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Characteristics of the hero Khlestakov
Khlestakov Ivan Aleksandrovich - the central character of Nikolai Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General", a petty official from St. Petersburg, an imaginary inspector, one of the most famous images in Russian literature. This is a young man of 23 years old, thin, a little stupid and unable to stop attention for a long time on any thought. In St. Petersburg, he is an official of the lowest rank, about whom no one knows anything. Nobody respects him, even his servant Osip. Khlestakov has a faceless personality, is insignificant and poor.
On the way to the Saratov province to his father, he lost all the money, and now he lives in a tavern on credit. When the governor turns up to him, taking Khlestakov for an auditor, he is seriously frightened and thinks that this is due to his arrest for non-payment of debt. Taking a bribe from the mayor, he believes that he is lending money out of humanity. Following the governor, all other officials and merchants of the city bring him money. He becomes more and more impudent and takes it all "on loan". When Khlestakov guesses that he was mistaken for someone else, he writes a letter to his friend Tryapkin, in which he unflatteringly describes each of the visitors. At the same time, he embellishes the letter with the most fantastic stories, right up to an affair with the mayor's wife and daughter. This letter reveals the stupid, boastful and frivolous nature of the hero.
Khlestakov lives a carefree life, does not think about the future and does not remember the past. Wherever he wants - there he goes, what he wants - he does. Most of all he likes to show off in front of the ladies, to brag in front of officials and ordinary people. At the same time, he necessarily mentions that he is from St. Petersburg and talks about secular manners and metropolitan life. By nature, Khlestakov is a creative person. Firstly, he is artistic, since he managed to get used to the image of an auditor so quickly. Secondly, having collected a fair amount of bribes, he wants to do literature. Despite the fact that he did not even know that his letter would be opened and read, Khlestakov nevertheless felt an imminent exposure and left in a hurry.
Who is Khlestakov
The Inspector General is one of the first theatrical plays written by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. One of the central characters of the work is Khlestakov, a young man who found himself in city N on his way from Petersburg to the village to see his father.
A brief description of Khlestakov from Gogol's "The Inspector General" can be made up of just two words: frivolous and irresponsible. He spent all the money that his father sent him, lost at cards. In the tavern where Khlestakov lives with his servant Osip, he owes money for housing and food. Moreover, he is outraged that they do not want to feed him for free, as if everyone around him is obliged to support him.
As Gogol writes in a brief description in Remarks for Messrs. Actors, Khlestakov is an empty person.
The role of Khlestakov in the play
In the course of the play, Khlestakov finds himself in a situation where he is mistaken for an inspector. Khlestakov was frightened at first, thinking that the mayor was going to put him in prison, but then, quickly finding his bearings, he used the situation to his advantage. Realizing that nothing threatens him so far and using the reverence of the mayor and other characters, Khlestakov fishes out money from them and hides in an unknown direction. Without suspecting it, Khlestakov plays the role of a scalpel that opened an abscess on the patient's body. All the dirty deeds that officials in the city of N do suddenly come out. People who consider themselves the "elite" of the city begin to throw mud at each other. Although before the stage, where everyone is bringing gifts to Khlestakov, everyone smiled sweetly and pretended that everything was fine.
Khlestakov's surname and his role in the play - is there a connection?
The surname Khlestakov fits well with his role in the play, because with his deception he seemed to "whip" all the characters on the cheeks. It is difficult to say whether Gogol connected the character of Khlestakov in the comedy "The Inspector General" with his last name. But the meaning is very similar to this. Moreover, Khlestakov simply took on the role imposed on him by those around him, and seized the opportunity.
Khlestakov's relationship with the characters of the play
Depending on who he was with and under what circumstances, his attitude towards the heroes also changed. For example, with Osip Khlestakov - a master, capricious, a little rude, behaves like a little unreasonable child. Although he scolds him at times, Khlestakov nevertheless listens to his opinion, thanks to the sneakiness and caution of the servant, Khlestakov manages to leave before being exposed.
With women, Khlestakov is a metropolitan dandy, whispering compliments to any lady, regardless of age.
With the Governor and city officials - at first a frightened, and then insolent visiting liar, making himself an important bird.
Khlestakov easily adapts to any situation and finds benefits for himself, as a result he gets out of the water.
Khlestakov and modernity
The plot of the play is remarkably similar to the present day. And now you can find the worship described in the work. And the characterization of Khlestakov in the comedy "The Inspector General" is quite suitable for many people. After all, it often happens when a person, trying to appear more significant, boasts of acquaintances with celebrities or, adapting to the situation, lies and dodges.
Gogol seems to be describing the events taking place at the present time. But when he wrote "The Inspector General" he was only twenty-seven years old. And this once again confirms that genius does not depend on age.
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Khlestakov is one of the characteristic characters in Nikolai Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General". This is “a young man of about twenty-three, thin, thin; somewhat silly and, as they say, without a king in the head ... ". Staying in a small district town penniless, he was unexpectedly mistaken by local officials for an inspector from St. Petersburg, traveling incognito.
