Khlestakov and Khlestakovism (based on N.V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General”) Option 1

In the comedy “The Inspector General” N.V. Gogol pursued the goal of “collecting in a heap all the bad things that exist in Russia, all the injustices that are done in those places and in those cases where justice is most required from a person, and at the same time laugh over everything." To realize his idea, the writer created a whole gallery of bright characters. One of them is Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov.

The author himself gives a fairly accurate and detailed description of Khlestakov in “Notes for Gentlemen Actors.” According to Gogol, Ivan Alexandrovich is “stupid and, as they say, without a king in his head - one of those people who in the offices are called empty.” In addition, Khlestakov “speaks and acts without any consideration,” “he is unable to pay constant attention to any thought,” “his speech is abrupt, and words fly out of his mouth completely unexpectedly.”

This “inner content” of Khlestakov fully explains his actions. An unrestrained card player, he easily gets away with all the money his father sent him. In this, the hero does not know the limits and comes to the point that he not only pawns his own clothes, but also loses the opportunity to pay for a bowl of soup. At the same time, he does not at all repent of his actions and at the first opportunity he is again ready to throw himself into the maelstrom of the game.

For obvious reasons, Khlestakov is not advancing in his career, and for this he is rightly reproached by his father, who is probably tired, at his son’s request, of endlessly sending certain sums to St. Petersburg, which are wasted again and again by the “children.” Khlestakov does not feel guilty before his father. On the contrary, he scolds him as a “donkey” and expresses all sorts of dissatisfaction regarding his trip to the Saratov province.

Khlestakov does not know the feeling of his homeland. For him, his home is a hole where he cannot “shine” and have fun. The men working for the hero evoke only contempt in him. Despite the lack of any reason, Khlestakov considers himself too high a person to be among ordinary people.

Khlestakov loves to show off. At the same time, he never compares the desired with the possible. Despite his unenviable financial situation, the hero is dressed in the latest fashion, he dreams of riding in an expensive carriage along the central streets of St. Petersburg and “making an impression.” Having received a refusal at the hotel to give him lunch, the hungry Khlestakov does not feel humiliated, he is not ashamed that he was not paid for the previous meal and that he is about to be put out on the street. He does not look for a way out of the current situation, but only aggravates it. Khlestakov is a coward. When the mayor unexpectedly appears in front of him in the hotel, Ivan Alexandrovich, unable to answer for his actions and deathly afraid of prison, experiences a real shock.

Among other things, Khlestakov is a liar, the likes of which the world has never seen.” The enchanting scene of his lies at the mayor’s reception is one of the most striking in the comedy. From a minor official, the hero rises in a few minutes almost to the “commander-in-chief” who “goes to the palace every day”, to whom Pushkin himself is a great friend and whom everyone fears and respects. Starting with little things, Khlestakov goes further and further in his lies and can no longer stop. He is such an important person that at the first need, “thirty-five thousand couriers” are looking for him, because without him there is no one to manage the department. At the sight of him, the soldiers joyfully salute, soup in a saucepan comes to him from Paris itself. Khlestakov gets so excited that he ceases to distinguish between the real world and the one in which he really lives. Being “in a fairy tale,” he gets more and more pleasure from it and, realizing that nothing prevents this; embellishes it right on the go: “Why am I lying, I forgot that I live in the mezzanine.” In all this lie, the soul of a person for whom everything in life is measured in rubles is revealed.

To top it all off, Khlestakov is a hero-lover, involving the mayor’s wife and daughter into his intrigue at the same time. Pursuing the goal of having fun, he does not think about what reputation Marya Antonovna will remain with after his escape and how she will exist in a provincial town. Without fear of exposure, Khlestakov tries to charm both mother and daughter, easily throwing himself from the feet of one to the feet of the other, singing his simple praises to both. From words, not wanting to follow moral laws, the hero immediately moves on to actions and “gives” Marya Antonovna a kiss.

Khlestakov does not immediately recognize who he was mistaken for. But having guessed, he gladly takes bribes under the guise of “borrowing”. With each bribe he noticeably changes and gets a taste for it. So Ivan Aleksandrovich directly asks Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky: “Don’t you have money?” He begins to demand money from every visitor.

