Causes of Katerina's death. The tragic fate of Katerina in A. I. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”

All the heroes and heroines of A. N. Ostrovsky can be divided into those who have power over others and those without rights. In Ostrovsky’s later plays, the former acquire the traits of “tyranny,” and the latter become victims of these “tyrants.”

As usually happens in life, tyrants have significantly fewer victims. Thus, among the female characters of “The Thunderstorm”, only Kabanikha has power. In “The Forest,” the role of the sovereign mistress of the destinies of her relatives and servants is given to Gurmyzhskaya.

In principle, victims of tyranny can also be divided into two groups: among them there are those who obediently accept their fate and do not try to escape from oppression, and those who fight for their happiness and freedom. The first group includes Katerina, and the second group includes Varvara and Aksyusha. Nevertheless, such a division is conditional, since a person’s moral and ethical dependence is also determined by his social dependence. Therefore, it seems to me that Katerina should not be condemned for some fatality in her attitude to life, because she was more dependent in legal terms. Serfs and master's servants were in almost the same position, for whom obedience was the only way of salvation from poverty.

The emerging division allows us to compare the images of the main heroines of A. N. Ostrovsky’s plays “The Thunderstorm” and “The Forest”.

In terms of social status, Kabanikha and Gurmyzhskaya are comparable. Despite belonging to different social classes, they have a lot in common. First of all, this concerns the inconsistency of their characters with the Christian ideals that existed in provincial Russia. This incompatibility of the actual with the desired became the reason for pretense, falsehood. Both Kabanikha and Gurmyzhskaya wear “masks”. However, for Kabanikha this is a common necessity, and for Gurmyzhskaya it is not only a forced measure, but also a manner of behavior elevated to the level of art. Gurmyzhskaya gets so used to the “theatrical” image she created for those around her that there is a real danger for her to “play too much” and do something that she would later regret. About Kabanikha, Kuligin says: “He gives money to the poor, but completely eats up his family,” thereby emphasizing her duality. “Charity” also unites Kabanikha and Gurmyzhskaya. This charity is not aimed at doing good to people, which they do not need, but at shaping public opinion. “But do relatives alone have the right to our compassion?” - Gurmyzhskaya declares to her neighboring landowners, and a few days later she denies her relative a dowry.

The consequence of this duality can be considered dictatorship in family affairs and suppression, subordination of household members to their interests. This is required by both selfish nature and elementary caution, since a frightened person is easier to control. To avoid disclosure of features family life, Kabanikha practically isolates Katerina. Family is a “secret, secret matter.” Gurmyzhskaya apparently follows the same principle. It is natural that those who pay a lot of attention public opinion, leading a largely traditional way of life, Kabanikha and Gurmyzhskaya sometimes think in the same traditional way. This is manifested in the fact that Kabanikha expects betrayal from Katerina in advance and even almost forces her to do something indecent and shameful in order to once again confirm her infallibility. Just like Kabanikha, Gurmyzhskaya cannot believe Aksyusha when she says that she is not interested in Bulanov.

So, tyranny and conservatism, insincerity and hypocrisy - these are the components of the image of a “tyrant” woman who does not live, but “simply enjoys herself.”

It seems to me that from a psychological point of view, the image of Gurmyzhskaya more complete than the image Aksyusha, whose main quality is “soul... life, fire.” This is why Aksyusha’s personality is valuable for Neschastlivtsev and, possibly, for the author. The will and desire to achieve happiness through conscious sacrifices, through meaningful struggle, brings Gurmyzhskaya’s ward and Kabanikha’s daughter closer together. Varvara also dared to go against her mother’s will and ran away with her beloved. She is only distinguished by her great independence and initiative. In comparison, Aksyusha is less energetic.

The image of Katerina is perhaps the most complex of female images these two plays. The criticism discussed the question: can Katerina be considered a tragic heroine? Of course, she was not perfect in every way: she had serious flaws. We can talk about her weakness of will, isolation from life. She often acts unconsciously and impulsively. But many of her qualities, which are shortcomings in practical life, are perceived by people as lost during their lives positive traits and are assessed as merits. Of course, Katerina is an emotionally and spiritually intact person, and the fact that she has not changed under the influence of the world around her should inspire respect.

Other female characters, found in the plays, are not so interesting, although some of them, such as Feklusha, are remembered for a long time for their originality.