Not understanding at first the reasons for the changes that occurred to him, Khlestakov, nevertheless, managed to brilliantly play the role of an auditor. He assumes importance and significance and desperately lies, describing his position in the capital and his capabilities. The pseudo-visor easily changes his guises: he is either a bastard who lost his life, able to beg for dinner from the owner of a tavern, or an important person who communicates on a short leg with the counts and dukes, or a desperate womanizer who skillfully leads amorous conversations. His artistry is simply amazing! It is no coincidence that the district officials consider him a cunning and resourceful person, with whom one must behave with caution. It is only in the middle of the fourth act that the district officials manage to understand that they are an ordinary rascal.
What does Khlestakov feel in this situation? He acts according to the principle: "You should not let go of what floats into your hands." The hero of the comedy cannot be called evil or cruel, he just tries to get the maximum benefit from the situation. The latter suggests that he is not stupid, on his own mind.
If you take a closer look at Khlestakov, you realize that, although he is sincere, he is a "hollow", superficial person: "He speaks and acts without any consideration." Reflections of any sublime or philosophical character are alien to him: "He is not able to stop constant attention on any thought." Khlestakov's speech is full of vulgarisms, literary clichés and misunderstood French words.
It can be concluded that Khlestakov is a typical rogue and loafer, spiritually poor and poorly educated. At the same time, he is an unbridled liar, braggart and poser. With such a person I would hardly want to meet in life.
The most striking image of the comedy is Khlestakov, the one who was the culprit of extraordinary events. Gogol immediately makes it clear to the viewer that Khlestakov is not an auditor (anticipating Khlestakov's appearance with Osip's story about him). However, the whole meaning of this character and his attitude to his auditor's "duties" do not become clear at once.
Khlestakov does not experience any orientation process upon arrival in the city - for this he lacks elementary observation. He does not make any plans to deceive officials - for this he does not have sufficient cunning. He does not consciously use the benefits of his position, because what it consists of, he does not even think about it. Only just before his departure Khlestakov vaguely guesses that he was mistaken for "a statesman", for someone else; but for whom exactly, he did not understand. Everything that happens to him in the play happens as if against his will.
To answer
Work:
Khlestakov Ivan Alexandrovich. “… A young man of 23 years old, thin, thin; somewhat silly and, as they say, without a king in his head ... He is not able to stop constant attention on any thought. "
H. is sent from St. Petersburg, where he serves as a copyist of papers, to the Saratov province to his father. On the way, he completely lost, so he has no money at all and lives in a tavern on credit. The arrival of the Governor H. first connects with the arrest for non-payment of debt. Then, having borrowed money and moved to Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky's apartment, Kh. Thinks that all this is being done solely because of the official’s humanity and hospitality. To Kh. "Pleading" visits of officials and merchants of the city begin. He, more and more impudent, borrows money from them. Only then does X. realize that he is being mistaken for someone else. Having driven out the poor visitors in the neck, he reports everything that happened in a letter to his friend Tryapichkin. At the same time, Kh. Gives the most unflattering comments to each of the city officials. H. fully gets used to the role of the "tall person". It is very good for him to be the one whom in real life he can only envy and whom he will never become. Carelessly H. comes up with the most fantastic images, striking the officials. Without haste to leave, H. starts a double affair with the wife and daughter of the Governor. He even wooed Marya Antonovna, which awakens hopes in the Governor for the rank of general. H. is so carried away by his role that he forgets everything. And if not for his sharp-witted servant Osip, then H. would not have left on time. The “false auditor” would have been exposed on the spot, having read his letter to Tryapichkin and met a real auditor. H. - "a liar by inspiration", he lies and brags unselfishly, just not remembering what he said a minute ago. But in his chatter there is a sad, even tragic. In the world that H. created, the harsh bureaucratic laws of Russian life have been overcome. An insignificant official here is promoted to field marshal, becomes a great writer or the beloved of a beautiful lady. Thus, lying allows the hero to come to terms with his miserable life.
Gogol warned more than once: Khlestakov is the most difficult character in the play. Let's see what this hero is. Khlestakov is a petty official, an insignificant person, despised by everyone. Even his own servant Osip does not respect him; his father can drag him away by the whirlwinds. He is poor and unable to work in such a way as to ensure himself at least a tolerable existence. He is deeply dissatisfied with his life, even subconsciously despises himself. But emptiness and stupidity do not allow him to comprehend his troubles, to try to change his life. It seems to him that if only a chance is presented, everything will change, he will be transferred "from rags to riches." This allows Khlestakov so easily and naturally to feel himself a significant person.
The world in which Khlestakov lives is incomprehensible to him. He is unable to comprehend the connection between things, to imagine what the ministers are actually doing, how he behaves and what his "friend" Pushkin writes. For him, Pushkin is the same Khlestakov, but happier, more successful. It is interesting that both the city man and his entourage, who cannot but be recognized as sharp-witted people, knowing life, in their own way intelligent, are not at all embarrassed by Khlestakov's lies. They also think that the whole thing is in the case: lucky - and you are the director of the department. No personal merit, work, mind and soul is required. You just need to help the occasion, to hook someone. The only difference between them and Khlestakov is that he is frankly stupid and lacks even practical sense. Had he been smarter, if you had immediately understood the delusion of the city elite, he would have begun to consciously play along. And would undoubtedly have failed. Cunning, a thoughtful lie would not deceive an attentive governor. He would have found a weak spot in a previously created invention, Anton Antonovich is not without reason proud: “I have been living in the service for thirty years; ... I cheated swindlers on swindlers. He deceived three governors! " The governor could not imagine only one thing in Khlestakov - pure heart, inability to consciously, deliberately lie.
