Working on the poem Dead Souls, N. Gogol planned to show all the dark sides of the life of Russian society, including the arbitrariness and complete indifference of the authorities to the fates of ordinary people. A special role in the implementation of the author’s ideological concept is played by The Tale of Captain Kopeikin.
In which chapter is the theme stated above stated? It is safe to say that it permeates the entire first volume. Before the gaze of readers, a gallery of landowners and vivid images of provincial officials alternate, tragic fates of peasants who are still alive and long dead are looming. And now for no one is the secret purpose of Mr. Chichikov’s visit to the city N, it is not clear only who he really is and why he has dead souls. It was at this moment that the story of a former participant in the war with the French appeared on the pages of the poem, more reminiscent of the parable of the valiant robber.
Chapter history
A difficult creative fate was "The Tale of Captain Kopeikin." In the plot of Dead Souls, she, according to the author himself, occupied a very important place and therefore could not be excluded from the work. Meanwhile, censorship at the first acquaintance with the text of the poem considered the publication of the chapter unacceptable. As a result, Gogol had to adjust the content of the story about the captain twice, which emphasizes the significance of the story “The Dead Souls” in the ideological content of the entire poem. According to documentary sources, the author was ready to somewhat soften the general tone of the story about Kopeikin, but not to allow his exclusion from the work.
We offer for acquaintance the third version of the chapter, approved for publication by censorship - the original, by the way, became available to the reader only after 1917.
The story of the appearance of the chapter in "Dead Souls": a summary
"The Tale of Captain Kopeikin" is a postmaster's story, full of various phrases, decorations, figures of speech, repetitions, sometimes even seeming superfluous. This conveys the storyteller’s attitude to the whole story: for him, it is nothing more than a fun event that can become the basis for a story or novel. Why a postmaster? Compared with other city officials, he was more knowledgeable - he read a lot - and therefore tried to turn the main mystery (who is Chichikov?) Into some kind of entertainment. He suddenly decided that the buyer of the dead souls and the main character of his story, a disabled person without arms and legs, could very well be the same person. Be that as it may, this story, evoked in the storyteller’s memory by the reflections of city officials of N about Chichikov’s personality, turned into almost an independent work that once again emphasizes their soullessness - no one sympathized with the captain.
Meet the protagonist
According to the postmaster, everything happened shortly after the end of the Patriotic War with Napoleon. Captain Kopeikin experienced a lot in that company, and most importantly, he was seriously injured, as a result of which he lost his leg and right arm. Since no measures to help people with disabilities have been taken yet, the former soldier was without a livelihood and began to think about what to do next. At first he went to his father, but he replied that he himself had to be tough, not to parasites. There was only one thing left - to try our luck at the officials in St. Petersburg, to ask for a well-deserved pension.
Special world
Having reached the capital, Captain Kopeikin at first marveled at its splendor. It seemed that before him there were pictures from the tales of Scheherazade - so everything was unusual and rich. I tried to rent an apartment, but it turned out to be painfully expensive. I had to be content with a ruble tavern, where cabbage soup was served with a piece of beef.
Having settled down, he began to find out where to turn. They explained that the bosses all in France, therefore, it is necessary to go to the interim commission. And they pointed to a house on the waterfront.
The first trip to the official: a summary
"The Tale of Captain Kopeikin" includes a description of the "hut of a man" (definition of postmaster). Huge windows and mirrors, marble and lacquer, the door handle glistens so that it’s scary to take. This picture alone aroused fear in a simple petitioner. The doorman on the porch was also terrifying: with batiste collars and the count of the count ... The captain who entered the waiting room hid in a corner, being afraid of accidentally breaking some kind of vase. Since the official had just woken up, he had to wait. Four hours later, he was finally informed that the boss was about to leave. By this time, there were a lot of people in the reception room. The official began to bypass the visitors and stopped in front of Kopeikin. Their dialogue was short-lived. Let's give a brief summary of it.
"The Tale of Captain Kopeikin" is the story of a Russian soldier-defender. The hero immediately said that he had become disabled in the war and now could not work, and therefore asked for some kind of pension. The official did not argue and asked to come in a few days later.
Feast of the soul
Such an answer inspired the captain, who was convinced that his case had already been decided. Happy, he went into the tavern, where he ordered a glass of vodka, a patty and a bottle of wine to be served . Then he went to the theater, and upon returning to the tavern he even tried to hit on an Englishwoman walking along the sidewalk, and her bone leg reminded me of disability. As a result, almost half of the money he had spent was spent in a few hours. So ends the description of a happy day for the hero Gogol.
The Tale of Captain Kopeikin continues with the story of the second visit to the official.
