Plyushkin is a characterization of the hero of the poem “Dead Souls. Heroes of "Dead Souls" - Plyushkin (briefly) In which work was Plyushkin

IN famous poem N.V. Gogol's "Dead Souls" vividly presents the characters of people on the example of landowners. Their features show all the weaknesses that a person can have. One of these pronounced weaknesses is stinginess and greed. These two features form the basis of Plyushkin's image.

Plyushkin is portrayed as a landowner who has launched not only himself, but the whole village. His stinginess left its mark on everything, including the furnishings of the house. When Chichikov found himself in Plyushkin's room, it seemed to him that it was uninhabited. There was a large layer of dust on everything, broken objects, small pieces of paper covered with writing - everything had an untidy appearance. And in the very corner of the room was a big pile of rubbish. And this pile perfectly reflects the character of Plyushkin. He put there everything that he came across, any little thing, which he then did not use anyway. This is how all misers behave - the heap reflects the fact that they accumulate various rubbish just to have it. So they feel richer materially because such people do not enrich their inner world, littering it with unnecessary things and thoughts.

Plyushkin's stinginess was not always so visible: he had a family that held back these character traits. When he was left alone, he had no one to take care of, try to somehow develop his character, and he had only one goal - to save as much as possible. It is not important for stingy people what to save - everything is not enough for them, stinginess is becoming more and more, and they no longer look at what they are saving. Thus, the stingy are trying to make up for the lack of human feelings - love, friendship, understanding. Because when Plyushkin remembered his friend of his youth, his expression changed - he was able to feel the emotions that he had in childhood and adolescence. But no one wants to communicate with such people, there is nothing to talk about with them, and therefore they become more and more greedy.

Perhaps if Plyushkin had someone close to him who would not talk to him about money, but would try to develop his inner world, then he would not be so greedy, stingy. Because when his daughter came to him, the conversation still returned to money. It turns out that Plyushkin was not interested in anyone as a person, and because of this, he becomes indifferent to the feelings of others and appreciates only the material. If there had been a man with him who would have sought to help him, to improve his character, then Plyushkin would have been a kind and fair landowner.

Option 2

A year ago, he was a completely different person. Very happy and kind. He had a wonderful loving family, wife and kids. Plyushkin was a wonderful friend and comrade. His estate prospered, he superbly led it. The workers treated their employer with great respect. But suddenly his wife dies of illness. And it knocked down the main character. His wife was his main support and muse. After all, she inspired Plyushkin to work. But he gathered his strength into a strong male fist, he still somehow kept afloat. After a while from parental home his beloved daughter runs away. And with whom, with an officer, Plyushkin hated the army to death. And this is the next blow to the heart of the protagonist. And the son refuses the civil service and goes to serve in the regiment.

Plyushkin completely gives up, but he is finished off by the death of his beloved youngest daughter. And his existence is over, he lost the meaning of life, all his loved ones died and betrayed. If earlier he worked for the benefit of his family, now Plyushkin is going crazy. Now he directed all his forces in one direction, collects all the good and makes warehouses. He no longer needs his workers, I work well. He doesn't pay any attention to them.

When Chichikov traveled around the Plyushkin estate, he was horrified at how everything was slowly disintegrating and withering. The rickety fence, the houses are about to fall. But these people who lived there resigned themselves to such a life, and Plyushkin collects tribute from them in linen and bread. People have become impoverished, but Plyushkin collects good things under his roof and does not use it in any way. People watched with tears in their eyes as it all disappeared and lay like a dead weight. They lost respect for the owner, but they also worked for him. But some could not stand such mockery of themselves and about eighty people fled from such a landowner. Plyushkin did not even look for them, since he did not care about what was happening around him. His main goal is to take possession of the good, but as much as possible.

Gogol described his hero as death, since whatever falls into the hands of the landowner is immediately buried in darkness. Because of his indifference and indifference, the estate turned into a huge dump of goods. The landfill belongs to only one person. But people hope that after the death of Plyushkin in native nest his daughter and son will return. They will put the estate on its feet, and life will flow in a new stream.

Composition Characteristics of Plushkin Grade 9

In Gogol's work Dead Souls» there are very interesting character, his name is Plyushkin Stepan. Unfortunately, in life, such as he is often found.

And so it is not yet an old, tall man. He is dressed in a rather peculiar way, if you do not look closely, you might think that this is an elderly woman. Stepan is a wealthy landowner, he has a huge estate, many souls, but at first glance at his surroundings, one might think that the person is in cramped circumstances. There is terrible devastation around, the clothes of both the master himself and his servants should have been changed to new ones for a long time. Despite rich harvests and stocked barns, he eats breadcrumbs, what can we say about servants who are dying of hunger like flies.

Plyushkin was not always so greedy and stingy. With his wife, he simply tried to save money, but after her death, every year he became more and more suspicious, greed and hoarding took possession of him more and more. Now Stepan not only saved money, but also hoarded money and did not even spend it on necessary needs. For him, children ceased to exist, and grandchildren, only the goal of profit moved them. Trying to accumulate more, he simply fell out of life. He himself did not understand why he was saving up and for what. As he gets older, he becomes more and more indifferent to people. He doesn’t give money to his daughter or son, some kind of cruelty towards his own children lives in him. Stepan not only became a petty and insignificant person, but lost his self-esteem and, consequently, the respect of his neighbors and his peasants.

