Dead Souls

These early chapters establish Chichikov's conniving nature and set up some of
its major themes. His arrival in town highlights his capability with charming
people and his capacity to adjust his personality to fit in. His later visit to Manilov
and accidental stay with Korobochka reveal how relentlessly he plans to pursue
the purchase of these dead souls. What becomes increasingly clear by the third
chapter is that Chichikov, unlike a more traditional hero, has no real moral
compass; instead he drifts from prospect to prospect, trying to make his fortune
and secure a better future.

Chichikov continues his journey and bears witness to the terrible effects of
money and greed. In Nozdriov, he sees gambling make him rageful and cruel. In
Pliushkin, he watches miserliness make him miserable and vicious. Finally, in
Sobakevich, he sees a desire for efficiency turn him heartless. These characters
all offer a view of Chichikov himself, as his motivations are the same as theirs: a
wish for wealth, land, and status. Like a premonition, these three landowners
show what Chichikov will likely become if he continues to focus only on money,
with no thought about morality or honesty.

Russia's Future
Russia's future is a major theme in the novel. The narrator is constantly
remarking on the social issues he sees plaguing Russia and, later in the story,
seems to suggest some potential ways those problems might be solved. In his
portrayal of the various landowners, Gogol reveals how these characters' fixation
on money and their dehumanizing treatment of serfs reveal broader social
issues. These characters show the moral rot that the narrator seems to believe is
hurting Russian society. In the second part of the novel, towards the end of the
story, Chichikov expresses a desire to change his ways and work towards
improving Russia as a whole. Gogol seems to suggest that Russia requires a
shift in its values, away from efficiency and finances and towards compassion.

Serfdom
Serfdom is one of the novel's central themes, as Chichikov's entire quest centers
on his purchase of "dead souls," the names of various deceased serfs. In the
novel the landowners are frequently seen abusing their serfs, calling them names
or threatening them with physical violence. The lists themselves are extremely
objectifying as they literally reduce the serfs into a means of making money. The
casualness with which Chichikov and the landowners talk of having power over
the serfs, and speak of them in condescending terms, shows the abusiveness of
this institution. The novel implies that serfs have no agency or freedom, and are
treated in a similarly transactional manner to the "dead souls" being collected by
Chichikov.

Greed
Greed is another major theme in the novel. The stingy Pliushkin is fixated on the
idea of saving as much money as possible, going so far as to refuse his own
daughter financial assistance. He never spends, loans, or donates his money,
but simply hoards it to himself. Likewise, Chichikov is only interested in money
because he believes it is a way to move up the social ladder. Chichikov and other
characters do not look at money solely as a means of survival. Instead, they view
it as a sign of cultural power and, as such, amass it in an effort to remain in good
standing in Russian society. They are greedy because they have assigned a
moral value to money.

Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy appears throughout the novel as a major theme. At various points,
the narrator remarks on the fact that things rarely get done. He shows this in the
scene in which Chichikov goes to a government office, is sent to various incorrect
departments, and only gets his purchase deeds filed after bribing an officer. The
motif of bureaucracy shows up in the novel to demonstrate how both inefficiency
and corruption are plaguing Russia.

Dead Souls (Symbol)

In the novel, dead souls symbolize the treatment of serfs in imperial
Russia. Chichikov schemes to purchase the names of various deceased
peasants from different landowners. He does this in an attempt to gather
the money to purchase land, claiming that he is relieving these landowners
of a tax burden. By purchasing the names of these dead serfs, he is
effectively treating them in the same way that they were treated in life, as
commodities to be used for profit. His reduction of these human lives into
names symbolizes the way these serfs were viewed as nothing more than
property.

Character Analysis
Chichikov
Chichikov charms his way across Russia in an attempt to get rich quickly. He
comes from an impoverished but noble background and has spent his life
searching for the quickest way to become as rich as possible. Chichikov is willing
to endure poverty and hardship if it will one day bring him riches.

Manilov
Manilov is a landowner who Chichikov visits. He is depicted as a simplistic man
who is easily flattered. He is curious about Chichikov's plan to buy the names of
his dead serfs. Chichikov has little trouble getting him to agree to sell.

Korobochka
Korobochka is a widowed landlady. Chichikov encounters her when he has some
trouble with his carriage and is forced to spend the night in her village. She is
described as being almost entirely focused on business as she expresses
significant concern about getting a good price for her "souls.”

Pliushkin
Pliushkin is the final person who Chichikov buys souls from. He is described as
being greedy and cruel. The narrator says that when his wife was alive he was
much more kind and generous. After her death, he became obsessed with
money and treated his servants and children with suspicion and stinginess.

Sobakevich
Sobakevich is another landlord who Chichikov encounters. He values efficiency
and practicality, running his farm with a focus on doing things without waste. At
the same time he takes a dim view of almost everyone around him and has little
sympathy or care for other people.