Wild and Kabanikha. The main features of tyranny (based on the play by A

Kabanova, or as she is called, Kabanikha, is one of the main characters in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”. Marfa Ignatievna is a rich merchant's wife and also a widow. She has two children: son Tikhon and daughter Varvara. Her son Tikhon lives in her house with his wife Katerina.

Kabanikha is presented as an angry, envious and hypocritical woman who seemingly hates everything around her. Her favorite pastime is reading morals to her son and daughter, and she generally keeps Catherine in fear. Her very appearance is menacing and fearless.

It is not for nothing that the writer gives the head of the family such a strange nickname. It fully conveys the character of the heroine. Assessing her actions, we can confidently call her heartless.

Her biggest offense is that she raised her son to be a weak-willed and spineless man. He can't take a step without asking her. Thus, he cannot and does not even try to protect his wife from her mother-in-law’s attacks. From Kabanikha’s side, the reader sees ordinary jealousy towards her own son.

Her image is contradictory: she believes in God, but does evil, gives alms, but offends her loved ones. She skillfully plays in front of others: she pretends not to understand, calls herself old and haggard, but at the same time she is determined to teach others.

Naturally, the image of Kabanova is the prototype of Catherine, her opposite. Although, there is still something in common between them. They both respect antiquity, but understand it differently. For the mother-in-law, antiquity is what should subjugate the youth. Her attitude suggests that old people should give orders, and young people should obey unquestioningly. Katerina has other ideas. For her, antiquity is love and care for one's neighbor, it is mercy and compassion not only towards older people, but also towards everyone around. Katerina is a victim of Kabanikha, who endures bullying and abuse, while Varvara only pretends to listen to her mother, in fact adhering only to her own views.

After reading the play, the reader realizes that it was Kabanikha who contributed to the death of Katerina. She threatened to take her own life, apparently running away from her mother-in-law's attacks. Maybe Kabanikha did not want such a denouement, but the desire to break her daughter-in-law prevailed in any case. As a result, Kabanova’s family is collapsing. The daughter blamed her mother for Katerina’s death and left home, while Tikhon went on a drinking binge.

Option 2

We all know Ostrovsky's dramatic play "The Thunderstorm", in which there is an interesting heroine - Kabanikha (Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova).

Kabanikha is presented in the image of a rich merchant's wife. Marfa Ignatievna is a long-widowed woman.

This woman can be described as a lover of showing off her strength. Power and fortitude are the main features of Kabanikha’s image.

Marfa Ignatievna demands mandatory obedience from everyone, including her relatives. She is almost always unhappy with them. She scolds and educates them every day, and is especially dissatisfied with her son and Katerina. Kabanikha requires people to perform rituals and rites. She believes that it is important to keep the family order at bay.

Kabanikha likes to do different things and her main interests are expressed in following established procedures.

Kabanikha and Katerina have little similarity in that both are unable to reconcile their weak character traits. The second similarity is expressed in religiosity, both revere it, while not believing in forgiveness. This is where the similarity in their character traits ends.

The differences in characters are expressed by the fact that she is spiritual and a dreamer, the second lover of maintaining order in small things. For Katerina, love and will come first; for Kabanikha, it’s carrying out orders.

Kabanikha feels like a guardian of order, believing that with her death there will be chaos in the world and at home. No one doubts that the lady has an imperious character, which she periodically shows to everyone.

Kabanikha herself, no matter how much she scolds her children for being disobedient, never complains about them. Therefore, when the daughter-in-law openly confesses in public, this is unacceptable for her and turns out to be a terrible blow to her pride, to which was added the son’s rebellion, and in addition to these troubles, another one is added - the daughter’s escape from her home.

At the end of the play, the author shows the collapse of the powerful, seemingly indestructible world of Kabanikha. It is a terrible blow for her that everything has gone out of the lady’s control. Of course, the reader does not sympathize with her, because this is her fault. What she deserved, she got.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the image of Marfa Ignatievna personifies the patriarchal way of life. She claims that it is not her business whether it is good or bad, but it must be followed.

The outcome of the play is tragic: Katerina dies, the son rebels, the daughter runs away from home. With all the events taking place in the play, Kabanikha’s world collapses, and so does she.

