E.V. Amelina
The main features of Sobakevich are intelligence, efficiency, practical acumen, but at the same time he is characterized by tight-fistedness, some kind of ponderous stability in his views, character, and lifestyle. These features are already noticeable in the portrait of the hero, who looks like a “medium-sized” bear. And his name is Mikhail Semenovich.
In Sobakevich’s portrait we can feel the grotesque motive of the hero’s rapprochement with an animal, with a thing. Thus, Gogol emphasizes the limited interests of the landowner in the world of material life.
Gogol also reveals the qualities of the hero through landscape, interior and dialogues. It is characteristic that the motif of heroism reappears here, “playing the role of a positive ideological pole in the poem.” This motif reflected Gogol’s dream of Russian heroism, which, according to the writer, lies not only in physical strength, but also in the “countless wealth of the Russian spirit.” However, in the image of Sobakevich, the “wealth of the Russian spirit” is suppressed by the world of material life. The landowner is concerned only with preserving his wealth and the abundance of the table. Most of all, he loves to eat well and tasty, not recognizing foreign diets. Here Gogol debunks gluttony, one of the human vices that Orthodoxy fights.
Sobakevich is insightful in his own way, endowed with a sober view of things. Sobakevich's intelligence, his insight and, at the same time, the “wildness”, unsociability, and unsociability of the landowner are manifested in his speech. Sobakevich expresses himself very clearly, concisely, without excessive “prettiness” or floridity. When discussing acquaintances, the landowner may swear and use “strong words.” The image of Sobakevich in the poem is static: readers are not presented with the hero’s life story, or any of his spiritual changes. However, the character that appears before us is lively and multifaceted.
"All the heroes of works of Russian literature": School curriculum: Dictionary-reference book
The name itself, used many times by the narrator, indicates the hero’s powerful “animal-likeness”, his bear-dog features. All this connects Sobakevich with the type of rude landowner Taras Skotinin from Fonvizin’s “Minor.” However, this connection is more external than internal; The author's attitude towards the hero is much more complicated here.
In Sobakevich’s house there are hanging paintings depicting entirely “well done” Greek heroic commanders of the early 1820s, whose images seem to have been copied from himself. This is Mavrocordato in red trousers and with glasses on his nose, Colocotroni and others, all with thick thighs and incredible mustaches. (Obviously, in order to emphasize their power, a “Georgian” one was inserted among the “Greek” portraits - the image of a skinny Bagration.) The Greek heroine Bobelina is also endowed with magnificent thickness - her leg is wider than the torso of some dandy. “Greek” images, sometimes in parody, sometimes in earnest, constantly appear on the pages of “Dead Souls” and run through the entire plot space of Gogol’s poem, which was initially likened to Homer’s “Iliad.” These images echo and rhyme with the central “Roman” image of Virgil, who leads Dante through the circles of Hell - and, pointing to the ancient ideal of plastic harmony, they clearly highlight the imperfection of modern life.
But for all his “heaviness” and rudeness, Sobakevich is unusually expressive. The fact that natural power and efficiency seemed to become heavy in him and turned into dull inertia is more a misfortune than a fault of the hero.
If Manilov lives completely outside of time, if time in Korobochka’s world has slowed down terribly, like her hissing wall clock, and tipped over into the past (as indicated by Kutuzov’s portrait), and Nozdryov lives only in each given second, then Sobakevich is registered in modern times, in 1820 's (the era of Greek heroes). Unlike all the previous characters and in full agreement with the narrator, Sobakevich - precisely because he himself is endowed with excess, truly heroic strength - sees how the present life has been crushed, how weakened. During the bargaining, he remarks: “However, even then: what kind of people are these? flies, not people,” are much worse than dead people.
The more God has built into a personality, the more terrible the gap between its purpose and real state. But the greater the chances for the revival and transformation of the soul. Sobakevich is the first in a series of types outlined by Gogol who is directly correlated with one of the characters in the 2nd volume, where the heroes are depicted, although by no means ideal, but still cleared of many of their passions. Sobakevich’s thriftiness, the “Greek” portraits on the walls, the “Greek” name of his wife (Feodulia Ivanovna) will echo in rhyme in the Greek name and social type of the zealous landowner Kostanzhoglo. And the connection between Sobakevich’s name - Mikhailo Ivanovich - and the “humanoid” bears from Russian fairy tales roots his image in the ideal space of folklore, softening the “animal” associations. But at the same time, the “negative” properties of Sobakevich’s zealous soul seem to be projected onto the image of the stingy Plyushkin, condensed in him to the last degree.
