Kabanova Marfa Ignatievna (Kabanikha) - the central heroine of the play, mother of Tikhon and Varvara, mother-in-law of Katerina. On the list characters it is said about her: a rich merchant's wife, a widow. In the system of characters in the play, he is the antagonist of the main character, Katerina, a contrasting comparison with whom is of decisive importance for understanding the meaning of the play. The similarity of the heroines can be seen both in their belonging to the world of patriarchal ideas and values, and in the scale and strength of their characters. Both of them are maximalists, they will never come to terms with human weaknesses, they do not allow the possibility of any compromise. The religiosity of both also has one similar feature: they both do not believe in forgiveness and do not remember mercy. However, this is where the similarities end, creating the basis for comparison and emphasizing the essentially significant antagonism of the heroines. They represent, as it were, two poles of the patriarchal world. Katerina - his poetry, spirituality, impulse, dreaminess, the spirit of the patriarchal way of life in its ideal meaning. Kabanikha is all chained to the earth and earthly affairs and interests, she is a guardian of order and form, defends the way of life in all its petty manifestations, demanding strict execution of ritual and order, not caring in the least about inner essence human relationships (see her rude response to Katerina’s words that her mother-in-law is like her own mother; all the teachings to her son).
K. in the play is characterized not only by her own speeches and actions, but is also discussed by other characters. For the first time, the wanderer Feklusha speaks about her: “I’m so happy, so, mother, happy, up to my neck! For our failure to leave them even more bounties, and especially to the Kabanovs’ house.” Before this remark is Kuligin’s judgment: “Prudence, sir! He gives money to the poor, but completely eats up his family.” Soon after these preliminary characteristics, K. appears, emerging from vespers, accompanied by her family, whom she constantly nags, finding fault with her son’s imaginary cooling towards her, showing jealous hostility towards his young wife and distrust of her sincere words (“For me, mamma, It’s all the same as your own mother, as you are, and Tikhon loves you”). From this conversation we learn that, in K.’s opinion, proper family order and household structure are based on the fear of the younger ones before the elders; she tells Tikhon about his relationship with his wife: “He won’t be afraid of you, and even less so of me. What kind of order will there be in the house?” Thus, if keywords in Katerina’s ideas about a happy and prosperous life in the house, “love” and “will” (see her story about life as a girl), then in K.’s ideas, it is fear and order. This is especially clearly visible in the scene of Tikhon’s departure, when K. forces his son to strictly follow the rules and “order his wife” how to live without him.
K. has no doubts about the moral correctness of the hierarchical relations of patriarchal life, but he no longer has confidence in their inviolability. On the contrary, she feels almost like the last guardian of the correct world order (“This is how the old times come to be... What will happen, how the elders will die, how the light will stand, I don’t know”), and the expectation that with her death chaos will come, gives tragedy to her figure. She does not consider herself a rapist either: “After all, out of love your parents are strict with you, out of love they scold you, everyone thinks to teach you good.”
If Katerina already feels in a new way, not like Kalinov, but is not aware of this, then K., on the contrary, still feels quite in the old way, but clearly sees that her world is dying. Of course, this awareness is clothed in completely “Kalinovsky”, medieval forms of common people’s philosophizing, mainly in apocalyptic expectations. All this is revealed by her dialogue with Feklusha, the peculiarity of which is that it characterizes, first of all, K.’s worldview, although Feklusha “pronounces” these thoughts, and K. strengthens herself, wants to assure her interlocutor that they really have “paradise and silence” in their city ", but at the end of the scene her true thoughts are fully revealed in the last two remarks, as if sanctioning Feklushi’s apocalyptic reasoning: “And it will be worse than this, dear,” and in response to the words of the wanderer: “We just wouldn’t live to see this” - K. throws out weightily: “Maybe we’ll live.”
One cannot accept the very common definition of K. as “tyrant.” Tyranny is not the order of the patriarchal world, but the rampant self-will of a powerful person, who also violates in his own way correct order and ritual. K. condemns his godfather Dikiy, a real tyrant (unlike K. herself, who strictly adheres to orders and rules), and treats with contempt his violence and complaints about his family as a sign of weakness. Those around him do not doubt K.’s strength of character (“If our mistress were to look after him, she would soon stop him,” notes the maid Glasha in response to Boris, who complains about Dikiy’s rampage). K. herself, no matter how much she punishes the children for disrespect and disobedience, would never even think of complaining to strangers about the disorder in her home. And therefore, for her, Katerina’s public recognition is a terrible blow, which will soon be joined by her son’s open rebellion in public, not to mention the escape of her daughter Varvara from home. Therefore, in the finale of “The Thunderstorm” there is not only the death of Katerina, but also the downfall of K. Of course, the antagonist tragic heroine does not evoke sympathy.
