The box in Gogol's poem Dead Souls. N
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Korobochka Nastasya Petrovna - a widow-landowner, the second "saleswoman" dead souls Chichikov. Main feature her character is commercial efficiency. Each person for K. is only a potential buyer.
K.'s inner world reflects her economy. Everything about him is neat and firm: both the house and the yard. But there are flies everywhere. This detail personifies the frozen, frozen world of the heroine. The hissing clock and the "outdated" portraits on the walls in K.
But such a "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. possesses character: she begins to bargain frantically with Chichikov, until she pulls out from him a promise, besides souls, to buy many other things. 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 thus will expose Chichikov. Even the location of the village of K. (aside from the main road, away from real life) indicates the impossibility of its correction and revival. In this she is like Manilov and occupies one of the lowest places in the “hierarchy” of the heroes of the poem.
The image of the landowner Korobochka in the poem "Dead Souls"
The third chapter of the poem is devoted to the image of the Box, which Gogol refers to as those "small landowners who complain of crop failures, losses and keep their heads a little to one side, and meanwhile collect a little bit of money in variegated bags placed on the drawers of the chest of drawers!" (or M. and Korobochka are in some way antipodes: Manilov's vulgarity is hidden behind high phases, behind discussions about the welfare of the Motherland, while Korobochka's spiritual scarcity appears in its natural form. high culture: in all its appearance, a very unpretentious simplicity is emphasized. This is emphasized by Gogol in the appearance of the heroine: he indicates her shabby and unattractive appearance. This simplicity reveals itself in relationships with people. The main goal of her life is to consolidate her wealth, continuous hoarding. It is no coincidence that Chichikov sees traces of skillful management on the estate. This household reveals its inner insignificance. She has no feelings besides the desire to acquire and benefit. Confirmation is the situation with the "dead souls". Korobochka trades in peasants with such efficiency as he sells other items of his farm. For her, there is no difference between an animate and an unanimated being. In Chichikov's proposal, she is afraid of only one thing: the prospect of missing something, not taking what can be bailed out for “dead souls.” The box is not going to yield them to Chichikov on the cheap. Gogol awarded her with the epithet "clubhead.") This money is obtained from the sale of a wide variety of products. households. Korobochka understood the benefits of trade and, after much persuasion, agrees to sell such an unusual product as dead souls.
The image of Korobochka's accumulator is already devoid of those “attractive” features that distinguish Manilov. And again we have a type - "one of those mothers, small landowners who ... are collecting a little money in motley bags placed on the drawers of the dressers." Korobochka's interests are entirely focused on the economy. "Strong-minded" and "club-headed" Nastasya Petrovna is afraid to sell cheap Chichikov dead souls. The "silent scene" that arises in this chapter is curious. We find similar scenes in almost all the chapters showing the conclusion of Chichikov's deal with another landowner. This is special artistic device, a kind of temporary stop of the action: it allows you to show with a special convexity the spiritual emptiness of Pavel Ivanovich and his interlocutors. In the finale of the third chapter, Gogol speaks of the typical character of Korobochka, the insignificance of the difference between her and another aristocratic lady.
The landowner Korobochka is thrifty, “is gaining a little bit of money,” she lives secluded in her estate, like in a box, and her homeliness eventually develops into hoarding. Limitation and stupidity complete the character of the "club-headed" landowner, who treats with distrust everything new in life. The qualities inherent in Korobochka are typical not only among the provincial nobility.
She owns a subsistence economy and trades in everything that is in it: lard, bird feathers, serfs. Everything in her house is arranged in the old fashioned way. She keeps her belongings neatly and saves money by putting them in bags. Everything goes into business for her. In the same chapter, the author great attention pays attention to the behavior of Chichikov, focusing on the fact that Chichikov with Korobochka behaves more simply, more cheekily than with Manilov. This phenomenon is typical of Russian reality, and, proving this, the author gives lyrical digression about the transformation of Prometheus into a fly. The nature of Korobochka is especially vividly revealed in the buying and selling scene. She is very afraid to sell too cheap and even makes an assumption, which she herself is frightened of: "What if the dead will be useful to her herself?" ... It turns out that Korobochka's stupidity, her "club-headedness" is not such a rare occurrence.
