“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 true face officials 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 of the 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 happened 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 main idea and the 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. A brief description of.
| Official name | Brief description of the official |
Gorodnichy Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky | Head of the 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 a pretty smart person, because he has read about five or six books in his 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 to 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 an ordinary person from a real auditor.
Let's consider famous play, which Nikolai Vasilyevich created in 1836, let’s analyze it. (the work) was assessed as an accumulation of all the injustices that were constantly happening in places, especially at a time when justice was extremely necessary. The author described everything bad that he observed in society (in the bureaucratic sphere) and laughed at it. In addition to laughter, however, the reader also sees that Gogol (“The Inspector General”) describes the events with bitterness.
We begin our analysis of the play by indicating the main conflict.
Conflict in the play
The construction of the conflict in this work is based on a funny coincidence. It is accompanied by panic among officials who are afraid that their scams may be exposed. An auditor will soon visit the city, so the best option for them is to identify and bribe this person. The action of the work revolves around deception, which is so common among officials, as analysis shows.
Gogol created The Inspector General in order to expose the vices of those in power, typical of that time. The main conflict in the work is between the bureaucratic world, which embodies the autocratic system, and the people oppressed by it. The hostility of officials towards the masses is felt from the very first lines. The people are subjected to violence and oppressed, although this conflict was not directly shown in the comedy by Gogol ("The Inspector General"). His analysis develops latently. In the play, this conflict is complicated by another one - between the “auditor” and the bureaucracy. The disclosure of this conflict allowed Gogol to acutely expose and vividly describe both representatives of the local district government and a minor metropolitan official who came to the city, and also show at the same time their anti-people essence.
Bribery and corruption in the work
All the heroes of the comedy have their sins, as its analysis makes clear. Gogol (“The Inspector General”) notes that each of them, due to dishonest performance of their official duties, fears the upcoming arrival of the auditor. Officials are unable to reason sensibly out of fear. They believe that it is the self-confident and arrogant Khlestakov who is the auditor. A progressive dangerous disease - a lie - is demonstrated by Gogol ("The Inspector General"). cannot be carried out without focusing on this characteristic feature.
The author ironically and accurately exposes the issue of bribes. The blame for bribery and corruption, in his opinion, lies with both sides. However, this is so familiar to society that officials, when the imaginary auditor mentions money, breathe a sigh of relief: he can be bribed, which means everything will be settled. Bribery is thus taken for granted and natural. The absence of positive officials in the play is very familiar to readers of any time. After all, the “auditorship” in Russia has not yet stopped, despite all the coups.
Many visitors rush to Khlestakov with requests. There are so many of them that they have to break through the windows. Requests and complaints are doomed to remain unanswered. Officials, in turn, are not embarrassed by the need to humiliate themselves. They are ready to fawn over their superiors, because the reckoning will begin with his departure - they can take it out on their subordinates, humiliating them. Society is destroyed by low morality, says Gogol (“The Inspector General”). Analysis of the work allows us to note that in the play she accompanies anyone who has achieved at least some kind of power.
Stupidity and ignorance of officials
Khlestakov understands that the officials who met him are uneducated and stupid. This allows the main character of the play to not even bother remembering the lies he told. Officials always echo him, presenting Khlestakov’s deception in a truthful form. This benefits everyone; no one is embarrassed by lies. The main thing is that Khlestakov can get money, and officials can take a breath.
Breadth of generalizations of characters, off-stage images
The play created by N.V. Gogol (“The Inspector General”) begins with a letter notifying about the upcoming inspection. Analyzing it, we can note that it ends with him. The ending of the work becomes laconic - Khlestakov’s letter reveals the truth. All that remains is to wait for the real auditor. There is no doubt that officials will once again repeat the flattering bribery. Changing characters will not affect the outcome - the immorality has reached that extent. Officials will be replaced over time by their own kind, since the corruption of a person comes from personal uncontrollability, and not from power.