Essay on the theme of Kabanikh

One of the main characters in the work “The Thunderstorm” is Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova. People all called her Kabanikha. The rich merchant's wife and widow had two children, Varvara and Tikhon, who married Catherine. She was a typical representative of the older generation who loves to give instructions and lecture. For her, the most important priority in life was to comply with the customs and orders established in society. She did not love her children, kept the whole house in fear, and often offended people.

The author of the play describes his heroine as a formidable, strict, evil, cruel and heartless woman. She did not neglect to show hypocrisy. In public, she tried to behave decently. She helped the poor, but at the same time offended her own children and her daughter-in-law Ekaterina. She often left everyone to pray to God. But this did not help her live a holy life. Her children believed that the only way to survive in their mother's house was to learn to deceive. Marfa Ignatievna preferred to keep her Son in fear. She was often jealous of his young wife. In her instructions, she repeated more than once that young people respect old people. In fact, she only had herself. It wasn't so important to her that others listened. She just liked to keep everyone at bay and feel like she was in control. Kabanikha strictly observed traditions and forced young people to do the same.

The heroine was a very stern woman. You could often hear her scolding and criticizing everyone around her. In her character one could observe despotism, which was the result of her blind trust in established customs. Her severity was also expressed in her attitude towards her own daughter-in-law. She cut off every word of Catherine and made poisonous remarks. She condemned her daughter-in-law for treating her husband kindly. In her opinion, a woman should be so afraid of her husband that she feels like his slave.

As a result, with her behavior and attitude towards life, Kabanikha strangled all living things around her. Her children were unhappy. The fate of each of them is not attractive to readers. Perhaps everyone who read the play wondered whether it was worth being such a stern admirer of man-made traditions.

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky wrote his play “The Thunderstorm” in 1859. The plot centers on a confrontation between generations. The older generation has always stuck to old morals, experiences and customs. They refused to understand the young people. And those, on the contrary, never sought to follow the traditions established over centuries. Therefore, the elders tried to re-educate their will. This problem, which Ostrovsky described in his play, will forever remain significant as long as fathers and sons exist. Parents want their children to be like them and follow their paths.

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The image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” is one of the main negative ones that forms the plot. Hence the depth of his portrayal by playwright Ostrovsky. The play itself shows how, in the depths of an outdated but still strong patriarchal society, the champions of the “dark kingdom” in the very bud stifle the barely emerging shoots of the new. At the same time, the author of the work depicts two types that support the foundations of the Old Testament society based on dogmas. This is the widowed wealthy merchant Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova, as well as the wealthy merchant Savel Prokofich Dikoy. No wonder they call each other godfathers.

Merchant's wife Kabanova as an ideologist of the “dark kingdom”

It should be recognized that the image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” occupies a more significant position in the gradation of negative images than the character of the merchant Dikiy. Unlike her godfather, who oppresses those around him in the most primitive ways (with the help of swearing, almost reaching the point of beatings and humiliation), Marfa Ignatievna understands perfectly well what “old times” are and how they should be protected. Her influence on others is more subtle. After all, as the reader reads the drama, she sees not only scenes where she peremptorily lectures her family, but also moments where she pretends to be “old and stupid.” Moreover, the merchant Kabanova acts as an apologist for double morality and hypocrisy in the manipulation of her neighbors. And in this sense, the image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” is truly classic in Russian literature.

The merchant's desire is to subjugate her neighbors

The playwright Ostrovsky managed to show at the same time, deeply and clearly for the reader, how in the merchant Kabanova, ostentatious, insincere religiosity coexists with an absolutely unchristian, immoral and selfish desire - to subjugate people to himself. Marfa Ignatievna really breaks the will and characters of her neighbors, their life aspirations, crushes real, genuine spirituality. She is opposed by the image of Katerina in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm,” her daughter-in-law.

Different understanding of antiquity by Kabanikha and Katerina

To be precise, Katerina is also a representative of a patriarchal society. This idea was expressed by the actor and literary critic Pisarev in response to the famous article by Nikolai Dobrolyubov “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom.”

