Images of Korobochka and Nozdryov in Gogol's poem Dead Souls. The image of Nozdryov in the poem “Dead Souls” The full image of Nozdryov in Dead Souls

Characteristics of the hero

Many writers of the first half of the 19th century assigned a huge role in their work to the theme of Russia. Like no one else, they saw the gravity of the situation of the serfs and the ruthless tyranny of officials and landowners. Moral values fade into the background, and money and position in society come to the fore. Serfdom underlies state system Russia. People do not strive for the best, are not interested in the sciences and arts, do not try to leave any spiritual heritage . Their goal is wealth. In his desire for profit, a person will stop at nothing: he will steal, deceive, sell. All this cannot but excite thinking people who are not indifferent to the fate of Russia. And, of course, the NVG could not leave this unattended. The meaning of the name "M-th souls" is very symbolic. G does not spare colors, showing the reader the spiritual misery that threatens Russia. We can only laugh at what we cannot fix. A whole gallery of landlords passes before the reader as the plot of "M-th Souls" advances, the direction of this movement is very significant. Starting the image of the landowners with an empty, idle dreamer and dreamer Manilov, G. completes this portrait gallery with "a terrible hole in humanity" - Plyushkin. Somewhere in the middle, not between them, is Nozdryov. There is in him something of Manilov's crazy fantasies and something of Plyushkin's greed. We first meet N in the city of NN and learn nothing special about him, except that he is a card cheat. But on the way to Sobakevich's estate, the roads of N-va and Ch-va intersect once again. And here G did not spare colors to describe the habits and character of this landowner. In my opinion, H is one of the most ridiculous characters in the poem. Everything about him is absurd: a ridiculous manner of boasting, the obvious nonsense that he sometimes carries without thinking about the consequences, and much, much more. G calls him a broken guy, and he is. He lives for today and does not think about tomorrow: having won at cards, he exchanged all his winnings for all sorts of unnecessary things, which the next day were lost to another, more successful player. The author says that this was due to some "restless briskness and glibness of character." It was this glibness that led N to do other rash things, such as his excessive boasting. Everything that N has, the best, the most thoroughbred dogs, the most expensive horses, however, in fact, often boasting does not even have a real basis. His possessions end with someone else's forest, but this does not prevent N from calling it his own. This landowner constantly gets into all sorts of stories: either he will be taken out of the noble assembly, or he will participate in "inflicting personal insult on the landowner Maximov with rods while drunk." There is one more feature of H that deserves special attention: he liked to spoil the people he knew, and the closer he knew the person, the more the landowner annoyed him. He upset weddings, trade deals, never considered his pranks as something offensive, and was often surprised to learn about the offense of an acquaintance. Despite the fact that there is a fair amount of humor in the work, "M d" can be called "laughter through tears." What awaits Russia: a complete loss of spirituality or a complete incapacity for serious deeds? This question torments the author. People have changed little, so "Md" is a warning for us too.

The role of the episode in the poem by N.V. Gogol "Dead Souls" "Chichikov at Nozdryov"

History of creation:

Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol worked on the poem "Dead Souls" abroad. The first volume was published in 1841. The writer planned to write a poem in three parts. His task in this work was to show Rossi with negative side, as he himself said - "from one side."

This poem shows a separate landowner Chichikov, Russian society, Russian people, economy (landlords' economy).

The title "Dead Souls" has a double meaning, I think. On the one hand, N.V. Gogol included in the name the souls of the dead peasants, about whom so much is said in the poem. On the other hand, these are the "Dead Souls" of the landlords. The writer showed here all the callousness, the emptiness of the soul, the emptiness of life, all the ignorance of the landowners.

The story about Captain Kopeikin shows the attitude of officials towards common people, the fact that the state does not respect people who gave their health, and in many cases their lives for it; that the state for which they fought in the war of 1812 does not fulfill its promises, does not care about these people.

There are many episodes in this poem. They, I think, can be divided even into groups. One group is the episodes of Chichikov's visits to the landowners. I think this group is the most important in the poem. I want to describe, perhaps even comment on, one episode from this group - this is the episode when Chichikov visits the landowner Nozdryov. The action took place in the fourth chapter.

