What is a house-building in the play The Thunderstorm? Domostroevsky traditions in the “thunderstorm” of Ostrovsky

Throughout his career, A. N. Ostrovsky created a number of realistic works, in which he depicted contemporary reality and life Russian province. One of them is the play "The Thunderstorm". In this drama, the author showed a wild, deaf society county town Kalinov, living according to the laws of Domostroy, and contrasted him with the image of a freedom-loving girl who did not want to come to terms with Kalinov’s norms of life and behavior. One of the most important issues raised in the work is the problem of human dignity, especially relevant in mid-19th century, during the crisis of the outdated, obsolete order that then reigned in the province. Merchant society shown in the play, lives in an atmosphere of lies, deceit, hypocrisy, duplicity; within the walls of their estates, representatives of the older generation scold and lecture their household members, and behind the fence they pretend to be courteous and benevolent, putting on cute, smiling masks. N.A. Dobrolyubov, in the article “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom,” applies the division of the heroes of this world into tyrants and “downtrodden individuals.” Tyrants - the merchant Kabanova, Dikoy - are powerful, cruel, considering themselves the right to insult and humiliate those who depend on them, constantly tormenting their household with reprimands and quarrels. For them, the concept of human dignity does not exist: in general, they do not consider their subordinates to be people. Constantly humiliated, some representatives younger generation lost their self-esteem, became slavishly submissive, never arguing, not objecting, not having own opinion. For example, Tikhon is a typical “downtrodden personality,” a person whose mother, Kabanikha, crushed his already not very spirited attempts to demonstrate character since childhood. Tikhon is pitiful and insignificant: he can hardly be called a person; drunkenness replaces all the joys of life for him, he is incapable of strong, deep feelings, the concept of human dignity is unknown and inaccessible to him. Less "downtrodden" personalities - Varvara and Boris, they have to a greater extent freedom. Kabanikha does not forbid Varvara to walk (“Walk until your time if it doesn’t come, you’ll still have enough”), but even if the reproaches begin, Varvara has enough self-control and cunning not to react; she does not let herself be offended. But again, in my opinion, she is driven more by pride than by self-esteem. Dikoy publicly scolds Boris, insulting him, but thereby, in my opinion, he humiliates himself in the eyes of others: a person who brings family squabbles and quarrels into public view is unworthy of respect. But Dikoy himself and the population of the city of Kalinov adhere to a different point of view: Dikoy scolds his nephew - which means that the nephew depends on him, which means that Dikoy has a certain power - which means he is worthy of respect. Kabanikha and Dikoy are unworthy people, tyrants, corrupted by the unlimited power of their home, mentally callous, blind, insensitive, and their life is dull, gray, filled with endless lectures and reprimands to their family. They do not have human dignity, because the person who has it knows the value of himself and others and always strives for peace and peace of mind; tyrants are constantly trying to assert their power over people, often mentally richer than themselves, provoking them into quarrels and exhausting them with useless discussions. Such people are not loved or respected, they are only feared and hated. This world is contrasted with the image of Katerina - a girl from a merchant family who grew up in an atmosphere of religiosity, spiritual harmony and freedom. Having married Tikhon, she finds herself in the Kabanovs’ house, in an unfamiliar environment, where lying is the main means of achieving something, and duplicity is the order of the day. Kabanova begins to humiliate and insult Katerina, making her life impossible. Katerina is a mentally vulnerable, fragile person; Kabanikha’s cruelty and heartlessness hurt her painfully, but she endures without responding to insults, and Kabanova keeps provoking her into a quarrel, jabbing and humiliating her dignity with every remark. This constant bullying is unbearable. Even the husband is unable to stand up for the girl. Katerina's freedom is sharply limited. “Everything here is somehow out of bondage,” she says to Varvara, and her protest against the insult to human dignity results in her love for Boris - a man who, in principle, simply took advantage of her love and then ran away, but Katerina, not would have withstood further humiliation, would have committed suicide. None of the representatives of Kalinovsky society knows a sense of human dignity, and no one can understand and appreciate it in another person, especially if it is a woman, by Domostroevsky standards --- housewife, obeying her husband in everything, who can, in extreme cases, beat her. Not noticing this in Katerina moral value, The world of the city of Kalinov tried to humiliate her to its level, to make her a part of itself, to drag her into a web of lies and hypocrisy, but human dignity is one of the innate and ineradicable qualities, it cannot be taken away, which is why Katerina cannot become like these people and, Seeing no other way out, she throws herself into the river, finally finding in heaven, where she has been striving all her life, the long-awaited peace and quiet. The tragedy of the play “The Thunderstorm” lies in the intractability of the conflict between a person with a sense of self-worth and a society in which no one has any idea about human dignity. “The Thunderstorm” is one of Ostrovsky’s greatest realistic works, in which the playwright showed the immorality, hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness that reigned in provincial society in the mid-19th century. The thunderstorm is, without a doubt, the most decisive work Ostrovsky; the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought in it to the very tragic consequences... There is even something refreshing and encouraging in “The Thunderstorm”. N. A. Dobrolyubov A. N. Ostrovsky received literary recognition after the appearance of his first major play. Ostrovsky's dramaturgy became a necessary element of the culture of his time; he retained the position of the best playwright of the era, the head of the Russian dramatic school, despite the fact that at the same time A. V. Sukhov-Kobylin, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, A. F. Pisemsky, A. K. Tolstoy and L. N. Tolstoy. The most popular critics viewed his works as a true and profound reflection modern reality. Meanwhile, Ostrovsky, following his original creative way, often baffled both critics and readers. Thus, the play “The Thunderstorm” came as a surprise to many. L. N. Tolstoy did not accept the play. The tragedy of this work forced critics to reconsider their views on Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy. Ap. Grigoriev noted that in “The Thunderstorm” there is a protest against the “existing”, which is terrible for its adherents. Dobrolyubov argued in his article “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom.” that from the image of Katerina in “The Thunderstorm” “blows on us new life" Perhaps for the first time, scenes of family, “private” life, the arbitrariness and lawlessness that were hitherto hidden behind the thick doors of mansions and estates, were shown with such graphic power. And at the same time, this was not just an everyday sketch. The author showed the unenviable position of a Russian woman in a merchant family. Immense power The tragedy was given special truthfulness and skill by the author, as D.I. Pisarev rightly noted: “The Thunderstorm” is a painting from life, that’s why it breathes truth.” The tragedy takes place in the city of Kalinov, which is located among the greenery of gardens on the steep bank of the Volga. “For fifty years I’ve been looking across the Volga every day and I can’t get enough of it. The view is extraordinary! Beauty! The soul rejoices,” Kulagin admires. It would seem that the life of the people of this city should be beautiful and joyful. However, the life and customs of the rich merchants created “a world of prison and deathly silence.” Savel Dikoy and Marfa Kabanova are the personification of cruelty and tyranny. The order in the merchant's house is based on the outdated religious dogmas of Domostroy. Dobrolyubov says about Kabanikha that she “gnaws at her victim... long and relentlessly.” She forces her daughter-in-law Katerina to bow at her husband’s feet when he leaves, scolds her for “not howling” in public when seeing off her husband.