Carrying out an analysis of Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General", we note that the breadth of generalization of the characters in the play is expressed in the fine finishing of the characters acting in the comedy. In addition, the introduction of off-stage images expands the gallery of characters. These are bright life characters that help deepen the characteristics of the people shown on stage. For example, this is Khlestakov’s father, his St. Petersburg friend Tryapichkin, housekeeper Avdotya, Dobchinsky’s son and wife, innkeeper Vlas, Zemlyanika’s daughter, the infantry captain who beat Khlestakov in Penza, the visiting inspector, the quarterly Prokhorov and others.
Life phenomena typical for Nikolaev Russia
The comedy mentions various life phenomena that were typical for Nikolaev Russia at that time. This creates a broad panorama of community life. So, the merchant makes money from the construction of the bridge, and the mayor helps him with this. The judge has been sitting on the bench for 15 years, but still cannot figure out yet another memorandum. The mayor celebrates name days twice a year, expecting gifts for them from merchants. The postmaster opens other people's letters. The district doctor does not speak Russian.
Abuses by officials
The comedy talks about many abuses of officials. All of them were characteristic of the era of cruel tyranny. A married mechanic had his forehead illegally shaved. The non-commissioned officer's wife was whipped. Prisoners are not given provisions. The amount allocated for the construction of a church at a charitable institution is spent at their own discretion, but the report says that the church burned down. The mayor locks the merchant in a room and forces him to eat herring. The patients wear dirty caps, giving them a resemblance to blacksmiths.
Lack of a positive hero
It should be noted that readers learn about the criminal acts committed by officials from their own lips, and not from the actions of the work “The Inspector General” (Gogol) shown on stage. Analysis of heroes allows us to identify some other interesting features. Confirmation that illegal acts are happening in the bureaucratic world are also the complaints of people oppressed by officials, especially the mayor. The center of gravity shifts to socio-political phenomena. Gogol did not introduce into his play a positive hero, a reasoner and bearer of virtuous qualities, who is the mouthpiece of the author’s thoughts. The most positive hero is laughter, which destroys social vices and the foundations of the autocratic regime.
Image of Khlestakov
The image of Khlestakov is central in the work. Let's analyze it. Gogol portrayed the “auditor” as easily navigating the situation. For example, wanting to show off in front of his bride, Marya Antonovna, he attributes to himself the composition “Yuri Miloslavsky” by Zagoskin, but the girl remembers its true author. A seemingly hopeless situation had arisen. However, Khlestakov quickly finds a way out here too. He says that there is another work with the same title that belongs to him.
Lack of memory
Lack of memory is an important feature of Khlestakov’s image. For him there is no future or past. He is focused only on the present. Because of this, Khlestakov is incapable of selfish and selfish calculations. The hero lives only for one minute. Its natural state is constant transformation. Having carried out an effective analysis of Gogol's "The Inspector General", you will see that Khlestakov, accepting this or that style of behavior, instantly achieves in it highest point. However, what is easily gained is easily lost. Having fallen asleep as a field marshal or commander in chief, he wakes up as an insignificant person.
Khlestakov's speech
The speech of this hero characterizes him as a petty St. Petersburg official claiming to be highly educated. He loves to use tricky literary cliches for the beauty of his style. At the same time, his language contains vulgar and abusive words, especially in relation to commoners. Khlestakov calls Osip, his servant, a “fool” and “a brute,” and shouts to the owner of the tavern “scoundrels!”, “scum!”, “loafers!” The speech of this hero is abrupt, which indicates his inability to pay attention to anything. She conveys his spiritual poverty.
Two centers of the play
Khlestakov in the work is an attractive person. He acts and lives according to the logic of the development of the relationships in which the mayor placed him. At the same time, the surprises manifested in the actions and speeches of this hero also determine the development of the action of the play. This, for example, is the “scene of lies”, Khlestakov’s explanation of his love for his daughter and mother at the same time, his proposal to Marya Antonovna, his irrevocable and unexpected departure. In Gogol's play there are two centers and two persons who direct and lead the development of the action: Khlestakov and the mayor. We will continue our analysis of Gogol's play "The Inspector General" by characterizing the latter's image.
