The image of the box from the poem dead souls. Dead souls characterization of the image box Nastasya Petrovna

The poem "Dead Souls" by N.V. Gogol invites its readers to plunge into a huge variety of completely different and unlike characters. One of the most striking and important characters is the landowner Korobochka, her image is revealed in the third chapter of the work.

The first meeting of the protagonist of the poem, Chichikov, and Korobochka happens quite by accident, when Pavel Ivanovich loses his way to Sobakevich due to bad weather. Chichikov arrives at Korobochka's estate, in a village away from the main road, and stays with her for the night, and this is how they get to know each other.

She was an elderly woman, in shabby clothes, completely devoting her life to the household that she runs on her estate. Despite the fact that she has only 80 peasant souls at her disposal, her estate boasts a good condition: strong and well-groomed houses, strong and healthy men.

Korobochka lives by selling products produced on her estate, such as honey and hemp. She earns quite a lot on this, she tries to profit from everything, she has enough for a comfortable life, nevertheless, the landowner likes to complain about life, show down and underestimate her wealth. The box is mercenary, greedy, stingy, because it did not feed the guest from the road., distrustful and shows excessive suspicion towards people. Nevertheless, Korobochka, in her prosperous household, shows hospitality when she gives Chichikov clean clothes, launders dirty ones, sends a girl to scratch his heel and fluff up a pillow.

The landowner Korobochka collects and stores rubbish, her whole life is a continuous hoarding, mustiness reigns in her estate. Also, the interior of her house seems to Chichikov quite old-fashioned, as if he had frozen somewhere in time. Nastasya Petrovna believes in both God and the devil, sometimes she guesses on cards. When Chichikov wakes up, he sees a lot of flies, which once again emphasizes old age. Little is known about Korobochka's family, that she is a widow and has no children. In the process of communicating with the landowner, Chichikov begins to lose his temper, he wants to leave her estate as soon as possible in order to get rid of her.

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol calls the landowner an oakhead, because after selling dead souls to Pavel Ivanovich, she goes to the city to find out the true price in order to find out if she was deceived.

In general, representing one of the most striking images, Nastasya Petrovna is an ordinary and simple landowner.

Option 2

The poem is presented in the form of a trip of the main character across Russia, where she is shown with all her hardships and problems. The author showed his native land with all its hardships, revealed the cause of the plight of the Russian people and, with the help of satire, exposed the flaws of the existing system. We see how Chichikov, making a trip to the southern provinces, wants to cheaply buy up dead serfs in order to get rich fraudulently and not work.

He visits various landowners, among whom Korobochka stands out, who is a wealthy landowner, ready to trade in whatever her heart desires, including dead peasants.

The stupid Nastasya Petrovna thinks that she will need to dig up the dead from the graves, and this does not stop her. She intends to do everything in order to only receive a reward. Chichikov, from the first minute, understanding the nature of the woman, immediately began to talk with her more freely than with Manilov. He even yelled at her when Korobochka listened to him distractedly. After all, one thing revolves in her thoughts, so as not to give away the dead cheaply, and the rest did not bother at all.

Korobochka is a powerful lady, she lives by subsistence farming, and at the same time understands how money is obtained. The intellect of its development wishes to leave the best. She can tell how to protect trees with ripe fruits from birds, but why this had to be done, she cannot explain. Her whole appearance suggests that she is not only stupid, but also sloppy. In addition, it is full of superstitions. The box believes in fortune-telling and all the evil spirits that may appear in the house after midnight. Yes, and in her speech slip different words inherent in a religious person.

Her whole house is like a box in which there are many old things. When you look at her, you are surprised how greedy Nastasya Petrovna is. She does not have her own children, and there are no relatives to whom all affairs and property can be transferred, and who had to be introduced to society. And still, she wants more and more capital.

Box's useless hoarding is almost ominous. She saves money for their own sake, is not even afraid to put the dead on sale - just so as not to miscalculate. All her coins are laid out in different colorful bags, which she takes out and counts them every day. Her circle of interests is also small. Basically, she communicates only with those people with whom she consults on matters of conducting trade.

Slowly, Gogol will lead us to how the desire to get rich, the accumulation of capital by any means, the endless exploitation of the peasants kill the soul of the landowners. They lose their human form. In the image of Korobochka, he showed new features of capitalist society.

Composition about the landowner Korobochka

Gogol's poem can be read at various levels, the author has invested many different semantic layers in his creation. If you look at Korobochka superficially, then we have a satire on stupidity and a patriarchal way of life, a parody of the limited personality and excessive practicality, a heroine who surprises with her own simplicity.

