The main idea of Gogol's comedy The Inspector General. Ideological and artistic originality of N. V. Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General". Pushkin's participation in the creation of the comedy

“The Inspector General” is a comedy that every schoolchild, as well as adults, is familiar with. According to Gogol, he wanted to collect in this work “everything bad” that was happening in Russia at that time. The author wanted to show what injustice reigns in those places where justice is needed most. Characteristics of the characters will help you fully understand the theme of the comedy. “The Inspector General” is a comedy that showed the true face of bureaucracy at the beginning of the 19th century.

The main idea of "The Inspector General". What did the author want to show?

It is the characteristics of the characters that will help you understand the main thought and idea of the work. “The Inspector General” reflects the bureaucracy of that time and each character in the work helps the reader understand what the author wanted to say with this comedy.

It must be said that every action taking place in the comedy reflects the entire administrative-bureaucratic system. The image of officials in the comedy “The Inspector General” clearly shows readers of the 21st century the true face of the bureaucracy of that time. Gogol wanted to show what was always carefully hidden from society.

The history of the creation of "The Inspector General"

It is known that Gogol began working on the play in 1835. There are several versions about what was the reason for writing “The Inspector General”. However, it is worth noting that the traditional version is that the plot future comedy was suggested to the author by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. There is confirmation of this, which was found in the memoirs of Vladimir Sollogub. He wrote that Pushkin met Gogol, after which he told him about an incident that occurred in the city of Ustyuzhna: some passing, unknown gentleman robbed all the residents, posing as a ministry official.

Pushkin's participation in the creation of the comedy

There is another version, also based on the words of Sollogub, which suggests that Pushkin himself was once mistaken for an official when he was in Nizhny Novgorod in order to collect materials about the Pugachev rebellion.

While writing the play, Gogol communicated with Pushkin and informed him about how work on “The Inspector General” was going. It is worth noting that the author tried several times to quit working on the comedy, and it was Alexander Sergeevich who insisted that Gogol finish the work.

The image of officials in the comedy “The Inspector General” reflects the bureaucracy of that time. It is worth saying that the story underlying the work reveals the whole essence of the administrative and bureaucratic system of Russia at the beginning of the 19th century.

The image of the main characters in the comedy "The Inspector General". Table of officials

In order to understand the main idea and theme of the work, it is necessary to understand the images of the main characters in the comedy. All of them reflect the officialdom of that time and show the reader what injustice reigned where justice should have been above all.

The main characters of the comedy "The Inspector General". Table of officials. Brief description.

Official name	Brief description of the official
Gorodnichy Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky	Boss county town. This person always takes bribes and does not think that this is wrong. The mayor is sure that “everyone takes bribes, and the higher the rank, the greater the bribe.” Anton Antonovich is not afraid of the auditor, but he is alarmed that he does not know who will carry out the inspection in his city. It should be noted that the mayor is a self-confident, arrogant and dishonest person. For him there are no such concepts as “justice” and “honesty”. He is sure that bribes are not a crime.
Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin	Judge. He considers himself quite smart person, because I’ve read about five or six books in my life. It is worth noting that all the criminal cases that he handled are not in the best condition: sometimes even he himself cannot figure it out and understand where the truth is and where it is not.
Artemy Filippovich Strawberry	Artemy is a trustee of charitable institutions. It must be said that in hospitals there is only dirt, as well as a terrible mess. The sick walk around in dirty clothes, which makes it seem as if they have just been at work in a forge, and the cooks cook in dirty caps. Plus, to all the negative aspects, it is necessary to add that patients constantly smoke. Strawberry is confident that you should not burden yourself with finding out the diagnosis of the disease of your patients, because “a simple person: if he dies, then he will die, if he recovers, then he will recover.” From his words we can conclude that Artemy Filippovich does not care at all about the health of his patients.
Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin
Luka Lukich Khlopov	Luka Lukic is the superintendent of schools. It is worth noting that he is a very cowardly person.

The image of officials in the comedy “The Inspector General” shows what injustice reigned at that time. In courts, hospitals and other institutions, it would seem that there should be justice and honesty, but the images of officials in Gogol’s work clearly show that at the beginning of the 19th century, things were completely different throughout Russia.

The main idea of the comedy "The Inspector General". Theme of the work

Gogol said that in his work he wanted to collect all the “stupidity” that was observed at that time. The theme of the play is ridicule human vices: hypocrisy, fraud, self-interest, etc. The image of officials in the comedy “The Inspector General” is a reflection of the true essence of officials. The author of the work wanted to convey that they were unjust, dishonest and stupid. The bureaucrats cared absolutely nothing about ordinary people.

The comic nature of "The Inspector General"

The comicality of the work lies in the fact that instead of the auditor, whom everyone in the city was afraid of, an ordinary person arrived, deceiving all the officials.