However, if her mother-in-law represents the “old times”, gloomy, dogmatic, subjugating people and killing their aspirations with meaningless “don’ts” and teachings “how it should be,” then Katerina, in contrast to her, has completely different views on the “old times”.

For her, there are also centuries-old traditions, but they are expressed in completely different ways: in love for others and care for them, in a childishly enthusiastic attitude towards the world around us, in the ability to see and perceive all the good things around, in the instinctive rejection of gloomy dogmatism, in mercy . “Old time” for Katerina is colorful, romantic, poetic, joyful. Thus, Katerina and Kabanikha personalize two opposing aspects of Russian patriarchal serf society - dark and light.

Psychological pressure from Kabanikha on Katerina

The tragic image of Katerina in Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" invariably evokes the reader's sympathy and sympathy. The girl ends up in the Kabanov family by marrying Tikhon, the son of a merchant's wife. Before Katerina appeared in the house, her future mother-in-law completely imposed her will on everyone at home: her son and daughter Varvara. Moreover, if Tikhon is completely morally broken and is only able to follow the instructions of “mama,” then Varvara only pretends to agree, but always acts in her own way. However, under the influence of her mother, her personality was also deformed - the girl became insincere and double-minded.

The image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” is antagonistic to the image of Katerina throughout the entire play. It’s not for nothing that the daughter-in-law reproaches that her mother-in-law “eats her.” Kabanikha constantly insults her with far-fetched suspicions. It exhausts the soul with senseless compulsions to “bow to your husband” and “cut your nose.” Moreover, the merchant's wife appeals to quite plausible principles: maintaining order in the family; harmonious (as is customary in the Russian tradition) relationships between relatives; foundations of the Christian faith. In fact, Marfa Ignatievna’s influence on Katerina comes down to compulsion - to blindly follow her orders. Kabanikha wants to turn her into another subject of her home “dark kingdom”.

Unmercifulness is a common trait between Kabanikha and Wild

The characterization of the image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky shows her common feature with the image of the merchant Dikiy, despite their obvious characteristic differences. This is unmerciful towards people. Both of them treat their neighbors and fellow citizens in a non-Christian, consumerist way.

True, Savel Prokofich does this openly, and Marfa Ignatievna resorts to mimicry, imitating Christian beliefs. In conversations with her neighbors, she prefers the tactic “the best defense is attack,” accusing them of non-existent “sins.” She doesn’t even hear counter arguments from her children and daughter-in-law. “I would believe... if I hadn’t heard with my own ears... what veneration is like...” Isn’t it a very convenient, almost “impenetrable” position?

The characterization and image of Kabanikha from the play “The Thunderstorm” by A. Ostrovsky combines hypocrisy and cruelty. After all, in fact, Kabanikha, who regularly goes to church and does not spare alms to the poor, turns out to be cruel and unable to forgive Katerina, who has repented and admitted cheating on her husband. Moreover, she instructs her son Tikhon, who is deprived of his own point of view, to beat her, which he does. They motivate this, again, by tradition.

Kabanikha contributed to Katerina’s suicide

It is the image of Katerina Kabanova in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm,” constantly bullied by her mother-in-law, deprived of all rights and intercession, that gives tragedy to Ostrovsky’s play. None of the readers doubt that her suicide is the result of the unfavorable influence of her mother-in-law, constant humiliation, threats, and cruel treatment.

The situation is aggravated by the fact that Katerina had already previously stated that she would settle scores with her unhappy life. Marfa Ignatievna, who was well aware of everything that was going on in the house, could not help but know this. Was there any direct intent on the part of the mother-in-law to drive her daughter-in-law to suicide? Hardly. Rather, Kabanikha thought of “breaking” her, completely, as she had already done with her son. As a result, the merchant's family collapses: her daughter Varvara accuses her of directly contributing to the tragedy and leaves home. Tikhon goes on a drinking binge...

However, the hard-hearted Marfa Ignatievna does not repent even after this. For her, the “dark kingdom”, manipulating people is more important than family, more important than morality. This conclusion can be drawn from the episode of Kabanikha’s revealed hypocrisy even in this tragic situation. The merchant's wife publicly bows and thanks the people who retrieved the body of the late Katerina from the Volga. However, then he declares that she cannot be forgiven. What could be more anti-Christian than not forgiving a dead person? This, perhaps, can only be done by a real apostate.

