The image of Khlestakov in N. V. Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General”

Laughter is often a great mediator

in distinguishing truth from lies...

V. G. Belinsky

Khlestakov - the main thing character comedy by N.V. Gogol “The Inspector General” (1836). He not only central figure comedy action, but also represents a typical character. “Everyone, at least for a minute, if not for a few minutes,” said Gogol, “was or is being made by Khlestakov... And a clever guards officer will sometimes turn out to be Khlestakov, and a statesman... and our brother a writer...” It is this hero who most fully expresses that combination of extreme ambition and spiritual insignificance, arrogance and narcissism, which was characteristic of high-ranking officials. Khlestakov became the personification of a high-ranking official-auditor by mistake, but a natural mistake. His resemblance to a messenger from the “higher ups” was striking, which is why it misled such an experienced person as the mayor, and all those around him.

The mayor did not notice any differences in Khlestakov from those numerous auditors and high-ranking persons with whom he had met before. Of course, fear clouded his eyes and mind, but he probably experienced the same fear during other visits of “big” people. Consequently, the point here is not only about fear, but also about the fact that Khlestakov could really be mistaken for an auditor.

It was no coincidence that Gogol brought to the stage in the role of an imaginary auditor a man living in St. Petersburg and serving in the department. Khlestakov was born of bureaucratic-aristocratic Petersburg. He absorbed into himself, like a sponge, all those negative phenomena that filled the capital’s society.

The son of a poor Saratov landowner, Khlestaov, serving in the department as a petty official (“elistrate”), wants to live in grand style, indulge in entertainment, diligently imitating secular dandies, and pluck flowers of pleasure. “Father will send money, something to hold it with - and where!.. He went on a spree... instead of going to office, and he goes for a walk along the avenue, plays cards,” says Osip’s servant about him.

Khlestakov, insignificant both by origin and position, must play the role of a respectable official. The main character traits of this character are irresponsibility and bragging. Having squandered all his money and significantly spent money on the road, he nevertheless imagines how nice it would be to drive up to the house in a luxurious carriage, and dress up his servant Osip in livery, and how everyone would come to attention just at the mere mention of his name - Ivan Alexandrovich Khlestakov from St. Petersburg.

Even while courting the tavern servant, begging him for lunch, Khlestakov behaves arrogantly. Without paying anything for the hotel, he makes claims to the owner, who does not want to understand that this is not an ordinary person: “You explain to him seriously that I need to eat. .. He thinks that just as he, a man, is okay if he doesn’t eat for a day, so is it for others too. News!" Having difficulty obtaining an extension of the loan from the hotel owner, he begins to behave even more impudently: he doesn’t like the food, and everyone around him is a swindler and thieves.

Khlestakov's warlike ardor fades away as soon as he learns of the mayor's arrival. He fears that the head of the city will send him straight to prison. However, the timidity of the mayor in front of the imaginary auditor reinforces Khlestakov’s unceremoniousness: “What right do you have? How dare you? Yes, here I am... I serve in St. Petersburg...” He suddenly realizes that Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky is not going to put him in prison, but, on the contrary, intends to provide him with all kinds of services, mistaking him for a “high-flying bird.”

The image of the mayor receives its brilliant conclusion in the fifth act of the comedy. And here Gogol uses the principle of sharp switches, moving from the defeat of the hero to his triumph, and then from triumph to the dethronement of the hero. In an atmosphere of universal admiration, Khlestakov literally blossoms. In the third act of the comedy, he is shown in the moments of his takeoff. With ecstasy, Khlestakov paints pictures of his imaginary life in front of shocked listeners. He does not lie out of any clear motives or clear goals. Lightness of mind does not allow him to make serious calculations regarding the consequences of his actions. He lies out of empty vanity, he lies to boast of his “high” position, he lies because he is at the mercy of his fantasy. He reveals to the heroes of the comedy and to the audience his dream, which he would like to achieve, but he himself passes it off as reality.

