The story told by Ostrovsky is sad and tragic at the same time. The play depicts the fictional town of Kalinov and its inhabitants. The city of Kalinov, like its population, serves as a kind of symbol of typical provincial towns and villages in Russia in the 60s of the XIX century.
In the center of the play is the merchant family of Kabanikhi and Dikiy. Wild was cruel and the richest man in the city. An ignorant tyrant who could not live a day without swearing, and who believed that money gives him every right to mock weaker and defenseless people.
The boar, who established order in the town, adhered to traditional patriarchal customs, was charitable in public, but extremely cruel with her family. Kabanikha is a fan of domostroevshchina.
Her son Tikhon was calm and kind. Daughter Barbara is a lively girl who knows how to hide her feelings, her motto is: "Do what, but so that it is covered." Feklusha in the service of Kabanikhi.
Local - Kulibin, who accurately and vividly characterizes local residents and mercilessly criticizes the cruel customs of the townsfolk. Next comes the nephew of Wild Boris, who came to his uncle from Moscow, because he promised him part of the inheritance if he was respectful with him.
But the main place in the play is occupied by Tikhon's wife - Katerina. It is her image that has attracted attention since the creation of the play.
Katerina was from a completely different world. Her family was the exact opposite of her husband's family. She loved to dream, loved freedom, justice, and, having got into the Kabanikh family, it was as if she found herself in a dungeon, where she always had to silently obey the orders of her mother-in-law and indulge all her whims.
Outwardly, Katerina is calm, balanced, carries out almost all the instructions of Kabanikh, but inside her, a protest against cruelty, tyranny and injustice is growing and growing.
Katerina's protest reached its finale when Tikhon left on business, and she agreed to go with Boris, who she liked and was not like the other inhabitants of Kalinov. In a way, he was like her.
Varvara, the daughter of Kabanikha, arranges a meeting between Katerina and Boris. Katerina agrees, but then, tormented by remorse, she falls on her knees before her puzzled husband and confesses everything to him.
It is impossible to describe the contempt and indignation that fell upon Katerina's head after her confession. Unable to resist him, Katerina rushed into the Volga. Sad, tragic ending.
Beam of light in the dark realm
It would seem that what prevented Katerina from leading a calm, carefree life in a wealthy merchant family. Her character interfered. Outwardly, Katerina seemed to be a soft and benevolent girl.
But in fact, this is a strong and resolute nature: being completely, she, having quarreled with her parents, got into the boat and pushed off from the shore, then they found her only the next day ten miles from home.
The character of Katerina is characterized by sincerity and strength of feelings. "Why don't people fly like birds!" she exclaimed dreamily.
The heroine lived in a completely different world, invented by her, and did not want to live in the world in which the Boar lived with her household. “I don’t want to live like this and I won’t! I'll throw myself into the Volga! she often said.
Katerina was a stranger to everyone, and nothing but oppression and resentment was prepared for her by fate in the world of wild and wild boars. The great Russian critic Belinsky called her "a ray of light in a dark kingdom."
The character of Katerina is also striking in its inconsistency, strength, energy and diversity. Throwing herself into the Volga was, in her opinion, the only way out of the suffocating, unbearable, intolerable hypocritical atmosphere in which she had to live.
This, no doubt, a brave act was her highest protest against cruelty, hypocrisy and injustice. Katerina sacrificed in the name of her ideal the most precious thing she had - her life.
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The question of choosing a soulmate has always been problematic for young people. Now we have the right to choose a life partner (companion) ourselves, before the final decision in marriage was made by the parents. Naturally, the parents first of all looked at the well-being of the future son-in-law, his moral character. Such a choice promised a wonderful material and moral existence for children, but the intimate side of marriage often suffered. The spouses understand that they should treat each other favorably and respectfully, but the lack of passion does not affect in the best way. There are many examples in the literature of such dissatisfaction and the search for the realization of one's intimate life.
We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the play by A. Ostrovsky “Thunderstorm”
This topic is not new in Russian literature. From time to time it is raised by writers. A. Ostrovsky in the play "Thunderstorm" portrayed the unique image of the woman Katerina, who, in search of personal happiness, under the influence of Orthodox morality and the arising love feeling, comes to a standstill.
Katerina's life story
The main character of Ostrovsky's play is Katerina Kabanova. From childhood she was brought up in love and affection. Her mother felt sorry for her daughter, and sometimes freed her from all work, leaving Katerina to do what she wanted. But the girl did not grow up lazy.
