Dead Souls was written by Nikolai Gogol and first published in 1842. Even though Gogol was born in the Ukraine, he is widely known for being a Russian author. Dead Souls is a story about a fictional character, Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov, who travels to a small town in Russia to swindle himself a fortune. Chichikov enters the town and almost immediately begins to sway the favor of anyone with status or nobility. His charm makes him seem unlike any other passerby, in that almost all of the town’s officials invite him to their own personal homes at another time. Chichikov never reveals much about himself or where he is from, he always makes conversation about the other person. During each of his visits with the officials, Chichikov tries to purchase all of the dead serfs from the landowners. This is quite an odd request because dead serfs are worth nothing and are still taxed on because a serf without a pulse, is still in fact a serf. The logical thing for the landowners to do would be to sell as quickly as possible, but that is not the case. Each of the landownesr has a different reaction to Chichikov’s offer based on their overzealous personalities. …show more content…
He states, “…but the author is very much ashamed of taking up so much of his reader’s time with people of the lower class, knowing from experience how unwilling they are to make the acquaintance of the lower orders. (21)”. Gogol is truly apologizing for taking up the readers time by even acknowledging serfs. It could be that Gogol actually did feel this way about the lower class, but it is definitely how the aristocrats felt about the serfs. Gogol puts these careful fourth wall breaks in to sort of head-pet his audience before he slaps them with shame. Gogol does as well as most authors when writing comedy, in that his language of characters does keep the reader entertained. What is sincerely funny is his way he speaks to his
While looking through the book list I was mainly looking for a title that really got my attention and would be a good read. With this goal in mind I really thought that “From a Watery Grave: The Discovery and Excavation of La Salle’s Shipwreck, La Belle” fit that criteria. While reading it I gained a lot of insight on how you go about excavating a sunken ship. The book is about the excavation of the explorer Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle ship the La Belle. The ship slammed in the Texas bay by gale winds and storm surges, La Belle finally slipped beneath the water and sank, where it would remain for over 300 years until it was finally found by the Texas Historical Commission archaeologists. It was assumed that Robert Cavelier was looking to establish a colony in the New World. I believe if they had landed where they wanted to, they would have been able to colonize there with the cargo they had arrived with. To see if this would have been able to achieve I must take a closer look at the materials that they brought with them on their voyage.
The Graveyard Book is a tale about Nobody (Bod) Owens, a human boy who was raised in a graveyard. Bod came to the graveyard as an infant, escaping his death by The Man Jack. Adopted by the ghosts of the deceased Mr. and Mrs. Owens, Bod is raised among the dead who inhabit the graveyard. Taught by the spirits and given Freedom of the Graveyard, he learns special talents like “fading” in order to live in the graveyard comfortably and undetected, safe from the man Jack, who is still searching for him. On his journey through childhood and adolescence, he befriends a human girl named Scarlett, helps the spirit of a witch, opens and subsequently escapes a ghoul-gate, dances the Macabray (a dance of the dead), and even attends school outside of the
A recurring theme when it comes to many stories, either novels or short stories, is a realization of one’s identity. It may be either the main character or supporting characters that undergo an epiphany. While it is uncertain if his views were changed, the narrator of Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin went through a catharsis by the end of the short story. After reuniting with his former heroin addict brother, Sonny, the narrator tries to make him conform to the society. Sonny, on the other side, would much rather enjoy art such as Charlie Parker. Likewise, In Hell-Heaven by Jhumpa Lahiri, through the conflict between the parents and the younger generation, the inner conflict of cultures surfaces. However, through the use of the symbols such as the trembling cup in the final scene and the conflict in Hell-Heaven, Baldwin and Lahiri demonstrates the realization and struggle of the main characters.
