The socio-historical originality of comism in the “Examiner” of Gogol (part II)

The second part of the study continues considering the specifics of N.V. Gogol's comism in the “Examiner”, which is conditioned by the social and historical realities of the first half of the 19th century. Turning to the facts of history, the author studies the salaries of officials of that period, allowing us to understand the true scale of the bribes that Khlestakov receives. So, the mayor gives the imaginary examiner an amount comparable to his annual salary, the careless Khlestakov asks for more money from Zemlyanika. The author of the article determines the ranks of Gogol's characters in accordance with the grades of the Table of Ranks and reveals the comic nature of the situation in which a young man is taken for a nobleman, despite the fact that in the 19th century uniform rules were established for officials to be promoted to senior ranks according to length of service, and ranks of the generals could only be granted by the emperor. Moreover, Khlestakov himself betrays his social position in the dialogues however, the provincial officials take notice of his reservations. After all, the examiner arrived from Saint-Petersburg, which for provincials is a completely different world where the law may not be enforced. Many comic situations are associated with a violation of the etiquette rules manifested in how merchant Abdulin and titular adviser Khlopov turn to Khlestakov. Such an artistic detail as a cavalry sword is analyzed separately as an attribute of the parade uniform and a sign of nobility. The characters hold at it when they give bribes, which is also regarded comically as a combination of their high calling and low behavior.