Folk-poetic and religious in the image of Katerina Kabanova (based on the play “The Thunderstorm” by A. N.

The will and peace of the poor woman are gone: before, at least they couldn’t reproach her, even though she could feel that she was completely right in front of these people. But now, one way or another, she is to blame for them, she violated her duties to them, brought grief and shame to the family; Now the most cruel treatment of her already has reasons and justification. What remains for her? To regret the unsuccessful attempt to break free and leave her dreams of love and happiness, just as she had already left the rainbow dreams of wonderful gardens with heavenly singing. All that remains for her is to submit, renounce independent life and become an unquestioning servant of her mother-in-law, a meek slave of her husband, and never again dare to make any attempts to again reveal her demands... But no, this is not Katerina’s character; It was not then that the new type created by Russian life was reflected in it - only to be reflected in a fruitless attempt and perish after the first failure. No, she will not return to her former life: if she cannot enjoy her feelings, her will, completely lawfully and sacredly, in broad daylight, in front of all the people, if they snatch from her what she found and what is so dear to her, she is nothing. then she doesn’t want in life, she doesn’t want life either. The fifth act of "The Thunderstorm" constitutes the apotheosis of this character, so simple, deep and so close to the position and to the heart of every decent person in our society.<…>

In Katerina’s monologues it is clear that even now she has nothing formulated; she is completely led by her nature, and not by given decisions, because for decisions she would need to have logical, solid foundations, and yet all the principles that are given to her for theoretical reasoning are decisively contrary to her natural inclinations. That is why she not only does not take heroic poses and does not utter sayings that prove her strength of character, but even on the contrary, she appears in the form of a weak woman who does not know how to resist her desires, and tries to justify the heroism that is manifested in her actions. She decided to die, but she is afraid of the thought that this is a sin, and she seems to be trying to prove to us and herself that she can be forgiven, since it is very difficult for her. She would like to enjoy life and love; but she knows that this is a crime, and therefore she says in her justification: “Well, it doesn’t matter, I’ve already ruined my soul!” She doesn’t complain about anyone, doesn’t blame anyone, and nothing like that even comes to her mind; on the contrary, she is guilty in front of everyone, she even asks Boris if he is angry with her, if he is cursing her... There is no anger, no contempt in her, nothing that is usually so flaunted by disappointed heroes who leave the world without permission. But she can’t live anymore, she can’t, and that’s all; from the fullness of her heart she says: “I’m already exhausted... How much longer do I have to suffer? Why should I live now - well, what? I don’t need anything, nothing is nice to me, and God’s light is not nice! - and death does not come. You call for her, but she doesn’t come. Whatever I see, whatever I hear, only here (pointing to the heart) it hurts.” The thought of the grave makes her feel better—calmness seems to pour into her soul. “So quiet, so good... But I don’t even want to think about life... To live again?.. No, no, don’t... it’s not good. 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, talk, - but what do I need? that semi-feverish state. At the last moment, all the domestic horrors flash especially vividly in her imagination. She screams: “They’ll catch me and force me back home!.. Hurry, hurry...” And the matter is over: she will no longer be a victim of a soulless mother-in-law, she will no longer languish locked up, with a spineless and disgusting husband. She's freed!..

