Quote material per liter dead souls of manilov. Characteristics of Manilov in the poem "Dead Souls": a description of the character and appearance

The gallery of landowners in the poem "Dead Souls" opens with the image of Manilov. This is the first character to whom Chichikov turns with a request for dead souls. What determines Manilov's “primacy”? Gogol's statement is known that his heroes follow one more vulgarly than the other. It turns out that Manilov in the poem represents the first, the smallest, degree moral degradation... but modern researchers interpret the order of appearance of landowners in " Dead souls ah "in a different sense, matching the first volume of Gogol's poem to the first part" Divine Comedy"Dante (" Hell ").

In addition, as noted by Yu. Mann, the primacy of Manilov is also determined by the personality traits of the hero. The dreaminess and romanticism of Manilov already at the very beginning of the poem create a sharp contrast to Chichikov's immoral adventure.

There is one more reason here. According to IP Zolotussky, “whenever Chichikov meets with any of the landowners, he examines his ideals. Manilov is family life, wench, kids ... ". This "part" of Chichikov's ideal is exactly the best thing that is in the hero's "grossly material" dream of contentment and comfort. Therefore, the history of Chichikov's adventures begins with Manilov.

This image in the poem is static - no internal changes occur with the hero throughout the entire narrative. The main qualities of Manilov are sentimentality, dreaminess, excessive complacency, courtesy and courtesy. This is what is visible, what lies on the surface. It is these features that are emphasized in the description of the hero's appearance. Manilov “was a prominent man, his features were not devoid of pleasantness, but this pleasantness seemed to have been too much transferred to sugar; in his methods and turns there was something ingratiating in his disposition and acquaintance. He smiled alluringly, was blond, with blue eyes. "

However, Gogol goes on to describe inner peace Manilov, and the reader gets rid of the first impression of the "pleasantness" of the landowner. “In the first minute of a conversation with him, you cannot help but say: 'What a pleasant and good person! "In the next minute you won't say anything, and in the third you will say:" The devil knows what this is! " - and you will move away; if you don’t leave, you will feel mortal boredom. You won't get any lively or even arrogant word from him, which you can hear from almost everyone if you touch an object that is bullying him. " With a grain of irony, the author lists the traditional "interests" of landowners: passion for greyhounds, music, gourmet food, promotion. Manilov is not interested in anything in life, he has no "enthusiasm". He speaks very little, he often thinks and reflects, but about what - "unless God ... knows." Thus, several more characteristic properties of this landowner are clearly distinguished - uncertainty, indifference to everything, inertia and infantilism of life perception. “There is a kind of people,” writes Gogol, “known by the name: people are so-so, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan ...” Manilov belongs to this type of people.

The writer emphasizes the "lack of shape, vagueness" of the hero's inner world with a characteristic landscape. So, the weather on the day when Chichikov arrived at Manilov's the highest degree indefinite: "The day was not that clear, not that gloomy, but some kind of light gray color, which happens only on the old uniforms of garrison soldiers ..."

In the description of the master's estate, new features of Manilov are revealed to us. Here we already see a person who claims to be "educated", "cultured", "aristocratic", but Gogol leaves his readers no illusions on this score: all the hero's attempts to appear as an educated and sophisticated aristocrat are vulgar and absurd. So, Manilov's house stands “alone in the Jura, that is, on a hill open to all winds,” but the mountain on which the estate stands is “dressed with trimmed sod”, on it “scattered in English are two or three flowerbeds with bushes of lilacs and yellow acacia ". Nearby you can see a gazebo "with wooden blue columns" and the inscription "Temple of Solitary Meditation". And next to the “temple” there is an overgrown pond covered with greenery, along which, “having picked up their dresses in a picturesque way and poked themselves on all sides,” wander two women, dragging tattered nonsense behind them. In these scenes, Gogol's parody of sentimental stories and novels is guessed.

