The very title of Nikolai Gogol's famous poem "Dead Souls" already contains the main idea and idea of \u200b\u200bthis work. Judging superficially, the title reveals the content of the scam and the very personality of Chichikov - he bought the souls of already dead peasants. But in order to grasp the whole philosophical meaning of Gogol's idea, one must look deeper than the literal interpretation of the title and even what is happening in the poem.
The meaning of the name "Dead Souls"
The title "Dead Souls" contains a much more important and deeper meaning than is displayed by the author in the first volume of the work. It has been said for a long time that Gogol originally planned to write this poem by analogy with the famous and immortal "Divine Comedy" by Dante, and as you know, it consisted of three parts - "Hell", "Purgatory" and "Paradise". It was they who had to correspond to the three volumes of Gogol's poem.
In the first volume of his most famous poem, the author intended to show the hell of Russian reality, the frightening and truly terrifying truth about the life of that time, and in the second and third volumes, the rise of the spiritual culture and life of Russia. To some extent, the title of the work is a symbol of the life of the county town N., and the city itself is a symbol of the whole of Russia, and thus the author indicates that his native country is in a terrible state, and the saddest and most terrible thing is that that this is due to the fact that the souls of people gradually cool, harden and die.
The history of the creation of Dead Souls
The poem "Dead Souls" Nikolai Gogol began in 1835 and continued to work on it until the end of his life. At the very beginning, the writer singled out for himself, most likely, the funny side of the novel and created the plot of Dead Souls, as for a long work. There is an opinion that Gogol borrowed the main idea of the poem from A.S. Pushkin, since it was this poet who first heard the real story about the "dead souls" in the city of Bendery. Gogol worked on the novel not only in his homeland, but also in Switzerland, Italy and France. The first volume of "Dead Souls" was completed in 1842, and in May it was already published under the title "The Adventures of Chichikov or Dead Souls."
Subsequently, work on the novel, Gogol's original plan expanded significantly, it was then that the analogy with the three parts of the Divine Comedy appeared. Gogol conceived that his characters went through a kind of circles of hell and purgatory, so that at the end of the poem they would rise spiritually and be reborn. The author never managed to realize his idea, only the first part of the poem was completely written. It is known that Gogol began work on the second volume of the poem in 1840, and by 1845 he had already prepared several options for continuing the poem. Unfortunately, it was in this year that the author independently destroyed the second volume of the work, he irrevocably burned the second part of Dead Souls, being dissatisfied with what was written. The exact reason for this act of the writer is still unknown. There are draft manuscripts of four chapters of the second volume, which were discovered after the opening of Gogol's papers.
Thus, it becomes clear that the central category and at the same time the main idea of Gogol's poem is the soul, the presence of which makes a person complete and real. This is precisely the main theme of the work, and Gogol tries to point out the value of the soul using the example of soulless and callous heroes who represent a special social stratum of Russia. In his immortal and brilliant work, Gogol simultaneously raises the topic of the crisis in Russia and shows what it is directly related to. The author talks about the fact that it is the soul that is the nature of man, without which there is no meaning in life, without which life becomes dead, and that it is thanks to it that salvation can be found.
Nikolai Vasilievich spent a long time thinking about what the meaning of the novel would be. As a result, I came to the conclusion that it is necessary to show the whole of Rus', the people with all the shortcomings, negative traits, and contradictory characters. Gogol wanted to hurt a person, to show him what is happening in the world, what is worth fearing. He wanted the readers, having familiarized themselves with his creation, to reflect on the problems posed in the work.
Nikolai Vasilyevich revealed the hidden corners of the human soul, manifestations of character in different situations, certain shortcomings that prevent a happy life. He wrote his creation not only for specific people living at a certain time, but for all generations. He was worried about the future, in which a repetition of what is depicted in the novel is possible. He showed by all means how "dead" the souls of people can be, and how difficult it is to awaken this soul, to get through to it. Gogol tried to expose Russia, to reveal the negative qualities of the people, for which, apparently, many readers are not taken for such treatment of characters.
