Pavel Invanovitch Tchitchikov

Tchitchikov is the protagonist of the novel. Throughout the first part of the book, Tchitchikov is considered the hero of the novel. He is very charming, educated, talented, quick witted and handsome. When Tchitchikov arrives to the town of N, he is immediately welcomed because of his wonderful, personable personality. Quickly, Tchitchikov's true intentions for coming to the town of N are revealed. While he has come to survey different parts of Russia, he also has come to buy the dead souls of serfs. Still, Tchitchikov seems to the reader to be honest and kind hearted. He is a collegiate scholar who fell on hard times. If he could only get the souls, he would be able to establish a life for himself and eventually have a family.

As the book progresses, the reader finally gets a more honest picture of the hero. Tchitchikov's desire to...