In 1856, A. N. Ostrovsky travels along the Volga. The impressions from the trip are reflected in his work; “The Thunderstorm” was also written based on this trip. This is a story about a merchant's wife, brought up in strictness and morality, who fell in love young man. Having cheated on her husband, she is unable to hide it. Having publicly repented of treason, she rushes into the Volga.
The controversial image of Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova
The play is based on a comparison of two strong opposite images: Ekaterina and Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova. In fact, they have a lot in common: the primacy of the patriarchal world, the maximalism inherent in both, strong characters. Despite their religiosity, they do not compromise and are not inclined to mercy. This is where their similarities end. They are at different poles of the patriarchal world. Kabanikha is an earthly woman; she is concerned about maintaining order down to the smallest detail. She is not interested in human relationships. The patriarchal way of life for Katerina is characterized by dreaminess and spirituality.
The image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” is one of the central. She is a widow left with two children, Varvara and Tikhon. She can rightly be called harsh and merciless for Tikhon’s reproaches that he loves his mother less than his wife Katerina, and constantly strives to escape his mother’s will.
The predominant personality trait of Kabanikha can be called despotic, but not extravagant. Each of her demands on others, be it her son or daughter-in-law, is subject to the moral and everyday code of “Domostroy”. Therefore, she firmly believes in the principles that it speaks of, and considers their strict adherence to them correct. Turning to Domostroevsky concepts, she believes that children should honor their parents so much that the will of the children does not matter at all. Relations between spouses should be built on the wife’s fear of her husband and unquestioning submission to him.
Kabanikha in the speech of strangers
The characterization of Kabanikha becomes understandable to the reader thanks to the statements of the characters in the play. The first mention of Marfa Ignatievna comes from the lips of Feklushi. This is a poor wanderer who is grateful to her for her kindness and generosity. In contrast, Kuligin’s words sound that she is generous to the poor, and not to her relatives. After these brief characteristics the reader meets Kabanikha. Kuligin's words are confirmed. The mother finds fault with the words of her son and daughter-in-law. Even with her meekness and sincerity, Katerina does not inspire confidence in her. Reproaches fly towards the son for lack of love for his mother.
Opinion of her family members about Kabanova
One of the most emotional moments of the play - scene of seeing off Tikhon's son. Kabanikha reproaches him for not bowing at his mother’s feet and does not say goodbye to his wife as he should. Katerina, after Tikhon’s departure, according to Kabanikha, should show her love for him - howl and lie on the porch. The younger generation is violating all customs and traditions, and this leads Kabanikha to sad reflections.
Katerina, the daughter-in-law, gets more than everyone else. Any word she says is cut off with harsh attacks and remarks. Noticing affection, and not fear, in Tikhon’s treatment, Kabanikha angrily reproaches her. Her ruthlessness reaches its limit after Katerina's confession. In her opinion, her daughter-in-law deserves to be buried alive in the ground.
Kabanikha treats Katerina with contempt, considering her an example of how disrespectful young people are towards the older generation. Most of all, she is burdened by the thought that she may be left without power. Her behavior leads to tragic ending plays. The suicide committed by Katerina is also her fault. The daughter-in-law endured humiliation against her for a long time and one day she could not stand it.
Obeying the orders of an extravagant mother, Tikhon becomes a spineless creature. The daughter runs away, tired of her parent’s constant interference in her personal life. The ancient way of life with true high morality disappears from life, leaving only a dead, oppressive shell. The young heroes of the play pretend to observe patriarchal commandments. Tikhon pretends to love his mother, Varvara goes on secret dates, only Katerina is tormented by conflicting feelings.
Marfa Ignatievna is busy with earthly affairs. She considers herself fair because, in her opinion, the severity of her parents will be reflected in the most in the best possible way on children - they will learn to be kind. But the old way of life is collapsing, the patriarchal system is disappearing. This is a tragedy for Marfa Ignatievna. However, hot temper and extravagance are not in her character. She is dissatisfied with the temper of her godfather Dikiy. Dikoy’s willful behavior and complaints about her family irritate her.
Kabanikha is devoted to the traditions of her family and ancestors and honors them without judging, evaluating or complaining about them. If you live according to the will of your fathers, this will lead to peace and order on earth. There is religiosity in Kabanikha’s character. She believes that a person will go to hell for committing evil deeds, but at the same time she does not consider herself guilty of anything. Humiliation of others at the expense of her wealth and power is in the order of things for her.
