How does Katerina’s strength of character manifest itself? Katerina’s strength of character is based on the drama of Ostrov’s “thunderstorm”. Social, philosophical and psychological aspects of the tragedy

December 2, 1859. She was immediately a great success, people talked and argued about her. They argued mainly about the interpretation of the fate and character of the main character, Katerina Kabanova, as well as about the main idea of ​​the play, which outlined a new “hero of the time.” "Katerina's suicide - strength or weakness?" - this is the main question to which numerous critics have tried to answer. Among them, N.A. especially stands out. Dobrolyubov.

Opinion of N.A. Dobrolyubova

Nikolai Alexandrovich dedicated his article “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom,” written in 1860, to this work. In the article, the Sovremennik critic gives a detailed analysis of the play from the point of view of “real criticism”, from a revolutionary-democratic position. This was Dobrolyubov’s second article about “The Thunderstorm”. The first, “The Dark Kingdom,” was written a year ago, in 1859.

The main theme of these and many other articles devoted to this work is the character of the main character. The fate of Katerina Kabanova really makes you think about a lot, and in this article I would like to consider in detail the character of the main character and the reasons for her unhappy fate. Nikolai Alexandrovich used the images of the “dark kingdom” and the “ray of light,” which were later often cited when analyzing this work. To the question: “Is Katerina’s suicide a strength or a weakness?” - he replies that this act testifies to the courage of the main character, opposing the evil of the “dark kingdom”.

Opinion of D.I. Pisareva

However, not all critics agreed with Dobrolyubov’s point of view, and controversy often arose between them. For example, D.I. Pisarev, in his article “Motives of Russian Drama,” written in 1864, did not agree with Nikolai Alexandrovich’s opinion that Katerina is a new historical heroine that the era brought to us. According to Dmitry Ivanovich, such a character is Yevgeny Bazarov, a democrat commoner from Turgenev’s work “Fathers and Sons.”

Opinion of A.A. Grigorieva

The point of view of another critic, Grigoriev, is interesting. A few months before the publication of the article “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom,” he reproached its author for offering a one-sided approach to understanding Ostrovsky, to his depiction of life. According to this critic, in Nikolai Alexandrovich’s first article, “The Dark Kingdom,” Ostrovsky appears as a punisher and denouncer of tyranny.

However, in their assessment of the main character, the opinions of these two writers coincide. They both say that Katerina is a heroic character who emerged from the people’s environment, they note the poetry of her soul and the tragedy of her fate. Let's try together to answer the question: “Is Katerina’s suicide a strength or a weakness?”, dwelling in detail on the external and internal aspects of the main character’s character.

Patriarchal merchants as depicted by Ostrovsky

It should be said that this was not Ostrovsky’s first work depicting the patriarchal merchant class. His life was described in other plays by the author of the late 1840s - early 1850s, for example, in the comedy "Our People - Let's Be Numbered!" However, in the early plays of Alexander Nikolaevich there was never such a bright image like Katerina. The character of the heroine, who came from a merchant environment, is a real artistic discovery created by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky ("The Thunderstorm").

At first glance, the emergence of a heroine who has such an uncharacteristic view of life on life for the patriarchal environment of the city of Kalinov seems accidental. However, this was not the case. Her fate, her desire for happiness at the behest of her heart, and not according to the “law,” is the result of deep processes taking place in society at that time, gradually destroying the patriarchal system of the merchants. The play "The Thunderstorm" is full of dialogues about the "end of the world", "the last times", about the fact that young people have ceased to honor traditions and customs; and against this background the plot of the work unfolds.

Symbolism of "Thunderstorm"

"The Thunderstorm" is a symbolic play, its symbolism is associated with folklore, and in this it differs from Ostrovsky's early plays. In the work, much is reminiscent of a fairy-tale world; even the very image of the city of Kalinov evokes associations with the world of a fairy tale. The heroes seem to live in their own closed reality, limited by the limits of Kalinov’s narrow worldview.