Instead of a conclusion

The negative character - the merchant Kabanova - is revealed gradually as the action progresses. Does the image of Katerina in A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” fully oppose him? Probably no. The girl has nothing to oppose to the suffocating atmosphere around her; she only begs for understanding. She makes a mistake. The imaginary liberation from the domestic “dark kingdom” of the Kabanovs - an affair with Boris - turns out to be a mirage. Katerina repents. It would seem that Kabanikha’s morality has won... It costs the merchant’s wife nothing to turn the girl into her ally. To do this, you just need to show mercy. However, as they say, habit is second nature. Kabanikha, “offended,” bullies the already unrequited, humiliated Katerina with redoubled force.

The daughter-in-law's suicide brings devastating consequences for Marfa Ignatievna's family. We are now seeing a crisis in the obedient (before Katerina’s appearance) family of the merchant’s wife, which is falling apart. Kabanikha can no longer effectively defend the “old times.” From the above, the conclusion suggests itself that at the turn of the 19th century, the way of life of Russian society was steadily changing.

In fact, society even then demanded a liberation decree abolishing serfdom, allowing commoners to raise the role of education and social freedoms.

Kabanova and Dikoy are negative characters in A. N. Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm”. A comparative description of Kabanikha and Dikiy allows us to identify the similarities and differences between the tyrant heroes.

Common features

Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova and Savel Prokofievich Dikoy are representatives of the old way of life.

The characteristics of the Wild One and the Kabanikha often merge together, since the main thing in their lives is power. Both characters are real despots.

Dikoy is constantly angry with his family. During the course of the story, the reader learns that Dikiy’s nephew Boris is obliged to serve him in order to receive his grandmother’s inheritance.

Kabanikha keeps her own children: Tikhon and Varvara in constant fear. Kabanova immediately disliked Tikhon’s wife Katerina, so she treated her with contempt and cruelty. Kabanikha, like Dikoy, does not give her relatives a chance for a free and happy life.

Kabanikha and Dikoy are used to being constantly in the spotlight. The heroes feel their power not only in their own families, but throughout the city. Kabanikha and Dikoy do absolutely whatever they want. The despotism of the characters remains unpunished; no one dares to go against Dikiy and Kabanova. Dikoy considers all people to be worms that he can easily crush.

Another trait that is common to both Wild and Kabanikha is a passion for money. Dikoy does not like to say goodbye to them, so he does not pay the peasants the money they honestly earned. The same applies to any material wealth: in order to receive an inheritance that does not even belong to Dikiy, Boris has to follow Dikiy’s lead.

Differences

Despite their similar lifestyle and their tyranny, Kabanikha and Dikoy still have differences.

If Dikoy does not worry about what other people will say about him, then Kabanova cares about her position in society. Dikoy is not even afraid of the mayor. He is open to the whole society, hiding nothing from it. Kabanikha tries to show herself from the best side, so that everyone around her will think only well of her. For this, Kabanikha goes to church and helps those in need. The heroine hides everything that happens within the walls of her house.

Also, Kabanikha, being absolutely nothing of herself, loves to teach others, give them advice that is related to the traditions of antiquity. They are the ones who are paramount in Kabanova’s life.

A distinctive feature is that Dikoy admits that he behaves incorrectly in many situations. He claims that he sometimes apologizes to his loved ones for his wrongdoings. Dikoy says that he can apologize to an ordinary man whom he once offended. Kabanikha considers herself right in any circumstances. She is not capable of asking anyone for forgiveness.

comparison table

To understand the common and different features, the following table will help:

Kabanikha

Representatives of the old way of life

Real despots who destroy the lives of their family members

They love money and other material values

Differences

A hypocrite and hypocritical person for whom the opinion of society is important

A man who is not afraid of anyone

People around her respect Kabanikha and consider her a merciful woman.

Those around him are afraid of the Wild One and do not try to go against him

Hides home furnishings

Does not hide home furnishings

He justifies all his actions by observing traditions.

