The conflict in the drama thunderstorm briefly. Family and social conflict in the drama “The Thunderstorm”

A. N. Ostrovsky was the successor and continuer of realistic traditions in Russian literature. In his works, the playwright reflected contemporary reality, types and images characteristic of that time, showed the existing orders, their crisis and the contradictions that arose in society in connection with this. One of Ostrovsky’s most striking works is the tragedy “The Thunderstorm,” in which the author raised the problem of the existence of a free individual in the conditions of a patriarchal house-building society.

Dramatic works are always built on conflict, and in such an original, multifaceted play as “The Thunderstorm”, the nature of the problem raised, the abundance characters and the complexity of the image system causes the presence of several conflicts. The tragedy describes the life of the provincial Volga town of Kalinov, living in better provisions"Domostroya". Kalinovsky society is outdated and is experiencing a crisis, a breakdown, as a result of which it is in itself a conflict: the older generation (Dikoy, Kabanikha) teaches the younger (Boris, Tikhon, Varvara, Katerina), and does this in such an obvious, undisguised form that the whole city knows about relationships in their families, although, for example, Kabanova prefers to tyrannize her neighbors not in public, but at home (as Kudryash says: “Well, at least that one, at least, is all under the guise of piety, but this one (Dikoy) has broken loose!” ). The conflict between “fathers and sons” is not the only one: disagreements arise both between representatives of the older generation (conversation between Dikiy and Kabanikha, act three, scene two) and among young people - for example, Varvara is annoyed by Tikhon’s downtroddenness and submissiveness (“It’s boring for me to look- then on you,” she says). These minor contradictions keep society in a state of tension and irritation; conflicts in Kalinov’s world are, in principle, static and do not have such a pronounced development as main conflict tragedy - conflict main character, Katerina, and the Kalinovsky society.

The beginning of this conflict can be considered Katerina’s wedding and her move to the Kabanovs’ house. From the usual environment of universal love, harmony, and religiosity, the main character finds herself in an atmosphere of deceit, deceit, and tyranny. Katerina is not like any of the members of this society: her sincerity and artlessness are contrasted with the crudely simple resourcefulness of Varvara, the breadth and passion of her nature are contrasted with the weakness and humility of Tikhon; sensitivity, subtlety, vividness of perception of the surrounding world - Kabanikha’s stupid dogmatism. Not accustomed to being limited in anything, Katerina longs for inner freedom, but freedom here appears not as a conscious necessity, but as spontaneous, beyond reason a thirst for independence, the opportunity to give vent to her passion, and Katerina finds an outlet for her feelings in her love for Boris. In the soul of the main character, a conflict of feelings and duty arises: on the one hand, love captures her completely and requires spiritual food for development; on the other hand, Katerina, who has absorbed the basics since childhood Christian teaching, it’s strange to even think about the possibility of cheating on your husband.

In essence, the internal conflict is a consequence of the social one: the contradictions in Katerina’s soul are caused by the discrepancy between her moral demands and the inability of the surrounding world to satisfy them. A sharp boost to development internal conflict allows Tikhon to leave: Katerina feels that her husband’s absence could be a reason for betrayal; she is afraid of her weakness and asks her husband to stay. In a conversation with Varvara, she describes her condition as follows: “It’s as if I’m standing over an abyss, and someone is pushing me there, but I have nothing to hold on to.” But Tikhon leaves, and Kalinov’s world with renewed vigor begins to drag Katerina into the abyss of lies and deception. Varvara gives her the key - a symbol of sin, and Katerina already feels drawn into this dirty world, but does not find the strength to get out of it. Ten days of festivities with Boris fly by, and Tikhon, who returns, finds his wife changed: “She’s shaking all over, as if she’s got a fever.” “So pale, rushing around the house, as if she was looking for something.” Katerina is tormented by her conscience: having externally accepted the laws of Kalinovsky society, having cheated on her husband, lying to him and her mother-in-law, she has not changed internally, retaining her moral principles in her soul, her sense of self-worth and inner dignity. and the social conflict is the scene in the garden, when Katerina publicly admits to betrayal, unable to restrain herself any longer, ready for anything. The scene is accompanied by a thunderstorm, a natural element, a harbinger of tragedy, but at the same time bringing purification, deliverance from mental burden. sincere confession and repentance in the eyes of the Kalinovites do not serve as mitigating factors, and Kabanikha, with new zeal, begins to tyranny not only Katerina, but also Tikhon (for mistreating his wife). The impossibility of staying in this world, full of misunderstanding and cruelty, terrible remorse, the departure of her beloved push Katerina to a terrible step, and the denouement of both conflicts was the suicide of the main character. The ending can be interpreted in different ways: N.A. Dobrolyubov, who called Katerina “a ray of light in dark kingdom”, saw in her death a denial of the Domostroevsky laws of Kalinov society, stifling any manifestations sincere feeling. On the other hand, suicide is always highest form selfishness, because according to religious norms, sin can only be atone for through prolonged suffering, prayer, and humility. Then Katerina had to stay in the Kabanovs’ house and humbly accept all the barbs and insults. But if we take into account the deep mental tragedy heroine, if you try to get into her position, it becomes clear that the cruel society of the city of Kalinov left her no other way out, and suicide is a natural outcome of the mental contradictions that tormented Katerina, internal conflict, as well as social conflict - the impossibility of coexistence of a freedom-hungry individual and the deaf patriarchal domostroevsky society.