And yet this is one of the main features of Khlestakov. The inner emptiness makes his behavior completely unpredictable: at any given moment, he behaves as "it turns out." He was starved to death in the hotel, the threat of arrest hung over him - and he flatteringly begged the servant to bring at least something to eat. Lunch is being carried - and he jumps on a chair with delight and impatience. At the sight of a bowl of soup, Khlestakov forgets how humiliatingly begging for food a minute ago. He has already entered the role of an important master. "Well, master, master ... I spit on your master!"
There is a lot of Khlestakovism in each of the characters in the play. This is the author's intention. Because Khlestakov is also the main character, that his features are inherent in every person to one degree or another. They are comical, only put together and put on stage. The most striking illustration is the mayor's dreams of a future life as a father-in-law of a great person: "... You go somewhere - couriers and adjutants will gallop everywhere ... Heh, heh, heh, that's what channeling is tempting!" Thus, we see that the ideas of Khlestakov and Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky about the luxurious life basically coincide. After all, Khlestakov's "thirty-five thousand couriers alone" are no different from couriers and adjutants who, in the mayor's dreams, "will ride everywhere." And most importantly, Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky is also happy to humiliate the small fry of the mayor, presenting himself as a general.
So, the image of Khlestakov is a brilliant artistic generalization of Gogol. The objective sense and significance of this image is that it is an indissoluble unity of "significance" and insignificance, grandiose claims and inner emptiness. Khlestakov represents the concentration of the features of the era in one person. That is why the life of the era was reflected in The Inspector General with great force, and the images of Gogol's comedy became those artistic types that make it possible to more clearly understand the social phenomena of that time.
Khlestakov - characteristics of a literary hero (character)
Khlestakov
KHLESTAKOV - the hero of the comedy N.V. Gogol's "The Inspector General" (late 1835 - early 1836; final edition - 1842). Ivan Aleksandrovich X., a petty St. Petersburg official, in the words of his servant Osip, "a simple elite" (that is, he has the rank of collegiate registrar, the lowest in the table of ranks), heading from the northern capital "to the Saratov province, to his own village", was adopted in the district town for an auditor, a "nobleman", a holder of a high rank (according to Bobchinsky, he is "the generalissimo himself"). Having received a substantial amount of money as a bribe, treated kindly, announced by the fiancé of Marya Antonovna, the daughter of the Governor, X. safely goes home. X was exposed only after his departure with the help of his letter to his friend Tryapichkin, perlisted by officials. The novelty of this stage plot, and at the same time of X. as an artistic character, is determined by their relationship with real cases and persons.
There were three main variants of official misunderstanding, qui pro quo: in the place of the "auditor" there was either a deceiver, deliberately, with a mercenary purpose posing as someone else; or a person who, although he did not strive to deceive, but completely entered his new position and even tried to derive benefit from it; or, finally, an outsider, accidentally mistaken for a tall persona, but did not take advantage of this mistake. The first case took place in Ustyuzhin, where a certain adventurer pretended to be “a ministry official” and robbed “all city dwellers” (from the memoirs of VA Sollogub). The second case happened with the writer P.P. Svinin when he was in Bessarabia, which, by the way, was reflected in Pushkin's sketch of the work, very reminiscent of the scheme of the future "Inspector General": (Svinin) Crispin comes to Gubernia N for a fair - he is mistaken for (nrzb ) ... Governor / ator / honest fool - Gub / ernator's wife / flirts with him - Crispin is wooing his daughter "(Crispin is the role of a rogue and a braggart in a French comedy). Finally, the third incident happened to Pushkin himself, who on his way to Uralsk (1833) was mistaken in Nizhny Novgorod for a person who had “a secret mission to collect information about faults” (the story of the memoirist and historian PI Bartenev); learning about this later, already in Orenburg, Pushkin laughed to his heart at the unexpected hoax.
However, Gogol's concept of the image, who, apparently, was aware of all three cases, does not coincide with any of them. X. is not an adventurer, not a selfish deceiver; he does not set himself any conscious goal at all (in the draft version, X. said to himself when the Governor appeared: "... do not give in. Honestly, do not give in." not typical). X. all within a given minute, acts and speaks almost reflexively, under the influence of circumstances. He never figured out what had happened; only in the fourth act does he vaguely imagine that he is being mistaken for someone else, but for whom exactly - has remained a mystery to him. X. is sincere both when he speaks the truth and when he lies, for his lies are akin to the fantasies of a child.