Such liberation is sad, bitter; but what to do when there is no other way out. It’s good that the poor woman found the determination to at least take this terrible way out. This is the strength of her character, which is why “The Thunderstorm” makes a refreshing impression on us, as we said above. Without a doubt, it would be better if it were possible for Katerina to get rid of her tormentors in a different way, or if the tormentors around her could change and reconcile her with themselves and with life. But neither one nor the other is in the order of things. Kabanova cannot leave what she was raised with and lived with for a century; her spineless son cannot suddenly, for no apparent reason, acquire firmness and independence to such an extent as to renounce all the absurdities instilled in him by the old woman; everything around cannot suddenly turn around in such a way as to make the life of a young woman sweet. The most they can do is to forgive her, alleviate some of the burden of her home confinement, say a few kind words to her, maybe give her the right to have a voice in the household when her opinion is asked. Perhaps this would have been enough for another woman, downtrodden, powerless, and at another time, when the tyranny of the Kabanovs rested on general silence and did not have so many reasons to show their arrogant contempt for common sense and all rights. But we see that Katerina has not killed human nature in herself and that she is only externally, in her position, under the yoke of a tyrant life; internally, with his heart and meaning, he is aware of all its absurdity, which is now even increased by the fact that the Wild and Kabanovs, encountering a contradiction with themselves and not being able to overcome it, but wanting to stand on their own, directly declare themselves against logic, that is, they put themselves fools in front of most people. In this state of affairs, it goes without saying that Katerina cannot be satisfied with a generous forgiveness from tyrants and the return of her former rights in the family: she knows what Kabanova’s mercy means and what the position of a daughter-in-law with such a mother-in-law could be... No, she would need not that something would be conceded and made easier for her, but that her mother-in-law, her husband, and everyone around her would become able to satisfy those living aspirations with which she is imbued, recognize the legality of her natural demands, renounce all compulsory rights to her and be reborn before to become worthy of her love and trust. There is nothing to say about the extent to which such a rebirth is possible for them...

<…>We have already said that the fatal end that Katerina has in “The Thunderstorm” seems gratifying to us, and it is easy to understand why: it gives a terrible challenge to tyrant power, he tells her that she can no longer go further, she can no longer live with her violent , deadening principles. In Katerina we see a protest against Kabanov’s concepts of morality, a protest carried to the end, proclaimed both under domestic torture and over the abyss into which the poor woman threw herself. She doesn’t want to put up with it, doesn’t want to take advantage of the miserable vegetation that is given to her in exchange for her living soul.<…>

But even without any lofty considerations, simply out of humanity, we are pleased to see Katerina’s deliverance - even through death, if there is no other way. On this score, we have terrible evidence in the drama itself, telling us that living in the “dark kingdom” is worse than death. Tikhon, throwing himself on the corpse of his wife, pulled out of the water, shouts in self-forgetfulness: “Good for you, Katya! Why did I stay in the world and suffer!” This exclamation ends the play, and it seems to us that nothing could have been invented stronger and more truthful than such an ending. Tikhon's words provide the key to understanding the play for those who would not even understand its essence before; they make the viewer think not about a love affair, but about this whole life, where the living envy the dead, and what kind of suicides! Strictly speaking, Tikhon’s exclamation is stupid: The Volga is close, who’s stopping him from rushing in if life is sickening? But this is his grief, this is what is hard for him, that he cannot do anything, absolutely nothing, even what he recognizes as his goodness and salvation. This moral corruption, this destruction of man, affects us more severely than any, even the most tragic incident: there you see simultaneous death, the end of suffering, often deliverance from the need to serve as a pitiful instrument of some abomination; and here - constant, oppressive pain, relaxation, a half-corpse, rotting alive for many years... And to think that this living corpse is not one, not an exception, but a whole mass of people subject to the corrupting influence of the Wild and Kabanovs! And not expecting deliverance for them is, you see, terrible! But what a joyful, fresh life a healthy personality breathes upon us, finding within himself the determination to end this rotten life at any cost!..

Dobrolyubov N.A. "A ray of light in a dark kingdom"

In childhood, the dream of flying like birds is very pragmatic in nature - it seems to us that it would be amazing if people had wings and could fly anywhere. Over time, the desire to have wings transforms and takes on a more symbolic character - in difficult psychological situations, it seems that the only possible option for a successful development of events is to fly like a bird.

The main character of Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" has been in a difficult situation almost all her life. As a child, she experienced financial difficulties, becoming a married woman, she learned about psychological and moral pressure. The intensity of emotions experienced by the girl is expressed as dreams with elements of fantasy - she wants, by the will of magic, to find herself in a world without problems and indignation.

Katerina's monologue:

“Why don’t people fly? ... I say, why don’t people fly like birds? You know, sometimes I feel like I'm a bird. When you stand on a mountain, you feel the urge to fly. That's how she would run up, raise her hands and fly. Something to try now?...

And to death I loved going to church! ... Do you know: on a sunny day such a light column goes down from the dome, and smoke moves in this column, like a cloud, and I see, it used to be as if angels were flying and singing in this column...