B.V. Sokolov
In the rough draft of the final chapter of either the first or second volume of the poem, Gogol defines him this way: “... the rogue Sobakevich, not at all noble in spirit and feelings, however, did not ruin the peasants, did not allow them to be either drunkards or loiterers " The image of Sobakevich reflected, in particular, M. Pogodin. The characterization of Sobakevich as a kulak, in all likelihood, goes back to Gogol’s quarrel with Pogodin, when the latter refused to hand over the previously agreed upon author’s reprints of the story “Rome.” As M. Shchepkin recalled, Gogol admitted to him: ““Oh, you don’t know what it means to deal with a fist!” - “So why are you contacting him?” – I picked up. - “Because I owe him six thousand rubles in banknotes: so he’s pressing. I hate being published in magazines - no, he snatched this article from me! So, how did he print it? He didn’t even let me correct it, even in proofreading. Why this is so, he alone knows.” Well, I thought, that’s because it’s so because he won’t be able to do it any other way: it’s his (Pogodin’s) nature to do everything, as they say, a blunder.” Also, in Sobakevich, all the objects in the house and on the estate seem to have been cut out with an ax, one might say, a blunder, with concern only for their functional purpose, without any concern for grace.
Belinsky, in the article “Answer to the Muscovite” (1847), noted: “Sobakevich is the antipode of Manilov: he is rude, uncouth, a glutton, a rogue and a fist; but the huts of his men were built, although clumsily, but firmly, from good timber, and it seems that his men lived well in them. Let us assume that the reason for this is not humanity, but calculation, but calculation that presupposes common sense, calculation, which, unfortunately, sometimes does not happen among people with a European education, who send their men around the world on the basis of a rational economy. The advantage is again negative, but if it had not been in Sobakevich, Sobakevich would have been even worse: therefore, he is better with this negative advantage.”
The characterization of Sobakevich as a “fist” is purely negative. We find confirmation of this in Gogol’s letter to A. Danilevsky dated October 29, 1848: “Life in Moscow has now become much more expensive. A barely single person can now live with just three thousand, but a married man can hardly manage without 8 thousand—I mean, a married man who would lead the most confident life and observe the strictest economy in everything. Almost all of my friends are sitting without money, in upset circumstances, and can’t figure out how to fix them. With money there are only fists, scoundrels, and all sorts of grabbers. This made both society and life in Moscow somehow noticeably more boring...” A. Galkin noticed the deep connection between Sobakevich and Korobochka at the level of their names and patronymics, Mikhailo Semenovich and Nastasya Petrovna, like a bear and a she-bear from a folk tale. This connection emphasizes the rudeness, uncouthness, in a cultural sense, of both characters, and at the same time - their acumen, thoroughness, and to some extent - their closeness to the people, to the same peasants, in tastes and habits.
The landowner Sobakevich is a very colorful character in Gogol’s “Dead Souls”, outwardly reminiscent of a bear with his clumsiness, massiveness and tendency to gluttony. He prefers half a side of lamb or a whole sturgeon to French delicacies such as frog legs or oysters. At the same time, Sobakevich is proud of his Russian heroic stomach, capable of digesting any food, and even in huge quantities. He openly mocks the diets of the French and Germans, and Sobakevich’s characterization is already evident quite clearly in this episode. After lunch at Mikhail Semenovich's, Chichikov, who is buying dead souls from landowners, feels a whole pound heavier.
The guest is struck by the fact that Sobakevich gives only negative characteristics to everyone around the landowner: his governor is almost a highwayman, the prosecutor is a pig, and his neighbor Plyushkin is a dog. This is where the characterization of Sobakevich in Nikolai Gogol’s “Dead Souls” appears very clearly.
Conversation between Sobakevich and Chichikov
By nature, Sobakevich is so unperturbed that he doesn’t even raise an eyebrow at Chichikov’s amazing offer to sell him dead souls, and immediately begins to bargain, asking for an exorbitantly high price - 100 rubles per soul. If we remember Chichikov’s visit to Korobochka, then Nastasya Petrovna in a similar situation even bulged her eyes in amazement.
He bargains on a kulak scale, but the price per head eventually drops to two and a half rubles. This behavior is typical of Sobakevich’s calculating and tight-fisted nature.
