The Government Inspector

Khlestakov is the low-level government clerk mistaken for the government inspector. At the play’s beginning, he has no money and is in a hotel where the landlord is beginning to suspect that he will not be able to pay. Despite the landlord’s very valid concerns, Khlestakov’s sense of entitlement quickly emerges. He demands food and then complains when the food is not of a high enough quality. He is mistaken for an important government inspector by the Mayor and, in the Mayor’s attempt to cover up his corrupt ways, he is treated like a welcomed guest. The desperation vanishes the moment that Khlestakov realizes that he is not being taken to jail. Instead, he quickly switches gears and plays along with the Mayor’s mistake. He indulges in the case of mistaken identity to his own advantage without thinking of what the end result might be.

Khlestakov soon begins to push the boundaries of believability with his lies. As he quaffs wine in the Mayor’s house, he brags about his status in St. Petersburg. He claims he has contact with royalty and is a frequent guest at the city’s most important social events. In this respect, his willingness to lie becomes a mirror of the card game wherein he lost all his money before the beginning of the play. Khlestakov is playing a game of bluff with the only group of people more delusional than he is.

Khlestakov’s absurdity and delusion reaches a climax when he proposes to Maria. Even the proposal is confusing, as Khlestakov finds himself caught between flirting with Maria and Anna. Nevertheless, he invites Maria to marry him and, soon enough, the Mayor is sketching out a future where the marriage will have the whole family moved to St. Petersburg. Whereas Khlestakov’s previous lies and deceptions were little more than hot air, the proposal has the risk of actually revealing his true identity. Khlestakov has gone too far but, thanks to the intervention of Osip, he manages to flee the town with all his ill-gotten gains. Khlestakov seems to triumph, but his earlier statements suggest that such a victory can only be short lived: He mentions his desire to track down the infantry captain and challenge him to another game of cards, which suggests that Khlestakov will inevitably bring about his own downfall once again.

Anna is the Mayor’s wife. While she certainly benefits from her husband’s corruption, she seems to have no direct involvement in the day-to-day schemes that the Mayor is running in the town. She is, however, very much a part of the broad delusion which characterizes the community and is herself an exemplar of The Dangers of Delusion. Whereas her husband convinces himself that everyone is as corrupt as he is, Anna convinces herself that she is important, desirable, and the center of every man’s attention. This delusion is important, as it makes her feel as though the wealth that she is accumulating through her husband’s corruption is, in some way, deserved. She maintains her delusion so as not to pick apart her own ego.

One of the most visible illustrations of Anna’s delusion is her relationship with her daughter, Maria. They argue about petty matters, often when Anna criticizes Maria for some perceived mistake or breach of etiquette. One of her first lines of dialogue, for example, is when she criticizes Maria for dressing up to attract the attention of certain men in the town. Maria dismisses this criticism. Later, Anna talks positively about the flattery Khlestakov lavished upon her but she is affronted when Maria suggests that this attention was actually directed at Maria. In this sense, Anna is attempting to live vicariously through Maria. She envisions any positive attention received by Maria to be, in truth, directed at her. To an extent, her delusion is not always misplaced. Khlestakov confesses privately that he is as attracted to Anna as he is attracted to Maria. When he makes his proposal, however, it is Maria who emerges as the object of his affection and Anna must accept the proposal on her daughter’s behalf. She can never quite abandon the delusion, however, as she talks about the proposal as though it was she herself who received it.

When Khlestakov’s true identity is revealed, the other characters immediately understand that the proposed marriage to Maria is also a lie. As they discuss what will happen next, Anna clings to her delusional belief that Khlestakov and Maria will be married. This continued delusion shows how the characters cling to their mistaken understand of reality to protect their egos. Only once Anna’s delusion crumbles and the truth becomes apparent does the truly serious nature of what has transpired dawn on the townspeople.