Composer Alfred Schnittke wrote the suite Chichikov’s Childhood. Dead Souls, Gogol’s poem from which this passage was taken is an adornment of not only Russian but also world literature.
A small sketch about the childhood of the hero
A small passage from the eleventh, last chapter of the book, written by the author so vividly and figuratively, inspired the composer to express by means of music a gray, joyless childhood. Chichikov, the protagonist of the poem, remembering his childhood, for the rest of his life, by hook or by crook, tried to achieve a certain position in society. N.V. Gogol brilliantly described two or three phrases masterfully described the wretched existence of little Paul in his native home. What can be compared with the phrase about how “life looked” at the child! A sour-unpleasant look, and even through the dull window covered with snow. It immediately becomes clear that the boy grew up without parental affection (his father was ill, and his mother looked after him), lonely, without noisy friends and comrades, abandoned. But the most joyful and carefree time of life is childhood! Chichikov, one might say, was deprived of it.
Formative Factors
In later life, the absence of friends did not bother Paul. This was facilitated, on the one hand, by the habit of always being alone, and on the other, by the instigation of the father, who decided, perhaps, only once in his life to speak heart to heart with his son. Little Chichikov was taken to a neighboring city to be identified at the school. Forty horse only on the third day in the morning delivered travelers to their destination - to a distant relative. And again around poorly concealed poverty, dullness and wretchedness. The years of study begin, childhood continues. Chichikov very well learned his father’s advice, the main one of which was about the ability to please absolutely everyone, especially the bosses and teachers, fellow practitioners rich and useful. He worked on the ability to subtly flatter during the rest of his life. And, as the author testifies, Chichikov was able to make the most favorable impression on society.
The peculiar talents of Chichikov
The resourcefulness of the protagonist is the driving force behind the plot of the work. Entrepreneurial, active, obliging and unprincipled - a wonderful future could open before him, that is, he could achieve what he was striving for. Having no special talents, he graduated with honors from college. For exemplary and trustworthy behavior, he is awarded a distinctive gift - a book with golden letters. However, despite the praise of teachers, Pavlush learned to speculate in the walls of the school. The hero of the work was no exception, he was a product of the system and society.
Chichikov did not remember his childhood with a painful feeling - he did not starve, was a well-fed boy, he simply did not need ordinary children's fun. All energy, all his talents were directed, according to his father's advice, to hoarding. Gogol describes how the hero idolized the money: when the boy saved five rubles, he put them in a bag, which he sewed and hid in a mattress, then he began to save further. Another of his talents was the ability to sit motionless throughout the lesson and, without blinking, look into the teacher’s mouth, no matter how mocking fellow practitioners tried to stir him up with a push and tweaks.
The deity to whom the hero prays
Father's farewell speech was dedicated to the power of a penny. She, and only she - and the most faithful friend, and the most reliable comrade - will never betray and get out of any trouble. And all the years of study Pavlush tirelessly mined a penny. He trained a mouse, and then profitably sold it, and made a bird for the same purpose. Using the carelessness of fellow practitioners, Chichikov bought cakes and bagels in advance, and after waiting for them to get hungry, he sold food at a price depending on the appetite of the buyer. At its core, he was an active and talented entrepreneur. This is the image of Chichikov. Childhood, of course, left its imprint on his character, but finally shaped his morals society.