dead souls, imperial envoy

Chapter 48 Dead Souls (48)
"...Food in famine areas. I know better than the officials about this; I'm going to investigate and see what everyone needs. If your lord allows, I want to talk to the secessionists too. They are willing to talk to ordinary people like us. In this way, maybe I can help solve their problems by peaceful means. I will not take your money. It is shameful to think about personal wealth when people are starving to death. I have reserves grain; I have just shipped it to Siberia, and I will earn it before next summer."

"Only God can repay you for such service, Afanasy Vasilyevich. I will not say a word to you, because—you can feel it yourself, my gratitude." There are no words. But allow me to say a word about your request. Talk to yourself: Do I have the right to let this case go? Is it fair from my point of view to forgive these scoundrels? "

"My lord, it's really inappropriate to call these people like that, not to mention that many of them are worthy of respect. My lord, people's situations are complicated. Sometimes a person seems to have committed a serious crime, but after careful analysis, he has no fault at all. No."

"But if I let it go, what will they say? Some of them will be more presumptuous afterward, and they will even say that it is the result of their intimidation. They will first disrespect..."

"My lord, please allow me to suggest a method: gather them all together, let them know that you know everything, tell them your situation as you are telling me now, and ask them: If you are in your place, What should each of them do?"

"Do you think they understand noble motives other than gimmicks? Believe me, they'll laugh at me."

"I don't think so, my lord. Russians, even if they are bad, have a sense of justice. Aren't they Jews and not Russians? No, my lord, you don't have to embellish your feelings at all. You put them in front of me." Tell them exactly what you said. Didn’t they call you a fan of the bureaucracy, arrogant, not listening to anything other people say, and self-willed? Let them see the actual situation clearly. What are you worried about? Your cause is just. Talk to them as if you were penitent before God."

"Afanasy Vasilyevich," the prince groaned, "let me reconsider the matter, and I am very grateful for your advice."

"And Chichikov, my lord, order him to be released."

"Please tell that Chichikov to go away, as soon as possible, as far away as possible. I was going to never forgive him."

Murazov bowed, took his leave, and went straight to Chichikov.When he saw Chichikov, Chichikov was already in peace, and was eating his lunch in a poised manner, which was a very elegant lunch, prepared by a very good cook, and brought in a china box.As soon as they talked, the old man discovered that Chichikov had already talked with some shrewd and capable official.He even saw that legal advisers who knew this well had already intervened behind the scenes.He said: "Listen to me, Pavel Ivanovich, I have brought you freedom, but on one condition: you will leave the city immediately. Pack up your things and start at once, not a moment later." Don't delay, for there are worse things to come. I know you are being abetted; so I tell you privately that there is a case that is about to be broken, and nothing can save it. Of course the man will drag others into it, so that He will not be lonely, and he can share the blame equally. My advice is not child's play. Really, don't let go of property; for property, people quarrel and fight desperately, as if happiness can really be built in this world As if to live without thinking about another life. Believe me, Pavel Ivanovich, a happy material life cannot be built when people disregard spiritual wealth and kill each other for profit. One day there will come a time when the whole nation will be hungry and poor for everyone... It is obvious. Anyway, the skin depends on the soul. How can you expect everything to be normal! Don't think about the serfs, think about yourself Soul, God bless you to go the other way! To-morrow I am leaving too. Go now! Otherwise, you will be wretched."

After saying this, the old man left.Chichikov began to think again.The meaning of life seems so heavy again.He said: "Mrazov is right, we should go another way!" After finishing speaking, he walked out of the prison.A guard at the back carried him a small mahogany box, and another held a box for his underwear.Selifan and Petrushka seemed overjoyed to see their master safely out of prison. "Well, dear," said Chichikov, greeting them affectionately, "you must pack your things at once and go elsewhere."

"Come on, Pavel Ivanovitch," said Serivan, "the road must be gone: enough snow has fallen. Get away from this city. It's a boring place to live in, and I don't want to look at it anymore."

