Composition: The character of the mayor in Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General". The image and characteristics of the governor in the comedy "The Inspector General" by Gogol with quotes from the text Description of the governor's appearance

The character of the mayor in Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General"

The governor - Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsiy, is written out quite brightly in the comedy. He is one of the central figures, and it is around him and Khlestakov that the main action develops. The rest of the characters are given by half-casts. We only know their surnames and status, otherwise they are people very similar to the mayor, because they are of the same berry field, they live in the same county town, where “if you ride for three years, you won't reach any state”. Yes, they are not so important, otherwise they would have overshadowed all the "splendor" of the Governor's figure.

We meet a lot of “speaking” surnames in Gogol. This technique is everywhere in his works. The Governor was no exception. Let's see what his surname tells about the character. According to Dahl's dictionary, a pass-through is "a cunning, keen-sighted, perceptive person, a pass, a rogue, an experienced rogue and a creep." But this is obvious. From the first lines of the work, we learn that the Governor will never miss what is floating in his hands, and he does not hesitate to take bribes, even with greyhound puppies. His prudence also speaks of vigilance or clairvoyance. In society, this is a decent head of the city who constantly goes to church, has a prosperous family and stands up for its residents. But let’s not forget that a pass-through is also a rogue, and therefore he also oppresses merchants, and spends state money, and flogs the people. There is also the second part of the surname. Let's open Dahl again and read that dmukhan is “pomp, pride, arrogance. arrogance, arrogance. " And, indeed, Anton Antonovich's arrogance and arrogance are not to be missed. How glad he was to learn that his daughter was not marrying someone else, but a minister: “I myself, mother, is a decent person. However, really, as you think, Anna Andreevna, what birds we have become now! eh, Anna Andreevna? High flight, damn it! Wait, now I will ask all these hunters to submit requests and denunciations to the pepper. This is our mayor.

However, let's see how the author himself describes Anton Antonovich in the author's remarks “for gentlemen actors”. “The governor, who has already grown old in the service and is a very intelligent person in his own way. Although he is a bribe-taker, he behaves very respectably; rather serious; somewhat even reasonable; speaks neither loudly nor softly, neither more nor less. His every word is significant. His facial features are coarse and harsh, like those of anyone who began service from the lowest ranks. The transition from fear to joy, from rudeness to arrogance is quite quick, as in a person with roughly developed inclinations of the soul. He is dressed, as usual, in his uniform with buttonholes and boots with spurs. His hair is cropped and gray. " Everything is important in these remarks, they allow us to understand how Gogol himself wanted to portray the hero, as opposed to how we, the readers, see him. Just as his surname can tell us a lot about the mayor, so the appearance can add finishing touches to the portrait. A uniform with buttonholes tells us that he is, indeed, a respectable person who does not like his orders to be discussed. In his town, he is the king and God, respectively, and the appearance must be befitting. But how interesting it is to observe his transformation when meeting with the so-called incognito-auditor. The mayor begins to stutter and cringe, and may even give a bribe if he does so. But the veneration of rank is in use at that time, however, with the governor it reaches its highest limit, he experiences such a panic fear: “Governor (trembling). Out of inexperience, by God, out of inexperience. Lack of wealth ... You can judge for yourself: the state salary is not even enough for tea and sugar. If there were any bribes, then just a little: something to the table and a couple of dresses. As for the non-commissioned officer's widow, engaged in merchants, whom I allegedly whipped, then this is slander, by God, slander. This is invented by my villains; they are such a people that they are ready to encroach on my life. "

The governor is also rude, Gogol also informs us about this. Despite the high office he occupies, he is an uneducated person, there are many bad inclinations and vices in his soul, but he does not try to eradicate them, since he believes that this is the way it should be. Stupidity and ignorance - these are the traits that dominate the character of the Governor. Even his assurances that he serves honestly and impeccably are sewn through with white thread, and lies shout from every window. He does not even have enough intelligence to come up with something plausible in the face of the formidable Khlestakov, although before that he very deliberately warned his officials about the impending danger: “There the merchants complained to your Excellency. I can assure you that half of what they say is not. They themselves deceive and measure the people. The non-commissioned officer lied to you that I whipped her; She's lying, by God, she's lying. She whipped herself. " These are the curiosities found in the county town.

