Manilov

You arrive in your carriage at a two-story stone house on Manilovka Street, which stood on a hill, exposed to all the winds. Manilov was already waiting for you by the gate, impatiently folding his hands in a house-like gesture over his ample chest, which seemed even larger due to the white handkerchief under the lapel of his jacket. As soon as you stepped onto the ground, he immediately rushed towards you with open arms, speaking in a lofty and saccharine tone. "My dear friend! With the utmost respect, I have been awaiting you since morning! I would be delighted to show you into my humble abode." With these words, Manilov embraced you even more tightly for a moment, then released you and bowed, pointing with his fingertips to the front door.

In his poem "Dead Souls," N.V. Gogol created a whole gallery of images of landowners, one of whom is Manilov. The author placed the characters in a specific order, gradually showing the moral degradation of the nobility. Manilov, who heads this list, stands at the first level and is the least corrupted among them. Despite his negative qualities, he has not yet lost his humanity and decency. Manilov's characterization allows us to understand how a person who is essentially not bad succumbs to his own weaknesses and refuses to develop, to be the master of his own life. The character is incapable of action; it is much easier and more pleasant for him to drift with the current than to control his own destiny.