But there is no need to blame Gogol. He did what many failed to do: the writer managed to find the strength to convey the truth to a person! The writer managed to display in his work what he planned.
The idea and composition of "Dead Souls"
Many contemporaries did not accept the great writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, but all because they did not understand the whole meaning inherent in this or that work. Speaking of Gogol, it is impossible to ignore his magnificent novel Dead Souls, on which the writer worked for 17 years. It is worth considering that the creative career of Nikolai Vasilyevich was 23 years. Therefore, it is clear that Dead Souls occupied a special place in Gogol's life.
Faithful and reliable comrade A.S. Pushkin suggested the plot for this creation. It is noteworthy that the initial three chapters were created by Gogol in Russia, and the subsequent ones abroad. The work was hard, because Nikolai Vasilyevich thought through every detail, focused on any word. Even the surnames in the novel became speaking, because by this action the writer wanted to clearly expose the essence of wealthy people, show the nature of the homeland, identify shortcomings and reveal the negative sides of people. Perhaps in connection with such an act, "Dead Souls" often succumbed to negative criticism, attacks were made on Gogol, because the truth that was told by the writer did not want to be accepted by the people, they were not ready for it.
Nikolai Vasilievich, creating a novel, did not want to miss anything. He dreamed of embodying in him everything that so disturbs and excites the soul. Therefore, the creator tied up many events related to different mindsets by people, one hero Chichikov. Gogol depicted the everyday life of the landowners. The character that travels to each active person reveals their shortcomings, which are inherent in any person. On the pages of the novel, readers can notice Manilov, who only does what he paints a paradise life, imagines something unattainable, instead of stopping indulging himself with desires, but getting down to business. It is noticeable that Manilov has a wrong understanding of life, because daydreaming envelops so much that it is rather difficult to get out of its maelstrom.
The reflection of complete lies and lies, hypocrisy is shown in the character of Nozdrev, which Chichikov also visits. One can also see the kulaks, Sobakevich's aggressive attitude towards people. One way or another, each character has his own trait, which is revealed by Chichikov. Paying attention to the negative sides of the characters, Gogol warns us that everyone should think about their lives, change their views, understand that with such similar feelings as those of the characters, one cannot calmly walk the Earth. And throughout the entire poem, Nikolai Vasilievich poses an important compositional problem: the abyss between the ruling class and the common people. No wonder the image of the road appears in the composition of "Dead Souls". This writer makes a hint that Russia should deliberately move only forward, without swerving or delaying. Gogol has a very tender love for his homeland, he does not want it to fall or go into oblivion. The writer worries about Russia, that's why he devoted many years to writing "Dead Soul"!
Option 3
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol argued for a long time what the idea of the work would be. The writer was in deep thought. After a while, he decides that it is necessary to show the people of Rus' as it really is. No exaggeration or lies. He wanted to convey to mankind that problems need to be solved, people have lied, they are plundering the country. The whole idea of the poem is swindlers and their deeds. One of the swindlers is Chichikov, from the work we know that he bought up the souls of dead workers. And the landlords were happy to sell, because they also wanted to profit. The writer showed Russia, both from the good side and from the bad side. Not every writer of that time decided on this.
It is a pity that only the first volume of the poem reached the reader. The second author personally destroyed it, he burned it, but, thank God, drafts reached people, and Gogol never began to write the third volume.
Nikolai Vasilyevich turned the souls of the heroes inside out in front of the reader. He showed how the characters behave in different situations and how their character is manifested in this case. When this poem was created, the author expected to convey it not only to the people who lived at that time. The writer wanted to make a work that would be read in a hundred years. He wanted no matter what people repeated the mistakes of the past. Gogol showed how strong the "dead" souls of living people can be when it comes to money, and how difficult it is to get to the good soul that is always present in a person, even the most evil. The poem is very difficult for the reader, perhaps because Gogol brings dishonest people out, and people find it unpleasant to read this.
