Scene of Khlestakov’s “lies” (analysis of a scene from Act III of Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General”). Analysis of the scene of lies in Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” Several interesting essays

"Scene of Lies" by Khlestakov

Returning from distant travels,

Some nobleman (and maybe a prince),

Walking with my friend on foot in the field,

He bragged about where he had been,

And he added countless fables to the tales.

I.A. Krylov

These words are from the fable “Liar” by I.A. Krylov very well reflect the essence of the episode from N.V.’s comedy. Gogol "The Inspector General". The most interesting fragment is known as Khlestakov’s “scene of lies.” The culprit of the extraordinary events described in the comedy, the most empty person, an “icicle”, a “rag”, as the mayor puts it, Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov is one of the most remarkable and characteristic images in Gogol’s work. The comedian reflected in this hero all his passion for exaggeration and love for portraying multifaceted characters. Let's consider how the imaginary auditor reveals himself to the audience in the “scene of lies.” According to the definition given in the “dictionary of literary terms,” an episode is “an excerpt, a fragment of a work of art that has a certain independence and completeness.” But an episode in a work of art is not only an element of the plot, an event in the life of the heroes, but also an integral part of the work, embodying the most important features of the ideological and artistic originality of the work as a whole, a kind of “magic crystal” that connects the path of the heroes into the storyline. What is the ideological and figurative structure of this episode and its role in the context of the work?

The sixth phenomenon is the most striking fragment of the third act. In it, Khlestakov, under the influence of the impression he makes on women, the attention that officials and the mayor give him, gradually rises to such heights of lies that they cannot be called simply fantasies. In the blink of an eye, like a fairy-tale genie, he builds and destroys entire fantasy worlds - the dream of his contemporary mercantile age, where everything is measured in hundreds and thousands of rubles. Starting with a simple fib about writing “poems,” Khlestakov quickly soars to literary Parnassus. Listeners will learn that he is the author of many vaudevilles and comedies, stories and fashionable novels (for example, “Yuri Miloslavsky,” the author of which was M.N. Zagoskin). Stunned by the acquaintance with such a brilliant personality, those around them do not notice that among the titles of prose works there are operas “Norma” and “Robert the Devil”. Why notice such subtleties! After all, the society surrounding the liar has long forgotten what reading books is. And here is a man on friendly terms with Pushkin himself, editor of the famous magazine "Moscow Telegraph". Enchanting, magical spectacle! The only objection from Marya Antonovna, who read Zagoskin’s novel, is mercilessly destroyed by her mother and easily and naturally brushed aside by Khlestakov, who reports that there are two works of the same name, and he is the author of one of them. Showing off in front of the mayor’s wife, Anna Andreevna, the deceiver assures that he does not like ceremonies and is “on friendly terms” with all the important officials in St. Petersburg; that he has the most famous house in the capital; that he gives balls and dinners, to which he receives “a watermelon worth seven hundred rubles,” “soup in a saucepan from Paris.” He goes so far as to say that the minister himself came to his home, and once, meeting the requests of the couriers, he even managed the department. “I’m everywhere...everywhere...I go to the palace every day.” Khlestakov gets so carried away that he sometimes starts talking: sometimes he lives on the fourth floor, sometimes in the mezzanine.

It’s surprising why during this scene no one interrupted Khlestakov, everyone is servilely silent and listens, with

with difficulty pronouncing “...va-va-va...procession, Excellency”? “How is it, really, we made such a mistake!” - Judge Lyapkin-Tyapkin exclaimed after it turned out that Khlestakov was not at all who he was mistaken for. And indeed, how could highly experienced swindlers, led by the mayor, fall for the bait of an insignificant St. Petersburg official, not distinguished by intelligence, cunning, or impressive figure?