In the reality created by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky ("The Thunderstorm"), there are no characters who go even slightly beyond these limits. Even Katerina, striving for a different life, has a very vague idea of ​​what this other life is like. She only realizes that she is disgusted with her current existence. Katerina's beloved, Dikiy's nephew Boris, looks like a stranger who arrived in this sleepy town from a foreign country, in which there was a completely different life. However, he also turns into a subject of Kalinov’s “dark kingdom”, and does not at all resemble the image of Ivan Tsarevich saving his beloved.

Katerina looks like a "sleeping beauty". But her “awakening” was by no means joyful. Katerina Kabanova's sweet dream - life in the home of loving parents - was rudely interrupted by marrying an unloved person. Tikhon is weak-willed and obeys his mother in everything, who is a true tyrant in the play.

External conflict

What led to such a tragic ending? Katerina's suicide - strength or weakness? In the play there are no specific culprits for what happened. The entire Kalinovsky world is to blame. The main character was a victim of a way of life that had developed as if under the influence of an evil spell that kept the entire city in subjection. The residents of Kalinov are not able to resist them. At best, they only silently sympathize with Katerina or give her advice on how to deceive Kabanikha and arrange a date with her lover. However, any proposal from the Kalinovites causes a protest in her soul, since they all involve some compromise with the morals of the city, with her position as a merchant’s wife.

The people of Kalinovka are accustomed to obeying fate, but Katerina challenges her, and the city rejects her. The main character personifies dreams of change. They attract her, beckon her, unlike, for example, Kabanikha, who imagines “last times” and “the end of the world.” Katerina realizes that she is doomed in her desire for something new, and, convinced that this closed world is incapable of change and there is no one to expect support from, the heroine decides to die. However, when trying to answer the question: “Is Katerina’s suicide a victory or a defeat?” It is also worth considering the heroine’s internal conflict.

Internal conflict

The tragedy "The Thunderstorm" defines Katerina's suicide not only as her external conflict with the "dark kingdom", but also as the internal conflict of the heroine. In her soul there is a struggle between old and new. The thought of violating a moral duty haunts Katerina: she believes that she has sinned and that she will never receive forgiveness. This sin is especially difficult and painful for the main character. She is alternately overcome by a consciousness of her own guilt and heroic despair. The main character perceives each of her actions as a step towards the abyss, believing that there is no way back. Katerina sees no hope of salvation; the thought of the possibility of forgiveness of sins and salvation of the soul never comes to her.

Social, philosophical and psychological aspects of the tragedy

Thus, in understanding the tragic fate of the main character, several aspects can be distinguished.

The first aspect is social, because in order to become happy, Katerina must either leave Kalinov or destroy the entire social and everyday structure of this city. Neither one nor the other is possible in this situation; the heroine is a prisoner of this enchanted world.

Katerina also includes a philosophical aspect - this is a reluctance to obey, opposition to one’s own fate. Here the heroine also cannot be the winner. She has two options: either accept fate, her role as a victim of the “dark kingdom,” or die. In the play, Katerina's suicide is presented as a logical ending.

The psychological aspect of the tragedy is the internal contradiction between the awareness of one’s grave sin and free will, which encourages the heroine to overstep internal moral prohibitions. It should be noted that the form that this prohibition takes in Katerina - religious - is not particularly significant. After all, suicide is an even more serious sin than adultery.

All three aspects are interconnected, and all of them are important for a complete understanding of the reasons for the tragic death of the heroine and the answer to the question: “Katerina’s suicide - victory or defeat?” Thus, ordinary adultery turned into a large-scale personal tragedy in The Thunderstorm, and this betrayal itself is not the cause, but only the consequence of its opposition to Kalinov’s world.

Katerina's love for Boris

For Katerina, love is not the highest need of the soul, like for the heroine of “The Dowry.” It is only a form of protest against the life of the merchant environment, a symbol of freedom. Katerina treats Boris not as a lover, but as the embodiment of her dream of freedom.

These characters never find a common language: the main character was able to rise above the everyday life of Kalinov society, but Boris turned out to be incapable of this. So why did Katerina decide to commit suicide?

