Description of the officials in the comedy The Examiner. Exposing the vices of bureaucracy in the comedy “The Government Inspector. Essay on literature on the topic: Portrait characteristics of officials in the comedy “Inspector General”
Plan
Introduction
Images of officials - a gallery of typical characters of provincial Russia.
Main part
Officials personify power in the county town:
a) mayor;
b) Lyapkin-Tyapkin;
c) Luka Lukic;
d) postmaster;
d) Strawberry.
Conclusion
In the images of officials, the writer satirically showed the contemporary reality.
Images of officials in the comedy by N.V. Gogol's "Inspector General" is a gallery of typical characters of provincial Russia.
In the county town, they personify power and strength, the highest circle of local society. All of them are individual. So, the Governor rightfully served his position for thirty years. He is distinguished by cunning and the ability to observe his material interest everywhere. Anton Antonovich is proud that he can deceive anyone: “He deceived scammers over scammers, rogues and rogues such that they are ready to rob the whole world ...” He is obsequious and respectful with his superiors, rude and unceremonious with his inferiors. If merchants can be dragged by their beards, then he fawns before Khlestakov and enthusiastically describes to him how he does not sleep at night, taking care of the well-being of the city. He assures that he does not need honors, but prevaricates. In fact, he is ambitious and dreams of serving in the capital, of the rank of general. And imagining that he will soon have it, he despises his subordinates even more, demanding new offerings from them.
Other officials are just as mercenary and ambitious. Frankly neglecting his service, Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin is only interested in hunting and even takes bribes with “greyhound puppies”. Gogol says about him that he has read five or six books "and therefore is somewhat free-thinking," and Strawberry characterizes the judge as follows: "Whatever you say, Cicero flew off your tongue." But from fear of the auditor, even the judge becomes timid and tongue-tied. Even more cowardly Luka Lukich, superintendent of schools: “God forbid to serve in the academic field! You are afraid of everything: everyone gets in the way, everyone wants to show that he is also an intelligent person. The accusation of freethinking threatened with hard labor, and any reason for such an accusation could be filed - if the teacher, for example, makes some kind of grimaces. The postmaster is curious and opens other people's letters, and keeps those that he likes. But the lowest and most dishonest of the officials is Strawberry, the trustee of charitable institutions. He steals, like all of them, the sick do not receive any medicine from him and "get well like flies." He tries in every possible way to emphasize his services to Khlestakov. He is just like everyone else, envious. But he not only fawns before the auditor, but is also ready to write a denunciation of all his friends, accusing them of neglect of business, of immorality and even freethinking: “For the good of the fatherland, I must do this, although he is my relative and friend.”
The officials of the Gogol district town are deceitful and vile, mercenary and immoral. They please the superiors and despise the inferiors, they despise those by whose labors their well-being is formed. Such is the author's satirical reflection of contemporary reality.
"The Government Inspector" - a comedy by N.V. Gogol. As the author himself wrote, he wanted to show and, at the same time, ridicule all the shortcomings of bureaucracy and the injustice that reigns in remote places in Russia. In the comedy, all the "sins" of the city officials are revealed, who are trying to hide them from the auditor, who is supposed to visit them. N.V. Gogol does not introduce a separate main character into his work, he draws the image of each official, describing the shortcomings of the political system.
Mayor appears before us as a not stupid person, but for many years of service accustomed to deceit and steal. The character himself admits that no one can fool him, but he deceived a single governor with dexterity. Anton Antonovich takes into his pocket the money that was allocated for the needs of the city. The mayor knows about all the "dark deeds" that are happening in the city. But he justifies this by saying that all people are sinful by nature. He conducts a preventive conversation with his subordinates, so that before the arrival of the auditor, they hide all the shortcomings. He wants to curry favor with his superiors, but he does not care about solving the problems of the city.
Other bosses are in no way inferior to the mayor. Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin a scoundrel who tries to serve his superiors in everything. He loves hunting and takes bribes with greyhound puppies. Regarding health care in the city, he says that expensive medicines will not help a person who is destined to die, so there is no need to spend money from the city treasury on them.
Khlopov- superintendent of educational institutions. He is afraid of various checks and constantly complains about how hard his job is.
Shpekin, who takes the place of the postmaster, opens letters to unknown recipients. He justifies this occupation by the fact that he wants to know what interesting things are happening.
