Gogol Dead Souls Sparknotes

Gogol Dead Souls Zach F Dead Souls is an interesting view into the world of Russia during the 19th century. The book is about a man named Chichikov, who finds a troubling loophole within the Russian Tax system. Landowners were taxed on all of their land and possessions, this also included how many serfs they owned, dead or alive. The number of serfs they owned was determined by a national census, so landowners would continue to be taxed on serfs that had passed until the next census came around. Chichikov viewed this as a way to get rich, and get rich fast. The story follows Chichikov as he travels to towns within Russia, while meeting some interesting characters as he tries to purchase the “Dead Souls” they possess. Gogol refers to Chichikov as a hero, which can be a slanted view depending on how you view the events at hand. After through reading, one can see how Gogol is making fun of the peasant system and is indeed being sarcastic about his interpretation of “Hero.”
The rich got richer and the poorer got poorer. Nikolai Gogol does an excellent job at painting a picture of how the Russian system was during this time and showing that it was definitely flawed, especially for the peasants. He shows the lack of morality within the system and the corruptness during the 19th Century. Gogol claims Chichikov to be a “hero” and he is clearly is being satirical. He praises his main character to be a hero because of his ability to manipulate the Russian system and get rich off of it. Many, today, could view Chichikov as a villainous