The heroine decided to drown herself not from “unhappy love” or even from sinful, “impossible” love - she was pushed to this by Kalinov’s life, since such a desire could not be fulfilled within the narrow confines of this city. Thus, for the first time in Ostrovsky, everyday life becomes a form of life, a reflection of a person’s aspirations, and the so-called “philosophy of everyday life” appears.

Philosophy of life

In this work, it is endowed with a special function: a reflection of the base, material in people’s lives, under which everything sublime and spiritual is hidden. The destruction of everyday life foreshadows the imminent collapse of habitual social relations.

Even the plot and compositional elements of "The Thunderstorm" are subordinated to attention to it. The work notes the static nature of the plot, the omission of the love affair itself, as well as many scenes that are not related to the development of the plot, but are necessary to describe the everyday environment of the city. The unhurried development of events corresponds to the pace of life of the Kalinovites, measured and unhurried. The extensive backstory of the main character, as well as the backstories of the secondary characters, creates the feeling that events begin long before the start of the story. The final scene does not fully exhaust its meaning, thereby hinting at the possibility of a repetition of the events described in reality.

Katerina's suicide: strength or weakness?

Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm” was written in the second half of the 19th century, causing noticeable controversy among critics and reviewers. The main character of the play, Katerina, was perceived by some critics as a bright phenomenon, the personification of virtue in the “dark kingdom” of the city of Kalinov, by others - as a weak, vulnerable and superstitious woman. The main question considered by critics is whether Katerina's suicide at the end of the play is a strength or a weakness.

Let's consider this issue in more detail. First, you need to determine the genre of this work. What is this - drama, as Ostrovsky writes at the beginning, or tragedy? At first glance, it seems that there is no difference between these genres, but this is not so. Tragedy is a form of heroic representation, it has a sublime style and the conflict in it is always global, that is, it goes beyond the thoughts and feelings of one person, becoming comprehensive and relevant for everyone. The usual outcome of a tragedy is the death of the main character, which is not a defeat, but a victory and resolution of the conflict. Drama is undoubtedly similar to tragedy in many ways, but the conflict occurs only between the main characters, without going beyond the personal interests of the characters. The hero's problem is his personal problem, which cannot be comprehensive. Very often, the end of a drama is the death of the main character, as in a tragedy, but the conflict is not always resolved by death.

What do we see in “The Thunderstorm”? The provincial town of Kalinov, located on the picturesque bank of the Volga, is a noble family. The main conflict of “The Thunderstorm” lies in Katerina’s relationship with the society of the city, which is ruled by tyrants. Katerina’s conflict is her personal problem, as she comes to terms with the order that reigns among the nobles. Somewhere in the depths of Katerina’s soul there is still a spark of opposition, but it is constantly drowned out by uncertainty and instability of character. As a result of suicide, the conflict is not resolved. So “The Thunderstorm” is still a drama.

Katerina, according to an old noble custom, is married to Tikhon, the son of the merchant Kabanova. Kabanikha constantly guides Tikhon on the right path, telling him what to do and how to do it. Tikhon himself is not capable of making serious decisions and agrees with his mother in everything, never violating her will. Katerina suffers from this because she, together with Tikhon, is subordinate to Kabanikha, moreover, she does not love her husband, but “pities” him, as she later told Varvara. Katerina herself is very pious, she believes that her marriage is submission to the will of God, but at the same time she falls in love after exchanging a few glances with Boris, a man who came to the city for an inheritance, but wants to keep her virtue intact. Knowing that betrayal is a sin, she still meets with Boris during Tikhon’s short departure. Varvara helps Boris meet with Katerina, but Tikhon unexpectedly arrives and the main character is tormented by remorse, loses weight, turns pale, is very frightened of a thunderstorm, mistaking it for an expression of God’s wrath, she is also frightened by the words of a crazy lady about “fiery hell” and falls on the street in front of the people on her knees and confesses to her husband what she has done. Tikhon tries to hug and calm his wife, but Kabanikha, after listening to Katerina’s story, orders his son to beat his husband a little. Katerina loses heart even more. Then it turns out that Boris, on the orders of his uncle Dikiy, is leaving for Siberia to earn money. Katerina runs away from home, meets Boris for the last time, they discuss their feelings and after Boris leaves, after thinking a little, she decides to commit suicide, deciding that there is no way out of her situation.

