A Town's Petitions

This thread traces residents' attempts to use the supposed inspector to challenge the Mayor's abuses.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Merchants Find a Listener

The Door Opens A complaint reaches power The merchants push past the guards and ask Khlestakov for protection against the Mayor. They describe forced gifts, goods taken from their shops, and burdensome quartering of soldiers. Justice remains transactional Khlestakov calls the Mayor a robber but then accepts money as a loan. The merchants gain an attentive listener, but not yet a reliable remedy.

The Locksmith's Wife

A Wronged Household Conscription as punishment Fevronya Petrova Poshliopkina says the Mayor forced her married husband into military service ahead of his turn, while better-connected households escaped the levy through gifts. Protest without procedure Her angry appeal exposes how official discretion reaches into private family life. Khlestakov hears her complaint but offers no clear process for investigating it.

The Beaten Widow

A Request for Redress Violence named The widow of a non-commissioned officer tells Khlestakov that the police flogged her after a market dispute. She asks for a fine to compensate her for the injury. A thin promise Khlestakov tells her he will see to it, then dismisses the next petitioners. His promise briefly acknowledges the abuse but does not establish accountability.

Complaints Shut Out

The Mayor Blocks Access Control of the house The Mayor orders the sergeants to prevent merchants and petitioners from entering. He explicitly fears anyone bringing a complaint against him. A barrier reveals the system The effort to silence residents shows that the administration understands its own misconduct. Their access to a supposed inspector becomes a rare opening rather than a normal avenue of justice.

No Remedy Before the Shock

The Appeals Left Unsettled The supposed channel disappears Khlestakov has gone, and the officials are exposed as mistaken. The residents' accounts have not produced a formal judgment or a demonstrated change in the town's practices. A real inquiry approaches The genuine inspector's arrival suggests another opportunity for scrutiny, but the play ends before any petition is answered. The unresolved complaints preserve the human cost behind the comedy.

Act IV, after the officials' interviews

Act IV, shortly after the merchants depart

Act IV, during the women's audience

Act III, before the petitioners arrive

Act V, after the postmaster reads the letter