The play Groz by N. Ostrovsky shows a character who, throughout the entire work, makes certain efforts to protect progress and public interests. And even his surname - Kuligin - is very similar to the surname of the famous Russian mechanic-inventor Ivan Kulibin. Despite his bourgeois origin, Kuligin strives for knowledge, but not for selfish purposes. His main concern is development hometown, therefore, all his efforts are aimed at “public benefit”. Kuligin, struggling with the lack of education and ignorance of the residents of Kalinov, dreams of playing the role of a real urban educator. But he knows little, and maybe he knows even less.
Like most of the city's inhabitants, he is sure that main force are money. That's why he's busy inventing perpetual motion machine, for which he will receive a million rubles from the British: “I would use all the money for society, for support.” At his core, Kuligin is a dreamer, an idealist, incapable of taking decisive steps. For example, throughout the play he tries several times to ask Dikiy for money for various devices that should make life easier for the townspeople. But they all go into emptiness, and in response he hears only curses. It is his indecision that reconciles the rest of the residents of Kalinov with him, who treat Kuligin as a city eccentric. But still last word remains behind him, who, holding the dead Katerina in his arms, says to the townsfolk: “Here is your Katerina. Do with her what you want! Her body is here, take it; but the soul is now not yours: it is now before a judge who is more merciful than you!”
The most unique character in Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" is Kuligin - a tradesman, a watchmaker, a self-taught inventor, looking for a perpetuum mobile (perpetual motion machine). This hero partially serves as an exponent of the author’s opinion on this or that issue, but in general, Kuligin is depicted as a self-sufficient, albeit slightly unusual, even outlandish person. The surname of this hero is a transparent allusion to real personality– Kulibina I.P. (1755 – 1818). Kulibin’s biography was published in the magazine “Moskvityanin”, with which Ostrovsky collaborated.
Kuligin is a poetic and dreamy person, this is noticeable in the way he admires the beautiful Volga landscape.
The reader's first acquaintance with him is marked by a folk song literary origin“Among the flat valley...” Kuligin appears singing this song, which immediately emphasizes his bookishness and education. This is how Kuligin differs from other characters who are associated with folk culture. He is a bookish person, although his bookishness can confidently be called archaic: he writes poetry “in the old-fashioned way”; He calls Lomonosov not a “scientist”, but a “sage”, “an explorer of nature”; He considers himself a “self-taught mechanic.” His speech is more reminiscent of ancient moral tales and apocrypha than statements modern man. Kuligin's technical ideas are clearly outdated. The need to install a lightning rod, a sundial and similar plans in the city are related to long-gone centuries, but not to the scientific and technological progress of the second half of the 19th century century. This archaic nature of all Kuligin’s ideas emphasizes his deep connection with his hometown. He's a man new era, but was formed inside Kalinov, which, of course, left a mark on his worldview and life views. The dream of creating a perpetual motion machine and receiving a million from the British for this discovery is the main goal of Kuligin’s life. Kuligin dreams of spending the money he receives for the benefit of his native city: “jobs must be given to the philistines.” After listening to his story, the young man Boris, who received a modern commercial education, perfectly understands the utopian nature of such a plan, but destroying the dream good man he doesn't want to. In the meantime, until the dream comes true, Kuligin is working on smaller inventions for his hometown. To implement his ideas, he constantly has to beg for money from Kalinov’s wealthy people. They, in turn, consider Kuligin’s inventions useless, ridicule him, consider him an eccentric and crazy. For this reason, Kuligin’s passion for creativity remains unfulfilled. He feels sorry for his fellow countrymen, understands that their vices are the result of poverty and ignorance, but he cannot help in anything. So, for example, he gives humane advice to forgive Katerina and not remember her sin anymore. But this advice is categorically impossible to implement in Kabanikha’s house; completely different views and beliefs reign there. So, despite everything positive qualities Kuligin, he was and will remain only a contemplative nature, whose beautiful thoughts will never become beautiful actions. Kuligin will forever remain a funny eccentric, a kind of unique attraction of Kalinov.