A poor landowner, "collegiate registrar" Korobochka lives quietly in her small house, and her whole life is filled only with worries about the household. Korobochka’s narrow courtyard is full of birds and all kinds of other domestic creatures, and beyond the courtyard there are spacious vegetable gardens, in which there are fruit trees “covered with nets to protect against magpies and sparrows”. Her village is “not small” and is kept in order. The box knows the prices for honey, bacon and hemp, and she knows very well when they can be sold at a better price.
The box is extremely limited. She knows how to keep forty fruit trees from sparrows, but she cannot figure out what it took
Chichikov "dead souls", especially since she sees no use in them. Chichikov rightly calls her "tough-headed" and "club-headed". Not understanding Chichikov's plans, she nevertheless understands perfectly well that it is unprofitable to pay to file for the dead, and in the end she makes a deal. Constantly complaining about crop failures and losses, Korobochka, meanwhile, is gaining a little bit of money in motley bags. In one of them she selects "rubles", in the other - "fifty rubles", in the third - "quarters" and hides them in a chest of drawers, in which, at first glance, there is nothing but linen and night jackets.
The little box is ignorant and extremely superstitious. For example, she has no doubts that "if you make a guess on the cards after prayer," then you will definitely dream of the "accursed" one with long "bull horns".
The primitiveness of this "poor widow" is reflected in her manner of speaking. With primitive simplicity, she declares to Chichikov: "Oh, my father, you have, like a hog, your back and side covered in mud!" When Chichikov, buying dead souls, could not bear it and began to raise his tone, she exclaimed in fear: "Oh, what kind of rejection you are asking!"
Patriarchy emanates from Korobochka's home environment. There are more and more antique items in her rooms: a portrait of an old man with red cuffs on his uniform, "which were sewn under Pavel Petrovich," old small mirrors with dark frames, an old clock with a hiss instead of a fight, an old deck of cards. There is not even a faint hint of living life and serious interests.
But, perhaps, Korobochka with its limitations and ignorance is just a rare phenomenon of the provincial wilderness?
Gogol sadly concludes: no. The squalor inherent in Korobochka, a passion for money, a desire for profit, self-interest, stupidity and ignorance are features typical not only for Korobochka, but also for various strata of the ruling class in general, for its top. “Maybe,” Gogol writes, “you’ll even start thinking: yes, really, is Korobochka really standing so low on the endless ladder of human development? "Gogol thereby emphasizes the broad typicality of the Korobochka.
Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka - landowner, widow of the collegiate secretary, very economic and thrifty elderly woman... Its village is not large, but everything is in good order, the economy is flourishing and, apparently, brings a good income. Korobochka compares favorably with Manilov: she knows all her peasants ("... she did not keep any notes or lists, but knew almost all by heart"), speaks of them as good workers ("all glorious people, all workers" according to the publisher: Gogol N.V. Collected works in eight volumes. - (Library "Ogonyok": Russian classics) - T. 5. "Dead Souls". Volume one. - M., 1984.), she is engaged in the economy - "stared at the housekeeper", "little by little all moved to economic life". Judging by the fact that, asking Chichikov who he is, she lists those people with whom she constantly communicates: assessor, merchants, archpriest, her circle of contacts is small and is mainly associated with economic affairs - trade and the payment of state taxes.
Apparently, she rarely travels to the city and does not communicate with neighbors, because when asked about Manilov, he replies that there is no such landowner, and names old noble families, which are more appropriate in the classic comedy of the 18th century - Bobrov, Kanapatiev, Pleshakov, Kharpakin. In the same row is the surname Svinin, which draws a direct parallel with Fonvizin's comedy "The Minor" (Mitrofanushka's mother and uncle are Svinin).
