Sobakevich - characterization of the hero of the novel "Dead Souls"

This article will examine the characteristics of the landowner Sobakevich - one of the main characters of the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol "Dead Souls." It is interesting that the idea of this poem belonged to the great poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, and Gogol only fulfilled his promise before him - he created the work.

It should be noted that he did not fully fulfill his mission, as it was originally planned to create three volumes of the poem (in the likeness of Hell, Purgatory and Paradise), but only the first reached the reader. There is a suggestion that the almost completely finished second volume was destroyed by the writer for unknown reasons, and the third Gogol did not have time to write. To get a little closer to unraveling the secrets associated with the fate of these works of the great writer, modern philologists carefully analyze and study the images of his heroes, create a comparative description of Sobakevich, Korobochka, Manilov, Nozdrev, Plyushkin and other characters of the work.

History of writing

I must say, the poem "Dead Souls", like many other works of the author, is an immortal literary work. It depicts the reality of Russia in the XIX century, which is reflected in today's day. The activities of ignorant officials, the arbitrariness of the authorities, the plight of ordinary people - all this is fully represented by the author on the pages of the work.

In addition to the fact that Nikolai Vasilyevich gives a description of different types of people, he also describes inanimate objects in detail, which allows the reader to clearly imagine the way of life of the Russian people in the XIX century. To create a general idea of the people of that time, key figures of the poem are allowed: Chichikov, Manilov, Korobochka, Plyushkin, Sobakevich. Characteristics of the hero is represented by Gogol in such a way that each of them is endowed with typical features of the representatives of the era, and individual, distinct from others.

An interesting discovery of observers and researchers was also the fact that the sequence of the appearance of characters in Gogol's poem is not accidental, everything is subordinated to a certain order. This fact allows us to approach the understanding of the main idea of the work.

Sobakevich Landowner: Characteristics of the Hero

Dead land sold many landlords. Special attention among them deserves Sobakevich Mihailo Semenovich. The author acquaints the reader with this hero long before his appearance in the plot. First, Gogol describes his possessions, as if preparing the reader for the perception of such a difficult character as Sobakevich. Characteristics of the hero is revealed through a detailed depiction of his village, a large village with strong buildings. The house of Sobakevich himself was a solid structure and seemed to be eternal. Peasants' estates were also distinguished by their quality and reliability. But, as Chichikov noted, having entered the village of Sobakevich, that the master of the estates does not care about the aesthetics of the buildings, there was not a single superfluous "useless" decorative element on them. The appearance of the buildings was not distinguished by refinement, practicality and functionality - this is the main feature of the buildings owned by the landowner Sobakevich.

Characteristics of the hero can also be traced in the description of the surrounding nature. The author tells that on one side of the village there was a pine forest, and on the other - a birch forest. He compares forests with the wings of one bird, only one of them is light, and the other is dark. So Gogol makes it clear to the reader that Sobakevich, the master of the possessions, is endowed with different personal qualities.

Appearance of the landowner

A brief description of Sobakevich, in particular his external appearance, is given by the author in the work itself. Gogol compares the hero with a bear of medium size, emphasizes his coat of "bearish" color. Even the name, Mikhailo Semyonovich, was not chosen by chance, it is involuntarily associated with brown toed animals. In addition, the landowner Sobakevich moved in a bearish way, now and then attacking someone's feet.

The hero has a hot, rosy complexion, which, undoubtedly, once again indicates the firmness and strength of his nature.

Characteristics of character

The author describes the character of the hero magnificently. He reveals himself not only in appearance, gait, gestures, but also in a manner to speak, and in the whole way of his life. From the first words, the hero is attributed to the absolute mundaneness of views and interests.

Each detail in the room of Sobakevich was very similar to his master. In the paintings hanging in his house, Greek heroes were depicted resembling Mikhail Semenovich in appearance. Similar to him were the nut bureau, and the thrush of dark color with spots.

Presented by the writer as a strong, prudent host Mikhailo Sobakevich. Characteristics of the hero makes it clear that his peasants are living under his command reliably and calmly. And his efficiency and natural power, which began to look like a dull stagnation, is a disaster, not the hero's fault.

Outlook on life

Sobakevich is hostile to everything connected with spirituality. In his understanding, culture and enlightenment are harmful and useless inventions. The main thing for him is to take care of one's own well-being and a full-time existence under any circumstances.

In conversation with Chichikov, our hero shows himself a predator with a dead grip, ready at any cost to seize prey. It is in this vein that the author gives a characterization of Sobakevich. Dead souls - that's what Chichikov came to for him, and Mihailo Semyonitch immediately called things by their proper names, without waiting for him to be tired of hints. He was not ashamed to bargain and even cheat, slipping Chichikov 's female soul Elizabeth Sparrow. During the transaction, the main qualities of the landowner Sobakevich appeared. His straightforwardness and sharpness sometimes bordered on rudeness, cynicism and ignorance.

Mihailo Semenovich wrote his own list of all his deceased peasants, in addition, he told about each of them - what he did, what features he possessed. At first glance, it may seem that Sobakevich is worried about his subordinates, since he knows so much about them. But in fact he is guided by a simple calculation - he cares who lives in his possessions, and he knows who and what can be useful to him.

Relationship between Sobakevich and his environment

An attentive reader will undoubtedly notice what is similar to other heroes Sobakevich and what are his differences. The main ones have already been mentioned above. One should also pay attention to the fact that Sobakevich does not accept stinginess, as evidenced by his desire to ensure that his subordinates live well, and criticism toward the landowner Plyushkin, who, having eight hundred peasant souls, eats like a shepherd. Sobakevich himself loved to eat deliciously. He also understands that you can get more from a strong peasant farm, because, probably, he keeps his wards in abundance.

About the officials, the landowner responds unflatteringly, calling them "Christ-sellers" and scammers. But this does not prevent him from dealing with them and making deals. And in general, not a single kind word came out of his mouth when he talked about people with whom he is friends or communicates.

conclusions

Despite the fact that the author leaves Sobakevich with a chance to revive, attributing to him many good qualities, there is no doubt that the landowner's soul is dead. He, like many others, does not allow changes around and inside himself, because only a person who has a soul can change.