There are things about which he does not care at all, although they require paramount attention, but strictly monitors the decanter of liquor. Plyushkin has not lived for a long time, but lives out his life in terrible despondency and the desire to profit even more. True, there are still glimpses of humanity. Having sold the dead souls, he expressed a desire to help the buyer draw up a bill of sale, what is this awakened kindness or the understanding that he is not the only one engaged in enrichment?

How important it is when tragedies happen in life that someone is there. Supported not only with money, but morally. Many, obsessed with their grief, like Plyushkin, begin to degrade. Stepan Plyushkin should be pitied, not despised and condemned.

Meeting with Plushkin

In the work of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol "Dead Souls" in the 6th chapter main character arrives at the estate of Stepan Plyushkin. The author says that before he was curious to study an unfamiliar place and its owners. This time he comes indifferently. At the same time, the writer describes in detail everything that the character sees.

All village buildings were dilapidated: the roofs were through, the windows were without glass. Then Chichikov saw two rural churches, which were empty and worn out. Next is the master's house. Outwardly, he is old, suffered bad weather. Only two windows were open, and the rest were barred or boarded up. In the text, we learn that there was a terrible mess inside, it feels cold, as if from a cellar. It is known that the house is a reflection of its owner. From the description of the estate it follows that Plyushkin is an old man, which is also proved by his words about the seventh decade. In addition, Gogol tells us about the stinginess of the landowner. He collects absolutely everything he sees and puts it in one heap. On the way to Plyushkin, Chichikov learned about the nickname "patched". In a word, the people described the appearance of the landowner and his entire household.

At first glance, he looks poor, miserable, but main character knows that this man has more than a thousand souls. He was a thin old man with a protruding chin. He has small eyes and raised eyebrows. The look seems suspicious and restless. Dressed in greasy and torn clothes. Also, we learn about his past. It turned out that he had changed dramatically after the death of his wife.

When Chichikov nevertheless decided to talk about the deal, the landowner showed us his soul. He reproaches the peasants for absolutely everything, and also does not trust them. People run away every year. Plyushkin's barns rot a lot of food, which he does not give to anyone. He believes that the peasants are gluttonous. He goes to them to eat under the guise of caring. In addition, he is hypocritical, which is proved by his words about his good nature.

The poem consists not only in buying the souls of dead peasants, but also in making the reader see the souls of these people. Each of them is already mentally dead. On the example of Plyushkin, Gogol shows stinginess, inhospitality, pettiness, insignificance, hypocrisy and greed. The landowner did not even give any money to his own children who needed his help, while having huge reserves. With such people it is impossible to find mutual language. He is ready to give even what is no longer there, for the sake of profit alone.

Sample 5

In the poem "Dead Souls" N.V. Gogol, a whole gallery of landowners passes before us. It ends with Plyushkin.

Stepan Plyushkin is fundamentally different from other landowners. The character of the hero is given in development. Using his example, Gogol shows how a person gradually became a "hole in humanity."

Chichikov meets with Plyushkin at his estate, where everything is in disrepair. The manor's house looks like a grave crypt. Only the garden is reminiscent of a life that is sharply opposed to the ugly life of a landowner. Plyushkin's estate smells of mold, rot, and death.

At the first meeting of Chichikov with Plyushkin, it is not clear who is in front of him, in any case, he does not look like a landowner - some kind of figure. The appearance of the landowner is such that if Chichikov saw him at the church, he would take him for a beggar. Plyushkin's house is dark and cold. All rooms are locked, except for two, and the landowner lived in one of them. Everywhere is a mess, mountains of garbage. Life has stopped here - this is symbolized by the stopped clock.

But it was not always so. The author shows how Plyushkin gradually degraded to such a state. Once he was a good owner, had a family, communicated with neighbors. But his wife died, the children left home, he was left alone. He was seized with sadness and despair. Plyushkin becomes stingy, petty and suspicious. He does not feel the need to communicate with anyone, even with his own children and grandchildren. He sees enemies in everyone.

Plyushkin is a slave of things. He drags everything into the house. Pointlessly fills warehouses, barns, where everything then rots. Countless riches go to waste. Plyushkin considers the peasants parasites, thieves. They live poorly in his village, they are starving. As a result of such a life, peasants die or flee from the estate.

Chichikov's proposal regarding dead souls amazed Plyushkin. He's happy with the deal. Chichikov bought from Plyushkin not only dead people, but also runaway people at a low price and was in a good mood.

The image of this landowner causes sadness. Everything human has been destroyed in man. Plyushkin's soul was dead with greed. In the person of Plyushkin, Gogol portrayed spiritual degradation, brought to the last line.

9th grade in literature

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A brief description of Plyushkin in the work "Dead Souls" is a realistic description of the old landowner, his character and lifestyle. The fact is that this character is presented by the author in an unusual manner for him - without humor.

Stepan Plyushkin - one of the landowners in the poem by N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls". This is one of the most significant and deep characters not only of the mentioned work, but of the whole domestic literature generally.

For the first time, the hero appears in the sixth chapter, when he comes to the landowner to buy "dead souls" from him.

The image and characteristics of Plyushkin in the poem "Dead Souls"

The landowner is distinguished by incredible stinginess and malevolence.

