The symbolic meaning of the play thunderstorm. The meaning of the title of the play Grozh Ostrovsky essay
A. N. Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm" shows us life in the city of Kalinov, now and then disrupted by various manifestations of a thunderstorm. The image of this natural phenomenon in drama is very multifaceted: it is both the character of the play and its idea.
One of the most striking manifestations of the image of a thunderstorm is the characterization of the characters in the drama. For example, we can say with confidence that Kabanikha’s character is quite similar to the sound of thunder: she also frightens the people around her, and can even destroy her. Let us remember Tikhon’s words before leaving: “As I know now that there won’t be any thunderstorms over me for two weeks, there are no shackles on my legs, so what do I care about my wife?” Native son, speaking of a thunderstorm, means tyranny in the house. A similar situation reigned in Dikiy’s house. He got angry, swore, and sometimes even assaulted him over all sorts of little things. Curly said about him: “A shrill man!” - and for sure, the character of the Wild can pierce anyone, like an electric shock.
But the thunderstorm in the work characterizes not only the “cruel morals” in Kalinov. It is noticeable that the most striking moments of the bad weather coincide with Katerina’s mental torment. Let us remember when Katerina admitted to Varvara that she loved someone else, a thunderstorm began. But Katerina’s soul was also restless; her impulsiveness made itself felt: even without having done anything wrong, but only thinking not about her husband, Katerina began to talk about imminent death, running away from home and terrible sins. Upon Kabanov’s return, hurricanes raged in Katerina’s soul, and at the same time, peals of thunder were heard on the streets, frightening the townspeople.
Also, the image of a thunderstorm appears before readers as punishment for sins committed. Katerina said about the thunderstorm: “Everyone should be afraid. 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.” We can understand that a thunderstorm for the townspeople is only suffering. This same idea is confirmed by the words of Dikiy: “A thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we can feel it, but you want to defend yourself with poles and some kind of rods, God forgive me.” This fear of a thunderstorm-punishment characterizes the Wild as an adherent of old mores, if we consider the thunderstorm in its following image: a symbol of change.
The thunderstorm as a symbol of the new is clearly shown in Kuligin’s monologue: “This is not a thunderstorm, but grace!” Kuligin, being a hero-reasoner, reveals to readers the point of view of Ostrovsky himself: change is always for the better, one cannot be afraid of it.
Thus, it becomes obvious that A. N. Ostrovsky, skillfully using the image of a thunderstorm in its various manifestations, showed all aspects of life in typical Russian provincial town"since the tragedy" cruel morals"and ending with everyone's personal tragedy.
1. Image of a thunderstorm. Time in the play.
2. Katerina’s dreams and symbolic images of the end of the world.
3. Hero-symbols: Wild and Kabanikha.
The very name of A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” is symbolic. A thunderstorm is not only an atmospheric phenomenon, it is an allegorical designation of the relationship between elders and younger ones, those who have power and those who are dependent. “...For two weeks there will be no thunderstorm over me, there are no shackles on my legs...” - Tikhon Kabanov is glad to escape from the house, at least for a little while, where his mother “gives orders, one more menacing than the other.”
The image of a thunderstorm—a threat—is closely related to the feeling of fear. “Well, what are you afraid of, pray tell! Now every grass, every flower is rejoicing, but we are hiding, afraid, as if some kind of misfortune is coming! The thunderstorm will kill! This is not a thunderstorm, but grace! Yes, grace! It's a storm for everyone!" - Kuligin shames his fellow citizens who tremble at the sounds of thunder. Indeed, a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon is as necessary as sunny weather. Rain washes away dirt, cleanses the soil, and promotes better plant growth. A person who sees a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon in the cycle of life, and not as a sign of divine wrath, does not experience fear. The attitude towards the thunderstorm in a certain way characterizes the heroes of the play. The fatalistic superstition associated with thunderstorms and widespread among the people is voiced by the tyrant Dikoy and the woman hiding from the thunderstorm: “The thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we feel...”; “No matter how you hide! If it’s destined for someone, you won’t go anywhere.” But in the perception of Dikiy, Kabanikha and many others, fear of a thunderstorm is something familiar and not a very vivid experience. “That’s it, you have to live in such a way that you are always ready for anything; “For fear this wouldn’t happen,” Kabanikha coolly notes. She has no doubt that the thunderstorm is a sign God's wrath. But the heroine is so convinced that she is leading the right lifestyle that she does not experience any anxiety.
In the play, only Katerina experiences the most lively trepidation before a thunderstorm. We can say that this fear clearly demonstrates her mental discord. On the one hand, Katerina longs to challenge her hateful existence and meet her love halfway. On the other hand, she is not able to renounce the ideas instilled in the environment in which she grew up and continues to live. Fear, according to Katerina, is an integral element of life, and it is not so much the fear of death as such, but the fear of future punishment, of one’s spiritual failure: “Everyone should be afraid. 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.”