Gogol, the only writer in Russia who was able to convey to the people the truth of that time. He wrote the truth as it is, did not hide anything.
He very clearly expresses patriotic feelings for Rus'. The writer compares the territory of the state with the boundless spiritual wealth of his beloved people. He hopes for a bright future for his nation. Years and a millennium will pass, people will read the poem and will not repeat the mistakes of their ancestors, such is the hope of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. But is it so in our time? One more poem could be written about this. But the writer believes in his people that sooner or later they will change for the better, become wiser.
Gogol, thinking long and hard about the purpose of his creation, came to the conclusion that his goal was to show the whole of Rus' with its inherent contradictory features, the true Russian person in its entirety, with the versatility of national characters and characteristics. The writer wanted to reveal to us all the hidden corners of the Russian soul, eating up the shortcomings and hidden virtues of a Russian person from the inside, surrounded by a daily web of trifles, deeds and events. Gogol, thinking about the future work, begins to feel in himself even a missionary
Power: he burns with the desire to help his fatherland by awakening the "dead", sleeping soul of a Russian person with the best medicine - cleansing laughter. The poem was intended as a revealing, saving tool for "dormant" Russia, Gogol believed that this was his duty, his opportunity to be as useful in his writing as any simple civil servant is useful to the fatherland. Nikolai Vasilievich intended to create a grandiose, all-encompassing work, consisting of three interrelated and flowing from one another parts. They symbolized the unique path of Russia from "lethargy" to awareness, awakening, purification and rapid moral self-development.
Thus, we can say that the idea of the poem "Dead Souls" was the broadest in its scope of characters, characters, ideas, events and phenomena of complex Russian life.
The poem "Dead Souls" seems contradictory already in terms of the genre of the work designated by the author. After all, as we know from the definition, a poem is a genre of literature that is distinguished by its poetic form. It turns out that Gogol pushes the existing genre boundaries and creates, as we now call it, a prose poem. Why did this happen? The answer lies in yet another contradiction: reflecting on his creation, the writer firmly held on to the idea of creating an incredibly large-scale, universal work, he wanted to liken it, equate it to an epic, drawing an analogy between such huge works as Dante's Divine Comedy and Homer's poems. And the implementation of all these thoughts in prose was possible only thanks to numerous lyrical digressions in the course of the narrative, reminding the reader of the grandeur of the idea, of its further development along an as yet unknown, but great path.
And, finally, one of the main plot and compositional contradictions is the possibility of the very realization of all Gogol's ideas. The writer literally dreamed of creating the strongest work in terms of impact on all readers. In it, he wanted to clearly and accurately show the degradation, stagnation, awakening and setting on the path of the true vicious Russian souls. However, he did not want to simply present to the world the artistic ideal that arose in his head. On the contrary, with all his strength and genius, he tried to draw a living person, as if standing next to us, tangible and really existing. The writer wanted to literally embody a person, to breathe a living spirit into him. And this tragically contradicted the actual implementation: such a task turned out to be not only beyond Gogol's strength, but also beyond the time allotted to the creator himself.
The contradiction in this phrase is obvious: after all, this is a literary oxymoron (the same, for example, “living corpse”, “sad joy”, etc.). But, turning to the poem itself, we discover other meanings.
Firstly, "dead souls" are simply dead serfs, the "hunt" for which is Chichikov's main task to achieve his personal well-being.
But here, and secondly, another meaning is revealed, which is more important for the ideological component of the work. “Dead souls” are the “rotten”, vicious souls of that landowner and bureaucratic circle in which Chichikov revolves. These souls have forgotten what it is real life full of pure, noble feelings and following human duty. Outwardly, all these people seem to be alive, they talk, walk, eat, etc. But their inner content, spiritual filling is dead, it will either forever sink into oblivion, or with great effort and suffering can be reborn.
Thirdly, there is another hidden meaning of the phrase. It is a religious and philosophical idea. According to Christian teaching, the human soul cannot be dead by definition, it is always alive, only the body can die.