In the documents relating to The Inspector General and interpreting its content, Gogol in every possible way emphasized precisely this feature of X. - unintentionalness and naturalness: “X. does not inflate at all; he is not a liar by trade; he himself forgets that he is lying, and already he himself almost believes what he says "(" Excerpt from a letter written by the author shortly after the first presentation of the "Inspector General"). “There is all surprise and unexpectedness in him. He got into a conversation, not knowing from the beginning of the conversation where his speech would lead. The topics of conversation he are given are fervent. They themselves, as it were, put everything in his mouth and create a conversation ”(“ A warning for those who would like to play “The Inspector General” properly ”). But it was precisely this sincerity that deceived the Governor and the company, who were expecting to meet a real auditor, who could also bring out some swindler, but who turned out to be powerless in the face of naivety and unintentionalness. We can say that the "prying out" create not only a "conversation", but also the very appearance of a formidable auditor - with the participation of X, but without his initiative.
X. is also unusual in its position in the comedy intrigue, which was most often controlled by a person acting in the guise of another; such are (if you name the closest examples to the "Inspector") Semyon in "A Lesson for Daughters" by IA Krylov, Pustolobov in the comedy "A Visitor from the Capital, or Turmoil in a District Town" by G.F. Kvitki-Osnovyanenko, as well as numerous vaudeville heroes, these, as Gogol said, "vaudeville rascals." The role of X in the intrigue, although he wins, is passive; nevertheless, the author insisted on his status as the protagonist. This status gave the play a special, fantastic, flavor (X. - "a phantasmagoric face, a face that, like a deceitful, personified deception, was carried away with the troika ..." - "A warning ..."), turned the traditional comedy intrigue into a mirage intrigue.
The first performers of the role of X. - N.O.Dur in the Alexandria Theater (premiered on April 19, 1836) and D.T. Lensky in the Moscow Maly Theater (premiered on May 25 of the same year) - could not separate their hero from the traditional role of a vaudeville liar, rogues. Only gradually did the comprehension of X. as an exclusively original character take place, and Gogol himself contributed to this process; so, on November 5, 1851, he read a comedy in the presence of writers and actors, including S.V. Shuisky, who played X., in order to show how this role should be played, especially a scene of lies: “... this is something like rapture , inspiration, composing delight - this is not a simple lie, not a simple boasting ”(from the memoirs of IS Turgenev, who was present at the reading). Among the subsequent remarkable interpreters of H.- S.V. Vasiliev (1858), M.P.Sadovsky (1877), P.V. Samoilov (1892). “Here, by the way, is one detail invented by Mr. Sa-moilov. When he tells how he plays whist with the mighty of this world, he begins to count partners with great aplomb: the foreign minister, the French envoy, the German envoy ... Then he suddenly thinks: “who else to invent” and suddenly remembers: - And I ... This is pronounced with an apologetic smile and evokes obsequious laughter in those around him ”(Novoye Vremya. 1902, No. 9330). In later productions, the grotesque coloring of X's image intensified, especially in the performance of M.A. Chekhov (Art Theater, 1921) and E.P. Garin (State Theater named after V.S. Meyerhold, 1926).
In the performance of Chekhov, X. appeared with a pale face, with an eyebrow bent by a sickle, - a visiting card of a clown, jester, madman; appeared as "an empty creature, sometimes impudent, sometimes cowardly, lying with rapture, all the time playing something - some kind of continuous improvisation ..." (Bulletin of the theater. 1921. №91-92. p. 11). In the interpretation of Meyerhold, carried out by Garin, X. is a "principled hoaxer and adventurer", "sharper" (VE Meyerhold. Articles, letters, speeches, conversations. M., 1968. 4.2. P.145); in his appearance there was something from a "werewolf", from a "petty demon" (D. Talnikov. New revision of the "Inspector". M .; L., 1927. P.49-51). Both concepts deviated markedly from Gogol's interpretation, according to which in X. "nothing should be signified harshly", "he even holds up well sometimes" ("Excerpt from a letter ..."), purposefulness; however, thanks to all this, the fan-tasmagoric character of the image and the entire play as a whole was enhanced. Among the following outstanding performers of the role of X. - I.V. Ilyinsky (Maly Theater, 1938), O.V. Basilashvili (Bolshoi Drama Theater, 1972), A.A. Mironov (Moscow Theater of Satire, 1972).
Literary criticism and journalism contributed to the deep understanding of Khlestakovism as a phenomenon. A.A. Grigoriev wrote that the degree of the satirical effect is directly proportional to the smallness of X. as a person: "The more empty, smoother, more colorless X will be on the stage, the stricter Nemesis will appear over the city's iniquities" (A.A. Grigoriev. Theatrical criticism.L., 1985. S. 120). V.G.Korolenko, examining the image of X., analyzed the phenomenon of imposture: the history of X. “in thousands of live photographs is repeated annually, monthly, almost daily throughout the entire face of the Russian land” (V.G. Korolenko. Pol. Sobr. Op. SPb.T.Z. P.363). NA Berdyaev extended the analysis of Khlestakovism to Russia of the Soviet period: “There is no longer autocracy, but still X. is playing an important official, everyone is still in awe of him. Khlestakov's courage makes itself felt at every step in the Russian revolution "(N. Berdyaev. Spirits of the Russian Revolution // Russian Thought. 1918, May-June; see also:
Khlestakov has a small rank, "simple simple". He is unhappy with his life, but stupidity does not allow him to try to change his life. It seems to Khlestakov that if you present yourself with just an opportunity, everything will change by itself. His character and character correspond to his position. Khlestakov is an “empty” person, “without a king in his head” and does not think about the consequences of his words and thoughts. He is not cunning, but on the contrary, very frivolous. Khlestakov's appearance also corresponds to his character. He spends his last money on fancy hairstyles and a particular dress. Khlestakov's life goal is entertainment, on which he spent all his money. He composes fables about his life in St. Petersburg. Khlestakov has "extraordinary lightness in thoughts", he himself said: "After all, you live for this to pick flowers of pleasure."