Also speaking about the characteristics of Sobakevich, we note that he is not distinguished by his fine mental organization, flexibility of mind and desire for enlightenment, but he is a strong business executive who owns a large, well-equipped village. He himself lives in a good-quality house with a mezzanine, and his peasants have strong and durable houses. In Mikhail Semenovich’s household, order and prosperity can be seen everywhere and in everything. You can also read quotes from the poem “Dead Souls”, which mention the words of the landowner Sobakevich.
Sobakevich loves everything strong, even if it is simple in appearance. The bulky and durable pieces of furniture surrounding Mikhail Semenovich seem to say that they, too, are Sobakevichs.
Of the gallery of landowners presented by Nikolai Gogol in Dead Souls, Sobakevich is the most positive and least vulgar literary hero, despite all his down-to-earthness.
The idea for the poem “Dead Souls,” which became immortal, was presented to Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol by the poet Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. Creating a work is the main mission that Gogol had to fulfill. The writer himself thought so. Gogol's plans included writing three volumes of the poem (in the likeness of Hell, Purgatory, Paradise). Only the first volume of the work was written and published. Only he reached the reader. The sad fate of the second volume and the reasons that gave rise to it remain a mystery to this day. Modern philologists in their works try to unravel the mysteries associated with writing a work. For this purpose, the images created in the poem are carefully studied and analyzed, and characteristics of Sobakevich, Manilov, Korobochka and other main characters are given.
Gallery of poem images
In the poem “The Adventures of Chichikov, or Dead Souls,” and it was under this title that the work was published for the first time, a whole gallery of images is presented - different types of people and even inanimate objects. Using this technique, Gogol masterfully depicts the way of life in Russia in the 19th century.
It shows common features - the ignorance of officials, the arbitrariness of the authorities, the plight of the people. At the same time, the poem clearly presents the characters of individual characters and their individual characteristics.
For example, the image of Sobakevich, Plyushkin, Korobochka, Nozdrev, Manilov, Chichikov allows the reader to understand that the heroes are typical representatives of a certain era, although each brings something of their own, individual, different from the others. The appearances of characters in Gogol's poem are not random moments. Their presentation to the reader is subject to a certain order, which is very important for revealing the overall concept of the work.
Sobakevich's possessions
Mikhail Semenovich Sobakevich in the poem “Dead Souls” appears before the readers as the fourth character in the gallery of images. Acquaintance with him begins long before the appearance of the hero himself.
A large village with strong and substantial buildings opens up to Chichikov’s gaze. The house of the landowner himself seemed to be destined for “eternal standing.” The buildings that belonged to the peasants also surprised Chichikov with their reliability and good quality.
It’s immediately obvious that the owner doesn’t care about the outside of the buildings or their aesthetics at all. What is important is the functionality, the practical benefit of what surrounds it.
When describing the landscape, you need to pay attention to the forests that surround the village. On one side there was a birch forest, and on the other, a pine forest. This also indicates the thriftiness of the owner of the estate. Gogol compares the forest with the wings of the same bird, but one of them is light and the other is dark. Perhaps this is an indication of the character's character. This is how Gogol prepares the reader to perceive the complex image of the landowner Sobakevich.
Appearance of the hero
Gogol gives a description of Sobakevich and his external characteristics in comparison with animals and inanimate objects.
This is a medium-sized clumsy bear. He moves by stepping on someone's feet. His tailcoat is bear-colored. Even the name, Mikhailo Semenovich, evokes in the reader an association with an animal.
It was not by chance that Gogol did this. The characterization of Sobakevich, the description of his inner world begins precisely with the perception of the character’s appearance. After all, we first of all pay attention to such features.
Sobakevich’s complexion, which was red-hot, hot, like a copper coin, also indicates some kind of strength, inviolability of character.
Description of the interior and the image of the hero of the poem
The interior of the rooms where Sobakevich lived is unusually similar to the image of the owner. Here the chairs, the table, and the table were just as clumsy, bulky, and heavy as he was.
The reader, having familiarized himself with the hero and his environment, can assume that his spiritual interests are limited, that he is too close to the world of material life.
What distinguishes Sobakevich from other landowners
An attentive reader will definitely notice this difference. The image of the landowner Sobakevich, having many common features with other characters in the poem, is at the same time very different from them. This brings some variety.
The landowner Sobakevich not only loves reliability and strength in everything, but also gives his serfs the opportunity to live thoroughly and stand firmly on their feet. This demonstrates the practical acumen and efficiency of this character.
When the deal with Chichikov to sell dead souls took place, Sobakevich personally wrote a list of his deceased peasants. At the same time, he remembered not only their names, but also the crafts that his subordinates owned. He could describe each of them - name the attractive and negative sides of a person’s character.