The same claims to "education" are guessed in the ancient Greek names with which Manilov awarded his children - Alcides and Themistoclus. However, the superficial education of the landowner here turned into sheer stupidity: even Chichikov, upon hearing these names, experienced some surprise, it is easy to imagine the reaction of the local residents.

but ancient greek names here - not only bright characteristic Manilova. "Alcides" and "Themistoclus" set in the poem the theme of history, the motive of heroism, which is present throughout the entire narrative. So, the name "Femi-Stoplus" reminds us of Themistocles, statesman and a general from Athens, who won brilliant victories in battles with the Persians. The life of the commander was very stormy, eventful, full of significant events (against the background of this heroic theme Manilov's inaction, passivity, becomes even more noticeable).

Manilov's "incompleteness of nature" (nature seemed to have stopped at the "pleasant" appearance of the hero, "not reporting" to him the character, temperament, love of life) is also reflected in the description of his home environment.

In everything, Manilov has an incompleteness that creates disharmony. A number of interior details testifies to the hero's penchant for luxury and sophistication, but in this very inclination there is still the same incompleteness, the impossibility of bringing the matter to the end. In Manilov's living room there is "fine furniture, covered with a dandy silk fabric," which is "quite expensive," but two armchairs lack it, and the armchairs are "simply covered with mat." In the evening, "a dandy candlestick made of dark bronze with three antique graces" is served on the table, and next to it is "a simple brass invalid, lame, curled up on the side and covered in fat ...". For two years now, the hero has been reading the same book, reaching only the fourteenth page.

All the occupations of the landowner are senseless and absurd, just like his dreams. So, having seen Chichikov off, he dreams of a huge house "with such a high belvedere that you can even see Moscow from there." But the culmination of the image of Manilov is "the slides of ash knocked out of the pipe, arranged, not without effort, in very beautiful rows." Like all "noble gentlemen", Manilov smokes a pipe. Therefore, in his office there is a kind of "cult of tobacco", which is poured into caps, and into a snuff box, and "just a heap on the table." Thus, Gogol emphasizes that Manilov's "passing of time" is completely useless, meaningless. Moreover, this senselessness is noticeable even when comparing the hero with the rest of the landowners. It is difficult for us to imagine Sobakevich or Korobochka behind such an occupation (placing ash heaps in beautiful rows).

The hero's speech, "delicate", florid, fully corresponds to his internal appearance... Discussing with Chichikov sale of the dead shower, he wonders whether "this negotiation will not be inconsistent with civil regulations and further types of Russia." However, Pavel Ivanovich, who added two or three book turns to the conversation, manages to convince him of the perfect legality of this transaction - Manilov gives Chichikov the dead peasants and even takes over the execution of the deed of sale.

Thus, the portrait of the hero, his speech, landscape, interior, environment, details of everyday life reveal the essence of Manilov's character. Upon closer examination, the illusion of its "positive" qualities - sensitivity and sentimentality - becomes noticeable. “His feeling is surprisingly small and insignificant, and no matter how much he lavishes it, no one is warm or cold from this. His courtesy is at the service of everyone, as is his goodwill, but not because he really has such loving soul, but because they cost him nothing - it's just a manner ... His feelings are not real, but only their fiction, ”wrote the pre-revolutionary researcher Gogol.

Thus, Manilov does not evaluate people in terms of the criteria of good and evil. People around you just fall into the general atmosphere of complacency and dreaminess. In essence, Manilov is indifferent to life itself.

Manilov is the first of the landowners whom Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov visited, the main character novel-poem by Gogol "Dead Souls". The order of the visits is not accidental in this work - the descriptions of the landowners are arranged according to the degree of their degradation, from the least to the highest. Therefore, in the image of Manilov, we will see some positive features.

The landlord's surname is also symbolic. It is formed from the word "beckon". His sweet speech, good looks and demeanor attract people, create a pleasant environment for communication. It is like a bright wrapper for a candy, inside of which, however, there is nothing. This is also noted by Gogol himself: "... the man is so-so, neither this nor that, neither in the city of Bogdan, nor in the village of Selifan."