"The Inspector General" is a comedy that shows the true face of Russian officials in the early 19th century. The author wanted to show: they were so unfair, pathetic and stupid that they could not distinguish ordinary person from a real auditor.

Valery Khudyashchev

Production plan

plays by N.V. Gogol “The Inspector General”

There is no point in blaming the mirror if your face is crooked.

Popular proverb

Part One. Director's analysis plays

Introduction

Of course, read more than once in school, the play “The Inspector General” stuck in my head as a light comedy, with a simple plot, but unusual twists and turns taking place around the imaginary inspector. At a more mature age, the text outlined for me more serious problems that reflected the era in which Gogol lived. And of course now that I took this work for stage production, it reads not like a play written more than a century and a half ago, but like a contemporary essay, in the style of newspaper articles. The exact facts of our life, modern technologies of power, the middle class, budget workers, relationships in the family and in general cultural values modern Russia- this is what I saw while reading Gogol’s immortal message again and again.

But despite...

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The history of the creation of Gogol's work "The Inspector General"

In 1835, Gogol began work on his main work - “ Dead souls" However, the work was interrupted. Gogol wrote to Pushkin: “Do me a favor, give me some kind of story, at least some kind, funny or unfunny, but a purely Russian joke. My hand is trembling to write a comedy in the meantime. Do me a favor, give me a plot, the spirit will be a five-act comedy, and I swear it will be funnier than the devil. For God's sake. My mind and stomach are both starving.” In response to Gogol's request, Pushkin told him a story about an imaginary auditor, about a funny mistake that entailed the most unexpected consequences. The story was typical for its time. It is known that in Bessarabia, the publisher of the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski, Svinin, was mistaken for an auditor. In the provinces, too, a certain gentleman, posing as an auditor, robbed the entire city. There were others similar stories, which Gogol’s contemporaries talk about. The fact that Pushkin's anecdote turned out to be so characteristic of Russian...

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What did Gogol laugh at? On the spiritual meaning of the comedy "The Inspector General"

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving themselves. For whoever hears the word and does not
performs, he is like a man looking at
the natural features of your face in the mirror. He looked
on himself, walked away, and immediately forgot what he was like.
Jacob 1, 22 - 24

My heart hurts when I see how wrong they are
People. They talk about virtue, about God, and yet they don’t
do nothing.
From Gogol's letter to his mother. 1833

"The Inspector General" is the best Russian comedy. Both in reading and in stage performance she is always interesting. Therefore, it is generally difficult to talk about any failure of The Inspector General. But, on the other hand, it is difficult to create a real Gogol performance, to make those sitting in the hall laugh with bitter Gogol laughter. As a rule, something fundamental, deep,...

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Story

The premiere of the comedy, which took place on April 19, 1836 on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, according to contemporaries, was a tremendous success. The mayor was played by Ivan Sosnitsky, Khlestakov by Nikolai Dur, - best actors of that time. “The general attention of the audience, applause, sincere and unanimous laughter, the challenge of the author...,” recalled Prince Pyotr Andreevich Vyazemsky, “there was no lack of anything.” At the same time, even the most ardent admirers of Gogol did not fully understand the meaning and significance of the comedy; the majority of the public perceived it as a farce. Many saw the play as a caricature of Russian bureaucracy, and its author as a rebel. According to Sergei Timofeevich Aksakov, there were people who hated Gogol from the moment The Inspector General appeared. Thus, Count Fyodor Ivanovich Tolstoy (nicknamed the American) said in a crowded meeting that Gogol is “an enemy of Russia and that he should be sent in chains to Siberia.” Censor Alexander Vasilyevich Nikitenko wrote in his diary 28...

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The basis of “The Inspector General” is the same idea as in “The Quarrel of Ivan Ivanovich with Ivan Nikiforovich”: in both works the poet expressed the idea of negating life, the idea of illusoryness, which received, under his artistic chisel, its objective reality. The difference between them is not in the main idea, but in the moments of life captured by the poet, in individuals and positions characters. In the second work we see emptiness, devoid of all activity; in The Inspector General there is an emptiness filled with the activity of petty passions and petty egoism. In order for his works to be artistic, that is, to represent a special, closed world in itself, he took from the lives of his heroes such a moment in which the entire integrity of their lives, its meanings, essence, idea, beginning and end were concentrated: in the first - a quarrel two friends, in the second - waiting and receiving the auditor. Everything alien to this quarrel and this expectation and reception of the auditor could not enter into the story and comedy, both of them started from the beginning and ended in...