Of course, two plays are not enough to analyze Ostrovsky’s creative quests in order to trace the formation of his feminine ideal. Most likely, this does not even exist in his plays, since perfect image completely unrealistic, and Ostrovsky is a supporter of realism. Perhaps the images of Aksyusha and Varvara were the most progressive. Katerina would have been less viable, but perhaps it is in her childishness, spiritual and emotional purity that the uniqueness and charm of her image lies.

Regarding the patriarchal way of life and the “tyranny” arising from it, one can add: Ostrovsky in his early plays idealized the life of the Russian hinterland, but he also showed the decomposition of the patriarchal way of life of the Russian province.

For quite a long time, it was believed that Ostrovsky took the plot of “The Thunderstorm” from the life of the Kostroma merchants, that it was based on the Klykov case, which was sensational in Kostroma at the end of 1859. Until the beginning of the 20th century, Kostroma residents pointed to the site of Katerina’s suicide - a gazebo at the end of a small boulevard, which in those years literally hung over the Volga. They also showed the house where she lived, next to the Church of the Assumption. And when “The Thunderstorm” was first performed on the stage of the Kostroma Theater, the artists made themselves up “to look like the Klykovs.”

Kostroma local historians then thoroughly examined the “Klykovo Case” in the archives and, with documents in hand, came to the conclusion that it was this story that Ostrovsky used in his work on “The Thunderstorm.” The coincidences were almost literal. A.P. Klykova was extradited at the age of sixteen to a gloomy and unsociable merchant family, consisting of old parents, a son and an unmarried daughter. The mistress of the house, stern and obstinate, depersonalized her husband and children with her despotism. She forced her young daughter-in-law to do any menial work and refused her requests to see her family.

At the time of the drama, Klykova was nineteen years old. In the past, she was raised in love and in the comfort of her soul by a doting grandmother, she was cheerful, lively, cheerful. Now she found herself unkind and alien in the family. Her young husband, Klykov, a carefree and apathetic man, could not protect his wife from the oppression of his mother-in-law and treated her indifferently. The Klykovs had no children. And then another man stood in the way of the young woman, Maryin, an employee at the post office. Suspicions and scenes of jealousy began. It ended with the fact that on November 10, 1859, the body of A.P. Klykova was found in the Volga. A long trial began, which received wide publicity even outside the Kostroma province, and none of the Kostroma residents doubted that Ostrovsky used the materials of this case in “The Thunderstorm”.

Many decades passed before researchers established for sure that “The Thunderstorm” was written before the Kostroma merchant Klykova rushed into the Volga. Ostrovsky began work on “The Thunderstorm” in June-July 1859 and finished it on October 9 of the same year. The play was first published in the January issue of the magazine “Library for Reading” for 1860.

Defining the essence of a tragic character, Belinsky said: “What is a collision? - an unconditional demand by the fate of the victim. If the hero of the tragedy conquers the natural attraction of the heart... - happiness, forgive me, the joys and charm of life!.. if the hero of the tragedy follows the natural attraction of his heart - he is a criminal in his own eyes, he is a victim of his own conscience...”

In Katerina’s soul, these two equal and equal impulses collide with each other. In the Kabanovsky kingdom, where all living things wither and dry up, Katerina is overcome by longing for lost harmony. Her love is akin to the desire to raise your hands and fly. The heroine needs too much from Leia. Love for Boris, of course, cannot satisfy her longing. Is this why Ostrovsky enhances the contrast between Katerina’s high flight of love and Boris’s wingless passion? Fate brings together people who are incommensurable in depth and moral sensitivity. Boris lives one day at a time and is hardly able to seriously think about the moral consequences of his actions. He’s having fun now - and that’s enough: “How long has my husband been gone?.. Oh, so we’ll go for a walk!” Time is enough... No one will know about our love...” - “Let everyone know, let everyone see what I’m doing!.. If I wasn’t afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid human court? What a contrast! What fullness of free love in contrast to the timid Boris!

The hero's mental flabbiness and the heroine's moral generosity are most obvious in the scene of their last date. Katerina’s hopes are in vain: “If only I could live with him, maybe I would see some kind of joy.” “If only”, “maybe”, “some kind”... Little consolation! But even here she finds the strength to think not about herself. This is Katerina asking her beloved for forgiveness for the troubles she has caused him. Boris couldn’t even imagine such a thing. He won’t really be able to save or even feel sorry for Katerina: “Who knew that we should suffer so much with you for our love! It would be better for me to run then!”

