Summary of the second volume of dead souls. Brief retelling of Dead Souls. Chichikov - the main character of Gogol's "Dead Souls"

The poem by the great classic of Russian literature “Dead Souls” represents a man who travels around the Russian land with a strange desire to buy up dead peasants who are listed as alive on paper. In the work there are characters of different characters, classes and virtues. A summary of the poem “Dead Souls” in chapters (a brief retelling) will help you quickly find the necessary pages and events in the text.

Chapter 1

A chaise drives into a city without a name. She is met by men chatting about nothing. They look at the wheel and try to figure out how far it can go. The guest of the city turns out to be Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. He came to the city on business about which there is no exact information - “according to his needs.”

The young landowner has an interesting appearance:

narrow short trousers made of white rosin fabric;
fashionable tailcoat;
pin in the shape of a bronze pistol.

The landowner is distinguished by his innocent dignity; he “blows his nose” loudly, like a trumpet, and those around him are frightened by the sound. Chichikov checked into a hotel, asked about the residents of the city, but did not tell anything about himself. In his communication he managed to create the impression of a pleasant guest.

The next day, the city guest spent time on visits. He managed to find a kind word for everyone, flattery penetrated the hearts of the officials. The city started talking about the pleasant man who visited them. Moreover, Chichikov managed to charm not only men, but also women. Pavel Ivanovich was invited by landowners who were in the city on business: Manilov and Sobakevich. At a dinner with the police chief, he met Nozdryov. The hero of the poem managed to make a pleasant impression on everyone, even those who rarely spoke positively about anyone.

Chapter 2

Pavel Ivanovich has been in the city for more than a week. He attended parties, dinners and balls. Chichikov decided to visit the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. The reason for this decision was different. The master had two serfs: Petrushka and Selifan. The first silent reader. He read everything he could get his hands on, in any position. He liked unknown and incomprehensible words. His other passions: sleeping in clothes, preserving his scent. The coachman Selifan was completely different. In the morning we went to Manilov. They looked for the estate for a long time, it turned out to be more than 15 miles away, which the landowner spoke about. The master's house stood open to all winds. The architecture was in the English style, but only vaguely resembled it. Manilov broke into a smile as the guest approached. The owner's character is difficult to describe. The impression changes depending on how close a person gets to him. The landowner has an alluring smile, blond hair and blue eyes. The first impression is that he is a very pleasant man, then his opinion begins to change. They began to get tired of him because they did not hear a single living word. The economy went on by itself. The dreams were absurd and impossible: an underground passage, for example. He could read one page for several years in a row. There was not enough furniture. The relationship between wife and husband resembled voluptuous dishes. They kissed and created surprises for each other. They didn't care about anything else. The conversation begins with questions about the residents of the city. Manilov considers everyone to be pleasant people, sweet and kind. The intensifying particle pre- is constantly added to the characteristics: most amiable, most venerable, and others. The conversation turned into an exchange of compliments. The owner had two sons, the names surprised Chichikov: Themistoclus and Alcides. Slowly, but Chichikov decides to ask the owner about the dead on his estate. Manilov did not know how many people died; he ordered the clerk to write down everyone by name. When the landowner heard about the desire to buy dead souls, he was simply dumbfounded. I couldn’t imagine how to draw up a bill of sale for those who were no longer among the living. Manilov transfers souls for free, even pays the costs of transferring them to Chichikov. The farewell was as sweet as the meeting. Manilov stood on the porch for a long time, following the guest with his gaze, then plunged into daydreaming, but the guest’s strange request did not fit into his head, he turned it over until dinner.

Chapter 3

The hero, in excellent spirits, heads to Sobakevich. The weather turned bad. The rain made the road look like a field. Chichikov realized that they were lost. Just when it seemed that the situation was becoming unbearable, dogs were heard barking and a village appeared. Pavel Ivanovich asked to come into the house. He dreamed only of a warm night's sleep. The hostess did not know anyone whose names the guest mentioned. They straightened out the sofa for him, and he woke up only the next day, quite late. The clothes were cleaned and dried. Chichikov went out to the landlady, he communicated with her more freely than with the previous landowners. The hostess introduced herself as college secretary Korobochka. Pavel Ivanovich finds out if her peasants were dying. The box says there are eighteen people. Chichikov asks to sell them. The woman doesn’t understand, she imagines how the dead are dug out of the ground. The guest calms down and explains the benefits of the deal. The old woman doubts, she never sold the dead. All the arguments about the benefits were clear, but the essence of the deal itself was surprising. Chichikov silently called Korobochka a clubhead, but continued to convince. The old lady decided to wait, in case there were more buyers and prices were higher. The conversation did not work out, Pavel Ivanovich began to swear. He was so excited that sweat was rolling off him in three streams. The box liked the guest's chest, the paper. While the deal was being finalized, pies and other homemade food appeared on the table. Chichikov ate pancakes, ordered to lay the chaise and give him a guide. The box gave the girl, but asked not to take her away, otherwise the merchants had already taken one.