The entire leadership of the city is engaged in bribery. They do not care about the lives of ordinary people. They put themselves above them and run the city as they please. Officials do not look at the law and the needs of the inhabitants. When the news comes about the arrival of the auditor, the officials are not particularly worried, they try to cover up their misdeeds outwardly, but they understand that the problem can be solved by bribery. The inspector visits the city not for the first time and the authorities know how to behave and what to say in order to get away with it. After all, they serve in their ranks and rule the city for more than a year, and they get away with everything. Through bribery, lies, open flattery, they remain in their places even after various checks.
The dominant persons let slip about their misdeeds, tell several stories from the life of the city. And thanks to this, a complete picture of what is happening in the Russian provinces is emerging. The authorities arbitrarily govern the city, take bribes, often gossip and write denunciations. The rights of citizens are infringed, the living conditions are terrible, and the administration turns a blind eye to this. The life of counties and provinces is reflected in the play by N.V. Gogol. The author denounces all the features of the system of Russia.
Composition Officials in "Dead Souls"
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol is the author of Dead Souls. Throughout the reading of the entire work, it becomes clear that all landowners and noble people are interconnected. For each of the landlords, first of all, bribery is characteristic, as well as the desire to make their property on someone else's grief.
There is no doubt about the professionalism of Nikolai Vasilyevich, since he simply skillfully reveals each landowner, exactly as they were in those days. All the disgust of each of them is described in such detail that each reader can find out in more detail what the landowners were in those days, in the city in which all the actions took place, in the work Dead Souls.
The story shows the main problems that arose in the Russian Empire at the end of the 19th century. Not only serfdom was a significant problem for the empire, but also the power that was given to officials brought big problems, because simply huge sums from the state treasury were allocated for their maintenance. In the 19th century, people who had power, first of all, tried to enrich their fortune and did not even look at where this money came from, from the treasury or from the theft of ordinary people.
The desire to reveal the topic with regards to theft and ill-treatment of officials, many authors wanted to reveal, including Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. All actions in the work take place in the city of N, that is how the city was named, in order not to reveal the real name, or in accordance with the motive that the city did not actually exist and was fictional.
Reading the first lines of the work, one can understand that there is no exact description of the landlords and officials of the city. But, despite the lack of a description, their way of life, as well as the characters, are very accurately shown by the author. Chichikov, is the main character of the work, who has a desire to visit every noble person of the city, in order to arrange all the people who have power in their person. As he visits each noble landowner, Chichikov begins to develop a trusting relationship with each of them.
In the world of landlords, there is always an unbounded pomp and at the same time pathos, referring to every person in a city with great power. One example is a sumptuous dinner at the governor's, but the decor and bright lights were only compatible with a ball that is arranged in palaces.
The county town reminded the reader more and more that all landowners are divided into two types. For example, the first type includes landowners who devoted all their free time to entertainment and whipping young ladies, while trying to compliment them as romantic and gentle as possible, at the same moment the second ones, with great passion and desire, accepted the received compliments. However, despite the large number of boyfriends in the city, no one could ever even think of challenging any person to a duel, it seemed strange and inhuman to them. In the same way, they behaved when it came to money, first of all they tried to line their pockets and carry out some kind of scam with another person in order to get rich.
They did the same during lunch, they did not pay much attention to all those circumstances that were not interesting to them, on the contrary, they tried to discuss, for example, officials who were in other departments, important actions that they performed in their service. In addition to everything, they discussed various writers, poets and talked about what kind of dinner would be served to them now.
Composition for grade 8
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Gogol's works cover the 40s of the 19th century - the time of bureaucratic arbitrariness, the time of cruel exploitation of the disenfranchised and oppressed people. He, the first in Russian literature, decided to openly ridicule bureaucrats and officials. He wrote several works in which bribery and sycophancy became the central theme - the poem "Dead Souls", the novels "The Nose" and "The Overcoat", the comedy "The Government Inspector", which will be discussed in this article.
Satire on bureaucratic Russia
The Inspector General is a realistic work that reveals the world of small and medium-sized Russian officials. Gogol wrote about the comedy The Inspector General that he decided to collect here “everything bad” and laugh “at one time” at what is happening in Russia. The action takes place in a small provincial town, the measured course of life of which is blown up by the news of the arrival of the auditor. Having learned about the forthcoming visit of the inspector, the officials directed their efforts to the observance of external propriety. Instead of dealing with the pressing problems of the city, they clean the street along which the inspector will pass, remove the hunting rapnik hanging in plain sight.