The contribution of A. N. Ostrovsky to Russian drama is invaluable: following the traditions of realism, he not only created a number of bright, colorful images, not only captured characteristic pictures, but also explored the psychological origins of conflicts in Russian society mid-19th century, and was also an innovator in the stage design of the play: he expanded the scope of the action (in “The Thunderstorm” - a garden, a ravine, a street, a square, etc.), made extensive use of the landscape and crowd scenes. Ostrovsky's greatest creations, original and innovative, are included in the treasury of not only Russian, but also world literature.

Play by A.N. Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm" was published in 1860, on the eve of the abolition of serfdom. At this difficult time, the culmination of the revolutionary situation of the 60s in Russia is observed. Even then, the foundations of the autocratic serfdom system were crumbling, but new, progressive forces capable of moving the country from its routine positions had not yet matured. Ostrovsky's drama very clearly and fully reflected the social contradictions of that era.

At the heart of "The Thunderstorm" lies a deep social conflict, which arose as a result of the irreconcilable hostility of two types of worldview: the obsolete old and the emerging new, the “dark kingdom” of tyrants and the proud protester, freedom-loving character.

Let us first consider the first type of worldview, very typical of the 50s of the 19th century and embodied in the images of the Wild One and the Kabanikha.

These characters - influential merchants - personify the power of wealth, which extends to almost all residents of a provincial town. During the creation of the play, the alignment of political and economic forces Russian society was such that wealth and privileges made it possible for people like Dikiy and Kabanikha to trample with impunity the rights and freedom of those who were lower than them in origin and social status. And the heroes use this opportunity not without success, which is clearly confirmed by the “visible and invisible tears” that flow abundantly “behind the locks and constipations.” These popular tears were then shed throughout Russia, in all the cities where the power of the “tyrants” acquired such terrifying forms. Yes, and wild boars existed then in that cruel time in almost all provincial Russian towns. Therefore, these characters can be considered generalized images of tyranny and ignorance that flourished in the country at that time.

The position of Dikiy and Kabanikha, people of narrow minds, ignorant and spiritually limited, ordered them to keep the rest of the inhabitants of Kalinov in the same darkness of ignorance, so as not to lose their influence, which was supported mainly by lack of education and ignorance. Therefore, it was beneficial for them that the Kalinovites listened to the stories of Feklushi the Wanderer about people with dog heads and the “fiery serpent”; so that, comparing another life with their own existence, they consider life in Kalinov to be the best and fairest.

Brought up in a centuries-old routine, Kabanikha and Dikoy are opponents of everything new and progressive. Any attempt to deviate from old, long-outdated traditions is met with hostility. “The tyrants themselves... are virtuous and even smart in their own way, within the limits prescribed to them by routine and supported by their position; but this situation is such that complete, healthy human development is impossible in it,” wrote N.A. Dobrolyubov.

It would seem that, being the rightful masters of their “dark kingdom,” Dikoy and Kabanikha should feel absolutely safe. But in reality this is far from the case. An alternative character appears - Katerina, whom Dobrolyubov called “a new type created by Russian life.” And indeed, Katerina’s worldview is something new, completely different from those attitudes, views, and traditions that the pillars of the “dark kingdom” adhere to. This is a person of a completely different mindset, a character that was already beginning to take shape among the people in the 50s of the 19th century.