Khlestakov is the central character of the comedy. His image is very important for revealing the inner essence of officials. They are accustomed to the fact that they are in charge in the city. When Khlestakov appeared, whom they took for an inspector, their behavior changed dramatically. In the presence of the "auditor", officials show unprecedented courtesy, everything starts to move, and thereby shows their real world, where, in order not to notice indifference to their duties, you only need to give a bribe. Therefore, the attitude towards Khlestakov is also changing. In the second act, the mayor comes to Khlestakov's hotel. The governor is afraid of the "inspector", and Khlestakov is sure that they have come for him to take him to prison. In conversation, they do not hear each other, and each thinks and talks about his own. The mayor feels great fear of Khlestakov and does not know how to give a bribe, but Khlestakov himself asked for the money. After the mayor gave a bribe, he felt great relief, if the inspector himself asks for money, then there is nothing to be afraid of.
Khlestakov is a naive and even arrogant person, he does not hesitate to borrow from almost strangers, and practically begs from Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky.
Both the governors and the Khlestakovs existed and will exist at any time. Therefore, the comedy "The Inspector General" is still staged in various theaters.
We will talk about Khlestakov. Gogol said: "Khlestakov is the most difficult character in the play." Why? Because he does everything without consideration, unintentionally. Having become the culprit of the general deception, Khlestakov did not deceive anyone. Having played the role of an auditor perfectly, he did not even realize that he was playing it. Only by the middle of the fourth act did it occur to Khlestakov that he was being mistaken for a "statesman". But it is precisely in this unintentionality that his strength lies.
Everyone is amazed by Khlestakov's behavior. Here are the thoughts of the mayor about our hero: “And he will not blush! Oh, yes, you need to be on the alert with him ... "," He lies, lies and will not turn up anywhere! " The mayor was impressed not by Khlestakov's lies, but by his insolence: "he will not blush." But the fact is that he is completely sincere and provoked the whole cunning game of officials not with cunning, but with sincerity. In the image of Khlestakov, N.V. Gogol presented us not an ordinary liar, but a great artist, who entered the role of exactly who he was mistaken for.
The ease with which Khlestakov finds his bearings in the current situation is "brilliant". For example, such an episode. Khlestakov, wanting to show off in front of Marya Antonovna, ascribes to herself the composition of Zagoskin "Yuri Miloslavsky", but she recalls the true author. The situation was hopeless, but Khlestakov quickly found a way out here too: “This is definitely Zagoskina; and there is another "Yuri Miloslavsky", so that one is definitely mine. " An important feature of Khlestakov's character is the lack of memory. For him, there is no past and future. He is focused only on the present. Because of this, Khlestakov is incapable of selfish and selfish calculations.
Since our hero lives for one minute, constant transformation is his natural state. Adopting any style of behavior, Khlestakov instantly reaches the highest point in it. But what is easily acquired is easily lost. And falling asleep as commander-in-chief or field marshal, he wakes up again as an insignificant person. Khlestakov's speech characterizes him as a petty Petersburg official claiming to be educated in the capital. For the beauty of his style, he likes to use either intricate literary clichés, such as: "pluck the flowers of pleasure", "we will retire under the shade of streams", then French words. At the same time, in his language there are abusive and vulgar words, especially in relation to commoners. His servant Osip Khlestakov calls "a beast and a fool", and in relation to the owner of the inn shouts: "Scammers, canals ... Scoundrels! .. Loafers!" Khlestakov's speech is abrupt, testifying to his complete inability to stop his attention on anything, accurately conveys his spiritual poverty.
A contemporary of the writer Apollon Grigoriev said: “Khlestakov, like a soap bubble, inflates under the influence of favorable circumstances, grows in his own eyes and the eyes of officials, becomes bolder and bolder in bragging ... But give Khlestakov at least a little calculation in bragging, and he will stop already be Khlestakov. " The surname Khlestakov began to be used as a common noun.
It is believed that Gogol discovered a new phenomenon in life, the name of which is "Khlestakovism". Khlestakovism is shameless, unbridled boasting, lies, extreme frivolity, lies, phrase-mongering. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is not uncommon for the Russian character: “Everyone, even for a minute ... was and is being done by Khlestakov. And a clever guard officer will sometimes turn out to be Khlestakov, and a statesman ... and our brother, a sinful writer will sometimes turn out to be Khlestakov ”(N. V. Gogol).