Kabanikha is very rich, this can be judged by the fact that the interests of her affairs go far beyond Kalinov; on her instructions, Tikhon travels to Moscow. She is respected by Dikoy, for whom the main thing in life is money. But the merchant's wife understands that power also brings obedience to those around her. She seeks to kill any manifestation of resistance to her power in the home. The boar is hypocritical, she only hides behind virtue and piety, in the family she is an inhuman despot and tyrant. Tikhon does not contradict her in anything. Varvara learned to lie, hide and dodge. The main character of the play Katerina is marked strong character, she is not used to humiliation and insults and therefore conflicts with her cruel old mother-in-law. In her mother’s house, Katerina lived freely and easily. In the Kabanov House she feels like a bird in a cage. She quickly realizes that she cannot live here for long. Katerina married Tikhon without love. In Kabanikha’s house, everything trembles at the mere imperious cry of the merchant’s wife. Life in this house is difficult for young people. And then Katerina meets a completely different person and falls in love. For the first time in her life, she experiences deep personal feeling. One night she goes on a date with Boris. Whose side is the playwright on? He is on Katerina’s side, because a person’s natural aspirations cannot be destroyed. Life in the Kabanov family is unnatural. And Katerina does not accept the inclinations of those people with whom she ended up. Hearing Varvara’s offer to lie and pretend, Katerina replies: “I don’t know how to deceive, I can’t hide anything.” Katerina's directness and sincerity evokes respect from both the author, the reader, and the viewer. She decides that she can no longer be a victim of a soulless mother-in-law, she cannot languish behind bars. She's free! But she saw a way out only in her death. And one could argue with this. Critics also disagreed about whether it was worth paying Katerina for freedom at the cost of her life. So, Pisarev, unlike Dobrolyubov, considers Katerina’s act senseless. He believes that after Katerina’s suicide everything will return to normal, life will go take its course, and the “dark kingdom” is not worth such a sacrifice. Of course, Kabanikha brought Katerina to her death. As a result, her daughter Varvara runs away from home, and her son Tikhon regrets that he did not die with his wife. It is interesting that one of the main, active images of this play is the image of the thunderstorm itself. Symbolically expressing the idea of ​​the work, this image directly participates in the action of the drama as a real natural phenomenon, enters into action at its decisive moments, and largely determines the actions of the heroine. This image is very meaningful; it illuminates almost all aspects of the drama. So, already in the first act a thunderstorm broke out over the city of Kalinov. It broke out like a harbinger of tragedy. Katerina already said: “I will die soon,” she confessed to Varvara her sinful love. In her mind, the mad lady's prediction that the thunderstorm would not pass in vain, and the feeling of her own sin with a real thunderclap had already been combined. Katerina rushes home: “It’s still better, everything is calmer, I’m at home - to the images and pray to God!” After this, the storm ceases for a short time. Only in Kabanikha’s grumbling are its echoes heard. There was no thunderstorm that night when Katerina felt free and happy for the first time after her marriage. But the fourth, climactic act, begins with the words: “The rain is falling, as if a thunderstorm is not gathering?” And after that the thunderstorm motif never ceases. The dialogue between Kulagin and Dikiy is interesting. Kulagin talks about lightning rods (“we have frequent thunderstorms”) and provokes Dikiy’s anger: “What other kind of electricity is there? Well, how come you are not a robber? A thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we can feel it, but you want to defend yourself, God forgive me, with poles and some horns. What are you, a Tatar, or what?” And in response to the quote from Derzhavin, which Kulagin cites in his defense: “I decay with my body in dust, I command thunder with my mind,” the merchant does not find anything to say at all, except: “And for these words, send you to the mayor, so he will ask you! Undoubtedly, in the play the image of a thunderstorm takes on special meaning: This is a refreshing, revolutionary start. However, the mind is condemned in the dark kingdom; it is faced with impenetrable ignorance, supported by stinginess. But still, the lightning that cut through the sky over the Volga touched the long-silent Tikhon and flashed over the destinies of Varvara and Kudryash. The thunderstorm shook everyone up thoroughly. It’s too early for inhuman morals. or the end will come later. The struggle between the new and the old has begun and continues. This is the meaning of the work of the great Russian playwright.