This question concerns, first of all, the situation of comedy itself - special, unlike anything else. This is what the play warns about from the very beginning, and throughout the text there are words and expressions scattered that speak of the exclusivity of everything that is happening. Khlestakov, according to Gogol, is the main character of the play and the most unusual - not only in character, but also in the role that fell to him. In fact, Khlestakov is not an auditor, but also not an adventurer who deliberately deceives others. It seems that he is simply not capable of a cunning thought out in advance, an adventure; this, as Gogol says in his stage directions, is a young man “without a king in his head,” acting “without any consideration,” possessing a certain amount of naivety and “sincerity.” But it is precisely all this that allows the false auditor to deceive the mayor and his company, or rather, allows them to deceive themselves. “Khlestakov does not cheat at all, he is not a liar by trade,” wrote Gogol, “he himself forgets that he is lying, and he himself almost believes what he says.” The desire to show off, to become a little taller than in life, to play a more interesting role, destined by fate, is characteristic of any person. The weak are especially susceptible to this passion. From a fourth-class employee, Khlestakov grows to “commander-in-chief.” The hero of the person being analyzed is experiencing his finest hour. The scope of lies stuns everyone with its breadth and unprecedented power. But Khlestakov is a genius at lying; he can easily come up with the most extraordinary things and sincerely believe in it.

Thus, in this episode, Gogol deeply reveals the multifaceted character of the protagonist: outwardly ordinary, nondescript, empty, a “wizard,” but internally he is a talented dreamer, a superficially educated fanfare, who in a favorable situation transforms into the master of the situation. He becomes a "significant person" to whom bribes are given. Having gained a taste for it, he even begins to demand rudely from Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky: “You don’t have money?” It is no coincidence that a contemporary of the comedy author, Apollon Grigoriev, spoke enthusiastically about the “scene of lies”: “Khlestakov, like a soap bubble, inflates under the influence of favorable circumstances, grows in his own eyes and in the eyes of officials, becomes bolder and bolder in his boasting.”

One cannot but agree with the poet's opinion. Indeed, in the “scene of lies” Khlestakov is a bubble, inflates as much as possible and shows himself in his true light, only to burst at the denouement - to phantasmagorically disappear, rushing off in three. This episode is truly a “magic crystal” of comedy. Here all the features of the main character are focused and highlighted,

his "acting skills". The scene allows us to better understand that “extraordinary ease of thought” that Gogol warned about in his remarks to gentlemen actors. Here comes the climax of the hero’s pretense and lies. The prominence of the “scene of lies” represents Gogol’s formidable warning to subsequent generations, wanting to protect them from a terrible disease - Khlestakovism. Its impact on the viewer is great: anyone who has lied at least once in his life will see what excessive lies can lead to. Looking at the image of Khlestakov, you understand how creepy it is to be in the skin of a liar, experiencing constant fear of exposure.

Returning to the words of the great sage Krylov, included in the epigraph, I would like to paraphrase an excerpt from another

his fables "The Crow and the Fox":

For how many years have they told the world,

That lies are vile and harmful...

Unfortunately, this vice still finds a corner in people’s hearts today, and the only way to fight lies is by ridiculing them. Gogol understood this well and realized this idea with faith in the “bright nature of man” in the “scene of lies.”

The composition of Gogol's play "The Inspector General" is interesting. But the scene of deception and lies, when the main character ends up in the Governor’s house, still plays a special and culminating significance in this play. Khlestakov is brought to a rich and luxurious house, where he is fed deliciously and is also able to give him something to drink. But before that his life was completely different. For some time he not only starved, but was forced to live in the most terrible conditions. The tavern where he stayed gave him the poorest room, where there were a lot of cockroaches and dirt.

And after he, even in such inhuman conditions, was able to owe the innkeeper, he mentally came to terms with the idea that he would still have to go to prison. And all because he had no money, and he could not borrow from anyone, since he came to this city completely by accident and did not know anyone here.

Therefore, when he ends up in the Governor’s house, where he was fed for free and provided with normal living conditions, even more than normal, he still cannot understand why the attitude towards him has changed so much. But this doesn’t interest him much. The author shows his hero in such a way that it is simply impossible to believe him. For example, this is clearly and clearly visible in the scene of his deception and lies, that he is completely unable, does not know how, and does not want to analyze events. He simply enjoys what is happening to him at the present time and he does not want to think about the future, and he does not even try.

Gogolevsky Khlestakov at this moment is thinking about how to make a strong impression on the people who surround him and listen to him with open mouths. He is especially interested in society ladies, whom he wants to amaze and defeat. And so he begins to deceive. Ivan Alexandrovich begins to talk about his life, which in St. Petersburg proceeds quietly and calmly.

