The play "The Thunderstorm"
The play was written in 1859. The scene is the fictional city of Kalinov, which stands on the banks of the Volga. The time of action is summer, the entire work covers 12 days.
In terms of its genre, “The Thunderstorm” belongs to the social and everyday drama. Ostrovsky paid a lot of attention to describing the everyday life of the city; the characters in the work come into conflict with established orders that have long since become obsolete, and the despotism of the older generation. Of course, the main protest is expressed by Katerina (the main character), but her husband also occupies an important place in the rebellion, which is confirmed by Tikhon’s characterization.
“The Thunderstorm” is a work that talks about human freedom, about the desire to break out of the shackles of outdated dogmas and religious authoritarianism. And all this is depicted against the backdrop of the main character’s failed love.
Opinion of her family members about Kabanova
One of the most emotional moments of the play is the scene of seeing off Tikhon’s son
. Kabanikha reproaches him for not bowing at his mother’s feet and does not say goodbye to his wife as he should. Katerina, after Tikhon’s departure, according to Kabanikha, should show her love for him - howl and lie on the porch. The younger generation is violating all customs and traditions, and this leads Kabanikha to sad reflections.
Katerina, the daughter-in-law, gets more than everyone else. Any word she says is cut off with harsh attacks and remarks. Noticing affection, and not fear, in Tikhon’s treatment, Kabanikha angrily reproaches her. Her ruthlessness reaches its limit after Katerina's confession. In her opinion, her daughter-in-law deserves to be buried alive in the ground.
Kabanikha treats Katerina with contempt
, considering her an example of how disrespectful young people are towards the older generation. Most of all, she is burdened by the thought that she may be left without power. Her behavior leads to the tragic ending of the play. The suicide committed by Katerina is also her fault. The daughter-in-law endured humiliation against her for a long time and one day she could not stand it.
Obeying the orders of his extravagant mother, Tikhon becomes a spineless creature
. The daughter runs away, tired of her parent’s constant interference in her personal life. The ancient way of life with true high morality disappears from life, leaving only a dead, oppressive shell. The young heroes of the play pretend to observe patriarchal commandments. Tikhon pretends to love his mother, Varvara goes on secret dates, only Katerina is tormented by conflicting feelings.
Marfa Ignatievna is busy with earthly affairs. She considers herself fair because, in her opinion, the severity of parents will have the best effect on children - they will learn to be kind. But the old way of life is collapsing, the patriarchal system is disappearing. This is a tragedy for Marfa Ignatievna. However, hot temper and extravagance are not in her character. She is dissatisfied with the temper of her godfather Dikiy. Dikoy’s willful behavior and complaints about her family irritate her.
Kabanikha is devoted to the traditions of her family and ancestors and honors them without judging, evaluating or complaining about them. If you live according to the will of your fathers, this will lead to peace and order on earth. There is religiosity in Kabanikha’s character. She believes that a person will go to hell for committing evil deeds, but at the same time she does not consider herself guilty of anything. Humiliation of others at the expense of her wealth and power is in the order of things for her.
Kabanikha is characterized by authority, cruelty and confidence in the correctness of her views.
. In her opinion, maintaining the old ways can protect her home from the unrest happening outside her home. Therefore, rigidity and firmness manifests itself more and more clearly in her character. And having eradicated his own unnecessary emotions, he cannot tolerate their manifestation in others. For disobedience to her words, those closest to her are punished with cold-blooded humiliation and insults. At the same time, this does not apply to strangers; she is pious and respectful with them.
Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is an ambiguous character, it is difficult to feel sorry for her or just condemn her. On the one hand, she hurts her family members, and on the other, she firmly believes in the correctness of her behavior. Thus, the negative qualities of Kabanikha’s character can be called:
- cruelty;
- authority;
- composure.
And the positive ones:
- strong unshakable character;
- religiosity;
- "kindness and generosity towards strangers."