The hero symbolizes spiritual collapse strong man, drowned in the vice of boundless stinginess, bordering on rigidity: a huge amount of food is stored in the barns of the landowner, which no one is allowed to take, as a result of which the peasants go hungry, and the stocks disappear as unnecessary.

Plyushkin is rich enough, on his account - a whole thousand serfs. However, despite this, the old man lives like a beggar, eating bread and dressing in rags.

The symbolism of the surname

Like most characters in Gogol's works, Plyushkin's surname is symbolic. With the help of contrasting or synonymizing the surname in relation to the character of the corresponding character, the author reveals certain features of this personality.

The meaning of Plyushkin's surname symbolizes an unusually stingy and greedy person, whose goal is to accumulate material wealth without a specific purpose for their use. As a result, the collected wealth is not spent anywhere or is used in minimal quantities.

It is noteworthy that Plyushkin's name is practically never found in the text of the work. In this way, the author shows the callousness, detachment of the hero, the absence of even a hint of humanity in him.

The fact that the landowner's name is Stepan can be learned from his words about his daughter, whom he calls by her patronymic. By the way, ordinary peasants from other estates did not know such a surname at all, calling the landowner by the nickname “patched”.

Plushkin family

This character is the only one of all landowners who has enough detailed biography. The story of the hero's life is very sad.

In the plot narrative, Plyushkin appears before us as a completely lonely person leading a hermit's lifestyle. The wife who inspired him to display the best human qualities and made his life meaningful, left this world long ago.

In marriage, they had three children, the upbringing of which the father was very reverent and with big love. In the years family happiness Plyushkin was not at all like his current self. At that time, he often called guests to the house, knew how to enjoy life, had a reputation as an open and friendly person.

Of course, Plyushkin was always very economical, but his stinginess always had reasonable limits and was not so reckless. His clothes, although they did not shine with novelty, nevertheless looked neat, without a single patch.

After the death of his wife, the hero changed a lot: he became extremely distrustful and very stingy. The last straw, hardening the temper of Plyushkin, new problems in the family became: the son lost a large amount cards, the eldest daughter ran away from home, and the youngest died.

Surprisingly, nevertheless, glimmers of light sometimes illuminate the dark nooks and crannies of the dead soul of the landowner. Having sold Chichikov's "souls" and reflecting on the issue of drawing up a bill of sale, Plyushkin recalls his school friend. At that moment, a faint reflection of feeling appeared on the old man's "wooden face".

This fleeting manifestation of life, according to the author, speaks of the possibility of reviving the soul of the hero, in which, as if at dusk, the dark and light sides mixed with each other.

Description of the portrait and the first impression of Plyushkin

When meeting with Plyushkin, Chichikov at first mistakes him for a housekeeper.

After a conversation with the landowner, the main character realizes with horror that he was mistaken.

In his opinion, the old man is more like a beggar than a rich owner of the estate.

His whole appearance is as follows: a long chin covered with a handkerchief; small, colorless, mobile eyes; dirty, patched dressing gown, - says that the hero is completely out of touch with life.

Appearance and condition of the costume

Plyushkin's face is strongly elongated and at the same time it is distinguished by excessive thinness. The landowner never shaves, and his beard has become like a comb for horses. Plyushkin had no teeth at all.

The hero’s clothes can hardly be called such, they look more like old rags - the robe looks so worn and untidy. At the time of the story, the landowner is about 60 years old.

The character, demeanor and speech of the landowner

Plyushkin is a man with a difficult character. Probably, the negative features that so clearly manifested themselves in him by old age also took place in previous years, but their bright appearance was smoothed out by family well-being.

But after the death of his wife and daughter, Plyushkin finally broke away from life, became impoverished spiritually, and began to treat everyone with suspicion and hostility. The landowner experienced such an attitude not only towards strangers, but also towards relatives.

By the age of 60, Plyushkin had become very unpleasant due to his difficult nature. The people around him began to avoid him, his friends visited him less and less, and then completely stopped all communication with him.

Plyushkin's speech is jerky, concise, caustic, loaded with colloquial expressions, for example: “Ditka, byut, ehva !, the actor, already, has puffed up.”

The landowner is able to notice any little things and even the most insignificant mistakes and shortcomings. In this regard, he often finds fault with people, expressing his remarks with shouting and swearing.

Plyushkin is not capable of good deeds, he has become insensitive, distrustful and cruel. He does not even care about the fate of his own children, and the old man in every possible way suppresses his daughter's attempts to establish relations with him. In his opinion, the daughter and son-in-law are trying to get close to him in order to get material benefits from him.

It is noteworthy that Plyushkin absolutely does not understand the true consequences of his actions. He actually imagines himself to be a caring landowner, although, in fact, he is a tyrant, an incredible miser and a miser, a rude and grouchy old man who destroys the fate of the people around him.

Favorite activities

Joy in Plyushkin's life consists of only two things - constant scandals and the accumulation of material wealth.

The landowner likes to spend time all alone. He sees no point in hosting or acting as such. For him, this is just a waste of time that can be spent on more useful activities.

Despite large financial savings, the landowner leads an ascetic life, denying literally everything not only to relatives, servants and peasants, but also to himself.