Korobochka's behavior, her appeal to the guest "father", the desire to serve (Chichikov called himself a nobleman), treat, arrange for the night as best as possible - all this specific traits images provincial landlords in the works of the 18th century. Mrs. Prostakova behaves in the same way when she learns that Starodum is a nobleman and was accepted at court.
Korobochka, it would seem, is devout, in her speeches there are always sayings and expressions characteristic of a believer: "The power of the cross is with us!" When Chichikov persuades her to sell dead peasants promising a benefit, then she agrees and begins to "calculate" the benefit. The confidant of Korobochka is the son of the archpriest, who serves in the city.
The only entertainment of the landowner, when she is not busy with the household, is fortune-telling on the cards - “I decided to guess at night on the cards after the prayer ...”. And she spends the evenings with the maid.
The portrait of Korobochka is not as detailed as the portraits of other landowners and seems to be stretched out: first, Chichikov hears the "hoarse woman's voice" of an old servant woman; then “again some woman, younger than the former, but very much like her”; when he was escorted into the rooms and he had time to look around, a lady entered - "an elderly woman, in some kind of sleeping cap, put on hastily, with a flannel around her neck ...". The author emphasizes the old age of Korobochka, then Chichikov directly calls her an old woman to himself. The hostess's appearance does not change much in the morning - only her sleeping cap disappears: “She was dressed better than yesterday, in a dark dress ( widow!) and no longer in a sleeping cap ( but on the head, apparently, there was still a cap - daytime), but still something was imposed on the neck "( fashion late XVIII century - fish, i.e. a small scarf, which partially covered the neckline and the ends of which were retracted into the neckline of the dress See Kirsanova R.M. Russian costume artistic culture 18th - first half of the 20th centuries: Encyclopedia Experience / Ed. T. G. Morozova, V. D. Sinyukova. - M., 1995. - S. 115).
The author's characteristic, which follows the portrait of the hostess, on the one hand emphasizes the typical character of the character, on the other hand, it gives an exhaustive description: “one of those mothers, small landowners who cry about crop failures ( it is with the words of crop failure and bad times that begins business conversation Korobochki and Chichikova), losses and keep your head a little to one side, and meanwhile they are gaining a little money in variegated Pestryad - fabric from the remains of yarn of various kinds, homespun cloth (Kirsanov's) bags placed on the drawers of dressers. In one bag they take all the rubles, in the other half a ruble, in the third quarter, although it looks like there is nothing in the chest of drawers except linen, and night jackets, and thread skeins, and a ripped cloak Salop - outerwear made of fur and the rich fabrics out of fashion by 1830; the name “salopnica” has an additional connotation “old-fashioned” (Kirsanova). Apparently, for this purpose, Gogol mentions the cloak as an indispensable attribute of such landowners. -otherwise, hot. or it will be isolated by itself. But the dress will not burn out and will not wear out by itself; thrifty old woman ... ". This is exactly what Korobochka is, so Chichikov does not immediately stand on ceremony and gets down to business.
An important role in understanding the image of the landowner is played by the description of the estate and the decoration of the rooms in the house. This is one of the methods of characterizing a character that Gogol uses in Dead Souls: the image of all landowners consists of the same set of descriptions and artistic details - an estate, rooms, interior details or significant objects, an indispensable feast (in one form or another - from a full dinner , as in Sobakevich, before Plyushkin's offer of cake and wine), the owner's manners and behavior during and after business negotiations, his attitude to an unusual deal, etc.
The Korobochka estate is distinguished by its strength and contentment, it is immediately obvious that she is a good mistress. The courtyard, which overlooks the windows of the room, is filled with birds and "all kinds of domestic things"; further on, there are vegetable gardens with an “economic vegetable”; fruit trees are covered with nets from birds, and stuffed animals on poles are also visible - "one of them was wearing a cap of the hostess herself." Peasant huts also show the wealth of their inhabitants. In a word, Korobochka's farm is clearly flourishing and brings in sufficient profit. And the village itself is not small - eighty souls.