Analyzing the image

The owner of Manilovka was distinguished by his pleasant appearance and tremendous goodwill towards other people, be it a teacher of his children or a serf. For everyone, he found good and pleasant words, tried to please and please everyone. It was not in his rules to criticize anyone.

Unlike Sobakevich, he did not consider the local governor a robber with big road, but believed that this is "the most amiable person." In Manilov's understanding, a policeman is not a fraud at all, but a very pleasant person. He did not say a single bad word about anyone. As we can see, the superficiality of this character's judgments does not allow him to objectively perceive other people.

Manilov served in the army, where army comrades characterized him as the most delicate and educated officer.

After eight years of marriage, he continued to have tender feelings for his wife, affectionately called her Lizanka, and all the time tried to pamper her with something. He had two sons with more than strange names- Themistoclus and Alcides. As if with these pretentious names Manilov wants to stand out, declare his exclusivity.

Most time the owner of two hundred peasant households was in dreams and dreams. For this "important" occupation, there was a special gazebo in the estate with the pompous name "Temple of Solitary Meditation". Manilov's rich imagination "boldly" transformed the surrounding reality. A bridge was mentally built across the pond, on which merchants briskly traded in all kinds of goods, or a belvedere was erected over the master's house of such a height that one could see Moscow, or an underground passage was digging (however, our dreamer does not specify the purpose of the underground passage).

Dreams drove Manilov to such a distance that real life was in the background. The entire household was entrusted to the bailiff, but Manilov did not delve into anything, but only indulged in fantasies, all the time he smoked his pipe and was idle. Even the book in his office was bookmarked for two years on the same 14th page. The peasants, matched by the master, were also lazy, the pond was overgrown with greenery, the housekeeper was stealing, the clerk got enough money and did not get up before 9 o'clock in the morning. But nothing could disturb the measured flow of a comfortable and idle life of a good-natured landowner.

Manilov turned out to be such an impressionable person that, in response to Chichikov's request to sell dead souls, he dropped the pipe and froze in amazement with open mouth... But in the end he came to his senses and showed a friendly disposition and disinterestedness - he gave dead souls completely free of charge, which completely moved Chichikov. In a conversation with a friend, Manilov showed complete detachment from economic affairs - he could not even name the number of dead peasants, not to mention their names and surnames.

Manilovshchina

The term "manilovism" arose precisely on the basis of the features of this hero of the novel "Dead Souls". This is a way of life, characterized by a disconnection from reality, idleness, frivolity, "hovering in the clouds", inaction. People like Manilov spend their time in empty dreams, which they are in no hurry to realize. They are grotesquely corny, have no opinion of their own, strive to please everyone, think superficially and unrealistically.

They care more about what impression they make than about the actual development of soul and character. Such individuals are pleasant to talk to and complacent, but otherwise completely useless to society. Many literary scholars believe that in the image of Manilov, Gogol tried to portray Nicholas I.

Let's generalize the image by grouping the positive and negative traits of Manilov

Positive traits

Good-natured and suave

Hospitable

Polite

Educated

Positive

Selfless

Keeps on an equal footing with everyone, not arrogant

Sincerely loves his family - his wife and children

Poetically perceives life

Negative qualities

A tendency to ignore problems

Idleness

Carelessness

Inner emptiness

Mismanagement

Lack of personal opinion

Idle talk and florid syllable

Addiction to empty fantasies

Spinelessness

Indifference to other people's problems (mortality of peasants is high on his estate)

Inaction

Excessive need for approval (desire to please everyone)

Sneakiness

Insincerity

Superficial judgment

Excessive cloying, sweetness in communication

Excessive gullibility

Infantilism

Lack of leadership and inner core

Lack of understanding of the purpose and meaning of your life

Gogol devotes a large place in the poem to the image local nobility- feudal landlords.