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We are already accustomed to the fact that, basically, life presents us with surprises in the form of troubles and difficulties. This is probably why stories with a reverse course of circumstances are perceived by us as something out of the ordinary. Such situations seem somewhat ironic. The story told in Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol's story "The Inspector General", in addition to being inherently a gift of fate, is also based on a grain of absurdity. This combination makes the piece unique and attractive.
Biography of Khlestakov
Naturally, when reading a work, we first of all pay attention to the main character. So, Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov is a young landowner, a nobleman who once found himself in an awkward situation.
He had a chance to seriously lose at cards. In order to improve his situation a little, he goes to his parents at the estate.
Since his path is long, he, in spite of the lack of finances, stops at a hotel in the city of N. Here, luck smiles at him.
He is mistaken for the long-awaited auditor from Moscow. Impudent behavior and demeanor in society leave no doubt to officials - in their opinion, only an auditor can behave this way.
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the story of the same name by N.V. Gogol
Since in the city of N. the situation was not ideal, and the officials continually deviated from their duties, of course not in favor of the residents of the city, but in favor of their own pockets, the problems associated with checking their work cannot be avoided in an honest way. None of them wants to lose their hot spot, so all as one they go to Khlestakov and hand him bribes - a guarantee that they will remain in office and avoid problems.
At first Khlestakov was at a loss, but then decided to take full advantage of the situation. With money in his pocket, he successfully retreated from the city. News of his fictitiousness as an auditor became known too late - blaming Khlestakov and demanding the return of money from him is a stupid business. In this case, it would be necessary to admit the fact of bribery, and this would be the collapse of the career of officials.
Khlestakov's appearance
Like most rogues and scoundrels, Khlestakov has pleasant, trusting features. He has brown hair, a "cute nose" and quick eyes that make even determined people embarrassed. He is not tall. His complexion is far from graceful and physically developed young men - he is too thin.
Such physical data significantly spoil the impression made by him. But the cunning Khlestakov finds a clever way to rectify the situation - an expensive and well-groomed suit.
Ivan Aleksandrovich understands that the first impression about him is always formed on the basis of his appearance, therefore he cannot afford to make a mistake here - clothes are made of expensive fabrics, sewn based on fashion trends. Always cleaned to a shine - such an external factor significantly distracts the attention of society from the inner essence of a person.
Khlestakov family, education
How did you have to look and how to behave in order to pass for an auditor in the first half of the 19th century?
First of all, it was necessary to be born an aristocrat. It is extremely difficult for a person of common descent to create the appearance of belonging to a high society.
The manner of speaking, the plasticity of movements, gestures - this had to be learned for many years. For people of noble origin, this style was common, they adopted it from their parents, their friends who came to visit.
Ivan Alexandrovich was not a luminary of high society, but he was still a nobleman by birth. His parents own the Podkatilovka estate. Little is known about the state of affairs and the importance of the estate - the fact that parents sent money to their son says that the estate was not unprofitable, it brought enough income to provide for the life of the whole family at least the most necessary.
Nothing is known about Khlestakov's education. It is likely that he received a "secondary" education in terms of quality. Such a conclusion can be made based on the position he occupies. Khlestakov works as a collegiate registrar. This type of civil service was at the very bottom of the Table of Ranks list. If Khlestakov's parents were wealthy people, they would be able to provide their son with a better position with the help of connections or money. Since this did not happen, it is inappropriate to talk about the family's large income or their importance against the background of the aristocracy.
Now let's summarize all the data: financial instability was always inherent in the Khlestakovs, their income was never high (if they were ever rich, they could acquire connections or acquaintances during the period of material take-off of their family), which means send their son to study abroad or they had no money to hire highly qualified teachers.
Service attitude
The exact age of Khlestakov is not specified. Gogol limits it to a little over 23-24 years old. Basically, people of this age are full of enthusiasm and desire to realize themselves. But this is not the case of Khlestakov. Ivan Alexandrovich is rather frivolous about his work, he is not very interested in promotions and career opportunities. His work is not difficult and consists in rewriting papers, but Khlestakov is too lazy to be zealous in the affairs of the service. Instead of working, he goes for a walk, or plays cards.
His such carelessness is connected, first of all, with the fact that Khlestakov does not suffer from a shortage of money. Yes, he lives in a poor apartment, which is located on the fourth floor, but, apparently, this state of affairs does not bother Ivan Alexandrovich. It is likely that he is not used to living in luxury apartments and therefore does not seek to improve the current housing situation. For Khlestakov, the values of life are contained in other things - leisure and clothing. But the situation changes dramatically when Khlestakov needs to stay in an unfamiliar city - here he stays only in the best apartments. It is likely that such a move is associated with Khlestakov's desire to create the impression of a person so rich that everyone around him, who does not know the present state of affairs, began to envy him. It is possible that the calculation is placed not only on the feeling of envy, with the help of which Ivan Aleksandrovich asserts himself, but also on the opportunity to receive some bonuses from local officials or the hotel owner.
Added to this fact is the fact that Khlestakov is not able to compete with the rich of Petersburg, where he lives and works most of the time. Renting cheap housing allows him to save money on those things that would set him apart from the same as he is - for the attributes of appearance. After all, he does not have to invite everyone to his home or spread unnecessarily about the location of his home, but the condition and cheapness of the suit can give him a bad reputation. Since life for show is important for Khlestakov, in the manner of very wealthy aristocrats, he has no choice but to save on permanent housing.