The image of the mayor
Mayor (Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky Anton Antonovich) - in which the action of the comedy that interests us takes place. This is a “very intelligent”, “old in the service” person. His facial features are hard and rough, like those of anyone who began hard service from the lower ranks. At the beginning of the play, the mayor reads a letter to his subordinates. It informs about the arrival of the auditor. This news greatly frightened the officials. In fear, the mayor orders to “equip” the city for his arrival (kick out unnecessary patients from the hospital, bring teachers in schools into proper shape, cover unfinished buildings with fences, etc.).
Anton Antonovich assumes that the auditor has already arrived and is living incognito somewhere. The landowners Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky find him in the person of Khlestakov, a petty official who suspects nothing. The mayor, believing that Khlestakov is that same auditor, cannot dissuade himself of this. He believes in everything, even in the fantastic lies of the “auditor” - such is the extent of servility in the mayor.
When Khlestakov wooed his daughter, Marya Antonovna, the official began to think about what benefits his relationship with an “important person” promised him, and decided that “it would be nice to be a general.” The unexpected revelation of Khlestakov offends the mayor to the depths of his soul. It finally dawns on him that he mistook the “rag”, “icicle” for an important person. The mayor, having experienced a humiliating shock, begins to see things spiritually for the first time in his life. He says that for the first time he sees “pig snouts” instead of faces.
Concluding the analysis of the comedy by N.V. Gogol's "The Inspector General", we add that his comic figure in the finale of the comedy develops into a tragic one. The tragedy becomes most obvious in the silent scene, when it becomes known about the arrival of the real auditor.
The provincial town in which the action of Gogol’s comedy “The Government Inspector” unfolds is, in the full sense of the word, “ dark kingdom" Only Gogol's "laughter" bright ray cuts through the darkness in which the heroes of the comedy crawl. All these people are petty, vulgar, insignificant; not one of them even has a “spark of God” glimmering in their soul; they all live an unconscious, animal life. Gogol described the heroes of The Inspector General both as figures in the local administration and as private people, in their family life, in their circle of friends and acquaintances. These are not major criminals, not villains, but petty rogues, cowardly predators who live in eternal anxiety that the day of reckoning will come. (See the characteristics of these heroes through the mouth of Gogol himself in “Notes for Gentlemen Actors.”)
Gogol. Inspector. Performance 1982 Episode 1
The mayor in Gogol's The Inspector General
In the person of the mayor Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky, Gogol brought out an official living by extortion and embezzlement. Of all his fellow officials, who also live on bribes and extortion, he is the most arrogant extortionist. “Such a mayor,” the merchants complain to Khlestakov, has never existed before, sir.” Demanding gifts for himself and his family, he even celebrates his name day twice a year. This hero of “The Inspector General” not only takes advantage of ordinary people, abusing the traditional “orders” of life, he also robs the treasury, entering into fraudulent transactions with contractors, appropriating money allocated for the construction of the church. The circumstance mitigating the mayor’s guilt is that he vaguely understands the ugliness of his extortion and embezzlement. Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky justifies himself 1) with a naive exclamation: “if I took anything, it was without any malice,” 2) with a very common argument: “everyone does it.” “There is no person,” he says, who does not have sins behind him. This is how God himself arranged it, and the Voltairians are in vain speaking against it!”
In relation to the townsfolk, the mayor shows unlimited autocracy and arbitrariness: he gives soldiers the wrong person, flogs innocent people.
Uneducated and rude in his manners (conversation with merchants), this hero of The Inspector General is distinguished, however, by his great practical acumen, and this is his pride. The mayor himself says that not a single swindler could deceive him, that he himself “fooled them.” He understands the state of affairs more clearly than all other officials, and when they, explaining the reasons for sending an auditor to them, go God knows where, he, as a practical person, speaks not about the reasons, but about the future consequences. The mayor knows how to handle his affairs better than all other city officials, because he perfectly understands the human soul, because he is resourceful, knows how to play on human weaknesses, which is why he maneuvers among various virtuous governors and auditors for a long time and with impunity.