Kabanikha characterized by authority, cruelty and confidence in the correctness of one’s views. In her opinion, maintaining the old ways can protect her home from the unrest happening outside her home. Therefore, rigidity and firmness manifests itself more and more clearly in her character. And having eradicated his own unnecessary emotions, he cannot tolerate their manifestation in others. For disobedience to her words, those closest to her are punished with cold-blooded humiliation and insults. At the same time to to strangers this does not apply, she is pious and respectful with them.
Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is an ambiguous character, it is difficult to feel sorry for her or just condemn her. On the one hand, she hurts her family members, and on the other, she firmly believes in the correctness of her behavior. Thus, negative qualities Kabanikha's character can be called:
- cruelty;
- authority;
- composure.
And the positive ones:
- strong unshakable character;
- religiosity;
- "kindness and generosity towards strangers."
Aug 02 2010
The image of the stern and domineering Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova (Kabanikha) allows us to get acquainted with another variety of representatives of “ dark kingdom”, as typical as Wild, but even more sinister and gloomy. “Prude, sir! He gives money to the poor, but completely eats up his family,” - this is how Kabanikha correctly and aptly defines the character.
The wild one will scream, swear, even beat me in the heat of the moment, but I will cool down, and Kabanikha tortures and pursues his victims systematically, day after day, torturing them in cold blood, importunately, undermining them, “like rusting iron.” She brings her family to complete collapse with soulless despotism and hypocrisy. She brought Katerina to the grave, because of her Varvara left the house, and Tikhon, essentially kind, although ashless, lost all ability to think and live independently. The family, as Tikhon put it, “fell apart.”
If Dikoy cannot understand that there is no sin in the lightning rod, Kabanikha cannot come to terms with the fact that “for the sake of speed” people invented the “fiery serpent” steam locomotive. “Even if you shower me with gold, I won’t go,” she decisively declares in response to Feklusha’s message about the “car.”
An inexorable enemy of everything new, Kabanikha, however, already has a presentiment that the old days are coming to an inevitable end, that difficult times are coming for her. “We just wouldn’t live to see this,” Feklusha says fearfully, pointing out that “due to the sins” of people, the days are already becoming shorter and shorter. “Maybe we’ll live,” Kabanikha declares with gloomy anger. Kabanikha is typical as a representative of the despotic way of life of the “dark kingdom”. And at the same time, she is not like the Wild One in everything. This is a more complex variety of representatives of the “dark kingdom”. The Kabanikha is, first of all, smarter than the Wild. While Dikoy acts more “gut”, like brute physical and monetary force, Kabanikha acts as a kind of theoretician of the old way of life, fanatically defending house-building. Unlike the unbridled Wild One, wild in his antics and lacking self-control, she is restrained, outwardly impassive and stern. This is the only person in the city with whom Dikoy somehow reckons.
And it is richer and more complex than the language of the Wild. Sometimes rude expressions also slip into it, but they are not characteristic of her speech. Kabanikha’s authority is reflected not in curses, but in the commanding tone of her speech (“To your feet, to your feet!”; “Well!”; “Talk again!”). A noticeable imprint on her speech was left by the atmosphere of “piety” and ancient rituals that she maintains in her home.
Wanderers and beggars, patronized and endowed by her, establish her constant connection with the folk dialect and, apparently, with the oral folk poetry, legends, spiritual poems, etc. Therefore, in Kabanikha’s speech there are both proverbs and figurative phrases folk speech. All this makes Kabanikha’s language uniquely colorful, although it does not soften the general appearance of this imperious, stern, unyielding guardian of the foundations of the “dark kingdom.”
Despotism, hypocrisy, soulless defense of outdated orders and customs - these are the features of Kabanikha’s internal appearance, making her, along with the Wild, a harsh and even more terrible guardian of the foundations of the “dark kingdom”.
Need a cheat sheet? Then save - "The image of Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova (Kabanikha). Literary essays!As is known, in classical works There are several types of heroes in fairy tales. This article will focus on the antagonist-protagonist pair. This opposition will be examined using the example of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”. The main character of this play, in other words, the protagonist is a young girl Katerina Kabanova. She is opposed, that is, is an antagonist, by Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova. Using the example of comparisons and analysis of actions, we will give more full description Boars in the play "The Thunderstorm".
First, let's look at the list of characters: Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova (Kabanikha) - an old merchant's wife, a widow. Her husband died, so the woman had to raise two children alone, manage the household and take care of business. Agree, this is quite difficult at the present time. Despite the fact that the merchant's nickname is indicated in parentheses, the author never calls her that. The text contains remarks from Kabanova, not Kabanikha. With such a technique, the playwright wanted to emphasize the fact that people call a woman this way among themselves, but they personally address her with respect.
That is, in fact, the residents of Kalinov do not like this man, but they are afraid of him.
