Dead Souls
By Nicolai Gogol
Rating : 5/5
Genres : Classics,Social Message, Satire,Humor,Philosophical Fiction, Russia
This is a story with profound spiritual and philosophical message. I loved it so very immensely. For a deviation, the main character (the hero) of the plot is not glorified as a man of all virtues but is exposed for all his deep flaws, dishonesty and his very imperfect soul is laid bare to the reader so that he may become the one important lesson of how not to behave/act in life - with immorality. It depicts so well that what one should try to save and cherish cannot be stolen by another person - because it is not of a materialistic nature but rather spiritual. It is also a call to each one of the humanity to awaken their sense of self justice and honesty and not fall into the temptation despite peer pressure. 💜 So, so, so enchanted with the depth of human character and nature the author was able to uncover through the several other different personalities the hero meets through out the story as he makes move after unsuccessful move to achieve an elusive success and wealth.
Getting into the story, the main character is Pavel Ivanovitch who was born into poverty and is abandoned by his father with few miserly words of advice at parting. Resolved to get ahead in life and not suffer the fate of poverty, Pavel works super hard, harder than any of his peers but doesn't pay much attention to the shady and dishonest means he employs to achieve his goal at hand. As fate/karma would have it, he reaches a point of luxury and success in his endeavor but something happens and all falls apart. He is reduced to his former state of no status,no money, no resources. Not giving up, he chooses a different occupation in a different town and embarks on the same path. Fate repeats and he is a broken man with a list of injustices that fate has bestowed upon him. Then he comes up with a not much hard work idea of making swift money - to buy and sell souls/farmers who are dead but still not reported on consensus. When he makes this proposition to buy such souls, everyone is astonished as they rightfully should. Life takes a turn for the worse when he, not satisfied with this scheme also gets involved in forging a dead wealthy lady's will. He barely escapes out of prison life with his life in hand and makes a run out of the town ... hopefully and transformed and evolved man.
There are many such people who are misguided by their own desires into doing wrong things and it is fate that puts someone to guide them in the righteous path - as it always happens. But one can only take a horse to the banks of a river and not force it to drink the water - a soul is the master of its own destiny/karma. :)
Loved this book!!!
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