Mayor Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. Artist Yu. Korovin
The lack of education of this comedy hero is reflected not only in the lack of polish in his manners, but is expressed even more clearly in his superstition; he very naively, in a pagan way, understands his relationship with God, considering himself a true Christian and a person of exemplary piety (“I am firm in the faith.” he says). By religion, the mayor understands only ritual, expressed in visiting church on holidays and observing fasts. He takes a “two-faith” point of view, which allows for the possibility of “bribing” one’s God with sacrifices, like a pound candle.
The brightest feature of the mayor must be his good nature. Considering himself, thanks to the matchmaking of the “auditor” Khlestakov, infinitely superior to everyone in the city, he is not as proud as his empty wife, he remains the same a simple person, rudely welcoming and simply hospitable.
The mayor's wife and daughter in The Inspector General
The mayor's wife Anna Andreevna, a stupid and insignificant woman, who until old age retained the manners of a young coquette-dandy, amazes with the endless emptiness of her soul. This heroine of "The Inspector General" is obsessed with " social life”, on her outfits, she imagines what else men might like, and competes with her daughter in acquiring fans and suitors. She lives on the gossip and intrigues of the county town. A frivolous woman, Anna Andreevna easily believes everything. When the mayor's wife decided that she would move to St. Petersburg and play the role of a socialite there, she did not hide her contempt for all her recent friends and acquaintances. This trait, testifying to her spiritual baseness, places her even lower than her husband. (See Anna Andreevna - characteristics with quotes.)
The heroes of Gogol's The Inspector General are the mayor's wife and daughter, Anna Andreevna and Maria Antonovna. Artist K. Boklevsky
The mayor's daughter, Maria Antonovna, follows in her mother's footsteps, she also loves to dress up, she also loves to flirt, but she has not yet been spoiled like her mother by the lies and emptiness of this provincial life and has not yet learned to break down like her mother.
Khlestakov - the main character of "The Inspector General"
More complex is the image of the main character of The Inspector General, Khlestakov. This is an empty slacker, an insignificant little official, whose whole meaning of life is to “throw dust in someone’s eyes” with his manners, cigars, fashionable suit, individual words... He constantly brags to everyone and even to himself. His insignificant, meaningless life is pitiful, but Khlestakov himself does not notice this, he is always pleased with himself, always happy. Fantasy, which easily takes him away from reality, especially helps him forget failures. In Khlestakov there is no bitterness of oppressed pride, like the hero of “Notes of a Madman” Poprishchina. He has vanity, and he lies with passion, because this lying helps him forget his insignificance. Sick pride drove Poprishchin crazy, but the vanity of the empty, frivolous Khlestakov will not bring him to this. Main character The “auditor” is not able to imagine himself as a “Spanish king”, and therefore he will not end up in a madhouse - at best, he will be beaten for lying, or put in a debt department for debts.
In Khlestakov, Gogol brought out a useless, unnecessary person who cannot even control his thoughts and language: a submissive slave of his imagination, richly endowed with “extraordinary lightness in thoughts,” he lives day after day, without realizing what he is doing and why. That is why Khlestakov can do evil and good equally easily, and will never be a conscious rogue: he does not invent any plans, but says and does what he is told to do. this moment his frivolous fantasy. That’s why he can propose to both the mayor’s wife and his daughter at once, with full readiness to marry both, he can borrow money from officials, convinced that he will give it back to them, he can rant so stupidly that he immediately blurts out and talks to the point of nonsense . (See the full text of Khlestakov’s most deceitful monologue.)
Khlestakov. Artist L. Konstantinovsky
The frightened imagination of the frightened officials, who were waiting for the auditor, created from the “icicle” Khlestakov the one they were waiting for. Psychologically, the mistake of officials is quite understandable; it is expressed in proverbs: “a frightened crow is afraid of a bush,” “fear has big eyes.” This “fear” and “anxiety of conscience” carried away even the clever and intelligent rogue mayor into a fatal mistake.
Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin in “The Inspector General”
Other city officials are small varieties of the mayor type. Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin is also a dishonest person, which he quite sincerely does not notice, does not do anything, is absurdly stupid and, at the same time, full of conceit only because he has the courage to speak about religious issues with such freedom that believers “make their hair stand on end.” But in practical matters he amazes with his naivety.
Gogol. Inspector. Performance 1982 Episode 2
Trustee of charitable institutions Strawberry
In the person of Strawberry, Gogol brought out not only an embezzler, but also a petty and vile intriguer who wants to trip up his comrades in misfortune. (See Artemy Filippovich Strawberry - characteristics with quotes.)
Gogol formed the surname of the superintendent of schools Khlopov from the words “khlop”, “serf”. This is an extremely cowardly man, whose tongue “gets stuck in the mud” in the presence of his superiors, and his hands tremble so much that Luka Lukich is unable to even light the cigar Khlestakov offered him. (See Luka Lukich Khlopov - characterization with quotes.)
Postmaster Shpekin
Postmaster Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin is, according to Gogol, “a simple-minded person to the point of naivety.” He will not yield to Khlestakov himself in his frivolity. Ivan Kuzmich calmly prints out the letters arriving at his post office and reads them, finding this activity more entertaining than reading newspapers. He keeps the letters he especially likes.
It is thanks to these inclinations of Shpekin that the true identity of the “auditor” becomes clear to the rest of the officials. Ivan Kuzmich opens and reads Khlestakov’s letter to his friend Tryapichkin, from which it is clear that Khlestakov was by no means an important official, but an ordinary young whip and helipad. (See Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin - characterization with quotes.)
Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky in "The Inspector General"
Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky are the personification of the most hopeless vulgarity. These heroes of The Inspector General are not engaged in absolutely any business, are not interested in any religious, philosophical, political issues - even to the extent that is available to other characters in the comedy. Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky collect and spread only small local gossip, which feeds their wretched curiosity and fills their idle life. (See Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky - characteristics with quotes.)
Khlestakov's servant Osip
In the person of Osip, Gogol brought out the type of old serf servant, spoiled by the idleness of a lackey's life. This comedy hero tasted the fruits of the civilization of St. Petersburg life, learned to ride in cabs for free, thanks to the through gate; he appreciates the “haberdashery appeal” of the capital’s small shops and Apraksin Dvor. Osip despises his master, the frivolous and empty Khlestakov, with all his soul, because he feels immeasurably smarter than him. Unfortunately, his mind is extremely tricky. If his master cheats out of naivety, then Osip cheats quite deliberately. (Cm.
The central character of the comedy, a petty official from St. Petersburg, an imaginary auditor, one of the most famous characters in Russian literature. This is a young man of about 23 years old, thin, a little stupid and unable to pay attention to any thought for a long time. In St. Petersburg, he is an official of the lowest rank, about whom no one knows anything.
The second most important character in the comedy, the mayor in the district town of N. He is described as a man who has aged in the service, but at the same time is quite intelligent and respectable. Every word he says matters. For this reason, when at the beginning of the comedy he announces that an auditor is coming to the city, everyone is seriously alarmed.
One of the main heroines of the comedy, the wife of the mayor and the mother of Marya Antonovna. She is by nature a fussy and narrow-minded woman who is not interested in the results of an emergency audit, but in how her husband looks. She is not quite old yet, she shows herself as a flirt, spends a lot of time in her maiden room and likes to change clothes often.
One of the main heroines of the comedy, the daughter of the mayor and Anna Andreevna. This young girl is very similar to her mother in her coquetry, but is less active. She acts as the shadow of an energetic official. It is noticeable from Marya’s behavior that outfits interest her most. Even when she sees Khlestakov, the first thing she pays attention to is his “suit”. The image of Marya Antonovna is collective.