The description of the estate is divided into two parts - at night, in the rain, and during the day. The first description is meager, motivated by the fact that Chichikov drives up in the dark, during a heavy rain. But in this part of the text there is also artistic detail, which, in our opinion, is essential for further narration, is the mention of the external vila of the house: “stopped<бричка>in front of a small house, which was difficult to see behind the darkness. Only one half of it was illuminated by the light coming from the windows; there was still a puddle in front of the house, which was directly hit by the same light. " Chichikova is also met by the barking of dogs, which testifies to the fact that "the village was decent." The windows of the house are a kind of eyes, and the eyes, as you know, are the mirror of the soul. Therefore, the fact that Chichikov drives up to the house in the dark, only one window is lit and the light from it falls into a puddle, most likely speaks of scarcity inner life, about the focus on one side of it, about the down-to-earth aspirations of the owners of this house.
The "daytime" description, as mentioned earlier, emphasizes precisely this one-sidedness of the Korobochka's inner life - focusing only on economic activity, diligence and frugality.
V short description the rooms are first of all marked by the antiquity of their decoration: “the room was hung with old striped wallpaper; pictures with some kind of birds; between the windows there are antique small mirrors with dark frames in the form of curled leaves; behind every mirror were either a letter, or an old deck of cards, or a stocking; wall clock with painted flowers on the dial ... ". In this description, two features are clearly distinguished - linguistic and artistic. First, the synonyms “old”, “old” and “old” are used; secondly, the set of objects that Chichikov sees during a brief examination also indicates that the people living in such rooms are more drawn to the past than to the present. It is important that flowers (on the watch dial, leaves on the frames of mirrors) and birds are mentioned several times here. If we recall the history of the interior, then we can find out that such a "design" is characteristic of the Rococo era, i.e. for the second half of XVIII century.
Further in the episode, the description of the room is supplemented with one more detail, which confirms the "old age" of Korobochka's life: Chichikov discovers two portraits on the wall in the morning - Kutuzov and "some old man with red cuffs on his uniform, as they sewed under Pavel Petrovich
In a conversation about the purchase of "dead" souls, the whole essence and character of the Korobochka is revealed. At first, she cannot understand what Chichikov wants from her - the dead peasants have no economic value, therefore they cannot be an object of sale. When she realizes that the deal may be beneficial for her, then bewilderment is replaced by another - the desire to get the maximum benefit from the sale: after all, if someone wants to buy the dead, therefore, they are worth something and are subject to bargaining. That is, dead souls become for her on a par with hemp, honey, flour and lard. But she already sold everything else (as we know, quite profitably), and this is a new and unknown business for her. The desire not to sell too cheap is triggered: “I began to be very afraid that this buyer would somehow cheat on her,” “I’m afraid at first, so as not to incur a loss somehow. Maybe you, my father, are deceiving me, but they ... they somehow cost more "," I will wait a little longer, maybe merchants will come in large numbers, but I will apply to prices "," in the farm they will be needed somehow in case ... ". With her obstinacy, she infuriates Chichikov, who was counting on an easy agreement. This is where the epithet arises, which expresses the essence of not only Korobochka, but the whole type of such people - "club-headed". The author explains that neither rank nor position in society is the reason for this property, “clubhead” is a very common phenomenon: “a different and respectable, and even a state person. but in fact it turns out to be a perfect Box. As soon as he hacked into the head, nothing can be overpowering him; no matter how you imagine him arguments, as clear as day, everything bounces off him, like a rubber ball bounces off a wall. "
Korobochka agrees when Chichikov offers her another deal, understandable to her - government contracts, that is, a state supply order, which paid well and was profitable for the landowner by its stability.