Another favorite pastime of Plyushkin is to grumble and show shame. He believes that the stocks that are stored in his barns are not enough, there is not enough land and even not enough hay. In fact, the situation is quite the opposite - there is plenty of land, and the amount of reserves is so huge that they deteriorate right in storage.

Plyushkin loves to make scandals for any reason, even if it is an insignificant trifle. The landowner is always dissatisfied with something and demonstrates it in the most rude and unsightly form. A picky old man is very hard to please.

Attitude to the economy

Plyushkin is a rich but very stingy landowner. However, despite the huge reserves, it seems to him that they are not enough. As a result, a huge number of unused products become unusable without leaving the storage.

Having at his disposal a large fortune, including 1000 serfs, Plyushkin eats breadcrumbs and wears rags - in a word, he lives like a beggar. The landowner has not been keeping track of what is happening in his household for many years, but at the same time he does not forget to control the amount of liquor in the decanter.

Plushkin's life goals

In short, the landowner does not have a specific goal in life. Plyushkin is completely absorbed in the process of accumulating material resources without a specific purpose for their use.

House and room interior

Plyushkin's estate reflects the spiritual desolation of the character himself. The buildings in the villages are very old, dilapidated, the roofs have long since worn out, the windows are clogged with rags. Ruin and emptiness reigns all around. Even the churches look lifeless.

The estate seems to be falling apart, which indicates the loss of the hero from real life: instead of the main things, empty and meaningless tasks are in the center of his attention. It is not for nothing that this character is practically devoid of a name, patronymic - it is as if he does not exist.

Plyushkin's estate is striking in its appearance - the building is in a terrible, dilapidated state. From the street, the house looks like an abandoned building in which no one has lived for a long time. It is very uncomfortable inside the building - it is cold and dark all around. Natural lighting enters only one room - the owner's room.

The whole house is littered with junk, which is becoming more and more every year - Plyushkin never throws away broken or unnecessary things, because he thinks that they can still come in handy.

The landlord's office is also in complete disarray. The view of the room embodies real chaos. Here is a chair that cannot be repaired, as well as a clock that has stopped a long time ago. In the corner of the room there is a landfill - in a shapeless pile you can see an old shoe and a broken shovel.

Attitude towards others

Plyushkin is a picky, scandalous person. Even the most insignificant reason is enough for him to start a quarrel. The hero shows his dissatisfaction in the most unsightly way, descending to rudeness and insults.

The landowner himself is completely sure that he is behaving caringly and kindly, but people simply do not notice and do not appreciate this, because they are biased towards him.

Probably due to the fact that his son once lost at cards and did not return home, Plyushkin treats officers with prejudice, considering them all to be spendthrifts and gamblers.

Plyushkin's attitude towards the peasants

Plyushkin treats the peasants cruelly and irresponsibly. The appearance, clothes and dwellings of serfs look almost the same as those of the owner. They themselves go half-starved, skinny, exhausted. From time to time, escapes happen among the peasants - existence as a serf Plyushkin looks less attractive than life on the run.

The landowner speaks negatively about his serfs - in his opinion, they are all loafers and loafers. In fact, the peasants work honestly and diligently. It seems to Plyushkin that the serfs are robbing him, and that they are doing their job very badly.

But in reality, things are different: the landowner intimidated his peasants so much that, despite the cold and hunger, they in no case dare to take anything from the master's storage.

Did Plyushkin sell "Dead Souls" to Chichikov

The landowner sells about two hundred "souls" to the main character. This number exceeds the number of "peasants" that Chichikov purchased from other sellers. In this, Plyushkin's desire for profit and hoarding can be traced. When entering into a deal, the hero understands perfectly well what it is and how much profit he can get for it.