In 1859 A.N. Ostrovsky wrote the play “The Thunderstorm”, in which he raised the problem of fracture public life, the problem of changing social foundations, penetrated into the very essence of the contradictions of his time, painted colorful images of tyrants, their life and morals. Two images stand in opposition to tyranny - Katerina and Kuligin. This essay is devoted to the second.
Kuligin is a tradesman, a self-taught mechanic. In the first act, in a conversation with Kudryash, he appears to us as a poetic connoisseur of nature, Kuligin admires the Volga, calls the extraordinary view a miracle. A dreamer by nature, he nevertheless understands the injustice of a system in which everything is decided by the brute power of force and money: “ Cruel morals“Sir, there are cruel people in our city!” - he says to Boris Grigorievich: “And whoever has money, sir, tries to enslave the poor so that his labors will be free more money make money." Kuligin himself is not at all like that, he is virtuous and dreams of the well-being of the people: “If only I, sir, could find a mobile phone!.., I would use all the money for society...”
The next time Boris meets Kuligin is in the third act on an evening walk. Kuligin again admires nature, air, silence. At the same time, he is upset that a boulevard has been made in the city, but people don’t walk, he says that everyone’s gates have been locked for a long time and not from thieves: “... so that people don’t see how they eat their family and tyrannize their families. And what, sir, behind these castles is dark debauchery and drunkenness! Kuligin seems to be outraged by all the foundations of the “dark kingdom,” but immediately after his angry speech he says: “Well, God be with them!” as if retreating from his previous words. His protest is almost silent, and is expressed only in objections; he is not ready, like Katerina, for an open challenge. At Boris’s proposal to write poetry, Kuligin immediately exclaims: “How is it possible, sir! They will eat you, swallow you alive. I’m already getting enough, sir, for my chatter.” However, it is worth giving him credit for the persistence and at the same time politeness with which he asks Dikiy for money for materials for a sundial on the boulevard: “... for the common good, your lordship. Well, what does ten rubles mean to society? God be with you, Savel Prokofich! I am not doing anything rude to you, sir; You, your lordship, have a lot of strength; If only there was the will to do a good deed.”
Unfortunately, Kuligin only encounters rudeness and ignorance on the part of Dikiy. Then he tries to persuade Savely Prokofich to at least use thunderstorms, since thunderstorms are a frequent occurrence in their city. But having achieved no success, Kuligin has no choice but to leave, giving up. dreamer protest tyranny society Kuligin is a man of science who respects nature and subtly senses its beauty. In the fourth act, he addresses the crowd with a monologue, trying to explain to people that there is no need to be afraid of thunderstorms and other natural phenomena, on the contrary, one must admire them, admire them: “This is not a thunderstorm, but grace!.. one should admire and marvel at the wisdom...” But people do not want to listen to him, all of them, according to old customs, continue to believe that all this is for trouble, that this is God's punishment. Kuligin has a good understanding of people, is capable of empathy and can give correct, practical advice - he showed all these qualities perfectly in a conversation with Tikhon: “You would forgive her, but never remember her... She would be a good wife for you, sir; look - it’s better than anyone else... It’s time for you, sir, to live with your own mind... You need to forgive your enemies, sir!” It was Kuligin who pulled the dead Katerina out of the water and brought her to Kabanov: “Here is your Katerina. Do with her what you want! Her body is here, take it; but the soul is now not yours; it is now before the Judge, who is more merciful than you!” After these words, Kuligin runs away; he experiences this grief in his own way and is unable to share it with the people who are responsible for the poor girl’s suicide. Personally, I really like the image of Kuligin. He's like someone white crow in the city of Kalinov, he differs sharply from other residents in his way of thinking, reasoning, values, and aspirations. Kuligin realizes the injustice of the foundations of the “dark kingdom”, tries to fight them, dreams of improving life ordinary people. He thinks about the social reconstruction of the city. And perhaps, if Kuligin had found at least a few like-minded people and material support, he would have been able to significantly change Kalinov in better side. This is what I like most about Kuligin - his desire for the well-being of the people.