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/ Works / Gogol N.V. / Inspector / Originality Gogol's laughter in the comedy "The Inspector General"

The originality of Gogol's laughter in the comedy "The Inspector General"

Critics call Gogol's comedy “The Inspector General” the best social comedy of its time. Created on the basis of the deepest insight into the essence of social phenomena, the comedy “The Inspector General” played an important role in the development of public self-awareness. High realism closely merged in “The Inspector General” with satire, satire - with the embodiment of social ideas. Explaining the meaning of “The Inspector General,” Gogol pointed to the role of laughter: “I am sorry that no one noticed the honest face that was in my play... This honest, noble face was laughter.” The writer set himself the goal of “laughing hard” at what is “worthy of universal ridicule,” because Gogol saw laughter as a powerful means of influencing society.
Gogol’s close friend, Aksakov, wrote that “modern Russian life does not provide material for comedy.” To which Gogol replied: “Comicism...

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Comedy by N.V. Gogol “The Inspector General”

Collection of works: N. V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General”

Artificiality humiliates and vulgarizes everything it touches...

D. I. Pisarev

In criticism, Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" is usually called the best social comedy of its time. Created on the basis of the deepest insight into the essence of social phenomena, the comedy "The Inspector General" played an important role in the development of public self-awareness. High realism closely merged in The Inspector General with satire, satire - with the embodiment of social ideas. Explaining the meaning of The Inspector General, Gogol pointed to the role of laughter: “I am sorry that no one noticed the honest face that was in my play... This honest, noble face was laughter.” The writer set himself the goal of “laughing hard” at what is “worthy of universal ridicule,” because Gogol saw laughter as a powerful means of influencing society.

Gogol's close friend, Aksakov, wrote that "modern Russian life does not provide material for comedy." Why...

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The play "The Inspector General"

History of creation

Gogol wrote the comedy "The Inspector General" in 1835. The plot of the play was suggested to him by Pushkin, who was once mistaken in a provincial town for an official who had come from St. Petersburg for an audit. Gogol used this anecdotal incident as a situation typical of the bureaucratic world.

The goal set by the author - “to make a good impact on society” - largely determined the specificity of the genre of the work. “The Inspector General” is a social comedy, it is not directed against individual, private vices public life(which is typical for most comedies that were staged at that time), but against all the shortcomings of society. The plot and plot conflict in the play are not family and...

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Essay on the topic "The Inspector General" (essay "The Inspector General" by Gogol).

"The Inspector General" is one of the most famous comedies in Russian literature. It is equally interesting in both prose and presentation, which makes it the best in its genre. Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol nurtured the idea of writing this play for a long time, as he decided to combine in it all the negative phenomena of the then social life in order to ridicule them and attract the attention of the people to them.

In the comedy “The Inspector General” N.V. Gogol describes the life of a small town during the reign of Nicholas I. It was no coincidence that the writer chose this particular period, because in early XIX centuries, the Russian Empire experienced stagnation in cultural and political life. In Gogol's small town, the reader can easily recognize Russia, which seems to have everything necessary for a good life, but at the same time everything is in decline. Here, as in a small state, there is a judicial system, a healthcare system, and there are educational institutions. Next, the author introduces...

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N.V. Gogol is considered the greatest satirist of Russian literature. All the images he created were topical and poignant in his time, and some of them remain relevant today. The comedy "The Inspector General" became the standard of satire and one of the main creations of the writer. This immortal and universally recognizable work greatly influenced all Russian literature. The much-wise Litrekon has studied this comedy in detail, so he advises you to read the analysis of the text, which outlines the main and basic things you need to know about Gogol’s creation.

Interesting facts have been preserved about the creation of “The Inspector General”:

The idea. The idea for the play was given to Gogol by A. S. Pushkin, telling about how in the city of Ustyuzhna Platon Volkov pretended to be an official of the third department and robbed many townspeople. Even a police report about this event was preserved, but the case was closed. Maybe this inspired the writer to write satire.
The purpose of the play "The Inspector General". Gogol said that he collected in this comedy all the worst things that exist in Russia in order to subject it to cruel ridicule.
Stage fate The play was not easy; the noble public greeted it with hostility. The comment of Emperor Nicholas I after the premiere was included in all the annals: “Everyone got it, but I got it more than anyone else.” However, the king himself, oddly enough, liked the comedy, and he advised all his ministers to go see it. It is also interesting that many agreed with him, although they considered the play a “stupid farce,” as one of them, E. F. Kankrin, said
Prototypes. It is believed that Nicholas the First himself became the prototype of the mayor. The prototype of Khlestakov was the St. Petersburg journalist Pavel Svinin, a pathological liar. About others real prototypes nothing is known.

Direction, genre

"The Inspector General" is an example of Russian realism. Despite the strong grotesqueness, the comedy aims to reflect real life people of that time. The characters fully correspond to the environment.

Genre of the work - social comedy satirical orientation. Everyday images are deliberately brought to the point of absurdity, and the narrative is seasoned with cruel ridicule of the vices of society.

The meaning of the title and ending

The name “Inspector” denotes the source of fear of officials - the inspector “from above” who came to control the work of the local authorities and report on it where it should be. It is fear that sets the plot of the comedy in motion and guides the actions of all the characters.