After the wedding with Tikhon Kabanov, the girl lives in the house of her husband's parents. Tikhon has no father. And the mother manages all the processes in the house. The mother-in-law has an authoritarian character, she suppresses all family members with her authority: her son Tikhon, her daughter Varya and her young daughter-in-law.
Katerina finds herself in a world completely unfamiliar to her - her mother-in-law often scolds her for no reason, her husband also does not differ in tenderness and care - sometimes he beats her. Katerina and Tikhon have no children. This fact is incredibly upsetting for a woman - she likes to babysit children.
At one point, a woman falls in love. She is married and understands perfectly well that her love has no right to life, but nevertheless, over time, she succumbs to her desire while her husband is in another city.
Upon the return of her husband, Katerina experiences pangs of conscience and confesses her act to her mother-in-law and husband, which causes a wave of indignation. Tikhon beats her. The mother-in-law says that the woman needs to be buried in the ground. The situation in the family, already unhappy and tense, escalates to the point of impossibility. Seeing no other way out, the woman commits suicide by drowning herself in the river. On the last pages of the play, we learn that Tikhon still loved his wife, and his behavior towards her was provoked by his mother.
Appearance of Katerina Kabanova
The author does not provide a detailed description of the appearance of Katerina Petrovna. We learn about the appearance of a woman from the lips of other heroes of the play - most of the characters consider her beautiful and delightful. We also know little about Katerina's age - the fact that she is in the prime of her life allows us to define her as a young woman. Before the wedding, she was full of aspirations, shone with happiness.
Life in the mother-in-law's house did not affect her in the best way: she noticeably withered, but she was still pretty. Her girlish gaiety and cheerfulness quickly disappeared - their place was taken by despondency and sadness.
Relationships in the family
Katerina's mother-in-law is a very complex person, she runs everything in the house. This applies not only to household chores, but to all relationships within the family. It is difficult for a woman to cope with her emotions - she is jealous of her son for Katerina, she wants Tikhon to pay attention not to his wife, but to her, his mother. Jealousy eats the mother-in-law and does not give her the opportunity to enjoy life - she is always unhappy with something, constantly finds fault with everyone, especially the young daughter-in-law. She does not even try to hide this fact - those around her make fun of the old Kabanikha, they say that she tortured everyone in the house.
Katerina respects the old Kabanikha, despite the fact that she literally does not give her a pass with her nit-picking. The same cannot be said for other family members.
Katerina's husband, Tikhon, also loves his mother. The authoritarianism and despotism of his mother broke him, like his wife. He is torn by a feeling of love for his mother and wife. Tikhon does not try to somehow resolve the difficult situation in his family and finds solace in drunkenness and spree. The youngest daughter of Kabanikha and sister of Tikhon, Varvara, is more pragmatic, she understands that it is impossible to break through the wall with her forehead, in this case it is necessary to act with cunning and intelligence. Her respect for her mother is ostentatious, she says what her mother wants to hear, but in reality she does everything in her own way. Unable to bear life at home, Barbara runs away.
Despite the dissimilarity of the girls, Varvara and Katerina become friends. They support each other in difficult situations. Varvara incites Katerina to secret meetings with Boris, helps lovers organize dates for lovers. In these actions, Varvara does not mean anything bad - the girl herself often resorts to such dates - this is her way not to go crazy, she wants to bring at least a piece of happiness into Katerina's life, but the result is the opposite.
Katerina also has a difficult relationship with her husband. First of all, this is due to the spinelessness of Tikhon. He does not know how to defend his position, even if the mother's desire is clearly contrary to his intentions. Her husband does not have his own opinion - he is a "sissy", unquestioningly fulfilling the will of the parent. He often, at the instigation of his mother, scolds his young wife, sometimes beats her. Naturally, such behavior does not bring joy and harmony to the relationship of the spouses.
Katerina's discontent grows from day to day. She feels miserable. The understanding that nit-picking against her is far-fetched still does not allow her to live fully.
From time to time, in Katerina's thoughts, intentions arise to change something in her life, but she cannot find a way out of the situation - the thought of suicide visits Katerina Petrovna more and more often.
Character traits
Katerina has a meek and kind disposition. She doesn't know how to take care of herself. Katerina Petrovna is a soft, romantic girl. She loves to indulge in dreams and fantasies.