The author ends the episode of the auction with a generalized discussion of the prevalence of this type of people: “Is it possible that Box is so low on the endless ladder of human improvement? Is it just so great the abyss separating her from her sister, unattainably enclosed by the walls of an aristocratic house with fragrant cast-iron staircases, shining copper, mahogany and carpets, yawning over an unfinished book in anticipation of a witty secular visit, where she will have a field to shine with her mind and express thoughts that occupy the city according to the laws of fashion for a whole week, thoughts not about what is happening in her house and on her estates, confused and upset due to ignorance of the economic matter, but about what kind of political coup is being prepared in France, what direction fashionable Catholicism has taken ". Comparison of the economic, thrifty and practical Korobochka with a worthless socialite makes you wonder what is Korobochka's “sin”, is it just her “club-headedness”?
Thus, we have several grounds for determining the meaning of the image of the Box - an indication of her "club-headedness", i.e. getting stuck on one thought, inability and inability to consider the situation from different angles, limited thinking; comparison with the habitually confirmed life of a society lady; the clear dominance of the past in everything that concerns the cultural components of human life, embodied in fashion, interior design, speech and the rules of etiquette in relation to other people.
Is it an accident that Chichikov gets to Korobochka after wandering along a dirty and dark road, at night, in the rain? It can be suggested that these details metaphorically reflect the nature of the image - the absence of spirituality (darkness, rare reflections of light from the window) and aimlessness - in the spiritual and moral plane - of its existence (a tangled road, by the way, a girl who escorts Chichikov to big road, confuses right and left). Then the logical answer to the question about the "sin" of the landowner would be the absence of the life of the soul, the existence of which was reduced to one point - the distant past, when the deceased husband was still alive, who loved to have his heels scratched before going to bed. The clock that hardly strikes the set hour, the flies that wake up Chichikov in the morning, the confusion of the roads to the estate, the lack of external contacts with the world - all this confirms our point of view.
Thus, Korobochka embodies a state of mind in which life is reduced to a single point and remains somewhere far behind, in the past. Therefore, the author emphasizes that Korobochka is an old woman. And no future for her is impossible, therefore, and to be reborn, i.e. to expand life to the fullness of being, it is not destined to.
The reason for this lies in the initially unspiritual life of a woman in Russia, in her traditional position, but not social, but psychological. Comparison with a socialite and details about how Korobochka conducts “ free time"(Fortune-telling on cards, household chores) reflect the absence of any kind of intellectual, cultural, spiritual life. Further in the poem, the reader will meet with an explanation of the reasons for such a state of a woman and her soul in Chichikov's monologue after meeting a beautiful stranger, when the hero discusses what happens to a pure and simple girl and how "rubbish" is obtained from her.
But Korobochka also gets "clubhead" exact value: this is not excessive practicality or commercialism, but the limitation of the mind, which is determined by one single thought or belief and is a consequence of the general limitation of life. And it is the "cudgel-headed" Korobochka, who never abandoned the thought of a possible deception on the part of Chichikov and who comes to the city to ask "how much are dead souls today", becomes one of the reasons for the collapse of the hero's adventure and his rapid flight from the city.
Why does Chichikov get to Korobochka after Manilov and before meeting with Nozdrev? As mentioned earlier, the sequence of images of landlords is built along two lines. The first is descending: the degree of "sin" in each subsequent case is more and more difficult, the responsibility for the state of mind is more and more on the person himself. The second is ascending: how much is it possible for a character to revive life and "resurrect" the soul?
Manilov lives quite “openly - he appears in the city, attends evenings and meetings, communicates, but his life is similar to a sentimental novel, which means that it is illusory: romantic works fashionable in early XIX century. You can guess about his past - a good education, short civil service, retirement, marriage and life with the family on the estate. Manilov does not understand that his existence is not connected with reality, therefore he cannot realize that his life is not going as it should. If we draw a parallel with Dante's “ Divine Comedy”, Then he is more reminiscent of the sinners of the first round, whose sin lies in the fact that they are unbaptized babies or pagans. But the possibility of rebirth is closed for him for the same reason: his life is an illusion, and he does not realize it.
The box is too immersed in the material world. If Manilov is entirely in fantasies, then she is in the prose of life, and the intellectual, spiritual life is reduced to habitual prayers and the same habitual piety. The fixation on material things, on profit, the one-sidedness of her life is worse than Manilov's fantasies.