The title of the comedy best emphasizes the trait that Gogol most condemned - the fear of responsibility and punishment.

In addition, the title emphasizes the symbolism and meaning of the comedy's ending - he has arrived a real auditor, and all officials face real exposure. This is exactly what the author wanted. The arrival of the auditor became the everyday embodiment of a religious concept - doomsday. Gogol was a religious man and often wove biblical motifs into the fabric of his work.

Composition and Conflict

In his comedy, Gogol changes the traditional structure of the play.

The plot begins right away with the plot, when the mayor informs his subordinates about the threat of the auditor, which triggers the main conflict - the false inspector who arrived and the one who is mad with fear high society city N.
The exposition begins after the beginning, at the moment when the mayor is discussing the situation in the city.
The play then follows a classic pattern with a climax in the scene of Khlestakov’s boasting, a denouement at the moment of reading the letter that reveals the truth, and, finally, a finale - a silent scene that has gone down in history.

The composition of “The Inspector General” is circular. Here's what literary critic V. G. Nazirov wrote about her:

The announcement of the gendarme about the real inspector rounds out the composition, and this return “to square one” symbolizes the immobility of the system, in which forward motion is replaced by rotation in a vicious circle: the system is forever stalling.

The essence

The mayor of a small provincial town, Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, learns about the imminent arrival of an auditor from St. Petersburg. Having gathered the people responsible for city services, he begins feverishly preparing for the inspection, but local landowners - Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky - report a mysterious young man from St. Petersburg, which is in the city already very for a long time. The frightened city authorities conclude that this particular traveler is an auditor from the capital.

In fact, the mysterious young man is an ordinary petty official Ivan Khlestakov, who squandered all his money. He was not able to pay for the services at the tavern where he was staying, so he delayed leaving. In an effort to avoid punishment and achieve their goals, the most influential people in the city surround the passing Khlyshch with honor and attention. As a result, Khlestakov, having received numerous bribes and gifts, and also promising to marry the mayor’s daughter, leaves.

While preparing for the wedding, the mayor receives from a curious postmaster a letter from Khlestakov to a friend, in which the whole truth about the self-deception of the mayor is revealed. At this moment, Anton Antonovich is summoned by the real auditor who has completed his inspection of the city.

The main characters and their characteristics

Ivan Khlestakov- representative younger generation idle and stupid nobility. A mediocre fool. An idle gambler and a coward. Lives for today, striving to satisfy only the lowest human needs. He has a huge ego and a frivolous immoral character, so he easily agrees to an adventure and gladly deceives officials. As the author himself wrote in the stage directions for the actor playing the auditor: “Everything in him is a surprise and a surprise.”
Mayor Anton Antonovich Skovoznik-Dmukhanovsky is a dishonest official. Established his absolute power in the city. Ruthlessly tyrannizes those below him and grovels before those above him. Ignorant, rude and cowardly. Quite cunning, has repeatedly escaped punishment in the past, and has extensive connections.
Marya Antonovna- daughter of Anton Antonovich. An empty, unremarkable girl. Ignorant, vain and superficial. Dreams of a full-fledged social life in the capital. He easily succumbs to Khlestakov’s advances and lies. For the sake of wealth and honors, she is ready for any marriage.
Antonovich Antonovich's wife- no longer a young woman. She differs from her daughter only in age. Infantile, ambitious and stupid. He also succumbs to Khlestakov’s charms. Characterized by greed, arrogance and love of gossip.
Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin- city judge. Stupid and ignorant tyrant. He takes bribes with greyhound puppies.
Artemy Filippovich Strawberries- trustee of charitable institutions. A cheat and a scoundrel. For the sake of his survival, he did not hesitate to tell Khlestakov about the sins of his colleagues.
Luka Lukic Khlopov- superintendent of schools. A cowardly, irresponsible and pathetic person.
Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin- postmaster. Out of pure curiosity, he abuses his authority and opens other people's letters.
Christian Ivanovich Gibner- doctor. A German who does not know Russian.
Peter Dobchinsky and Peter Bobchinsky- landowners. They look alike like twin brothers. Chatty, fussy and stupid people. Gossipers.

Gogol very actively uses speaking surnames. With their help, the writer mockingly characterizes the activities of the characters and their character traits.