Outwardly, the landowner Manilov is a "prominent person." “In the first minute of a conversation with him, you cannot but say:“ What a nice and kind person ”. In the next minute you will not say anything, and in the third you will say: "The devil knows what this is" and you will move away; if you don’t leave, you will feel mortal boredom ”. Manilov's spiritual emptiness is expressed, first of all, in idle daydreaming and corny sentimentality. Manilov loves to dream, but his dreams are pointless, unrealizable. There is a complete discord between his dream and reality. He dreams, for example, of building a stone bridge across the pond with benches “on both sides”, of an underground passage, of building a house with such a high belvedere so that one can see Moscow from there. There is no practical sense in these dreams.

Manilov's time is empty. He likes to sit in his "pleasant room", indulge in reflections and, having nothing to do, arrange the slides of ash knocked out of a pipe in "beautiful rows". "In his office there was always some kind of book, bookmarked on page 14, which he had been constantly reading for two years."
Manilov is suave and courteous in his dealings with people. While talking with Chichikov, he intersperses his speech with "pleasant" words and compliments, but is unable to express a single lively and interesting thought. "You won't get any lively or even arrogant word from him, which you can hear from anyone if you touch an object that is bullying him."

He treats all people with the same kindness and tends to see only good in any person. When, in a conversation with Chichikov, the speech concerns provincial officials, Manilov gives each of them the most flattering assessment: his governor is “the most honorable and amiable”, the vice-governor is “dear”, the chief of police is “very pleasant,” etc. Kindness, gentleness , a trusting attitude towards people - these in themselves good character traits in Manilov are negative, since they are not associated with critical attitude to the environment.

He is far from practical activities and economic affairs: his house is on the Jurassic, open to all winds, the pond is overgrown with greenery, the village is poor.
The landlord's household “went somehow by itself”, he never went to the fields, did not even know how many peasants he had and how many of them had died. Having entrusted the farm to the clerk, he completely removed himself from solving any economic issues. His consideration is in no way available, for which Chichikov needed the dead
peasants, but with great pleasure he dreams of living with Chichikov "on the banks of some river."

Manilov is portrayed as such outwardly pleasant, but morally devastated. The image of Manilov has become a household name. Empty dreaminess not connected with real life, the same complacency towards all people, regardless of their qualities, is still called Manilovism.

A brief description of Manilov from the poem "Dead Souls" boils down to the fact that this man is a representative of the landlord nobility, which is distinguished by a dreamy but inactive disposition.

The image of Manilov in the poem "Dead Souls"

Manilov is a business-like, sentimental person. The behavior, appearance, including pleasant facial features, charm of this hero are so pleasant that they seem sugary and become literally repulsive.

Behind all this sugary appearance lies soullessness, callousness, insignificance.

The hero's thoughts are chaotic and disordered. Having touched one topic, they can immediately disappear in an unknown direction, go far from reality.

He does not know how to think about today and solve everyday issues. All his life he tries to clothe in exquisite speech formulations.

Characteristics and description of the portrait of the hero Manilov

Portrait this character, like any other, consists of several parameters.

These include:

• life attitudes of the hero;
• hobbies;
• description of home furnishings and workplace (if any);
• first impression of the character;
• speech and demeanor.

The life goals of the landowner

The hero makes no definite plans. All his dreams are extremely vague and far from reality - it is not possible to realize them.

One of the projects was the idea to build an underground tunnel and a bridge over the pond. As a result, not even a drop of what the landowner imagined was done.

The hero is incapable of planning own life and make real decisions. Instead of real deeds, Manilov is engaged in verbiage.

However, it also has good features - the landowner can be described as good family man who sincerely loves his wife and his children, cares about their present and future.

Favorite activities

Manilov's leisure time is empty. He spends most of his time in the pavilion with the inscription "Temple of Solitary Meditation". It is here that the hero indulges in his fantasies, dreams, comes up with unrealizable projects.

Also, the hero loves to sit in his office, reflect and from idleness build "beautiful rows" of slides of ash. Constantly dwelling in his dreams, the landowner never travels to the fields.