Representatives of the dark kingdom in the play "The Thunderstorm"

In Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm" the problems of morality are widely raised. For example provincial town Kalinov the playwright showed the truly reigning cruel morals. Ostrovsky depicted the cruelty of people living in the old fashioned way, according to Domostroi, and a new generation of youth rejecting these foundations. The characters in the drama are divided into two groups. On one side stand the old people, champions of the old order, who, in essence, carry out this “Domostroy”; on the other, Katerina and the younger generation of the city. The heroes of the drama live in the city of Kalinov. This city occupies a small, but not last place in Russia of that time, at the same time he is the personification of serfdom and “Domostroy”. Outside the walls of the city one imagines another, alien world. It’s not for nothing that Ostrovsky mentions the Volga in his stage directions, “a public garden on the banks of the Volga, beyond the Volga rural view" We see how Kalinov’s cruel, closed world differs from the external, “uncontrollably huge” one. This is the world of Katerina, born and raised on the Volga. Behind this world lies the life that Kabanikha and others like her are so afraid of. According to the wanderer Feklushi, “ old world" is leaving, only in this city is there "paradise and silence", in other places "just sodomy": people in the bustle of each other do not notice, harnessing the "fiery serpent", and in Moscow "now there are walks and games, and along the streets There's a roar and a groan." But something is changing in old Kalinov too. Kuligin carries new thoughts. Kulagin, embodying the ideas of Lomonosov, Derzhavin and representatives of more early culture, suggests putting a clock on the boulevard so that you can use it to tell the time. Let’s get acquainted with the rest of Kalinov’s representatives. Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is a champion of the old world. The very name itself depicts us as overweight, difficult character a woman, and the nickname “Kabanikha” complements this unpleasant picture. Kabanikha lives the old fashioned way, in accordance with strict order. But she only observes the appearance of this order, which she maintains in public: good son, obedient daughter-in-law. He even complains: “They don’t know anything, no order... What will happen, how the old people will die, how the light will remain, I don’t even know. Well, at least it’s good that I won’t see anything.” There is real arbitrariness in the house. The boar is despotic, rude to the peasants, “eats” the family and does not tolerate objections. Her son is completely subordinate to her will, and she expects this from her daughter-in-law as well. Next to Kabanikha, who day after day “sharpenes all her household like rusting iron,” stands the merchant Dikoy, whose name is associated with wild power. Dikoy not only “sharpenes and saws” his family members. The men whom he deceives during payments suffer from it, and, of course, the customers, as well as his clerk Kudryash, a rebellious and impudent guy, ready to teach a “scold” a lesson in a dark alley with his fists. Ostrovsky described the character of the Wild One very accurately. For the Wild, the main thing is money, in which he sees everything: power, glory, worship. This is especially striking in the small town where he lives. He can easily “pat on the shoulder” the mayor himself. Dikiy and Kabanikha, representatives of the old order, are opposed by Kuligin. Kulagin is an inventor, his views correspond to educational views. He wants to invent sundial, “perpetuum mobile”, lightning rod. His invention of the lightning rod is symbolic, just as a thunderstorm is symbolic in drama. No wonder Dikoy dislikes Kulagin so much, calling him a “worm,” “Tatar,” and “robber.” Dikiy’s readiness to send the inventor-enlightener to the mayor, his attempts to refute Kuligin’s knowledge, based on the wildest religious superstition - all this also takes on the form of symbolic meaning. Kuligin quotes Lomonosov and Derzhavin and refers to their authority. He lives in the old “Domostroevsky” world, where they still believe in omens and people with “dog heads”, but the image of Kulagin is evidence that in the “dark kingdom” people have already appeared who can become moral judges of those above them dominates. Therefore, at the end of the drama, it is Kuligin who carries Katerina’s body ashore and utters words full of reproach. The images of Tikhon and Boris are developed slightly; Dobrolyubov in a well-known article says that Boris can be attributed more to the setting than to the heroes. In the remark, Boris stands out only in his clothes: “All faces, except Boris, are dressed in Russian.” This is the first difference between him and the residents of Kalinov. The second difference is that he studied at a commercial academy in Moscow. But Ostrovsky made him the nephew of the Dikiy, and this suggests that, despite some differences, he belongs to the people of the “dark kingdom”. This is also confirmed by the fact that he is not able to fight this kingdom. Instead of lending a helping hand to Katerina, he advises her to submit to her fate. Tikhon is the same. Already in the list of characters it is said about him that he is “her son,” that is, the son of Kabanikha. He really is more likely just Kabanikha’s son than a person. Tikhon has no willpower. This man’s only desire is to escape from his mother’s care so that he can take the whole year off. Tikhon is also unable to help Katerina. Both Boris and Tikhon leave her alone with their inner experiences. If Kabanikha and Dikoy belong to the old way of life, Kuligin carries the ideas of enlightenment, then Katerina is at a crossroads. Growing up and brought up in a patriarchal spirit, Katerina fully follows this way of life. Cheating here is considered unforgivable, and having cheated on her husband, Katerina sees this as a sin before God. But her character is naturally proud, independent and free. Her dream of flying means breaking free from the power of her oppressive mother-in-law and from the stuffy world of the Kabanovs' house. As a child, she once, offended by something, went to the Volga in the evening. The same protest can be heard in her words addressed to Varya: “And if I’m really tired of being here, they won’t hold me back by any force. I’ll throw myself out the window, throw myself into the Volga. I don’t want to live here, I won’t do this, even if you cut me!” In Katerina's soul there is a struggle between the pangs of conscience and the desire for freedom. Katerina is also different from the representatives of the youth - Varvara and Kudryash. She does not know how to adapt to life, to be a hypocrite and pretend, as Kabanikha does, she does not know how to look at the world as easily as Varya. Ostrovsky could have ended the drama with a scene of Katerina's repentance. But this would mean that the “dark kingdom” had won. Katerina dies, and this is her victory over. old world. According to contemporaries, Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” had a very great importance. It shows two worlds, two ways of life - old and new with their representatives. Death main character Katerina suggests that new world will win and that it is this world that will replace the old one. play Ostrovsky thunderstorm personality

