Dead Souls essays

Dead Souls essays Dead Souls by Nickolai Gogol, was released March 25, 1997. This novel was first published in 1842. Dead Souls is many things. Not only is it a fictional novel of Russian life but an epic, a series of charachter portrayals of the various good and bad members of Russian society. The main characters in this novel include Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, a dismissed civil servant and the protagonist of the novel,Nozdrev the gambler, drunk and compulsive liar, the overly affectionate Manolive, and the miserly and paranoid Plewskin. Dead Souls takes place in Russia in the late 1800s, where, unlike in America, one must be born into a prosperous family in order to have opportunities. The main character, Chichikov, is clever enough to develop a scheme in which he can rise from being a petty clerk to a respected landowner. In order to do this, Chichikov moves into crime." In the end of Dead Souls, Chichikov is stabbed in the back by the people he does business with, and does not get away with his i ngenious plan. Nickolai Gogol effectively utilizes the components of his work. This novel includes a series of character portrayals of the various good and bad members of the Russian society. Gogol tackles his themes with wit and humor. His writing intersperses the narrative with social reflection and thoughts on human nature, never boring or pretentious, but always funny and satirical. In fact, Gogol's irony, and cynicism are probably the most valuable assets of this particular novel. Nickolai Gogol shines in satirical characters. Each landholder Chichikov visits is a miniature masterpiece of eccentricities reflecting aspects of Russian character. The suspicious old woman, the unrealistically stubborn bargainer, and the bluff calling drunkard. Chichikov cunningly adapts to each, concincing all sorts to sell him dead serfs. Those familiar with Gogol's short work will already relish his incisive wit. He uses the plot of the novel to paint an exhilarating p...