But didn’t the folk song performed by Kudryash remind Boris of the retribution for loving a married woman? Didn’t Kudryash warn him about the same: “Eh, Boris Grigoryich, stop annoying me! After all, this means you want to ruin her completely...” And didn’t Katerina herself, during the poetic nights on the Volga, tell Boris about this? Alas, the hero simply did not hear any of this.

Dobrolyubov soulfully saw an epoch-making meaning in the “Thunderstorm” conflict, and in the character of Katerina - “a new phase of our folk life" But, idealizing in the spirit of the then popular ideas of women's emancipation free love, he impoverished the moral depth of Katerina’s character.

Explaining the reasons for the heroine’s nationwide repentance, we will not repeat, following Dobrolyubov’s words, about “superstition,” “ignorance,” and “religious prejudices.” We will not see cowardice and fear of external punishment in Katerina’s “fear”. After all, such a look turns the heroine into a victim of the dark kingdom of the Boars. The true source of the heroine’s repentance lies elsewhere: in her sensitive conscience. “It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins, with all your evil thoughts,” Katerina admits to Varvara. “My heart really hurts,” says Katerina in a moment of confession. “Whoever has fear, there is God,” echoes popular wisdom.

Fear has always been understood by the Russian people as a heightened moral consciousness. IN " Explanatory dictionary"V.I. Dalya interprets “fear” as “consciousness of moral responsibility.” This definition corresponds state of mind heroines. Unlike Kabanikha, Feklushi and other heroes of “The Thunderstorm,” Katerina’s “fear” is the inner voice of her conscience. Katerina perceives the thunderstorm as a chosen one: what is happening in her soul is akin to what is happening in the stormy skies. This is not slavery, this is equality. Katerina is equally heroic both in her passionate and reckless love affair and in her deeply conscientious public repentance. “What a conscience!.. What a mighty Slavic conscience!.. What moral strength... What huge, sublime aspirations, full of power and beauty,” wrote V. M. Doroshevich about Katerina (Strepetova) in the scene of repentance. And S.V. Maksimov told how he happened to sit next to Ostrovsky during the first performance of “The Thunderstorm” with Nikulina-Kositskaya in the role of Katerina. Ostrovsky watched the drama in silence, absorbed in himself. But in that “pathetic” scene, when Katerina, tormented by remorse, throws herself at the feet of her husband and mother-in-law, repenting of her sin, Ostrovsky, all pale, whispered: “It’s not me, not me: it’s God!” Ostrovsky, obviously, did not believe that he could write such an amazing scene. It’s time for us to appreciate not only the love, but also the repentant impulse of Katerina. Having gone through the stormy trials, the heroine is morally cleansed and leaves this sinful world with the consciousness of her rightness: “He who loves will pray.”

“Death due to sins is terrible,” people say. And if Katerina is not afraid of death, then her sins have been atoned for. Her departure takes us back to the beginning of the tragedy. Death is sanctified by the same full-blooded and life-loving religiosity that has entered the heroine’s soul since childhood. “There is a grave under the tree... The sun warms it... birds will fly to the tree, they will sing, they will bring out the children...”

Katerina dies amazingly. Her death is the last flash of spiritualized love for God's peace: to trees, birds, flowers and herbs. Monologue about the grave - awakened metaphors, folk mythology with its belief in immortality. A person, dying, turns into a tree growing on a grave, or a bird building a nest in its branches, or a flower that gives a smile to passers-by - these are the constant motives folk songs about death. When leaving, Katerina retains all the signs that, according to popular belief, distinguished the saint: she is dead as if she were alive. “And exactly, guys, it’s as if it’s alive! There’s only a small wound on the temple, and there’s only one drop of blood.”

The main character of the story - Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin - is depicted by Gogol as a typical representative of poor bureaucracy and a “little man”.

On the one hand, Akaki Akakievich is a petty official, crushed by life, on the other, before he decided to sew a new overcoat, he led a miserable life, eked out a sluggish, meaningless existence, but for himself he was a full-fledged and happy person more than anyone else.