In 1856, Ostrovsky traveled along the Volga from the source of the river to Nizhny Novgorod. The impressions he received fueled his creativity for many years. They were also reflected in “The Thunderstorm,” which takes place in the fictional remote Volga town of Kalinov (it will later be mentioned twice more in other plays - “The Forest” and “Warm Heart”).

The people of "Groza" live in special condition world – crisis, catastrophic. The first action introduces us to the pre-storm atmosphere of life. The temporary triumph of the old only increases tension. It thickens towards the end of the first act: even nature, as in the folk tale, responds to this with a thunderstorm approaching Kalinov.

Kabanikha is a man of a crisis era, like other heroes of the tragedy. This is a zealot for the worst laws of the old morality. Although in reality she easily deviates not only from the spirit, but also from the letter of Domostroev’s instructions. “...If they offend you, don’t take revenge, if they blaspheme you, pray, don’t repay evil for evil, don’t judge those who sin, remember your sins, take care of them first of all, reject advice evil people, be equal to those who live in truth, write down their deeds in your heart and do the same yourself,” says the old moral law. “We need to forgive our enemies, sir! – Kuligin exhorts Tikhon. What does he hear in response? “Go and talk to mummy, what will she say to you about this.” The detail is significant! Kabanikha is terrible not for her loyalty to antiquity, but for her tyranny “under the guise of piety.”

The willfulness of the Wild, in contrast to the tyranny of Kabanikha, is no longer strengthened by anything, and is not justified by any rules. The moral foundations in his soul are thoroughly shaken. This “warrior” is not happy with himself, he is a victim of his own self-will. He is the richest and most famous man in the city. Capital frees his hands, gives him the opportunity to freely swagger over the poor and financially dependent on him. The more Dikoy gets rich, the more unceremonious he becomes. “So, are you going to sue me or something? - he declares to Kuligin. - So you know that you are a worm. If I want, I’ll have mercy, if I want, I’ll crush.” Boris's grandmother, leaving a will, in accordance with custom, made the main condition for receiving the inheritance the nephew's respect for his uncle. As long as moral laws stood firm, everything was in Boris’s favor. But their foundations were shaken, the opportunity arose to twist the law this way and that, according to famous proverb: “The law is that the drawbar: where you turned, that’s where it went.” “What should we do, sir,” Kuligin says to Boris. “We must try to please somehow.”

But strong materially, Savel Prokofievich Dikoy is weak spiritually. He can sometimes give up in front of someone who is stronger than him in law, because Low light moral truth still flickers in his soul: “I was fasting about fasting, about great things, but now it’s not easy and slip a little man in; He came for money and carried firewood. And it brought him to sin at such a time! I did sin: I scolded him, I scolded him so much that I couldn’t ask for anything better, I almost killed him. This is what my heart is like! After he asked for forgiveness, he bowed at his feet, really. Truly I tell you, I bowed at the peasant’s feet... I bowed to him in front of everyone.”

Of course, this “insight” of the Dikiy is just a whim, akin to his tyrant whims. This is not Katerina’s repentance, born of feeling guilt, painful moral torment. And yet, this act clarifies something in the Wild’s behavior. Dikoy is willful with a secret consciousness of the lawlessness of his actions. And therefore he gives in to the power of a person based on the moral law, or to strong personality, boldly crushing his authority.