The plot conceived by the author made it possible to reveal the vices that struck the bureaucratic environment. The comedy introduces not only district officials, but also Khlestakov, who arrived from St. Petersburg, whom everyone mistook for an auditor. Let us consider the image of officials in Gogol's comedy in more detail. Let's start with the main character of the comedy - Khlestakov.
"Inspector"
The main character of the comedy is “twenty-three years old”, “thin, thin”, “good-looking” young man. Khlestakov is not dressed in a service uniform - "in a particular dress", made of "important, English" cloth. According to his rank, he is only a collegiate registrar, but “by his suit” and by his “Petersburg physiognomy” they took him “for the governor-general”. "It would be" "something worthwhile," his servant Osip despises, "otherwise, she's a simple lady." A naive and empty darling nobleman who burns his father's money. In the expression of the servant, "father sends money," and Khlestakov "does not deal with business," - "plays cards" and walks "along the shore."
In the images of officials in the comedy "The Government Inspector", the author showed rampant bribery and embezzlement, contempt for the common people and abuse of power. A bribe-taker, a gambler and a serf-owner - Khlestakov has no idea what good and evil are, and can commit any meanness. The servant is starving, but he doesn't care. Khlestakov easily moves from arrogance to humiliation, from bragging to cowardice. He is lying uncontrollably, and everyone sees in this the fulfillment of their desires and they are not at all embarrassed when, having lied, Khlestakov has enough too much. All the actions of the hero are guided by vanity, for him the most important thing is to splurge.
Khlestakov is a dummy “without a king in his head”, who has “unusual lightness” in his thoughts. He is the personification of emptiness, stupidity and fanfare, like an empty vessel that can be filled with anything. Perhaps that is why the officials of the city of NN mistook him for an important person. According to them, this is exactly how a bribe-bearer should behave. In the comedy The Inspector General, the image of the protagonist is not only one of the brightest, but also completely new in literature. His surname has become a household name. Unrestrained boasting and lies are called “Khlestakovism”.
NN City Mayor
One of the main characters is the mayor Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. On the example of this hero, the author reveals "everything bad" that characterizes the officials of that time. Anton Antonovich is “concerned” only with the fact that he “does not miss” anything that “floats into his hands” itself. Unlike Khlestakov, the mayor is cunning and prudent in all matters. He feels like a sovereign master in this city. Bribery is quite normal for him. For a bribe, he releases the son of the merchant from recruitment, and instead sends the husband of the locksmith Poshlepkina.
There are no moral standards for him: in order to collect more requisitions, - he notes the name day twice a year. He goes to the temple and is sure that he is "steadfast in faith." But this did not prevent him from putting money for the construction of the church into his pocket, and in the report to write that it "burned down" as soon as "began to be built." In dealing with subordinates, the mayor is rude and despotic. Otherwise, he behaves with Khlestakov. He constantly pleases him, manages to "screw" him money, speaks ingratiatingly and respectfully. On the example of this hero, the author shows bribery and servility, typical features of a Russian official.
The central characters of the work
In the comedy The Inspector General, the characteristics of officials show that the servants from the town of NN can hardly be called honest people working for the glory of their homeland, which, in fact, should be the goal of civil servants. The superintendent of the schools is intimidated to such an extent that he “shies away” only on behalf of his superior. Luka Lukic admits that if someone “talks” to him with a “higher rank,” then he immediately “has no soul” and “his tongue is stuck.” Khlopov gives preference to teachers to match himself - albeit stupid, but not allowing free thoughts. He does not care about the quality of education and the educational process - as long as everything looks decent on the outside.
Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin carries out all judicial and legal procedures in the city. Perfectly conveys the image of officials in the comedy "The Government Inspector" and the "speaking" surname Lyapkin-Tyapkin, and it is quite consistent with his attitude to the service - everything is so confusing, saturated with slander and denunciations that it is not worth looking into court cases. Place and position provide Ammos Fedorovich with power in the city. He can not only freely keep with the mayor, but also challenge his opinion. Moreover, he is the smartest in the city - he has read several books in his life. His favorite pastime is hunting, he devotes not only all his time to it, openly takes bribes, but also sets himself as an example: “I take bribes. But what? Puppies. It's a completely different matter." Long-term bribes and red tape - such is the court in the city of NN.