Chapter 4

The hero stops at the tavern for lunch. The old woman of the house pleases him by eating pig with horseradish and sour cream. Chichikov asks the woman about her affairs, income, family. The old woman talks about all the local landowners, who eats what. During lunch, two people arrived at the tavern: a blond man and a black man. The blond man was the first to enter the room. The hero had almost begun his acquaintance when the second one appeared. It was Nozdryov. He gave out a ton of information in one minute. He argues with the blond man that he can handle 17 bottles of wine. But he does not agree to the bet. Nozdryov calls Pavel Ivanovich to his place. The servant brought the puppy into the tavern. The owner examined whether there were fleas and ordered to take it back. Chichikov hopes that the losing landowner will sell him the peasants cheaper. The author describes Nozdryov. The appearance of a broken fellow, of which there are many in Rus'. They quickly make friends and become familiar. Nozdryov could not sit at home, his wife quickly died, and a nanny looked after the children. The master constantly got into trouble, but after a while he reappeared in the company of those who beat him. All three carriages drove up to the estate. First, the owner showed the stable, half empty, then the wolf cub, and a pond. Blond doubted everything that Nozdryov said. We came to the kennel. Here the landowner was among his own. He knew each puppy's name. One of the dogs licked Chichikov and immediately spat out of disgust. Nozdryov composed at every step: you can catch hares in the field with your hands, he recently bought timber abroad. After inspecting the property, the men returned to the house. Lunch was not very successful: some things were burnt, others were undercooked. The owner leaned heavily on the wine. The blond son-in-law began to ask to go home. Nozdryov did not want to let him go, but Chichikov supported his desire to leave. The men went into the room, Pavel Ivanovich saw the card in the hands of the owner. He started a conversation about dead souls and asked to donate them. Nozdryov demanded to explain why he needed them, but the guest’s arguments did not satisfy him. Nozdryov called Pavel a fraudster, which greatly offended him. Chichikov proposed a deal, but Nozdryov offers a stallion, a mare and a gray horse. The guest didn’t need any of this. Nozdryov haggles further: dogs, barrel organ. He begins to offer an exchange for a chaise. Trade turns into dispute. The owner's violence frightens the hero; he refuses to drink or play. Nozdryov gets more and more excited, he insults Chichikov and calls him names. Pavel Ivanovich stayed overnight, but scolded himself for his carelessness. He should not have started a conversation with Nozdryov about the purpose of his visit. The morning starts again with a game. Nozdryov insists, Chichikov agrees to checkers. But during the game, the checkers seemed to move on their own. The argument almost turned into a fight. The guest turned white as a sheet when he saw Nozdryov swinging his hand. It is unknown how the visit to the estate would have ended if a stranger had not entered the house. It was the police captain who informed Nozdryov about the trial. He inflicted bodily injuries on the landowner with rods. Chichikov no longer waited for the conversation to end; he slipped out of the room, jumped into the chaise and ordered Selifan to rush at full speed away from this house. It was not possible to buy dead souls.

Chapter 5

The hero was very frightened, rushed into the chaise and rushed quickly from the village of Nozdryov. His heart was beating so hard that nothing could calm it down. Chichikov was afraid to imagine what could have happened if the police officer had not appeared. Selifan was indignant that the horse was left unfed. Everyone's thoughts were stopped by a collision with six horses. The stranger's coachman scolded, Selifan tried to defend himself. There was confusion. The horses moved apart and then huddled together. While all this was happening, Chichikov was looking at the unfamiliar blonde. A pretty young girl caught his attention. He didn’t even notice how the chaises uncoupled and drove off in different directions. The beauty melted away like a vision. Pavel began to dream of a girl, especially if he had a large dowry. A village appeared ahead. The hero examines the village with interest. The houses are strong, but the order in which they were built was clumsy. The owner is Sobakevich. Outwardly similar to a bear. The clothes made the resemblance even more precise: a brown tailcoat, long sleeves, a clumsy gait. The master constantly stepped on his feet. The owner invited the guest into the house. The design was interesting: full-length paintings of Greek generals, a Greek heroine with strong, thick legs. The owner was a tall woman, resembling a palm tree. All the decoration of the room, the furniture spoke about the owner, about the resemblance to him. The conversation didn't go well at first. Everyone whom Chichikov tried to praise drew criticism from Sobakevich. The guest tried to praise the table from the city officials, but even here the owner interrupted him. All the food was bad. Sobakevich ate with an appetite that one can only dream of. He said that there is a landowner Plyushkin, whose people are dying like flies. They ate for a very long time, Chichikov felt that he had gained a whole pound of weight after lunch.

Chichikov began talking about his business. He called dead souls non-existent. Sobakevich, to the surprise of the guest, calmly called things by their proper names. He offered to sell them even before Chichikov spoke about it. Then trading began. Moreover, Sobakevich raised the price because his men were strong, healthy peasants, not like others. He described each person who died. Chichikov was amazed and asked to return to the topic of the deal. But Sobakevich stood his ground: his dead were dear. They bargained for a long time and agreed on Chichikov's price. Sobakevich prepared a note with a list of sold peasants. It indicated in detail the craft, age, marital status, and in the margins there were additional notes about behavior and attitude towards drunkenness. The owner asked for a deposit for the paper. The line of transferring money in exchange for an inventory of peasants makes me smile. The exchange was carried out with distrust. Chichikov asked to leave the deal between them and not to disclose information about it. Chichikov leaves the estate. He wants to go to Plyushkin, whose men are dying like flies, but he doesn’t want Sobakevich to know about it. And he stands at the door of the house to see where the guest will turn.

Chapter 6

Chichikov, thinking about the nicknames that the men gave Plyushkin, drives up to his village. The large village greeted the guest with a log pavement. The logs rose like piano keys. It was a rare rider who could ride without a bump or bruise. All the buildings were dilapidated and old. Chichikov examines the village with signs of poverty: leaky houses, old stacks of bread, ribbed roofs, windows covered with rags. The owner's house looked even stranger: the long castle resembled a disabled person. All but two windows were closed or covered. The open windows did not look familiar. The strange-looking garden located behind the master's castle was corrected. Chichikov drove up to the house and noticed a figure whose gender was difficult to determine. Pavel Ivanovich decided that it was the housekeeper. He asked if the master was at home. The answer was negative. The housekeeper offered to go into the house. The house was as creepy as the outside. It was a dump of furniture, piles of papers, broken objects, rags. Chichikov saw a toothpick that had turned yellow as if it had lain there for centuries. Paintings hung on the walls, and a chandelier in a bag hung from the ceiling. It looked like a big cocoon of dust with a worm inside. There was a pile in the corner of the room; it would hardly have been possible to understand what was collected in it. Chichikov realized that he was mistaken in determining the gender of a person. More accurately, it was the key holder. The man had a strange beard, like an iron wire comb. The guest, after waiting for a long time in silence, decided to ask where the master was. The key keeper replied that it was him. Chichikov was taken aback. Plyushkin's appearance amazed him, his clothes amazed him. He looked like a beggar standing at the door of a church. There was nothing in common with the landowner. Plyushkin had more than a thousand souls, full pantries and barns of grain and flour. The house has a lot of wood products and dishes. Everything that Plyushkin had accumulated would have been enough for more than one village. But the landowner went out into the street and dragged into the house everything he found: an old sole, a rag, a nail, a broken piece of crockery. The found objects were placed in a pile, which was located in the room. He took into his hands what the women left behind. True, if he was caught in this, he didn’t argue, he returned it. He was just thrifty, but he became stingy. The character changed, first he cursed his daughter, who ran away with a military man, then his son, who lost at cards. The income was replenished, but Plyushkin was constantly cutting expenses, depriving even himself of small joys. The landowner's daughter visited him, but he held his grandchildren on his lap and gave them money.