The young forces of life are rebelling against the city fathers. These are Tikhon and Varvara, Kudryash and Katerina. Tikhon's misfortune is born " dark kingdom“Lack of will and fear of mommy. Essentially, he does not share her despotic claims and does not believe her in anything. In the depths of Tikhon’s soul, a kind and generous person curled up into a ball, loving Katerina, able to forgive her any offense. He tries to support his wife at the moment of repentance and even wants to hug her. Tikhon is much more subtle and morally insightful than Boris, who at this moment, guided by the weak-heartedness of “the secret”, comes out of the crowd and bows to the Kabanovs, thereby aggravating Katerina’s suffering. But Tikhon’s humanity is too timid and inactive. Only at the end of the tragedy does something resembling a protest awaken in him: “Mama, you ruined her! you, you, you...” Tikhon sometimes dodges the oppressive tyranny, but even in these dodges there is no freedom. Revelry and drunkenness are akin to self-forgetfulness. As Katerina rightly notes, “even in freedom he seems to be tied up.”

Varvara is the direct opposite of Tikhon. She has both will and courage. But Varvara is the child of the Wild and Boars, who does not want to answer for her actions, she simply does not understand Katerina’s moral torment: “But in my opinion: do what you want, as long as it is sewn and covered” - this is Varvara’s simple code of life, which justifies any deception .

Vanya Kudryash is much taller and more morally insightful than Varvara. In him, more than in any of the heroes of "The Thunderstorm", excluding, of course, Katerina, triumphs folk origin. This is a song nature, gifted and talented, daring and reckless on the outside, but kind and sensitive in depth. But Kudryash also gets used to Kalinov’s morals, “his nature is free, but sometimes self-willed.” Kudryash opposes the world of “fathers” with his daring and mischief, but not with moral strength.

In the merchant Kalinov, Ostrovsky sees a world breaking with moral traditions people's life.

Only Katerina is given the opportunity in “The Thunderstorm” to retain the fullness of viable principles in folk culture and maintain a sense of moral responsibility in the face of the trials to which this culture is subjected in Kalinov.

In Ostrovsky’s Russian tragedy, two opposing cultures – rural and urban – collide, generating a powerful thunderstorm, and the confrontation between them goes back centuries. Russian history. “The Thunderstorm” is directed to the future as much as it is directed into the depths of centuries. To understand it, you need to free yourself from the existing confusion, which dates back to the Dobrolyubov times. Usually “Domostroy” with its strict religious and moral precepts is confused with the mores of the people, peasant Rus'. Domostroevsky orders are attributed to the family and rural community. This is the deepest misconception. "Domostroy" and the people's peasant moral culture– the beginnings are largely opposite. Behind their confrontation lies a deep historical conflict Zemsky (folk) and state principles, the conflict of the rural community with the centralizing, formal power of the state, with the grand ducal court and the city. It is not difficult to notice the tragic confrontation in “The Thunderstorm” religious culture Katerina's Domostroevskaya culture Kabanikha. The contrast between them is drawn by the sensitive Ostrovsky with amazing consistency and depth.

Is it a coincidence that she's alive? rural life brings smells from the flowering Trans-Volga meadows to Kalinov? Is it by chance that Katerina stretches out her exhausted hands to this oncoming wave of refreshing space? Let us pay attention to the vital sources of the integrity of Katerina’s nature, to the cultural soil that nourishes her. Without them, Katerina's character fades like cut grass.

Why did a seemingly simple story about how a merchant’s wife, brought up in the strict rules and concepts of ancient morality, fall in love with a man who came from Moscow attracted such universal attention? young man, “decently educated”, cheated on her husband, did not want to hide her guilt and, having publicly repented of it, rushed into the Volga from a high cliff?

The fact is that Ostrovsky showed not only the external circumstances of the tragedy: the severity of the mother-in-law, the lack of will of the husband and his commitment to wine; the indifferent, formal attitude of the Kalinovites towards faith, which hurts the soul of Katerina, whose religious feeling is ardent and sublime, the imperious rudeness of the rich merchants, the owners of the city, the poverty and superstition of the inhabitants, the isolation of the Kalinovsky world.

The main thing in the play is inner life the heroine, the emergence in her of something new, still unclear to her. “There’s something so extraordinary about me, as if I’m starting to live again, or... I don’t know,” she confesses to her husband’s sister Varvara. Katerina – little by little – begins to feel like an individual. In accordance with life experience young woman from merchant environment this feeling takes the form of unexpected and “illegal” love. Love and will inextricably merge in the heroine’s consciousness, but she perceives the desire for both, which arose in her soul, as something terrible and disastrous, contrary to her own moral ideas. Katerina’s unbearable suffering is caused not only by separation from her beloved, but, above all, by the consciousness of sin, pangs of conscience and, at the same time, disgust for life in domestic captivity.

The spirit of the ancient way of life with its truly high morality, as Ostrovsky shows, has already disappeared from life - only a dead, oppressive shell remains. All the young heroes of the play only outwardly fulfill the patriarchal commandments. Katerina's husband Tikhon pretends to love and honor his mother. Varvara, who outwardly lives “as she should,” secretly meets with her lover. Katerina, who still perceives the world from the position moral ideals era that is receding into the past, it is impossible to reconcile love and conscience. Katerina's fate takes on a symbolic meaning in the play.