The Khlestakovs still live today. And this phenomenon received the name “Khlestakovism.” Today Khlestakov is the embodiment of spiritual emptiness, deceit, stupidity, posturing, empty fanfare and dishonor. Khlestakov in “The Inspector General” is a symbolic, generalized image of a man who, as Gogol himself noted, “has become all lies, without even noticing it.”

Khlestakov would have made a good actor, because he successfully played the role of an auditor. But still there were moments when he gave himself away. In the second act of the comedy, when the mayor comes to Khlestakov, he behaves scared and uncertain, promising to pay the mayor. But the mayor was convinced that this was an auditor before him, and therefore Ivan’s words did not seem strange to him.

Because of the “extreme lightness in his head,” Khlestakov lies without thinking. He has believed his own lies so much that he no longer thinks about what he is saying. Therefore it

words reach the point of absurdity. In the third act, Ivan exposes himself with his lies, he no longer hesitates to invent the unthinkable about himself and behaves confidently, which does not arouse suspicion among his interlocutors. He said that he wrote “Yuri Milossky”, the author of which is Zagoskin. But Marya Antonovna knew who the real author was. Khlestakov was not taken aback: “... this is definitely Zagoskina; and there is another “Yuri Milosky”, so that one is mine.”

And, of course, Khlestakov finally exposed himself in the last action. He wrote a letter to his friend about what happened: “Based on my St. Petersburg physiognomy and costume, the whole city took me for the Governor General.” If it were not for the impudence of the postmaster who opened the letter, perhaps this would have remained a secret. But no matter how hard Ivan tried to hide the whole truth about himself, he was exposed due to his own stupidity.

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N. V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” has long been widely circulated with quotes and sharp comparisons, as they very aptly reflect human nature. This work, which the great writer wrote in 1835, is still relevant today. Because it describes with the clearest accuracy the most diverse traits of human character, in particular its main character. A coward, a braggart, a self-confident person - this is a short image of Khlestakov. In the comedy “The Inspector General” these features are revealed richly and vividly.

Deception of the century

This work begins with the fact that in one county town they are waiting for a very important person - an auditor who is going on an important inspection. And then a gentleman arrives, very modest and businesslike. The author paints a brief image of Khlestakov in the comedy “The Inspector General” with very positive colors. Ivan Vladimirovich, that’s the name of the newcomer, of a very “pleasant appearance.” It does not make a stunning impression and is not even remarkable in any way. But if you look closely at the hero, he is very worthy of attention.

The circumstances were such that Khlestakov was mistaken for an important person. And he, instead of immediately correcting the misunderstanding, instantly gets into character. This is where the most hidden qualities of his character appear.

The Loser and the Little Man

An ordinary ordinary person of that time - this is a brief image of Khlestakov in the comedy “The Inspector General,” which the author draws to us at the beginning. He lives in a world that is full of various temptations and enticements. But the Northern capital refuses to accept him into its ranks. After all, Khlestakov does not have a high enough position, but he does not shine with a special mind, does not possess any sparkling talents. He can safely be classified as one of the banal losers who came to conquer St. Petersburg. But the hero clearly overestimated his strength - both financial and moral. He is an ordinary little man in a big capital.

But here fate gives you such a chance - to demonstrate that you are an outstanding person. And Khlestakov enthusiastically rushes into

County nobility

What society does the main character fall into? This is an environment of small landed nobility, whose representatives are only concerned with emphasizing their importance and greatness. Each resident of the county town tries to highlight the shortcomings of the other in order to prove that he is the best. The characters in Gogol's The Inspector General are swaggering, sometimes stupid, but consider themselves to be the local aristocracy.

And so Khlestakov, an ordinary little clerk, finds himself in such a society, as the author writes about him - “neither this nor that.”

A reasonable question arises: why didn’t the main character immediately admit that he was not who they thought he was? But the author does not answer this question - maybe he just wanted to play at being an important person?

