This article will discuss the characteristics of the landowner Sobakevich - one of the main characters of the work “Dead Souls” by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. It is interesting that the idea of this poem belonged to the great poet Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, and Gogol only fulfilled his promise to him - he created the work.
It should be noted that he did not complete his mission to the end, because initially it was planned to create three volumes of the poem (in the likeness of Hell, Purgatory and Paradise), but only the first one reached the reader. There is an assumption that the almost completely finished second volume was destroyed by the writer for unknown reasons, and the third Gogol did not have time to write. In order to get a little closer to unraveling the secrets associated with the fate of these works of the great writer, philologists of our time carefully analyze and study the images of his heroes, create a comparative description of Sobakevich, Korobochka, Manilov, Nozdrev, Plyushkin and other characters of the work.
Writing history
I must say, the poem Dead Souls, like many other works by the author, is an immortal work of literary art. It depicts the reality of Russia of the XIX century, which is reflected in the present day. The activities of ignorant officials, the arbitrariness of the authorities, the difficult fate of ordinary people - all this is fully presented by the author on the pages of the work.
In addition to the fact that Nikolai Vasilievich gives a description of different types of people, he also describes inanimate objects in detail, which allows the reader to clearly understand the way of life of the Russian people in the 19th century. The key figures of the poem allow creating a general idea of the people of that time: Chichikov, Manilov, Korobochka, Plyushkin, Sobakevich. The characterization of the hero is presented by Gogol in such a way that each of them is endowed with typical features of representatives of the era, and individual, distinct from the others.
An interesting discovery of observers and researchers was also the fact that the order of appearance of the characters in Gogol's poem is not random, everything is subject to a certain order. This fact allows us to get closer to understanding the main idea of the work.
Landowner Sobakevich: characterization of the hero
Dead souls were sold by many landowners. Among them, Sobakevich Mikhailo Semenovich deserves special attention. The author introduces the reader to this hero long before his appearance in the plot. First, Gogol describes his possessions, as if preparing the reader for the perception of such a difficult character as Sobakevich. The characterization of the hero is revealed thanks to a detailed image of his village, a large village with strong buildings. The house of Sobakevich himself was a solid structure and seemed to be eternal. Peasant estates were also distinguished by quality and reliability. But, what Chichikov noted, having entered the village of Sobakevich, that the owner of the estates did not care at all about the aesthetics of the buildings, there was not a single superfluous “useless” decorative element on them. The appearance of the buildings was not distinguished by sophistication, practicality and functionality - these are the main features of the buildings owned by the landowner Sobakevich.
The characterization of the hero is also traced in the description of the surrounding nature. The author says that on one side of the village was a pine forest, and on the other a birch forest. He compares forests with the wings of one bird, only one of them is light and the other is dark. So Gogol makes it clear to the reader that Sobakevich, the owner of the possessions, is endowed with various personal qualities.
The appearance of the landowner
A brief description of Sobakevich, in particular his appearance, is given by the author in the work itself. Gogol compares the hero with a medium-sized bear, focuses on his tailcoat of a "bearish" color. Even the name, Mikhailo Semenovich, was not chosen by chance, it is involuntarily associated with a brown clubfoot animal. In addition, the landowner Sobakevich moved in a bearish manner, stepping on one's feet every now and then.
The hero has a hot, red-hot complexion, which undoubtedly once again indicates the inviolability and strength of his nature.
Character Features
The author describes the character of the hero perfectly. It is revealed not only in appearance, gait, gestures, but also in the manner of speaking, and in the entire way of life. From the first words, the hero is attributed to the absolute earthliness of views and interests.
Every detail in Sobakevich’s room was very similar to his master. In the paintings hanging in his house, Greek heroes were depicted, in appearance resembling Mikhail Semenovich. Like a walnut bureau, and a blackbird with a dark color with spots.
Presented by the writer as a strong, prudent owner, Mikhailo Sobakevich. The characterization of the hero makes it clear that his peasants live safely and calmly under his command. And his efficiency and natural power, which began to look like a dull inertness, is a disaster, not a hero's fault.
Outlook on life
Sobakevich is hostile to everything related to spirituality. In his understanding, culture and enlightenment are harmful and useless inventions. The main thing for him is taking care of his own well-being and well-fed existence in any circumstances.
In a conversation with Chichikov, our hero shows himself to be a predator with a dead grip, ready to take prey at any cost. It is in this vein that the author describes Sobakevich. Dead souls - that’s what Chichikov came to him for, and Mikhailo Semenych immediately called a spade a spade, not waiting for him to begin to bore him with hints. He was not ashamed to bargain and even cheat, slipping Chichikov ’s female soul Elizabeth Sparrow. During the transaction, the main qualities of the landowner Sobakevich were manifested. His straightforwardness and ingenuity sometimes bordered on rudeness, cynicism and ignorance.
Mikhailo Semenovich wrote with his own hand a list of all his dead peasants, in addition, told about each of them - what he did, what character traits he possessed. At first glance, it might seem that Sobakevich is worried about his subordinates, since he knows so much about them. But in fact, he is led by a simple calculation - he does not care who lives in his possessions, and he knows well who and what can be useful to him.
Relations Sobakevich with the environment
An attentive reader will undoubtedly notice what is similar to other heroes of Sobakevich and what are his differences. The main ones have already been mentioned above. It is worth paying attention to the fact that Sobakevich does not accept stinginess, as evidenced by his desire to ensure that his subordinates live well, and criticize the landowner Plyushkin, who, having eight hundred souls of peasants, eats like a shepherd. Sobakevich himself loved to eat deliciously. He also understands that you can have more from a strong peasant farm, therefore, probably, he keeps his wards in abundance.
The landowner speaks unflattering about the officials, calling them “Christ sellers” and fraudsters. But this does not prevent him from doing business with them and making deals. And indeed not a single good word came out of his mouth when he spoke about the people with whom he was friends or communicates.
conclusions
Despite the fact that the author leaves Sobakevich a chance for rebirth, attributing to him many good qualities, there is no doubt that the soul of the landowner is dead. He, like many others, does not allow changes around and within himself, because only a person who has a soul can change.