Enmity between loved ones
it happens especially
irreconcilable
P. Tacitus
There is no worse retribution
for madness and delusion,
than to see as your own
children suffer because of them
W. Sumner

Play by A.N. Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm" tells about the life of a provincial Russia XIX century. The events take place in the city of Kalinov, located on the high Volga bank. Against the backdrop of the magnificent beauty of nature and royal tranquility, a tragedy occurs that disrupts the calm life of this city. Not all is well in Kalinov. Here, behind high fences, domestic despotism reigns, tears invisible to anyone are shed. At the center of the play is the life of one of merchant families. But there are hundreds of such families in the city, and millions throughout Russia. However, life is structured in such a way that everyone observes certain laws, rules of behavior, and any deviation from them is a shame, a sin.
Main actor in the Kabanov family - the mother, the rich widow Marfa Ignatievna. It is she who dictates her own rules in the family and commands the household members. It is no coincidence that her last name is Kabanova. There is something animalistic about this woman: she is uneducated, but powerful, cruel and stubborn, demanding that everyone obey her, honor the foundations of the house-building and observe its traditions. Marfa Ignatievna is a strong woman. She considers the family to be the most important thing, the basis of social order, and demands the uncomplaining obedience of her children and daughter-in-law. However, she sincerely loves her son and daughter, and her remarks speak about this: “After all, it’s out of love that your parents are strict with you, everyone thinks to teach you good.” Kabanikha is lenient towards Varvara and lets her go out with the young people, realizing how hard it will be for her to be married. But Katerina constantly reproaches her daughter-in-law, controls her every step, forces Katerina to live the way she considers right. Perhaps she is jealous of her daughter-in-law for her son, which is why she is so unkind to her. “Ever since I got married, I don’t see the same love from you,” she says, turning to Tikhon. But he is unable to object to his mother, since he is a weak-willed person, brought up in obedience, and respects his mother’s opinion. Let us pay attention to Tikhon’s remarks: “How can I, Mama, disobey you!”; “I, Mama, am not one step out of your control,” etc. However, this is only the external side of his behavior. He doesn’t want to live according to the laws of house-building, he doesn’t want to make his wife his slave, a thing: “But why be afraid? It’s enough for me that she loves me.” Tikhon believes that relationships between a man and a woman in a family should be built on the principles of love and mutual understanding, and not on the subordination of one to the other. And yet he cannot disobey his domineering mother and stand up for the woman he loves. That's why Tikhon seeks solace in drunkenness. The mother, with her domineering character, suppresses the man in him, making him weak and defenseless. Tikhon is not ready to play the role of husband, protector, or take care of family well-being. Therefore, in Katerina’s eyes he is a nonentity, not a husband. She doesn’t love him, but only feels sorry for him and tolerates him.
Tikhon's sister Varvara is much stronger and braver than her brother. She has adapted to life in her mother’s house, where everything is based on deception, and now lives by the principle: “Doing whatever you want, as long as everything is sewn and covered.” Varvara meets her lover Kudryash secretly from her mother, and does not report to Kabanikha for her every step. However, it’s easier for her to live - unmarried girl is free, and therefore she is not kept under lock and key, like Katerina. Varvara tries to explain to Katerina that it is impossible to live in their house without deception. But her brother’s wife is incapable of this: “I don’t know how to deceive, I can’t hide anything.”
Katerina is a stranger in the Kabanovs’ house, everything here is “as if from under captivity” for her. IN parental home she was surrounded by love and affection, she was free: “...what I want, it happened, that’s what I do.” Her soul is like a bird, she must live in free flight. And in her mother-in-law’s house, Katerina is like a bird in a cage: she yearns in captivity, endures undeserved reproaches from her mother-in-law and drunkenness unloved husband. She doesn’t even have children to give them her affection, love, attention.
Fleeing from family despotism, Katerina is looking for support in life, a person she could rely on and truly love. And therefore, Dikiy’s weak and weak-willed nephew Boris becomes in her eyes an ideal man, unlike her husband. She doesn't seem to notice his shortcomings. But Boris turned out to be a man incapable of understanding Katerina and loving her just as selflessly. After all, he throws her to the mercy of her mother-in-law. And Tikhon looks much more noble than Boris: he forgives Katerina everything because he truly loves her.
Therefore, Katerina’s suicide is a pattern. She cannot live under the yoke of Kabanikha and forgive the betrayal of Boris. This tragedy has stirred quiet life provincial town, and even the timid, weak-willed Tikhon begins to protest against his mother: “Mama, you ruined her! You, you, you..."
Using the example of the Kabanov family, we see that relationships in the family cannot be built on the principle of subordination of the weak to the strong, the foundations of Domostroev are being destroyed, and the power of the autocrats is passing. And even weak woman can challenge this to the wild world by his death. And yet I believe that suicide is not the best way out of this situation. Katerina could have acted differently. For example, go to a monastery and devote your life to serving God, because she is a very religious woman. But the heroine chooses death, and this is both her strength and her weakness.

...Mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness
brought to the most tragic consequences... N.A. Dobrolyubov

In "The Thunderstorm" it is depicted typical story, which could happen in any city, in any family. Probably, it is this fact that gives many critics reason to call A.N. Ostrovsky "philosopher of the Russian soul."

The drama begins with description beautiful landscape the Volga River and the city of Kalinov, but this also helps us to better understand what kind of morals the inhabitants of those places have. Ostrovsky makes it clear how creepy such a cruel world looks next to beautiful nature.