She has an inquisitive mind. She is interested in the most unusual things, for example, why people cannot fly. Because of this, people around her consider her a little strange.
Katerina is by nature patient and non-confrontational. She forgives the unfair and cruel treatment of her husband and mother-in-law.
In general, those around, if you do not take into account Tikhon and Kabanikha, have a good opinion of Katerina, they think that she is a sweet and lovely girl.
The pursuit of freedom
Katerina Petrovna has a peculiar concept of freedom. At a time when most people understand freedom as a physical state in which they are free to carry out those actions and actions that they prefer, Katerina prefers moral freedom, devoid of psychological pressure, allowing her to control her own destiny.
Katerina Kabanova is not so decisive as to put her mother-in-law in her place, but her desire for freedom does not allow her to live according to the rules within which she found herself - the thought of death as a way of gaining freedom appears in the text several times before Katerina's romantic relationship with Boris . The publication of information about Katerina's betrayal of her husband and the further reaction of a relative, in particular mother-in-law, become just a catalyst for her suicidal aspirations.
Religiosity of Katerina
The question of religiosity and the influence of religion on people's lives has always been quite controversial. This trend is especially open to doubt in times of active scientific and technological revolution and progress.
In relation to Katerina Kabanova, this trend does not work. A woman, not finding joy in everyday, worldly life, is imbued with a special love and reverence for religion. Strengthens her attachment to the church and the fact that her mother-in-law is religious. While the old Kabanikh's religiosity is only ostentatious (in fact, she does not adhere to the basic canons and postulates of the church that regulate human relations), Katerina's religiosity is true. She piously believes in the commandments of God, tries to always observe the laws of life.
During prayer, while in church, Katerina experiences special pleasure and relief. In those moments, she is like an angel.
However, the desire to experience happiness, true love takes precedence over religious vision. Knowing that adultery is a terrible sin, a woman still succumbs to temptation. For ten days of happiness, she pays with another, the most terrible sin in the eyes of a believing Christian - suicide.
Katerina Petrovna is aware of the gravity of her act, but the notion that her life will never change forces her to ignore this prohibition. It should be noted that the idea of such an end to her life path had already arisen, but, despite the hardships of her life, it was not carried out. Perhaps the fact that the pressure from the mother-in-law was painful for her played here, but the notion that it had no basis stopped the girl. After her relatives find out about the betrayal - reproaches against her become justified - she really tarnished her reputation and the reputation of the family. Another reason for this outcome of events could be the fact that Boris refuses a woman and does not take her with him. Katerina herself must somehow solve the current situation and she does not see a better option, how to throw herself into the river.
Katerina and Boris
Before Boris appeared in the fictitious city of Kalinovo, finding personal, intimate happiness for Katerina was not relevant. She did not try to make up for the lack of love from her husband on the side.
The image of Boris awakens in Katerina the extinguished feeling of passionate love. A woman is aware of the gravity of a love relationship with another man, so she languishes with the feeling that has arisen, but does not accept any prerequisites to turn her dreams into reality.
Varvara convinces Katerina that Kabanova needs to meet alone with her lover. The brother's sister is well aware that the feelings of young people are mutual, in addition, the coolness of the relationship between Tikhon and Katerina is not new to her, therefore she regards her act as an opportunity to show her sweet and kind daughter-in-law what true love is.
Katerina cannot make up her mind for a long time, but the water wears away the stone, the woman agrees to a meeting. Being captured by her desires, reinforced by a kindred feeling on the part of Boris, a woman cannot deny herself further meetings. The absence of her husband plays into her hands - for 10 days she lived like in paradise. Boris loves her more than life, he is affectionate and gentle with her. With him, Katerina feels like a real woman. She thinks she's finally found happiness. Everything changes with the arrival of Tikhon. No one knows about secret meetings, but Katerina is tormented by torment, she is seriously afraid of punishment from God, her psychological state reaches its climax and she confesses her sin.
After this event, the life of a woman turns into hell - the already pouring reproaches in her direction from her mother-in-law become unbearable, her husband beats her.
The woman still has hope for a successful outcome of the event - she believes that Boris will not leave her in trouble. However, her lover is in no hurry to help her - he is afraid of angering his uncle and being left without his inheritance, so he refuses to take Katerina with him to Siberia.