But, of course, just as there are no only good or only bad people in the world, so book heroes cannot be only positive or only negative. Although this can hardly be said about the characters of The Inspector General. But nevertheless, for some reason we feel sorry at the end of the Governor, who was so cruelly deceived in Khlestakov. In general, it turns out that there is not a single positive character in the comedy, with the exception of Osip, Khlestakov's servant, who, however, is also a drunkard and a cheat. We are sad to see the collapse of the dreams of the Governor, who dreamed of blue ribbons and a house in St. Petersburg. Maybe he did not deserve such a fate, maybe his petty sins are not so terrible. But, I think, this punishment is quite fair, because we understand that the Governor will never get it right, and it is unlikely that the incident with the inspector will serve him as a lesson. Yes, and he gets upset first of all because he did not see the rogue in Khlestakov, he himself is a rogue of rogues. And it’s also a shame that “look, look, the whole world, all Christianity, everyone, look how the mayor is fooled! Fool him, fool, old scoundrel! (Threatens himself with a fist.) Oh, you fat-nosed! Icicle, rag he took for an important person! There he is now flooding the whole road with a bell! Will spread history all over the world. Not only will you go into a laughing stock - there is a clicker, a scribbler, he will insert you into a comedy. That's what's insulting! He will not spare the rank, he will not spare, and they will all bite their teeth and clap their hands. Why are you laughing? “You are laughing at yourself!” - he says sacramental at the end.

But indeed, the character of the Governor is a collective portrait of all the officials of that time. He absorbed all the shortcomings: servility, honor, envy, arrogance, flattery. This list can be continued for a long time. The governor becomes a kind of “hero of our time”, which is why he is written out so clearly, that is why his character is so clearly manifested, especially in crisis situations, and the whole life of the governor during The Inspector General is a crisis. And in such crisis situations Anton Antonovich is not used to it, apparently, from a weakness of character. That's why the electrical effect is at the end. It is doubtful that the mayor will be able to agree with a real official. After all, all his life he deceived the same rogues as himself, and the rules of the game of another world are not available to him. And therefore the arrival of an official from St. Petersburg for Anton Antonovich is like God's punishment. And there is no salvation from this, except to obey. But knowing the character of the mayor, we can safely say that he will still try to appease the new auditor, without thinking about the fact that for a bribe "you can go to prison", he does not see beyond his own nose, for this he pays in the finale: in the middle in the form of a pillar, with outstretched arms and thrown back head. " Silent stage ... Curtain!

Bibliography

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Fascination, then every one of them would have gone over to the side of this honest person and would have completely forgotten about those who so frightened them now. " "an honest person" who determines the meaning of the comedy. "Laughter" in "The Inspector General" is imbued with faith in the "bright nature of man", in the spiritual forces of the people,

The sides can see the insignificance and emptiness of their worries. Thus, Gogol clearly shows the contrast between fussy external activity and internal ossification. "The Inspector General" is a comedy of characters. Gogol's humor is psychological. Laughing at the characters of The Inspector General, we, in the words of Gogol, laugh not at their "crooked nose, but at their crooked soul." The comic in Gogol is almost entirely devoted to the depiction of types. From here ...

Destroyer. Gogol's absurd humor in The Inspector General carries an explosive force that is terribly dangerous for order and hierarchy. Nicholas I thought that "The Inspector General" was useful for correcting the shortcomings of the system and said during the performance: "This is not a play, this is a lesson"; in fact, Gogol, with his unrestrained laughter, is destroying the system itself. Of course, Khlestakov is not a caricature of the tsar, but for officials he is an analogue of an autocrat, ...