The brief image of Khlestakov in the comedy “The Inspector General” can be described as follows: he is a man who is too far from ideal, he is a player, he is a petty reveler. Khlestakov believes that comfort should dominate, and worldly pleasures should come first. He sees nothing wrong with fooling scammers. Moreover, he is sure that he is doing a “holy work.”

Gogol created a wonderful image of a braggart and a coward who does not strive for anything and simply wastes his life. He is “one of those people who are called empty-headed in the offices.”

By the way, Khlestakov’s quotes from “The Inspector General” very aptly and vividly characterize a certain circle of people. The exact characteristics given to the heroes in a few words quite accurately reflect their inner essence.

It is interesting that, in addition to the real person, there is a certain ghost in the hero who takes revenge on him with fantastic self-affirmation. He tries his best to not be who he really is, but it desperately fails. But even Khlestakov’s own lackey openly despises the master. This is how he speaks of his master: “It would be nice if there was really something worthwhile, otherwise he’s just a simple little elistrat.”

Both a braggart and a scoundrel

Khlestakov has a good pedigree. He was born into the family of an old-world landowner, in the outback of Russia. But for some reason he was unable to maintain contact with his family, or with the people, or with the land. He does not remember his kinship and from this he becomes, as it were, an artificial person who jumped out of the “Petrine table of ranks.” He speaks quite disparagingly about his father: “They, the idiots, don’t even know what it means to ‘order to accept’.” Such quotes from Khlestakov from “The Inspector General” once again emphasize that the hero does not honor, and even tries to make fun of, his old father.

But this does not prevent him from taking money from his “uneducated father” and spending it at his own discretion.

Narcissistic, gambling, boastful - this is a brief image of Khlestakov in the comedy “The Inspector General”. He arrived at the hotel and immediately demanded the most delicious lunch, because he was allegedly not used to anything else. He loses all his money, but cannot stop. He insults the servant and yells at him, but at some points he warmly listens to his advice.

And what a lot of boasting! Without blinking an eye, he declares that he has an excellent command of the pen, and he personally wrote such famous works as “Robert the Devil” and “Fenella” in one evening. He doesn’t even suspect that these are not books, but operas!

And even when the mayor’s daughter catches him in a lie and remembers the real author of the work - “Yuri Miloslavsky”, Khlestakov immediately declares that he has exactly the same composition.

One can only envy such an ability to instantly adapt and not get discouraged! To impress ordinary people, he constantly spouts French words, which he knows only a few. It seems to him that this makes his speech secular, but in fact his flow of words causes laughter. He does not know how to finish his thought, so he quickly changes topics, jumping from one to another. When he needs something, he can be affectionate and polite. But as soon as Khlestakov gets his way, he immediately begins to be rude and rude.

There is no morality, there is only profit

There are no moral restrictions for Khlestakov. He is an empty and frivolous person who is concerned only with his own well-being. And when officials come to him to give him a basic bribe, he takes it for granted. At first, when they give money for the first time, he is unusually embarrassed and even drops it out of excitement. But when the postmaster comes in, Khlestakov accepts the money more confidently. At Strawberry's, he simply demands them with vigor. For now, he is confident in his soul that he is borrowing these funds and will certainly pay them back. But as soon as he realizes that he has been confused with an important person, Khlestakov instantly adapts to the situation and decides to take advantage of such a great chance.

The place of comedy in world literature

Gogol, “The Inspector General”, Khlestakov - these words have firmly entered world literature. The concept of “Khlestakovism” has become a common symbol of deception, trickery and narrow-mindedness.

The author managed to so accurately reflect the character of the main character in his work that deceitful and vicious people are still very often called in one word - Khlestakov. A rogue and a rogue, he never drew any conclusions from his situation, remaining in the vile confidence that next time he would certainly be lucky.

City officials have gathered in a room in the house of Mayor Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, to whom the owner reads a letter received from a friend stating that an auditor from St. Petersburg has been sent to their city incognito. The mayor points out to officials the shortcomings occurring in their departments and warns against taking bribes in the near future. The postmaster appears. They tell him the news, and Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky asks him to look through the letters to see if there is any report in them. It turns out that the postmaster has been reading letters for his own pleasure for a long time.