For a woman, this becomes a new blow, she is no longer able to survive it - death becomes her only way out.
Thus, Katerina Kabanova is the owner of the kindest and most gentle qualities of the human soul. A woman is especially sensitive to the feelings of other people. Her inability to give a sharp rebuff becomes the cause of constant ridicule and reproaches from her mother-in-law and husband, which further drives her into a dead end. Death in her case becomes an opportunity to find happiness and freedom. The realization of this fact causes the saddest feelings among readers.
Infringed in the rights and early married. Most of the marriages of that time were calculated for profit. If the chosen one was from a wealthy family, this could help to get a high rank. To marry, though not for a beloved young man, but for a wealthy and rich man, was in the order of things. There was no such thing as divorce. Apparently, from such calculations, Katerina was also married to a rich young man, a merchant's son. Married life did not bring her happiness or love, but, on the contrary, became the embodiment of hell, filled with the despotism of her mother-in-law and the lies of the people around her.
In contact with
This image in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" is the main and at the same time the most controversial. She differs from the inhabitants of Kalinov in her strength of character and self-esteem.
Katerina's life in her parents' house
The formation of her personality was greatly influenced by her childhood, which Katya likes to remember. Her father was a wealthy merchant, she did not feel the need, maternal love and care surrounded her from birth. Her childhood passed cheerfully and carefree.
The main features of Katherine can be called:
- kindness
- sincerity;
- openness.
Her parents took her to church with them, and then she walked and devoted her days to her favorite work. Passion for the church began in childhood with attending church services. Later, it was in the church that Boris would pay attention to her.
When Katerina was nineteen years old, she was given in marriage. And, although, in her husband's house there is everything the same: both walks and work, this no longer gives Katya such pleasure as in childhood.
The former lightness is no longer there, only duties remain. The feeling of support and love of her mother helped her to believe in the existence of higher powers. Marriage, which separated her from her mother, deprived Katya of the main thing: love and freedom.
Composition on the topic “the image of Katerina in the Thunderstorm” would be incomplete without getting to know her surroundings. This:
- husband Tikhon;
- mother-in-law Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova;
- husband's sister Barbara.
The person who causes her suffering in family life is her mother-in-law Marfa Ignatievna. Her cruelty, control over the household and subordinating them to her will also apply to her daughter-in-law. The long-awaited wedding of her son did not make her happy. But Katya manages to resist her influence thanks to the strength of her character. This scares the Kabanikha. With all the power in the house, she cannot allow Katerina to influence her husband. And he reproaches his son for loving his wife more than his mother.
In conversations between Katerina Tikhon and Marfa Ignatievna, when the latter openly provokes her daughter-in-law, Katya behaves extremely dignified and friendly, not allowing the conversation to turn into a skirmish, answers briefly and to the point. When Katya says that she loves her like her own mother, the mother-in-law does not believe her, calling it a pretense in front of others. Nevertheless, Katya's spirit cannot be broken. Even in communication with her mother-in-law, she addresses her with “You”, showing by this that they are on the same level, while Tikhon addresses her mother exclusively with “You”.
Katerina's husband cannot be considered either positive or negative characters. In fact, he is a child tired of the control of the parent. However, his behavior and actions are not aimed at changing the situation, all his words end with complaints about his existence. Sister Varvara reproaches him for being unable to stand up for his wife.
In communication with Varvara, Katya is sincere. Varvara warns her that life in this house is impossible without lies, and helps arrange a meeting with her lover.
The connection with Boris is fully revealed by the characterization of Katerina from the play "Thunderstorm". Their relationship develops rapidly. Arriving from Moscow, he fell in love with Katya, and the girl reciprocates his feelings. Although the status of a married woman worries him, he is unable to refuse dates with her. Katya struggles with her feelings, does not want to violate the laws of Christianity, but during her husband's departure, she secretly goes on dates.
After the arrival of Tikhon, on the initiative of Boris, the dates are stopped, he hopes to keep them a secret. But this is contrary to the principles of Katerina, she cannot lie either to others or to herself. The thunderstorm that has begun pushes her to tell about the betrayal, in this she sees a sign from above. Boris wants to go to Siberia, but refuses to take her with him to her request. He probably does not need her, there was no love on his part.
And for Katya, he was a breath of fresh air. Having appeared in Kalinov from a foreign world, he brought with him a sense of freedom, which she lacked so much. The rich imagination of the girl appropriated to him those features that Boris never had. And she fell in love, but not with a person, but with her idea of him.