Khlestakov has already made everyone believe that he important person, and therefore he takes the warm welcome for granted. At first, he has no idea that he is being mistaken for some important person. After officials began supplying him with money, he began to realize that he was being mistaken for another person. However, this does not prevent Khlestakov from still experiencing pleasure from everything that happens.

In the fourth act of the comedy, Gogol shows how Khlestakov organizes a fundraiser, receives gifts from officials and merchants, and deals with complaints from townspeople. Nothing bothers Khlestakov: he feels neither fear nor remorse. Apparently, it is not particularly difficult for this person to commit any meanness, any deception. Without a shadow of embarrassment, he performs the functions of an important official and is ready to thoughtlessly decide the fate of people.

With extraordinary ease, Khlestakov switches from the “state” sphere to lyrical plan. As soon as the visitors disappear from his field of vision, he immediately forgets about them. The arrival of Marya Antonovna immediately puts Khlestakov in a romantic mood. And here he acts without realizing where the events will lead him. “Lyrical” scenes reveal the character of the hero from a new side. In his explanations with Marya Antonovna and Anna Andreevna, Khlestakov appears as a person who uses a wretched set of vulgar tricks and banal sayings. The hero's love explanations emphasize his lack of living human feelings.

It is not for nothing that Gogol, giving instructions on how to play his hero, emphasized that he should turn out to be a liar, a coward and a clicker in all respects.

Objective meaning and the meaning of this image is that it represents an indissoluble unity of “significance” and insignificance, huge claims and inner emptiness.

It is also very significant that the image of Khlestakov is closely related to the images of other characters in the play. The mayor, Zemlyaika, and Lyapkin-Tyapkin have Khlestakov qualities. They are expressed in complete absence moral principles, in exorbitant claims, in the desire to play the role of a person of a rank higher than one’s own, in the ability to commit any meanness.

I. S. Turgenev saw in the image of Khlestakov “the triumph of poetic truth.” He said that “... the name Khlestakov loses its randomness and becomes a common noun.” Khlestakovism is a manifestation of arrogance, frivolity, inner emptiness, irresponsibility and deceit. This phenomenon has acquired a broad social and psychological meaning. The image of Khlestakov belongs to the number of such - found and guessed phenomena of life.

Ivan Khlestakov is one of the main characters of Gogol's comedy. Thanks to his image, the author was able to show us life in a past era, when in the country a person is judged not by his qualities and services to the Fatherland, but by his position. Now we will try to describe in the image of Khlestakov, the main character, who became a creative success for the writer.

Ivan Khlestakov is a contradictory and ambiguous hero, whose image turned out to be very successful and accurate. On the one hand, it is difficult to call Khlestakov a fraudster, because he is not specifically called an auditor, but only took advantage of the opportunity. But on the other hand, honest man I would never do that and would immediately refute the erroneous opinion. But no, because of a mistake by the highest district authorities, because of local cowardly swindlers and thieves, a vile nature was released, which immediately ran rampant. Moreover, the excitement also ran rampant. Therefore, the hero is completely immersed in the role assigned to him. Another prudent person in his place would have received a benefit and left immediately, especially if they began to suspect him of deception, but this is not about Khlestakov, who was gambling throughout his life and played until the last, squandering all his fortune.

How does the image of Khlestakov appear before us?

The author describes him as a petty person, an insignificant low-ranking official. This is a poor guy of twenty-four years old who could have lost even the small fortune that he had. writes that he is a rather stupid person, without a king in his head. He wanted to try his luck in the capital, but failed. On the way home, he lost all the money and he has to live in a certain town, where they are just waiting for the arrival of the auditor. Khlestakov was mistaken for him. And he quickly began to play along, especially since he always wanted to be a significant person.

Khlestakov is a dreamer, a deceitful person who thinks superficially and does not think about the consequences. Having played at being an auditor, Ivan lies about himself, inventing unprecedented stories. In his stories, he makes his dreams come true, giving them a certain reality. He does this with such conviction that even the experienced mayor did not see through the false auditor and believes him to the end. And Ivan himself believes in his lies.