Reading the plays of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky, you note that they are characterized by the constant clarity of the author’s position, which is achieved primarily through speech characteristics. In 1845, Ostrovsky worked in the Moscow Commercial Court as a desk clerk “for cases of verbal violence.” A whole world of dramatic conflicts unfolded before him, and all the diverse richness of the living Great Russian language sounded. I had to guess the character of a person by his speech pattern, by the peculiarities of intonation. This is how the talent of the future master of speech characterization of characters in his plays was nurtured and honed. Ostrovsky in the drama “The Thunderstorm” very clearly distinguishes between the positive and negative characters of his work. All the most important character traits and their place in the plot twists and turns are clearly visible. Let's consider the speech characteristics as part of the image of Katerina. The epigraph to the play is a song about the tragedy of goodness and beauty: the richer spiritually and the more morally sensitive a person is, the more dramatic his existence. The song anticipates the fate of the heroine with her human restlessness (“Where can I rest my heart when a storm rises?”), with her vain aspirations to find support and support in the world around her (“Where can I, poor thing, go? Who can I grab onto?”) . In a difficult moment of her life, Katerina will complain: “If I had died as a little girl, it would have been better... to fly from cornflower to cornflower in the wind, like a butterfly.” “How frisky I was! - Katerina turns to Varvara, but then, wilting, she adds: “I’ve completely withered with you.” Katerina’s soul really fades in the hostile world of wild boars and wild boars. Katerina's betrayal is undoubtedly a crime, and she understands the gravity of her act, but she cannot live without the love that she found in Boris. And, as if justifying herself to herself, repenting, Katerina says: “Well, it doesn’t matter, I’ve already ruined my soul.” The heroine is extremely conscientious and religious. “It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins.” “Fear” has always been understood by the Russian people as a heightened moral consciousness. Katerina endures too much spiritual torment in this terrible society: Kabanikha’s bullying, her husband’s cold attitude and disappointment in love. Katerina hopes that God will forgive her her sins as a martyr. Ostrovsky expresses Katerina’s attitude towards family and society in the words: “And people are disgusting to me, and the house is disgusting to me and the walls are disgusting! I won't go there! No, no, I won't go! You come to them, they walk and talk, but what do I need this for?” Ostrovsky clearly shows that Katerina agrees to death without hesitation: “So quiet! so good. And I don’t even want to think about life. Live again? No, no, don’t... it’s not good!” Her death is a challenge to all inhabitants of the “dark kingdom.” Katerina was not just tired of the terrible life in this world. She doesn’t want to put up with it, she doesn’t want to condemn her living soul to a miserable existence. Katerina protests against Kabanov’s concepts of morality. And Tikhon only at the very end of this terrible tragedy demonstrates something similar to a protest: “Mama, you ruined her! you, you, you..."
The play “The Thunderstorm” is one of the most famous in Ostrovsky’s work. A bright, social drama, the events of which take place in the 19th century in the town of Kalinov. The female characters in the play deserve special attention. They are colorful and unique. The image and characterization of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” are undoubtedly important in the work. She is the main despot and tyrant in the play. She is also responsible for Katerina's death. Kabanikha’s goal is to subjugate as many people as possible in order to impose on them the morals, traditions and laws that she sacredly observes. True fear crept into her soul when she realized that a new time was approaching, a time of change that she was unable to resist.
Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova - aka Kabanikha. Widow. Merchant's wife. Mother of Varvara and Tikhon.
Image system
The system of images in the play is built on the opposition of tyrants who are accustomed to commanding everyone (Kabanikha, Dikoy), and young people who want to finally gain freedom and live by their own mind. The second camp is headed by Katerina, only she has the courage for open confrontation. However, other young characters also strive to get rid of the yoke of dilapidated and meaningless rules. But there are those who have resigned themselves, and not the least of them is Katerina’s husband (a detailed description of Tikhon is presented below).
“The Thunderstorm” depicts the world of the “dark kingdom”, only the heroes themselves can destroy it or die, like Katerina, misunderstood and rejected. It turns out that the tyrants who seized power and their laws are too strong, and any rebellion against them leads to tragedy.
Tikhon: characteristics
“The Thunderstorm” is a work where there are no strong male characters (with the exception of the Wild One). Thus, Tikhon Kabanov appears only as a weak-willed, weak and intimidated man by his mother, unable to protect the woman he loves. The characterization of Tikhon from the play “The Thunderstorm” shows that this hero is a victim of the “dark kingdom”; he lacks the determination to live by his own mind. Whatever he does and wherever he goes, everything happens according to the will of his mother.
Even as a child, Tikhon was accustomed to following Kabanikha’s orders, and this habit remained in him into adulthood. Moreover, this need to obey is so ingrained that even the thought of disobedience plunges him into horror. This is what he himself says about this: “Yes, Mama, I don’t want to live by my own will.”
The characterization of Tikhon (“The Thunderstorm”) speaks of this character as a person who is ready to endure all the mockery and rudeness of his mother. And the only thing he dares to do is the desire to get out of the house to go on a spree. This is the only freedom and liberation available to him.