There are few such landowners in Rus'. Most people want to live beautifully and widely, but only a few can shrink like Plyushkin.

Chichikov could not start a conversation for a long time; there were no words in his head to explain his visit. In the end, Chichikov started talking about savings, which he wanted to see in person.

Plyushkin does not treat Pavel Ivanovich, explaining that he has a terrible kitchen. A conversation about souls begins. Plyushkin has more than a hundred dead souls. People are dying of hunger, of disease, some are simply running away. To the surprise of the stingy owner, Chichikov offers a deal. Plyushkin is indescribably happy, he considers the guest a stupid man dragging after the actresses. The deal was completed quickly. Plyushkin suggested washing the deal with liquor. But when he described that there were boogers and bugs in the wine, the guest refused. Having copied the dead on a piece of paper, the landowner asked if anyone needed the fugitives. Chichikov was delighted and after a small trade bought 78 fugitive souls from him. Pleased with the acquisition of more than 200 souls, Pavel Ivanovich returned to the city.

Chapter 7

Chichikov got enough sleep and went to the chambers to register ownership of the purchased peasants. To do this, he began to rewrite the papers received from the landowners. Korobochka's men had their own names. Plyushkin's inventory was notable for its brevity. Sobakevich painted each peasant with detail and qualities. Each one had a description of their father and mother. Behind the names and nicknames there were people; Chichikov tried to introduce them. So Pavel Ivanovich was busy with papers until 12 o’clock. On the street he met Manilov. The acquaintances froze in an embrace that lasted more than a quarter of an hour. The paper with the inventory of the peasants was rolled into a tube and tied with a pink ribbon. The list was beautifully designed with an ornate border. Hand in hand, the men went to the wards. In the chambers, Chichikov spent a long time looking for the table he needed, then carefully paid a bribe and went to the chairman for an order allowing him to complete the deal quickly. There he met Sobakevich. The chairman gave orders to gather all the people needed for the deal and gave orders for its rapid completion. The chairman asked why Chichikov needed peasants without land, but he himself answered the question. People gathered, the purchase was completed quickly and successfully. The Chairman proposed to celebrate the acquisition. Everyone headed to the police chief's house. The officials decided that they definitely needed to marry Chichikov. During the evening, he clinked glasses with everyone more than once, noticing that he had to go, Pavel Ivanovich left for the hotel. Selifan and Petrushka, as soon as the master fell asleep, went to the basement, where they stayed almost until the morning; when they returned, they lay down so that it was impossible to move them.

Chapter 8

In the city everyone was talking about Chichikov's purchases. They tried to calculate his wealth and admitted that he was rich. Officials tried to calculate whether it was profitable to purchase peasants for resettlement, and what kind of peasants the landowner bought. The officials scolded the men and felt sorry for Chichikov, who had to transport so many people. There were miscalculations about a possible riot. Some began to give Pavel Ivanovich advice, offering to escort the procession, but Chichikov reassured him, saying that he had bought men who were meek, calm and willing to leave. Chichikov aroused a special attitude among the ladies of the city of N. As soon as they calculated his millions, he became interesting to them. Pavel Ivanovich noticed a new extraordinary attention to himself. One day he found a letter from a lady on his desk. She called him to leave the city for the desert, and out of despair she ended the message with poems about the death of a bird. The letter was anonymous; Chichikov really wanted to figure out the author. The governor is having a ball. The hero of the story appears on it. The eyes of all the guests are turned to him. There was joy on everyone's faces. Chichikov tried to figure out who the messenger of the letter to him was. Ladies showed interest in him and looked for attractive features in him. Pavel was so carried away by conversations with the ladies that he forgot about the decency of approaching and introducing himself to the hostess of the ball. The governor's wife approached him herself. Chichikov turned to her and was already preparing to utter some phrase, when he stopped short. Two women stood in front of him. One of them is a blonde who charmed him on the road when he was returning from Nozdryov. Chichikov was embarrassed. The governor's wife introduced him to her daughter. Pavel Ivanovich tried to get out, but he wasn’t very successful. The ladies tried to distract him, but they didn't succeed. Chichikov tries to attract his daughter’s attention, but she is not interested in him. The women began to show that they were not happy with this behavior, but Chichikov could not help himself. He was trying to charm a beautiful blonde. At that moment Nozdryov appeared at the ball. He began to scream loudly and ask Chichikov about dead souls. Addressed a speech to the governor. His words left everyone confused. His speeches sounded crazy. The guests began to look at each other, Chichikov noticed evil lights in the eyes of the ladies. The embarrassment passed, and some people took Nozdryov’s words for lies, stupidity, and slander. Pavel decided to complain about his health. They calmed him down, saying that the brawler Nozdryov had already been taken out, but Chichikov did not feel calmer.

At this time, an event occurred in the city that further increased the hero’s troubles. A carriage that looked like a watermelon drove in. The woman who got out of the cart is the landowner Korobochka. She was tormented for a long time by the thought that she had made a mistake in the deal, and decided to go to the city to find out at what price dead souls were sold here. The author does not convey her conversation, but what it led to is easy to find out from the next chapter.