The hero is a master of lies who, without a twinge of conscience, takes money from everyone, promising to return everything. This is a man who can simultaneously care for his daughter and her mother, and it is unknown how the whole story would have ended if Khlestakov had not left before the deception was revealed.

The image of Khlestakov and the hero of the comedy are the founder of Khlestakovism, which personifies frivolity, stupidity, lies, laxity, and the desire to impersonate someone else.

The image of Khlestakov in the comedy The Inspector General, version 2

Key figure and in a bright way in Gogol's work The Inspector General is the image of Khlestakov, who in himself was a worthless person, an ordinary typical little man. By chance, when he lost in the capital and was on his way home, Khlestakov finds himself in a town where officials mistake him for an important auditor. And here his life turns into the fairy tale that Khlestakov always dreamed of. Now everyone is interested in him, everyone wants to see him and are in awe of his person. And here the true image of Khlestakov begins to be revealed in the comedy The Inspector General about which we are writing our essay.

Image of Khlestakov with quotes

In order to more plausibly describe the main character in an essay on the topic of the image of Khlestakov, we suggest turning to quotes from the work. And we meet, as the author writes, a young twenty-three-year-old man, thin, thin, slightly stupid. According to the mayor, it is so nondescript that you could crush it with a fingernail. a poor nobleman who serves in St. Petersburg, holding the position of registrar. He takes his work carelessly, so he can skip it, but card games have always been mandatory.

Khlestakov is always combed, dressed stylishly, knows how to present himself, respects ranks, honors people from high society and despises people of low class.

He good actor Therefore, he quickly gets used to the role of an auditor, as if he had been waiting for this all his life. The false inspector, having become an important person, immediately attributed to himself talents that he never had. He boasted of his connections, had conversations, and without a twinge of conscience asked for money from officials. In the successfully invented image of Khlestakov, Gogol ridiculed the vices of officials and their obscene qualities.

Khlestakov's lifestyle

What kind of life does our Khlestakov lead? From Gogol's work we see a nobleman, a landowner, who lives in a modest apartment and occupies an insignificant post, earning little money. Khlestakov leads a life beyond his means, travels to theaters, plays cards, takes money from his parents, and constantly dreams of a different life, which he observes from the outside. How would you like to become a significant person, to feel constant attention from the ladies. He dreams of being taken for the commander-in-chief, so the incident in a small town became for Khlestakov like a fairy tale, which he had dreamed about all his life, and by chance came true.

In general, Khlestakov’s lifestyle is worthless, frivolous, and does not bring any benefit to society. His whole life consists of accidents.

Khlestakov's character

While working on the essay, I would like to briefly dwell on the character of Khlestakov. This is a frivolous, irresponsible, lazy person who does not like to work. He does not strive to grow in his career, he is a spender, a liar, a frivolous playmaker, who, however, was an excellent actor. His only natural gift was luck, thanks to which Khlestakov managed to leave the city on time, while not forgetting to give precise characteristics in a letter to each of the officials of the small county town.

The meaning of the image of Khlestakov

Having studied the comedy The Inspector General, we see how important the image of Khlestakov is in Gogol’s work. Here Khlestakov not only personifies deceit and hypocrisy, and shows the spiritual emptiness that was characteristic of many of the author’s contemporaries, but is also an instrument through which the vices of officials are revealed. At the same time, the hero reveals them unconsciously. Without noticing it, he brought the officials to light, so the significance of his image in comedy is priceless.

The meaning and relevance of the image of Khlestakov

The meaning of Khlestakov’s image is quite clear. Through the image of the main character, the author wanted to ridicule the evils of society and draw the viewer's attention to the existing problems that people face. What’s most interesting is that the Khlestakovs can easily be found among us, so the question of whether the image of Khlestakov is relevant in our time can be answered positively. To confirm this, it is enough to remember who Khlestakov is.