Chichikov, after visiting Korobochka, stopped by the tavern for lunch and to give the horses a rest. He asked the hostess of the tavern about the landlords, and, as usual, Chichikov began to ask the hostess about the family, about life. When he was talking, eating at the same time, the sound of the wheels of the approaching carriage was heard. Nozdryov and his companion, son-in-law Mezhuev, got out of the britzka.

Then we went to the office. There they had a quarrel because of the unwillingness of our hero to play cards. Before the quarrel, Chichikov offered to buy "dead souls" from Nozdryov. Nozdryov began to set his own conditions, but Chichikov did not accept any of them.

Chichikov was left alone after the conversation.

The next day they began to play checkers on the condition: if our hero wins, then his souls, if he loses, then “no, and there is no trial.” The author characterizes Nozdryov as follows: “He was of medium height, a very well-built fellow, with full, pleasant cheeks, teeth as white as snow and pitch-black whiskers. He was fresh, like blood with straw; health seemed to spurt from his face.”

Nodrev joined our hero, told about the fair, that he was blown to smithereens there. Then Chichikov, Nozdryov, and son-in-law Mezhuev went to Nozdryova. After supper, son-in-law Mezhuev left. Chichikov and Nozdryov, as usual, began to “cheat”. Chichikov noticed this and was indignant, after which a quarrel ensued, they began to wave their hands at each other. Nozdryov called his servants Pavlusha and Porfiry and began to shout to them: “Beat him, beat him!” Chichikov turned pale, his soul "went into his heels." And if it weren’t for the police captain, who entered the room to announce to Nozdryov that he was in custody regarding the infliction of personal insult with rods in a drunken state on the landowner Maximov; to be our hero severely crippled. While the captain was announcing the notice to Nozdryov, Chichikov quickly took his hat, went downstairs, got into the britzka and ordered Selifan to drive the horses at full speed.

I think the theme of this episode was to show, to characterize a person who played an important role in the life of our hero. In my opinion,
N.V. Gogol also wanted to show with this episode all the “recklessness” of the young landowners, among whom was Nozdryov. Here the writer showed how young landowners like Nozdryov, and in principle, like all landowners, do nothing else, how they “stagger” around balls and fairs, play cards, drink “godlessly”, think only about themselves and how to salt others.

Episode Role :

This episode played a big role in the poem, Nozdryov, annoyed by Chichikov during the time when he came to him, betrayed him at the governor's ball. But Chichikov was saved by the fact that everyone knew Nozdryov as a liar, a hypocrite, a bully, so his words were perceived as “nonsense of a madman”, as a joke, as a lie, whatever, but not as the truth.

While reading this episode, my impressions changed from beginning to end. At the beginning of the episode, the actions were not very interesting for me: this is when Chichikov met Nozdryov, as they were driving to his house. Then, little by little, I began to resent Nozdryov's boorish behavior - this is when, after dinner, Chichikov offered to buy "dead souls" from him, and Nozdryov began to wonder why he needed this. All Chichikov's attempts to hang noodles on Nozdryov's ears were stopped by him. Nozdryov said that Chichikov was a big swindler and that if he were his boss, he would hang him on the first tree. While reading, I was outraged by this behavior of Nozdryov in relation to Chichikov, after all, Chichikov is his guest.

Then exciting actions took place, this is when the next day after Chichikov's arrival at Nozdryov's they began to play checkers. I have already made this point. I was worried about the atmosphere that heated up during the game of checkers; things were going to a quarrel, a fight.

There were a lot of events in this episode, but I have impressions about these actions.

Artistic details :

First, let's see how the author describes the tavern: “A darkened, narrow, hospitable wooden canopy on carved wooden posts, similar to old church candlesticks; the tavern was something like a Russian hut, somewhat big size, carved patterned cornices made of fresh wood around the windows and under the roof sharply and vividly dazzled its dark walls; jugs of flowers were painted on the shutters; narrow wooden staircase, wide canopy. The interior of the tavern: a frost-covered samovar, scraped walls, a three-corner cupboard with teapots and cups in the corner, gilded porcelain testicles in front of images hanging on blue and red ribbons, a recently drenched cat, a mirror showing four eyes instead of two, and some kind of face instead of cake; finally, fragrant herbs and carnations stuck in bunches near the images, dried up to such an extent that those who wanted to sniff them only sneezed, and nothing more.