Especially frightening and frightening. From the very beginning Khlestakov appears to be an insignificant and worthless person. But the mayor will allow himself to speak about this only at the end of the whole story with the imaginary auditor, calling him a "whistle" and "helipad." In the meantime, together with officials, he is trying to find significance in Khlestakov, and in his words and remarks there is a deep meaning. As for Khlestakov, he is not in ...

Plan

1. Introduction

2.The meaning of the name and surname

3.General characteristic

4. The attitude of the Governor to the service

5 the city man as a person

6.Conclusion

Nikolai Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General" produced the effect of a bomb exploding in its time. In the depicted comic characters, many saw themselves. The central object of criticism of the writer is the mayor, who heads a gang of bribe-takers. This image was created by Gogol with great care. The governor from "The Inspector General" became a textbook character of Russian classical literature.

Gogol was distinguished by his great skill in the use of "speaking" names and surnames. The mayor's name is very loud and sonorous - Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. Anton is translated from Greek as "adversary", from Latin - "competing". That is, Anton Antonovich is a warrior in the square, leading an incessant struggle.

The irony is that the fight is being waged with the ordinary inhabitants of the city. Skvoznik - from "through". A person bearing such a surname is able to find any loophole and easily avoid danger. Dmukhanovsky - from Ukrainian. "dumb" (pomp, becomes arrogant). As a result, the mayor turns out to be an arrogant rogue and a rogue.

Anton Antonovich became a mayor as a result of many years of service, starting with the lower ranks. In the confused bureaucratic apparatus of the Russian Empire, this could only be done by means of bribes, denunciations and the lowest obsequiousness. Having reached the highest level, the mayor firmly took his place. He is well versed in all the behind-the-scenes machinations, is able to deceive anyone and get out of the water.

The governor behaves with stern dignity. Leading and guarding the same bribe-takers, he never stooped to them. Over the long years of service, Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky has developed an incredible sense of danger. He has a phenomenal resourcefulness. One of the visual signs is a rapid change in mood. The governor resembles a chameleon with his ability to instantly adapt to any situation.

The mayor portrayed by Gogol is disgusting for his abuse of power. But the whole horror lies in the fact that Anton Antonovich does not even consider himself to be guilty of anything. Having headed the power in the city, he sincerely thinks that he has unlimited rights. That is why a mayor is needed to execute and pardon his "wards" at his own discretion. The mayor knows very well what sins are found in other officials. He covers them up and thereby gains loyal allies.

Governor as a Person At first glance, Anton Antonovich is a formidable and strong figure. He keeps the whole city at bay. Any order of the mayor must be immediately executed. However, the awareness of numerous abuses constantly keeps Anton Antonovich in suspense. The letter, and then the story of Dobchinsky and Bobchinsky, lead him out of the majestic calm. The governor reveals his shallow and cowardly nature. Real panic grips him. In a hurry, he gives fussy orders, trying to put a box on his head instead of a hat. Fear of punishment becomes the cause of the mayor's mistake.

Throughout the comedy, he humiliates himself in front of the insignificant Khlestakov. Anton Antonovich's flair that has never let down fails. After Khlestakov was exposed, the mayor again takes on a formidable look, but the news of the arrival of a real auditor inflicts a strong blow on him, turning him into a "pillar with outstretched arms and head thrown back."

The governor in "The Inspector General" is a collective image. Perhaps there was no scoundrel who combined all the qualities of Anton Antonovich. In any case, the mayor's favorite occupations - embezzlement and bribery - are still Russia's real misfortune.

Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky spent almost his entire adult life in the civil service. For three decades, he rose from the very bottom to a fairly high position of the head of the city, albeit a provincial one. So much a long way shows that this hero of the work achieved everything with his own efforts, her name is high patrons. Due to this, the mayor is well-versed in the order that developed among the bureaucracy of that time. He takes bribes, arguing that this is how everyone is doing it. Through similar statements by the senior official in the city, Gogol tried to more vividly show the prevalence of corruption in the Russian Empire.