Chapter 9

The governor received two papers containing information about a fugitive robber and a counterfeiter. Two messages were combined into one, the Robber and the counterfeiter was hiding in the image of Chichikov. First, we decided to ask those who communicated with him about him. Manilov spoke flatteringly about the landowner and vouched for him. Sobakevich recognized Pavel Ivanovich as a good person. The officials were overcome with fear and decided to get together and discuss the problem. The meeting place is with the police chief.

Chapter 10

The officials gathered together and first discussed changes in their appearance. Events led to them losing weight. The discussion was of no use. Everyone was talking about Chichikov. Some decided that he was a government money maker. Others suggested that he was an official from the Governor General's office. They tried to prove to themselves that he could not be a robber. The guest's appearance was very well-intentioned. The officials did not find any violent behavior that is typical of robbers. The postmaster interrupted their arguments with a startling cry. Chichikov - Captain Kopeikin. Many did not know about the captain. The postmaster tells them “The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.” The captain's arm and leg were torn off during the war, and no laws were passed regarding the wounded. He went to his father, who refused him shelter. He himself did not have enough for bread. Kopeikin went to the sovereign. I came to the capital and was confused. He was pointed to the commission. The captain got to her and waited for more than 4 hours. The room was packed with people like beans. The minister noticed Kopeikin and ordered him to come in a few days. Out of joy and hope, he went into the tavern and drank. The next day, Kopeikin received a refusal from the nobleman and an explanation that no orders had yet been issued regarding disabled people. The captain went to see the minister several times, but they stopped receiving him. Kopeikin waited for the nobleman to come out and asked for money, but he said that he could not help, there were many important things to do. He ordered the captain to look for food himself. But Kopeikin began to demand a resolution. He was thrown into a cart and taken by force out of the city. And after some time a gang of robbers appeared. Who was its leader? But the police chief did not have time to pronounce his name. He was interrupted. Chichikov had both an arm and a leg. How could he be Kopeikin? The officials decided that the police chief had gone too far in his fantasies. They came to the decision to call Nozdryov to talk with them. His testimony was completely confusing. Nozdryov made up a bunch of tall tales about Chichikov.

The hero of their conversations and disputes at this time, suspecting nothing, was ill. He decided to lie down for three days. Chichikov gargled and applied herbal decoctions to the gumboil. As soon as he felt better, he went to the governor. The doorman said that he was not ordered to be received. Continuing his walk, he went to the chairman of the chamber, who was very embarrassed. Pavel Ivanovich was surprised: he was either not accepted, or was greeted very strangely. In the evening Nozdryov came to his hotel. He explained the incomprehensible behavior of city officials: false papers, the kidnapping of the governor's daughter. Chichikov realized that he needed to get out of the city as quickly as possible. He sent Nozdryov out, ordered him to pack his suitcase and prepare to leave. Petrushka and Selifan were not very happy with this decision, but there was nothing to do.

Chapter 11

Chichikov is getting ready to go on the road. But unforeseen problems arise that keep him in the city. They are quickly resolved, and the strange guest leaves. The road is blocked by a funeral procession. The prosecutor was buried. All the noble officials and residents of the city walked in the procession. She was absorbed in thoughts about the future governor-general, how to impress him so as not to lose what she had acquired and not change her position in society. The women thought about the upcoming balls and holidays regarding the appointment of a new person. Chichikov thought to himself that this was a good omen: meeting a dead person on the way was good luck. The author is distracted from describing the protagonist's trip. He reflects on Rus', songs and distances. Then his thoughts are interrupted by the government carriage, which almost collided with Chichikov’s chaise. Dreams go to the word road. The author describes where and how the main character came from. Chichikov's origins are very modest: he was born into a family of nobles, but took after neither his mother nor his father. Childhood in the village ended, and the father took the boy to a relative in the city. Here he began to go to classes and study. He quickly understood how to succeed, began to please the teachers and received a certificate and a book with gold embossing: “For exemplary diligence and trustworthy behavior.” After the death of his father, Pavel was left with an estate, which he sold, deciding to live in the city. I inherited my father’s instruction: “Take care and save a penny.” Chichikov began with zeal, then with sycophancy. Having made his way into the family of the police chief, he received a vacant position and changed his attitude towards the one who promoted him. The first meanness was the most difficult, then everything went easier. Pavel Ivanovich was a pious man, loved cleanliness, and did not use foul language. Chichikov dreamed of serving in customs. His zealous service did its job, the dream came true. But luck ran out, and the hero had to again look for ways to make money and create wealth. One of the orders - to put the peasants on the Guardian Council - gave him the idea of how to change his condition. He decided to buy dead souls and then resell them for settlement underground. The strange idea is difficult for an ordinary person to understand; only cleverly intertwined schemes in Chichikov’s head could fit into the enrichment system. During the author's reasoning, the hero sleeps peacefully. The author compares Rus'

Brief retelling, summary of “Dead Souls” - a poem by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. “Dead Souls” is one of the brilliant works of Russian and world literature. The poem presents the image of serf Russia in the 30s and 40s of the 19th century. “Dead Souls” shocked all of Russia. It was necessary to bring such an accusation against modern Russia. This is a medical history written by a master. Gogol's poetry is a cry of horror and shame that is uttered by a man who has fallen under the influence of a vile life, when he suddenly sees his bruised face in the mirror. But in order for such a cry to escape from the chest, it was necessary for something healthy to remain in it, for the great power of rebirth to live in it...” Alexander Ivanovich Herzen.

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov arrives in the small town of N. At the hotel during dinner, he asks the innkeeper about the city, rich landowners, and officials. Soon, at a reception with the governor, Chichikov personally meets rich people and gains a positive reputation. Then he pays visits to the vice-governor, the prosecutor, the tax farmer, and receives an invitation to visit the landowner Manilov and Sobakevich.

First, Chichikov goes to visit Manilov, in the village of Manilovka, which was a boring sight. Manilov himself at first glance seemed to be a prominent man, but in reality “neither this nor that.” Chichikov invites Monilom to sell him peasants who have died, but are still listed as alive in the audit documents. Manilov was at first confused and perplexed by such a proposal, but still agrees to conclude a deal when they meet in the city.