Khlestakov is mistaken for an auditor

Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky enter. They say that a certain Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov, a young man of about twenty-three, was staying at the hotel, allegedly traveling from St. Petersburg to the Saratov province. He's been living here for two weeks now and hasn't paid a penny. All officials unanimously decide that this is the auditor. The mayor tells the policeman to clean up the street near the tavern and gets ready to go to the hotel.

At the hotel, Osip, Khlestakov’s servant, lies alone on his master’s bed and argues with himself that the owner has lost at cards again and now they have nothing to go on. Ivan Alexandrovich enters. This is a young man of pleasant appearance, not very intelligent. He orders lunch to be served on credit, and after much wrangling they bring him soup and chicken.

He and Osip eat everything in an instant, and Khlestakov complains that he was not given sauce and cakes. The servant reports that the mayor has arrived. Khlestakov is scared, he doesn’t understand what’s going on. Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky enters and begins to talk very respectfully with the guest, who, thinking that they want to evict him for non-payment, makes excuses and promises to pay for the hotel. The mayor invites him to move to another apartment, but Khlestakov, believing that they want to put him in prison, refuses. He admits that he has no money, and Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky believes that the newcomer does not want to be revealed incognito. The mayor invites Khlestakov to his place.

In the mayor's house, his wife Anna Andreevna and daughter Marya Antonovna stand at the window and wait for the official to arrive from St. Petersburg. Dobchinsky appears instead, tells the ladies about Khlestakov and passes on a note from the mayor to prepare a room and the best dinner for the visitor. The ladies go to dress up. Osip appears with the master's luggage.

Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, Khlestakov and officials arrive after inspecting the city. At the hospital, which was examined among other establishments, the guest was given an excellent breakfast, and he was very pleased. He is introduced to the ladies. Khlestakov begins to weave about his luxurious life in St. Petersburg, talks about the magic soup that is delivered to him straight from Paris. about a watermelon for seven hundred rubles and the like. He goes so far as to agree that he is a writer, on friendly terms with Pushkin, he can easily go to the palace to see the Tsar, who consults with him on state affairs, and will soon promote him to field marshal. Everyone is amazed and scared. The mayor respectfully takes the guest to another room to rest. The officials leave, the ladies, who really liked Khlestakov, share their impressions. Osip appears and they begin to ask him about the owner. The servant speaks so vaguely that Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky becomes even more frightened and gives him money.

Khlestakov pursues the wife and daughter of the Governor

Khlestakov slept well and was happy with everything. All the city officials come to him in turn and give bribes. He does not understand what this money is for, but he accepts it with pleasure. Then he writes a letter to his friend Tryapichkin about everything that happened, telling Osip to send him and take the travel document. The servant, sensing evil, persuades the owner to leave as soon as possible. Merchants appear with petitions, Khlestakov takes money from them. Then he begins to care for the mayor’s daughter, compliments her, finally confesses his love and kisses her on the shoulder. Marya Antonovna is indignant. Khlestakov falls to his knees in front of her and asks for forgiveness, at this time Anna Andreevna enters the room and drives her daughter away. The young man, remaining on his knees, swears his love now to his mother. She doesn't know what to answer. Then Marya Antonovna returns. Khlestakov gets out of a difficult situation by asking Anna Andreevna for her daughter’s hand in marriage. Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky appears. Ivan Alexandrovich also begs him to marry Marya Antonovna, the Mayor blesses them.

Khlestakov leaves the city

Osip approaches and declares that the horses have been served. Khlestakov says goodbye to everyone and, having begged for money for the trip, leaves, promising to return soon. Those who remain begin to dream of a wonderful future: Skvoznik - Dmukhanovsky - about ranks and orders, ladies about metropolitan life. Officials and merchants come with congratulations and gifts. Everyone is very happy, but then the Postmaster appears with a printed letter in his Hands.