Katerina and Tikhon: characteristics
“The Thunderstorm” is a play where one of the main plot lines is love, but how close is it to our hero? Yes, Tikhon loves his wife, but in his own way, not the way Kabanikha would like. He is affectionate with her, does not want to dominate the girl, intimidate her. However, Tikhon does not understand Katerina and her mental suffering at all. His softness has a detrimental effect on the heroine. If Tikhon had been a little more courageous and had at least some will and ability to fight, Katerina would not have needed to look for all this on the side - in Boris.
The characterization of Tikhon from the play “The Thunderstorm” shows him in a completely unattractive light. Despite the fact that he reacted calmly to his wife’s betrayal, he is unable to protect her either from her mother or from other representatives of the “dark kingdom.” He leaves Katerina alone, despite his love for her. The non-intervention of this character was largely the reason for the final tragedy. Only after realizing that he had lost his beloved did Tikhon dare to openly revolt against his mother. He blames her for the death of the girl, no longer fearing her tyranny and power over him.
Wild and Kabanikha in the story Groz Ostrovsky
The play “The Thunderstorm” by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky shows the main characters and the clash between them, associated with their different views on the world, dissimilar ideas and values. The work proves that with the passage of time, the principles of life are constantly changing. Representatives of the “dark kingdom”, the merchant Dikoy and Kabanikha, live according to the Domostroevsky order, which dictates patriarchal norms and old traditions to the new generation, which leads to the emergence of interpersonal conflict in the work.
Kabanikha, the merchant widow Marfa Kabanova, appears to the reader as a tyrant and a bigot. Being a conservative due to his illiteracy, he does not know and does not even think that it is possible to live any differently, he actively preaches his ideals, since he believes that the eldest in the family is the boss (based on the norms of patriarchy). Kabanova understands that the patriarchal structure is collapsing, so she enforces it even more harshly, this further serves as the cause of the collapse of the family.
Kabanikha tries to hold on to the old, because of which she absolutely does not see real feelings and does not experience them, suppresses them in others. She is ashamed that Katerina openly shows feelings for her son, since she considers it unacceptable to “hang” on her husband’s neck, forcing her to bow at his feet. She speaks in a commanding tone with rude expressions, believing that she has the right to indicate because she is the eldest, the head of the house. A maximalist, she never makes concessions, does not tolerate will, believing in the customs of antiquity.
Merchant Dikoy is also a representative of the “dark kingdom”, a supporter of Kabanikha. But his image has several differences from the image of Kabanikha. The tyranny of the Wild lies in the worship of money. A stingy egoist who seeks profit in everything, when he suffers losses, he loses his temper, gets irritated, and perceives it as punishment.
A. N. Ostrovsky shows Dikoy’s lack of education in the scene of his dialogue with Kuligin, a self-taught mechanic, who proposes to install a lightning rod, but Dikoy, who believes that the thunderstorm is sent as punishment, begins to shout at Kuligin. The abuse of this hero is his kind of defense. Dikoy is used to intimidating everyone, suppressing others, the feeling of power over others brings him confidence and pleasure.
It should be noted that A. N. Ostrovsky endowed the heroes with “talking” surnames, which reveal the essence of their rude, absurd characters.
Thus, the problem of the existence of representatives of the “dark kingdom” who try to hold on to petrified forms of life finds a place in Russian classical literature, affects not only everyday life in the work, but covers other spheres of life, and develops into a larger-scale conflict.
Images of Tikhon and Boris
A comparative description of Boris and Tikhon (“The Thunderstorm”) allows us to conclude that they are similar in many ways; some literary scholars even call them double heroes. So, what do they have in common, and how are they different?
Not finding the necessary support and understanding from Tikhon, Katerina turns to Boris. What was it about him that attracted the heroine so much? First of all, he differs from other residents of the city: he is educated, graduated from the academy, and dresses in a European manner. But this is only the outside, what's inside? During the course of the story, it turns out that he depends on Dikiy in the same way as Tikhon depends on Kabanikha. Boris is weak-willed and spineless. He says that he is only holding on to his inheritance, without which his sister will become a dowry. But all this seems like an excuse: he endures all his uncle’s humiliations too meekly. Boris sincerely falls in love with Katerina, but he does not care that this love will destroy the married woman. He, like Tikhon, worries only about himself. In words, both of these heroes sympathize with the main character, but they do not have enough fortitude to help her and protect her.