But he talks about something completely different. He was so inspired by his own lies, the opportunity to embellish, and even soon he himself begins to believe his own made-up stories, where there is no truth at all. It is noteworthy that when he begins to say something, by the end of his remark he completely forgets what the idea of his phrase is, he gets confused and therefore his lie is visible. For example, the author shows his remarks about how they want to make him a collegiate official, who usually in the Russian reality of the nineteenth century was considered practically the very last civil rank and belonged to the eighth grade. And then suddenly, unexpectedly, he ended the same phrase about the collegiate assessor with the fact that he is almost the commander-in-chief of the entire country. And there are many such inconsistencies in his speech and thoughts.

Soon he generally declares to everyone present that he earns his living from literature, but he quite simply gives himself a negative description, without even thinking that it is not at all flattering. He says that there is some kind of lightness in his thoughts, but this is already a sign that he does not know how to think and is a shallow and narrow-minded person. But he very easily passes himself off as the author of such literary works as The Marriage of Figaro. But he attributed not only the authorship of this comedy to himself. He informed everyone present that he had written the story “Frigate of Hope”, and indeed everything that had ever been published in the Moscow Telegraph.

But the mayor’s daughter Marya Antonovna tries to catch him in a lie, saying that the work “Yuri Miloslavsky” was written not by Khlestakov, but by Zagoskin. This, of course, confuses Gogol’s character quite a bit and after that he tries to easily and quite superficially justify himself, claiming that this is a completely different work from what he wrote. And he has a huge amount of such confusion, confusion and lies. For example, a game of whist, where he tells everyone that he is the fifth player, that is, the odd one out. But as soon as he starts to lie, he is completely confused and says that he lives on the fourth floor. But the officials, who are happy to indulge and agree with him in everything, do not notice this confusion at all and are ready to please him in everything.

The situation that Gogol describes is surprising. So, he shows that the ladies are extremely delighted with Khlestakov, because he met a real metropolitan man who, in their words, has a completely different appeal, as they consider it “subtle” and very modern. But the officials’ opinion is different, not the same as that of the ladies, completely opposite. So, they are very afraid of him, they simply tremble with fear and stand at attention. They claim that they have a rank that allows them to stand before the capital's auditor.

All these people, who are representatives of secular society, believe that Ivan Alexandrovich is an auditor, and indeed a very important person. That is why the scene of deception and lies of the main character is his finest hour, the moment of his triumph, when he was able to rise above himself, be the center of attention and see admiring listeners around him. This unusual scene is also the pinnacle of the author’s skill, which is so boldly and so vividly described. This scene is, of course, comical, but there are so many vivid expressions in it that will be remembered for a long time. For example, his statement that he is “on friendly terms with Pushkin,” or, when he deceives about how he does business, he says that “thirty-five thousand couriers” are looking for him throughout the country. And his situation looks completely absurd, about which he reports that he bought a watermelon for a huge amount for those times - “seven hundred rubles.” It is also impossible to believe his story that soup was brought to him from Russia in a saucepan from Russia. And for this purpose a steamship was specially sent.

All these literary comic devices emphasize the skill of the satirist Gogol. That is why the scene of deception and lies in Gogol’s play not only fully reveals the composition and is its culmination, but is also of great importance, as it helps to reveal the character of the characters.

Why is Khlestakov lying? Let's try to find the answer in this article.

Lies of Khlestakov

Khlestakov is a deceitful person; in his inner emptiness, he even stands much lower not only than the mayor and other officials, but also his lackey Osip. He is completely incapable of any coherent thinking; he has, in his own words, “a remarkable lightness of mind”: his thought constantly flies from subject to subject, so that he himself forgets what he was just talking about. His highest pleasure is to show off at a party in a fashionable suit, to show off, especially in front of the ladies. Petty vanity, the desire to show off, is what guides all his actions.

To satisfy this passion, he resorts to the most shameless lies, especially when he sees that they are listening to him, that they are courting him: he manages the department, and goes to the palace, and plays cards with envoys. Finally, he lies so much that even the frightened mayor notices this, although he explains in his own way: “and he also said more than necessary; it’s clear that the man is young.”

However, Khlestakov is not at all a conscious deceiver or an impostor. He lies without any purpose, not out of any personal, selfish motives, but out of simple frivolity and fanfare. In moments when he lies, he even believes his own words, although he immediately forgets about them and sometimes loses his tone and remembers his room on the fourth floor, about the cook Mavrushka. Just as there is little connection in his thoughts, there is also little connection in his actions. He is not at all aware of his actions, does not think about the result.