Let's move on to the description of Nozdryov's household: in the house in the middle of the dining room there were wooden goats. There were two mares in the stable, one dappled gray, the other kaurai, a bay stallion, empty stalls; a pond, a water mill, where there was not enough fluff; forge. Nozdryov’s office: “There were no traces of books or paper in it, only sabers and two guns hung.” This suggests that Nozdryov was not interested in anything, did not take care of his household, everything was running.

The hero's inner world in this episode:

Let's pay attention to inner world our hero in this episode. Here Chichikov at some points did not know what to answer Nozdryov to his annoying questions. It is in such moments when Nozdryov asked him: “Why do you need them (dead souls)?”

In this episode, Chichikov, I think, felt embarrassed because of the boorish behavior of Nozdryov: he takes offense at him, since the pride of our hero was affected. After Chichikov quarreled with Nozdryov after dinner because he did not play cards with him, he remained in the most unfavorable mood. The author describes his thoughts and feelings in this way: “He was internally annoyed with himself for having stopped by and wasted his time. But he scolded himself even more for having spoken to Nozdryov about the matter, acted imprudently, like a child, like a fool: for the matter was not at all of the kind to be entrusted to Nozdryov. Nozdryov is a rubbish man, Nozdryov can lie, add, spread a rumor and the devil knows what gossip, not good, not good. "I'm just a fool," he said to himself.

I think that in this episode Chichikov behaved tolerantly, restrained, despite the boorish behavior of Nozdryov. But this is understandable, because our hero wants to achieve his goal at any cost.

In my opinion, the author wanted to show with this episode that not everything in life is as simple as one would like. That if everything went well with Korobochka, then everything went very abnormally with Nozdryov - in life there are both white and black stripes.

I also think that this episode teaches us that we need to know a person very well, to study him carefully before trusting. After all, what happened with Chichikov: he trusted Nozdryov about the “dead souls”, and Nozdryov betrayed him, telling everyone about this case.

But I repeat, Chichikov was saved by the fact that everyone considers Nozdryov a liar, no one believed him. Such luck may not happen in life.

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The landowner Nozdrev from the story of N.V. Gogol is another characteristic type of landowners of that time. He is collectively, which denounces the characteristic shortcomings and peculiarities of the behavior of several people, united by similar personality and character traits.

Nozdrev family

Nozdrev is one of the landlords of the city N. At the time of the story, he is 35 years old. He was once a married man, but his married life did not last long. Soon his wife died, Nozdryov did not remarry, quite likely because he was not predisposed to family life. In a marriage with his wife, they had two children, but Nozdrev is not interested in their fate and upbringing - he is more interested in the personality of the nanny of his children, who had a pretty appearance, than in the children themselves.

Dear readers! We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the image of Plyushkin, described in the poem by N.V. Gogol " Dead Souls”.

One gets the impression that Nozdryov is interested in everything, except for his children, he even treats his dogs much better than them.

Nozdryov was not the only child in the family - he also has a sister. It is known that she married woman. Her husband is a certain Mr. Mizhuev. He is Nozdryov not only a relative, but also best friend. In his company, Nozdryov often appears at fairs, with him they are busy reveling together. According to Nozdryov's son-in-law, his wife is not at all like her brother in character - she is sweet and good woman.

Mizhuev often denounces Nozdryov's lies, but still does not leave the category of friends - the common passion for drinking and carousing makes them related and does not allow them to quarrel.

Appearance

The landowner Nozdryov favorably differed in appearance in comparison with all the other landowners of district N - he was a prominent and attractive man. Nozdryov had a round, ruddy face, his cheeks were childishly plump. When Nozdryov burst into laughter, his cheeks quivered amusingly. He had white teeth like snow and dark hair. Nozdryov's face was favorably framed by jet-black whiskers. From time to time, his sideburns suffered severely in desperate fights with card "friends", but after a brawl they grew back just as thick.

The body of the landowner was also covered with hair - on his chest they were as thick as on his head and more like a beard.