He is a liar, enjoys using his parents’ money, loves fashionable clothes, but at the same time does not want to work and earn money. Now look around. Almost all people lie for their own benefit. How many children are there around who happily live at the expense of their parents? There are many of them. They are used to getting the best without much difficulty. Look around, see how many people pretend to be someone they are not!

All this certainly emphasizes the relevance of Khlestakov’s image in our days.

The image of Khlestakov based on Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General” - essay

Khlestakov is an “elistrate” from St. Petersburg, a typical representative of an official who hangs around in departments and living rooms, bookstores and coffee shops. He saw something, heard something. The main thing in Khlestakov’s life was money, ranks, career and social life. But he failed to accomplish all this, and he goes to the village. Khlestakov has an “extraordinary lightness of thought” in his head; he is ready for any adventure: to show off, play cards, have fun. And then a convenient opportunity presents itself - he is mistaken for an auditor. In the scene of lying he reaches the top, although he lies constantly. And this is where the peculiarity of Gogol’s comedy manifests itself: they don’t believe the truth, but they listen to lies with their mouths open. At first it seems to us that Khlestakov is naive, but this is not so. He innocently accepts the circumstances in which he finds himself. It seems to us that Osip is telling the owner to “get lost,” but Khlestakov also suspects something wrong in the current situation: “It seems to me, however, that they take me for a statesman... What a fool!” Showing off in front of Marya Antonovna, he almost let it slip: “For mercy, madam, I am very pleased that you took me for the kind of person who...”, but he caught himself in time so as not to bring trouble upon himself. Khlestakov realized that he had been mistaken for someone else, and willingly entered into the role. He did not deceive the officials; they deceived themselves.

Khlestakov’s character is typical of many people. N.V. Gogol himself wrote: “Everyone, even for a minute... is or was made by Khlestakov... And a clever guards officer will sometimes turn out to be Khlestakov, and a statesman..., and our brother, a sinful writer. In short, it’s rare that someone won’t be one at least once in their life.” Each character in the comedy has his own Khlestakovism: the dreamy Mayor, Shpekin, in the character of Osip.

We meet Khlestakov right away, in “Notes for Gentlemen Actors”: “Khlestakov, a young man of about 23, thin, thin, somewhat stupid and, as they say, without a king in his head... He speaks and acts without any consideration... His speech is abrupt , and the words fly out of his mouth completely unexpectedly... Dressed in fashion.”

Scene after scene reveals to us the vivid image of Khlestakov. He came to St. Petersburg from the Saratov province to succeed in his service. Having been in the noble halls and having trimmed himself a little, dressed in the capital's fashionable clothes, Khlestakov is forced to return home to his father, having squandered his parents' money and achieved nothing in the service.

Khlestakov, according to Osip, is “a simple little strategist.” “The second month has passed, as if already from St. Petersburg! He squandered a lot of money, my dear, and now he’s sitting there with his tail twisted.” He is a careless son of a parent, he says about his father that he is “stubborn and stupid, an old horseradish, a log.” Khlestakov doesn’t like living in the village, he prefers metropolitan life. “My soul yearns for enlightenment,” “after all, you live to pluck flowers of pleasure.”

IN different cities, on the way home, he tries to show himself as a socialite, goes on a spree, loses his last money at cards, because... for him it is “tempting to play.” And he remains in the city without funds, he faces prison.

Sitting for a long time in a hotel, fear of the arrival of the auditor, forces officials, led by the mayor, to see a government official in the passing “elistrate”.

Realizing that he is being mistaken for an important bird, Khlestakov “allows dust.” When he tells the truth, officials consider it a lie, and when Khlestakov lies, they take his words as the truth.

Khlestakov lies so much that he himself believes in the heat of what was said and cannot stop. But he is not as stupid as he seems at first. He understands that he has been mistaken for a government official, and tries to extract the greatest benefit from this for himself: he extorts money, takes bribes, and drags after the mayor’s daughter and wife.