Table of officials in “The Auditor”:

speaking surname	meaning
Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky	comes from the Ukrainian variants of the words “draft” and “to blow”. the surname emphasizes the mayor’s ability to penetrate into any cracks and achieve goals by any means. Thus, he literally seeps through uniforms and service entrances, acquiring useful connections. for justice he was as elusive as the wind. the association with a draft shows its harmfulness and danger to the city.
Lyapkin-Tyapkin	The judge performs his work quickly, carelessly and poorly, for this feature people say: “he makes a blunder.” he never pays due attention to work, always strives to turn a blind eye to problems rather than solve them.
strawberries	the surname indicates the “sweetness” and baseness of the official’s character: strawberries spread along the ground and cling to everything that comes their way. So the hero sticks his nose everywhere, writes denunciations and slander.
Khlestakov	comes from the verb “whip”, which in Gogol’s time had a second meaning - to lie. Vladimir Dal in his dictionary writes about the meaning of such a surname as follows: “n an insolent, an impudent, a gossip, an idle crank, a parasite, a dandy, a rake, a shuffler and a red tape.”
shpekin	the speaking surname comes from Polish word"shpek", which means "spy". indeed, the postmaster constantly opens other people's letters and is more interested in other people's secrets than in his own life. It is he who debunks the myth of the auditor-Khlestakov.
claps	comes from the word "serf". The official himself does not hide his slavish nature and dependence on his superiors: “If someone of a higher rank would speak to me, I simply have no soul, and my tongue has withered into the dirt.”
gibner	the surname comes from the word “to perish.” the doctor cannot effectively treat patients because he does not speak Russian, so there is simply no medicine in the city.
whistlers	comes from the word "to whistle". this official talks more than he does, and in general is busy exclusively with entertainment and not with service.
keep your mouth	a curse against law enforcement officers who turn into cruel martinets and arbitrarily torture citizens. comes from two words: “hold” and “muzzle”.

Topics

The theme of the play “The Inspector General” is relevant to this day.

City theme. The provincial town is presented as a remote and nondescript outback, inhabited by wild and slovenly people. The townspeople live in an atmosphere of hatred towards the authorities and each other. At the same time, they are too stupid and passive to do anything, and can only rely on the mercy of the auditor. The top of the city considers its outback insignificant and with all its soul strives to the capital.
Law. The law in the city is shamelessly flouted by all layers of society. Officials are guided only by their own will. Even those who come to Khlestakov to ask for deliverance from the oppression of corrupt officials do not hesitate to give him large bribes and gifts themselves.
The world of bureaucracy. The officials are presented as a bunch of self-righteous tyrants. They openly break the law and take it for granted. At the same time, every official is ready to sell another official whole if it helps him avoid responsibility. Mutual envy is hidden under the mask of benevolence.
Mores of the city. Relations between townspeople are built on hypocrisy, fear and secret contempt. This is demonstrated in the scene when the auditor received the residents of the city and listened to their complaints. Then the merchants began to “drown” officials and complain about local authorities, which was sponsored by bribes all this time, and officials completely attacked each other just to save themselves.

Problems

Social and moral vices play main role in the book. Gogol created a whole kaleidoscope of problems Russian society, which were relevant in his days and remain topical to this day:

Lack of initiative and servile Russia. The writer emphasized the ubiquity of what was shown in the comedy. He was very concerned about the fate of the country, which was ruled by people like those whom he depicted in his work. But the most basic problem was the passivity and humility of the people, who not only tolerated lawlessness and injustice, but also actively participated in all this. If overnight the townspeople were caught up in places with the officials, they would continue to do the same thing: steal and waste their lives.
Bribes. Gogol gives a sharply negative picture of corruption in Russian Empire, portraying bribe takers as narrow-minded and rude people, indifferent to the fate of the country. It is no coincidence that almost all officials are depicted in the body, this is how the writer exposes their selfishness and greed: they appropriate all the country’s wealth for themselves, are already bursting with it, but cannot stop consuming.
Lie. The atmosphere of universal lies is well shown, when a person himself begins to believe in what he came up with and convinces others of it. In the bureaucratic environment, it is customary to be hypocritical and not speak frankly. Thus, at the slightest danger, officials who previously only praised each other begin to sharply criticize their colleagues. But the lie also shows on a more global level: the peripheral leaders mistook the frivolous fanfare Khlestakov for an auditor, because they had the same opinion about all the officials from the center and were ready to deceive them. They understood that the efficiency and power of the top were as ostentatious as their diligence and responsibility.
Embezzlement. The boundless cynicism of officials is shown. Theft of funds has reached such a scale that people are dying without receiving the most basic medical care.
Ignorance. All thieving officials are presented as extremely uneducated people. They have absolutely no understanding of management. An excellent example is the activities of Lyapkin-Tyapkin. The judge does not know how to work at all and does not know the laws.
Frivolity. None of the characters want to be held accountable for their actions. Nobody wants to work long and hard and improve themselves. Everyone strives to take the easy path and get everything without doing anything. The consequences are the last thing the heroes care about.
Reverence. Instead of working, officials only satisfy their ambitions and try to maintain their positions. Cruel, tyrannizing and suppressing the weak, they are ready to humiliate themselves before the strong and powerful people.

main idea

Injustice in our lives comes from stupid, greedy, dishonest and power-hungry nonentities who live for today and think only about themselves. These are truly pathetic individuals who will inevitably destroy themselves and all of Russia. As long as the country is ruled by mayors who are only interested in themselves and their success, they will block all initiatives from the center and sabotage any project. Interestingly, irresponsible officials are not special cases, they are a direct consequence of tyranny. The king does not obey the laws and can reward and execute arbitrarily, which means that it is safer for the subject to do nothing, because the slave is not responsible for anything: he has no free will, and no responsibility. This conclusion is the meaning of “The Inspector General”, namely: autocracy corrupts the nation, under its influence people become only slaves to whom the ideals of civic valor and honor are alien. The Tsar himself brought Russia to the position of the city of N, so the country needs a change of government.