Gogol emphasizes the simplicity of Korobochka in her speech, which is full of simple and even primitive expressions and, as it were, naively naked. Only children or poorly educated people can speak like that without any hesitation. The landowner is not distinguished by an exalted mind, but she has quite valuable practical knowledge, these details are also noted, for example, nets that preserve fruit trees.

Thus, Gogol describes the figure of a mundane people, a common people without romanticization. These people can actually be absurd and rude, sit and argue where the wheel will roll, know how to buy and sell more profitably. This people does not represent anything other than their own little world and is not going to get out of there, mired in the swamp of a banal and primitive existence.

If you look at Korobochka in the context of the symbolic series that the author proposes, then this heroine appears as a kind of mystical figure that personifies such mystical heroes as Baba Yaga. A trip to Korobochka is associated for Chichikov with images of death and afterlife experience. Before his arrival, he falls into the ground (the image of a burial), when he wakes up, flies sit on his face (like on a corpse), and if you follow the text, Gogol gives similar hints in almost every phrase.

The box, like a magical old woman from Russian fairy tales, lives in the outskirts and is associated with otherworldly forces. In such a reading, lamentations, omens in which she believes (guessing on cards, for example) and interior details (for example, cards for divination) receive a completely new reading and become peculiar attributes of a sorceress.

One of the main characters of the work is the best friend of the key character Dmitry Nekhlyudov.

Our world is great, and the behavior of people in it is even greater and more diverse. It so happened for thousands of years that we are born beautiful and ugly - both in body and soul.

"Dead Souls" is a classic of Russian literature, a play that the famous writer Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol conceived to display a grandiose panorama of the Russian society of officials and landlords, including all its moments, features and paradoxes. The central problem of this work is the inevitable death of the spiritual "component" of people and the flourishing of the very main representatives of the Russian estates of the landlords of those times. The author depicts the internal and external appearance of a strong landownership and venality, and there is also an open ridicule of the harmful passions of Russian bureaucracy.

The very title of the work clearly demonstrates its ambiguous meaning. "Dead souls" can be called not only the dead peasants, but also other, actually living characters of the poem. And it is precisely such definitions as miserable, insignificant, empty and, directly, “dead” little souls that N.V. himself gives them. Gogol.

Characteristics of the heroine

Nastasya Petrovna, aka Korobochka, is one of the key characters in Gogol's Dead Souls. She is endowed with the fate of a landowner who has lost her husband; is the second "saleswoman" of the peasants. Her nature is full of greed, in essence, Nastasya Petrovna is a genuine crokhoborka, who sees potential customers-buyers in every passer-by. It was Chichikov who first drew attention to efficiency in trade and undisguised stupidity in life in the guise of this landowner. Despite the fact that Korobochka is not only an impeccable hostess, but also a craftswoman to benefit from everywhere, she did not consider the idea of ​​​​buying “dead souls” at all strange. Moreover, she took the initiative to personally study the current prices for the dead peasants, if only not to sell too cheap and not be left with a nose. The quiet life of Korobochka is full of only anxiety about household chores, a “small” household. But who, no matter how Korobochka, is familiar with the prices of products like honey, lard, hemp, and all in order to resell them more profitably.

Korobochka herself knows the dead peasant souls belonging to her by heart. Nastasya Petrovna agreed to conclude the deal agreed with Chichikov only after his promise to purchase her household items.

The central idea of ​​this character is to maximize and increase their already small wealth. Actually, that's why it is called the Box. Nastasya Petrovna has about eighty peasant souls at her disposal, and her life seems to be limited by a thin shell that delimits her small personal world from the real outside world. All the property accumulated by her, the hostess with special care protects and hides everything in bags and chests of drawers. And even taking into account a fair amount of prosperity and abundance in the home, she remains a lover to put pressure on pity and cry over losses. When asked by Chichikov about how things are progressing with neighboring landowners, mentioning both Manilov and even Sobakevich, Korobochka skillfully portrays absolute ignorance of the existence of such personalities, as if she had never even heard their names.

The box is too superstitious representative of the landlord. By the way, she will never doubt that what is hidden on the cards after the prayer has been said will certainly come true.

The image of the heroine in the work

("Chichikov at the Box", artist Alexander Agin, 1846-47)

Nastasya Petrovna can be called a primitive, "poor widow", whose ignorance is displayed in her behavior and manner of speech.

The question arises: perhaps Nastasya Petrovna is just an exceptional person who got lost in the wilderness of the province?