The governor appropriates state money in different ways. However, the author wants to show that even though it looks relatively harmless to some, a small “bite off” from the huge state budget brings tangible harm to the country. Gogol inserts a dialogue about embezzling money for the construction of a new church. This should emphasize the immorality of Russian officials, personified by the mayor, who mentions his strict observance of the rituals of the Orthodox Church. The case of a married man being recruited, instead of giving a bribe, demonstrates not just a passion for profit, but also a lack of interest in the fate of specific people for whom the mayor is capable of breaking their lives for the sake of money.

At the same time, he points out that in other sectors of the urban economy, the situation is not the best. In particular, the streets are not cleaned and the city feels desolate.

City merchants complain to the "auditor" about the extortion of the mayor. The size of the levies, as a rule, is not large, which is also explained by the fact that the business takes place in a small county town and the general ruin of trade, which is also caused by the extortions of officials. The governor, who began his service from the bottom, knows very well from whom and how much one can demand.

At the same time, the mayor has his own rules. He scolds the quarterly for excessive extortion, probably meaning that the ruin of the merchants would reduce the ability to pay them to officials.

At the same time, the mayor, dreaming of the rank of general, and knowing how many pieces of cloth can be taken from each particular merchant, is very much afraid of the higher authorities. It is this fear that makes him a victim of the unprofessional swindler Khlestakov.

Composition 2

In Nikolai Gogol's comedy "The Inspector General", the vices of the officials of a small district town are ridiculed. The satirist play tells the story of the life of bureaucrats mired in corruption and bribery. The plot of the comedy was based on the story of A.S. Pushkin about an incident in the city of Ustyuzhin. The comedy remains relevant today, because it touches on common human vices.

One of the central characters of the comedy is the mayor - Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky. The mayor has been in his service for 30 years. From this, we can conclude about the age of the hero, apparently, Anton Antonovich is about 50-55 years old. The governor is the head of a small district town in the outback of Russia.

The governor performs his duties poorly. The city is dominated by corruption, bribery, and honor. Officials treat the mayor with respect, fearing him. Under the leadership of Anton Antonovich, they commit their machinations, break the law, take bribes. The records of the county town are in a very poor condition. The governor turns a blind eye to the injustice that his subordinates are doing. He himself does the same: Anton Antonovich breaks the law when he recruits people who are not supposed to go to the army; launders money, helping the merchant to earn money on the "construction" of the bridge; blackmails merchants; takes bribes; makes false promises.

The unexpected arrival of the inspector forces the mayor to restore, albeit superficial, but order in the city. He points out to officials about their inaction and shortcomings, asks to take measures to correct them as soon as possible. The governor himself, like his subordinates, does not fulfill his duties. Anton Antonovich steals money from the treasury. The mayor had to build a church in his city. The hero does not hold back the promise, having plundered the treasury, the hero is going to inform the auditor that the church he built was burned down. Most of all, the mayor "offends" merchants in his city. He blackmails them, threatens them with punishment. It is hard for merchants to live under the yoke of the mayor.

Anton Antonovich dreams of becoming a general. The governor knows how to behave in an important and dignified manner. He speaks beautifully about what he allegedly does in the district under his control. Despite his atrocities against the residents of the city, the mayor attends church every Sunday. The hero has a family: a wife and children. The hero treats his wife Anna Andreevna with tenderness and care. The mayor indulges in dreams of a happy life in St. Petersburg, after the "inspector" Khlestakov proposes to his eldest daughter, Marya Antonovna.

Anton Antonovich is presented in the play as not a stupid, thinking person in his own way, holding the position of mayor, and not fulfilling his obligations. The mayor is a cunning, experienced swindler who, in his naivety, turns out to be a deceived young rake Khlestakov.