Gogol wanted to ridicule the vices that prevent our country from developing, which make the life of an essentially rich people poor and slavish. Main idea the author’s goal is to show what not to do, and also to teach people to objectively evaluate their own and others’ actions, without smoothing over corners and without agreeing to compromises with their conscience.

The meaning of the silent scene in the finale reveals the author's intention in full: sooner or later all thieving officials will answer for their vices before the highest and incorruptible court. In the image of a real auditor, one can discern the highest justice of the heavenly court, which will not have mercy on sinners. They will also have to answer to the court of history, which mercilessly lynches the memory of those who turned out to be unworthy of their descendants.

What does it teach?

This comedy talks about how not to live. She teaches us that theft, careerism and lies are the lot of pathetic and stupid people. Nikolai Gogol ridicules petty-bourgeois greed and pettiness. After reading, each of us must draw a conclusion: what will such an irresponsible attitude towards everything and everyone lead to? According to the author, to the inevitability of an answer to justice.

Also, the writer in “The Inspector General” says that once a person steps onto a slippery slope, he will no longer be able to get off it, and sooner or later punishment will overtake him. This is the moral of the play, dictated by the open but expressive ending.

Criticism

The comedy was negatively received by conservative sections of society. But it was glorified by such outstanding critics as Belinsky and Aksakov, and warmly received by the public:

“This comedy was a complete success on stage: the general attention of the audience, applause, heartfelt and unanimous laughter, the challenge of the author after the first two performances, the greed of the audience for subsequent performances and, most importantly, its living echo, which was heard afterwards in widespread conversations - not a single one. what was not lacking (P. A. Vyazemsky)

Reviewers highlighted artistic features plays “The Inspector General” and the originality of the comedy:

“...Let’s move on to “The Inspector General.” Here, first of all, we must welcome in its author a new comic writer, with whom Russian literature can truly be congratulated. Mr. Gogol's first experience suddenly revealed in him an extraordinary gift for comedy, and also a kind of comedy that promises to place him among the most excellent writers of this kind.<…>"(O. I. Senkovsky)

“...I have already read The Inspector General; I read it four times and that’s why I say that those who call this play crude and flat did not understand it. Gogol is a true poet; After all, in the comic and funny there is also poetry. (K.S. Aksakov)

“In The Inspector General there are no better scenes, because there are no worse ones, but all are excellent, as necessary parts, artistically forming a single whole, rounded out by internal content, and not by external form, and therefore representing a special and closed world in itself.. "(V. G. Belinsky)

Even Tsar Nicholas I praised the play. Here is an excerpt from the memoirs of a contemporary:

He was the first to apply Gogol's satire to real persons. In one province, his carriage overturned on a bad road. Having recovered from his bruises, the emperor held a review of the local bureaucratic elite and said: “Where did I see these faces?” When the officials reached the point of proper shock, the sovereign remembered: “Ah, in Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General”!”

However, reactionary criticism, which always attacked Gogol, found a reason to criticize:

Later literary scholars carefully studied the text and described the meaning of the play and those aspects of it that seemed controversial to readers:

A. L. Slonimsky wrote:

“How could it happen that such an experienced servant as the mayor mistook “an icicle, a rag” for important person? Such a misunderstanding is possible only where blind veneration of rank prevails and no one thinks of doubting the words of the “superior”

R. G. Nazirov wrote:

In Khlestakov there is an exaggeration of political irresponsibility, typical of Nicholas Rococo, and in the mayor there is an exaggeration of readiness for “surprises”.

The relevance of “The Inspector General” has not faded to this day. Many expressions from it became catchphrases, and the names of the characters became common nouns.

The people depicted by Gogol in the comedy “The Inspector General” with amazingly unprincipled views and ignorance of any reader amaze and seem completely fictitious. But in fact, these are not random images. These are faces typical of the Russian province of the thirties XIX century, which can be found even in historical documents.

In his comedy, Gogol touches on several very important public issues. This is the attitude of officials to their duties and the implementation of the law. Oddly enough, the meaning of comedy is also relevant in modern realities.

The history of writing "The Inspector General"

Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol describes in his works rather exaggerated images of Russian reality of that time. At the moment the idea of a new comedy appeared, the writer was actively working on the poem “Dead Souls”.