However, the author of the poem regretfully draws a negative answer to the conclusion. “No,” says Gogol, because the squalor inherent in Korobochka, her addiction to money, her desire to cash in on anything, overt self-interest, stupidity and ignorance are key qualities that are not exclusive to Korobochka, they also correspond to various layers of the ruling classes, their top.

Ultimately, N.V. Gogol writes about Korobochka as a heroine who finds herself on the lowest rung of the endless ladder of perfection of the human appearance, thereby emphasizing the typical character of Korobochka's image.

Among the landowners visited by the protagonist of Gogol's poem, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, in search of his unusual acquisition, there was one woman.

The image and characteristics of the Box in the poem "Dead Souls" allow us to imagine how they lived in the deep, hidden territories of Russia of the past, way of life and traditions.

The image of the heroine

Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov came to the landowner Korobochka by chance. He lost his way when he tried to visit Sobakevich's estate. Terrible bad weather forced the traveler to ask for an overnight stay in an unfamiliar estate. The rank of a woman is a collegiate secretary. She is a widow living on her estate. There is some autobiographical information about the woman. It is not known if she has children, but it is certain that her sister lives in Moscow. Korobochka is going to her after Chichikov's departure. The old landowner maintains a small household: about 80 souls of peasants. The author describes the hostess and the peasants living in the village.

What is special about the character of the heroine:

The ability to save. A small landowner puts the money into bags, puts them in a chest of drawers.

Stealth. Nastasya Petrovna does not talk about her wealth. She pleads, trying to arouse pity. But the purpose of this feeling is to raise the price of the product offered.

Courage. The landowner confidently goes to court with requests to solve her problems.

The box sells what its peasants are busy with: honey, feathers, hemp, lard. The woman is not surprised by the desire of the guest to buy the souls of people who have gone to the afterlife. She is afraid to sell cheap. Faith and unbelief intertwined in the landowner. Moreover, two opposite feelings are connected so tightly that it is difficult to determine where the line is. She believes in God and the devil. The landowner lays out the cards after the prayer.

Household of Nastasya Petrovna

A lonely woman manages better than the men encountered in the poem. The description of the village does not frighten, like in Plyushkin, it does not surprise, like in Manilov. The gentlemen's house is neat. It is small but strong. Dogs greet guests with barks and warn their owners. The author describes the houses of the peasants:

• huts are strong;
• scattered scattered;
• are constantly being repaired (the worn-out tes is changed to a new one);
• strong gate;
• spare carts.

Korobochka looks after her house and the huts of the peasants. In the estate, everyone is busy with business, there are no those who wander between the houses. The landowner knows exactly when, for which holiday bacon, hemp, flour or cereals will be ready. Despite her narrow-minded mind, the seeming stupidity of Nastasya Petrovna is businesslike and lively, aimed at profit.

village peasants

Chichikov examines the peasants with interest. These are strong living men and women. There are several characters in the village. Each in a special way complements the image of the hostess.

The maid Fetinya masterfully fluffs the feather beds, making them so cozy that the guest slept longer than usual.

The yard peasant woman opened the gate at night, not being afraid of uninvited guests. She has a hoarse voice and a strong figure, hidden under the coat.

The yard girl Pelageya shows Chichikov the way back. She runs barefoot, which makes her feet covered in mud and look like boots. The girl is uneducated, and for her there is not even an understanding of right, left. She shows with her hands where the cart should go.

Dead Souls

The peasants who sell Korobochka have amazing nicknames. Some of them complement the characteristics of a person, others are simply invented by the people. All the nicknames are in the memory of the hostess, she sighs and regretfully lists them to the guest. The most unusual:

• Disrespect-Trough;
• cow brick;
• Wheel Ivan.

The box takes pity on everyone. The skillful blacksmith burned down like coal on a drunk. All were nice workers, it is difficult to add them to the list of Chichikov's nameless purchase. Dead souls Boxes are the most alive.

character image

There is a lot of typical stuff in the description of the Box. The author believes that there are many such women in Russia. They don't evoke sympathy. Gogol called the woman "club-headed", but in her there is no difference from the stiff, educated aristocrats. Korobochka's frugality does not evoke affection; on the contrary, everything in her household is modest. Money settles in bags, but does not bring novelty to life. Around the landowner a huge number of flies. They personify stagnation in the soul of the hostess, in the world around her.

The landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka cannot be changed. She chose the path of hoarding, which does not make sense. The life of the estate takes place away from real feelings and events.