Raised on religious foundations, Katerina lived in a narrow, isolated world, partly invented by herself and partly reflecting the patriarchal way of life of a provincial town. But, in contrast to the closed and motionless space, fenced off from the external bustling life, which was Kalinov, Katerina’s world was a kind of model of an ideal fair society, in which there is no violence against a person’s personality, there are no humiliated and exalted.

Having found herself among tyrants, Katerina, in her own way, protests against bondage, violence, cruelty, and inertia. She feels cramped within the four walls of her husband’s house, and therefore she bitterly asks: “Why don’t people fly like birds?” The heroine breaks free, breaking the age-old bonds of routine traditions on which all the power of the “dark kingdom” is based. It is precisely because of her protest, her intransigence to cruelty that Katerina is terrible for Dikoy, Kabanikha and the like, unlike other residents of the town of Kalinov - Kuligin, Shapkin, Boris, who meekly endure any antics of tyrants.

Tyrants feel that their “kingdom” is coming to an end, that new forces are emerging that can resist them. Katerina’s inner, spiritual strength is a real threat to the very existence and prosperity of wild boars. This is the meaning of the title of the drama “The Thunderstorm” and the essence of the social conflict of the play.

Katerina's psychological drama is directly determined by social contradictions. After all, Kabanikha is not just her mother-in-law, she is a representative of another world, a bearer of opposing moral and social beliefs. Using the example of Katerina, Ostrovsky shows how human drama reveals social contradictions. Therefore, we can say that the essence of the “Thunderstorm” conflict lies not only in the collision of the old world with the emerging world, but also in the collision of personal beliefs with public opinion, which pushed Katerina Kabanova to suicide.

Thus, Ostrovsky’s play makes an unusually accurate and capacious generalization characteristic features and the contradictions of serfdom Russia XIX century. The town of Kalinov is a reduced and simplified model of Russian society of the pre-reform period, looking at which we see the main feature of Russian life of that time - “the necessary need for active and energetic people.”

A conflict is a clash between two or more parties that do not coincide in their views and worldviews.

There are several conflicts in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm,” but how can you decide which one is the main one? In the era of sociology in literary criticism, it was believed that social conflict was the most important in the play. Of course, if we see in the image of Katerina a reflection of the spontaneous protest of the masses against the constraining conditions of the “dark kingdom” and perceive Katerina’s death as the result of her collision with her tyrant mother-in-law, we should define the genre of the play as social drama. Drama is a work in which the social and personal aspirations of people, and sometimes their very lives, are under threat of death from external forces beyond their control.

The play also contains a generational conflict between Katerina and Kabanikha: the new always steps on the heels of the old, the old does not want to give in to the new. But the play is much deeper than it might seem at first glance. After all, Katerina primarily fights with herself, and not with Kabanikha, the conflict develops not around her, but in herself. Therefore, the play “The Thunderstorm” can be defined as a tragedy. Tragedy is a work in which there is an insoluble conflict between the personal aspirations of the hero and the super-personal laws of life that occur in the mind of the protagonist. In general, the play is very similar to an ancient tragedy: the chorus is replaced by some extra-plot characters, the denouement ends with the death of the main character, as in ancient tragedy(except for the immortal Prometheus).