Nozdryov's height was average, and his body could not be called athletic, but it was not flabby either.

Despite his unbalanced life schedule, Nozdryov seemed to be the epitome of health - and was a "blood and milk" man: "health seemed to be squirting from his face."

Gogol does not particularly cover the features of Nozdryov's wardrobe. It is known that the landowner preferred a caftan of Caucasian cut, which was the national dress of the mountain peoples - arkhaluk. In addition, at home he walks in a dressing gown. He usually wore a robe naked body. He was dressed casually, therefore, one could see without effort his densely hairy chest.

Peasants and the village of Nozdreva

Nikolai Vasilievich says little about the living conditions of the peasants and the state of the village. Based on the lifestyle of Nozdryov himself, it can be assumed that he has a good income from his estate - so good that he can afford to live in a big way and not do business. Nozdryov has a clerk - it is he who deals with all the affairs of the landowner.


Since Nozdryov was very fond of boasting about everything he could, the fact that he did not do the same in relation to his village or peasants suggests that not everything was so good on his estate, but the fact that there are many "dead souls" once again confirms this idea.

On our website, we invite you to find out the characteristics of Plyushkin in the work of N.V. Gogol “Dead Souls”, follow his character and description of appearance.

When Chichikov comes to Nozdryov, he shows him his farm: first, the landowner shows his horses. It didn’t work out much to brag here - Nozdryov lost some horses in cards, so part of the cost was empty. Among the horses, Chichikov was shown two mares and a stallion of an unprepossessing appearance, but, according to the owner, very expensive. The next curiosity in the estate of Nozdryov was a wolf, which the owner kept on a leash and fed raw meat.


The wolf was followed by a pond filled with fish of incredible size. Chichikov, however, did not manage to look at this extraordinary fish, according to Nozdrev assured that it sometimes took two people not to pull the fish out of the pond - it was so big.

Nozdryov's greatest pride and weakness were dogs - of different breeds and colors. Nozdryov had a huge number of them, the landowner loved and cherished them to such an extent that they could be equated with full-fledged relatives: “Nozdryov was among them just like a father among a family; all of them, immediately throwing up their tails, which the dogs call rules, flew straight towards the guests and began to greet them.

On his estate there is a water mill and a smithy. It is likely that the peasants of Nozdryov are skilled workers and craftsmen, since the landowner boasts that he always manages to sell his goods at the fair at the highest price.

Nozdrev’s economy did not end there, but the reasons for boasting ended - the roads on his estate were terribly neglected, the fields were located so low that the water “champed” from the ground:

“In many places, their feet squeezed water under them, to such an extent the place was low. At first they were careful and crossed carefully, but then, seeing that this was of no use, they wandered straight, not making out where the dirt was and where it was the smallest.

Of all his serfs, the reader can get acquainted with only a few representatives. Most of the attention in the narrative is given to the cook, who, apparently, did not differ in culinary skills - he mixed completely incompatible ingredients, it seemed that what first came to hand got into his dishes.

In the story, one can see a meager description of the servant Porfiry, who, to match his master, wears an arkhaluk, however, his caftan is in a deplorable state and already rather worn out.

In the dining room one could see his two serfs - they were busy whitewashing the room, but their detailed description appearance and features of the state of the suit Gogol does not give. It is known that they did their work while singing some kind of monotonous and seemingly endless song. It can be assumed that Nozdryov was not authoritarian in relation to his serfs - his house was not clean, and in the dining room, in addition to general desolation, one could see the remains of food and crumbs.

Manor Nozdrev

Nikolai Vasilievich does not give an external description of the Nozdrev estate. internal state also not exposed to the detailed image.

In general, Nozdryov was not a good owner, he neglected his estate and household, he liked to use the fruits, but he did not strive to ensure his future and the future of his children. In his house, the absence of a female hand was felt - the tasteless decoration of the house was complemented by general disorder and garbage.

For Nozdryov, this state of affairs did not cause inconvenience - for him it was a common thing.

Nozdryov's office had little resemblance to classic workrooms - there were no papers or books here. And for the landowner, this was superfluous - the manager was in charge of the affairs of his estate, and Nozdryov was used to spending his leisure time playing other sports, for example, playing a card game. Nozdryov's office was full of various weapons - two guns, sabers, daggers.