On the way to Sobakevich, Chichikov was caught in bad weather; he who lost his way decides to spend the night in the first estate that happens to be on his way. This was the house of Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, a thrifty and thrifty landowner. Chichikov made her the same offer as he made to Manilov. (asked to sell dead peasants) She accepted his request with surprise, but then began to bargain with Chichikov, fearing to sell things too cheap. After completing the deal, Pavel Ivanovich hurried to leave quickly. Continuing on his way, he stopped for lunch at a roadside tavern.

There he meets the landowner Nozdryov, whom he had previously met at a reception with the governor. Nozdryov is a sociable and open person who loves to drink and play cards, and he played dishonestly. Therefore, he often took part in fights. When asked to sell him “the souls of dead peasants,” Nozdryov invited Chichikov to play checkers. This game almost ended in a fight; Chichikov hurried to leave quickly.

Finally, Chichikov ends up with Mikhail Semenovich Sobakevich. Sobakevich himself is a large and straightforward person. Sobakevich took the proposal to sell the “souls of peasants” very seriously, and even decided to bargain. They also decide to formalize the deal in the city. In a conversation with Chichikov, Sobakevich let slip that the stingy landowner Plyushkin lives not far from him, and he has more than a thousand peasants, people are dying like flies or simply running away.

Chichikov finds his way to the landowner Plyushkin. In the courtyard of the house, Chichikov meets a man about whom he cannot even say whether he is a man or a woman, and decides that the housekeeper is in front of him. Chichikov is unpleasantly surprised to learn that in front of him is the owner of the house, landowner Stepan Plyushkin. Having learned about the purpose of Chichikov’s visit, Plyushkin sold the “dead peasants” (120 dead souls and 70 whites) with joy, considering the guest a fool. Chichikov returns to the hotel.

The next day, Pavel Ivanovich meets with Sobakevich and Manilov to finalize the deal. They signed a bill of sale. Afterwards, we decided to celebrate the successful completion of the case with a festive lunch. At the table, Chichikov said that he would take all the peasants to the Kherson province, allegedly buying land there.

The rumor about the purchases quickly spread throughout the city, the townspeople were surprised at Chichikov’s wealth, not knowing what souls he was actually buying. The ladies began to worry very much about not missing out on the rich groom. Chichikov receives an anonymous love letter. The governor invites him to his home for a ball. At the ball he is surrounded by many ladies. But Chichikov really wants to know who sent him the love letter. Having found out that this is the governor's daughter, Chichikov neglects the other ladies, thereby offending them greatly. Nozdryov appears at the ball and blabs how Chichikov tried to buy the “dead souls” of the peasants from him. Pavel Ivanovich got very excited and left the ball. The next day, the landowner Korobochka arrives in the city. She wants to know how much “Dead Souls” cost these days, fearing that she has sold it too cheap.

Unbelievable rumors began to spread around the city that Chichikov and Nozdryov wanted to kidnap the governor’s daughter. Residents of the city gather at the chief of police and try to understand what Chichikov represents. It is believed that this is Captain Kopeikin. Who was expelled from the city for bad deeds. Then society decides that it is not him, and they send for Nozdryov. Nozdryov skillfully begins to compose: supposedly Chichikov is a counterfeiter spy and wanted to take away the prosecutor’s daughter.
The rumors negatively affect the prosecutor's well-being, he suffers a stroke and dies.
Nozdryov comes to Chichikov’s hotel and keeps telling him that he is accused of forging banknotes in the death of the prosecutor.

Chichikov decides to leave the city; on the way he meets a funeral procession where the prosecutor is being buried.
And now it’s time to find out who Chichikov really is. He himself was one of the poor nobles; his mother died early, his father was often ill, and he left a small inheritance. In order to somehow survive, Pavel Ivanovich got a job at customs. There he was caught running a scam, escaped prison, but lost his entire fortune. In order to get rich again, he had the idea of buying up the “dead souls” of peasants (lists of peasants who died, but according to the audit were still listed as alive; the audit took place every few years) and pawning them in the treasury as if they were alive, to receive money.

This concludes the first volume. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol burned the second volume, only the drafts survived.

Section topic; Brief retelling, summary of “Dead Souls” - Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol.

N.V. Gogol
Dead Souls
Volume one

Chapter first

The proposed history, as will become clear from what follows, took place somewhat shortly after the “glorious expulsion of the French.” Collegiate adviser Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov arrives in the provincial town of NN (he is neither old nor too young, neither fat nor thin, rather pleasant in appearance and somewhat round) and checks into a hotel. He makes a lot of questions to the tavern servant - both regarding the owner and income of the tavern, and also exposing his thoroughness: about city officials, the most significant landowners, asks about the state of the region and whether there were “any diseases in their province, epidemic fevers” and other similar things misfortunes.

Having gone on a visit, the visitor reveals extraordinary activity (having visited everyone, from the governor to the inspector of the medical board) and courtesy, for he knows how to say something nice to everyone. He speaks somewhat vaguely about himself (that he “has experienced a lot in his life, endured in the service for the truth, had many enemies who even attempted on his life,” and is now looking for a place to live). At the governor's house party, he manages to gain everyone's favor and, among other things, make acquaintance with the landowners Manilov and Sobakevich. In the following days, he dines with the police chief (where he meets the landowner Nozdryov), visits the chairman of the chamber and the vice-governor, the tax farmer and the prosecutor, and goes to Manilov’s estate (which, however, is preceded by a fair author’s digression, where, justifying himself with a love of thoroughness, the author attests in detail to Petrushka, the newcomer’s servant: his passion for “the process of reading itself” and the ability to carry with him a special smell, “resembling a somewhat residential peace”).