Katerina's death is the result of a collision between two historical eras. Some of the characters in the play seem to differ in the time in which they live. For example: Kuligin is a man of the 18th century, he wants to invent a sundial, which was known in antiquity, or a perpetuum mobile, which is distinctive feature Middle Ages, or lightning rod. He himself reaches with his mind something that has already been invented a long time ago, but he only dreams about it. He quotes Lomonosov and Derzhavin - this is also a trait of a man of the 18th century. Boris is already an educator of the 19th century, an educated person. Katerina is the heroine of pre-Petrine times. The story about her childhood is a story about the ideal version of patriarchal house-building relations. In this world of kings only the all-pervading mutual love, a person does not separate himself from society. Katerina was raised in such a way that she could not refuse moral and ethical laws; any violation of them would mean inevitable death. Katerina turns out to be older than everyone in the city in terms of her worldview, even older than Kabanikha, who remained as the last guardian of the house-building way of life in Kalinov. After all, Kabanikha only pretends that everything in her family is as it should be: her daughter-in-law and her son fear and respect her, Katerina is afraid of her husband, and she doesn’t care how everything really happens, only appearances are important to her. The main character finds herself in a world that she imagined completely differently, and the patriarchal structure within Katerina is destroyed right before her eyes. In many ways, Varvara decides Katerina’s fate by encouraging the latter to go on a date. Without Varvara, it is unlikely that she would have decided to do this. Varvara belongs to the youth of the city of Kalinov, who were formed at the turning point of patriarchal relations. Katerina, finding herself in a new environment for her, cannot get used to society; it is alien to her. For her ideal husband- this is support, support, ruler. But Tikhon does not confirm Katerina’s expectations, she is disappointed in him, and at this moment a new feeling is born - a feeling of personality, which takes the form of a feeling of love. This feeling for Katerina is a terrible sin. If she had continued to live in a patriarchal world, then this feeling would not have existed. Even if Tikhon had shown his masculine will and simply taken her with him, she would have forgotten about Boris forever. Katerina's tragedy is that she does not know how to be a hypocrite and pretend, like Kabanikha. The main character of the play, moral, with high moral requirements, does not know how to adapt to life. She could not live further, having once violated the laws of “Domostroy”. The feeling that arose in Katerina cannot be fully embodied in her, and she, not reconciling herself with what she has done, commits an even greater sin - suicide.

The play “The Thunderstorm” is a tragedy of the main character, in which the era of the turning point in patriarchal relations played an important role.

Ostrovsky wrote his play “The Thunderstorm” back in 1859, even before serfdom was abolished. In his work, the author shows how society eats itself from the inside, living according to an established way of life and touches on several conflicts.

Drama Thunderstorm conflict and placement of characters

In the drama "Thunderstorm", which deals with conflicts of different nature, the auto made an arrangement of the characters, dividing them into those who happily live in patriarchal Kalinov and those who do not agree with its foundations and laws. We include Kabanikha and Dikiy among the first, who by nature are despots, tyrants, representatives of the “Dark Kingdom.” The second group includes the younger generation, where Varvara leaves home, Tikhon becomes weak-willed, and Katerina, in spite of everything, in spite of despotism, decides to commit suicide, just not to live by the rules that contradict her as an individual. The heroine with a new outlook on life does not want to accept Domodedovo morals. Thus, with the help of a small number of characters who live in Kalinov on the banks of the Volga, the author reveals several unique conflicts in the drama “The Thunderstorm,” among them a family conflict, which manifests itself in Katerina’s clash with her mother-in-law.

Social conflict in the drama The Thunderstorm

The author also touched upon the social conflict in the drama “The Thunderstorm,” which is represented by a clash of different worldviews, where the old fights the new, where the merchant and the merchant’s wife are generalized images of tyranny and ignorance that flourished in those days. They are opponents of progress, everything new is perceived with hostility. They want to keep everyone on a short leash so that their “dark kingdom” does not collapse. However, the new worldview that Katerina has is an alternative to the old one. It is different from the views, foundations, traditions that are adhered to in the dark kingdom. Katerina is a generalized character of a different mindset, with a different character, which is already beginning to emerge in a rotten society and becomes a ray of light in this dark world.

What is the main conflict of the drama The Thunderstorm?

Among the social and family conflicts, the main conflict can be identified. What is the main conflict of the drama "The Thunderstorm"? I believe that the main thing here is the conflict that unfolds within the heroine herself. This is a confrontation between the individual and society. Here we see that Katerina wants to be herself, free, life among violence is unacceptable to her, but in Kalinov it is impossible to do otherwise. Here it’s either this way or not at all. But the heroine does not put up with this situation, and if it is impossible to live as she wants, it is better to die. She could not kill the freedom-loving personality in herself for the sake of the established order.

Why did the author choose this title for his work? Probably because the depicted life in Kalinov is in a pre-storm state, in a state when a catastrophe is coming. This is a thunderstorm, as a harbinger of future changes, a thunderstorm, as a spontaneous feeling that arose between Katerina and Boris, a thunderstorm is a disagreement with the foundations. And to emphasize the dead life of the Kalinovites, the author uses the image and description of beautiful nature.