In the play we also find a different attitude towards the thunderstorm, towards the fear that it supposedly must certainly evoke. “I’m not afraid,” say Varvara and the inventor Kuligin. The attitude towards a thunderstorm also characterizes the interaction of one or another character in the play with time. Dikoy, Kabanikha and those who share their view of the thunderstorm as a manifestation of heavenly displeasure are, of course, inextricably linked with the past. Internal conflict Katerina comes from the fact that she is unable either to break with ideas that are a thing of the past, or to keep the precepts of “Domostroy” in inviolable purity. Thus, she is at the point of the present, in a contradictory, turning point time, when a person must choose what to do. Varvara and Kuligin are looking to the future. In the fate of Varvara, this is emphasized due to the fact that she leaves home no one knows where, almost like heroes of folklore setting off in search of happiness, and Kuligin is constantly in scientific search.
The image of time slips into the play every now and then. Time does not move evenly: it either shrinks to a few moments, or drags on for an incredibly long time. These transformations symbolize different sensations and changes, depending on the context. “Sure, it happened that I would enter heaven, and I didn’t see anyone, and I didn’t remember the time, and I didn’t hear when the service was over. Just like it all happened in one second” - this is how Katerina characterizes the special state of spiritual flight that she experienced as a child, attending church.
“The last times... by all accounts the last times. There is also paradise and silence in your city, but in other cities it’s just chaos, mother: noise, running around, incessant driving! People are just scurrying around, one here, another there.” The wanderer Feklusha interprets the acceleration of the pace of life as approaching the end of the world. It is interesting that the subjective feeling of time compression is experienced differently by Katerina and Feklusha. If time passes quickly for Katerina church service is associated with a feeling of indescribable happiness, then for Feklushi the “decreasing” of time is an apocalyptic symbol: “...Time is getting shorter. It used to be that summer or winter drag on and on, you can’t wait for it to end, and now you won’t even see it fly by. The days and hours still seem to remain the same; and time, because of our sins, is becoming shorter and shorter.”
No less symbolic are the images from Katerina’s childhood dreams and fantastic images in the wanderer's story. Unearthly gardens and palaces, the singing of angelic voices, flying in a dream - all these are symbols pure soul, not yet aware of contradictions and doubts. But the uncontrollable movement of time also finds expression in Katerina’s dreams: “I no longer dream, Varya, of paradise trees and mountains as before; and it’s as if someone is hugging me so warmly and warmly and leading me somewhere, and I follow him, I go...” This is how Katerina’s experiences are reflected in dreams. What she tries to suppress in herself rises from the depths of the unconscious.
The motifs of “vanity”, “fiery serpent” that appear in Feklushi’s story are not just the result of a fantastic perception of reality a simple person, ignorant and superstitious. The themes in the wanderer's story are closely related to both folklore and biblical motifs. If the fiery serpent is just a train, then vanity in Feklusha’s view is a capacious and multi-valued image. How often do people rush to do something, not always assessing correctly? real value of his affairs and aspirations: “It seems to him that he is running after business; he’s in a hurry, poor thing, he doesn’t recognize people, he imagines that someone is beckoning him; but when he comes to the place, it’s empty, there’s nothing, just a dream.”
But in the play “The Thunderstorm” not only phenomena and concepts are symbolic. The figures of the characters in the play are also symbolic. This especially applies to the merchant Dikiy and Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova, nicknamed Kabanikha in the city. A symbolic nickname, and the surname of the venerable Savel Prokofich can rightfully be called telling. This is not accidental, because it was in the images of these people that the thunderstorm was embodied, not mystical heavenly wrath, but a very real tyrannical power, firmly entrenched on the sinful earth.
What is symbolic meaning title of the play "The Thunderstorm".
Ostrovsky wrote the play “The Thunderstorm” in 1859 at a time when a change in social foundations was imminent in Russia, on the eve peasant reform. Therefore, the play was perceived as an expression of the spontaneous revolutionary sentiments of the masses. It was not for nothing that Ostrovsky gave his play the name “The Thunderstorm”. A thunderstorm occurs not only a natural phenomenon, the action unfolds to the sounds of thunder, but also as an internal phenomenon - the characters are characterized through their attitude to the thunderstorm. For each hero, a thunderstorm is a special symbol, for some it is a harbinger of a storm, for others it is purification, the beginning of a new life, for others it is a “voice from above” that predicts some important events or warns against any actions.