To express his idea, Gogol resorts to an unusual artistic solution: he uses elements of the hagiographic genre in the plot of the story in order to emphasize the greatness and significance of this, it would seem. an insignificant human being like Bash-

Machkin. Of course, the canonical elements of the hagiography genre are artistically reinterpreted, since this is the “life” not of a saint, but of a petty official, “ little man”, and Gogol, constantly alternating between dramatic and comic. "go emphasizes. Although Gogol's humor does not evoke ridicule, but sympathy for the hero. The most significant characteristic of the hero is given by the author in his name: Akaki in Greek means “kindly”, and together with the patronymic Akakievich can mean “doubly kind” or “infinitely kind”.

So, everything that made the hero pitiful and insignificant can be seen from the other side I kshrimer, a playful, almost mocking remark that “he, apparently, was born into the world completely ready, in a uniform and with a bald spot on his head,” means both. that Akakiy Akakienich is in his destined place, which so rarely happens to people. Let us note that he meekly endures the bullying of his young colleagues until they push him under the elbow, “preventing him from doing his job.” And how high is the characterization given by the author to the hero’s attitude towards service: “It’s not enough to say: he served zealously. “No, he served with love.” Akakiy Akakievich’s inability to fulfill another, more difficult work, than rewriting, does not mean at all that he is hopelessly mediocre, but that he is in his place, doing his job, in which he has reached his mastery and limit. The absurdity of Akaki Akakievich, manifested, say, in the fact that he always carries watermelon and melon rinds on his hat, can be understood this way. that he carries them away instead of us - he is one of those people who always plays the role of a scapegoat for everyone. And Akakiy Akakievich ate whatever “God sent at that time,” and again set about rewriting papers, because his favorite thing was best vacation for the soul, and “went to bed, smiling in advance at the thought of tomorrow: “Will God send you something to rewrite tomorrow?” Thus, if we focus on the hagiographic canon, then Gogol uses its structure, that is, showing birth, naming, pre-naming. further a godly life, full of humility, obedience and service.

^ Which of the heroes of N.V.’s comedy is with? Does Gogol’s “The Inspector General” correlate with the concept of “Khlestakovism”?

It is known that the comedy “The Inspector General” is based on an anecdote about an imaginary inspector, which had already been used more than once in Russian before Gogol.

dramaturgy. Gogol strongly emphasized the moral and philosophical meaning of the play. This idea made it possible to formulate a generalized concept, which began to be called “Khlestakovism” after the name of the comedy hero.

Gogol more than once emphasized that Khlestakov is a collection of many traits. He contains both a small official, a great dreamer, and a simple-minded person who lies with inspiration. His inner essence is a void that can be filled with anything. “I have an extraordinary lightness of mind!” - a phrase very characteristic of Khlestakov. In an instant, he can become someone else: an ardent lover, famous writer, a brilliant socialite who suddenly turns into a dreamy contemplator of nature. When officials saw him as a formidable auditor, Khlestakov immediately became one. Even his speech has changed: in the remarks of this character there appear short, abrupt phrases, characteristic of the speech of a big boss (“My ears are on the alert!.., I gave them all a joke!”), from which officials tremble in fear. And it turns out that Khlestakov is the embodiment of that absurd bureaucratic system, where everything is not in its place, and the place makes a person who he considers himself to be or how others see him. This is one of the aspects of the meaning of the concept of “Khlestakovism”.

The interesting thing is that this concept can easily be projected onto other comedy characters. In their own way, each of the officials is somewhat reminiscent of Khlestakov. Thus, in the dialogue between the mayor and his wife Anna Andreevna from the fifth act, completely Khlestakov notes sound. The mayor, thinking about the rank of general that the father-in-law of a “significant man” could count on, is carried away with dreams into the distance, quite like Khlestakov: “Oh, damn it, it’s nice to be a general! The cavalry will be hung over the shoulder." Having learned how he was deceived, the mayor cannot even immediately believe it, and the almost impossible happens: he slightly reveals his real human face, hidden under the mask of an important official. That is why, deceived and ridiculed by everyone, in the last act he looks almost tragic.

Thus, “Khlestakovism” is. on the one hand, a product of the Russian estate-bureaucratic system. But, on the other hand, this is also a symbolic concept, which contains a generalized idea of ​​a Russian person who, according to the writer, “has become all lies, without even noticing it.”

^ What is the main difference between Katerina and other residents of the city of Kalinin? (based on the play “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky)

The drama “The Thunderstorm” is based on an image of an awakening sense of personality and a new attitude towards the world.