One of the characters in the comedy, Khlestakov's servant. This is a hero of lackey nature, an intelligent and savvy servant. He is not particularly loyal to his owner and likes to criticize him for his frivolous behavior. The image of Osip is revealed with all its force in his moral monologue for the master. In it, he not only shows his true attitude towards Khlestakov, but also shows all of himself.
One of the characters in the comedy, an official in a county town, superintendent of schools. He belongs to a string of government officials on whom the city's well-being depends. The main qualities of this character are humility and intimidation. Unlike Strawberry, who is a two-faced sneak, and Gorodnichy, who imagines himself the king and god of the city, Luka Lukich is the quietest coward.
Trustee of charitable institutions in comedy, typical representative bureaucracy. His image speaks volumes about the indifference of officials to public service. He has five children: Nikolai, Ivan, Maria, Elizaveta and Perepetua. This hero is characterized by sycophancy and a willingness to denounce his colleagues.
One of the heroes of the comedy, a bribe-taking judge, a representative of the bureaucratic society in the city of N. The hero's surname clearly speaks of his way of working. He considers himself very smart, having read five or six books in his entire life. He behaves with the mayor a little more freely than other officials and even allows himself to challenge him.
Comedy character, postmaster. Shpekin is the head of the post office who loved to open other people's letters. As he himself said, it was out of pure curiosity to find out what was new in the world. Without a twinge of conscience and with kind naivety, he read other people's correspondence. It was he who read Khlestakov’s letter to his friend Tryapkin.
One of minor characters comedy, city landowner. Along with Pyotr Ivanovich Dobchinsky, he is not an official. Both of these heroes are wealthy landowners who do not live for a salary, and therefore do not depend on the mayor. Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky are the first to find out and report the secret arrival of the auditor from St. Petersburg.
The main image of the comedy is the image of a county town. Gogol called it “prefabricated” and “spiritual,” apparently meaning that it brought together all types of the urban population, showed their character traits and social behavior (“prefabricated city”), and drew attention to the sins and weaknesses of people (“spiritual city ").
The comedy's character system reflects the social structure of the city. It is headed by the mayor - Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. He is endowed with all powers and is responsible for everything that happens in the city. Hence the three characteristics that outline this image: power (status), guilt (irresponsibility), fear (expectation of punishment). Next follow four images of officials representing the management of the city: the judiciary in the person of judge Ammos Fedorovich Lyapkin-Tyapkin, postal and telegraph communications - postmaster Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin, education is under the supervision of the superintendent of schools Luka Lukich Khlopov, social services are in charge of the trustee of charitable institutions Artemy Filippovich Zemlyanika . Three officials, with the exception of Shpekin, are shown together with the departments they manage. Thus, Lyapkin-Tyapkin is presented with the always tipsy assessor, guards and visitors to the court. The education system is also depicted in detail: Khlopov, teachers, students. The charitable institutions are characterized by the order prevailing in the hospital, the image of Strawberry and the ominous figure of the doctor Gibner. To show the continuity and inviolability of criminal bureaucratic power in the city, Gogol introduces characters who do not take part in the action - retired officials Lyulyukov, Rastakovsky and Korobkin. The authorities are supported and protected by the police officers Svistunov, Pugovitsyn and Derzhimorda, led by the private bailiff Ukhovertov.
Other segments of the city's population are represented primarily by urban landowners Pyotr Ivanovich Bobchinsky and Pyotr Ivanovich Dobchinsky. Both by the matching names and by the same behavior, one can immediately understand that we are dealing with traditional “paired characters” who, in the plot of the comedy, will perform a common function for both. The absurdity of Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky is already indicated in their status: landowners who live in the city and from idleness turn into gossips.
The images of merchants are not as clearly defined as the images of officials. The merchant Abdulin, the obvious leader and author of the note to Khlestakov, stands out in part. This note exhaustively characterizes the social essence of the merchants: “To His Highness the Lord Financial from the merchant Abdulin...” This address has two features: Abdulin does not know which rank or title to use, so he mixes them all up just in case. And the expression “master of finance” reflects the hierarchy of the merchant’s values - in his eyes, at the very top of the social ladder is the one who is in charge of finances.