The break with Boris and the inability to connect with Tikhon ends tragically for Katerina. The realization of the impossibility of living in this world prompts her to throw herself into the river. In order to break one of the strictest Christian prohibitions, Katerina needs to have great willpower, but the circumstances leave her no choice. read our article.
The main characters of "Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky
Events in the drama of A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" unfold on the Volga coast, in the fictional city of Kalinov. The work gives a list of characters and their brief characteristics, but they are still not enough to better understand the world of each character and reveal the conflict of the play as a whole. There are not so many main characters in Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm.
Katerina, a girl, the main character of the play. She is quite young, she was married off early. Katya was brought up exactly according to the traditions of house building: the main qualities of a wife were respect and obedience to her husband. At first, Katya tried to love Tikhon, but she could not feel anything but pity for him. At the same time, the girl tried to support her husband, help him and not reproach him. Katerina can be called the most modest, but at the same time the most powerful character in Thunderstorm. Indeed, outwardly, the strength of Katya's character is not manifested. At first glance, this girl is weak and silent, it seems that she is easily broken. But that's not the case at all. Katerina is the only one in the family who resists Kabanikh's attacks. It opposes, and does not ignore them, like Barbara. The conflict is more of an internal nature. After all, Kabanikha is afraid that Katya can influence her son, after which Tikhon will no longer obey the will of his mother.
Katya wants to fly, often compares herself to a bird. She literally suffocates in the "dark kingdom" of Kalinov. Having fallen in love with a visiting young man, Katya created for herself an ideal image of love and possible liberation. Unfortunately, her ideas had little to do with reality. The girl's life ended tragically.
Ostrovsky in "Thunderstorm" makes not only Katerina the main character. The image of Katya is opposed to the image of Marfa Ignatievna. A woman who keeps the whole family in fear and tension does not command respect. The boar is strong and despotic. Most likely, she took over the “reins of government” after the death of her husband. Although it is more likely that in marriage, Kabanikha was not distinguished by humility. Most of all, Katya, her daughter-in-law, got it from her. It is Kabanikha who is indirectly responsible for the death of Katerina.
Varvara is the daughter of Kabanikhi. Despite the fact that she has learned resourcefulness and lies over the years, the reader still sympathizes with her. Barbara is a good girl. Surprisingly, deceit and cunning do not make her like the rest of the city. She does as she pleases and lives as she pleases. Barbara is not afraid of her mother's wrath, because she is not an authority for her.
Tikhon Kabanov fully lives up to his name. He is quiet, weak, inconspicuous. Tikhon cannot protect his wife from his mother, since he himself is under the strong influence of Kabanikh. His rebellion ends up being the most significant. After all, it is the words, and not Varvara's escape, that make readers think about the whole tragedy of the situation.
The author characterizes Kuligin as a self-taught mechanic. This character is a kind of guide. In the first act, he seems to be taking us around Kalinov, talking about his customs, about the families that live here, about the social situation. Kuligin seems to know everything about everyone. His estimates of others are very accurate. Kuligin himself is a kind person who is used to living by established rules. He constantly dreams of the common good, of a perpetual mobile, of a lightning rod, of honest work. Unfortunately, his dreams were not destined to come true.
Diky has a clerk, Curly. This character is interesting because he is not afraid of the merchant and can tell him what he thinks about him. At the same time, Curly, just like Wild, tries to find a benefit in everything. He can be described as a simple person.
Boris comes to Kalinov on business: he urgently needs to improve relations with Diky, because only in this case will he be able to receive the money legally bequeathed to him. However, neither Boris nor Dikoy even want to see each other. Initially, Boris seems to readers like Katya, honest and fair. In the last scenes, this is refuted: Boris is not able to take a serious step, take responsibility, he simply runs away, leaving Katya alone.
One of the heroes of the "Thunderstorm" is a wanderer and a servant. Feklusha and Glasha are shown as typical inhabitants of the city of Kalinov. Their darkness and ignorance is truly amazing. Their judgments are absurd, and their outlook is very narrow. Women judge morality and morality by some perverted, distorted concepts. “Moscow is now a place of amusement and games, but there is an Indo roar in the streets, a groan stands. Why, mother Marfa Ignatievna, they began to harness the fiery serpent: everything, you see, for the sake of speed ”- this is how Feklusha speaks of progress and reforms, and the woman calls the car a “fire serpent”. Such people are alien to the concept of progress and culture, because it is convenient for them to live in a fictional limited world of calm and regularity.