Laws scary world, where man is a wolf to man, some characters seem eternal, unchanging, unshakable. Therefore, Kuligin exclaims with pain: “We, sir, will never get out of this bark!” Tyranny, so vividly shown in the play, appears as evil, paralyzing many characters, making them weak-willed, apathetic, broken.

But Ostrovsky showed even that. that in Kalinov’s ossified little world a character of amazing beauty and strength can arise. It is very important that Katerina was born and formed in the same Kalinovsky conditions. In the exposition of the play, Katerina tells Varvara about her life as a girl. The main motive of her story is the permeating mutual love and will. But it was a “will” that did not at all conflict with the centuries-old way of life of a woman, whose entire range of ideas is limited to housework and religious dreams. This is a world in which it does not occur to a person to oppose himself to the general, since he does not yet separate himself from this community, and therefore there is no violence or coercion here. But Katerina lives in an era when the very spirit of this morality - the harmony between an individual and the ideas of the environment - has disappeared and the ossified form of relationships rests on violence and coercion. Katerina’s sensitive soul caught this. “Yes, everything here seems to be out of captivity.” It is very important that it is here, in Kalinov, that a new attitude towards the world is born in the heroine’s soul, new feelings that are still unclear to the heroine herself: “There is something so extraordinary about me. I’m starting to live again, or... I don’t know.”

This vague feeling is an awakening sense of personality. In the heroine’s soul it is embodied in love. Passion is born and grows in Katerina. The awakened feeling of love is perceived by Katerina as a terrible thing, because love for a stranger is for her. married woman, there is a violation moral duty. Katerina does not doubt the correctness of her moral ideas, she only sees that no one around her cares about the true essence of this morality

^ Can Katerina be called a tragic heroine? (based on the play “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky)

In my opinion, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question posed. “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky is a complex and multifaceted work, allowing various interpretations and interpretation. Even the genre of this play is defined differently: it is called either a drama or a folk tragedy, depending on how the conflict at its core is understood.

The critic Dobrolyubov, in his article “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom,” substantiated Katerina’s drama from the point of view social contradictions, which determined not only the feeling of a pre-storm atmosphere in society on the eve of reforms, but also affected intra-family foundations. From his point of view, the reason for Katerina’s drama is that she turned out to be more sensitive and receptive to these new processes and felt the need to overcome the inert forms and traditions of life as her exact task.

But to what extent does this conclusion correspond author's position? It’s not for nothing that the writer introduces a whole group of symbols into the play that make it possible to understand inner world Katerina, filled with poetry church service, angelic singing and unearthly light. Katerina - a pure soul, which until time lives in the world of THAT patriarchal past, when the norms of the world of wild boars and wild animals were not the external form, but the internal content of each person. That is why it is not so important for her whether she acts according to the rules or not, for example in the scene of farewell to her husband, the main thing is that she does it sincerely. When Katerina feels the birth of a new feeling in her soul - love for Boris - she loses inner harmony: continuing to sincerely believe that family relationships are holy and betrayal is a terrible sin, she at the same time just as strongly and sincerely believes her feeling. Love for Boris is what constitutes the essence of Katerina’s personality, which is born before our eyes. She is forced to make her way not only through external obstacles, but also... which is much more difficult, overcoming internal resistance. Such a conflict cannot be resolved, even if the mother-in-law is kinder, and those around her treat the poor woman with greater understanding. Running away with Boris wouldn’t have helped her either - after all, you can’t run away from yourself!

Thus, the reason for Katerina’s drama is not only in external circumstances, but also in herself, and most importantly, in the nature of the conflict. Her death is natural, like the death of any tragic heroine. But the feeling of internal cleansing, similar to what is called catharsis, and the joy that the miracle of the birth of a person has happened before us, makes us see in “The Thunderstorm” not only a drama unfolding in the depths of the “dark kingdom”, but also a “ray of light” illuminating us with hope.

^ Why didn’t Varvara’s “science of life” bring happiness to Katerina? (based on the play “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky)

Katerina and Varvara are two heroines of the drama by A.N. Ostrovsky "The Thunderstorm".