It turns out that Gogol enhances the meaning of rebirth, renewal of the "dirty" soul, likening it to simple human flesh.
Thus, we can say that even such a short and capacious title of the poem helps the writer to convey and reveal a huge number of ideas and themes displayed in the work.
The religious and moral searches of the writer are directly related to the idea of "Dead Souls". We can say that the whole work is built on religious, moral and philosophical ideas.
Nikolai Vasilyevich sought to show in the poem the rebirth of "sinners" into "righteous ones". He closely connected the moral re-education and self-education of the protagonist with Christian dogma. Indeed, to live in a Christian way is to live according to the divine commandments, in the observance of which the best features of a person are displayed. To believe in the one God, to be respectful, not to envy, not to steal or steal, to be respectful and generally righteous in essence - this is the religious and moral ideal that Gogol wanted to embody in the work. He believed that the transformation of a thoroughly vicious person is still possible with the help of laughter at oneself, purifying suffering, and then accepting following the truth. Moreover, the writer believed that such an example of the reincarnation of a Russian person, and soon all of Russia, could serve as a "beacon" for other nations and even for the whole world. It is quite possible that he dreamed of an unattainable ideal - a universal, universal rebirth from the abyss of sins and the establishment of righteousness.
Gogol closely connected his searches with the idea of the poem, literally weaving the entire “canvas” of the work out of these thoughts.
The poem shows the characters of many landowners, describes their way of life, passions, customs. But only two people have a backstory, a story about their past. This is Plyushkin and Chichikov.
The fact is that such personalities as Korobochka, Manilov, Sobakevich, Nozdrev and others are shown vividly, “in all their glory” and very believable, we can fully form our impression of them and predict their future fate. These characters are representatives of the "stagnation" of the human essence, they are what they are, with all their vices and imperfections, and they will not become different.
As for Chichikov and Plyushkin, one of the facets of the great intention of the writer is revealed here. These two heroes, according to the author, are still capable of development, renewal of their souls. Therefore, both Plyushkin and Chichikov have a biography. Gogol wanted to lead the reader along the entire line of their life, to show a complete picture of the formation of their character, and then the transformation and new formation of characters in subsequent volumes. After all, in fact, it is impossible to understand the whole essence of a person until you get acquainted with his whole history, with all his life vicissitudes, and Gogol was well aware of this.
In May 1842, a new work by Gogol appeared in the bookstores of both capitals. Let's try to figure out what the idea of the poem "Dead Souls" is. The cover of the book was extremely intricate, looking at it, readers did not know that it was made according to the sketch of the author himself. The drawing placed on the cover was obviously important for Gogol, as it was repeated in the second lifetime edition of the poem in 1846.
Let's get acquainted with the history of the idea of "Dead Souls" and its implementation, see how it changed, how the idea of creating a monumental epic canvas that would embrace all the diversity Russian life. The embodiment of such a grandiose idea presupposed the use of appropriate artistic means, an adequate genre, and a special, symbolic name.
Based on the already established cultural tradition, Gogol puts the hero's journey at the heart of the plot, but we have a special journey: it is not only and not so much the movement of a person in time and space, this is the journey of the human soul.
Let's try to clarify our thought. Instead of famously twisted intrigue and stories about Chichikov's "adventures," the reader's gaze was presented to one of the Russian provincial cities. The hero's journey was reduced to a detour of five landowners who lived nearby, and the author told about the main character and his true intentions a little before he parted with him. As the story progresses, the author seems to forget about the plot and talks about events that seem to be not even connected with intrigue. But this is not negligence, but the conscious attitude of the writer.
