich is undoubtedly a hoarding landowner. His village is large and well-organized. All buildings, though clumsy, are strong to the extreme. Sobakevich himself reminded Chichikov of a medium-sized bear - big, clumsy. In the portrait of Sobakevich, there is no description of the eyes at all, which, as you know, are the mirror of the soul. Gogol wants to show that Sobakevich is so rude, uncouth, that in his body "there was no soul at all." In Sobakevich's rooms everything is just as clumsy and

Answer from Petr Nuikin[newbie]
Thanks 🙂