In addition to weapons, in the office one could also see a collection of pipes for smoking - different shapes and material, they finally turned the landlord's office into a mini-museum.

Also in the office there was a mahogany hurdy-gurdy, which Nozdryov began to demonstrate - however, the hurdy-gurdy was not in perfect condition - from time to time it malfunctioned, its game looked more like a potpourri - the songs did not pass one into one sequentially, after the end of the composition, and played fragmentary pieces mixed up. The hurdy-gurdy played on its own for some time after Nozdryov had left it alone: ​​“Nozdryov had long ago ceased to twirl, but there was only one very lively pipe in the hurdy-gurdy, which did not want to calm down.”

The dining room of Nozdryov, at the time of visiting Chichikov, was undergoing repair work - two peasants were whitewashing it, standing on the goats: "In the middle of the dining room there were wooden goats, and two men, standing on them, whitewashed the walls, pulling some endless song."

Despite the renovation work, one could notice the negligence regarding cleaning with the naked eye - in the dining room one could see crumbs and leftovers from yesterday's food: “There were traces of yesterday's lunch and dinner in the room; it seems that the broom was not touched at all. Bread crumbs lay on the floor, and tobacco ash was even visible on the tablecloth.

Judging by how Nozdryov himself reacted to this state of affairs, it can be assumed that neither the crumbs, nor the food, nor the general garbage in his house interfered with him, or rather, he did not notice them point-blank. He was extremely unpretentious in matters of home improvement.

Personality characteristic

First of all, in the image of Nozdryov, his desire to become “one’s own” for a person is striking. He quickly switches to “you” in communication with a person, which impressed Chichikov especially unpleasantly, since, according to Pavel Ivanovich, such a transition was undeserved and went beyond the scope of etiquette, but this does not bother Nozdryov. He often deviates from the norms of etiquette, and it is likely that he has never heard of some features and rules and does not even suspect not only that he violates these rules, but that such rules and norms even exist. So, for example, his habits include talking very loudly and laughing. When Chichikov makes a deal with Nozdryov, he is surprised to find how he loudly discusses the nuances of the sale, as if it were the most ordinary thing.

Perhaps such a cheeky tone is to some extent connected with his cheerful nature and addiction to drinking. Nozdryov does not miss the opportunity to boast about what an unusual wine he has tried, and champagne, which is usually served in the governor's house, is just kvass in comparison.

Nozdryov loves revelry and all kinds of entertainment (in his understanding, one is inseparable from the first), he cannot imagine how one can live, depriving himself of such good things and pleasant pastime. Nozdryov does not understand how some landowners can sit at home without getting out - he cannot stay at his estate for more than one day - he is bored and does not know what to do with himself.

Nozdryov does not value his money. He despises the miser who hesitates to spend an extra penny. It is likely that his attitude to money was formed because Nozdryov himself works extremely little - only in those cases when business cannot move forward without his intervention. He does not know the price that he has to pay for one or another of his entertainment - money comes to him easily and just as easily leaves.

Cards became Nozdryov's special passion - he is a regular at the card table. However, playing honestly is not in the rules of the landowner - during the game he constantly cheats and deceives. Those around him have long known this attitude towards him. card game, so always be careful while playing with him.

From time to time, Nozdryov was seen in fraud at the card table and was immediately subject to criticism and even beatings with the pulling out of his hair, in particular his thick sideburns. This state of affairs does not bother Nozdryov - his whiskers quickly grow back, and insults are forgotten before the fight ends. A day later, Nozdryov is already ready to sit down at the table to play cards with his recent debaters, as if nothing had happened.

In general, Nozdryov is a bad and dishonest person. He often causes trouble and problems in the lives of other people - Nozdryov can easily upset the wedding and cause the deal to be canceled. The landowner never sees something bad or bad in his actions. The reason for this is his addiction to fiction and gossip. Nozdryov often lies, even for the most harmless reasons. “Nozdryov is a rubbish man, Nozdryov can lie, add, dissolve the devil knows what, some more gossip will come out.”

Nozdryov has an explosive and unrestrained character - it doesn’t cost him anything to be rude to anyone or become a participant in a fight.