The fact is that, when creating the idea of the poem "Dead Souls", Gogol followed another cultural tradition. He intended to write a work that consists of three parts, modeled on Dante's Divine Comedy. In the poem of the great Italian, the journey of a person, or rather, of his soul, is presented as an ascent from vice to perfection, to the realization of the true destiny of a person and world harmony. Thus, Dante's "Hell" turned out to be comparable with the first volume of the poem: like the lyrical hero of the poem, making a pilgrimage to the depths of the earth, Gogol's Chichikov gradually plunges into the abyss of vice, the reader is presented with characters "one more vulgar than the other." And in the finale, the anthem of Russia suddenly sounds, the “bird-troika”. Where? Why? “This is still a mystery,” Gogol wrote after completing work on the first volume, “which should have been suddenly, to the amazement of everyone ...”.
In many ways, the realization of the plan remained a mystery, inaccessible to the reader, but the surviving chapters of the second volume, the statements of contemporaries allow us to say that the next two volumes should be correlated with Purgatory and Paradise.
So, before us is the journey of the soul, but what kind of soul? Dead? But the soul is immortal. This was pointed out to the author in the Moscow censorship committee, when the censor Golokhvastov literally screamed, seeing only the title of the manuscript: "No, I will never allow this: the soul is immortal ..." - and did not give permission to print. On the advice of friends, Gogol goes to St. Petersburg to show the manuscript to the local censorship and have the book printed there. However, history is somewhat repeating itself. Although the censor Nikitenko gave permission to print, he demanded that the text be amended: the title should be changed and The Tale of Captain Kopeikin should be removed. Reluctantly, Gogol made concessions, reworking The Tale... and slightly changing the title. Now it sounded different: "The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls." But on the cover of the first edition, it was the old name that immediately caught the eye. At the insistence of the author, it was highlighted in a particularly large font, not only because it was connected with the plot: "dead souls" turned out to be a commodity, around the purchase and sale of which Chichikov's scam revolved. However, in official documents, the dead peasants, who were listed as alive according to the revision tales, were called "decrepit". This was pointed out to the writer by his contemporary M. P. Pogodin: "... there are no "dead souls" in the Russian language. It is hard to believe that Gogol did not know this, but he still put the word "dead" into the mouths of the heroes of the poem in relation to the souls acquired by Chichikov. (Let us note in parentheses that, in making a deal with Plyushkin, Chichikov buys not only the dead, but also the fugitive, that is, "distressed" peasants, classifying them as "dead".)
Thus, using the word "dead", Gogol wanted to give a special meaning to the whole work. This word helps to reveal the general idea of "Dead Soul".
1. The diversity of the character of the Russian people.
2. The essence of the idea of the poem by N. V. Gogol "Dead Souls".
3. The image of the Russian people in the poem.
4. The meaning of the topic raised by the writer.
Will you wake up, full of strength,
Or, fate obeying the law,
All that you could, you have already done -
Created a song like a moan
And spiritually rested forever? ..
N. A. Nekrasov
The theme of the Russian people, its role in the history of the country was touched upon by almost all Russian writers. On the one hand, it contains magnanimity, humanism and generosity of soul, endurance and will, greatness of spirit and self-sacrifice, grandiose military victories and the implementation of state projects that seem beyond the power of a person. On the other hand, inconsistency, apathy, humility, often ignorance and shortsightedness. This diversity of character gave rise to many domestic and foreign philosophers and writers to talk about the great mystery of the Russian soul, the Russian people. It should be noted that the work of N.V. Gogol largely anticipated the development of this discussion precisely in the direction of the existence of a certain mystery here.
The title of N. V. Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" contains the main, but not the only idea of the work. The literal content boils down to the essence of Chichikov's scam: he bought up the souls of dead peasants. The deeper meaning lies in thinking about what Russia is and how this state is connected with the people who inhabit it. He showed from all sides both negative and positive aspects of the life of contemporary Russia. Trying to explain the idea of "Dead Souls", Gogol himself noted that the images in the poem are "not portraits of insignificant people, on the contrary, they contain the features of those who consider themselves better than others." They think, but are they? And we see that it is not.