Chapter two

Having traveled, as promised, not fifteen, but all thirty miles, Chichikov finds himself in Manilovka, in the arms of a kind owner. Manilov's house, standing on the south, surrounded by several scattered English flower beds and a gazebo with the inscription “Temple of Solitary Reflection,” could characterize the owner, who was “neither this nor that,” not burdened by any passions, only overly cloying. After Manilov’s confession that Chichikov’s visit is “a May day, the name day of the heart,” and dinner in the company of the hostess and two sons, Themistoclus and Alcides, Chichikov discovers the reason for his visit: he would like to acquire peasants who have died, but have not yet been declared as such in the audit certificate, registering everything in a legal manner, as if for the living (“the law - I am dumb before the law”). The first fear and bewilderment are replaced by the perfect disposition of the kind owner, and, having completed the deal, Chichikov leaves for Sobakevich, and Manilov indulges in dreams about Chichikov’s life in the neighborhood across the river, about the construction of a bridge, about a house with such a gazebo that Moscow can be seen from there, and about their friendship, if the sovereign had known about it, he would have granted them generals.

Chapter Three

Chichikov's coachman Selifan, much favored by Manilov's servants, in conversations with his horses misses the required turn and, with the sound of a rainstorm, knocks the master over into the mud. In the dark, they find accommodation for the night with Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka, a somewhat timid landowner, with whom in the morning Chichikov also begins trading in dead souls. Having explained that he himself would now begin to pay the tax for them, cursing the old woman’s stupidity, promising to buy both hemp and lard, but another time, Chichikov buys souls from her for fifteen rubles, receives a detailed list of them (in which Pyotr Savelyev was especially struck by Disrespect -Trough) and, having eaten unleavened egg pie, pancakes, pies and other things, departs, leaving the hostess in great concern as to whether she has sold too cheap.

Chapter Four

Having reached the main road to the tavern, Chichikov stops to have a snack, which the author provides with a lengthy discussion about the properties of the appetite of middle-class gentlemen. Here Nozdryov meets him, returning from the fair in the chaise of his son-in-law Mizhuev, for he had lost everything on his horses and even his watch chain. Describing the delights of the fair, the drinking qualities of the dragoon officers, a certain Kuvshinnikov, a big fan of “taking advantage of strawberries” and, finally, presenting a puppy, “a real little face,” Nozdryov takes Chichikov (thinking of making money here too) to his home, taking his reluctant son-in-law as well. Having described Nozdryov, “in some respects a historical man” (for everywhere he went, there was history), his possessions, the unpretentiousness of the dinner with an abundance of, however, drinks of dubious quality, the author sends his dazed son-in-law to his wife (Nozdryov admonishes him with abuse and words “fetyuk”), and Chichikov is forced to turn to his subject; but he fails to either beg or buy a soul: Nozdryov offers to exchange them, take them in addition to the stallion, or make them a bet in a card game, finally scolds, quarrels, and they part for the night. In the morning, the persuasion resumes, and, having agreed to play checkers, Chichikov notices that Nozdryov is shamelessly cheating. Chichikov, whom the owner and the mongrels are already attempting to beat, manages to escape due to the appearance of the police captain, who announces that Nozdryov is on trial.

Chapter Five

On the road, Chichikov’s carriage collides with a certain carriage, and while the onlookers come running to separate the tangled horses, Chichikov admires the sixteen-year-old young lady, indulges in speculation about her and dreams of family life. A visit to Sobakevich in his strong estate, like himself, is accompanied by a thorough dinner, a discussion of city officials, who, according to the owner, are all swindlers (one prosecutor is a decent person, “and even that one, to tell the truth, is a pig”), and is married to the guest of interest deal. Not at all frightened by the strangeness of the object, Sobakevich bargains, characterizes the advantageous qualities of each serf, provides Chichikov with a detailed list and forces him to give a deposit. Sobakevich promises to sell dead souls for 100 rubles apiece, citing the fact that his peasants are real craftsmen (carriage maker Mikheev, carpenter Stepan Probka, shoemaker Maxim Telyatnikov). The bargaining continues for a long time. In his hearts, Chichikov silently calls Sobakevich “fist”, and says out loud that the qualities of the peasants are not important, since they are dead. Not agreeing with Chichikov on the price and fully understanding that the deal is not entirely legal, Sobakevich hints that “this kind of purchase, I say this between us, out of friendship, is not always permissible, and tell me - I or someone else - such a person will not no power of attorney...” Ultimately, the parties agree on three rubles apiece, draw up a document, and each is afraid of being cheated by the other. Sobakevich offers Chichikov to buy a “female” at a cheap price, but the guest refuses (although he will later discover that Sobakevich nevertheless included a woman, Elizaveta Vorobei, in the deed of sale). Chichikov leaves and asks a peasant in the village how to get to Plyushkin’s estate (Plyushkin’s nickname among the peasants is “patched”). The chapter ends with a lyrical digression about the Russian language. “The Russian people are expressing themselves strongly! And if he rewards someone with a word, then it will go to his family and posterity... And then no matter how cunning and ennoble your nickname, even force the writing people to derive it from the ancient princely family for a rent, nothing will help... Like countless many churches, monasteries with domes, domes, crosses are scattered in holy, pious Rus', so a countless number of tribes, generations, peoples crowd, motley and rush about the face of the earth... The word of the British will respond with heart knowledge and wise knowledge of life; The short-lived word of a Frenchman will flash and spread like a light dandy; the German will intricately come up with his own, not accessible to everyone, clever and thin word; but there is no word that would be so sweeping, lively, would burst out from under the very heart, would boil and vibrate so much, like an aptly spoken Russian word.”

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Chapter Six

Chichikov’s path to the neighboring landowner Plyushkin, mentioned by Sobakevich, is interrupted by a conversation with the man who gave Plyushkin an apt, but not very printed nickname, and the author’s lyrical reflection on his former love for unfamiliar places and the indifference that has now appeared. Chichikov at first takes Plyushkin, this “hole in humanity,” for a housekeeper or a beggar whose place is on the porch. His most important feature is his amazing stinginess, and he even carries the old sole of his boot into a pile piled up in the master's chambers. Having shown the profitability of his proposal (namely, that he will bear the taxes for the dead and runaway peasants), Chichikov is fully successful in his enterprise and, having refused tea and crackers, equipped with a letter to the chairman of the chamber, departs in the most cheerful mood.