The events in A. N. Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm” take place on the Volga coast, in the fictional city of Kalinov. The work provides a list of characters and their brief characteristics, but they are still not enough to better understand the world of each character and reveal the conflict of the play as a whole. There are not many main characters in Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm”.
Katerina, a girl, the main character of the play. She is quite young, she was married off early. Katya was brought up exactly according to the traditions of house building: the main qualities of a wife were respect and humility
to your spouse. At first, Katya tried to love Tikhon, but she could not feel anything but pity for him. At the same time, the girl tried to support her husband, help him and not reproach him. Katerina can be called the most modest, but at the same time the most powerful character in “The Thunderstorm”. Indeed, Katya’s strength of character does not appear outwardly. At first glance, this girl is weak and silent, it seems as if she is easy to break. But this is not true at all. Katerina is the only one in the family who resists Kabanikha’s attacks. She resists, and does not ignore them, like Varvara. The conflict is rather internal. After all, Kabanikha is afraid that Katya might influence her son, after which Tikhon will stop obeying his mother’s will.
Katya wants to fly and often compares herself to a bird. She is literally suffocating in Kalinov’s “dark kingdom.” Having fallen in love with a visiting young man, Katya created for herself an ideal image of love and possible liberation. Unfortunately, her ideas had little in common with reality. The girl's life ended tragically.
Ostrovsky in “The Thunderstorm” makes not only Katerina the main character. The image of Katya is contrasted with the image of Marfa Ignatievna. A woman who keeps her entire family in fear and tension does not command respect. Kabanikha is strong and despotic. Most likely, she took over the “reins of power” after the death of her husband. Although it is more likely that in her marriage Kabanikha was not distinguished by submissiveness. Katya, her daughter-in-law, suffered the most from her. It is Kabanikha who is indirectly responsible for the death of Katerina.
Varvara is the daughter of Kabanikha. Despite the fact that over so many years she has learned to be cunning and lie, the reader still sympathizes with her. Varvara is a good girl. Surprisingly, deception and cunning do not make her like the rest of the city's residents. She does as she pleases and lives as she pleases. Varvara is not afraid of her mother’s anger, since she is not an authority for her.
Tikhon Kabanov fully lives up to his name. He is quiet, weak, unnoticeable. Tikhon cannot protect his wife from his mother, since he himself is under the strong influence of Kabanikha. His rebellion ultimately proves to be the most significant. After all, it is the words, and not Varvara’s escape, that make readers think about the whole tragedy of the situation.
The author characterizes Kuligin as a self-taught mechanic. This character is a kind of tour guide. In the first act, he seems to be taking us around Kalinov, talking about its morals, about the families that live here, about the social situation. Kuligin seems to know everything about everyone. His assessments of others are very accurate. Kuligin himself is a kind person who is used to living by established rules. He constantly dreams of the common good, of a perpetu mobile, of a lightning rod, of honest work. Unfortunately, his dreams are not destined to come true.
The Wild One has a clerk, Kudryash. This character is interesting because he is not afraid of the merchant and can tell him what he thinks about him. At the same time, Kudryash, just like Dikoy, tries to find benefit in everything. He can be described as a simple person.
Boris comes to Kalinov on business: he urgently needs to establish relations with Dikiy, because only in this case will he be able to receive the money legally bequeathed to him. However, neither Boris nor Dikoy even want to see each other. Initially, Boris seems to readers like Katya, honest and fair. In the last scenes this is refuted: Boris is unable to decide to take a serious step, to take responsibility, he simply runs away, leaving Katya alone.
One of the heroes of “The Thunderstorm” is the wanderer and the maid. Feklusha and Glasha are shown as typical inhabitants of the city of Kalinov. Their darkness and lack of education is truly amazing. Their judgments are absurd and their horizons are very narrow. Women judge morality and ethics according to some perverted, distorted concepts. “Moscow is now full of carnivals and games, but in the streets there is an indo roar and a groan. Why, Mother Marfa Ignatievna, they started harnessing a fiery serpent: everything, you see, for the sake of speed,” is how Feklusha speaks about progress and reforms, and the woman calls a car a “fiery serpent.” The concept of progress and culture is alien to such people, because it is convenient for them to live in an invented limited world of calm and regularity.
This article provides a brief description of the characters in the play “The Thunderstorm”; for a deeper understanding, we recommend that you read the thematic articles about each character in “The Thunderstorm” on our website.