NN city officials
There are several other bright characters in the comedy "The Inspector General". The characterization of officials will help to understand that the secondary characters are no less interesting. The "fat" and "clumsy" trustee of charitable institutions is a rogue and a rogue. Artemy Filippovich cares neither about the institution entrusted to him, nor about the patients. Strawberry waved his hand at the hospitals: “If they recover, they will recover anyway, if they die, they will die anyway.” His main "talent" is denunciations. He denounces his colleagues to the imaginary auditor.
Postmaster Shpekin is engaged in a completely "harmless" business - he reads other people's letters, but does not see anything wrong with this: "I like to find out what's new in the world." A simple-hearted and naive person, through letters he looks at a world he has never seen. It is Shpekin who first finds out that Khlestakov is not who they take him for.
City landowners Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky are city gossips, they live only to tell everyone about something. As the author wrote, these characters suffer from "an itch of the tongue", "speak in a patter" and "help with gestures and hands." It was they who convinced everyone in the city of NN that Khlestakov was the inspector.
The bailiff Ukhovertov, police officers Derzhimorda and Svistunov only emphasize the nature of what is happening, and personify the gross arbitrariness, lawlessness and drunkenness that prevail in the city.
Satire in Gogol's comedy
Describing the world of bribe-takers and embezzlers, the author uses artistic techniques with which he managed to create vivid, unforgettable images. On the very first pages of the work, the reader, having read the names of the district doctor and the private bailiff, already has an idea about them. In addition to the methods of satirical depiction of officials, in the comedy "The Government Inspector", the author gave critical characteristics to his characters, which help to understand the characters. For example, the mayor is "a bribe-taker, but behaves respectably"; Khlestakov "without a king in his head"; postmaster "simple to the point of naivety."
Vivid characteristics and exposure of the vices of officials in the comedy "The Government Inspector" are also given in Khlestakov's letters to his friend. He frankly calls, for example, Strawberries "a pig in a yarmulke." The main artistic device of the author is hyperbole. As an example, here we can name the doctor Gibner, who cannot even communicate with patients, because he does not know the Russian language perfectly. The plot itself is also hyperbolic, but as the plot develops, the hyperbole is replaced by the grotesque. Clutching at Khlestakov, like a saving straw, officials cannot appreciate the absurdity of what is happening, and heap absurdities one on top of the other.
The denouement comes quickly: Khlestakov's letter gives a simple explanation for everything. Further, the author uses a technique that has become very popular and shows that the action of the comedy goes beyond the stage and, in fact, is transferred to the vast Russian expanses - the hero addresses the audience from the stage: “What are you laughing at? - Laugh at yourself!
In a satirical form, depicting the abuses of the authorities in a small county town, the author of the narrative denounces and ridicules at once the entire bureaucratic Russia, drowning in a swamp of bribery and embezzlement.
The image of the mayor Anton Antonovich
At the very top of the bureaucratic pyramid is the mayor Anton Antonovich. Having risen from the bottom, he rules the city and does not consider bribery a great sin. After all, the state salary, the mayor is sure, is not enough even for bread and salt. So justifying his actions, he robs the treasury without remorse, rips off huge bribes and expensive gifts from merchants. With higher authorities, Anton Antonovich is respectful and servile, with those who are lower in rank, he is unceremonious and demanding. His dream is to rise to the rank of general and move to the capital.
"... I've been living in the service for thirty years; not a single merchant or contractor could fool; I deceived scammers over scammers, swindlers and rogues such that they are ready to rob the whole world, hooked on the bait. I deceived three governors! .. What governors! ( waved his hand) there is nothing to say about the governors ... "
Image of Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin
The city judge with the eloquent surname Lyapkin-Tyapkin does not lag behind the mayor. Having read a total of six books in his entire life, he is confident in his own education. He is condescending towards serving the law - in the office of the court, servants dry clothes and breed poultry. Lyapkin-Tyapkin prefers hunting to service and accepts offerings of purebred greyhound puppies.
"... I've been sitting on the judge's chair for fifteen years now, and when I look into the memorandum - ah! I just wave my hand. Solomon himself will not decide what is true and what is not true in it ..."
The image of an official Strawberry
Another city official, ridiculed by Gogol, with the "sweet" surname Strawberry, is engaged in supervision of charitable institutions, where true chaos reigns everywhere. Nobody cares about the sick - no regimen and medical discipline. The appointed doctor, a German by nationality, does not even understand Russian. And Strawberry himself fawns over his superiors and scorns the common people. In the treatment process, the official is of the opinion that whoever of his wards does not die, he will certainly recover even without the medicines stolen by him.