According to many researchers of the writer's work, Gogol planned, like D. Alighieri, to lead his hero Chichikov first through "hell" in the first volume of "Dead Souls", then through "purgatory" in the second volume, and, finally, finish the description of the third volume " in paradise”, that is, to complete it with the spiritual upsurge of Russia. In himself, N.V. Gogol saw a writer-preacher, contributing to the future revival of Russia. As you know, Gogol wanted to publish the first edition of Dead Souls with a title page drawn by himself. In the middle was depicted "Chichikov's chaise", symbolizing Russia surrounded by "skulls", as if personifying the "dead" souls of living people. The idea was really great. But these plans were not destined to come true.
As you know, only the first volume of the work, in which Gogol shows the negative aspects of Russian life, has reached the full extent. The third volume was never launched. The second was burned, although drafts have come down to us. The dramatic history of the book reflected the inner drama of the writer himself. Gogol began writing the second volume in 1842, but burned the manuscript three years later. Fortunately, it happens that "manuscripts do not burn." The part of the second volume that has come down to us sheds light on the true intention of the writer. Gogol tries to create a positive image of Russia. The tone of the narration of the second volume noticeably changes, positive characters appear, although they are knocked out of the environment in which they live. The image of the young landowner Tentetnikov, the hero of the second volume, correlates with such artistic types as Onegin, Rudin, Oblomov. With inherent
Gogol is shown a provincial thinker with a weak will and a limited view of the world with subtle taste and psychological reliability. But the image of the young Russian bourgeois farmer Murazov, according to many critics, did not work out. It is to this character that the words of condemnation of acquisitiveness and hoarding belong. But in this case, the idea did not receive a reliable artistic embodiment. A clear, although not complete, metamorphosis also took place with the protagonist of the first volume, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov. According to the author's intention, he also had to embark on the path of moral purification. Here he is not yet completely transformed or, using a common epithet, a “revived” hero, but no longer that soulless and enterprising initiator of a dubious enterprise. This tendency was to lead him in the third volume to a complete spiritual resurrection.
However, this idea is guessed in the first volume. Along with a whole gallery of “lost their souls” characters, only two have a backstory and a still warm soul. This is Chichikov and Plyushkin. The story of Plyushkin is his life tragedy. His soul hardened gradually. This is highlighted and artistic means: either the author notes that his eyes "have not yet gone out", then Plyushkin's face "slid some kind of warm ray, expressed not a feeling, but some kind of pale reflection of a feeling." From the description of his garden, we see that it is overgrown, neglected, but still alive. Another important detail is that only Plyushkin has two churches on his estate. From this it follows that his soul is not yet completely hardened. It is possible that the intention of the third volume included the continuation of Plyushkin's theme. The second hero of the real world with a still living soul is Chichikov. He bears a speaking name - Paul. Like the biblical apostle who experienced a spiritual upheaval and turned his life back, Chichikov had to experience a rebirth.
However, the living soul of Russia is, according to Gogol, in the living soul of its people. The writer's faith in the Russian people is the basis of the idea of the poem. It is in the people that all the best, real, sincere, majestic is stored and manifested. The admiration of the author, and Chichikov, and the landlords are contained in the descriptions of the dead peasants. In the memory of people who knew them, they acquire an epic appearance. Milushkin, bricklayer! could put the stove in any house. Maxim Telyatnikov, shoemaker: whatever pricks with an awl, then boots, that boots, then thank you, and even if it’s drunk in your mouth! And Bremey Sorokoplekhin! yes, that peasant alone will stand for everyone, he traded in Moscow, he brought one quitrent for five hundred rubles. After all, what a people! And “the coachman Mikheev, after all, did not make any more e-pages, as soon as spring ones.” These are the words of Sobakevich, and to Chichikov’s objections that they are only a “dream”, he objects: “Well, no, not a dream! I’ll tell you what Mikheev was like, so you won’t find such people: the machine is such that it won’t enter this room ... And in his shoulders he had such strength that a horse doesn’t have ... ”. The serf carpenter Cork "would fit into the guard." Plyushkin's fugitive serf Abakum Fyrov could not endure captivity, fled to the wide expanse of the Volga and "walks noisily and cheerfully" Although one has to "drag the strap under one endless, like Rus', song." In these songs of barge haulers, sung by Russian poets and artists, Gogol and not only he heard longing for another life.
