Creating the comedy "The Inspector General", Nikolai Gogol set out to put together all the worst that he had seen in Russian society. This work against the backdrop of the dramaturgy of the 19th century was distinguished by a rather complicated problem. The plan of the essay “The Image of Khlestakov in the comedy“ The Inspector General ”is not easy to compose, since this hero is rather complicated and contradictory, as even the author himself spoke about more than once.
Laughter reveals evil
Gogol believed that the best way to expose evil is satire. Proof of this belief are his best works. When writing the composition “The Image of Khlestakov in the comedy“ The Inspector General ”, a good knowledge of the content of the play and the ability to analyze literary heroes based on phrases and characteristic behavior expressed by them are necessary. Who is the central character in this work?
Characteristic
Khlestakov is a small person, but not in the sense that they are used to investing in this phrase. He has nothing to do with the Pushkin station caretaker or Akaki Akakievich of the same Gogol. Khlestakov’s worthlessness lies in his inability to work, laziness, narrow-mindedness, in his unwillingness to provide for himself and create conditions for at least a satisfactory existence.
The beginning of the composition “The Image of Khlestakov in the comedy“ The Inspector General ”is a characteristic of this unattractive hero. And he is, first of all, that person who is despised not only by others, but also by himself. When writing the composition “The Image of Khlestakov in the comedy“ The Inspector General ”, it should also be taken into account that Gogol created in his work a character who suffers from chronic discontent with his own life, but does not want to make any attempts to change something for the better side. And when the author said that he in this play sought to portray the most unsightly sides of Russian society, he probably meant that he met many such “Khlestakovs” on his life's journey.
Dreams
Khlestakov leads an idle life, although with his financial situation he can hardly afford it. He does not try to change his life for the better and does not rely on his strength. The only thing he can pin his hopes on is a happy occasion. The idea that little has changed since Gogol’s time suggests the image of Khlestakov in the comedy The Inspector General. Nevertheless, a short essay on this subject should be supplemented with a description of the society in which this character is located, and it is imperative to include this item in the plan.
Pushkin's friend
The tragedy of Khlestakov is that the world in which he lives is incomprehensible to him. He is not able to understand the connection of things and even in general terms to imagine what the activities of ministers are, about which the great Russian poet writes, who suddenly became his “friend”. For Khlestakov, Pushkin is the same person as himself, only, perhaps, more fortunate.
Other heroes
It is very important to analyze what place the image of Khlestakov takes in the comedy “The Inspector General”. Composing according to plan involves comparing this character with others. After all, the mayor and his entourage are rather intelligent and knowledgeable people. However, they are not at all confused by the self-confident lies and bragging of Khlestakov. They, too, seem to begin to believe that everything in life is decided by chance.
The philosophy of Khlestakov
In order to become the director of the department, there is no need to make any efforts. Only luck is needed. Personal merits, labor, and the mind are worthless; human well-being does not depend on them. In order to achieve the goal, you just need to wait, and in case of "sit" someone. These are the beliefs of the protagonist.
What is the difference between Khlestakov and other comedy heroes? The first has overt vulgar stupidity. He lacked quite a bit of quick wits to mislead the representatives of the city government. But at the same time, if his lie were conscious, he would not be able to deceive Anton Antonovich, who was very proud of his subtle knowledge of people. Khlestakov differs from other characters in that his lie has an absolutely erratic character. And this feature makes it extremely unpredictable.
Typical man of his era
Khlestakov is created from contradictions. His senseless and sometimes crazy lies, on the one hand, correspond to the time depicted in Gogol's comedy. Khlestakov is a typical figure of the Nikolaev era. His image fully illustrates this time, revealing human vices, which especially developed in the atmosphere of a difficult social and political situation in Russia. Officials realize that he is stupid, but from the height of his rank they can not carefully consider human qualities. On the other hand, it should be said that Khlestakov is a “human” phenomenon. A similar character can occur at any time and in any environment.
Author's plan
"Khlestakovism" is present in every comedy hero. And this is the main idea of Gogol. Central is the image of Khlestakov in the comedy “The Examiner”. An essay with quotes, in which the characteristics of other heroes will also be present, should be written in order to comprehend the ingenious author's idea. Laziness, stupidity and the dream of a "golden" fish are present in the soul of every hero of a comedy, but in different concentrations. And these vices, according to the writer, were common in Russian society, and therefore extremely destructive.
The image of Khlestakov is a brilliant artistic generalization of Gogol. The meaning of this image is that it is a combination of grand claims and insignificance, “significance” and emptiness.
Chameleon
Even when he is starved in a hotel room and threatened with arrest, he continues to flatter the servant in a flattering manner to bring him some provisions. When his request is granted, he forgets about his recent humiliation and sincerely enjoys dinner. And after a couple of minutes he begins to imagine himself an important gentleman.
One of the main researchers of the work of Nikolai Gogol once compared the main character of this work with water, which has the property of taking the form of any vessel. In a sense, the image of Khlestakov in the comedy The Examiner is unique in literature.
According to the plan, an essay can be divided into the following points:
- Characteristic.
- Benchmarking with other characters.
- The role of Khlestakov in society.
- Khlestakov is a typical personality of his era.
The main character of the comedy is the concentration of the characteristic features of that era. But, unfortunately, the Khlestakovs exist today. They, like Nozdryov, the prototypes of one of the heroes of Dead Souls, are still "not getting out soon, and still walk among us, perhaps only in another caftan."