In the third chapter of the poem "Dead Souls" N.V. Gogol introduces the reader to the landowner Nastasya Petrovna. The characteristic of the Box helps the author to gradually realize the idea of ​​his work, moving from innocent images to more insignificant ones.

How Chichikov found out about the landowner

The protagonist went to another landowner - Sobakevich, but on the way at night his chaise got lost, and he accidentally falls into the possession of Korobochka.

portrait characteristic

Box - a woman in a "sleeping cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck." The external description of the Box in the poem "Dead Souls" is laconic. The author does not give detailed characteristics, depriving the heroine of her face in order to show the typicality of this image.

Environment

Despite the fact that Chichikov calls Korobochka's possessions a "good village", he understands that he is in a "decent wilderness". The estate is located far from the city, there is not a single rich landowner nearby.

Korobochka is a good housewife, she pays great attention to housekeeping. She has a lot of household utensils, various fruits and varieties are grown in the garden. The houses of the peasants are in good conditions.

Lifestyle

However, such features of Korobochka's life lead the reader to the conclusion that she lives only at home, other things do not interest her. It is limited by handmade frames. Trying to accumulate as much as possible, she is ready to sell everything she has. This clearly shows the real character of the heroine. Everything connected with the image of the Box is the first stage of stinginess.

Deal with Chichikov

A special role is played by the episode of buying dead souls from Korobochka. The landowner, having learned that Chichikov is a "purchaser", begins to offer him various goods. It speaks of the desire for profit. She says with regret that she has already sold honey to other merchants, for which Chichikov, most likely, would have given more.

When the main character says what exactly he is ready to buy, Korobochka cannot understand for a long time: how can one sell already deceased souls? She is confused because she has never sold dead souls, so she does not know the price of them. Because of this, the heroine hesitates, fearing to sell too cheap, although she understands that the deal "seems to be profitable."

Because of the fear of making a mistake with the price, Korobochka spends a lot of time. She decides to “postpone” the sale, find out the prices of the deceased, and then sell them. However, Chichikov still manages to get her to conclude a deal in another way. Pavel Ivanovich, promising to buy from her the products grown by her peasants, gives 15 banknotes for the souls.

What does Chichikov think about the heroine

Long attempts to persuade Korobochka tire Chichikov, he feels that he is in sweat, "like in a river." The attitude of the protagonist to Korobochka is conveyed by the following quotes: “Well, the woman seems to be strong-browed!”, “Ek her, what a clubhead!”, “Go and deal with her! I've been sweating, you damned old woman!"

Chichikov compares the heroine with a mongrel, who does not eat hay herself, and does not allow others to do so.

The meaning of the image

So why did N.V. Gogol devote an entire chapter to the image of the Box? In his lyrical digressions, he proves the typicality of this character. He calls her one of those who "cry for crop failures", while they themselves "gain a little money."

Nastasya Petrovna is limited, she lives in a kind of "box", so the name of the heroine turns out to be speaking. She is fixated on making a profit, and it is for this purpose that she runs the household. The heroine is stupid and uneducated. As the author writes, if Korobochka hacked something on her nose, then this "cannot be overpowered by anything."

It is not for nothing that the writer gives such a brief description of the appearance of the heroine; it was important for him to emphasize the typicality of this image. He does this in lyrical digressions: "a different and respectable, and even a statesman, but in reality it turns out a perfect Box."

This article will help to write the essay “Characteristics of the Box” according to the plan, reveal ways to create this female image, show the meaning of the character in the work, as well as the author’s opinion about this type of people.

Artwork test

Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna - a widow-landowner from Nikolai Gogol's poem "Dead Souls", the second "saleswoman" of dead souls. By nature, she is a self-serving little bastard who sees a potential buyer in everyone. Chichikov quickly noticed the commercial efficiency and stupidity of this landowner. Despite the fact that she skillfully manages the household and manages to benefit from each harvest, the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bbuying "dead souls" did not seem strange to her. She even wished to personally find out how much dead peasants are now being sold, so as not to sell too cheap. In addition, she remembers her dead peasants by heart. Nastasya Petrovna agrees to a deal with Chichikov only when he promises to buy various household products from her.

The main goal of this heroine is hoarding and increasing her small wealth. That's why she and Korobochka. She has only about eighty souls at her disposal, and she lives as if in a shell, fenced off from the rest of the world. A thrifty hostess hides all her savings in bags on chests of drawers. Despite the obvious wealth in the house, she likes to complain about crop failures or losses. And when Chichikov asks her about the neighboring landowners, including Manilov and Sobakevich, she pretends to hear about them for the first time.