Or early in the morning I’ll go to the garden, the sun is still just rising, I’ll fall on my knees, pray and cry, and I myself don’t know what I’m praying for and what I’m crying about... And what dreams I had... what dreams! Either the temples are golden, or the gardens are some kind of extraordinary, and everyone is singing invisible voices, and there is a smell of cypress, and the mountains and trees seem not to be the same as usual, but as if depicted in images. And it’s as if I’m flying, and I’m flying through the air. And now sometimes I dream, but rarely, and not even that...

Some kind of dream comes into my head. And I won’t leave her anywhere. If I start to think, I won’t be able to collect my thoughts; I’ll pray, but I won’t be able to pray.

I babble words with my tongue, but in my mind it’s not at all like that: it’s as if the evil one is whispering in my ears, but everything about such things is bad. And then it seems to me that I will feel ashamed of myself.

What happened with me? Before trouble, before any of this! At night... I can’t sleep, I keep imagining some kind of whisper: someone is talking to me so affectionately, like a dove cooing. I don’t dream... as before, of paradise trees and mountains, but as if someone is hugging me so warmly and warmly and leading me somewhere, and I follow him, I go..."

Result: Katerina is inherently a very delicate and sensitive nature, it is difficult for her to defend her independence, to get rid of psychological pressure from her mother-in-law, because of this the girl suffers. She is a pure and kind soul, therefore all her dreams are marked by a feeling of tenderness and positivity. She does not see the opportunity to experience happiness in real life, but in her dreams and daydreams she can do anything: fly through the air like a bird, and listen to the gentle cooing.

And my mother-in-law will die to death.

ON THE. Nekrasov.

It seems to me that even people who are completely far from literature know the works of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. So often performances and films based on the plays of the great Russian playwright are shown on television. I also remember several of his plays. Especially the story about the dowryless, proud Larisa, whose main fault is that she did not have a dowry, and who was played among themselves by the master and the merchant. The story ended, as we know, tragically, just like the fate of Ostrovsky’s other heroine, Katerina.

Our writers of the 19th century often wrote about the unequal position of Russian women. “You’re a share! - a Russian woman’s share! It’s hardly more difficult to find,” exclaims Nekrasov. Chernyshevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov and others wrote on this topic. But personally, the tragedy of the female soul was truly revealed to me by A.N. Ostrovsky in his plays.

“Once upon a time there was a girl. Dreamy, kind, affectionate. She lived with her parents. She did not know the needs, since they were wealthy. They loved their daughter, allowed her to walk in nature, to dream, they did not force her into anything, the girl worked for as long as she wanted to. The girl loved to go to church, listen to singing, she saw angels during church services. And she also loved to listen to the wanderers who often came into their house and talked about holy people and places, about what they saw or heard. And This girl's name was Katerina. And so they gave her away in marriage..." - this is how I would begin the story about the fate of this woman if I were telling my younger sister about her.

We know that out of love and affection, Katerina ended up in the Kabanikha family. This powerful woman ruled everything in the house. Her son Tikhon, Katerina’s husband, did not dare to contradict his mother in anything. And only sometimes, after vomiting to Moscow, he went on a spree there. Tikhon loves Katerina in his own way and feels sorry for her. But at home, the mother-in-law constantly eats it, day after day, with or without work, sawing it like a rusty saw. “She crushed me,” Katya reflects.

Once, during a lesson on the ethics of family life, we had a general conversation about whether a young family should live with their parents. A dispute broke out, stories began about how the parents divorced the newlyweds. And others, on the contrary, talked about how children lived well behind their parents, but were left alone, quarreled and ran away. We also remembered the film “Grown Children”. I did not participate in the dispute, but for the first time I thought about this complex problem. Then I decided: “It would be nice to live together, if not too closely. If the parents tactfully do not interfere in the relationship of the bride and groom, they try to help them, and they, in turn, help the parents. Probably, many mistakes can be avoided this way. But if the parents "They want their children to live according to their orders, they tyrannize them, and even more so they quarrel, then the matter is different. Then it is better to live among strangers, in the worst conditions, but alone."