The image and characteristics of the Governor

The mayor in a provincial town is the hero of Gogol's famous comedy. A character named Anton Skvoznik Dmukhanovsky spent most of his life in public service. It is he who sows panic among colleagues with the news of the arrival of the auditor.

Anton Antonovich is the main representative of the authorities in the district town. He manages all business here and is respected by the local public. Thanks to his leadership, the city is in ruin. Unfinished construction, chaos and ruin are on the mayor's conscience.

Anton Antonovich belongs to a tribe of insatiable officials who will not miss the benefit. He is careful and knows his place. In no case will he contradict a person holding a higher post. Money is the chief interest of the mayor. He grabs on any business on which to profit. Anton Antonovich freely receives bribes and does not consider it shameful. In society, the authority of the mayor is indisputable. He is honored as an intelligent and well-deserved boss. His opinion is considered, his words are listened to.

From time to time, Anton Antonovich visits church, hoping to atone for his sins there. He sincerely believes that in this way he will cleanse the soul. Subconsciously, the hero realizes that he lives badly, but does not want to change anything. To refuse money, which themselves float into his hands, is beyond his strength.

Much in the character of the hero is explained by his sonorous surname. In the manner of a draft, he is able to penetrate where it is beneficial for him to be. In case of need, it will immediately evaporate, as if it were not there. The fraudster has been using city money for many years as if it were his own. For the sake of enrichment, he does not shy away from vile deeds. He paved the way upstairs with fawning before the authorities. But he treats his subordinates as an empty place. The mayor does not stand on ceremony with ordinary people, humiliates and insults those who are lower in rank.

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The mayor Anton Antonovich Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky is a person without any education, but not at all stupid by nature. By nature, he is perspicacious: he immediately sees all the absurdity of the judge's assumption that the auditor was sent to find out if there is treason in the city. But the mayor's mind is predominantly of a practical nature and manifests itself mainly in his cunning, in the ability to manage his affairs, in practical dexterity. He himself boasts: “Not a single merchant, not a contractor could cheat me; he cheated swindlers on swindlers, rogues and rogues such that they are ready to steal from the whole world, he cheated! " ...

Also, when he learns about the auditor, he does not lose his head and immediately takes his measures to get out of the water as dry as possible. If he is nevertheless deceived and takes Khlestakov for an auditor, then this is mainly to blame for the fear of a criminal conscience, which deprives him of the opportunity to calmly discuss the situation; no wonder it is said that fear has large eyes: therefore, the mayor's mistake seems not only psychologically probable, but even inevitable.

The lack of education affects the mayor in his rudeness, in his superstition (for example, he believes in dreams), in the absence of any spiritual interests and needs. He considers himself a religious person, says that he is "firm in the faith," but his religiosity is purely external, expressed only in the observance of church rituals.

Instead of repentance for his misdeeds, he only gives a promise: "I will light a candle like no one else has put on: I will put three pounds of wax on each beast of the merchant." However, he himself realizes that he is doing wrong, but he consoles himself with the thought that “there is no person who does not have any sins behind him. This is already so arranged by God himself, and the Volterians in vain speak against it. "

For all that, the mayor is not any villain at all, he just does not want to let go of what is floating in his hands, cannot resist the temptation to use his power for personal gain. He only does not realize clearly how hard his techniques are reflected on his subordinates, and with great naivety says: "If I took anything, then without any malice."

Meanwhile, the merchants complain about him to Khlestakov: “There has never been such a governor, sir. He mends such insults that it is impossible to describe ... If, that is, we did not respect him in some way, otherwise we always follow the order: what follows on the dress of his wife and daughter - we do not stand against it. No, you see, everything is not enough for him! - her!". Wanting to take more, the mayor, according to the merchants, even celebrates his name day twice a year, on Anton and Onufriy.