When he realizes that it is time to end this game, which Osip asks him to do, he sends a letter to his friend Tryapichkin in St. Petersburg, where he very accurately characterizes all the officials of the city. He is ungrateful, forgets about money, receptions, dinners and benefactors, writes that “the mayor is stupid as a gray gelding”, “Strawberry is a perfect pig in a yarmulke”, etc.

The comedy “The Inspector General,” written in the first half of the 19th century, has not lost its significance to this day. There still live among us mayors, postmasters and other heroes whose features resemble the heroes of a comedy. There are Khlestakovs among us. No wonder they say: he lies like Khlestakov. Khlestakov is the image of an empty, worthless person, incapable of anything good for society. He likes to be shown “loyalty and respect” without giving anything in return.

Option 1:

Khlestakov... He is generally considered a swindler and a deceiver. But is this really so? All his life a person is late for something, doesn’t have time, everything is awkward for him, he doesn’t know how to do anything, he’s a failure in everything... At the same time, he dreams. And in his dreams he is strong, smart, rich, powerful and irresistible to women.

The reality is sad - Khlestakov lost to smithereens. Only a miracle will save our dreamer from starvation and debt.

And a miracle happens. The circumstances are so favorable that Ivan Alexandrovich cannot resist the temptation. And those in power fawn over him, and the first beauties of N-Ska are ready to fall into his arms - or provide their daughters. And there is no strength or desire to stop and think about the consequences - the whirlwind of flattering and corrupt carries on and on...

Khlestakov himself, however, is stupid and cowardly. And the only thing that justifies him in our eyes is the even greater stupidity and cowardice of the characters around him. However, he knows how to deftly adapt to the situation and wishful thinking. If you want to see an important official, you will have an important official. If you want to give bribes, he will accept them. If you want a profitable marriage or an influential lover, he will promise you this. It is impossible to stop in the flow of lies, only to leave, which is what Khlestakov does. Very timely.

Khlestakov - no main character plays. It is rather a natural phenomenon, like a snowstorm or drought. He simply by existing allows others to show themselves in all their glory. Put your vices and passions on display. Turn inside out under the spotlight.

Khlestakov is passive throughout the entire action, he goes with the flow. It doesn't act - it just encourages those around them to take off their masks. By your very existence here and now.

Khlestakov is only a catalyst.

Option 2:

It is precisely this invincible confidence in his right to be cared for by other people that leads to the fact that Khlestakov is easily drawn into the game offered to him and does not disabuse the other participants in this game. He carries himself so naturally in the image of a pompous talker that officials have no doubt: this role was invented on purpose to disguise the audit.

The behavior model of all bribe takers is approximately the same - they also pretend to be stupid. Therefore, the events of the play unfold very predictably. The combination of fear with hope for quick success leads to a loss of vigilance, including among women.

Khlestakov - no goodie, although he had no bad intentions. This image is especially relevant in our time, when society is aimed at consumption rather than personal development.

Option 3:

Gogol is one of the most merciless critics moral principles and the foundations of the then public. It is noteworthy that everything described by the author, all the characteristics and life stories are relevant to this day. As they say: “we all came out of Gogol’s overcoat.” The same can be said about the comedy “The Inspector General,” in particular about Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov, whose character is central to the work. His character traits, manner of behavior, and the adventures in which he got involved were so vital and natural that a collective name appeared for this kind of incident - “Khlestakovism.”

If you figure out who Khlestakov is, it will become obvious that he is, in fact, not an evil character, but an extremely resourceful, cunning and skillful deceiver. He is even close to acting. Upon arrival in the small town, he found it difficult to make ends meet. Left alone in the room and sending the servant to beg dinner from the owner of the inn, these are the thoughts that come to him: “It’s terrible how hungry I am! So I walked around a little, wondering if my appetite would go away - no, damn it, it won’t. Yes, if I hadn’t had a party in Penza, I would have had enough money to get home.” It is obvious that sometimes, very rarely, Khlestakov’s thoughts of common sense slip through and repentance appears. This happens not because of high morality, but because of the horrors of need. The hero squandered almost all his father's money at cards. He is left to look for ways to make money, but our character is not so prudent. Instead, he simply took advantage of the situation, pretended to be an important official and fooled the residents of a small town. “After all, you live to pick flowers of pleasure.”