"... There are ten people left, no more; and the rest have all recovered. It's already arranged like that, such an order. he will have time to enter the infirmary, as he is already healthy; and not so much with medicines, but with honesty and order ... "
Luka Lukic
Khlopov Luka Lukich is in charge of the educational institutions of the city and his departments for the collapse are no different from the previous ones. Teachers instill disgusting manners in their students, promising to raise a "worthy" replacement for the current generation of thieves. Khlopov, on the other hand, tries to please the bosses, but he does not care what and how happens in the affairs entrusted to him.
"... I can't, I can't, gentlemen. I confess, I've been brought up in such a way that if someone of higher rank speaks to me, I just don't have a soul and my tongue is stuck in the mud ..."
Postmaster Shpekin
There is also a complete mess going on in communication and communication services. Postmaster Shpekin shamelessly opens someone else's correspondence in order to be aware of any news, he leaves the letters he likes as a keepsake.
"... I know, I know ... Don't teach this, I do it not so much as a precaution, but more out of curiosity: death loves to know what's new in the world. I'll tell you that this is an interesting read. You will read another letter with pleasure - this is how various passages are described ... and what edification ... better than in Moskovskie Vedomosti!
Khlestakov
But the main charlatan among all this disgrace is Khlestakov, a petty clerical worker from St. Petersburg, who was mistakenly mistaken by the embezzled officials for a visiting auditor. On the way, Ivan Alexandrovich pretty much lost, and the “title” assigned to him in the city of N was most welcome. Khlestakov took full advantage of the existing misunderstanding. And after all the deeds of local officials surfaced, a message was received about the arrival of a real auditor, which, apparently, should be understood as the inevitably coming punishment.
"... I love cordiality, and, I confess, I like it more if they please me from a pure heart, and not out of interest ..."
N.V. Gogol in the comedy The Inspector General outlined a panorama of the life and customs of provincial Russia in the 1930s. 19th century. The county town N is presented as a realm of hypocrisy, deceit, pettiness of interests, pride, humiliated human dignity, prejudice and gossip. This is most clearly seen in the guise of Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, the family of the mayor, merchants and philistinism. The laws of the life of the town are most clearly represented in the images of officials.
During the reign of Nikolaev, the bureaucracy was distinguished by lust for power, theft of state property, bribes, and arrogance towards “little people”. This is how we see officials in the comedy "The Government Inspector".
Mayor
The main official in the comedy is the mayor - the smartest and most reasonable of all. He logically reflects on the reasons for the visit of the auditor. We see that with his life experience he is able to put in his place any fraudster. He does not shun bribes and often borrows money from the state treasury. With his subordinates, he is rude and arrogant, while with higher positions he is respectful and flattering. The rank of general becomes the main goal of his life.
Lyapkin-tyapkin
The speaking name of Lyapkin-Tyapkin immediately declares his efforts in the service and achievements in life. This is a judge who feels in himself the right to argue with the decisions of the mayor. The people around think of him as a highly educated person only because in his life he mastered 5 books. Such remarks emphasize the ignorance of the employees, the insignificant level of their education. He neglects his official duties, so there is never order in the court.
strawberries
The head of the hospital, Strawberry, is absolutely indifferent to his state affairs. The patients die one by one because the doctor hired by Strawberry doesn't understand a word of Russian. He is frightened by his reflections on the significance of the hospital for the common people: if a person is destined to die, he will die with medicines, and if fate has prepared for him life, then he will live without pills. Reasoning in this way, he does not buy medicines at all. It is not difficult for him to complain about one of his associates. And this is the first thing he does when he considers Khlestakov to be an auditor.
Khlopov
Education is in charge of Luka Lukich Khlopov, an official who is afraid of everything in the world, even louder than the usual sounding voice. Responsible for postal delivery, Shpekin adapted himself to open the letters of the townspeople and thus track all the secret movements of the city.
Khlestakov, who does not really belong to the circle of officials, becomes involved in the life of provincial officials by chance. He, a metropolitan employee, is so empty, frivolous, superficial that due to this it is very easy to merge into their society. Gogol shows by this that officials are the same throughout Russia.
It becomes scary that these are the people who govern Russia and establish laws. According to V.G. Belinsky, officials are "a corporation of official thieves and robbers."