Characteristics of Katerina from the play "Thunderstorm"
On the example of the life of a single family from the fictional city of Kalinov, Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" shows the whole essence of the outdated patriarchal structure of Russia in the 19th century. Katerina is the main character of the work. She is opposed to all other actors of the tragedy, even from Kuligin, who also stands out among the inhabitants of Kalinov, Katya is distinguished by the power of protest. The description of Katerina from "Thunderstorm", the characteristics of other characters, the description of the life of the city - all this adds up to a revealing tragic picture, conveyed photographically accurately. The characterization of Katerina from the play "Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky is not limited to the author's commentary in the list of characters. The playwright does not evaluate the actions of the heroine, relieving himself of the duties of an omniscient author. Thanks to this position, each perceiving subject, whether a reader or a viewer, can himself evaluate the heroine based on his moral convictions.
Katya was married to Tikhon Kabanov, the son of a merchant. It was given out, because then, according to the house building, marriage was more the will of the parents than the decision of young people. Katya's husband is a pitiful sight. The irresponsibility and infantilism of the child, bordering on idiocy, led to the fact that Tikhon is not capable of anything other than drunkenness. In Marfa Kabanova, the ideas of tyranny and hypocrisy inherent in the entire "dark kingdom" were fully embodied. Katya strives for freedom, comparing herself with a bird. It is hard for her to survive in conditions of stagnation and slavish worship of false idols. Katerina is truly religious, every trip to church seems like a holiday for her, and as a child, Katya often fancied that she heard angelic singing. Sometimes, Katya prayed in the garden, because she believed that the Lord would hear her prayers anywhere, not only in the church. But in Kalinovo, the Christian faith was deprived of any inner content.
Katerina's dreams allow her to briefly escape from the real world. There she is free, like a bird, free to fly wherever she wants, not obeying any laws. “And what dreams I had, Varenka,” continues Katerina, “what dreams! Or golden temples, or unusual gardens, and invisible voices sing, and the smell of cypress, and the mountains and trees seem not to be the same as usual, but as they are written on the images. And it’s like I’m flying, and I’m flying through the air. ” Recently, however, a certain mysticism has become inherent in Katerina. Everywhere she begins to see imminent death, and in her dreams she sees the evil one, who warmly embraces her, and then destroys her. These dreams were prophetic.
Katya is dreamy and gentle, but along with her fragility, Katerina's monologues from The Thunderstorm show resilience and strength. For example, a girl decides to meet Boris. She was overcome by doubts, she wanted to throw the key from the gate into the Volga, thought about the consequences, but nevertheless took an important step for herself: “Throw the key! No, not for anything! He is mine now ... Come what may, and I will see Boris! Katya is disgusted with the Kabanikh's house, the girl does not like Tikhon. She thought about leaving her husband and, having received a divorce, live honestly with Boris. But there was nowhere to hide from the tyranny of the mother-in-law. With her tantrums, Kabanikha turned the house into hell, cutting off any opportunity for escape.
Katerina is surprisingly perceptive towards herself. The girl knows about her character traits, about her decisive disposition: “I was born like that, hot! I was still six years old, no more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, but it was towards 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 already found it, ten miles away! Such a person will not submit to tyranny, will not be subject to dirty manipulations by the Kabanikh. It is not Katerina's fault that she was born at a time when the wife had to unquestioningly obey her husband, she was an almost disenfranchised application, the function of which was childbearing. By the way, Katya herself says that children could be her joy. But Katya has no children.
The motif of freedom is repeated many times in the work. An interesting parallel is Katerina - Barbara. Sister Tikhon also strives to be free, but this freedom must be physical, freedom from despotism and mother's prohibitions. At the end of the play, the girl runs away from home, finding what she dreamed of. Katerina understands freedom differently. For her, this is an opportunity to do as she wants, to take responsibility for her life, not to obey stupid orders. This is the freedom of the soul. Katerina, like Varvara, gains freedom. But such freedom can only be achieved by suicide.
In the work of Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm", Katerina and the characteristics of her image were perceived differently by critics. If Dobrolyubov saw in the girl a symbol of the Russian soul, tormented by the patriarchal housing construction, then Pisarev saw a weak girl who herself drove herself into such a situation.