Description of Manilov's office

The study of the landowner, like his entire estate, very accurately characterizes the personality of the hero. The interior decoration emphasizes the character traits and habits of the character. The office windows face the forest side. Nearby lies a book, bookmarked on the same page, for two whole years.

Overall, the room looks pleasant. Furniture in it: a table with a book, four chairs, an armchair. Most of all in the office was tobacco - ash from a tobacco pipe was scattered all around.

The first impression of the hero

At first glance, the character appears to be a charming person. Thanks to his immeasurable good nature, the hero sees the best in everyone, and does not reveal any shortcomings at all or turns a blind eye to them.

The first impression does not last long. Soon Manilov's society becomes terribly boring for the interlocutor. The fact is that the hero does not have his own point of view, but only says "honey" phrases and smiles sweetly.

There is no vital energy, real desires that drive a person, make him act. Thus, Manilov is a dead soul, a gray, spineless person, without specific interests.

The demeanor and speech of the landowner

Manilov is very hospitable. At the same time, the hero is so pleasant in communication that sometimes it becomes excessive. The eyes of the landowner seem to ooze sugar, and the speeches are cloying to the point of disgrace.

Manilov is a very boring interlocutor, it is never possible to hear criticism, indignation, "arrogant words" from him. In the conversation, the lively manners of the hero are manifested, Manilov's quick speech is like a bird's chirping, saturated with courtesies.

The landowner is distinguished by his delicacy and cordiality in communication. These qualities are manifested in bright and pompous forms of endless delight ("cabbage soup, but from a pure heart").

Among the hero's favorite expressions, there are words such as "allow", "dear", "pleasant", "most honorable", "dear". In addition, Manilov's conversation is full of pronouns, interjections and adverbs of an indefinite form: this way, that way, some kind. These words emphasize Manilov's indefinite attitude towards everything around him.

The hero's speech has no meaning, it is empty and fruitless. And yet, Mr. Manilov is a taciturn man, and free time prefers to devote to reflection rather than conversation.

Manilov's children

The landowner has two children - sons. Wishing to somehow stand out from the gray mass, the father gave the boys unusual names - he called the eldest Themistoklos, the youngest gave the name Alcides. The children were still small - 7 and 6 years old, respectively. The teacher is responsible for the education of the sons.

Manilov reads his eldest son a great future - due to his incredible wit, the boy will have a career as a diplomat. Talking about abilities youngest son, the landlord is limited brief description: "... Here is the youngest, Alcides, he is not so fast ...".

The relationship between Manilov and Chichikov

Unlike other landowners, Manilov greets with great cordiality and hospitality, showing himself as a caring and attentive owner. He tries to please Chichikov in everything.

In a deal with the main character, Manilov is not looking for benefits, refusing in every possible way to accept payment for dead souls. He gives them away for free, out of friendship.

At first, the landowner is perplexed about Chichikov's unusual proposal, so much so that his pipe falls out of his mouth and the gift of speech disappears.

Manilov changed his attitude to the deal after Chichikov cleverly filed his request in beautiful words- the landowner immediately calmed down and agreed.

The main character, in turn, cannot believe that Manilov and the clerk are not able to give an answer how many peasants they have died since the last census.

Attitude towards Manilov's farm

The character, to put it mildly, does not differ in practicality, which is clearly shown by the example of the description of his estate.

The hero's house stands on open space, accessible to all winds, the pond was overgrown with greenery, the village became impoverished. Pitiful, lifeless views open up before Chichikov. Decay and desolation reign everywhere.

Manilov did not work on the farm, he never went to the fields, did not know about the number of serfs and how many of them are no longer alive. The landowner entrusted the management of business to the clerk, and he himself completely removed himself from solving urgent problems.

He just can't understand why Chichikov could need dead souls, but at the same time he is happy to indulge in fantasies of how great it would be to live next to him on the river bank. The clerk, who runs the Manilov household, is a hopeless drunkard, and the servants do nothing but sleep and do nothing.