Khlestakov is intoxicated by the situation, the imaginary power and the fallen role. Such a person has no backbone; he swims wherever the current takes him. He cheats to get out, throws dust in his eyes, wants to appear and not be. Unfortunately, both before and today, a person who has received a high position, without achieving it through his own work, but by chance, behaves this way. He imagines himself to be a great man, deciding the destinies of people, covers his eyes with false achievements, extols himself to the skies, not noticing that there is nothing to support his flight. And we need to answer honestly to each of us, to ourselves, whether we would be tempted to rip off big jackpot when he comes into his own hands? What would they do if each of the residents was in a hurry to please us, honor us and “kiss our hands.” Wouldn't you give in? “There is no point in blaming the mirror if your face is crooked,” the proverb to the work tells us.

Option 4:

The key figure in N.V. Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" is Ivan Aleksandrovich Khlestakov.

The writer characterizes the main character of his work negatively. Why? Because Khlestakov behaves so arrogantly and irresponsibly that even the reader develops a feeling of hostility towards this character.

When meeting Khlestakov, we learn that he managed to spend all his money because of his love for gambling. Now he is in the county town of N, unable to pay for accommodation in the hotel where he was staying. The mayor, who mistook this rogue for an auditor, creates for Khlestakov all the conditions where the imaginary auditor can show his “talents” - lies, ambition, money-grubbing. All this leads to the fact that the number of people deceived by Khlestakov increases every day, and the anti-hero himself, without a twinge of conscience, uses what could never rightfully belong to him.

The image of this negative hero became a household name and today we can observe a considerable number of such “Khlestakovs” surrounding us in everyday life.

Option 5:

One of the main characters, as well as the most striking image of the comedy N.V. Gogol's "Inspector General" is Ivan Khlestakov, he is young, thin and stupid. They often say about such people: “without a king in their head.”

Khlestakov serves in the office, receiving a meager salary and dreaming of incredible heights that are inaccessible to him from birth. He fantasizes about how he will lead a luxurious life and become a favorite of the ladies, although this, of course, will never happen.

By chance, having lost everything he had, he ends up in a hotel county town N, where he encounters the mayor. He takes him for an auditor, and previously inaccessible opportunities open up for the dreamer and liar Khlestakov. He begins to feel his importance, even if imaginary, and uncontrollably lies about himself, his achievements and position in society. At the same time, he doesn’t even know who exactly he was confused with; the hero lacks the intelligence to use his temporary position for his own benefit. Although unconsciously, Khlestakov, playing the role that was imposed on him, managed to feed the general fear of “ big man" During his service in the office, he more than once tried on the role of serious officials, observing their behavior. And so he had the opportunity to feel significant and important, and the hero, of course, took advantage of it, because his superficiality does not allow him to predict the troubles that may follow. It is worth noting that Khlestakov was not a swindler by nature, he simply accepted other people’s honors and was sure that he deserved them, already beginning to believe in his own lies.

The mayor was unable to recognize the forgery, because Ivan impersonated an official unintentionally, without the goal of profit; he innocently considered himself to be what those around him believed. But it was an accident that saved him; he left the city on time and thanks to this he avoided retribution for his lies.

The image of Khlestakov illustrates an empty and worthless person who, without giving anything to society, wants to receive all kinds of benefits and honors for nothing.

Option 6:

Khlestakov Ivan Aleksandrovich is one of the key characters in Gogol’s comedy “The Inspector General”. By himself, he is a very mediocre person, who does not stand out from the crowd in any way. positive qualities, typical " little man" By the will of fate, he finds himself on the crest of a wave of life - by pure chance, residents of the provincial town of N mistake him for an important person - the capital's auditor. And this is where our hero begins real life- the life he’s dreamed of for so long: the town’s top officials invite him to dinner parties, best women pay attention to him, and officials are in awe of the “significant person.”