Conflict is the main one driving force dramatic work. The conflict unfolds through the plot and can be realized on several different levels. Whether it is a confrontation of interests, characters or ideas, the conflict is resolved in the finale of the work. The essence of the conflict can also be determined by the literary era (realism and postmodernism, for example, are characterized by different types of conflicts). In realism, the conflict will be hidden in the depiction of social unrest and exposure of the vices of society. As an example, the article will consider the main conflict in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”.
The work was written in 1859, several years before the abolition of serfdom. Ostrovsky wanted to show how much society is corroding itself from the inside just because the way of life remains the same. Patriarchal orders slow down progress, and corruption and servility destroy the human element in a person. In the description of such an atmosphere lies the main conflict of “The Thunderstorm”.

So, as a rule, the conflict is realized at the character level. To do this, pairs or groups of characters must be identified. We should start with the most striking confrontation: the pair Katya - Kabanikha. These women had to live together due to circumstances. The Kabanov family is quite rich, Marfa Ignatievna herself is a widow. She raised a son and daughter. Kabanikha constantly manipulates her son, causing scandals and hysterics. A woman believes that only her opinion has the right to exist, so everything must correspond to her ideas. She humiliates and insults the rest of the family. Varvara gets the least of it, because the daughter lies to her mother.

Katya was married off early to Tikhon Kabanov, Kabanikha’s son. Katya naively believed that her life before marriage would not be much different from her new life, but the girl was wrong. Pure Katya is not able to understand how you can lie to your mother, as Varvara does, how you can hide your thoughts and feelings from someone, how you can not defend the right to your own opinion. The order of this family is alien to her, but because of the patriarchal foundations that reigned at that time, the girl had no choice.

Here the conflict is realized at the internal level. These characters are too different, but at the same time both women have the same strong character. Katerina resists the corrupting influence of Kabanikha. Marfa Ignatievna understands that she is faced with a strong rival who can “turn” Tikhon against his mother, and this is not part of her plans.

In the pair Boris - Katerina, a love conflict is realized. A girl falls in love with a newcomer to the city young man. Boris seems to Katya like herself, unlike the others. Boris, like Katerina, is annoyed by the atmosphere of the city. They both don't like that everything here is built on fear and money. The feelings of young people flare up quite quickly: one meeting was enough for them to fall in love with each other. Tikhon's departure allows the lovers to meet secretly and spend time together. Katya says that for the sake of Boris she commits a sin, but since she was not afraid of sin, then she is not afraid of condemnation from people. The girl does not understand why their meetings should be hidden. She wanted to confess everything to her husband so that later she could be honest with Boris, but the young man dissuades her from such an act. It is more convenient for Boris to meet secretly and not take responsibility. Of course they couldn't be together. Their love is tragic and fleeting. The situation takes an unexpected turn when Katya realizes that Boris is actually the same as all the other residents: pathetic and petty. And Boris doesn’t try to deny it. After all, he came to the city only to improve relations with his uncle (only in this case could he receive an inheritance).

The pair Kuligin - Dikoy will help determine the main conflict of the drama "The Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky. Self-taught inventor and merchant. All power in the city seems to be concentrated in the hands of the Wild One. He is rich, but only thinks about increasing capital. He is not afraid of threats from the mayor, he deceives ordinary residents, steals from other merchants, and drinks a lot. Dikoy constantly swears. There was room for insults in every one of his remarks. He believes that people who are lower than him on the social ladder are unworthy of talking to him, they deserve their miserable existence. Kuligin strives to help people; all his inventions should benefit society. But he is poor, and there is no way to earn money by honest work. Kuligin knows about everything that happens in the city. " Cruel morals in our city." Kuligin cannot resist or fight this.

The main conflict of the drama “The Thunderstorm” unfolds within the main character. Katya understands how strong the gap is between ideas and reality. Katerina wants to be herself, free, light and pure. But it’s impossible to live like that in Kalinov. In this struggle, she risks losing herself, giving up, and not being able to withstand the onslaught of circumstances. Katya chooses between black and white, gray does not exist for her. The girl understands that she can either live the way she wants or not live at all. The conflict ends with the death of the heroine. She could not commit violence against herself, kill herself for the sake of social order.

There are several conflicts in the play "The Thunderstorm". The main one is the confrontation between man and society. Added to this conflict is the conflict of generations, the conflict of old and new. The conclusion is that honest man cannot survive in a society of liars and hypocrites.

The definition of the main conflict of the play and a description of its participants can be used by 10th grade students in essays on the topic “The main conflict in the play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky.”

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