In 1859 A.N. Ostrovsky wrote the play “The Thunderstorm,” in which he raised the problem of a turning point in social life, the problem of changing social foundations, penetrated into the very essence of the contradictions of his time, and painted colorful images of tyrants, their way of life and morals. Two images stand in opposition to tyranny - Katerina and Kuligin. This essay is devoted to the second.
Kuligin is a tradesman, a self-taught mechanic. In the first act, in a conversation with Kudryash, he appears to us as a poetic connoisseur of nature, Kuligin admires the Volga, calls the extraordinary view a miracle. A dreamer by nature, he nevertheless understands the injustice of the system, in which everything is decided by the brute power of force and money: “Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel!” - he says to Boris Grigorievich: “And whoever has money, sir, tries to enslave the poor so that he can make even more money from his free labors.” Kuligin himself is not at all like that, he is virtuous and dreams of the well-being of the people: “If only I, sir, could find a mobile phone!.., I would use all the money for society...”
The next time Boris meets Kuligin is in the third act on an evening walk. Kuligin again admires nature, air, silence. At the same time, he is upset that a boulevard has been made in the city, but people don’t walk, he says that everyone’s gates have been locked for a long time and not from thieves: “... so that people don’t see how they eat their family and tyrannize their families. And what, sir, behind these castles is dark debauchery and drunkenness! Kuligin seems to be outraged by all the foundations of the “dark kingdom,” but immediately after his angry speech he says: “Well, God be with them!” as if retreating from his previous words. His protest is almost silent, and is expressed only in objections; he is not ready, like Katerina, for an open challenge. At Boris’s proposal to write poetry, Kuligin immediately exclaims: “How is it possible, sir! They will eat you, swallow you alive. I’m already getting enough, sir, for my chatter.” However, it is worth giving him credit for the persistence and at the same time politeness with which he asks Dikiy for money for materials for a sundial on the boulevard: “... for the common good, your lordship. Well, what does ten rubles mean to society? God be with you, Savel Prokofich! I am not doing anything rude to you, sir; You, your lordship, have a lot of strength; If only there was the will to do a good deed.”
Unfortunately, Kuligin only encounters rudeness and ignorance on the part of Dikiy. Then he tries to persuade Savely Prokofich to at least use thunderstorms, since thunderstorms are a frequent occurrence in their city. But having achieved no success, Kuligin has no choice but to leave, giving up. dreamer protest tyranny society
Kuligin is a man of science who respects nature and subtly senses its beauty. In the fourth act, he addresses the crowd with a monologue, trying to explain to people that there is no need to be afraid of thunderstorms and other natural phenomena, on the contrary, they need to be admired and admired: “This is not a thunderstorm, but grace!.. one should admire and marvel at the wisdom... “But people don’t want to listen to him; all of them, according to old customs, continue to believe that all this is a disaster, that this is God’s punishment.
Kuligin has a good understanding of people, is capable of empathy and can give correct, practical advice - he showed all these qualities perfectly in a conversation with Tikhon: “You would forgive her, but never remember her... She would be a good wife for you, sir; look - it’s better than anyone else... It’s time for you, sir, to live with your own mind... You need to forgive your enemies, sir!”
It was Kuligin who pulled the dead Katerina out of the water and brought her to Kabanov: “Here is your Katerina. Do with her what you want! Her body is here, take it; but the soul is now not yours; it is now before the Judge, who is more merciful than you!” After these words, Kuligin runs away; he experiences this grief in his own way and is unable to share it with the people who are responsible for the poor girl’s suicide.
Personally, I really like the image of Kuligin. He is like a kind of black sheep in the city of Kalinov, sharply different from the rest of the inhabitants in his way of thinking, reasoning, values, and aspirations. Kuligin realizes the injustice of the foundations of the “dark kingdom”, tries to fight them, dreams of improving the lives of ordinary people. He thinks about the social reconstruction of the city. And perhaps, if Kuligin had found at least a few like-minded people and material support, he would have been able to significantly change Kalinov for the better. This is what I like most about Kuligin - his desire for the well-being of the people.