Of course, we can say that Katerina is a bright phenomenon, “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” There is something good to be found in every action of Katerina, and if you put it all together, you get a heroic person, full of virtue and worthy of adoration. We can say that such was the time, that Katerina had no choice, but did Katerina, not loving Tikhon, try to somehow prevent the wedding? Was she trying to prove that you can’t marry without love? No, she obediently followed the opinion of uneducated people of the older generation.

But let’s take a deeper look into the character of the heroine. Katerina's whole life is based not on reason, but on feelings and prejudices. Not accustomed to thinking since childhood, she rushes from one extreme to another. An example of this would be a monologue with a key. Katerina’s first thought was to throw away the key given by Varvara: “Throw it away, throw it far away, throw it into the river so that it will never be found. It burns my hands like coal.” Then, having thought a little about Varvara’s action and being afraid of being seen with the key in her hands, she hides it in her pocket: “Apparently, fate itself wants it!” But what a sin would it be if I looked at him [Boris] once, even from afar!” and ends the monologue with the words “Oh, if only the night would speed up!” One meeting with Boris led to another, a third, and now Katerina had already entered a vicious circle. Her conscience awakens only after her husband arrives.

Katerina thought that her life was controlled by fate and therefore was always left to chance. She did not understand that a person must manage his own life, that he himself is the master of his actions.

Every external impression, the most insignificant event, empty conversation shakes her entire body. Katerina listens to the words of the crazy lady, while Varvara ignores them:

"Lady. What, beauties? What are you doing here? Are you expecting some good guys, gentlemen? Does your beauty make you happy? Do not rejoice, you will all burn in unquenchable fire!

Katerina. Oh, how she scared me, I’m trembling all over, as if she was prophesying something for me.”

Moreover, hearing thunder, Katerina gets terribly scared, perceiving this natural phenomenon as the wrath of God.

If Katerina still loves Boris, then Boris himself does not have a deep feeling for the heroine. When Dikoy sent him to Siberia, Boris did not agree to take Katerina with him, explaining it simply: “I can’t, Katya. I’m not going of my own free will.” Saying goodbye to “Katya,” he didn’t even want to meet her, he only wanted to “say goodbye to the place where they met.” Who is Boris after this? But Katerina does not see this, believing that they are destined to be separated by fate. And then, finally, comes the death of the main character. What does she prove to us? Is the conflict of the drama resolved? In my opinion, no. Katerina wants to solve all her problems that she created for herself by death, showing the weakness of her character and mind. So Katerina’s suicide, I think, is a weakness.

In preparing this work, materials from the site http://www.studentu.ru were used

Ostrovsky was an amazing writer who felt the mood of his time. His works are filled with life, the issues he raised remain relevant to this day. Those who wish not only to read good books, but also to engage in introspection, should get acquainted with his work.

One of the most important works of the writer is the play “The Thunderstorm,” written during the era of the revolutionary movement. This atmosphere greatly influenced the content of the work; we can see how the title symbolizes the beginning of something terrible and unusual.

In the first part of the play, the heroes feel the approach of a terrible and powerful force. It is especially felt by the main character, who, as if succumbing to the chaos in the country, invited him into her own life. Katerina's story is tragic, since the girl accepted love, but could not reconcile it.

The girl's story is quite banal for that time. Katerina's childhood was cheerful and carefree; being under the wing of her parents, she felt safe. The girl loved life and the world, and, it would seem, he answered her in kind. The situation changed after she grew up as a naive and dreamy girl. She married a man she didn’t love in order to quickly become more independent and finally gain married status, which was the dream of all the girls of that time.

Marriage turned out to be a real torture and now the reader sees her as a tired and exhausted woman. She is not cheerful and all her days pass in sadness, she hates everyone from her new family, and her husband evokes only pity. She was so happy and carefree, but over the course of several years, everything that was most fabulous and magical in her, what attracted her to other people, died. The appearance of Boris changes the life of the main character, creating a shaky bridge that could fall at any moment.