Could Korobochka's life have turned out differently? Yes and no. The influence of the surrounding world, society, circumstances left an imprint on her, made her inner world as it is. But there was still a way out - sincere faith in God. As we will see later, it is true Christian morality, from the point of view of Gogol, that is the saving force that keeps a person from spiritual fall and spiritual death. Therefore, the image of the Box cannot be considered satirical image- one-sidedness, "club-headedness" no longer evokes laughter, but sad reflections: "But why, among the non-thinking, cheerful, carefree minutes, a different wonderful stream will suddenly sweep by itself: the laughter has not yet managed to completely escape from the face, but has already become different among those the same people, and already the face lit up with a different light ... "
A further meeting with Nozdryov - a rogue, a brawler and a rogue - shows that dishonor, a willingness to do nasty things to one's neighbor, sometimes for no reason at all, and excessive activity that has no purpose can be worse than the one-sidedness of life. In this respect, Nozdryov is a kind of antipode to Korobochka: instead of the one-sidedness of life, there is excessive scattering, instead of honoring, contempt for any conventions, up to the violation of elementary norms of human relations and behavior. Gogol himself said: "... One after another, my heroes follow one more vulgar than the other." There is vulgarity spiritual fall, and the degree of vulgarity in life is the degree of the triumph of death over life in the human soul.
So, the image of Korobochka reflects the widespread, from the point of view of the author, type of people who limit their lives to only one sphere, who "rest their foreheads" on one thing and do not see, and most importantly - do not want to see - nothing that exists besides the subject of their attention. Gogol chooses the material sphere - taking care of the economy. The box reaches in this area a level sufficient for a woman, a widow, who has to manage a decent-sized estate. But her life is so concentrated on this that she has no other interests and cannot have any. That's why real life it remains in the past, and the present, and even more so the future, is not life. but only existence.
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The image of the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka successfully complements the collage characteristic types landlords. It cannot be said that she is endowed negative qualities, but she cannot be ranked among pleasant personalities.
Despite all the complexity of her personality, against the background of all other landowners, she looks one of the most attractive in terms of housekeeping and attitude towards serfs.
Personality characteristic
We do not know how Korobochka was in her youth, in the story Gogol is limited to an episodic description of her character at a certain time interval, bypassing the entire process of its formation.
Dear Readers! On our site you can read about the Nozdrev family, described in the poem by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol "Dead Souls".
The box is noticeably distinguished by frugality and a tendency to order. Everything in her estate is in good working order - however, the things used both in everyday life and in the interior of the landowner are not new, but this does not bother the old woman. With special pleasure she complains about everything in the world - bad harvests, lack of money, although, in fact, everything is not so deplorable: so they collect a little bit of money in variegated bags placed on the drawers of the dressers. "
Nastasya Petrovna is not distinguished by an extraordinary mind - the aristocrats around her consider her a stupid old woman. This is true - Box is a really stupid and uneducated woman. The landowner is suspicious of everything new - first of all, in the actions of people, she seeks to see some kind of catch - in this way she "saves" herself from trouble in the future.
The box is distinguished by special stubbornness, it refers to those people who “just hacked something into their head, then nothing can be overpowered; no matter how you imagine arguments as clear as day, everything bounces off him like a rubber ball bounces off a wall. "
Nastasya Petrovna has a contradictory nature - on the one hand, she is tied to religion (she believes in the existence of God and the devil, prays and is baptized), but at the same time she does not neglect fortune telling and on cards, which is not encouraged by religion.
A family
It is difficult to say anything about the Korobochka family - Gogol gives too little information on this matter. It is reliably known that Nastasya Petrovna was married, but her husband died and at the time of the story she is a widow. It is likely that she has children, most likely in view of the age of the landowner and the absence of Chichikov's memories of the presence of children in the house, they are already adults and live separately. Their names, age and gender are not specified in the text. The only mention of them is found together with the mention of Korobochka's sister, who lives in Moscow: “my sister brought warm boots for children from there: such a durable product, it is still worn”.