Quote characteristic of Plushkin

Plushkin's age	“… I live in my seventh decade!…”
First impression	“... For a long time he could not recognize what gender the figure was: a woman or a man. The dress on her was completely indefinite, very similar to a woman's hood, on her head a cap, which village yard women wear, only one voice seemed to him somewhat hoarse for a woman ... " “... Oh, woman! Oh, No! […] Of course, baba! ... "(Chichikov about the appearance of P.) “... From the keys hanging from her belt and from the fact that she scolded the peasant with rather obnoxious words, Chichikov concluded that this must be the housekeeper ...”
Appearance	“... it was more like a housekeeper than a housekeeper: […] his entire chin with the lower part of his cheek looked like an iron wire comb, which is used to clean horses in a stable ...” “... he [Chichikov] has never seen anything like this. His face was nothing special; it was almost the same as that of many thin old men, only one chin protruded very far forward, so that he had to cover it with a handkerchief every time so as not to spit; small eyes had not yet gone out and were running from under high-growing eyebrows like mice ... " “... Plyushkin muttered something through his lips, because there were no teeth ...”
Cloth	“... Much more remarkable was his outfit: no means and efforts could have got to the bottom of what his dressing gown was concocted from: the sleeves and upper floors were so greasy and shiny that they looked like yuft *, which goes on boots; behind, instead of two, four floors dangled, from which cotton paper climbed in flakes. He also had something tied around his neck that could not be made out: whether it was a stocking, a garter, or an underbelly, but not a tie ... " “... if Chichikov had met him, so dressed up, somewhere at the church doors, he would probably have given him a copper penny. But before him stood not a beggar, before him stood a landowner ... "
Personality and character	“... he has eight hundred souls, but he lives and dine worse than my shepherd! ...” “... A scammer […] Such a miser as it is difficult to imagine. In prison, the convicts live better than he: he starved all the people to death ... ”(Sobakevich about P.) “... human feelings, which were not deep in him anyway, became shallow every minute, and every day something was lost in this worn-out ruin ...” “… miser Plyushkin […] what feeds people badly? ... "(Chichikov) “... I don’t even advise you to know the way to this dog! Sobakevich said. “It’s more excusable to go to some obscene place than to him ...” “... does not like officers due to a strange prejudice, as if all military gamblers and motishes ...” “... Every year the windows in his house pretended to be, finally only two remained ...” “... every year […] his small glance turned to the pieces of paper and feathers that he collected in his room...” "... this is a demon, not a man ..." (opinion of buyers about P.) "... the word "virtue" and "rare properties of the soul" can be successfully replaced by the words "economy" and "order" ... "(Chichikov about P.)
Plushkin's house	“... This strange castle looked like some kind of decrepit invalid, long, unreasonably long ...” “... a house that now seemed even sadder. Green mold has already covered the shabby wood on the fence and gates…” “... The walls of the house slitted bare stucco grating in places and, apparently, suffered a lot from all sorts of bad weather, rains, whirlwinds and autumn changes. Of the windows, only two were open, the rest were covered with shutters or even boarded up ... " “... my kitchen is low, nasty, and the pipe has completely collapsed: you start to heat, you will still make a fire ...”
Plushkin's room	“... he finally found himself in the light and was struck by the resulting disorder. It seemed as if the floors were being washed in the house and all the furniture was piled up here for a while ... ”(Chichikov’s impression) “... It would have been impossible to say that a living being lived in this room, if the old, worn cap that lay on the table did not announce its presence ...”
Village and Plyushkin's estate	“... He noticed some special dilapidation on all the village buildings: the log on the huts was dark and old; many roofs blew through like a sieve; on others there was only a ridge at the top and poles on the sides in the form of ribs ... " “... The windows in the huts were without glass, others were plugged with a rag or zipun; balconies under the roofs with railings […] squinted and turned black, not even picturesquely…” “... A crowd of buildings: human, barns, cellars, apparently dilapidated, filled the courtyard; near them, to the right and to the left, gates to other courtyards were visible. Everything said that farming here had once flowed on a vast scale, and everything looked cloudy now. Nothing was noticeable to enliven the picture: no doors opening, no people coming out from somewhere, no living troubles and worries at home! ... "
Plyushkin's peasants	“... Meanwhile, income was collected on the farm as before: the peasant had to bring the same amount of quitrent, every woman was taxed with the same bringing of nuts; the weaver had to weave the same number of sets of canvas - all this fell into the storerooms, and everything became rotten and torn, and he himself finally turned into some kind of torn on humanity ... " “... After all, my people are either a thief or a swindler: they will rob me in such a way that there will be nothing to hang a caftan on ...” (P. about his peasants)
Plushkin about the past	“... But there was a time when he was only a thrifty owner! he was married and a family man, and a neighbor came to him to dine, listen and learn from him housekeeping and wise stinginess ... " “... The owner himself appeared at the table in a frock coat, although somewhat worn, but neat, the elbows were in order: there was no patch anywhere ...” (Plyushkin in the past) "... two pretty daughters […] son, broken boy..." "... the good mistress died ..." (about Plyushkin's wife)
Plushkin's greed	“... Plyushkin became more restless and, like all widowers, more suspicious and stingy. […] In the owner, stinginess became more noticeable [...] Finally, the last daughter […] died, and the old man found himself alone as the guardian, keeper and owner of his wealth ... " “... Why would Plyushkin, it would seem, need such a death of such products? in his whole life he would not have had to use them even on two such estates that he had - but even this seemed to him not enough ... " “... hay and bread rotted, stacks and haystacks turned into clean manure, even plant cabbage on them, flour in the cellars turned into stone, and it was necessary to chop it, it was terrible to touch cloth, canvas and household materials: they turned into dust. He already forgot how much he had what ... "

Conclusion

The image of Plyushkin and the characteristics of his essence serve as a good example of how much a person can sink morally and physically. It is no coincidence that the author calls this hero "a hole in humanity."

Plushkin is not interested in spiritual development his personality, he is indifferent to his own inner world. The landowner is characterized by pettiness, stinginess and complete absence deep feelings. He has no shame, no conscience, no sympathy.

Plyushkin's name has become a household name. It denotes pathological greed, pettiness and stinginess. IN modern world the so-called "Plyushkin syndrome" is quite common and characterizes those people who strive for the aimless accumulation of material resources.

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In Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" all the characters have the features of collectiveness and typicality. Each of the landowners whom Chichikov visits with his strange request for the sale and purchase of "dead souls" personifies one of the characteristic images of the landowners of Gogol's modernity. Gogol's poem in terms of describing the characters of the landlords is interesting primarily because Nikolai Vasilyevich was a foreigner in relation to the Russian people, Ukrainian society was closer to him, so Gogol was able to notice the specific character traits and behavior of certain types of people.

Age and appearance of Plushkin

One of the landowners visited by Chichikov is Plyushkin. Until the moment of personal acquaintance, Chichikov already knew something about this landowner - basically it was information on the subject of his stinginess. Chichikov knew that thanks to this trait, Plyushkin's serfs "die like flies", and those who did not die run away from him.