An egoist who thinks only about himself and is confident in his permissiveness

Confident that she is right in any situation, incapable of apologies

Recognizes his negative traits and can ask for forgiveness for his behavior

This article, which will help you write an essay “Comparative characteristics of the Wild and the Kabanikha,” will consider the common and different character traits of the characters.

Work test

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- she is Kabanikha. Widow. Merchant's wife. Mother of Varvara and Tikhon.

Image and characteristics

The surname Kabanova suits the main character very accurately, characterizing her from the first minutes. A wild animal is capable of attacking a person without a good reason, and so is the Kabanikha. Furious, ferocious. She is capable of “biting to death” a person if she doesn’t like him, which is what happened with Katerina, whom the widow simply killed off. It is impossible to please her. She will always find something to complain about, no matter how hard you try.

Kabanikha, after the death of her husband, was left with two small children in her arms. There was no time to be sad. I had to take care of and raise Varvara and Tikhon. Brother and sister are completely different in character and appearance, although they were raised the same.

Powerful, despotic woman, keeping not only household members, but also the entire neighborhood in fear.

“Your mommy is too cool...”

To subjugate and rule is her credo. I am absolutely convinced that the family is built on fear and subordination of the younger to the elder. “Don’t judge your older self! They know more than you. Old people have signs for everything.” He sees nothing abnormal in his attitude towards children.

“After all, out of love your parents are strict with you, out of love they scold you, everyone thinks to teach you good.”

Religious. This is not the faith of a religious fanatic who sacredly observes all fasts and God's laws. More like a tribute to tradition. She performs rituals automatically, without really delving into the process and its meaning. She has no faith in forgiveness and mercy. For her, the main thing is strict adherence to patriarchal orders. This is sacred.

“Well, I’ll go and pray to God; Do not bother me…".

She is no less demanding of those around her than of herself. What people themselves think about this and what feelings they experience is deeply indifferent to her.

Nerd. I am constantly dissatisfied with everything. Grumps with or without reason. It's hard to please her. Her own family annoys her, especially her son and daughter-in-law. This is where Kabanikha has a blast. He pokes his nose into their lives, interfering with advice. He believes that after his marriage the son lost interest in his mother, turning into a doormat and a henpecked man.

“Maybe you loved your mother while you were single. Do you care about me, you have a young wife.”

Daughter-in-law is a separate issue. The daughter-in-law's behavior is out of the ordinary. She doesn’t follow traditions and doesn’t care about her husband. Completely out of hand. Old age is not respected or honored.

Self-confident. I am convinced that she is doing everything right. He sincerely believes that if you maintain the ancient order and way of life, the house will not suffer from external chaos. The farm is managed harshly, worse than a peasant. Showing emotions is not typical for her. In her opinion, this is unnecessary. At the slightest sign of rebellion on the part of the family, Kabanikha nips everything in the bud. Any misconduct on their part entails punishment. She is immediately infuriated if young people try to cross her. Strangers are closer to her than her son and daughter-in-law.

“Prude, sir! He gives money to the poor, but completely eats up his family...”

He will say a kind word and reward him with alms.

Loves money. The boar is used to being in charge of the entire household. She is sure that the one who has more cash in his pocket is right. Having settled the resident praying mantises, she hears their laudatory speeches addressed to her every day. The flattering grandmothers completely fooled her. Kabanikha doesn’t even allow the thought that she might do something wrong. With their conversations about the end of the world, the old women support Kabanikha’s idea of ​​​​life on earth.

Tyranny and Ignorance in A. N. Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm”

1. Realism of the drama “The Thunderstorm”.

2. Portrait of Savel Prokofievich Dikiy.

3. Kabanikha is the head of the “dark kingdom”.

4. End of power Tyranny and ignorance in A. N. Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm”

The idea of ​​creating the drama “The Thunderstorm” came to Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky in 1859 after a long trip to the Volga cities. It is generally accepted that the prototype of the main character of this play - Katerina Kabanova - was a real-life woman, Alexandra Klykova. The story of her life was very similar to the fate of Katerina. Of interest is the fact that Ostrovsky completed his work about a month before Klykova drowned herself in the Volga, unable to withstand the bullying of her relatives. This circumstance, of course, indicates that the author very clearly and realistically showed in the drama “The Thunderstorm” the severe conflict occurring between different generations in the same merchant family.