Chapter Seven

While Chichikov sleeps in the hotel, the author sadly reflects on the baseness of the objects he depicts. Meanwhile, a satisfied Chichikov, having woken up, composes merchant fortresses, studies the lists of acquired peasants, reflects on their expected fates and finally goes to the civil chamber in order to quickly conclude the deal. Met at the hotel gate, Manilov accompanies him. Then follows a description of the official place, Chichikov’s first ordeals and a bribe to a certain jug snout, until he enters the chairman’s apartment, where, by the way, he finds Sobakevich. The chairman agrees to be Plyushkin’s attorney, and at the same time speeds up other transactions. The acquisition of Chichikov is discussed, with land or for withdrawal he bought peasants and in what places. Having found out that the conclusion and to the Kherson province, having discussed the properties of the sold men (here the chairman remembered that the coachman Mikheev seemed to have died, but Sobakevich assured that he was still alive and “became healthier than before”), they finished with champagne and went to the police chief, “father and to a benefactor in the city" (whose habits are immediately outlined), where they drink to the health of the new Kherson landowner, become completely excited, force Chichikov to stay and attempt to marry him.

Chapter Eight

Chichikov's purchases create a sensation in the city, rumors spread that he is a millionaire. The ladies are crazy about him. Several times approaching to describe the ladies, the author becomes timid and retreats. On the eve of the ball, Chichikov even receives a love letter from the governor, although unsigned. Having, as usual, spent a lot of time on the toilet and being satisfied with the result, Chichikov goes to the ball, where he passes from one embrace to another. The ladies, among whom he is trying to find the sender of the letter, even quarrel, challenging his attention. But when the governor’s wife approaches him, he forgets everything, for she is accompanied by her daughter (“Institute, just graduated”), a sixteen-year-old blonde, whose carriage he collided with on the road. He loses the favor of the ladies because he starts a conversation with a fascinating blonde, scandalously neglecting the others. To top off the troubles, Nozdryov appears and loudly asks how many dead people Chichikov has traded. And although Nozdryov is obviously drunk and the embarrassed society is gradually distracted, Chichikov is not given either whist or the subsequent dinner, and he leaves upset.

Chapter Nine

About this time, a carriage enters the city with the landowner Korobochka, whose growing anxiety forced her to come in order to find out what the price of dead souls is. The next morning, this news becomes the property of a certain pleasant lady, and she rushes to tell it to another, pleasant in all respects, the story acquires amazing details (Chichikov, armed to the teeth, bursts into Korobochka in the dead of midnight, demands the souls that have died, instills terrible fear - “ the whole village came running, the children were crying, everyone was screaming"). Her friend concludes that the dead souls are only a cover, and Chichikov wants to take away the governor’s daughter. Having discussed the details of this enterprise, Nozdryov’s undoubted participation in it and the qualities of the governor’s daughter, both ladies let the prosecutor know everything and set off to riot the city.

Chapter Ten

In a short time, the city is seething, adding news about the appointment of a new governor-general, as well as information about the papers received: about a counterfeit banknote maker who showed up in the province, and about a robber who fled from legal prosecution. Trying to understand who Chichikov was, they remember that he was certified very vaguely and even spoke about those who attempted to kill him. The postmaster's statement that Chichikov, in his opinion, is Captain Kopeikin, who took up arms against the injustices of the world and became a robber, is rejected, since from the postmaster's entertaining story it follows that the captain is missing an arm and a leg, but Chichikov is intact. The assumption arises whether Chichikov is Napoleon in disguise, and many begin to find a certain resemblance, especially in profile. Questions of Korobochka, Manilov and Sobakevich do not produce results, and Nozdryov only increases the confusion by declaring that Chichikov is definitely a spy, a maker of false banknotes and had an undoubted intention to take away the governor’s daughter, in which Nozdryov undertook to help him (each of the versions was accompanied by detailed details right down to the name the priest who took up the wedding). All this talk has an enormous effect on the prosecutor; he suffers a blow and dies.

Chapter Eleven

Chichikov himself, sitting in a hotel with a slight cold, is surprised that none of the officials are visiting him. Having finally gone on a visit, he discovers that the governor does not receive him, and in other places they fearfully shun him. Nozdryov, having visited him at the hotel, amid the general noise he made, partly clarifies the situation, announcing that he agrees to facilitate the kidnapping of the governor’s daughter. The next day, Chichikov hurriedly leaves, but is stopped by the funeral procession and forced to contemplate the whole world of officialdom flowing behind the coffin of the prosecutor. The brichka leaves the city, and the opened spaces on both sides bring to the author sad and joyful thoughts about Russia, the road, and then only sad ones about his chosen hero. Having concluded that it is time to give the virtuous hero a rest, but, on the contrary, to hide the scoundrel, the author sets out the life story of Pavel Ivanovich, his childhood, training in classes, where he had already shown a practical mind, his relationships with his comrades and the teacher, his later service in the government chamber, some commission for the construction of a government building, where for the first time he gave vent to some of his weaknesses, his subsequent departure to other, not so profitable places, transfer to the customs service, where, showing honesty and integrity almost unnatural, he made a lot of money in an agreement with smugglers, he went bankrupt, but dodged a criminal trial, although he was forced to resign. He became an attorney and, during the troubles of pledging the peasants, he formed a plan in his head, began to travel around the expanses of Rus', so that, having bought dead souls and deposited them in the treasury as living ones, he would receive money, perhaps buy a village and provide for future offspring.

Having again complained about the properties of his hero’s nature and partly justified him, having found him the name of “owner, acquirer,” the author is distracted by the urged running of horses, by the similarity of the flying troika with rushing Russia and ends the first volume with the ringing of a bell.
Volume two

It opens with a description of the nature that makes up the estate of Andrei Ivanovich Tentetnikov, whom the author calls “the smoker of the sky.” The story of the stupidity of his pastime is followed by the story of a life inspired by hopes at the very beginning, overshadowed by the pettiness of his service and troubles later; he retires, intending to improve the estate, reads books, takes care of the man, but without experience, sometimes just human, this does not give the expected results, the man is idle, Tentetnikov gives up. He breaks off acquaintances with his neighbors, offended by General Betrishchev’s address, and stops visiting him, although he cannot forget his daughter Ulinka. In a word, without someone who would tell him an invigorating “go ahead!”, he completely turns sour.