Katerina is very religious, she is ashamed at the mere thought of cheating on her husband, betraying him and becoming a sinner. Every time she sees Boris when she meets, she wants to hide, run away, but her loving heart forces her to look, come closer and start a conversation.

Indeed, such a situation could not remain in one place for a long time. Boris also fell in love with Katerina and intended to take her with him, where they could revel in their happiness. A thunderstorm was approaching, the author uses a similar symbol to characterize not only the mood around, the moment when serfdom will be abolished, but also the mood of the main character, which was moving towards its apogee.

Katerina and Boris allowed love to completely absorb their hearts and consciousnesses. The hero promised her to get out of the iron lamas of the Kabanov family, but Katerina did not dare to dream of such happiness. She understood perfectly well what betrayal she had committed, what sin had fallen on her fragile shoulders.

It is impossible to say for sure whether Katerina is a strong or weak personality. She is presented to the reader from several sides, the first is the side of her weakness. The girl was married, but despite this she succumbed to feelings that, according to her, were difficult to contain. The other side is the side of strong Katerina, her fatal act, which gave her peace and lack of choice. Many may think that suicide was an attempt to escape from problems, but this is not the case. After all, she understood what kind of sin such a crime would bring, she wanted to punish herself, to punish herself for making such a terrible and stupid mistake - surrendering to the will of her heart.

People who have read Ostrovsky’s work “The Thunderstorm” think about the meaning of life and Katerina’s actions. After reading the play, a person immediately begins to talk about the girl’s action and decision, whether it is weakness or a manifestation of strength. There are those people who believe that this act is strength. She killed herself, but not every person can take such a desperate step. Some people become scared, while others feel sorry for themselves, their parents, loved ones and acquaintances. In addition, it is worth noting that Katerina is actually a very strong girl. She was able to admit in public that she had cheated on her husband. The girl was not afraid of the ridicule of other people; she did not care what they said or thought about her. With her own death, Katerina stopped her mother-in-law’s bullying and conversations about herself and forced Tikhon to change his mind. Even if only for a few minutes, she managed to do it.

Another proof of the girl’s strength is that she was a believer. And for such people, committing suicide is one of the most terrible sins. But that didn’t stop her either. She did what she set out to do anyway. All these facts indicate that Katerina's suicide is a strength of character.

But there is another opinion on this matter. Some people argue that this is weakness and Katerina is just a crazy girl. And she chose a very stupid way to die. Everyone knows that there is no forgiveness or justification for suicide. The girl simply could not stand what was happening to her, what befell her. This is where her weakness lies.

You can discuss this topic endlessly. There will always be those who consider Katerina strong, but there will also be those who do not understand her and consider her a weak person. Opinions are still divided into two camps. But it’s not surprising. How many people, so many opinions. But it all depends on the person and his character. Maybe there are others who would do exactly the same as this girl. And some people, perhaps, would not understand such a way out of the situation at all. This is because it is unacceptable to them. A lot depends on the reader’s inner world.

Together with the article “Essay on the topic “Katerina’s action – strength or weakness?” (based on the play “The Thunderstorm” by N. A. Ostrovsky)” read:

Ostrovsky's play was written in 1859, during the rise of the revolutionary movement of the masses, in an era when the individual stood up to fight for his emancipation. “The Thunderstorm,” according to N. A. Dobrolyubov, “is Ostrovsky’s most decisive work,” since it shows the complex, tragic process of emancipation of the reviving soul.

In the play, darkness fights with light, ups give way to downs, it shows the vitality of the morality of the “dark kingdom”, its instability, and the strength of character that was able to step over it even at the cost

Your own life. And Katerina, the main character of A. N. Ostrovsky’s play, fights against all the cruelty and injustice of the “dark kingdom.”

Her childhood was bright and quiet. Katerina went to church, listened to the stories of wanderers, and embroidered with gold on velvet. But Katerina’s religiosity is her belief in fairy tales, which she listened to as a child. In religion, Katerina is attracted primarily by the beauty of legends, church music, icon painting, “her imagination works tirelessly and takes her to a new world, “quiet and bright.”