2.7 / 5. 3

Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov is an ambiguous and contradictory personality. The author himself mentioned this more than once. Khlestakov can hardly be called a swindler and an adventurer, because he does not consciously pose as a “significant person”, but only takes advantage of circumstances. But the hero has an adventurous streak and a penchant for cheating. An honest person would immediately refute the erroneous opinions of others and would not lend money, knowing that he would never return it. And I certainly wouldn’t care for a mother and daughter at the same time.

Khlestakov is a grandiose liar, he deceives everyone as easily and inspiredly as children do when they compose fables about themselves and their loved ones. Ivan Alexandrovich enjoys his fantasies and even believes in them. According to Gogol, Khlestakov “lies with feeling,” without any plan or self-interest.

A young man of twenty-three years old, "pleasant looking", official of the lowest rank, "simple elestratishka", poor, and even completely lost at cards - this is how the hero appears before us at the beginning of the play. He is hungry and begs the inn servant to bring at least some food. Khlestakov came from the provinces to conquer the capital, but due to lack of connections and financial opportunities he remains a failure. Even the servant treats him with disdain.

Gogol did not choose this surname for his hero by chance. It clearly shows associations with verbs "whip", "whip" and expression "capital whip", which is quite consistent with the image.

The author described his character this way: "a little stupid", "doesn't care about business", "a clever man", "dressed in fashion". And here are the words of Khlestakov himself: “I have an extraordinary lightness of mind”. And this is not just frivolity. The hero jumps from subject to subject in conversation with lightning speed, judges everything superficially and does not think about anything seriously. Irresponsibility, spiritual emptiness, blurred moral principles erase any boundaries in Khlestakov’s behavior and conversation.

At first, Alexander Ivanovich simply takes bribes, and then he extorts them himself. He is not at all discouraged by Anna Andreevna’s remark that she is married. Khlestakov's motto: “After all, you live to pick flowers of pleasure”. He easily moves from the role of a bribe taker to the role of a defender of the oppressed, from a timid supplicant to an arrogant "master of life".

Khlestakov, like most narrow-minded people, believes that to succeed you do not need to make serious efforts, have knowledge and talent. In his opinion, chance, luck, like winning at a card table, is enough. Writing like Pushkin or running a ministry is a pleasure. Anyone who is at the right time and in the right place can do this. And if fortune smiles on him, why should he miss his chance?

Khlestakov does not achieve rank, fame and wealth through intrigue, deceit and crime. He is too simple, stupid and lazy for this. For a long time, he doesn’t even understand why the city elite is so fussy about him. Random circumstances elevate Khlestakov to the top of the social pyramid. Crazy with joy and tipsy, the hero voices his dreams to enthusiastic listeners, passing them off as reality with such sincere conviction that experienced officials do not suspect deception. Even outright absurdity and a heap of complete absurdities do not dispel the intoxication of veneration.

For example, the mayor does not look stupid and naive. “I deceived scammers on scammers.”, he says about his thirty years of service. But as if under hypnosis, he does not notice the absurdity of the stories of the imaginary auditor and future son-in-law. The entire bureaucratic fraternity of the district town of N believes, like Khlestakov, that money and connections can do anything. Therefore, such a young man is quite capable of occupying the highest position. They are not at all surprised that he is in the palace every day, plays cards with foreign ambassadors and will soon be promoted to field marshal.

I wonder what life "high society" Khlestakov represents it very approximately. His imagination is only enough for fantastic quantities, sums and distances: a watermelon for seven hundred rubles, soup straight from Paris, thirty-five thousand couriers. “Speech is abrupt, comes out of the mouth unexpectedly”, the author writes about his hero. Khlestakov practically doesn’t think, so he doesn’t have aside lines like other characters.

However, the hero sincerely considers himself smarter and more worthy than stupid provincials. A complete nonentity with grandiose claims, a liar, a coward and a flighty braggart, Khlestakov is a product of his era. But Gogol created an image that carries universal human vices. Today, corrupt officials are unlikely to mistake such a dummy for an auditor, but each of us has a little of Khlestakov.

• “The Inspector General”, analysis of the comedy by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol
• "The Inspector General", a summary of the actions of Gogol's comedy