We suggest that you familiarize yourself with which reveals the theme of patriotism and love for the motherland.

In the eyes of Chichikov, Plyushkin became an important candidate - he had the opportunity to buy up a lot of "dead souls".

However, Chichikov was not ready to see Plyushkin's estate and get to know him personally - the picture that opened before him plunged him into bewilderment, Plyushkin himself also did not stand out from the general background.

To his horror, Chichikov realized that the person he took for the housekeeper was in fact not the housekeeper, but the landowner Plyushkin himself. Plyushkin could have been taken for anyone, but not for the richest landowner in the county: he was unreasonably thin, his face was slightly elongated and just as terribly thin as his body. His eyes were small and unusually lively for an old man. The chin was very long. His appearance was complemented by a toothless mouth.

The work of N. V. Gogol reveals the theme little man. We invite you to read its summary.

Plyushkin's clothes were absolutely not like clothes, it could hardly even be called that. Plyushkin paid absolutely no attention to his costume - he was worn out to such an extent that his clothes looked like rags. Plyushkin could well have been mistaken for a tramp.

Natural senile processes were added to this appearance - at the time of the story, Plyushkin was about 60 years old.

The problem of the name and the meaning of the surname

Plyushkin's name is never found in the text, it is likely that this was done intentionally. In this way, Gogol emphasizes Plyushkin's detachment, the callousness of his character and the lack of a humanistic principle in the landowner.

In the text, however, there is a point that can help reveal the name of Plyushkin. The landowner from time to time calls his daughter by her patronymic - Stepanovna, this fact gives the right to say that Plyushkin's name was Stepan.

It is unlikely that the name of this character is chosen as a specific symbol. Translated from Greek, Stepan means “crown, diadem” and indicates a constant attribute of the goddess Hera. It is unlikely that this information was decisive in choosing a name, which cannot be said about the hero's surname.

In Russian, the word "plyushkin" is used to nominate a person who is characterized by stinginess and a mania for accumulating raw materials and material base without any purpose.

Marital status of Plushkin

At the time of the story, Plyushkin is a lonely person leading an ascetic lifestyle. He has been a widow for a long time. Once upon a time, Plyushkin's life was different - his wife brought the meaning of life into Plyushkin's being, she stimulated the appearance of positive qualities in him, contributed to the emergence of humanistic qualities. In their marriage, three children were born - two girls and a boy.

At that time, Plyushkin was not at all like a petty miser. He gladly received guests, was a sociable and open person.

Plyushkin was never a spender, but his stinginess had its reasonable limits. His clothes were not new - he usually wore a frock coat, he was noticeably worn, but he looked very decent, he did not even have a single patch on him.

Reasons for changing character

After the death of his wife, Plyushkin completely succumbed to his grief and apathy. Most likely, he did not have a predisposition to communicate with children, he was little interested and fascinated by the process of education, so the motivation to live and be reborn for the sake of children did not work for him.

In the future, he begins to develop a conflict with older children - as a result, they, tired of constant grumbling and deprivation, leave their father's house without his permission. The daughter marries without Plyushkin's blessing, and the son enters military service. Such liberty became the cause of Plyushkin's anger - he curses his children. The son was categorical towards his father - he completely cut off contact with him. The daughter still did not abandon her father, despite such an attitude towards her relatives, she visits the old man from time to time and brings her children to him. Plyushkin does not like to mess with his grandchildren and takes their meetings extremely cool.

Plyushkin's youngest daughter died as a child.

Thus, Plyushkin was left alone in his large estate.

Plushkin's estate

Plyushkin was considered the richest landowner in the county, but Chichikov, who came to his estate, thought it was a joke - Plyushkin's estate was in a dilapidated state - the house had not been renovated for many years. Moss could be seen on the wooden elements of the house, the windows in the house were boarded up - it seemed that no one really lived here.

Plyushkin's house was huge, now it was empty - Plyushkin lived alone in the whole house. Because of its desolation, the house resembled an old castle.

Inside the house was not much different from the outside. Since most of the windows in the house were boarded up, the house was incredibly dark and it was difficult to see anything. The only place where sunlight penetrated was Plyushkin's private rooms.

An incredible mess reigned in Plyushkin's room. It seems that it was never cleaned here - everything was covered in cobwebs and dust. Broken things were scattered all over the place, which Plyushkin did not dare to throw away, because he thought that he might still need them.

Garbage also was not thrown anywhere, but was piled up right there in the room. Plyushkin's desk was no exception - important papers and documents lay mixed with garbage here.

A huge garden grows behind Plyushkin's house. Like everything in the estate, it is in disrepair. No one has cared for the trees for a long time, the garden is overgrown with weeds and small bushes, which are covered with hops, but even in this form the garden is beautiful, it stands out sharply against the background of deserted houses and dilapidated buildings.

Features of Plyushkin's relationship with the serfs

Plyushkin is far from the ideal of a landowner; he behaves rudely and cruelly with his serfs. Sobakevich, talking about his attitude towards serfs, claims that Plyushkin starves his subjects, which significantly increases the death rate among serfs. The appearance of Plyushkin's serfs becomes a confirmation of these words - they are unnecessarily thin, immensely thin.