But his abuses are not limited to bribes from the inhabitants: he tries on occasion to cash in on the treasury: he enters into a strike with merchants in contracts, appropriates money that was allocated for the construction of a church at a charitable institution. He often uses his power according to personal arbitrariness, contrary to the laws; so, for example, he ordered a non-commissioned officer to be whipped, put the locksmith's husband out of line, and so on. That is why, when word of the inspector's arrival spread through the city, a whole crowd of petitioners came to Khlestakov complaining about the governor: he is to the townsfolk.

The rudeness of the mayor's nature is especially evident in moments of triumph, when he pounces on merchants with curses, or when he begins to dream that he will be a general and all the lower ones will tremble in front of him and pull themselves into line. At the same time, however, the governor is not devoid of some kindness: he promises, for example, to patronize his colleagues later, while his wife declares with disdain that "not every small fry should be given protection."

/V.G. Belinsky about Gogol /

The Inspector General is based on the same idea as in Ivan Ivanovich's Quarrel with Ivan Nikiforovich: in both works the poet expressed the idea of ​​denying life, the idea of ​​illusion, which received, under his artistic chisel, its objective reality. The difference between them is not in the main idea, but in the moments of life captured by the poet, in the individuals and positions of the characters. In the second work we see a void devoid of all activity; in The Inspector General there is a void filled with the activity of petty passions and petty egoism.<...>

So exactly, what do we need to know the details of the mayor's life before the start of the comedy? It is clear even without the fact that in childhood he was learned with copper money, played with grandmothers, ran through the streets, and as he began to enter the mind, he received lessons from his father in worldly wisdom, that is, in the art of heating hands and burying the ends in water ... Deprived in his youth of any religious, moral and social education, he inherited from his father and from the world around him the following rule of faith and life: in life you need to be happy, and this requires money and ranks, and to acquire them - bribery, embezzlement , groveling and dishonoring before the authorities, nobility and wealth, idleness and bestial rudeness before the lower ones. Simple philosophy! But notice that in him this is not debauchery, but his moral development, his highest concept of his objective duties: he is a husband, therefore, is obliged to decently support his wife; he is a father, therefore, must give a good dowry for his daughter, in order to deliver her a good party and, thus arranging her well-being, to fulfill the sacred duty of a father. He knows that his means for achieving this goal are sinful before God, but he knows this in an abstract way, with his head, and not with his heart, and he justifies himself with the simple rule of all vulgar people: "I am not the first, I am not the last, everyone does this." This practical rule of life is so deeply rooted in him that it has become a rule of morality; he would consider himself an upstart, proud, proud, if, even if he forgot, he behaved honestly during the week.<...>

Our governor was not naturally lively, and therefore "everyone does this" was too much of an argument to calm his calloused conscience; this argument was joined by another, even stronger for a gross and low soul: "a wife, children, the state salary does not go for tea and sugar." So much for the whole Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky before the start of the comedy.<...>The end of "The Inspector General" was made by the poet again not arbitrarily, but due to the most reasonable necessity: he wanted to show us the Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky everything, as he is, and we saw him all as he is. But here there is still another, no less important and deep reason that emerges from the essence of the play.<...>

"Fear has big eyes," says a wise Russian proverb: is it surprising that a stupid boy who missed a tavern dandy on the road was mistaken by the mayor for an inspector? Deep idea! Not a formidable reality, but a ghost, a phantom, or, better to say, a shadow of fear of a guilty conscience, were supposed to punish the man of ghosts. The mayor of Gogol is not a caricature, not a comic farce, not an exaggerated reality, and at the same time is not at all a fool, but, in his own way, a very, very intelligent person who is very real in his field, knows how to deftly get down to business - to steal the ends bury in the water, slip a bribe and appease a dangerous person to him. His attacks on Khlestakov, in the second act, are an example of clerical diplomacy.