"Go to a coachmaker to convert the carriage into a sled." After finishing speaking, Chichikov walked towards the city, not intending to say goodbye to anyone.After this accident he found it inconvenient, and the most unpleasant rumors about him were circulating in the town.Avoiding all his acquaintances, he ran silently to the baize shop where he bought Navarino fireworks, and bought four arshin-foot fireworks for swallowtails, and took them to the same tailor's shop.After spending double the price, the shopkeeper of the tailor made the shop assistants light candles and work hard all night with needles, irons and teeth. The tuxedo was finally made the next day, although it was a little late.The car is already set up.But Chichikov tried on the new clothes anyway.He was still handsome, exactly the same as before.However, he found a smooth white thing on his head, and said sadly: "Why did you worry so much at that time? Hair loss should not be." After paying the tailor's money, he finally left the city, feeling a little strange weird.This was no longer the old Chichikov.This is somewhat like the ruins left by the former Chichikov.His heart can be compared to an old building that has been demolished in order to build a new building; but the new building has not yet started to be built, because there is no clear design drawing, so the workers are still waiting timidly. .An hour earlier, old Murazov had set off with Potapagech in a covered carriage.An hour after Chichikov's departure, an order was sent that the prince wanted to see all the officials because he was going to Petersburg.The officials of the city range from the governor to the ninth grade officials - chief of staff, high officials, low officials, Kisloyedov, Krasnonosov, Samosvestov, those who received bribes, those who did not Those who had bribed, those who had no conscience, those who were half-conscientious, and those who had no conscience at all gathered in the hall of the governor's mansion, waiting for the Duke to come out with trepidation.The Duke came out with a flat face, and his gaze was as determined as his gait.All the officials bowed, and many bowed to the ground.The prince bowed his head slightly in return, and then began to preach: "Before leaving Petersburg, I think it is right to meet with you, and even to explain part of the reasons. We have a very bad case here. I think that the people at the meeting Many of you know what case I am speaking of. This case led to other shameful cases, involving people I had always thought were honest. Mix it up so that the problem can be solved without the normal procedure. I even know who is the mastermind and whose secret... Although he hides it very cleverly. But I didn't intend to drag through the normal procedure to investigate the case, I I want to use the quick court-martial as in wartime to investigate. I hope that the Emperor will give me this right after the situation of the case is reported to the Emperor. It is no longer possible to try the case by civil law, procrastination and false statements. And false accusations trying to complicate an already complex issue, I think military courts are the only way, and I would like to hear your opinions."

The Duke paused, as if waiting for an answer.Everyone stood with their heads bowed.Many were pale. "I know one more case, although the perpetrator is convinced that no one else will know about it. The trial of this case will not be delayed, because I will be the prosecutor and the plaintiff, and I will present conclusive evidence. "

Some of the officials trembled; a few timid people also panicked. "It goes without saying that the main criminal should be deprived of his official title and property, and the other criminals should be dismissed. Of course, there must be innocent people among them who have not been punished unjustly. But what can be done? This case is too shameful to be punished." There is no reason to be outraged. Although I know it is not enough to educate others, because instead of those who are driven out there will be others who have hitherto been honest and who will eventually become dishonest, and who, having gained trust I will deceive and betray, too,--even so, I should take harsh measures, because there will be no anger without punishment. I know that some people will accuse me of callousness, and I know that those people will also... All I can do is With the ruthless instrument of justice, with the executioner's ax."

Every face trembled uncontrollably.The Duke behaved calmly.There was no anger, no resentment on his face. "Now this man, who has mastered the fate of many people and cannot be moved by any intercession, prostrates at your feet and makes a request to you. If you accept my request, I will go to intercede for you. The following is my request. I Knowing that all means, no amount of threats, no punishment will get rid of corruption because it is so deeply embedded. For some people this kind of business has become a necessary demand. I know many people can not resist this trend. trend. But I should cry out now as if I need to save the country, need any citizen to shoulder everything and sacrifice everything, even if only those with a Russian heart beating in their chests, who understand a little bit about the meaning of 'noble' People can come and listen. What's the use of judging which of us is more guilty? I may be more guilty than all of you; I may begin to be too harsh on you; My people have left me, although from my point of view, they can also be blamed. If they really love justice and love the motherland, even if my attitude is arrogant, they should not blame them, they should suppress their self-esteem, Sacrifice one's own dignity. I cannot see their self-sacrifice not to end up accepting their wise and helpful advice. In any case, the subordinate should adapt to the personality of the boss, not the boss to the personality of the subordinate. At least it is more reasonable , and it is easier to do, because there is only one boss for the subordinates, but there are hundreds of subordinates for one boss. But let's put aside who is more guilty for now. The problem is that we need to save our country; Our motherland will not be destroyed by the aggression of the coalition forces of twenty countries, but by our own hands; in addition to the statutory system of handling affairs, another system of handling affairs has now been formed, which is more important than any legal system. Institutions have power. What conditions are required to do something has become a rule. With price tags, these prices are even known to everyone and abide by them. Any ruler, even if he is wiser than all legislators and rulers, regardless of He cannot eradicate this evil, however much he may send officials to supervise and restrain bad officials. Before each of us feels compelled to rise up against corruption as the people rise up against the enemy in an insurrection, no one Measures are in vain. As a Russian, as a fellow countryman, I appeal to you. I appeal to those of you who still have some knowledge of lofty ideas. I ask you to think of the Duty. I beg you to take a good look at your duty, for we are all dimly aware of it, and we have just..."