V. S. Bakhtin speaks of the opposition in the poem of the Russian heroes so beloved by Gogol and their antipodes, or rather anti-heroes, which are Gogol's landowners and officials, for example, Sobakevich. In his appearance, appearance, he is a typical hero, but in life aspirations, a petty and unworthy person. There is no heroic nobility, no prowess, no desire to protect the weak. But the image of the people is also divided into the image of "real" and "ideal". In the image of the “real” people, appearing on the pages of the poem, pain and hope, respect and reproach, love and hatred for those features that prevent the people from “rising into full height”, realize themselves as full-fledged citizens of their country.
The difficult fate of the people is especially dramatically shown through the images of serfs. Gogol talks a lot about the state that serfdom brings to a person, which suppresses initiative and enterprise. Such are the images of Uncle Mityai, the girl Pelageya, who could not distinguish where the right is, where the left is, Proshka and Mavra in the Plyushkin estate, beaten and humiliated to an extreme degree. Selifan and Petrushka are in a similar state. As always, Gogol finds the right expression, emphasizing the writer's humorous attitude and at the same time sympathy for the character. For example, Petrushka seemed to have a penchant for reading, but not for what he read about, but “more reading itself, or, rather, the process of reading itself, that some word always comes out of the letters, which sometimes the devil knows what it means. But they are also part of the Russian people, although not the best part.
In his poem Gogol acts not only as a preacher, but also as a prophet. In The Tale of Captain Kopeikin, we are witnessing how obedience to the authorities is replaced by a sense of revenge for the offenses caused. In the center of the story is the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, an invalid, whom the injustice of those in power forced him to commit crimes. This potential force inherent in the Russian spirit was really felt by the writer: “Russian movements will rise ... and they will see how deeply rooted in Slavic nature is that which slipped only through the nature of other peoples ...”.
Even in Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka, Gogol draws the people not downtrodden and oppressed, but strong, proud, freedom-loving. He has moral health. He is generous with inventions. In everything one can feel his mind, courage, dexterity, heroic power, spiritual scope.
Gogol sees the special talent of the Russian people in the accuracy and poetry of expressions: “The Russian people are expressing themselves strongly! And if he rewards someone with a word, then it will go to his family and offspring, he will drag him with him to the service, and to retirement, and to St. Petersburg, and to the ends of the world. And no matter how cunning you later ennoble your nickname, even if you force writing people to derive it for hire from an ancient princely family, nothing will help: the nickname will croak for itself at the top of its crow’s throat and will clearly say where the bird flew from. Pronounced aptly, just like writing, is not cut down with an ax. And where is everything that came out of the depths of Russia, where there are neither German, nor Chukhonian, nor any other tribes, and everything is itself a nugget, a lively and lively Russian mind that does not climb into a pocket for a word, does not hatch it out? , like a hen chickens, but immediately slaps like a passport on an eternal sock, and there is nothing to add later, what kind of nose or lips you have - you are outlined in one line from head to toe!
The most striking expression of the writer's patriotic feelings in the poem are discussions about the fate of Rus' by comparing it with the fate of the people. Comparing the “immense expanses” with the innumerable spiritual riches of its people, Gogol exclaims: “Is it not here, in you, that an infinite thought is born, when you yourself are without end? Is it not possible for a hero to be here when there is a place where he can turn around and walk around? And menacingly, a mighty space embraces me, reflecting with terrible power in the depths of my soul; My eyes lit up with an unnatural power: what a sparkling, wonderful, unfamiliar distance to the earth - Rus'!
N. G. Chernyshevsky is right: “For a long time there has not been a writer in the world who would be as important for his people as Gogol is important for Russia.” And, above all, for the national identity of Russia and its citizens.