Disappointment
Two or three days later, the hero again went to the house on the embankment. He was sure that now he would be given a substantial amount of money - some thousandth pension. Therefore, he again began to tell how heroically he shed blood and received injuries. But the official’s response was brief and categorical: only a minister can decide such a case, but he isn’t there yet. And he gave some money so that it could exist before any measures were taken. The frustrated hero went to his inn. It seems that this should be the end of the story of Captain Kopeikin.
Protest
However, the captain had already tasted the charms of metropolitan life, and therefore this outcome did not suit him at all. He is gloomy down the street. On the one hand - salmon, cutlet with truffles, cherries, watermelon, and on the other - the promised "tomorrow". And he decides: it is necessary again to go to the commission and get what you want. Thus, The Tale of Captain Kopeikin is continued.
The next day, the hero stood in front of the same official and said that he needed to eat well, drink wine, and visit the theater. In response, I heard that he was given money for food before the release of the special resolution, and if he wants all sorts of excesses, then he must seek his own means. But the offended Kopeikin was so divided that he cursed all the officials on the commission. In order to calm down the noise, we had to apply strict measures to it: conduct it to the place of residence. The captain only thought: "Thanks already for not having to pay for the run yourself." Then he began to reason: “Once I have to look for money for myself, then I’ll find it.”
The “Tale of Captain Kopeikin” ends with the fact that they brought the hero to his place of residence, after which all the rumors about him disappeared into oblivion. And a couple of months later a robber gang appeared in the forests in the Ryazanshchina, which was headed by "none other than ...". At this, the postmaster's story is interrupted.
Artistic details in the narrative
In The Tale of Captain Kopeikin, N. Gogol masterfully uses expressive means. For example, a portrait of a doorman speaks volumes. He is compared to a generalissimo and a well-fed pug. Such a soulless man who looks down upon others is certainly not up to the problems of the captain and the like.
Gogol describes in detail the house on the embankment and the reception room into which visitors fell. What did one doorknob cost. Kopeikin, who saw her, got the idea that first you need to rub his hands with soap for two hours and only then take up her. And from the splendor and splendor it blew such a cold that it became clear to everyone: there was nothing to expect help.
It is also noteworthy that the official is not named, and it is difficult to judge his position. And the captain has only a surname. Such a generalization significantly pushes the boundaries of the narrative, turning a particular case into a typical one.
Features of the first version of the "Tale ..."
As already noted, censorship allowed the publication of the third edition of the chapter. A significant difference between different versions of the story was in the final. In the first version, Gogol focused on what happened to the hero after returning from St. Petersburg. Here is a summary of it.
"The Tale of Captain Kopeikin" talked about how the main character began to take revenge. He gathered a whole group of offended soldiers and settled with them in the woods. The gang tracked down everyone whose activities were related to the treasury. She also appeared in the villages where the deadline for the payment of the rent was assigned and, ordering the headman to hand over everything that had been demolished, she wrote out to the peasants a receipt that they had paid taxes. It is clear that such an option could not arrange power, and ultimately in the "Tale ..." there was only one mention of the robbers, who were led by "no one else ...".
The story of the captain ended with unexpected news. Kopeikin left for America, from where he sent letters to the emperor asking him not to touch the people involved in the gang. He also called for mercy to be shown to everyone who was injured in the war. And the king really decided not to prosecute the guilty.
The difference between the different versions of the "Tale ..." also related to the arrangement of characters and the phrases they pronounce. But there were no big changes. In the final speech of the official, the words were rearranged, which by and large did not change the ideological significance. More importantly, the author somewhat changed the image of captain Kopeikin. He portrayed the hero as a man who wished to join a beautiful metropolitan life, which was partly the reason for his misfortunes (meaning the demand for money for wine, delicious food, theaters).
The ideological content of the chapter
The meaning of the "Tale of Captain Kopeikin" is that N. Gogol draws the reader's attention to the relationship between the government and the people depending on its will. The protagonist, who did not receive help in the capital and forced himself to look for ways to survive, rebels against the oppression, cruelty and injustice prevailing in feudal Russia. It is significant that the robbers robbed only those who were related to the treasury, and did not touch people who were driving on their own. In this way, they tried to get what was rightfully their right as defenders of the Fatherland. The described situation leads to the idea that the progressive forces of the country, albeit still spontaneously, are already preparing to enter the fight against the prevailing arbitrariness. It is also reminiscent of popular uprisings under the leadership of S. Razin and E. Pugachev, who showed the strength and power of the people.
What is the "Tale of Captain Kopeikin" about? Reflecting on this issue, one more point should be noted. N. Gogol, skillfully depicting a provincial town and its inhabitants in the story “Dead Souls”, in this chapter transfers action to the capital and creates a contradictory image of St. Petersburg, in which the world of the noble and rich, reminiscent of the famous fairy tales of Scheherazade, is contrasted with the world of the humiliated and poor, barely making ends meet. This allowed the author to imagine the life of Russia in its entirety and diversity.