Katerina and Varvara live by completely opposite moral laws. Life principle Barbarians: “If only everything was covered up.” Katerina cannot lie and dodge like Varvara, since she is an honest, sincere and straightforward person. Katerina was brought up in a peculiar environment, which developed in her romantic dreaminess, religiosity and a thirst for freedom: “I was like that. I lived, didn’t worry about anything, like a bird in the wild. Mama doted on me, dressed me up like a doll, didn’t force me to work: I did whatever I wanted... Our house was full of pilgrims and praying mantises. And we’ll come from church, sit down to do some work, more like gold velvet, and the wanderers will start telling where they have been, what they’ve seen, different lives, or singing poetry... It was so good.” And when Varvara notices to her that now she lives the same way, she continues: “Yes, everything here seems to be from under captivity. And to death I loved going to church! Surely, it happened that I would enter heaven and not see anyone, and I don’t remember the time, and I don’t hear when the service ends.”

She understands the “sinfulness” of her feelings for Boris, but cannot resist nature and gives herself entirely to this impulse. “Meanwhile, the evil one or life confuses her and leads her into temptation. The bitter fate that she suffers in the house from her mother-in-law, the insignificance of her husband, who, although he loves her. but unable to make her love herself, they force her to look around her, to leave the poetic world, which has moved away from her and now stands before her as a memory.

minis. In the beautiful scene of the first act with Varvara, she tells her with charming innocence the state of her soul. It only seemed to her that Varvara expressed sympathy for her, and she immediately laid it out! before her are all the treasures of her heart. "Woohoo You will find the Russian character trait of being frank to the first person you meet, which is extremely convenient for dramatic form, in every work of Mr. Ostrovsky” (F.M. Dostoevsky).

From religion, Katerina received a heightened sense of moral responsibility. Having fallen in love with Boris, she violated those moral principles that she considered sacred. But she is not able to give up her love, especially since this feeling is connected in her soul with the feeling of freedom that has arisen. Natural morality does not allow her to hide deception, (“fearing sin, Katerina experiences moral torment, she is freed from it by repentance.

If Varvara lives according to the laws of the “dark kingdom”, then Katerina does not accept it, there can be no harmony between her and the kingdom of the wild. Therefore, unlike Varvara, she turns out to be a tragic heroine.

^ In what main reason conflict between Bazarov and Pavel Petrovich in the novel by I.S. Turgenev "Fathers and Fly"?

The conflict between fathers and children is an eternal and universal problem, but in specific historical conditions it acquires special facets. Roman I.S. Turgenev’s “Fathers and Fly,” written during a period of profound historical changes associated with the reform of 1861, shows that in Russia at that time the problem of fathers and sons was embodied in the confrontation between old and new ideological, socio-political and moral-philosophical positions. On the one hand, this is the generation of “fathers”, to which the noble liberals belonged, on the other hand, the generation of “children” that is replacing it, that is, new, democratically minded youth who denied everything that was connected with the old world. A dispute of socio-historical generations is unfolding before us.

The novel “Fathers and Sons” exposes the social ambivalence of the POSITIONS of the democrat, nihilist Bazarov and the aristocrat, liberal Pavel Petrovich Kirsanov. The liberal program, the main defender of which is Kirsanov Sr., is based on the ideas of dignity and rights

personality, self-respect, honor. The nihilist Bazarov, proclaiming the idea of ​​“complete and merciless negation,” believes that the existing world must be destroyed in order to then carry out radical transformations. Nihilism, according to Turgenev, challenges the eternal values ​​of the spirit and the natural foundations of life, and this cannot but cause concern.

From this point of view, the generational conflict takes on a completely different semantic connotation. Turgenev shows not only differences, but also certain similarities between antagonistic heroes, revealing the destructive sides of both Kirsanov’s conservatism and Bazarov's nihilism. With a tie love line Bazarov - Odintsov, the problem of fathers and children moves to the moral and philosophical level. The former Bazarov, a convinced denier of the “secrets of existence,” no longer exists. Like Pavel Petrovich, who also failed in love. Bazarov is immersed in reflection on these secrets and also turns out to be a stranger to ordinary life, « extra person" Now the socio-historical positions of the antagonist heroes are tested by eternal values: love, friendship, family, death.

