A systematic summary of the poem "Dead Souls" N.V. Gogol should start with the fact that this is a work of the famous Ukrainian writer N.V. Gogol, which the author himself called a poem. It was conceived in the form of three volumes, but the author almost completely destroyed the second volume, refuting the dictum "manuscripts do not burn." Thus, from the second volume, only a couple of chapters were preserved in the draft records. The third volume was only in Gogol’s ideas and there is extremely little information about him. Here is a summary of Gogol - "Dead Souls".
The plot of the first volume
In the provincial city of N comes a former official, and now a fraudster, posing as a landowner, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. Chichikov's first task is to gain confidence in local high-ranking residents. And the fraudster cleverly copes with this task. Pavel Ivanovich quickly becomes a welcome guest at dinner parties and balls, seeking the confidence of others. Chichikov’s main goal is to buy up “dead souls,” that is, dead peasants, who are still listed as living people, and re-register them as living ones. What for? Everything is simple. Then the "peasants" can be pledged and get good money. What is it for Chichikov, a clever and resourceful person? The fact is that the main character has a dream: to become rich. He once served in customs, where he burned out, giving smugglers the opportunity to transport goods. Chichikov quarreled with an accomplice and he turned him in to the authorities. In order not to go to jail, he escapes, taking with him a couple of papers, a shirt, soap. He could not withdraw money from the bank account. However, like any large but fragile business, the Chichikov scam could not stand unaccounted for trifles. The gossip and hang of the landowner Nozdrev became a stumbling block on the path of the fraudster. Gulyaka hastened to tell the whole city of N about the affairs of Chichikov, while he also attached to everything the abduction of the daughter of the governor himself. Pavel Ivanovich instantly orientated himself and left the hospitable city, taking the acquired merchants with him. Gogol did not begin to summarize at the end of the first part. Instead, he addresses the reader with a philosophical question: “Is he a scoundrel?” Accordingly, each reader gets the opportunity to think for a moment about his own soul, because many people have Chichikov’s qualities.
Some heroes of Gogol’s “Dead Souls”
To know the personalities described in this book is better not in absentia. The author was able to do the impossible: he breathed life into literary heroes! Nevertheless, a brief summary of Gogol's “Dead Souls” cannot do without the characteristics of some actors. Since the environment makes any person, let's look again at Chichikov and his retinue.
Chichikov Pavel Ivanovich. In addition to the details described above, one can note its flaunting and ability to look good even in the conditions of a long journey. Selifan is a short, rude coachman of Chichikov. A connoisseur of the characters of horses and a connoisseur of thoroughbred, tall girls. Parsley is a long-nosed and big-breasted footman Chichikova, a lover of wine and tavern fun. He doesn’t like to wash and smells of the scrubs of the unwashed body in well-worn clothes from the gentleman's shoulder. Braggart.
We include Gogol's “Dead Souls” and the inhabitants of the city N, because it was they who helped the author make Chichikov demonstrate all his talents. Governor, Governor and their daughter; vice governor; police chief; chairman of the chamber; the prosecutor; postmaster; a couple of landowners Manilovs with sons Themistoklus and Alkid; Box Nastasya Petrovna; landowner Nozdrev; landowner Mizhuev; a couple of Sobakevichs; landowner Stepan Plyushkin; Uncles Mitya and Minai; nice lady in every way and just nice lady.
Some details of the second volume
Summary of Gogol's "Dead Souls" on the second volume becomes even shorter. The reason is the fragmentation of information and drafts remaining after the destruction of the manuscript by the author. The best way out is to sketch the second volume in selected faces. Tentetnikov Andrei Ivanovich, or, in another way, Derpennikov, is a kind of great-image of Oblomov: he slowly wakes up and walks in a dressing gown, rarely receives guests and leaves home a little. The character is weird. A heightened sense of justice pushes hostility with almost everyone around. Read, educated, ambitious. He served in the capital at one time, but quarreled with his boss and returned to the estate, where he tried to change the life of his own peasants. Those, however, did not understand him. Sometimes he draws and tries to write scientific work.
Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. Years did not change the rogue, but rather strengthened his talents to rub into trust and pleasantly communicate on any topic. He did not leave speculations with “dead souls,” but at this time most landowners re-mortgage the papers, so Chichikov is no longer left. I bought an estate, and at the end of the second part I come across a scam, for which I almost disappeared in prisons. In the course of the poem, he does a good deed: reconciles Tentetnikov and Betrishchev, which contributes to the wedding of the first general with his daughter.
Betrishchev. Landowner, general, Tentetnikov’s neighbor. A kind of Roman patrician: mustachioed, important and majestic. Petty tyrant. He has a good heart and a habit of joking around others.
Ulinka. The very daughter of the general, who became the wife of Tentetnikov in the course of the poem. Lively, active, noble and very beautiful. Although little is known about the girl’s character, Gogol’s affection for her is noticeable, and she became the heroine of the third volume, which says a lot. And many others.
You can go on, but why? The main points have already been described. We can only advise you to read the whole poem that N.V. wrote Gogol. Dead Souls, a brief summary of which was presented in the article, does not contain a description of the third volume, since it was not written, so it remains only to speculate. There is evidence that Tentetnikov and his wife go to Siberia, most likely in exile. Chichikov is in the same region. Everything else is rumors and bullshit, with few real facts under it.