DUELLING CHARACTERS IN "THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR" BY NOKOLAI GOGOL

Some of the characters in The Government Inspector engage in trivial micro quarrels. The significance of such interactions lies in the thematisation of negligence of duty and inefficiency of the government officials. In addition, these petty squabbles mirror the real life problems afflicting the residents of the town.

Anna and Marya disagree on matters pertaining to apparel and physical appearance. Their different tastes and opinions on aesthetic issues reflect not only the disharmony between the two of them but also the conflict that exists between government officials or servants with the general public, especially the shop owners. Justice is non-existent in this town as the judge is involved in bribery and abdication. Instead of executing his duty as a judge, Lyapkin-Tyapkin pursues hunting. This creates dissatisfaction among the residents of the town as some cases are left unsettled. The sergeant's widow who is flogged unjustly illustrates the gross misapplication of law due to inefficiency of civil servants.

Upon being aware that the "government inspector" is coming to town, Anna and Marya groom themselves as they prepare to impress him. They are both vying for his attention. The mother-daughter relationship vanishes in the dog eat dog contest between mother and daughter. Anna unashamedly, displays her immorality with little, almost without shame. This duel is indicative of the widespread corruption and fraudulent  disposition. The custodians of law and order are all involved in deceitful activities. They are all involved in various vices.

Despite their names being almost homographs and their stature more or less the same, Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky disagree with each other more than they agree. Having seen Khlestakov and convinced themselves that he is the "government inspector", they both compete breaking the news to the mayor. Each one of them claims to be knowing more details than the other. This minor tension mirrors the discord existing between the residents and the officials. It is ironic that the officials whose sole responsibility is to ensure harmony among residents through delivering the services they are hired to do, are the ones who are the source of disputes.

Eventually when the truth is revealed that Khlestakov is not the government inspector, both Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky deny that they are the ones who initially surmised that he was the government inspector. Rather than accept responsibility, they shift the blame by accusing each other. Their failure to accept their faults reflects the tendency of the government officials of focusing on appearances rather than reality. The mayor, after learning that the government inspector will be arriving in town, desperately tries to create a positive image of the town. Achieving this comes with a high cost because it involves bribing Khlestakov who is also dissolute.

Tempting as it might be to ignore the disagreements between Anna and Marya, and Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, the tension between these characters serves to illustrate the bigger picture of the ugly reality characterising the Russian town.