It can be assumed that such introductory part Alexander Nikolaevich wanted to show how different at first glance two completely identical worlds are from each other: the world of plants, animals and the world of Homo sapiens. We need one world like air, it gives us mental strength, and another world can either give light or easily take it away.

Unfortunately, this harmony of beauty and strength does not last long in “The Thunderstorm”...

After some time, thunderclouds gather over the city of Kalinov, as in literally, and portable.

Nature seems to be offended by people for not paying due attention to it. That they spend all their energy and time on quarrels, swearing, and gossip. Nature absorbs into its clouds the negative opal emanating from Dikiy, Kabanova and other heroes. As a result, everything rains down on them, which is perceived as God’s punishment for everything they have done, for all their sins. They are afraid of the thunderstorm because they are afraid of the punishment coming from it.

“The thunderstorm sends us punishment,” Dikoy teaches Kuligina.

The people of “Thunderstorm” live in a special world, in a world close to a catastrophic revolution, a state of crisis. The supports holding back the old order were shaken, and the disturbed life began to shake.

Perhaps due to the fact that the “Domostroevsky” regime is falling into decay, Kabanova is so up in arms against Katerina, this “ray of light in the dark kingdom.”

In the image of a woman oppressed by the morals of the “domostroi”, the playwright showed all the “horror of the forced existence of people under conditions of social oppression. And the fate of the heroine brought to life the practical idea that it is impossible to continue to exist like this.”

Katerina lived freely in her parents' house, like a bird. She is not used to the humiliation that she was subjected to in her husband’s house, and just like a bird, she breaks out of this “tight cage.” She is eager, she wants to fly away, but nothing works out for her. She sees only one way out of this situation - death.

She sees death as a lesser evil. This was her first and last minute weaknesses, since in everything else one can see the strength of character that is manifested in everything that was done to her. This strength is manifested even in relations with Kabanikha, who “blesses the poor, but completely eats up the family,” because not everyone could endure the temper of Marfa Ignatievna, but not Katerina... She is capable of much. Unlike other residents of the city of Kalinova, she does not allow the power of her tyrant mother-in-law to cripple her life.

Katerina resists, at least a little, and her death seems to be a protest, a deliverance from the slavery of soul and body. She is free and can “fly” anywhere. Now she is not at the mercy of ill-wishers. She was the only one (besides Kudryash) who openly showed her feelings, her attitude towards the morals that reigned in Kalinov. No one: neither Tikhon nor Varya dared to do this. Only after Katerina’s death do we see a faint spark of protest in the words of the grief-stricken Tikhon.

The despots surrounding Katerina, although they adhere to the same rules of “house building”, are completely different people. For example, let's take the image of Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova and Savel Prokofievich Dikiy. Dikoy, although he was stingy, did not hide it. This is what he says to the mayor:

“... I won’t pay them a penny extra per person, but I make thousands out of this, so it’s good for me too!”

Savel Prokofievich speaks without mincing words. He circles people, the law as he pleases, for him the poor and people dependent on him are worms.

“Why are you going to sue me, or what? - he declares to Kuligin. - So you know: you are a worm. If I want, I’ll have mercy, if I want, I’ll crush.”

But Dikoy is strong only materially and when it comes to swearing, but he is weak spiritually. The light of moral truth sometimes flickers in his soul, and that is why Savel Prokofievich can chicken out in front of people above him, in front of those who are stronger than him in law, in front of the law common sense.

Dobrolyubov:

“It seems to him that if he recognizes over himself the laws of common sense, common to all people, then his importance will greatly suffer from this... He realizes that he is absurd... The habit of making a fool in him is so strong that he obeys it even despite the voice of his own common sense ."

But it cannot be said that he “received the light”, no “It cannot be “enlightened,” but it can be “stopped.”

Which, by the way, is what Marfa Ignatievna does. She achieves this suspension, and all because she knows: the root of internal weakness is in the tyranny of the Wild:

“And there’s not much honor, because you’ve been fighting with women all your life. That's what".

Kabanova is a hypocrite, a despot, who covers up his tyranny with adherence to the old order. Her female tyranny is shallower and more intolerable than male. She does everything on the sly. Yes, she gives food to the beggar, but she “completely eats up” her family.

But why does she treat her relatives this way? Because “domostroy” instructs to give to those in need, and to keep those at home “in the fist.” She hates Katerina simply unconsciously: there is no reason not to love her. The boar cannot be pleased; her petty demands and endless complaints poison the atmosphere in the house.

In the drama “The Thunderstorm” we see how insignificant and petty the world of merchants was. Everything could be bought for money, they decided everything, even the law was subject to them, it was not in vain folk saying reads: “The law is that the drawbar: wherever you turn, that’s where it goes.” In the image of Katerina we see a new emerging world. After all, it was she, this fragile girl, who found the strength to resist, although many in the city of Kalinov could have done so. Kudryash also showed hope for protest, but he got used to Kalinov’s morals.

Varvara: she's like "child of the Wild and Boars", is not free from the lack of spirituality of the fathers.

And Tikhon: a silent and humble rebel who did not share his mother’s despotic views, but remained silent, hiding his kind and generous feelings deep in his soul.

“The Thunderstorm” dates back to 1859; it turns out that the drama was written on the eve of the revolution and absorbed all the “pre-storm” mood that reigned in the country.