Not surprisingly, many serfs run away from Plyushkin - life on the run is more attractive.

Sometimes Plyushkin pretends to take care of his serfs - he goes into the kitchen and checks whether they are eating well. However, he does this for a reason - while the control over the quality of food passes, Plyushkin manages to eat heartily. Of course, this trick did not hide from the peasants and became an occasion for discussion.

Plyushkin constantly accuses his serfs of theft and fraud - he believes that the peasants are always trying to rob him. But the situation looks completely different - Plyushkin intimidated his peasants so much that they are afraid to take at least something for themselves without the knowledge of the landowner.

The tragedy of the situation is also created by the fact that Plyushkin's warehouse is bursting with food, almost all of it becomes unusable and then thrown away. Of course, Plyushkin could give the surplus to his serfs, thereby improving living conditions and raising his authority in their eyes, but greed takes over - it is easier for him to throw away unusable things than to do a good deed.

Characteristics of personal qualities

In his old age, Plyushkin became an unpleasant type because of his quarrelsome nature. People began to avoid him, neighbors and friends began to visit less and less often, and then they completely stopped communicating with him.

After the death of his wife, Plyushkin preferred a solitary way of life. He believed that guests are always harmful - instead of doing something really useful, you have to spend time in empty conversations.

By the way, such a position of Plyushkin did not bring the desired results - his estate confidently fell into disrepair until it finally took on the appearance of an abandoned village.

There are only two joys in the life of the old Plyushkin - scandals and the accumulation of finances and raw materials. Sincerely speaking, he gives himself to one and the other with his soul.

Plyushkin surprisingly has the talent to notice any little things and even the most insignificant flaws. In other words, he is overly picky about people. He is unable to express his remarks calmly - basically he shouts and scolds his servants.

Plyushkin is incapable of doing something good. He is a callous and cruel person. He is indifferent to the fate of his children - he lost contact with his son, while his daughter periodically tries to reconcile, but the old man stops these attempts. He believes that they have a selfish goal - the daughter and son-in-law want to get rich at his expense.

Thus, Plyushkin is a most terrible landowner who lives for a definite purpose. In general, he is endowed negative traits character. The landowner himself does not realize the true results of his actions - he seriously thinks that he is a caring landowner. In fact, he is a tyrant, destroying and destroying the fate of people.

Plyushkin in the poem "Dead Souls": analysis of the hero, image and characteristics

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Plushkin Stepan - the fifth, and last, of the "series" of landowners, to whom Chichikov addresses with a proposal to sell him dead souls. In a kind of negative hierarchy of landowner types, bred in the poem, this mean old man (he is in his seventies) occupies both the lowest and the highest step at the same time. His image represents complete necrosis. human soul, the almost complete death of a strong and bright personality, completely absorbed by the passion of stinginess - but that is precisely why it is able to resurrect and be transformed. (Below P., of the characters in the poem, only Chichikov himself “fell”, but for him the possibility of an even more grandiose “correction” is preserved by the author’s intention.)

This dual, "negative-positive" nature of the image of P. is indicated in advance by the finale of the 5th chapter; having learned from Sobakevich that a stingy landowner lives in the neighborhood, whose peasants are "dying like flies", Chichikov tries to find out the way to him from a passing peasant; he does not know any P., but guesses who he is talking about: “Ah, patched!” This nickname is humiliating, - but the author (in accordance with the through technique " dead souls”) from satire instantly passes to lyrical pathos; admiring accuracy popular word, gives praise to the Russian mind and, as it were, moves from the space of a moralistic novel to the space of an epic poem “like the Iliad”.

But the closer Chichikov is to P.'s house, the more disturbing the author's intonation; suddenly - and as if for no reason at all - the author compares himself as a child with his current self, his then enthusiasm - with the current "coolness" of his gaze. "Oh my youth! O my freshness! It is clear that this passage equally refers to the author - and to the "dead" hero, the meeting with which the reader will have to. And this involuntary rapprochement of the “unpleasant” character with the author in advance removes the image of P. from that series of “literary and theatrical” misers, with an eye on whom he is written, and distinguishes him from the stingy characters of picaresque novels, and from the greedy landowners of the moralistic epic, and from Harpagon from Molière's comedy "The Miser" (Harpagon has the same as P.'s, a tear lower his back), bringing him closer, on the contrary, to the Baron from " of the miserly knight» Pushkin and Balzac's Gobseck.