This indicates that the landowner is not indifferent to who lives in his village and who he owns. At the right moment, he will use the qualities of his people, of course, to his benefit.
He absolutely does not accept excessive stinginess and condemns his neighbors for it. This is what Sobakevich says about Plyushkin, who, having eight hundred souls, eats worse than a shepherd. Mikhailo Semenovich himself is very happy to please his stomach. Gluttony is perhaps his main business in life.
Closing the deal
This is an interesting point in the poem. The moment of concluding a deal related to the purchase of dead souls tells a lot about Sobakevich. The reader notices that the landowner is smart - he understands instantly what Chichikov wants. Once again, such traits as practicality and the desire to do everything for one’s benefit come to the fore.
In addition, in this situation Sobakevich’s straightforwardness is manifested. Sometimes it turns into rudeness, ignorance, cynicism, which is the real essence of the character.
What is alarming in the description of the hero’s image?
The characterization of Sobakevich, some of his actions and statements make the reader wary. Although much of what the landowner does, at first glance, seems worthy of respect. For example, the desire to ensure that the peasants stand firmly on their feet does not at all indicate Sobakevich’s high spirituality. This is done only for the benefit of oneself - there is always something to take from the strong economy of the subjects.
Sobakevich says about city officials that they are scammers, “Christ-sellers.” And this is most likely true. But all of the above does not prevent him from having some profitable business and relationships with these scammers.
The reader is also alarmed by the fact that he did not say a single kind word about a single person with whom Sobakevich knew, with whom he was friends, if you can call it that.
His attitude towards science and education is sharply negative. And Mikhailo Semenovich would hang the people who are doing this - he hates them so much. This is probably due to the fact that Sobakevich understands: education can shake the established foundations, and this is unprofitable for the landowner. This is where his heaviness and stability of views come from.
Mortality of Sobakevich's soul
The characterization of Sobakevich with all its positive and negative aspects allows us to draw the main conclusion: the landowner Mikhailo Semenovich is dead just like his neighbors, officials from the city, and the adventurer Chichikov. The reader clearly understands this.
Having an established character and way of life, Sobakevich and his neighbors will not allow any changes around them. Why do they need this? To change, a person needs a soul, but these people don’t have it. Gogol never managed to look into the eyes of Sobakevich and other characters in the poem (except Plyushkin). This technique once again indicates the absence of a soul.
The deadness of the characters is also evidenced by the fact that the author tells very little about the family ties of the heroes. One gets the impression that they all came from nowhere, they have no roots, which means they have no life.
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When we talk about aristocrats, what often appears in our imagination is a fit, slender, handsome young man. When it comes to landowners, we are always lost, because in literature we often see two types of such heroes. The former try to imitate aristocrats and are used mainly in comic situations, since imitation is more like a caricature of aristocratic life. The latter are masculine-looking, rude and not much different from peasants.
In N.V. Gogol’s story “Dead Souls” the reader has a unique opportunity to analyze different types of landowners. One of the most colorful of them is Sobakevich.
Appearance of Sobakevich
Mikhailo Semenovich Sobakevich is one of the landowners to whom Chichikov turns with a request to sell dead souls. Sobakevich's age varies between 40-50 years.
"Bear! perfect bear! You need such a strange rapprochement: he was even called Mikhail Semenovich” - this is the first impression of this man.
His face is round and rather unattractive in appearance, resembling a pumpkin. “The complexion had a red-hot, hot complexion, the kind you get on a copper coin.”
His facial features were unpleasant, as if hewn with an ax - rough. His face never expressed any emotion - it seemed that he had no soul.
He also had a bearish gait - every now and then he would step on someone’s feet. It is true that at times his movements were not without dexterity.
Mikhailo Semenych has unique health - in his entire life he has never been sick, he has never even had a boil. Sobakevich himself thinks that this is not good - someday he will have to pay for it.
Sobakevich family
Sobakevich’s family is small and is limited to his wife Feodulia Ivanovna. She is as simple and a woman as her husband. Aristocratic habits are alien to her. The author does not directly say anything about the relationship between the spouses, but the fact that they address each other as “darling” indicates a family idyll in their personal lives.
The story also contains references to Sobakevich's late father. According to the recollections of other heroes, he was even larger and stronger than his son and could walk against a bear alone.
The image and characteristics of Sobakevich
Mikhailo Semenovich is an unpleasant looking person. In communication with him, this impression is partially confirmed. This is a rude person, he has no sense of tact.