Thus, Nozdryov in Gogol's story is shown as an ill-mannered person who does not know how to appreciate what he has. He is a bad master, a bad father and a bad friend. Nozdryov gives preference not to his children, but to the dogs he cares for and cherishes. Nozdrev is a constant participant in revelry, gossip and quarrels.

Characteristics of Nozdrev in the poem "Dead Souls": description of appearance and character in quotes

4.5 (90%) 28 votes

Represents Nozdrev in Dead Souls. As far as Manilov is a nature deepened into himself, living in his own world, so Nozdryov is a public nature, a person who does not have any own world. It is a social parasite that cannot exist without people. He is a good-for-nothing owner, a family man too. Nozdrev is a gambler-sharper, a horse dealer, a drinking buddy, in a word, he lives only in "society" - the more people, the better he feels, the more frankly he reveals himself. This is a liar and a braggart by profession, extreme degree Khlestakov, who lies only when his fantasy is played out. In contrast to him, Nozdryov always lies, both drunk and sober, when he needs it and when he doesn’t need it, he lies, not making out whether they believe him or not. This is a man who has "lied". (See the text of Nozdryov's description in Dead Souls, the description of his estate and the interior of the house.)

The lightness in Nozdrev's thoughts is unusual, the same as that of Khlestakov - that is why his thoughts jump inconsistently, one phrase often does not logically connect with another (cf. his story about fair entertainment). Cheerful, fussy, he is always happy with life. Nozdryov has no self-esteem, he is not afraid of insults, and therefore, eccentric and perky, he easily insults others, without disassembling people, without thinking about the future. Nozdryov does not take people into account at all, does not fit in with anyone, and sees only himself in everyone - that is, a reckless reveler, a good-natured, carefree rogue, for whom vanity and swindle is not a means to satisfy self-interest, but simply an opportunity to fill his own with something. hectic life, - a means to occupy the idle forces of their vulgar, but strong nature. The thirst for life, activity, unreasonably directed, creates from this hero of "Dead Souls" a restless person, a "hysterical person", a brawler who is ready to "shame" anyone, not out of malice, but due to "restless briskness and glibness of character."

The hero of "Dead Souls" Nozdrev. Artist M. Dalkevich

Nozdryov is a spontaneous nature - he is not free in his actions, in his words. His moral lack of will is surprisingly combined with the availability of energy (he can lock himself in a house for a week to pick up cards), with determination and perseverance. In the person of Nozdev, Gogol brought out in Dead Souls a strong, but vulgar person, in whose life there is no purpose and meaning: he is enterprising, like Chichikov, but his enterprise is aimless, meaningless, and therefore his whole existence is hopeless stupidity. Gogol would not have chosen Nozdryov as a hero of the revival.

"Dead Souls" is not accidentally received such a name. It conveys the mood that prevailed in Russia. The gallery of characters depicted by the author demonstrates the spiritual decline that the state has come to. Among the landowners he meets main character, Nozdryov became a curious character, whose characterization Gogol gave in the middle of the work. Similar to Manilov and Plyushkin, Nozdrev also has individual features.

History of creation

The poem "Dead Souls" was created abroad. The first volume was published in 1841. Gogol wanted to demonstrate the vices and shortcomings of Russia. In the center of the story was a man who personified Russian society. In the image of Chichikov, qualities traditional for the domestic mentality are concentrated.

An analysis of the title "Dead Souls" proves its duality. The author also meant souls dead peasants, who redeemed, and callous, empty souls of landowners, whose life consisted in idleness and ignorance. Gogol conveyed the idea that the state does not respect the people, ready to stand up for the Fatherland at any moment.


Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol planned to write a satirical poem in the spirit of The Inspector General. Critics drew parallels between the images of Chichikov and, highlighting the matching descriptions of the characters, evaluating the entrepreneurial spirit of the characters and adventurism. In Dead Souls, mockery towards the author is replaced by sadness. Although the plot of the work looks comical, life goals and the way of life of his contemporaries are unpleasant to Gogol.