In Katerina’s soul there is, to no one, an invisible thunderstorm, a thunderstorm for her is heavenly punishment, “the hand of the Lord,” which should punish her for betraying her husband: “It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly overtake you with all your thoughts.” wicked." Katerina is afraid and waits for a thunderstorm. She loves Boris, but this depresses her. She believes that she will burn in “fiery hell” for her sinful feelings.
For mechanic Kuligin, a thunderstorm is a crude manifestation of natural forces, consonant with human ignorance, which must be fought. Kuligin believes that by introducing mechanization and enlightenment into life, one can achieve power over “thunder,” which carries the meaning of rudeness, cruelty and immorality: “I decay with my body in dust, I command thunder with my mind.” Kuligin dreams of building a lightning rod to rid people of the fear of thunderstorms.
For Tikhon, a thunderstorm is anger, oppression on the part of his mother. He is afraid of her, but as a son he must obey her. Leaving home on business, Tikhon says: “How can I know that there won’t be any thunderstorms over me for two weeks, I don’t have these shackles on my legs.”
Dikoy believes that it is impossible and sinful to resist lightning. For him, a thunderstorm means submission. Despite his wild and evil disposition, he obediently obeys Kabanikha.
Boris fears human thunderstorms more than natural ones. That's why he leaves, abandons Katerina alone and not with people's rumors. "It's scarier here!" - says Boris, running away from the place of prayer of the entire city.
The thunderstorm in Ostrovsky's play symbolizes both ignorance and anger, heavenly punishment and retribution, and purification, insight, and the beginning of a new life. This is evidenced by a conversation between two townspeople of Kalinov; changes began to occur in the residents’ worldview, and their assessment of everything that was happening began to change. Perhaps people will have a desire to overcome their fear of thunderstorms, to get rid of the oppression of anger and ignorance that reigns in the city. After terrible rumbles of thunder and lightning strikes, the sun will shine above our heads again.
N.A. Dobrolyubov in the article “A Ray of Light in dark kingdom“he interpreted the image of Katerina as “a spontaneous protest brought to the end,” and suicide as a force of freedom-loving character: “such liberation is bitter; But what can you do when there is no other option?
I believe that Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" was timely and contributed to the fight against the oppressors.
The author of the play "The Thunderstorm" uses the meaning of this word in several meanings. In Ostrovsky's work, thunderstorms as a natural phenomenon occur several times in the play. During the first conversation between Katerina and Varvara, when the former shares her emotional experiences, tells her dreams, bad premonitions, a thunderstorm is gathering, and it is here that Katerina says that she is very much afraid of a thunderstorm. Then she gathers herself before Katerina confesses to treason, in the shower main character Feelings are heating up, everything is boiling in her, and the rumble of thunder is just heard. And a thunderstorm begins during confession. Thunderstorm associated with state of mind main character. The thunderstorm begins when everything is restless in her soul, it is not there when Katerina is happy with Boris.
Also the thunderstorm has figurative meaning, Katerina herself is like a thunderstorm, she boldly admits to what she did, without being ashamed of those around her. I don’t think that any of the other residents would have been able to confess; for example, Varvara wouldn’t have been able to tell so openly; she was used to doing everything quietly so that no one would know. For Kabanikha this is a blow, Katerina strikes her like a thunderstorm, because she strives to be white and fluffy in public, and now the honor of her family is tarnished. And Katerina’s death is very loud, all the residents of the city have heard about it, everyone will discuss it, many will understand that it is the mother-in-law who is largely to blame for the death of her daughter-in-law, now the opinion of her in society will change, and her power will weaken, but for her this the most important. Katerina managed to spoil Kabanikha’s power with her actions.
For example, Kuligin considers a thunderstorm a joy; usually before a thunderstorm it is stuffy, there is not enough air, and after it everything seems to come to life again, all living things rejoice, only people are afraid. Of course, at the time when the play was written, such a phenomenon was treated with great caution; many called it a warning of some kind of misfortune, the voice of God, because they did not know how it arose. After the death of Katerina, the situation in society will be defused, this protest will resonate in the souls of the townspeople, even then, when Boris was mourning his wife, he first began to blame his mother for being the reason for such an act. Varvara is no longer afraid of her mother’s oppression and decides to leave home, to freedom, now Kabanikha has no one to rule the house, her goal is not to let to the modern generation develop according to its principles has not been achieved, its authority has been undermined, it will fail.
Drama by A.N. Ostrovsky "The Thunderstorm" is one of the most famous works writer. It contains many themes: love, freedom, and serfdom. And of course, the main idea, which runs like a red thread through the entire work, is reflected in the title of the play.
A thunderstorm is both a natural phenomenon, a danger looming over the city, and a symbol of the era.