Manor Korobochki
Korobochka's estate and house - oddly enough, among all the houses of the landowners, it looks one of the most attractive. It should be clarified that such an assessment does not concern the aesthetic appearance, but the state of the estate. The village of Korobochka is noticeably distinguished by well-groomed houses and buildings: dilapidated elements of peasant houses were replaced with new ones, the gates to the estate were also repaired. Houses and buildings do not look as massive as those of Sobakevich, but they also look special. aesthetic value do not represent. Korobochka owns about 80 serfs.
This number is noticeably inferior to the wealthy landowners of the district, such as Plyushkina, but this does not significantly affect the income of the estate. Chichikov was pleasantly surprised by the state of the village: "You, mother, have a good village."
The farm of Korobochka also pleasantly surprises with its variety and grooming. The box successfully sells vegetables and fruits. She has “vegetable gardens with cabbage, onions, potatoes, beets and other household vegetables. Apple trees and other fruit trees were scattered here and there in the garden.
You can also observe the variety of groats grown. In addition, Korobochka is confidently engaged in animal husbandry - she also has various birds("There were no numbers of turkeys and chickens; a rooster walked between them" and pigs. The box is engaged in beekeeping and grows hemp for sale for the production of ropes and ropes.
House of the Box
Korobochka's house is not distinguished by pomp or grace. The house is guarded by a pack of dogs that react violently to all strangers, so, for example, when Chichikov arrived, the dogs "were filled with all possible voices." It is small in size, its windows overlook the courtyard, so it is impossible to admire the view from the window. The roof of the house is made of wood, Chichikov, who came to Korobochka in the rain, noted that the raindrops were loudly knocking on his roof. A barrel was placed near the drain, into which the rainwater.
Since Chichikov arrived at the Korobochki estate in the evening, and also in bad weather, then learn about the nuances appearance a landowner's house was impossible.
On our site you can find the description of Sobakevich in Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol's poem "Dead Souls".
The inside of the house was not attractive. The wallpaper there was old, however, like all the furniture. Pictures hung on the walls - “not all were birds in the pictures: between them hung a portrait of Kutuzov and a painted oil paints some old man with red cuffs on his uniform, as they sewed under Pavel Petrovich. " The furnishings were complemented by mirrors, "with dark frames in the form of curled leaves," behind which were placed all the necessary little things in the form of a letter or a stocking. The watch made a special impression - it also did not differ in novelty, and the sounds they made were like the hissing of snakes. The clock was struck no less unpleasantly: broken pot».
Attitude towards peasants
The number of serfs of Korobochka is not so great - about 80 people. The landowner knows them all by name. Korobochka is always actively involved in the affairs of his estate and is directly involved in all work. It is impossible to find descriptions of the attitude towards the peasants in the text, but the way the landowner describes her dead souls suggests that Korobochka is no different bad attitude to the serfs.
Article menu:
The image of the landowner Nastasya Petrovna Korobochka successfully complements the collage of characteristic types of landowners. This is not to say that she is endowed with negative qualities, but she cannot be ranked among pleasant personalities either.
Despite all the complexity of her personality, against the background of all other landowners, she looks one of the most attractive in terms of housekeeping and attitude towards serfs.
Personality characteristic
We do not know how Korobochka was in her youth, in the story Gogol is limited to an episodic description of her character at a certain time interval, bypassing the entire process of its formation.
Dear Readers! On our site you can read about the "Dead Souls" described in the poem by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol.
The box is noticeably distinguished by frugality and a tendency to order. Everything in her estate is in good working order - however, the things used both in everyday life and in the interior of the landowner are not new, but this does not bother the old woman. With special pleasure she complains about everything in the world - bad harvests, lack of money, although, in fact, everything is not so deplorable: so they collect a little bit of money in variegated bags placed on the drawers of the dressers. "
Nastasya Petrovna is not distinguished by an extraordinary mind - the aristocrats around her consider her a stupid old woman. This is true - Box is a really stupid and uneducated woman. The landowner is suspicious of everything new - first of all, in the actions of people, she seeks to see some kind of catch - in this way she "saves" herself from trouble in the future.