Turgenev clearly demonstrates the idea that any extremes are destructive. Having lost all life connections, lost friendship, failed to find love, to restore a truly filial relationship with his parents, Bazarov dies. Pavel Petrovich also lives out his life alone. But the ending of the novel is open: the picture depicting Bazarov’s death is followed by a short epilogue, which reports on how the fates of other heroes work out. It turns out that life goes on there. where there is no gap between fathers and children, where different generations find a way to mutual understanding. These are the families of Arkady and Katya. Nikolai Petrovich and Fenechka. This means that the eternal conflict between fathers and children can still have a positive solution.

Har acting of Ostrovsky's heroines

In Ostrovsky's forty original plays from contemporary life, there are practically no male heroes. Heroes in the sense positive characters occupied central place in the play. Instead of them, Ostrovsky's heroines are loving, suffering souls. Katerina Kabanova is just one of them. Her character is often compared to the character of Larisa Ogudalova from "Dowry". The basis for comparison is love suffering, indifference and cruelty of others and, most importantly, death in the finale.

Katerina- true tragic heroine, rebelling against the laws of the old society.

Two capacious artistic symbols cement the meaning of "Thunderstorm". The first major, powerful cataclysm that swept through not only nature, but also the human community and shattered the heroine’s soul, exhausted from an excess of unclaimed reserves of love. Second - great river, into which the unfortunate woman threw herself, her cradle and her grave. General value of these images-symbols - freedom. Freedom and love are the main things that were in Katerina’s character. She believed in God freely, not under pressure, and she also submitted to the authority of her elders, because she weakly recognized authority. By her own free will she sinned, and when they refused her repentance, she punished herself. Moreover, suicide for a believer human is sin even more terrible, but Katerina went for it. The impulse to freedom, to freedom appeared to her stronger than fear afterlife torment, but, more likely, her hope in God’s mercy affected her, for Katerina’s God is undoubtedly kindness and forgiveness incarnate. Katerina is a truly tragic heroine. The hero of a tragedy is always a violator of some order or law. Although he subjectively does not want to violate anything, objectively his action turns out to be a violation. For this, he suffers punishment from a certain transpersonal force, which is often the hero of the tragedy himself. So is Katerina. She had no thought of protesting against the world and order in which she lived (and what Dobrolyubov attributed to her). But by freely surrendering to the free feeling that visited her for the first time, she violated the patriarchal peace and immobility. She had no conflict with the world or with those around her. The cause of her death was internal conflict her hearts. The world of Russian patriarchal life (and Katerina is the highest, complete expression of the best, most poetic and living in this world) in Katerina itself exploded from the inside, because freedom, that is, life itself, began to leave it.

Larisa is a victim of deception, looking for love, but not calculation.

Just as in The Thunderstorm, in the Dowry, the image of the great Russian Volga river runs through the entire work of A. N. Ostrovsky as a symbol of beauty, strength and power native land. As if in a nightmare, the terrible faces of the dark kingdom surround us in Ostrovsky’s plays, and only the Volga freely carries its waters, absorbing the beauty that is spilled in nature, and the beauty of a warm heart, tormented by captivity, thirsting for light, air, liberation. In the waves of the Volga, Katerina found her only possible liberation; almost two decades later, on the banks of the same fabulously beautiful river, Larisa, a man of a warm heart, found her death. Larisa is also a victim of deception and hypocrisy, but she has different life values, unthinkable for Katerina. First of all, Larisa received a Europeanized upbringing and education. A woman of an ardent heart, Larisa is looking for love, there is no calculation or vulgarity in her: After all, in Larisa Dmitrievna there is no earthly, this worldly thing, Knurov notices. She is looking for sublimely beautiful love, gracefully beautiful life. To do this, ultimately, she needs wealth. Of course, Karandyshev is not a match for her in all respects. But her idol, the embodiment of her ideals, the brilliant master Paratov, is even worse. The inexperience of youth and adherence to destructive values ​​attract Larisa into his arms, like a butterfly to the flame of a candle. But her love is desecrated, for Paratov it is only entertainment, a sport: I was looking for love and did not find it. They looked at me and look at me as if I was funny. And like Larisa, she eventually finds peace.

In preparing this work, materials from the site were used

1. Cruel morals city ​​of Kalinov.
2. Kabanikha and Dikoy.
3. The life and death of Katerina.

The plays of A. N. Ostrovsky allow us to modern readers, plunge into the life of Russian merchants. The writer so reliably shows any, even insignificant, details of merchant life that we have no reason to doubt his veracity. After reading the drama “The Thunderstorm,” I began to think about the depth of the tragedy that unfolded against the backdrop of simple everyday reality. Fate main character unenviable. Katerina is very clearly different from the people who surround her. That is why she does not meet with understanding, she feels hard and lonely.