The description of the Plyushkin estate allegorically depicts the desolation - and at the same time the "littering" of his soul, which "does not grow rich in God." The entrance is dilapidated - the logs are pressed in like piano keys; everywhere special dilapidation, roofs like a sieve; the windows are covered with rags. At Sobakevich they were boarded up at least for the sake of economy, but here - solely because of the "devastation". Behind the huts one can see huge stacks of stale bread, similar in color to scorched bricks. As in a dark, “mirror-like” world, everything here is lifeless - even two churches, which should form the semantic center of the landscape. One of them, wooden, was empty; the other, stone, all cracked. A little later, the image of the deserted temple will metaphorically echo in the words of P., who regrets that the priest will not say a “word” against the universal love of money: “You cannot stand against the word of God!” (Traditional for Gogol, the motif of a "dead" attitude to the Word of Life.) The master's house, "this strange castle," is located in the middle of a cabbage garden. "Plyushkin" space cannot be captured with a single glance, it seems to fall apart into details and fragments - one part will open to Chichikov's gaze, then another; even the house - in some places on one floor, in some places on two. Symmetry, wholeness, balance began to disappear already in the description of Sobakevich's estate; here this "process" goes in breadth and depth. All this reflects the "segmentation" of the consciousness of the owner, who forgot about the main thing and focused on the third. For a long time he no longer knows how much, where and what is produced in his vast and ruined economy - but he keeps an eye on the level of the old liquor in the decanter: has anyone drunk.
The desolation "benefited" only Plyushkin's garden, which, starting near master's house, disappears in the field. Everything else died, deadened, as in a Gothic novel, which is reminiscent of the comparison of Plyushkin's house with a castle. It’s like Noah’s ark, inside which the flood occurred (it’s no coincidence that almost all the details of the description, like in the ark, have their own “pair” - there are two churches, two gazebos, two windows, one of which, however, is sealed with a triangle of blue sugar paper ; P. had two blond daughters, etc.). The dilapidation of his world is akin to the dilapidation of the "antediluvian" world, which perished from passions. And P. himself is the failed “forefather” Noah, who degenerated from a zealous owner into a hoarder and lost any definiteness of appearance and position.

Having met P. on the way to the house, Chichikov cannot understand who is in front of him - a woman or a peasant, a housekeeper or a housekeeper, "rarely shaving her beard"? Having learned that this "housekeeper" is the rich landowner, the owner of 1,000 souls ("Ehva! And I'm the boss!"), Chichikov cannot get out of his stupor for twenty minutes. A portrait of P. (a long chin that has to be covered with a handkerchief so as not to spit; small, not yet extinct eyes run from under high eyebrows like mice; a greasy dressing gown has turned into yuft; "hero from the image of a wealthy landowner. But all this is not for the sake of "exposure", but only in order to recall the norm of "wise stinginess", from which P. tragically parted and to which he can still return.

Before, before the “fall”, P.’s gaze, like an industrious spider, “ran troublesomely, but quickly, along all ends of its economic web”; now the spider is entwining the pendulum of the stopped clock. Even the silver pocket watch that P. is going to give - and never gives - to Chichikov in gratitude for the "deliverance" of dead souls, and those are "spoiled." The toothpick, with which the owner, perhaps, picked his teeth even before the French invasion, also reminds of the past time (and not only of stinginess).

It seems that, having described the circle, the narrative returned to the point from which it began - the first of the "Chichikovsky" landowners, Manilov, lives out of time in the same way as the last of them, P. But there is no time in the world of Manilov and never was; he has lost nothing - he has nothing to return. P. had everything. This is the only hero of the poem, besides Chichikov himself, who has a biography, has a past; the present can do without the past, but without the past there is no way to the future. Before the death of his wife, P. was a diligent, experienced landowner; the daughters and son had a French teacher and a madam; however, after that, P. developed a "complex" of a widower, he became more suspicious and stingy. He took the next step away from the path of life determined for him by God after the secret flight of his eldest daughter, Alexandra Stepanovna, with the staff captain and the unauthorized assignment of his son to military service. (Even before the "flight" he considered the military gamblers and spendthrifts, but now he is completely hostile to military service.) Youngest daughter died; the son lost at cards; P.'s soul hardened completely; the "wolf hunger of stinginess" took possession of him. Even the buyers refused to deal with him - for he is a "demon" and not a man.

The return of the “prodigal daughter”, whose life with the staff captain turned out to be not particularly satisfying (an obvious plot parody of the finale of Pushkin’s “ stationmaster”), reconciles P. with her, but does not relieve her of fatal greed. After playing with his grandson, P. did not give anything to Alexandra Stepanovna, and he dried up the Easter cake she gave him on his second visit and now he is trying to treat Chichikov with this cracker. (The detail is also not accidental; Easter cake is an Easter “meal”; Easter is the triumph of the Resurrection; having dried the cake, P., as it were, symbolically confirmed that his soul had become dead; but in itself, the fact that a piece of Easter cake, albeit moldy, is always kept by him , is associated with the theme of the possible "Easter" rebirth of his soul.)

Clever Chichikov, guessing the substitution that has taken place in P., appropriately "retools" his usual opening speech; just as in P. "virtue" is supplanted by "economy", and "rare properties of the soul" - by "order", so they are also replaced in Chichikov's "attack" to the theme of the dead shower. But the fact of the matter is that greed, not to the last limit, was able to take possession of the heart of P. Having made a bill of sale (Chichikov convinces the owner that he is ready to take on tax expenses on the dead "for your pleasure"; the list of the dead at the economic P. is already ready, it is unknown for what need), P. wonders who in the city could reassure her on his behalf, and remembers that the Chairman was his school friend. And this memory (here the course of the author's reflections at the beginning of the chapter is completely repeated) suddenly revives the hero: "... on this wooden face<...>expressed<...>pale reflection of feeling. Naturally, this is a random and instantaneous glimpse of life.

Therefore, when Chichikov, not only acquiring 120 dead souls, but also buying runaway ones for 27 kopecks. for the soul, leaves from P., the author describes a twilight landscape in which the shadow with the light "completely mixed" - as in the unfortunate soul of P.