In 1835, he turned to Pushkin regarding an idea for a comedy, expressing a request for help in a letter. The poet responds to requests and tells a story when the publisher of one of the magazines in one of the southern cities was mistaken for a visiting official. A similar situation, oddly enough, happened with Pushkin himself at the time when he was collecting materials to describe the Pugachev riot in Nizhny Novgorod. He was also mistaken for the capital's auditor. The idea seemed interesting to Gogol, and the very desire to write a comedy captured him so much that work on the play lasted only 2 months.

During October and November 1835, Gogol wrote the comedy in its entirety and a few months later read it out to other writers. Colleagues were delighted.

Gogol himself wrote that he wanted to collect everything bad that is in Russia into a single pile and laugh at it. He saw his play as a cleansing satire and a weapon in the fight against the injustice that existed in society at that time. By the way, the play based on Gogol’s works was allowed to be staged only after Zhukovsky personally made a request to the emperor.

Analysis of the work

Description of the work

The events described in the comedy “The Inspector General” take place in the first half of the 19th century, in one of the provincial towns, which Gogol simply refers to as “N”.

The mayor informs all city officials that he has received news of the arrival of the capital's auditor. Officials are afraid of inspections because they all take bribes, do poor work, and there is chaos in the institutions under their subordination.

Almost immediately after the news, a second one appears. They realize that a well-dressed man who looks like an auditor is staying at a local hotel. In fact, the unknown person is a minor official, Khlestakov. Young, flighty and stupid. The mayor personally showed up at his hotel to meet him and offer to move to his home, in much better conditions than the hotel. Khlestakov happily agrees. He likes this kind of hospitality. At this stage, he does not suspect that he has been mistaken for who he is.

Khlestakov is also introduced to other officials, each of whom hands him a large sum money, supposedly borrowed. They do everything so that the check is not so thorough. At this moment, Khlestakov understands who he was mistaken for and, having received a round sum, keeps silent that this is a mistake.

Afterwards, he decides to leave the city of N, having previously proposed to the daughter of the Mayor himself. Joyfully blessing the future marriage, the official rejoices at such a relationship and calmly says goodbye to Khlestakov, who is leaving the city and, naturally, is not going to return to it.

Before that main character writes a letter to his friend in St. Petersburg, in which he talks about the embarrassment that occurred. The postmaster, who opens all letters at the post office, also reads Khlestakov’s message. The deception is revealed and everyone who gave bribes learns with horror that the money will not be returned to them, and there has been no verification yet. At the same moment, a real auditor arrives in town. Officials are horrified by the news.

Comedy heroes

Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov

Khlestakov's age is 23 - 24 years. A hereditary nobleman and landowner, he is thin, thin and stupid. Acts without thinking about the consequences, has abrupt speech.

Khlestakov works as a registrar. In those days, this was the lowest-ranking official. He is rarely present at work, increasingly plays cards for money and takes walks, so his career is not moving forward. Khlestakov lives in St. Petersburg, in a modest apartment, and his parents, who live in one of the villages in the Saratov province, regularly send him money. Khlestakov does not know how to save money; he spends it on all kinds of pleasures, without denying himself anything.

He is very cowardly, loves to brag and lie. Khlestakov is not averse to hitting on women, especially pretty ones, but only stupid provincial ladies succumb to his charm.

Mayor

Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. An official who has grown old in the service, in his own way, is intelligent, and makes a completely respectable impression.

He speaks carefully and in moderation. His mood changes quickly, his facial features are hard and rough. He performs his duties poorly and is a swindler with extensive experience. The mayor makes money wherever possible, and is in good standing among the same bribe-takers.

He is greedy and insatiable. He steals money, including from the treasury, and unprincipledly violates all laws. He doesn’t even shun blackmail. A master of promises and an even greater master of keeping them.

The mayor dreams of being a general. Despite the mass of his sins, he attends church weekly. A passionate card player, he loves his wife and treats her very tenderly. He also has a daughter, who at the end of the comedy, with his blessing, becomes the bride of the nosy Khlestakov.

Postmaster Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin

It is this character, responsible for sending letters, who opens Khlestakov’s letter and discovers the deception. However, he opens letters and parcels on a regular basis. He does this not out of precaution, but solely for the sake of curiosity and his own collection of interesting stories.

Sometimes he doesn’t just read letters that he particularly likes, Shpekin keeps them for himself. In addition to forwarding letters, his duties include managing postal stations, caretakers, horses, etc. But this is not what he does. He does almost nothing at all and therefore the local post office works extremely poorly.

Anna Andreevna Skvoznik-Dmukhanovskaya

Mayor's wife. A provincial coquette whose soul is inspired by novels. She is curious, vain, loves to get the better of her husband, but in reality this only happens in small things.