Katerina found herself in an environment where hypocrisy and hypocrisy are very strong. Her husband’s sister Varvara clearly speaks about this, claiming that their “whole house rests on deception.” And here is her position: “In my opinion: do what you want, as long as it’s safe and covered.” “Sin is not a problem, rumor is not good!” - this is how many people argue. But not that kind of Katerina. She is an extremely honest person, she is sincerely afraid of sinning, even in her thoughts of cheating on her husband. It is this struggle between her duty, as she understands it (and she understands it, I think, correctly: you cannot cheat on your husband) and a new feeling that breaks her fate.

What more can be said about Katerina’s nature? It's better to do it in your own words. She tells Varvara that she does not know her character. God forbid that this should happen, but if it happens that she becomes completely tired of living with Kabanikha, then no force will be able to stop her. He will throw himself out the window, throw himself into the Volga, but will not live against his will.

In her struggle, Katerina does not find allies. Varvara, instead of comforting her and supporting her, pushes her towards betrayal. The boar is harassing. The husband only thinks about how to live without his mother for at least a few days. If he knows that his mother will not stand over him for two weeks, then what does he care about his wife? With such captivity you will run away from your beautiful wife. This is what he explains before parting with Katya, who hopes to find support in at least one person. In vain... And the fatal thing happens. Katerina can no longer deceive herself. “To whom am I pretending to be!...” she exclaims. And he decides to go on a date with Boris. Boris is one of the best people who live in the world shown by Ostrovsky. Young, handsome, intelligent. The customs of this strange city of Kalinov are alien to him, where they made a boulevard, but do not walk along it, where the gates are locked and the dogs are let down, according to Kuligin, not because the residents are afraid of thieves, but because it is more convenient to tyranny at home. A woman who gets married is deprived of her freedom. “Here, whether she got married or whether she was buried, it doesn’t matter,” says Boris.

Boris Grigorievich is the nephew of the merchant Dikiy, who is known for his scandalous and abusive character. He harasses Boris and scolds him. At the same time, he appropriated the inheritance of his nephew and niece, and he reproaches them. It is not surprising that in such an atmosphere Katerina and Boris were drawn to each other. Boris was captivated by “she has an angelic smile on her face,” and her face seems to glow.

And yet it turns out that Katerina is not a person of this world. Boris ultimately turns out to be no match for her. Why? For Katya, the most difficult thing is to overcome the discord in her soul. She is ashamed, ashamed in front of her husband, but he hates her, his caress is worse than beatings. Nowadays, such problems are solved easier: spouses divorce and again seek their happiness. Moreover, they have no children. But in Katerina’s time, divorce was unheard of. She understands that she and her husband will live “until the grave.” And therefore, for a conscientious nature, which “cannot atone for this sin, never atone for it,” which “will fall like a stone on the soul,” for a person who cannot bear the reproaches of many times more sinful people, there is only one way out - death. And Katerina decides to commit suicide.

No, really, there is another way out. Katerina offers it to her lover when he is going to Siberia. “Take me with you from here!” she asks. But in response he hears that Boris cannot do this. It is forbidden? And why? - we think. And I remember the first scenes of the play, where Boris tells Kuligin how Dikoy robbed him and his sister after the death of their parents. Boris knows that even now Dikoy will make fun of them a lot, but will not give them money. Because this merchant really doesn’t like to repay debts. But, despite the fact that Boris knows this, he continues to obey his uncle. But he probably could have made a living without the wild one. For Boris, parting with the woman he loves is a tragedy. But he tries to quickly forget about his love. For Katerina, with Boris’s departure, life ends. These are such different natures. And they had all the happiness - ten nights...

The difference in their natures is also evident in their last farewell words. Boris says that all we need to do is ask God for her to die as soon as possible. Strange words... Katerina’s last words before her death are addressed to her beloved: “My friend! My joy! Farewell!”

It hurts to read about these ruined feelings, about lost lives. Today there is no order that reigned in Kalinov, and women have equal rights with men. But there is hard work, not for women, queues, instability, communal services. And there are also plenty of wild boars among mothers-in-law and mothers-in-law. But still, I believe that a person’s happiness is in his hands and high love will definitely await him if he deserves it.