Manilov is the only one who did not sell dead souls, but decided to give them away. In addition, the landlord assumes all the costs of registering the deed. This act clearly demonstrates the impracticality of the hero. The only thing that guides Manilov is senseless sycophancy in front of Chichikov, as well as in front of any other person.

Attitude towards others

Manilov treats all people equally well and, as noted earlier, in every person he sees only positive traits... According to the hero, all officials - wonderful people in every way.

The landowner treats the peasants well, both his own and strangers. Manilov is very polite towards the teacher of his children, and even to the coachman, he once addressed "you". Manilov is so trusting and naive that he does not notice lies and deceit.

The landowner behaves with his guests very hospitably and benevolently. In addition, behind him is observed ingratiating behavior towards those people who are of certain interest to him (such as, for example, Chichikov).

Kindness, gullibility, gentleness in Manilov are greatly exaggerated and not balanced by a critical outlook on life.

Description of the Manilova estate

This is a large estate owned by a landowner. More than 200 peasant houses are attributed to it. There are fields, a forest, a pond, a town house, a gazebo and flower beds. Manilov's farm is left to itself, and his peasants lead an idle lifestyle. In the estate there is a gazebo for reflection, where the landowner from time to time indulges in dreams and fantasies.

Why Manilov is a "dead soul"

The image of the landowner is the personification of a person who has lost his own personality, who has no individuality.

Manilov has no purpose in life, he is a "dead soul" that is worthless even in comparison with such a scoundrel as Chichikov.

Conclusion

In the work, the red line emphasizes the spiritual emptiness and insignificance of Manilov, hiding behind the sugar shell of the hero and his estate. This character cannot be called negative, but he also cannot be classified as positive. He is a man without a patronymic name, which has no meaning for the world around him.

The hero can be characterized by a capacious quote from Dead Souls - "the devil knows what it is." Manilov cannot count on rebirth, because there is a void inside him that cannot be revived or transformed. The world of this hero consists of false fantasies and is, in fact, a fruitless idyll leading nowhere.

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The image of the landowner Manilov, in comparison with the majority of landowners described by Gogol, creates the most favorable and positive impression, although it is not so difficult to find negative features of it, however, in comparison with negative sides other landlords, it looks like the least of evils.

Manilov's appearance and age

The exact age of Manilov is not indicated in the story, but it is known that he was not an old man. The reader's acquaintance with Manilov, quite likely, falls on the period of his prime. His hair was blond and his eyes were blue. Manilov often smiled, sometimes to such an extent that his eyes were hidden and were not visible at all. He also had a habit of squinting.

His clothes were traditional and did not stand out in any way, as, in fact, Manilov himself in the context of society.

Personality characteristic

Manilov is a pleasant person. He does not have such a hot-tempered and unbalanced character as most of the landowners described by Gogol.

His benevolence and good nature win over and create trusting relationships. At first glance, this state of affairs seems to be very beneficial, but in fact, it is playing a cruel joke with Manilov, turning him into a boring person.

The lack of enthusiasm and a clear position on a particular issue makes it impossible for a long communication with him. Manilov was courteous and accommodating. As a rule, he smoked a pipe, paying tribute to his habit dating back to the army years. He did not do housekeeping at all - he was too lazy to do it. Manilov often in his dreams made plans for the restoration and development of his economy and home improvement, but these plans always remained a dream and never came out on the plane real life... The reason for this was the same laziness of the landowner.

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Manilov is very upset by the fact that he did not receive a proper education. He does not know how to speak fluently, but he writes very competently and accurately - Chichikov was surprised to see his notes - they did not need to be rewritten, since everything was written clearly, calligraphic and without errors.

The Manilov family

If in other respects Manilov can give a blunder, then in relation to the family and his relationship with the family he is an example to follow. His family consists of a wife and two sons; to some extent, a teacher can be attached to these people. In the story, Gogol gives him a significant role, but, apparently, he was perceived by Manilov as a member of the family.