The box is distinguished by special stubbornness, it refers to those people who “just hacked something into their head, then nothing can be overpowered; no matter how you imagine arguments as clear as day, everything bounces off him like a rubber ball bounces off a wall. "
Nastasya Petrovna has a contradictory nature - on the one hand, she is tied to religion (she believes in the existence of God and the devil, prays and is baptized), but at the same time she does not neglect fortune telling and on cards, which is not encouraged by religion.
A family
It is difficult to say anything about the Korobochka family - Gogol gives too little information on this matter. It is reliably known that Nastasya Petrovna was married, but her husband died and at the time of the story she is a widow. It is likely that she has children, most likely in view of the age of the landowner and the absence of Chichikov's memories of the presence of children in the house, they are already adults and live separately. Their names, age and gender are not specified in the text. The only mention of them is found together with the mention of Korobochka's sister, who lives in Moscow: “my sister brought warm boots for children from there: such a durable product, it is still worn”.
Manor Korobochki
Korobochka's estate and house - oddly enough, among all the houses of the landowners, it looks one of the most attractive. It should be clarified that such an assessment does not concern the aesthetic appearance, but the state of the estate. The village of Korobochka is noticeably distinguished by well-groomed houses and buildings: dilapidated elements of peasant houses were replaced with new ones, the gates to the estate were also repaired. Houses and buildings do not look as massive as those of Sobakevich, but they do not have much aesthetic value either. Korobochka owns about 80 serfs.
This number is noticeably inferior to the wealthy landowners of the district, such as Plyushkina, but this does not significantly affect the income of the estate. Chichikov was pleasantly surprised by the state of the village: "You, mother, have a good village."
The farm of Korobochka also pleasantly surprises with its variety and grooming. The box successfully sells vegetables and fruits. She has “vegetable gardens with cabbage, onions, potatoes, beets and other household vegetables. Apple trees and other fruit trees were scattered here and there in the garden.
You can also observe the variety of groats grown. In addition, Korobochka is confidently engaged in animal husbandry - she also has various birds ("There were no numbers of turkeys and chickens; a rooster walked between them" and pigs. Korobochka is engaged in beekeeping and grows hemp for sale for the production of ropes and ropes.
House of the Box
Korobochka's house is not distinguished by pomp or grace. The house is guarded by a pack of dogs that react violently to all strangers, so, for example, when Chichikov arrived, the dogs "were filled with all possible voices." It is small in size, its windows overlook the courtyard, so it is impossible to admire the view from the window. The roof of the house is made of wood, Chichikov, who came to Korobochka in the rain, noted that the raindrops were loudly knocking on his roof. A barrel was placed near the drain, into which rainwater was collected.
Since Chichikov arrived at the Korobochki estate in the evening, and also in bad weather, it was impossible to find out about the nuances of the appearance of the landowner's house.
On our site you can familiarize yourself with the poem by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol "Dead Souls".
The inside of the house was not attractive. The wallpaper there was old, however, like all the furniture. There were pictures on the walls - "not all of the pictures were birds: between them hung a portrait of Kutuzov and some old man painted in oils with red cuffs on his uniform, as they sewed under Pavel Petrovich." The furnishings were complemented by mirrors, "with dark frames in the form of curled leaves," behind which were placed all the necessary little things in the form of a letter or a stocking. The watch made a special impression - it also did not differ in novelty, and the sounds they made were like the hissing of snakes. The clock was struck no less unpleasantly: "as if someone were beating a broken pot with a stick."
Attitude towards peasants
The number of serfs of Korobochka is not so great - about 80 people. The landowner knows them all by name. Korobochka is always actively involved in the affairs of his estate and is directly involved in all work. It is impossible to find descriptions of the attitude towards the peasants in the text, but the way the landowner describes her dead souls suggests that Korobochka is not distinguished by a bad attitude towards serfs.