And then, when Khlestakov achieves the life he dreamed of, his true face begins to clearly appear. Khlestakov lies uncontrollably, presenting himself as a great writer and public figure, shamelessly takes bribes, fools two women at the same time. In the middle of the work, we see him no longer as a faceless “little man”, but as a truly immoral person. In his character we see frivolity and deceit, irresponsibility and stupidity, superficiality and simply a lack of decency. It’s not for nothing that all these qualities together were dubbed Khlestakovism.

It is also interesting that as the action of the work develops, the character of the main character also develops - the negative traits of his character appear more and more. It is unknown what Khlestakov would have reached if it were not for another happy accident - just before the hero’s deception was revealed, he left the city. Probably, luck is the only valuable natural gift that nature endowed Khlestakov with.

Who is Khlestakov

“The Inspector General” is one of the first theatrical plays written by Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. One of central characters works - Khlestakov, a young man who found himself in the city of N on his way from St. Petersburg to the village to visit his father.

A brief description of Khlestakov from Gogol’s “The Inspector General” can be composed of just two words: frivolous and irresponsible. He squandered all the money his father sent him and lost it at cards. In the tavern where Khlestakov lives with his servant Osip, he owes money for housing and food. Moreover, he is indignant that they don’t want to feed him for free, as if everyone around him is obliged to support him.

As Gogol writes in brief description in “Notes for Gentlemen Actors,” Khlestakov is an empty person.

The role of Khlestakov in the play

As the play progresses, Khlestakov finds himself in a situation where he is mistaken for an inspector. Khlestakov was scared at first, thinking that the mayor was going to put him in prison, but then, quickly getting his bearings, he used the situation to his advantage. Realizing that he is not yet in danger and using the respect for rank on the part of the mayor and other characters, Khlestakov extracts money from them and disappears in an unknown direction. Without knowing it, Khlestakov plays the role of a scalpel, opening an abscess on the patient’s body. All the dirty deeds that officials in the city of N are doing suddenly come out. People who consider themselves the “elite” of the city begin to throw mud at each other. Although before the scene where everyone brings offerings to Khlestakov, everyone smiled sweetly and pretended that everything was fine.

Khlestakov's surname and his role in the play - is there a connection?

The surname Khlestakov suits his role in the play well, because with his deception it was as if he “whipped” all the characters on the cheeks. It is difficult to say whether Gogol connected the character of Khlestakov in the comedy “The Inspector General” with his surname. But the meaning is very similar to this. Moreover, Khlestakov simply accepted the role imposed on him by those around him and took advantage of the opportunity.

Khlestakov's relationship with the characters of the play

Depending on who he was with and under what circumstances, his attitude towards the heroes also changed. For example, with Osip Khlestakov is a gentleman, capricious, a little rude, and behaves like a little unreasonable child. Although he scolds him at times, Khlestakov still listens to his opinion, and it is thanks to the servant’s ingenuity and caution that Khlestakov manages to leave before being exposed.

With women, Khlestakov is a metropolitan dandy, whispering compliments to any lady, regardless of age.

With the Mayor and city officials - at first, frightened, and then insolent, a visiting liar, pretending to be an important bird.

Khlestakov easily adapts to any situation and finds benefits for himself, as a result getting away with it.

Khlestakov and modernity

The plot of the play surprisingly resonates with today. And now you can find the ceremonial worship described in the work. And the characterization of Khlestakov in the comedy “The Inspector General” is quite suitable for many people. After all, it often happens when a person, trying to seem more significant, boasts of meeting celebrities or, adapting to the situation, lies and dodges.

Gogol seems to describe events taking place at the present time. But when he wrote “The Inspector General” he was only twenty-seven years old. And this once again confirms that genius does not depend on age.

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