A thought that flashes in his head immediately turns into a word or deed: in this sense, Khlestakov is a purely impulsive nature. This feature of him is especially clearly manifested in the 4th act, when Khlestakov either receives officials and takes money from them (on loan, since he heard in St. Petersburg that taking bribes is ignoble), then promises the merchants to “remove” the mayor, then declares his love at the same time to his wife and daughter, then finally unexpectedly leaves, tempted by the prospect of a ride in style in a dashing troika, and thus, following Osip’s prudent advice, gets rid of the troubles that awaited him when the real auditor arrives. Gogol attached great importance to the role of Khlestakov.

Khlestakov, according to Gogol, is not just a petty St. Petersburg fool, he is at the same time a representative of a very common type; therefore, his image, in addition to being specific, also has a general meaning. Very many people strive in life to appear to be something other than what they really are, and this contradiction between being and seeming is precisely the root of all “Khlestakovism,” with the only difference being that it does not always manifest itself as clearly and clearly as in the person of Khlestakov.

"Scene of Lies" by Khlestakov

Returning from distant travels,

Some nobleman (and maybe a prince),

Walking with my friend on foot in the field,

He bragged about where he had been,

And he added countless fables to the tales.

I.A. Krylov

It’s surprising why during this scene no one interrupted Khlestakov, everyone is servilely silent and listens, with

Returning to the words of the great sage Krylov, included in the epigraph, I would like to paraphrase an excerpt from another

his fables "The Crow and the Fox":

For how many years have they told the world,

That lies are vile and harmful...

Bibliography

To prepare this work, materials were used from the site http://www.bobych.spb.ru/

Plan
Introduction
The scene of lying occupies the climax of the comedy.
Main part
Khlestakov in the Gorodnichy’s house:
a) the hero’s confused story about his life in St. Petersburg;
b) he has “extraordinary ease of thought”;
c) the attitude of the ladies towards Khlestakov;
d) Gogol takes the situation to the point of absurdity.
Conclusion
The lying scene is the climactic scene in the comedy composition, which is of great importance for revealing the characters' characters.
The scene of lies in the comedy by N.V. Gogol's "The Inspector General" occupies the climax.
Khlestakov was brought to the Governor’s house, tasty food and drink. Before this, half-starved, he was going to go to prison, but now he does not understand why such a change occurred, and does not think about it. He is unable to analyze events. He simply enjoys the current moment and wants to impress those present, especially the ladies. Therefore, Khlestakov happily talks about his life in St. Petersburg. He lies with inspiration and he himself believes what he says. Finishing the sentence, he does not remember what he said at the beginning. That’s why he so often doesn’t make ends meet: either they wanted to make him a collegiate assessor (civil rank of the VIII class), then he was “completely mistaken for the commander-in-chief,” or he says about himself that “he exists by literature.” He gives himself a very precise description: “I have an extraordinary lightness in my thoughts.” Therefore, he easily ascribes to himself the authorship of the comedy “The Marriage of Figaro”, and the opera “Norma”, and the story “Frigate “Nadezhda”, and the entire magazine “Moscow Telegraph”. And when Marya Antonovna accuses him that “Yuri Miloslavsky” was written by Zagoskin, he immediately corrects himself that “there is another “Yuri Miloslavsky”, so that one is mine.” He has a lot of such confusion: in a game of whist, he considers himself the fifth, extra player, and while checking, he says that he lives on the fourth floor. But officials do not notice this absurdity. The ladies are delighted, as they met a man from the capital, with a “subtle appeal.” Khlestakov instilled such fear in the officials that they trembled and stood at attention: “The rank is such that they can still stand.” They believe that Khlestakov is an auditor and an important person, but “no speech is made without bending down.” Therefore, this scene is the hero’s “finest hour”, a moment of his triumph, where he is the center of attention, and there are admiring listeners around. In addition, this scene is also one of the pinnacles of the author’s skill. She is so comical, she has so many vivid expressions that the viewer remembers for a long time. Who doesn’t remember “on friendly terms with Pushkin” or “thirty-five thousand couriers alone.” Gogol takes the situation to the point of absurdity: a watermelon “costs seven hundred rubles” or “soup in a saucepan came straight from Paris on the boat.” These comic techniques show us the skill of Gogol the humorist.
So, the scene of lying is the culminating scene in the composition of the comedy and at the same time is of great importance for revealing the characters' characters.