Manilov's wife's name was Liza, she was already eight years old married woman... The husband was very kind to her. In their relationship, tenderness and love prevailed. It was not an audience game - they really had tender feelings for each other.

Lisa was a beautiful and well-mannered woman, but she absolutely did not do housework. There was no objective reason for this, except for laziness and her personal unwillingness to delve into the essence of matters. The household members, in particular the husband, did not consider this to be something terrible and were calm about this state of affairs.

The eldest son of Manilov was named Themistoclus. He was good boy 8 years old. According to Manilov himself, the boy was distinguished by unprecedented ingenuity and intelligence for his age. The name of the youngest son was no less unusual - Alcides. The youngest son was six. As for the youngest son, the head of the family believes that he is inferior in development to his brother, but, in general, the review about him was also approving.

Manilova estate and village

Manilov has enormous potential to become rich and successful. At his disposal is a pond, a forest, a village of 200 houses, but the laziness of the landowner prevents him from fully developing his economy. It would be more correct to say that Manilov is not at all involved in housekeeping. The main affairs are supervised by the manager, while Manilov has very successfully retired and lives a measured life. Even episodic interventions in the course of the process do not arouse interest in him.

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He, undoubtedly, agrees with his manager about the need for certain work or actions, but he does it so lazily and indefinitely that it is sometimes difficult to define him. true attitude to the subject of discussion.

On the territory of the estate, several flower beds located in the English style and a gazebo stand out noticeably. The flower beds, as well as practically everything in the Manilov estate, are in desolation - neither the owner nor the mistress pay them due attention.

Since Manilov loves to indulge in dreams and reflections, the gazebo becomes an important element in his life. He can often stay there for a long time, indulging in fantasies and making mental plans.

Attitude towards peasants

The peasants of Manilov never suffer from the attacks of their landowner, the point here is not only Manilov's calm disposition, but also his laziness. He never delves into the affairs of his peasants, because he has no interest in this issue. At first glance, such an attitude should favorably influence relations in the projection of landlord-serfs, but this medal has its own unsightly side. Manilov's indifference manifests itself in complete indifference to the life of the serfs. He is not trying in any way to improve their working or living conditions.

By the way, he does not even know the number of his serfs, since he does not keep track of them. Some attempts to keep records were made by Manilov - he considered male peasants, but soon there was confusion with this and as a result everything was abandoned. Also, Manilov does not keep track of his " dead souls". Manilov donates his dead souls to Chichikov and even takes on the costs of their registration.

Manilov's house and study

Everything in the Manilov estate has a twofold attitude. The house and, in particular, the office were no exception to the rule. Here, like nowhere else, the inconstancy of the landowner and his family members can be traced better.

This is primarily related to the comparison of the incomparable. In Manilov's house, you can see good things, for example, the landowner's sofa was covered with good fabric, but the rest of the furniture was desolate and upholstered with cheap and already well-worn fabric. Some rooms lacked furniture at all and were empty. Chichikov was unpleasantly surprised when, during dinner, a very decent lamp stood next to him on the table and his colleague, who was completely unattractive in appearance, resembling a disabled person. However, this fact was noticed only by the guest - the rest took it for granted.

Manilov's office is not much different from everything else. At first glance, it was quite a cute room, the walls of which were painted in gray-blue tones, but when Chichikov began to carefully examine the furnishings of the office, he could notice that most of all in Manilov’s office was tobacco. Tobacco was definitely everywhere - a pile on the table, he generously poured all the documents that were in the office. There was also a book in Manilov's office - the bookmark was at the very beginning - on page fourteen, but this did not mean that Manilov had recently taken up reading it. This book lay in this position for the second year already.

Thus, in his story Dead Souls, Gogol portrayed a quite pleasant person, the landowner Manilov, who, for all his shortcomings, stands out noticeably positively against the background of the whole society. He has all the potential to become an exemplary person in all respects, but laziness, which the landowner cannot overcome, becomes a serious obstacle to this.

Characteristics of Manilov in the poem "Dead Souls": a description of the character and appearance