Parents of Ivan Alexandrovich are discouraged by the lack of promotion of their son in the service. Apparently, they were betting heavily on his abilities. The father periodically expresses his indignation on this score, but the son always finds an excuse - not all at once. The promotion must be earned for a long time. In fact, such an excuse is a lie to hide the true state of affairs.
Life in St. Petersburg
Ivan Alexandrovich cannot imagine his life without Petersburg. It is in this place that everything that is so dear to his heart is collected - the opportunity to spend time in a variety of pleasures. He eagerly goes to the theater every day, does not deny himself the pleasure of playing cards. By the way, he finds those who want to play always and everywhere, but not everyone and not always Khlestakov succeeds in winning - staying with his nose is a habitual thing for him.
Ivan Aleksandrovich loves exquisite cuisine and does not deny himself the pleasure of a tasty and satisfying meal.
Personality characteristic
First of all, Khlestakov stands out in society for his ability to lie beautifully and gracefully - for a person who prefers to live the illusion of wealth, to create the appearance of a significant person, this is a necessity.
Ivan Aleksandrovich is aware of his gaps in knowledge, but he is in no hurry to eradicate them - the fictitious success created by his lies, arrogant and pompous look inspires him.
Nevertheless, from time to time he reads books and even tries to write something on his own, but judging by the fact that there are no reviews about his work from other characters, we can conclude that these attempts were unsuccessful.
Khlestakov loves to be praised and admired, this is another reason to invent something about his life. He loves to be in the spotlight - such success is difficult to achieve in St. Petersburg, but in the provinces, where even his manner of speaking in a metropolitan manner causes a storm of positive emotions, it is an easy matter.
Khlestakov is not distinguished by courage, he is not ready to answer for his actions. When officials come to his hotel room, his heart is filled with fear of the possibility of being arrested. In essence, he is a rag, but he is a good actor - he knows how to create the appearance of a significant and very intelligent person, although in fact neither the first nor the second corresponds to the true state of affairs.
Khlestakov's attitude to women
Gogol is silent about Khlestakov's relationship with women in St. Petersburg, but actively describes the behavior of Ivan Alexandrovich with female representatives in the provinces.
Khlestakov knows how to play to the audience and arouse a feeling of sympathy in people - this applies not only to indicators of good manners and ostentatious aristocracy. Khlestakov is a skillful seducer and seducer. He is pleased with the company of women and their attention.
It is unlikely that he sets himself the goal of getting a wife. For Khlestakov, love interests are a peculiar way of playing, manipulating people.
Arriving in the city of N and having met the wife and daughter of the governor, he does not miss the opportunity to flirt with both women. First, he confesses his daughter's love, but after a couple of minutes he swears his mother's love. Khlestakov is not at all embarrassed by this fact. In addition, when Marya Antonovna (the governor's daughter) becomes an accidental witness to Khlestakov's tenderness towards his mother, Ivan Alexandrovich, taking advantage of the stupidity of women and their feeling of falling in love with him, turns the whole situation in favor of a wedding with Marya Antonovna - at the same time neither mother nor daughter understands their humiliating position and do not feel offended. Leaving the city, Khlestakov realizes that his matchmaking was a game only for him, everyone else, including Marya Antonovna, takes everything at face value. He is not worried about the further fate of the young girl and the possibility of traumatizing her with his act - he leaves the city with a calm soul.
Thus, Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov is a typical villain, capable of bringing grief and trouble to other people for the sake of his pleasure. He does not appreciate the care of himself on the part of his parents and is in no hurry to respond to others for the kindness rendered to him in kind. Most likely, on the contrary - he deftly uses the credulity and innocence of those around him.
Characteristics of the image of Khlestakov in quotes
Gogol's character appears as the central character of the famous Gogol text. Moreover, Khlestakov has already become a household name, because the "father" of the character - Nikolai Gogol - managed to create one of the most successful, bright and capacious literary types. For example, here is how the creator describes Khlestakov:
Khlestakov, a young man of about twenty-three, thin, thin; somewhat silly and, as they say, without a king in his head, - one of those people who are called empty in the offices. Speaks and acts without any consideration. He is not able to stop constant attention on any thought. His speech is abrupt, and the words fly out of his mouth completely unexpectedly. Moreover, the one performing this role will show sincerity and simplicity, the more he will win. Dressed in fashion ...
Remark about the place of Khlestakov's image in the plot of Gogol's text
The hero finds himself in one of the small, provincial towns of the Russian Empire by accident. And just as accidentally Khlestakov creates a whirlwind of errors around him. The man constantly stumbles and stumbles. However, at first the events were developing successfully for Khlestakov. The arrival of the hero almost coincides with the arrival in the city of the inspector - a strict Russian official who intended to check the affairs in the town. And so: the residents of the city are awaiting the arrival of the official, and they take our hero for him.