Who is to blame for Katerina's death?

Who is to blame for Katerina's death? Boris? Tikhon? Kabanikha? I think that the entire “dark kingdom” is to blame, which destroys and strangles everything human in people, kills natural impulses and aspirations.

But Katerina could not come to terms with this and turn into a soulless creature. From childhood she was accustomed to freedom; from childhood she lived without oppression. And under these conditions, Katerina developed character traits that were natural for such a situation: kindness and willpower, dreaminess and determination in actions, love of life, of everything beautiful, bright, high, and at the same time pride and self-esteem. Katerina says to Varvara: “I was born so hot! I was still six years old, no more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, and it was late in the evening, it was already dark - I ran out to the Volga, got into the boat, and pushed it away from the shore. The next morning they found it, about ten miles away.”

And so Katerina finds herself in a completely different world, where everything is based on fear, envy, the blind authority of power, and the arbitrariness of her elders. Here no one needs Katerina’s tenderness or sincerity; all that is required of her is humility and obedience. In this world, the attitude towards people is different from what Katerina is used to. Here, others are treated depending on their position in society, condition, and origin. Kuligin tells Boris about the relationship between the merchants: “They undermine each other’s trade, and not so much out of self-interest, but out of envy. They quarrel with each other and bring drunken clerks into their high mansions. And they, for small acts of kindness, scribble malicious slander against their neighbors on stamped sheets.” The bourgeoisie here are not considered people at all. This is clearly visible in the dialogue between Kuligin and Dikiy. Here is Dikiy’s remark: “Am I your equal, or what? So he starts talking straight to the snout... For others you are an honest person, but for me you are a robber, that’s all... Just know that you are a worm. If I want, I’ll have mercy, if I want, I’ll crush,”

Therefore, it is not surprising that Katerina, with her nature, the bright world of her feelings, could not come to terms with the “dark kingdom.” Dobrolyubov wrote: “She lives very peacefully and is ready to submit to everything that is not contrary to her nature... But recognizing and respecting the aspirations of others, she demands the same respect for herself, and any violence, any constraint outrages her deeply, deeply. She endures until some interest speaks in her, especially close to her heart, until such a demand of her nature is insulted in her, without the satisfaction of which she cannot remain calm.” And Katerina made such a demand.

She met a man who she thought was worthy of her love. This love illuminated her life, awakened the desire for happiness, goodness, beauty, and will, inherent in childhood. And Katerina, having experienced what real happiness is, clearly saw how joyless her life was in Kabanikha’s house, and realized that she would no longer be able to return to this life. In a conversation with Varvara, she herself admits this: “If I see him even once,” she says, “I will run away from home, I will not go home for anything in the world!”

It was possible to hide your love for Boris, deceive your mother-in-law and husband. But Katerina did not want and could not do this. “If she cannot enjoy her feelings legally and sacredly, in broad daylight, in front of all the people, if what she found and what is so dear to her is snatched away from her, then she doesn’t want anything in life, she doesn’t even want life,” - Dobrolyubov noted in his article.

Did Katerina have another way out of this situation? Katerina was ready to leave with Boris. She is not afraid of distant Siberia or the difficult path. She asks Boris to take her with him, but is refused. Boris is weak, dependent, he cannot protect Katerina from Kabanikha’s wrath. Moreover, Tikhon is not able to protect her, who will not take a single step against his mother’s will.

So, the path to a free life is fortunately cut short. “Where to now? Should I go home? No, it’s all the same to me whether I go home or go to the grave,” says Katerina in her last monologue. And, committing suicide, committing a terrible sin from the point of view of the church, she thinks not about the salvation of her soul, but about love. Her last word is addressed not to God, but to Boris: “My friend! My joy! Goodbye!" - she exclaims.

This act posed a “terrible challenge” to the entire “dark kingdom,” which destroyed Katerina, not giving her the opportunity to live as her nature demanded and leaving her no other way of liberation other than liberation by death.

P.S. The essay, in principle, gives the correct answer to the question of the topic. Its main content is an analysis close to a retelling of the main storyline of the play, its eventual side.