Chichikov comes to him, apologizing for a breakdown in the carriage, curiosity and a desire to pay respects. Having won the favor of the owner with his amazing ability to adapt to anyone, Chichikov, having lived with him for a while, goes to the general, to whom he weaves a story about a quarrelsome uncle and, as usual, begs for the dead. The poem fails at the laughing general, and we find Chichikov heading to Colonel Koshkarev. Contrary to expectations, he ends up with Pyotr Petrovich Rooster, whom he finds at first completely naked, keen on hunting sturgeon. At Rooster's, not having anything to get hold of, for the estate is mortgaged, he only overeats terribly, meets the bored landowner Platonov and, having encouraged him to travel together across Rus', goes to Konstantin Fedorovich Kostanzhoglo, married to Platonov's sister. He talks about the methods of management with which he increased the income from the estate tenfold, and Chichikov is terribly inspired.

Very quickly he visits Colonel Koshkarev, who has divided his village into committees, expeditions and departments and has organized a perfect paper production in the mortgaged estate, as it turns out. Having returned, he listens to the curses of the bilious Kostanzhoglo against the factories and manufactories that corrupt the peasant, the peasant’s absurd desire to educate, and his neighbor Khlobuev, who has neglected a sizable estate and is now selling it for next to nothing. Having experienced tenderness and even a craving for honest work, having listened to the story of the tax farmer Murazov, who made forty million in an impeccable way, Chichikov the next day, accompanied by Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, goes to Khlobuev, observes the unrest and dissipation of his household in the neighborhood of a governess for children, dressed in fashion wife and other traces of absurd luxury. Having borrowed money from Kostanzhoglo and Platonov, he gives a deposit for the estate, intending to buy it, and goes to Platonov’s estate, where he meets his brother Vasily, who efficiently manages the estate. Then he suddenly appears at their neighbor Lenitsyn, clearly a rogue, wins his sympathy with his ability to skillfully tickle a child and receives dead souls.

After many seizures in the manuscript, Chichikov is found already in the city at a fair, where he buys fabric that is so dear to him, the lingonberry color with a sparkle. He runs into Khlobuev, whom, apparently, he spoiled, either depriving him, or almost depriving him of his inheritance through some kind of forgery. Khlobuev, who let him go, is taken away by Murazov, who convinces Khlobuev of the need to work and orders him to collect funds for the church. Meanwhile, denunciations against Chichikov are discovered both about the forgery and about dead souls. The tailor brings a new tailcoat. Suddenly a gendarme appears, dragging the smartly dressed Chichikov to the Governor-General, “angry as anger itself.” Here all his atrocities become clear, and he, kissing the general’s boot, is thrown into prison. In a dark closet, Murazov finds Chichikov, tearing his hair and tails of his coat, mourning the loss of a box of papers, with simple virtuous words awakens in him a desire to live honestly and sets off to soften the Governor-General. At that time, officials who want to spoil their wise superiors and get a bribe from Chichikov, deliver a box to him, kidnap an important witness and write many denunciations in order to completely confuse the matter. Unrest breaks out in the province itself, greatly worrying the Governor-General. However, Murazov knows how to feel the sensitive strings of his soul and give him the right advice, which the Governor-General, having released Chichikov, is about to use when “the manuscript breaks off.”

In the morning it turned out that there was no way to leave immediately, since the horses were not shod, and the tires on the wheel needed to be changed. Chichikov, beside himself with indignation, ordered Selifan to immediately find craftsmen so that all the work would be done within two hours. Finally, after five hours, Pavel Ivanovich was able to leave the city. He crossed himself and ordered them to drive.

instructions. As soon as the child was distracted, long fingers immediately twisted his ear painfully. The time came, and Pavlusha was sent to the city, to school. Before leaving, the father gave the following instruction to his son: “... study, don’t be stupid and don’t hang around, and most of all please your teachers and bosses. If you please your bosses, then, even though you won’t succeed in science and God hasn’t given you talent, you’ll put everything into action and get ahead of everyone else. Don’t hang out with your comrades... hang out with those who are richer, so that on occasion they can be useful to you. Don’t treat or treat anyone... take care and save a penny. You will do everything, you will ruin everything in the world with a penny.” Pavlusha

diligently followed his father's instructions. In the classroom, he distinguished himself more by his diligence than by his ability in science. He quickly recognized the teacher's penchant for obedient students and did his best to please him. As a result, he graduated from college with a certificate of merit. Subsequently, when this teacher fell ill, Chichikov spared him money for medicine.

After graduating from school, Chichikov, with great difficulty, found a miserable job in the government chamber. However, he tried so hard that he fell into favor with his boss and even became the groom of his daughter. Quite soon, the old police officer tried his best, and Pavel Ivanovich himself sat down as a police officer in the vacant position. The next day Chichikov left his bride. Gradually he became a noticeable person. He even turned the persecution of any bribes in the office to his advantage. From now on, only secretaries and clerks took bribes, and they shared them with their superiors.

As a result, it was the lower officials who turned out to be scammers. Chichikov joined some architectural commission and did not suffer until the general was replaced.

The new boss didn’t like Chichikov at all, so he was soon left without a job and his savings. After much ordeal, our hero got a job at customs, where he established himself as an excellent worker. Having become a boss, Chichikov began to carry out fraud, as a result of which he turned out to be the owner of quite a decent capital. However, he quarreled with his accomplice and again lost almost everything. Having become an attorney, Chichikov quite accidentally learned that even dead peasants who were considered alive according to audit tales can be pledged to the board of guardians, thereby receiving considerable capital that can work for their owner. Pavel Ivanovich began to zealously put his dream into practice.

The poem ends with a well-known lyrical digression about the Russian troika.

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dead souls chapter 11 summary
summary of dead souls chapter 11
summary of chapter 11 dead souls

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