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Ostrovsky wrote a drama called “The Thunderstorm” after a trip to the cities of the Volga region. He reflected in the work the morals, life and customs of the inhabitants of many provinces.
The drama was written in 1859. During this period, serfdom was abolished. But the author does not mention this event. The main emphasis is on the conflict that arose in the mid-19th century.
Many people like the drama “The Thunderstorm” by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. The author is a major cultural figure. His work is forever enshrined in literature.
He made an invaluable contribution to development. The play “The Thunderstorm” was written after a long trip along the Volga.
Thanks to the Maritime Ministry, a trip was organized with Ostrovsky. The main task of the ethnographic expedition was to study the customs and morals of the population of the Russian Federation.
The prototype of the city of Kalinov is many Volga settlements. They are similar to each other, but they also have unique features.
Ostrovsky is an experienced researcher, and he recorded his observations and thoughts in his own diary.
He paid special attention to the life of the Russian provinces and the character of the people. Based on these recordings, the drama “The Thunderstorm” was written.
Note! For a long time, people believed that the story of the drama was based on real events.
In 1859, when Ostrovsky wrote his book, a native resident of Kostroma disappeared. Early in the morning she left home, and then she was taken from the Volga.
The investigation found that there was a tense situation in the family. The girl had a tense relationship with her mother-in-law, and her husband could not resist his mother, so he did not help defuse the situation.
In Kostroma, the work “The Thunderstorm” was published as a separate book. During the production, the actors tried to get into character as much as possible in order to be like the main characters - the Klykovs.
Local residents tried to determine the place from which the girl jumped into the water. S.Yu. Lebedev is a famous literature researcher, so he found the same matches.
Option 2
A.N. Ostrovsky reflects in The Thunderstorm the world of tyranny, tyranny and stupidity. And also the reality of people who do not resist this evil. The literary critic Dobrolyubov called all this “the dark kingdom.” And this concept stuck.
The play takes place in the Volga city of Kalinov. The name is fictitious. What is described in prose was the reality of all Russian cities of that time. And a populated area, fenced off from the outside world by a large river, is even more closed and conservative. Therefore, residents learn about everything from holy fools. And they believe that rulers with dog heads live somewhere, and the people are even more oppressed. This means they themselves are still living well. And we must pray for local “benefactors.”
Kalinov’s “Dark Kingdom” rests on two people: Dikiy and Kabanikha. Self-will, selfishness, unlimited rudeness, toughness, love of power are common traits of these two personalities. These are stupid and tyrannical people. They are the strength and power in this city. Even the mayor will not contradict them. Savel Prokofievich is a wealthy merchant, “whose whole life is based on swearing.” Every day he tyrannizes, humiliates, scolds someone. And if he comes across a person over whom the Wild has no power and they answer him with the same abuse, then he takes out all his anger on his family. They will not answer, the family is defenseless against him. The merchant's wife, his children and his nephew Boris, who gets the most, suffer and are afraid.
The hero is also despotic in relation to his workers. Dikoy is very greedy. He does not tolerate it at all when people talk to him about money. Even if he himself understands that he owes the person to pay or repay the debt. Rarely does a master pay what is due to men. And I'm happy with that. He even explains to the mayor what profit he has if each employee is not paid extra. And he punishes his nephew to work. And the salary will be in a year, as much as the uncle wants to give. Selfishness is his main distinguishing feature. This man only respects the rich. He cruelly humiliates everyone who is lower than him in material terms.
The boar, on the contrary, cannot be called greedy. Marfa Ignatieva is generous in public and even kind to some extent. He welcomes wanderers and praying mantises into his home. He feeds them and gives them alms. All so that these old men praise her publicly, this pleases her pride. Tikhon's mother is no less willful and selfish than Dikoy. And he also likes to assert himself by belittling the dignity of others. She shows self-will and excesses only in the family. He is kind to strangers, but he is “stuffed up with food” at home. Whereas Savel Prokofievich does not make exceptions for anyone. But Kabanova’s emotional torture is much more sophisticated. She even turned her own son into a weak-willed creature. And the worst thing is that she is confident that she is right. She is older, wiser and knows everything better. Who else will teach the youth? They have no mind of their own, they must live by the mind of their parents. This means that what she does is not tyranny and tyranny. And a manifestation of maternal love and care.
Dikoy and Kabanikha differ only in their approach to humiliating others. They understand that they are, in fact, weak and may lose power. That's why they put people in a vice. So that no one would have the thought of opposing them.