Katerina's courageous and decisive character is evident even in childhood. She says

Varvara: “I was only six years old, no more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, and it was late in the evening, it was already dark: I ran out to the Volga, got into the boat and pushed it away from the shore. The next morning We’ve already found it, about ten miles away!”

The bright childhood has passed, and Katerina is married off to an unloved person. Katerina didn’t immediately like life in her mother-in-law’s house. The contentious and cruel Kabanikha, who “eats her family”, “sharpenes iron like rust,” seeks to suppress Katerina’s freedom-loving nature. But the heroine boldly enters into a fight with Kabanikha. Honest and truth-loving, Katerina cannot adapt to the life of the “dark kingdom”. “I don’t want to live here, I won’t do this, even if you cut me!” - she says decisively to Varvara.

Katerina loves Boris tenderly and passionately. Her love is also a protest against the moral principles of the “dark kingdom”. The strength of her feelings is such that she is ready to neglect social customs and religious concepts: “Let everyone know, let everyone see what I am doing!”

But happiness only beckoned to Katerina. She met with Boris for two weeks, but then Tikhon arrives. Frightened by the thunderstorm and the lamentations of the half-crazy lady, Katerina confesses everything to her husband.

“What, son? Where does the will lead? I told you, but you didn’t want to listen. So I waited!” - Kabanikha says to Tikhon angrily. She gloats that she defeated Katerina.

But we see that in this struggle it is Katerina who wins morally, not Kabanikha. Katerina's protest is growing. She is ready for anything, so she asks Boris to take her with him. But Boris leaves “not of his own free will”; he is completely dependent on his uncle, the merchant Dikiy.

The last hope went out in Katerina’s soul. "Live again? No, no, don't... not good!" - she thinks. Katerina understands that living in the Kabanovs’ house is immoral. It’s better not to live at all than to put up with “miserable vegetation.”

N.A. Dobrolyubov writes: “...she is striving for a new life, even if she has to die in this impulse.” Here it is, Katerina’s protest, a protest against evil and philistinism, cruelty and lies, a protest “carried to the end!”

In response to N. A. Dobrolyubov’s article, four years later, D. I. Pisarev’s article “Motives of Russian Drama” was published. In it, Pisarev criticizes Dobrolyubov’s article “A Ray of Light in the “Dark Kingdom”” and is surprised that critics could not “make a single objection to Dobrolyubov.” Pisarev says about Katerina: “What kind of love is this that arises from the exchange of several glances?.. Finally, what kind of suicide is this, caused by such minor troubles that are tolerated completely safely by all members of all Russian families?" The critic claims that Dobrolyubov, seeing something good in every act of Katerina, created an ideal image, and as a result saw "a ray of light in the" dark kingdom." Pisarev cannot agree with this, since “upbringing and life could not give Katerina either a strong character or a developed mind. The mind is most valuable, or rather, the mind is everything.”

Why do the views of Pisarev and Dobrolyubov differ so much? What makes one write about the strength of Katerina’s character, and another about the weakness of this character? Let us remember that Dobrolyubov’s article was published in 1860, during the revolutionary upsurge, when brave and determined heroes stood in the foreground, striving for a new life, ready to die for its sake. At that time there could be no other protest, but even such a protest affirmed the strength of the individual’s character.

Pisarev's article was written in 1864, in the era of reaction, when thinking people were needed. That’s why D.I. Pisarev writes about Katerina’s act: “...Having done a lot of stupid things, she throws herself into the water and thus commits the last and greatest absurdity.”

How do I feel about Katerina? Do I consider her “a ray of light in a dark kingdom”? Yes, I love Katerina, I love her kindness and tenderness, the sincerity of her feelings, her determination and truthfulness. I believe that Katerina can be called “a ray of light in the dark kingdom,” since she protests against Kabanov’s concepts of morality, “does not want to put up with it, does not want to take advantage of the miserable vegetation that is given to her in exchange for her living soul.”

This, in my opinion, is the strength of Katerina’s character.