From the very beginning of the story, in the first act, we hear a conversation between two heroes about Kalinov’s morals. Kudryash and Kuligin are minor characters, but despite this they carry an important semantic load. Their conversation revolves around the Wild One. This hero is gifted by the author with a speaking surname; indeed, human concepts seem to be alien to him. This hero is a kind of thunderstorm for everyone at home, as well as for the courtyard people; his sudden anger keeps the entire neighborhood in fear.
Another episode in which Dikoy and one of the heroes who first appear on stage, Kuligin, are present. In this episode, Kuligin asks Dikiy for money to build a clock and a lightning rod; the hero wants to do something useful and good, to somehow move the ossified society. But he is refused, it turns out that Dikiy’s stupidity and short-sightedness is even deeper than it might seem to us, he is categorically against the construction, because a thunderstorm, in his opinion, is sent to people as punishment, and watches are not needed at all (the author probably emphasizes the lack of watches the fact that Kalinov’s development is lagging behind, there is no education and rough serfdom still reigns).
The main character of the work, Katerina, lives with her husband in the house of his mother Kabanikha. Kabanovs, that’s their speaking surname, and it does not require further explanation. Freedom-loving Katerina languishes under the yoke of this cruel woman, a real thunderstorm for your entire home. Only Katerina's good manners and wisdom allowed her for a long time hold out under her power, but only externally; internally, the heroine always remains free.
Much in Katerina’s life is connected with thunderstorms. She is afraid of this natural phenomenon, faints, her intuition tells her that something is about to happen that will decide her fate. And she admits her actions with Boris, and understands: she cannot live in the Kabanovs’ house anymore. After all, Kabanikha became a thunderstorm not only for her, but also for her son. He runs away from home to spend a few days in freedom.
As for Katerina, she herself can be called a thunderstorm for the outdated foundations of the Kalinovites. In the finale, she seems to challenge the slavery and oppression that reigns in the city. Throughout the entire action, tension is felt, a thunderstorm hangs over Kalinov’s tyrants.
Much indicates that the power of Kabanikha and Dikiy is in danger. Kudryash refuses to obey them, and in the end disappears along with Varvara, who also only creates the appearance of subordination to Kabanikha, but in reality she does what she considers necessary.
And, of course, Kuligin’s words at the end of the play confirm the idea that the power of the Wild and Kabanovs is short-lived, a thunderstorm is approaching them. Kuligin reminds them that Katerina’s body may belong to them, but her soul is free.
The meaning of the title of this play is very significant. Many times it occurs as a natural phenomenon, is reflected in the images and characters of the characters and seems to be itself actor. The whole atmosphere of the work is reflected in the title of A.N. Ostrovsky’s wonderful and still popular and beloved play “The Thunderstorm”.
The meaning of the title, the title of Ostrovsky's play The Thunderstorm
A.N. Ostrovsky is one of the most outstanding writers XIX century, his works tell us about the struggle of humanity, kindness, compassion with meanness, greed and malice. The author in each of his books shows kind, naive heroes faced with cruel reality world, which leads them to complete disappointment in life, kills everything good that is in them.
"Thunderstorm" - peak creative quests playwright. After all, this play marked the beginning of such a monumental theme, which was subsequently used more than once as the main theme in their works by various writers of contemporaries and subsequent centuries. What has impressed readers so much over three centuries?
Katerina, translated from Greek, means “pure”; Ostrovsky tells us how people around her, rotten to the very bones, oppress her and drive her into a corner, because they feel the strength in her and understand that she is the beginning of the end for them.
This fragile, naive girl cannot be called strong-willed or strong, she did not accomplish a feat, on the contrary, her act can be perceived as weakness, but the death of the heroine became a protest against the existing order, by her example she freed the hands of all the oppressed. Her image is a “ray of light”, a symbol of the fight against cruel, selfish people who ruin the lives of everyone around, that is, against the “dark kingdom”.
IN last days, weeks of her life, Katerina was terribly afraid of thunder, believing that God's punishment for her sins was falling on her head, she was so pure that she did not understand that the thunderstorm had not come to kill her, lightning and thunder were splitting into pieces the world of those who offended her, the darkness the end has come.
Katerina played the role of a soldier who runs ahead of everyone with a flag, calling to fight, the role of a soldier who awakens strength and resistance in souls. After all, after her death, everyone who had been silent and patient before protested. Kabanov finally realized and understood that his tyrant mother was to blame for what happened, but his conscience was not calm either, because he could not prevent the tragedy. Kudryash and Varvara decide to run away, to leave behind Diky and Kabanikha, whose life will become unbearable if they have no one to oppress and no one to pour their dirt on.
A thunderstorm bringing death to the dark kingdom, to the former terrible foundations - here main meaning and the meaning of Ostrovsky's play.
Alexander Nikolaevich shows the hackneyed and banal theme of the struggle between good and evil in a completely unique light and perceives it quite sharply. I think it's very important work, which is worth reading for everyone.
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