Gogol argues that he was supposed to be Nikhil anyways so it would be fine to change his name since that is what his parents have chosen for him in the first place.Obviously Gogol had a reason to change the name he so desperately held onto at a young age, it 's because Gogol no longer felt like he could handle the character Gogol and thought he could do so much better as Nikhil then as Gogol, he thinks that Gogol, the shy, quiet, attentive boy as opposed to Nikhil , the loud, confident,and party animal is who he should and is to be.In the book there 's a scene where Google is talking to his parents about how people don 't take him seriously because of his name, google was lying.”the only person who constantly questioned it and wished it were otherwise, was Gogol”(Lahir, 5.100).Gogol is constantly questioning his name, himself,and asking himself questions that question his identity.As Gogol becomes Nikhil, Gogol takes on a new atittude he would never take on as Goggle, and thats the new begining of
Gogol basically grows up his whole life not feeling comfortable with his identity and who he is. Gogol doesn't feel like he belongs in his parents Bengali family, and he somewhat feels like he is living in between cultures sometimes. Growing up in America has made him feel like an outsider because his parents were always doing things in their culture. Throughout the book Gogol makes great efforts to find out who he really is and he does that by moving away from home. Gogol’s definition of home changes whether it's by getting a new girlfriend or moving to a new place he's not familiar with.
Ashoke Ganguli gives the name Gogol after the Russian writer whose book or a page once had been filled in as a rescuer of his life. He named his child Gogol for
[… The] only person who didn’t take Gogol seriously… who tormented him, the only person chronically aware of and afflicted by the embarrassment of his name, the only person who constantly questioned it and wished it were otherwise, was Gogol. (99-100)
Unrestrained by conscience, Vautrin holds that laws are for the weak, and those clever enough to realize this may overstep any boundaries they wish and dominate the rest of mankind. But where Balzac's characters act on this idea without repercussion, Raskolnikov makes a transgression and then begins immediately to question it. The result is a psychological inner battle between rationality and sentimental moralism, which is as much a contest between Empiricism and Romanticism as it is a contest between good and evil, or God and the Devil. The arena for this ideological contest is Petersburg, full of slums, revolutionary students and petty titular councilors. Scientifically and artificially constructed in the midst of marshland, the city itself is a symbol of the incompatibility of logical planning with humankind's natural sensibilities.
Throughout the novel Gogol begins to feel more compelled to his Bengali life. Towards the end of the book Gogol becomes more acquainted to his Bengali life and his family, slowly slipping away from the American identity that was once present to him. Truly inside he has a background of Bengali culture there for him when he needs it. As for Gogol’s American identity as Nikhil, something seen as fake to him, was only an experience. It was an experience Gogol, a Bengali child, had grown up to live.
Language or the way in which words are used is one of the most important components of a comedy. Through an intelligent use of word play and the ability to add
When Dickens describes the peasants he makes sure their plight is made clear to all. The nobles consistently take advantage of them and do not show any compassion. The peasants are starving to death to the extent where when a wine casket breaks on the ground they “...suspended their business or idleness to run to the spot and drink the wine”(31). The peasants are starving to death and a sincere lack of compassion is shown to them. The nobles have no regard to peasant life. After the Marquis
Now knowing what his actions would lead to, he would go out of his way to familiarize himself with the American traditions leaving his upbringing in the past. A new dislike for his name arises as he “hates signing his name at the bottom...Nothing to do with who he is (76).” Feeling emerge and suddenly Gogol feels as if he has no connections to his name. Only to make these feelings worse he feels humiliated by his classmates for having the name he has but in reality his name isn’t a topic of discussion to his peers. Through this phase the author emphasizes how other people 's opinion are more important to Gogol than what he thinks of himself. The opinions of others have consumed his thoughts so horribly that Gogol becomes viewing himself through the eyes of others. At this point in Gogol’s life it would be a great time for his father to tell him why he chose to give him his birth name but his dad decides to simply give his son the book that at one point saved his life. Not even remotely interested in what he now has in his possession Gogol, “puts the book away on his shelve (77).” On this shelve the book lingers for years to come. As an independent individual Gogol makes little to no effort to remain in contact with his family. Never does he question the book given to him nor does he attempt making small talk with his father about why the book was so important to him and how it influenced him to name his son after the
Analysis of The March of the Dead by Robert W. Service, The Souls of the Slain by Thomas Hardy and Slain by T.W.H. Cross
Shwarz, Daniel R. "A Critical History of `The Dead.'" The Dead. Ed. Daniel R. Schwarz. New York: Bedford Books, 1994: 63-84.
... mentioning. Nikolai Gogol deftly and eloquently illustrates the spitefulness and the many faults that lay within the very roots of Russian serfdom, through his mastery and impeccable usage of satire.