Nozdryov was one of the heroes whom the writer criticized. According to literary critics, Pavel Trushkovsky, the writer's son-in-law, served as the prototype for creating the image. Gogol hinted to a relative about the capital that he let go to the wind by turning a gamble with a leather factory. The machinations of Trushkovsky brought the family into debt, for which the whole family paid off for 26 years.


Other critics suggest that Fyodor Tolstoy was the prototype for a colorful image. Such conclusions make it possible to draw letters to Gogol in which the author comments on Tolstoy's reaction to the work.

"Dead Souls"

Nozdryov was the third landowner to whom Chichikov came with a request to sell peasant souls. A thirty-five-year-old chatterer and reckless driver, Nozdryov was not an honest man, he was distinguished by great excitement and without hesitation would have done a dirty trick to his neighbor. Gogol draws a portrait of Nozdryov, speaking of lack of ambition, irascibility, hypocrisy and recklessness. The hero has no plans in advance, but the desire to live today is more than enough. Having accidentally met Chichikov in a tavern, heading towards, Nozdryov intercepts the buyer and takes him to his estate.


Chichikov refuses to play cards for souls and provokes an inadequate reaction from Nozdryov. Having quickly calmed down, the next morning the hero again offers the guest stakes, taking out checkers. Obviously cheating, Nozdryov loses, and only the appearance of the police captain saves Chichikov from his wrath. The cries of an annoyed player give rise to various rumors about Chichikov.

The first impression a character makes is funny. He talks nonsense, appears as a "broken guy", exchanges money won in cards for unnecessary knick-knacks. Nozdryov's restlessness pushed him to unpredictable actions. The hero fought in a noble assembly, did not shun petty dirty tricks, upset weddings and was offended by reproaches and condemnation. An emotional scoundrel and rogue, a lively brawler, Nozdryov acquired a colorful image in Gogol's work.


The estate where the hero lived complements his image more than a description of his appearance. A chaotic atmosphere, akin to the character of the owner of the estate, reigns everywhere. Nozdryov's prowess and energy find no use either in the service or in the economy. The master's house, which is in a disorderly state, does not arouse in Nozdryov a desire to sort things out. But, unlike his neighbors, the hero demonstrates incredible liveliness and opens a series of characters in whose soul at least something “alive” remains.

The carelessness of the owner led the estate into decay. The neglected house became evidence that Nozdryov is not a big fan of order and deliberation. Only the kennel was perfect. Weapons flaunted on the walls, testifying to the prowess of the owner, there were no books in the office and on the tables, which indicated the lack of prudence and serious interests of the hero. Nozdrev's favorite pastimes are cards and hunting.

The possibility of selling "dead souls" did not surprise or apprehensive Nozdryov. He was in some respects a lover of exchange and in such a deal he saw precisely the opportunity to exchange property with Chichikov. That's why he sold horses and a hurdy-gurdy to the guest, but in the end he agreed to play checkers.


Nozdryov was a natural hero of the city, so no one was surprised at his antics. It is to him that the townspeople turn with a request for help in finding out the identity of Chichikov. Despite being in demand among neighbors, Nozdryov remains a character about whom little is known. The very first impression about the hero immediately forms an attitude towards him, although the biography remains unknown. Apart from the fact that he was a card cheat, the reader knows little about Nozdryov.

His family remains under a veil of secrecy. The reader does not know anything about the parents of the landowner, but it is clear that he is a young widower who remained after the death of his wife with two children. However, they did not greatly burden the father, as they were in the care of the nanny.

Screen adaptations

The director Pavel Cherdyntsev became interested in the plot of the work in 1909, in whose film the director himself appeared in the image of Nozdryov.


Boris Livanov in the film "Dead Souls"

In 1960, he starred in a staged film by Leonid Trauberg. The production was organized in the format of a TV show.

A project similar in genre was shot by Alexander Belinsky in 1969. Nozdryova embodied on the screen.

Next motion picture by classic was published in 1984 thanks to director Mikhail Schweitzer. Vitaly Shapovalov acted as Nozdrev.


Alexander Abdulov film set("The Case of dead souls")

"The Case of the Dead Souls" by Pavel Lungin is a 2005 series that incorporates several storylines borrowed by the director from various works Gogol. Nozdryova played in a multi-part project.