Khlestakov manages to successfully mimic the guise of an auditor. Over time, Gogol's hero reveals his true essence. Our hero is a rake and a gambler, a spender of parental money. A man loves female society, craves power, influence and money. Khlestakov treats the inferior, serfs, servants emphatically disdainful. The hero calls the peasants scoundrels, swindlers, idlers and fools. It also goes to the faithful servant of Khlestakov.
At the same time, Khlestakov seems to be very naive. Money is brought to the hero as a bribe, while the man perceives these "offerings" as a loan, exclaiming:
Lend me, lend me, I will pay off the innkeeper at once ...
How to evaluate the image of Khlestakov?
Of course, literary scholars were puzzled as to how to correctly assess the image of Khlestakov - in a positive or negative way. No, Gogol did not intend to present his character as an evil bandit, a swindler, a cunning schemer or a rogue. Moreover, there is so little cunning in our hero that Osip, the hero's servant, sometimes shows much more wisdom in his actions than his master.
Khlestakov is a victim of circumstances, a cycle of random events. The hero evokes general sympathy, because the image of Khlestakov is characterized by such features as a sweet appearance, courtesy, charm (especially everyone is mesmerized by a man's smile), as well as good manners. The hero belonged to an aristocratic family, but showed the same unsuitability for life, where he had to earn his own living, like all nobles. The soul of a man longed for Petersburg life.
Gogol evaluates Khlestakov as neutral as possible. The writer presents the hero as a young man of about twenty-three to twenty-four years of age. The hero was distinguished by his cunning and thinness, the posture of the hero was beautiful, thin, slender. However, the young man was "somewhat silly and, as they say - without a king in his head, - one of those people who are called empty in the offices."
"Passport of a Hero", according to Gogol's text
1. Completely Gogol's hero was called Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov. The governor emphasizes the "nondescript", that is, the smallness, short stature of the hero, who did not at all resemble a powerful auditor. However, the very appearance of Khlestakov is "not bad", the young man clearly arouses the interest of the ladies, the favor of mature beauties and young girls.
2. Before the hero arrived in the provincial regions, Khlestakov served in the St. Petersburg chancellery with the rank of collegiate registrar. This is the lowest rank, according to the Russian Table of Ranks:
It would have been good indeed, something worthwhile, or else the simple little girl! ..
However, in the Saratov region, Khlestakov had his own village, which was called Podkatilovka. It was there that Gogol's hero was heading until, through the fault of a coincidence, he stopped in the city of N. In St. Petersburg, Khlestakov occupies a small apartment located on the top floor. Verkhotury then was occupied by people who did not boast of a tight wallet:
... How do you run up the stairs to your fourth floor ...
3. The hero's heart, it seems, did not lie to the service of the hero. Therefore, instead of proper and honest work, the young man spends his life in entertainment establishments:
... he is not engaged in business: instead of being in office, he goes for a walk along the prospectus, plays cards<…>“No, my father demands me. The old man got angry that until now he had not served anything in Petersburg. He thinks that he has arrived like this, but now they will give you Vladimir in your buttonhole ... "
So, the Russian writer emphasizes that Khlestakov loved to lead a loose lifestyle, indulge in various pleasures, spend money on little things and amusements. Saving Khlestakov was not given in any way, so the hero periodically found himself completely "broke" and begged for money from parental savings:
“I’ve made a lot of money, my dear, now he’s sitting there with his tail tucked in, and doesn’t get excited. And it would be, and it would be very much for runs; no, you see, you need to show yourself in every city! .. "<…>"... Father will send money, how to hold them back - and where to! .. went to a party: he rides in a cab, every day you get a ticket to the keiatr, and then a week later, lo and behold - and sends a new coat to sell ..."
4. Khlestakov is characterized by a love of luxury. Therefore, the hero does not deny himself anything, he cannot afford to live, buys the most expensive things, prefers delicious kitchen delights, theatrical performances, gambling, in which he more often lost than won:
“And I, I confess, do not like death to deny myself the road, and why? Is not it?.."<…>"... Hey, Osip, go see the room, the best one, but ask the best lunch: I can't eat a bad lunch, I need a better lunch ..."<…>"I like to eat. After all, you live for that to pick flowers of pleasure "<…>"I - I confess, this is my weakness, - I love good cuisine"<…>"Please tell me if you have any entertainment, society, where you could, for example, play cards? .."<…>"... sometimes it's very tempting to play ..."<…>"... He gets to know a passing person, and then in a game of cards - here's the game for you! .."<…>“Yes, if I hadn’t taken a drink in Penza, it would have been money to get home. The infantry captain faked me a lot: the shtos are amazing, beast, she cuts off. He sat for only a quarter of an hour and robbed everything. And for all that, fear would like to fight it again. The case just did not lead ... "
5. Khlestakov is inclined to lie. The character's drama is that the hero sometimes invents an alternative reality that he believes in. For example, according to the pseudo-auditor, he loves writing, writes literary texts, publishing stories and articles of his own production in magazines. Khlestakov, as the hero says, often reads books. However, even the reader has sympathy for the careless Gogol character; nevertheless, Khlestakov is a swindler. Let the fraudulent character of Gogol's character be casual, yet Gogol does not justify Khlestakov, but depicts the image of a young man objectively.