Tyranny and ignorance in A. N. Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm” shown by the author with the help of two very vivid images - Savel Prokofievich Dikiy and Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova (“Kabanikha”), the mother-in-law of the main character.

Dikoy is one of the typical representatives of the provincial wealthy merchant class. This is a person who has certain rights in the city and believes that he is allowed, if not everything, then a lot. This fact is evidenced by his following statement:

Kuligin. Why, sir, Savel Prokofievich, would you like to offend an honest man?

Wild. I'll give you a report or something! I don’t give an account to anyone more important than you...

Further, Ostrovsky points out that tyranny and unworthy behavior of the Dikiy is not a vicious quality at all, but a natural property of his “ardent, self-willed heart.” The trouble with Savel Prokofievich is that he makes no attempt to curb his indomitable temper, and therefore he does whatever he wants with impunity.

People around him perceive Savel Prokofievich ambiguously. For example, Kuligin claims that Dikiy should give in to everything in order not to run into rudeness, but Kudryash quite reasonably objects to him: “... who will please him if his whole life is built on swearing? And most of all because of the money; Not a single calculation is complete without swearing...”

But no capital, no means can help enrich the spiritual life of the Wild. Despite his unshakable conviction that he is right, he quickly tucks his tail between his legs when, by chance, he encounters a more significant person. At the same time, he is not at all alien to self-criticism: for example, having shouted during Lent at an innocent peasant who brought him firewood, he publicly apologized to the offended person so as not to take sin on his soul. But this “kind” deed is just another whim of a rich tyrant, and not sincere repentance.

Savel Prokofievich's life is built around money, capital - in his opinion, everything good can be bought, and money should be given “just like that” only in exceptional cases. He himself speaks directly about this: “I’ll give it, I’ll give it, but I’ll scold you.”

Unlike Dikiy, Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova, whom others call “Kabanikha,” adheres to the established norms of the old morality, or rather, its worst side. Observing the rules and laws of Domostroy, she scrupulously selects only those that are beneficial to her, without paying attention to the rest. Unfortunately, she does not comply with the most important, key law - you cannot condemn people who accidentally sin, you should first of all think about your own sins and take care of it. Kabanikha finds negative sides in everything - even at the moment of Katerina’s farewell to her husband, who is leaving on business at the end of the week, the unkind mother-in-law finds a reason for a malicious remark: “Why are you hanging on your neck, shameless one! 11th you say goodbye to your lover! He is your husband, your boss! Don't you know the order? Bow down at your feet!” At the same time, Marfa Ignatievna treats her son too harshly, imposing her own views, not allowing him to live independently.

Perhaps such despotism, the desire for unlimited power over the household, was not the main character trait of Kabanova. She tried with all her might to maintain strict order in the house, to manage not only the household, but also human relationships. Unfortunately, due to its ignorance, it is not able to delicately resolve emerging conflicts, further aggravating the tense situation with its dictatorship. The opinions of strangers are indifferent to her; she does not know how to learn from her own mistakes.

The tragic denouement of the drama “The Thunderstorm” is the suicide of Katerina, tired of the constant oppression of her mother-in-law, emotional stress, constant excuses due to fictitious sins and “wrong” actions. This is not just a departure from a hateful life, but above all an unconscious challenge to that force Tyranny and ignorance, which rules the world around us, a protest against the imposed false “morality”. And even Katerina’s downtrodden husband, Tikhon, who is depressed by his mother, understands this. Bending over the body of his drowned wife, he says: “Good for you, Katya! Why did I stay in the world and suffer!” He begins to understand the depravity and insincerity of the relationships that reign in his family, but his soft, weak-willed character does not allow him to decide to take a serious action, to resist psychological pressure.

Tikhon’s words make us understand that life in the “dark kingdom,” where tyranny and ignorance rule, is worse than death. Otherwise, how can living people envy those who have passed away, especially suicides (after all, according to the laws of the Orthodox Church, voluntary “escape” from life is one of the most serious sins)? And the very existence of this vicious circle is nearing its end. A normal person cannot exist in an atmosphere of oppression, resentment, ignorance and false morality, which means that liberation from the power of Kabanikha and others like her is approaching.