One of the city residents, Kuligin, says: “Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel!” It's hard to argue with this. However, there are no people like Kuligin in the city. The rest are liars and hypocrites. They skillfully pretend, hiding their true nature. Society dictates its own laws, people are afraid of other people's opinions. No one dares to be honest with themselves and others. " Dark Kingdom“too strong, so no one dares to resist him. Merchant's wife Kabanova and merchant Dikoy - prominent representatives that part of society that has power and dictates the rules of behavior. No one would dare argue with Kabanova or Dikiy. Even mentally, no one would dare to disobey them.

The boar is heartless, selfish and extremely hypocritical. Beneath her sanctimonious guise lies her cruelty towards even those closest to her. It is no coincidence that they say about Kabanova that she is a hypocrite, “she gives favors to the poor, but completely eats up her family.” Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is very power-hungry. It is important to her that everyone treats her with respect and respect. In fact, no one respects her, but no one wants to admit it openly. Her children, Tikhon and Varvara, have long learned to pretend; they do what is required of them. Kabanova's attitude towards Katerina deserves special attention. The mother-in-law finds fault with Katerina’s every word and deed, turning the girl’s life into a complete nightmare.

Merchant Dikoy, like Marfa Kabanova, is a respected person in the city. Meanwhile, the personality of the merchant himself can only evoke contempt and hatred. This is rare Cruel person, who turned the life of his household into hell. He is also an extremely dishonest person because he misappropriated the money of his orphan nephew. Dikoy humiliates everyone who is not lucky enough to become dependent on him. It is not difficult to imagine how difficult it is for Katerina in such an environment. She grew up in a merchant family. But, judging by what the girl says about her childhood, we understand that her parents were not at all like Kabanova or Dikiy. Katerina talks about life in parental home: “I lived, didn’t worry about anything, like a bird in the wild. Mama doted on me, dressed me up like a doll, and didn’t force me to work...” Life in her husband's house becomes unbearably difficult for Katerina. For her there is neither joy nor freedom. The suffocating atmosphere of hypocrisy, stupidity, and cruelty oppresses the girl. Katerina feels unhappy. She dreams of love, sublime and beautiful relationship. But he lives a monotonous, gray, dull life. Katerina, unlike others, is not characterized by hypocrisy. She doesn't know how to lie. Therefore, he gives himself completely to his love for Boris. He seems to her a completely different person, unlike everyone around. Love becomes salvation for the girl, life takes on some meaning. The pure and bright feeling of love turns out to be another ordeal for Katerina. After all, it is love that leads her to death. In an atmosphere of lies and hypocrisy, no one attaches importance to feelings - both their own and those of others. Boris is no exception. Katerina wants to leave with him. This would be a salvation for the girl. But Boris refuses her. “I can’t Katya. I’m not eating of my own free will: “my uncle sends me.” Katerina is surrounded by weak, weak-willed people. Boris turned out to be like this, and so is her husband Tikhon.

Katerina’s husband, at first glance, does not deserve attention at all. He does not find the strength to resist his mother in any way. Tikhon does not even make an attempt to intercede for his wife before Kabanikha. He himself had long been accustomed to the need to pretend, lie and be a hypocrite. It is no coincidence that he happily looks forward to the time when he can leave home for a while and relax. Katerina does not feel any feelings towards her husband. She married against her will, which, in general, is a common thing for merchants. Tikhon himself does not understand Katerina. Close-minded limited person unable to understand and appreciate the emotional and sensitive nature that Katerina is.

It must be said that at first Katerina tried to love her husband. “I will love my husband. Silence, my darling, I won’t exchange you for anyone.” However, this attempt was unsuccessful. And no, last role Kabanikha played here. The evil old woman says to Katerina: “Why are you hanging around your neck, shameless woman? You don't forgive your lover -

Katerina is very religious, she perceives the thunderstorm as a punishment for her sin. She repents of her crime. And she decides that she deserves to die. She says: “No, I don’t care whether I go home or go to the grave... It’s better in the grave... To live again? No, no, don’t... it’s not good.” This act of Katerina reveals her determination, which was invisible all her life. The girl is saved from shame only possible way- passes away.