The image of Sobakevich is devoid of romanticism and tenderness. He is very straightforward - a typical entrepreneur. It's rare to surprise him. He calmly discusses with Chichikov the possibility of purchasing dead souls as if it were the purchase of bread.
“You needed souls, so I’m selling them to you,” he says calmly.
The images of money and thrift are firmly attached to the image of Sobakevich - he strives for material gain. On the contrary, the concepts of cultural development are completely alien to him. He doesn't strive to get an education. He believes that he has a great understanding of people and can immediately tell everything about a person.
Sobakevich does not like to stand on ceremony with people and speaks extremely disapprovingly of all his acquaintances. He easily finds flaws in everyone. He calls all the landowners of the county “swindlers.” He says that among all the noble people of the district, only one is worthy - the prosecutor, but at the same time adds that if you look carefully, then he is also a “pig”.
We invite you to get acquainted with the poem by N.V. Gogol “Dead Souls”
The measure of a good life for Sobakevich is the quality of dinners. He loves to eat well. Russian cuisine is preferable for him; he does not accept culinary innovations, considers them stupidity and nonsense. Mikhailo Semenovich is sure that only he has good quality food - the cooks of all the other landowners, and even the governor himself, prepare food from poor quality products. And some of them are prepared from such that the cook throws it in the trash.
Sobakevich's attitude towards the peasants
Sobakevich loves to take part in all work, along with the peasants. He takes care of them. Because he believes that employees who are treated well work better and more diligently.
When selling his “dead souls,” Sobakevich praises his serfs with might and main. He talks about their talents and sincerely regrets that he lost such good workers.
Sobakevich does not want to be left in the cold, so he asks Chichikov for a deposit for his peasants. It is difficult to say exactly how many “souls” were sold. It is certainly known that there were more than twenty of them (Sobakevich asks for a deposit of 50 rubles, stipulating the price for each at 2.5 rubles).
Sobakevich's estate and house
Sobakevich does not like sophistication and decoration. In buildings he values reliability and strength. The well in his yard was made of thick logs, “of which mills are usually built.” The buildings of all peasants are similar to a manor's house: neatly built and without a single decoration.
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Orobochka Nastasya Petrovna is a widow-landowner, the second “saleswoman” of dead souls to Chichikov. The main feature of her character is commercial efficiency. For K., every person is only a potential buyer.
K.'s inner world reflects her household. Everything in it is neat and strong: both the house and the yard. It's just that there are a lot of flies everywhere. This detail personifies the frozen, stopped world of the heroine. This is also evidenced by the hissing clock and the “outdated” portraits on the walls in K’s house.
But such “fading” is still better than the complete timelessness of Manilov’s world. At least K. has a past (husband and everything connected with him). K. has character: she begins to frantically bargain with Chichikov until she extracts from him a promise to buy many other things in addition to souls. It is noteworthy that K. remembers all his dead peasants by heart. But K. is stupid: later she will come to the city to find out the price of dead souls, and thereby expose Chichikov. Even the location of the village of K. (away from the main road, away from real life) indicates the impossibility of its correction and revival. In this she is similar to Manilov and occupies one of the lowest places in the “hierarchy” of the heroes of the poem. Sobakevich is characterized by tight-fistedness, ponderous stability in his views and character. These traits are noticeable in the portrait (he looks like a “medium-sized” bear). The appearance of this hero also indicates there is nothing spiritual or moral about his power, clumsiness, rudeness. A dog is a man incapable of normal human feelings (neither a feeling of love, nor a feeling of friendship). The village in which he lives was like a “military settlement” , which speaks of the severity of character. It can speak of the obstinacy of Sobakevich’s character (this can be seen in the description of the village. Then, when it is said that he did everything his own way and did not listen to the advice of the architect) and that he is a conflicted person.
Describe Sobakevich’s behavior and speech... 1. Describe Sobakevich’s behavior and speech, 2. Attitude towards the household, towards others. 3. Favorite pastime, 4. Life goals, 6. Conclusion, why this landowner should be classified as a Dead Soul (Sobakevich) Sobakevich: Sobakevich...Box of dead souls: Characteristics Relation to… Box of dead souls: 1. Characteristics 2. Attitude to Chichikov? 3. Why does she have the last name Korobochka? 3) The box (in my opinion) stored a lot of things in the house (a lot of “junk”, there were also useful things). This…fill out a comparison table for two heroes... Please help me fill out a comparison table for the two heroes of the novel "Fathers and Sons" Arkady Kirsanov and Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov. That is, you need to give examples from the text for each characteristic for each hero. Hero...
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