2. The image of Katerina in the play "Thunderstorm"
Katerina is a lonely young woman who lacks human participation, sympathy, love. The need for this draws her to Boris. She sees that outwardly he does not look like other residents of the city of Kalinov, and, not being able to find out his inner essence, considers him a man of another world. In her imagination, Boris appears as a beautiful prince who will take her away from the "dark kingdom" to the fairy-tale world that exists in her dreams.
In terms of character and interests, Katerina stands out sharply from her environment. The fate of Katerina, unfortunately, is a vivid and typical example of the fate of thousands of Russian women of that time. Katerina is a young woman, the wife of the merchant's son Tikhon Kabanov. She recently left her home and moved to her husband's house, where she lives with her mother-in-law Kabanova, who is the sovereign mistress. In the family, Katerina has no rights, she is not even free to dispose of herself. With warmth and love, she recalls her parental home, her maiden life. There she lived freely, surrounded by the caress and care of her mother.
Katerina found herself in completely different conditions in her husband's house .. At every step she felt dependent on her mother-in-law, suffered humiliation and insults. On the part of Tikhon, she does not meet any support, much less understanding, since he himself is under the rule of Kabanikh. By her kindness, Katerina is ready to treat Kabanikha like her own mother. "But Katerina's sincere feelings do not meet with support from either Kabanikha or Tikhon.
Life in such an environment changed the character of Katerina. Katerina's sincerity and truthfulness collide in the house of Kabanikh with lies, hypocrisy, hypocrisy, and rudeness. When love for Boris is born in Katerina, it seems to her a crime, and she struggles with the feeling that has washed over her. Katerina's truthfulness and sincerity make her suffer so much that she finally has to repent to her husband. Katerina's sincerity, her truthfulness are incompatible with the life of the "dark kingdom". All this was the cause of the tragedy of Katerina.
"Katerina's public repentance shows the depth of her suffering, moral greatness, determination. But after repentance, her situation became unbearable. Her husband does not understand her, Boris is weak-willed and does not go to her aid. The situation has become hopeless - Katerina is dying. It is not the fault of Katerina's death one specific person. Her death is the result of the incompatibility of morality and the way of life in which she was forced to exist. The image of Katerina was of great educational importance for Ostrovsky's contemporaries and for subsequent generations. He called for a fight against all forms of despotism and oppression of the human person. This an expression of the growing protest of the masses against all forms of slavery.
Katerina, sad and cheerful, compliant and obstinate, dreamy, depressed and proud. Such different states of mind are explained by the naturalness of every mental movement of this at the same time restrained and impulsive nature, the strength of which lies in the ability to always be itself. Katerina remained true to herself, that is, she could not change the very essence of her character.
I think that the most important trait of Katerina's character is honesty towards herself, her husband, the world around her; it is her unwillingness to live a lie. She does not want and cannot cheat, pretend, lie, hide. This is confirmed by the scene of Katerina's confession of treason. Not a thunderstorm, not a frightening prophecy of a crazy old woman, not a fear of fiery hell prompted the heroine to tell the truth. “The whole heart is broken! I can't take it anymore!" So she began her confession. For her honest and whole nature, the false position in which she found herself is unbearable. To live just to live is not for her. To live means to be yourself. Her most precious value is personal freedom, the freedom of the soul.
With such a character, Katerina, after betraying her husband, could not remain in his house, return to a monotonous and dreary life, endure the constant reproaches and “moralizing” of Kabanikh, lose her freedom. But any patience comes to an end. It is difficult for Katerina to be where she is not understood, where her human dignity is humiliated and insulted, her feelings and desires are ignored. Before her death, she says: “What is home, what is in the grave is all the same ... In the grave is better ...” She does not want death, but life is unbearable.
Katerina is a deeply religious and God-fearing person. Since, according to the Christian religion, suicide is a great sin, by deliberately committing it, she showed not weakness, but strength of character. Her death is a challenge to the “dark force”, a desire to live in the “light kingdom” of love, joy and happiness.
The death of Katerina is the result of a collision of two historical eras. With her death, Katerina protests against despotism and tyranny, her death testifies to the approaching end of the "dark kingdom." The image of Katerina belongs to the best images of Russian fiction. Katerina is a new type of people in Russian reality in the 60s of the XIX century.