The historicism of “The Thunderstorm” lies in the conflict itself, the irreconcilable contradictions reflected in the play. There is no idealization of the merchants in the drama, there is only sharp satire, which indicates that Ostrovsky has largely overcome his views.

Enmity between loved ones
it happens especially
irreconcilable
P. Tacitus
There is no worse retribution
for madness and delusion,
than to see as your own
children suffer because of them
W. Sumner

Play by A.N. Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm" talks about life provincial Russia XIX century. The events take place in the city of Kalinov, located on the high Volga bank. Against the backdrop of the magnificent beauty of nature and royal tranquility, a tragedy occurs that disrupts the calm life of this city. Not all is well in Kalinov. Here, behind high fences, domestic despotism reigns, and invisible tears are shed. The play centers on the life of one of the merchant families. But there are hundreds of such families in the city, and millions throughout Russia. However, life is structured in such a way that everyone observes certain laws, rules of behavior, and any deviation from them is a shame, a sin.
The main character in the Kabanov family is the mother, the rich widow Marfa Ignatievna. It is she who dictates her own rules in the family and commands the household members. It is no coincidence that her last name is Kabanova. There is something animalistic about this woman: she is uneducated, but powerful, cruel and stubborn, demanding that everyone obey her, honor the foundations of the house-building and observe its traditions. Marfa Ignatievna is a strong woman. She considers the family to be the most important thing, the basis of social order, and demands the uncomplaining obedience of her children and daughter-in-law. However, she sincerely loves her son and daughter, and her remarks speak about this: “After all, it’s out of love that your parents are strict with you, everyone thinks to teach you good.” Kabanikha is lenient towards Varvara and lets her go out with the young people, realizing how hard it will be for her to be married. But Katerina constantly reproaches her daughter-in-law, controls her every step, forces Katerina to live the way she considers right. Perhaps she is jealous of her daughter-in-law for her son, which is why she is so unkind to her. “Ever since I got married, I don’t see the same love from you,” she says, turning to Tikhon. But he is unable to object to his mother, since he is a weak-willed person, brought up in obedience, and respects his mother’s opinion. Let us pay attention to Tikhon’s remarks: “How can I, Mama, disobey you!”; “I, Mama, am not one step out of your control,” etc. However, this is only the external side of his behavior. He doesn’t want to live according to the laws of house-building, he doesn’t want to make his wife his slave, a thing: “But why be afraid? It’s enough for me that she loves me.” Tikhon believes that relationships between a man and a woman in a family should be built on the principles of love and mutual understanding, and not on the subordination of one to the other. And yet he cannot disobey his domineering mother and stand up for the woman he loves. That's why Tikhon seeks solace in drunkenness. The mother, with her domineering character, suppresses the man in him, making him weak and defenseless. Tikhon is not ready to play the role of husband, protector, or take care of family well-being. Therefore, in Katerina’s eyes he is a nonentity, not a husband. She doesn’t love him, but only feels sorry for him and tolerates him.
Tikhon's sister Varvara is much stronger and braver than her brother. She has adapted to life in her mother’s house, where everything is based on deception, and now lives by the principle: “Doing whatever you want, as long as everything is sewn and covered.” Varvara meets her lover Kudryash secretly from her mother, and does not report to Kabanikha for her every step. However, it is easier for her to live - an unmarried girl is free, and therefore she is not kept under lock and key, like Katerina. Varvara tries to explain to Katerina that it is impossible to live in their house without deception. But her brother’s wife is incapable of this: “I don’t know how to deceive, I can’t hide anything.”
Katerina is a stranger in the Kabanovs’ house, everything here is “as if from under captivity” for her. In her parents' house she was surrounded by love and affection, she was free: “...whatever I want, it happened, that’s what I do.” Her soul is like a bird, she must live in free flight. And in her mother-in-law’s house, Katerina is like a bird in a cage: she yearns in captivity, endures undeserved reproaches from her mother-in-law and the drunkenness of her unloved husband. She doesn’t even have children to give them her affection, love, attention.
Fleeing from family despotism, Katerina is looking for support in life, a person she could rely on and truly love. And therefore, Dikiy’s weak and weak-willed nephew Boris becomes in her eyes an ideal man, unlike her husband. She doesn't seem to notice his shortcomings. But Boris turned out to be a man incapable of understanding Katerina and loving her just as selflessly. After all, he throws her to the mercy of her mother-in-law. And Tikhon looks much more noble than Boris: he forgives Katerina everything because he truly loves her.
Therefore, Katerina’s suicide is a pattern. She cannot live under the yoke of Kabanikha and forgive the betrayal of Boris. This tragedy shook up the quiet life of the provincial town, and even the timid, weak-willed Tikhon begins to protest against his mother: “Mama, you ruined her! You, you, you..."
Using the example of the Kabanov family, we see that relationships in the family cannot be built on the principle of subordination of the weak to the strong, the foundations of Domostroev are being destroyed, and the power of the autocrats is passing. And even a weak woman can challenge this wild world with her death. And yet I believe that suicide is not the best way out of this situation. Katerina could have acted differently. For example, go to a monastery and devote your life to serving God, because she is a very religious woman. But the heroine chooses death, and this is both her strength and her weakness.