The merchants are followed by another category of the population - the petty bourgeoisie, represented by the mechanic Poshlyopkina and the wife of a non-commissioned officer. These images personify two sins: anger and acquisitiveness. The locksmith is rightly indignant that the mayor gave her husband as a soldier out of turn, but she brings down curses on the mayor’s innocent relatives. The non-commissioned officer’s wife is not worried about the insult inflicted on her, the humiliation of her female dignity, but about what benefit she can derive from the “happiness” that has befallen her.
The gallery of characters is complemented by images of servants. It may seem that they are the same and do not deserve special attention, but this is not so. The comedy depicts three social categories of servants: the city tavern servant - impudent and somewhat cheeky; the servant in the mayor's house is Mishka, helpful, but knowing his worth; and Khlestakov’s personal servant, Osip, a type of master’s servant, a sharp-witted peasant, but already corrupted by the capital’s life, a footman who imitates the master in everything.
Separately, there are images of the mayor’s wife Anna Andreevna and daughter Marya Antonovna. The caustic and accurate portraits of provincial ladies and young ladies show a sad picture of the vain limitations of their lives, the poverty of their ideas, and their moral narrowness. The plot role of these heroines is also great, because due to the lack of real love conflict these images serve to create a parody - in scenes of Khlestakov’s alternate courtship of his daughter and his mother. However, the mayor’s family is still at the top level social status in the city. Ladies of lower rank, such as Khlopov's wife or Korobkin's wife, are forced to be envious and gossips.
The image of Khlestakov, of course, stands apart in comedy due to its plot and ideological role. Khlestakov is a pivotal figure in the plot, since without him the “mirage” situation would have been impossible. In addition, he not only passively takes the position of an imaginary auditor, but with incredible success plays along with the misconception of the townspeople, which due to his stupidity he is not even aware of. In ideological terms, Khlestakov serves as a kind of temptation for the city, because the most ridiculous ideas of the townspeople about St. Petersburg in the person of Khlestakov receive complete confirmation. Therefore, the townspeople, primarily officials, behave openly and get deeper and deeper into the quagmire of lawlessness and evil. Khlestakov does not deliberately deceive anyone, he is generally incapable of any deliberate action, because, in his own words, he has “extraordinary ease of thought,” that is, emptiness. There is nothing of his own in Khlestakov, so he behaves this way and does what is expected of him. This is the reason for his inspired lies in the mayor’s house. He was a kind of “scourge” for the townspeople, with which they whipped themselves.
Finally, the most main image comedy "The Inspector General" - the inspector himself, who unites the entire play. From the first phrase of the comedy it appears as an assumption, an expectation, a certain idea and must appear incognito. Then, instead of a real auditor, a deception, a mirage, an “auditor” penetrates the city. At the beginning of the fifth act, the auditor seemingly disappears, only to appear in the last line of the comedy as a harsh reality, as the truth that struck the officials in the silent scene. In parallel with the image of the auditor, the image of St. Petersburg develops in the comedy. Petersburg first evokes fear and absurd speculation among officials, then it manifests itself as a mirage through the image of Khlestakov, and after Khlestakov’s matchmaking with the mayor’s daughter it becomes unreasonably close to the residents of the city N. At the end of the play, after the announcement of the arrival of a real auditor, the image of St. Petersburg becomes hostile and discouraging.
Let’s listen to Gogol’s own remark about another character in the comedy “The Inspector General”: “It’s strange: I’m sorry that no one noticed the honest face that was in my play. Yes, there was one honest, noble person who acted in her throughout her entire life. This honest, noble face was full of laughter.” Not in comedy goodies, laughter does not arise on stage between the characters, it exists in the very atmosphere of comedy - laughter is born in the heart of the viewer and awakens noble indignation in him.