So, the end of the comedy must take place where the mayor learns that he was punished by a ghost and that he still has to be punished by reality, or at least new troubles and losses in order to evade punishment from reality. And therefore the arrival of the gendarme with the news of the arrival of the true auditor finishes the play beautifully and gives it all the completeness and all the independence of a special world that is closed in itself.<...>

Many find it a terrible stretch and farce to make the mistake of the mayor, who mistook Khlestakov for an auditor, especially since the mayor is a person, in his own way, very smart, that is, a rogue of the first category. A strange opinion, or, better to say, a strange blindness that does not allow seeing the evidence! The reason for this lies in the fact that each person has two views - the physical, to which only external evidence is available, and the spiritual, penetrating the internal evidence, as a necessity arising from the essence of the idea. But when a person has only physical sight, and he looks to them at the inner evidence, then it is natural that the mayor's mistake seems to him a stretch and farce.

Imagine a thief-official such as you know the venerable Skvoznik-Dmukhanovsky: he saw in his dream two extraordinary rats, which he had never seen - black, unnatural in size - came, sniffed and walked away. The importance of this dream for subsequent events has already been very correctly noted by someone. In fact, pay all your attention to it: it reveals the chain of ghosts that make up the reality of comedy. For a person with such an education as our mayor, dreams are the mystical side of life, and the more incoherent and meaningless they are, the more and more mysterious they are for him. If, after this dream, nothing important had happened, he might have forgotten it; but, as if on purpose, the next day he received a notification from a friend that "an official with a secret order to inspect everything related to civil administration in the province had gone incognito from St. Petersburg." Sleep in your hand! Superstition further intimidates an already intimidated conscience; conscience reinforces superstition.

Pay special attention to the words "incognito" and "with a secret prescription." Petersburg is a mysterious country for our mayor, a fantastic world, of which he cannot and does not know how to imagine. Innovations in the legal field, threatening a criminal court and exile for bribery and embezzlement, further exacerbate the fantastic side of St. Petersburg for him. He is already asking his imagination how the inspector will arrive, what he will pretend to be and what bullets he will cast in order to find out the truth. There are rumors from an honest company about this subject. A dog judge who takes bribes with greyhound puppies and therefore is not afraid of the court, who has read five or six books in his lifetime and is therefore somewhat free-thinking, finds a reason for sending an auditor worthy of his thoughtfulness and erudition, saying that "Russia wants to wage a war, and therefore the ministry deliberately dispatches an official to find out if there is any treason. " The mayor understood the absurdity of this assumption and replied: "Where is our uyezd town? If it were a border town, it would still be possible to guess somehow, otherwise it’s worth the devil knows where - in the wilderness ... From here at least three years ride, not to any state you won't get there. " Thus, he advises his colleagues to be more careful and be ready for the visit of the auditor; Arms himself against the idea of ​​sins, that is, bribes, saying that "there is no person who does not have any sins behind him", that "this is already arranged by God himself" and that "the Volterians in vain speak against this"; there is a little squabble with the judge about the meaning of bribes; continuation of tips; murmur against the damned incognito. "Suddenly he will look: ah! You are here, darlings! And who, say, is the judge here?" "Tyapkin-Lyapkin." ! "...

Indeed, it is bad! A naive postmaster enters, who loves to print out other people's letters in the hope of finding in them "various such passages ... edifying even ... better than in Moskovskie vedomosti." find out if it contains some kind of report or just correspondence. "What depth is in the image! Do you think that the phrase" or just correspondence "is nonsense or a farce on the part of the poet: no, this is the inability of the mayor to express himself, how soon he is even a little goes out of the native spheres of his life. And this is the language of all the characters in the comedy! The naive postmaster, not understanding what the matter is, says that he is doing it anyway. "I am glad that you are doing this," the rogue mayor replies to the simpleton - to the postmaster, - this is good in life ", and seeing that you won't take much with him in roundabout way, he directly asks him to deliver any news to him, and simply detain the complaint or report. The judge regales him with a dog, but he replies that he the feather is not up to dogs and hares: "All I can hear in my ears is that the incognito is accursed; you expect the doors to open suddenly and enter ... "