An appetizing and attractive lady, impatient, stupid and capable of talking only about trifles and the weather. At the same time, he loves to chat incessantly. She is arrogant and dreams of a luxurious life in St. Petersburg. The mother is not important because she competes with her daughter and boasts that Khlestakov paid more attention to her than to Marya. One of the entertainments for the Governor's wife is fortune-telling on cards.

The mayor's daughter is 18 years old. Attractive in appearance, cutesy and flirtatious. She is very flighty. It is she who, at the end of the comedy, becomes Khlestakov’s abandoned bride.

Composition and plot analysis

The basis of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol’s play “The Inspector General” is an everyday joke, which was quite common in those days. All the comedy images are exaggerated and, at the same time, believable. The play is interesting because all its characters are interconnected and each of them, in fact, acts as a hero.

The plot of the comedy is the arrival of the inspector expected by the officials and their haste in drawing conclusions, because of which Khlestakov is recognized as the inspector.

What is interesting about the composition of the comedy is the absence of love intrigue and love line, as such. Here vices are simply ridiculed, which, according to the classical literary genre receive punishment. Partly they are already orders for the frivolous Khlestakov, but the reader understands at the end of the play that even greater punishment awaits them ahead, with the arrival of a real inspector from St. Petersburg.

Through simple comedy with exaggerated images, Gogol teaches his reader honesty, kindness and responsibility. The fact that you need to respect your own service and comply with the laws. Through the images of heroes, each reader can see his own shortcomings, if among them are stupidity, greed, hypocrisy and selfishness.

About the idea of his wonderful comedy “The Inspector General,” Gogol wrote: “In “The Inspector General,” I decided to collect in one pile everything bad in Russia that I knew then... and laugh at everything at once.”

Gogol made the officials of the district town the heroes of the comedy. Thanks to a seemingly simple plot device (a passing petty official is mistaken for an auditor), the author fully reveals the characters' characters, their morals and habits.
What is Russia like in miniature - a city from which “even if you ride for three years, you won’t reach any state”? “There are taverns on the streets, uncleanliness! “Near the old fence, “near the shoemaker, ... all kinds of rubbish were piled on forty carts.” A church at a charitable institution, “for which a sum was allocated five years ago, ... began to be built, but burned down” ... And how do the “merchants” and “citizens” live? Some were robbed, some were flogged, some had bruises on their cheekbones from Derzhimorda’s zeal; the prisoners are not fed, the hospitals stink, and the sick “are all recovering like flies.”
Having learned about the upcoming visit of the state inspector, city officials immediately try to restore order in their city. But what do their efforts amount to? To maintain external decency (removing a hunting rifle that was hanging in the presence, cleaning the street along which the auditor will travel). “As for the internal regulations and what Andrei Ivanovich calls sins in his letter, I cannot say anything. Yes, and it’s strange to say: there is no person who does not have some sins behind him. This is how God himself arranged it,” says the mayor.
Thus, Gogol shows that everyday life provincial town determined by the attitude of officials towards their service. We see that those who, by virtue of their public duty, are called upon to resist lawlessness and take care of the welfare of the townspeople, are mired in bribery, drinking, card games and gossip. The mayor, for example, proudly announces: “I have been living in the service for thirty years! He deceived three governors! “The judge echoes him: “I tell you frankly that I take bribes, but with what bribes? Greyhound puppies. This is a completely different matter.” The postmaster, having listened to the instructions (“to print out every letter a little”), naively admits: “I know, I know, you don’t teach this, I do this not so much out of precaution, but more out of curiosity: I love to know what’s new in the world.” .
All the images of officials created by Gogol in the comedy “The Inspector General” embody typical features characteristic of civil servants of Nikolaev Russia. In addition to vulgarity and duplicity, they are distinguished by extremely low education. We see that the most “well-read” of the characters is Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin - in his entire life he has read five or six books and “therefore is somewhat freethinking.”
Complete unscrupulousness, selfish calculation, abuse of official position - these are the morals county officials. It is interesting that embezzlement, bribery, robbery of the population - these inherently terrible vices - are shown by Gogol as everyday and even completely natural phenomena.
And then an auditor appears in the city incognito, posing a danger to all officials, but especially to the mayor. After all, he has the first demand, and his sins are more serious: not only “fur coats and shawls” and “coaches of goods from merchants” float into his hands, but also the state treasury, funds allocated for the improvement of the city, for social needs. And this cannot be corrected with a quick order: “you cannot remove mountains of garbage, you cannot cover empty spaces and ruins with straw, you cannot build a church, and most importantly, you cannot force all the offended to be silent.”
The comical aspect of the situation is that it is not the auditor who lives in the hotel, but a pathetic “elistrate” who squandered all his money in St. Petersburg. And officials are in awe of him. The mayor himself did not recognize the “whip” or “dummy”. The even more frightened Anton Antonovich perceives every remark of the frightened Khlestakov in a completely different sense. The fact that Khlestakov was mistaken for an auditor indicates the extent to which officials are intimidated by such inspectors.