"according to plan
1. General characteristics . Kuligin is a self-taught mechanic from A. N. Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm". The prototype of this character is the Russian inventor I.P. Kulibin, famous for his discoveries ahead of his time.
Kuligin stands out sharply from the rest of the residents of the provincial town. He is well educated and is not subject to the dark superstition that reigns among ordinary people.
Home life goal Kuligina - to invent the perpetuum mobile. The idea of creating a perpetual motion machine was very popular in the 19th century. However, in working on this discovery, Kuligin is not guided by a thirst for fame or the opportunity to get rich.
He wants to spend the cash prize for the invention of a perpetual motion machine to support the philistinism. Kuligin does not belong to the category of strict and self-contained scientists who have devoted their entire lives to science.
He appreciates the beauty of nature, is well versed in poetry, loves Russian folk songs. Mechanics are interested in live human life, not constrained by centuries-old prejudices.
2. Kuligin's tragedy. In relation to a talented self-taught person, one can apply the expression “There is no prophet in his own country.” The people in the province are so ignorant that they consider him best case scenario, eccentric. Kuligin's bold ideas evoke fear of divine punishment among superstitious ordinary people.
Kuligin to continue scientific activity and the production of experimental models requires funds, but it is almost impossible to obtain them through honest labor. The clash of an inquisitive mind with ossified ignorance and religious prejudices is clearly demonstrated in the scene of Kuligin’s conversation with Dikiy. A self-taught man is trying to get financial help from a rich merchant to put useful inventions into practice. He understands how difficult this is, so he casts aside all pride and humbly addresses Savl Prokofievich “your lordship.”
Kuligin patiently endures Dikiy’s undeserved insults, persistently continuing to convince him of the enormous benefits of sundials and lightning rods. Dikoy does not even delve into the essence of what Kuligin is telling him. Due to class prejudices, he considers the tradesman a “worm” with whom it is not worth even talking. However, when Kuligin mentions lightning rods, the “pious” merchant becomes truly furious. Dikoy is convinced that thunderstorms and lightning are punishment from above, so “defending” from them means going against God. By calling Kuligin a “Tatar” (i.e., a Muslim), the merchant reveals his limited thinking, constrained by religious dogmas. For the excerpt from Derzhavin’s ode (“I command thunder with my mind”) that Kuligin quoted, Dikoy is ready to send him to the mayor for police proceedings.
3. The scale of the Kuligin problem. In the play, the brilliant inventor, together with Katerina, confronts the “dark kingdom” of a provincial town. However, in reality this confrontation is much larger. The sad fate of the prototype is well known literary character. Most of I.P. Kulibin’s inventions turned out to be unclaimed. A man who could have brought worldwide fame to himself and the whole country died in poverty. The main obstacle to the development of science and technology since the Middle Ages was religious hypocrisy. Even in the 19th century, this problem was typical not only for Russia, but also for all of Europe.
Kuligin will most likely share the fate of many talented inventors, never achieving financial support. His inventions are not needed by people who are accustomed to relying on the divine will in everything. The saddest fact is that the inventor is not an atheist. He belongs to his era and naturally believes in God. However, Kuligin’s faith, which allows freedom of thought, is strikingly different from the blind admiration of the overwhelming mass of the population.
Kuligin's antipode is Feklusha, who sees in any technical invention the approach of the kingdom of the Antichrist. The most striking and memorable scene with Kuligin’s participation is his speech to mortally frightened people during a thunderstorm. The passionate monologue of a mechanic can be compared to the passionate sermon of a prophet trying to instruct the people on true path. Kuligin exclaims: “It’s all thunderstorm!” This phrase can be regarded as a fair reproach to all people who experience a superstitious fear of what they are unable to understand and explain.