【Appreciation of works】

"Dead Souls" is the cornerstone of the development of Russian critical realist literature, and it is also Gogol's masterpiece as a Russian critical realist writer. Although only the first volume is complete, the novel has just been published. That caused a sensation throughout Russia. Through the story of Chichikov, a sixth-class civil servant, buying and selling dead souls (Russian landlords call serfs souls), the novel connects all kinds of characters living in the vast Russian land, corrupt bureaucrats, greedy Foolish landlords, lowly serfs.Every character is vivid and makes people search for the symbols around them. The author expresses the author's love and sorrow for this magical land of Russia with poetic sentiment. This land is so vast, profound, magnificent and moving. And the speeding three-set carriage is full of intoxicated coachmen, wooden servants and passengers counting dead serfs in their sleep. Where this carriage will go, perhaps only God knows.

Although the author Gogol is one of the founders of Russian critical realism, he is famous for his novels "Evening Talks in the Near Country of Dikonka", "Diary of a Madman", "Dead Souls" and the drama "The Imperial Envoy", but he is first and foremost a poet , in [-] he took his pastoral poem "Hans Gusegarten" to Petersburg, and published it at his own expense in the following year, the artistic conception of the poem can be felt everywhere in his brushstrokes, he wrote in "Dead Souls" "The epic is marked under the title. According to his own statement, "Dead Souls" is between a real poem and a novel. The Soviet critic Tamara Chenko once commented: "This work is unusual in genre. In terms of its ideological basis, it should be a social and genre novel, and in terms of its content, and more importantly, its structure, it should be an epic work." But his works have not been as popular as his friend Pushkin for the world. According to the people, the author added too many counterpoints and metaphors in the article. Even Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy dropped out of school and returned to the manor in an attempt to improve the lives of farmers, but failed to gain the trust of farmers. Termination, also written by Gogol in Dead Souls.

The title of "Dead Soul" is very strange. The original meaning of "Dead Soul" refers to a dead serf. Since "soul" and "serf" in Russian are polysemy, it can also be understood as a dead soul, resulting in Bizarre associations.This is the characteristic of Gogol's writing, using seemingly absurd stories to show the social outlook of Russia at that time.The author's book, after reading it for the first time, makes people dazzled and confused. After reading it for the second time, you can grasp the main plot after reading it. Only after reading it for the third time can you realize a little taste But after reading it a few more times, I found that maybe I didn't grasp the content expressed by the author.

The subject matter of Dead Souls is said to have been provided by Pushkin to Gogol, but Gogol added a bit of his own shadow to the protagonist Chichikov. In the first volume, the author vividly portrays five vivid landowners Image: Manilov, who sits and eats mountains and empties, decorates his empty life with empty talk about the soul and sweet words. He is a typical figure in the period when Russian serfdom was about to collapse; the greedy, dull and somewhat cunning Petrovna, compared to Is the sister in the city really that low in human self-improvement; Nozdryov, the prodigal, bohemian hooligan, and gambler who pushes the flames and drives the plot of the novel; Sobakevich, a gluttonous eater of the lower half of a sheep or one of nature's masterpieces, the sturgeon, is shrewd and cunning, scolds everyone behind his back, but hangs out at parties where he doesn't talk about anyone. Good words, but hold back the style of denouncing, can communicate with everyone, lie without changing his face, prop up his bear-like stomach calmly; Plyushkin, who is as famous as Grandet, hoards The flour was lumped together, but he didn't even give up the hay to feed the horses of the visitors, so he rubbed the soup and rice of the serfs in ragged clothes every day.The author digs out the characters of greed, miserliness, shamelessness, cruelty, and laziness of the landlords under the serf system. The author's four landlords except Manilov have different performances of miserliness. Bringing these people to life to the point of caricature.

"Dead Soul" does not have much ink on the officialdom, but based on the author's own experience in the officialdom and familiarity with the officialdom, the description is penetrating, and the subtleties of the clerks can be seen in the eyes of the author who is willing to observe.Searching for the proper police chief's parents, the prosecutor who was frightened to death because of rumors, and the "Story of Captain Kopekin" told by the postmaster was abrupt, which also made the book unable to pass the review.It revealed that the armed serfs were dissatisfied with their slave status after defeating Napoleon. Together with the images of various landowners, it hit the weakness of the imperial Russian autocracy, and also provided a magnificent background for the development of various things. "Dead Souls" and some works of Pushkin pioneered the genre of describing "little people" in Russian literature.

In describing these little people from the backcountry, the author drew faces for them one by one with excessive exaggeration, making people laugh at the excessive details, but buried behind these is deep sadness.In the thick melancholy, the author has not forgotten to make the readers laugh a few times, and then feel sad again.Gogol's "laughter" runs through his works throughout his life, and the sadness behind the laughter has always been the same, and it is getting deeper and more touching.The author revealed various social scenes at the end of the Russian serfdom, but he could not find a way out, and his works were also swaying in the constant entanglement of himself. The author saw this and denied the sharpness in it, and published "Selected Letters with Friends" to deny The publication of the first volume, the second volume was also burned before his death.It is difficult to understand the author's entanglement and pain without being in it, but none of this can deny the greatness of this work, ""Dead Souls" shocked the whole of Russia", and it has left an unparalleled treasure for the world to look forward to.

(End of this chapter)