Initially, the reader learns about Marfa Ignatievna from the lips of Kuligin. The self-taught mechanic calls her “a hypocrite who has eaten up everyone at home.” Kudryash only confirms these words. Next, a wanderer, Feklusha, appears on the stage. Her judgment about Kabanikha is exactly the opposite: quote. As a result of this disagreement, additional interest in this character arises. Marfa Ignatievna appears on stage already in the first act, and the reader or viewer is given the opportunity to verify the veracity of Kuligin’s words.
Kabanikha is not happy with the way her son behaves. She teaches him to live, despite the fact that his son is already an adult and has been married for a long time. Marfa Ignatievna shows herself as a grumpy, domineering woman. Her daughter-in-law Katerina behaves differently. In general, it is quite interesting to trace the similarities and differences of these characters throughout the play.
In theory, both Kabanikha and Katerina should love Tikhon. For one he is a son, for another he is a husband. However, neither Katya nor Marfa Ignatievna approached Tikhon true love don't feed. Katya feels sorry for her husband, but does not love him. And Kabanikha treats him as a guinea pig, as a creature on whom you can take out your aggression and test methods of manipulation, while hiding behind motherly love. Everyone knows that the most important thing for every mother is the happiness of her child. But Marfa Kabanova in “The Thunderstorm” is not at all interested in Tikhon’s opinion. Through years of tyranny and dictatorship, she was able to teach her son that the lack of his own point of view is quite normal. Even observing how carefully and, in some moments, tenderly Tikhon treats Katerina, Kabanikha always tries to destroy their relationship.
Many critics argued about the strength or weakness of Katerina’s character, but no one doubted the strength of Kabanikha’s character.
This is a truly cruel person who tries to subjugate those around him. She should rule the state, but she has to waste her “talents” on her family and provincial town. Varvara, the daughter of Marfa Kabanova, chose pretense and lies as a way of coexistence with her oppressive mother. Katerina, on the contrary, resolutely opposes her mother-in-law. They seemed to take two positions, truth and lie, defending them. And in their conversations that Kabanikha should not categorically blame Katya for mistakes and various sins, the struggle of light and darkness, truth and the “dark kingdom”, of which Kabanikha is a representative, emerges through the everyday background.
Katerina and Kabanikha are Orthodox Christians. But their faith is completely different. For Katerina, faith that comes from within is much more important. For her, the place of prayer is not important. The girl is devout, she sees the presence of God throughout the world, and not just in the church building. Marfa Ignatievna’s religiosity can be called external. For her, rituals and strict adherence to rules are important. But behind all this obsession with practical manipulation, faith itself disappears. Also, for Kabanikha it turns out to be important to observe and maintain old traditions, despite the fact that many of them are already outdated: “they won’t be afraid of you, and even less so of me. What kind of order will there be in the house? After all, you, tea, live with her in law. Ali, do you think the law means nothing? Yes, if you hold such stupid thoughts in your head, you should at least not talk in front of her, in front of your sister, in front of the girl.” A characterization of Kabanikha in Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm” is impossible without mentioning her almost manic attention to detail. Tikhon, the son of Kabanova Sr., is a drunkard, his daughter Varvara is lying, hanging out with whoever she wants, and is about to run away from home, disgracing the family. And Marfa Ignatievna is worried that they come to the door without bowing, not as their great-grandfathers taught. Her behavior is reminiscent of the behavior of the priestesses of a dying cult, who are trying with all their might to maintain life in it with the help of external paraphernalia.
Katerina Kabanova was a somewhat suspicious girl: in the “prophecies” of the crazy lady she imagined her own fate, and in the thunderstorm the girl saw the punishment of the Lord. Kabanikha is too mercantile and down-to-earth for this. She is closer to the material world, practicality and utilitarianism. Kabanova is not at all afraid of thunder and thunder, she just doesn’t want to get wet. While the residents of Kalinov are talking about the raging elements, Kabanikha grumbles and expresses her dissatisfaction: “Look, what races he has made. There is something to listen to, nothing to say! Now the times have come, some teachers have appeared. If an old man thinks like this, what can we demand from young people!”, “Don’t judge your older self! They know more than you. Old people have signs for everything. an old man he won’t say a word to the wind.”
The image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” can be called a kind of generalization, a conglomerate of negative human qualities. It’s hard to call her a woman, a mother, or even a person in general. Of course, she is far from the dummies of the city of Foolov, but her desire to subjugate and dominate killed all human qualities in Marfa Ignatievna.
Characteristics of the image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky |
Kabanikha is very rich. This can be judged because her trade affairs extend beyond Kalinov (on her instructions, Tikhon traveled to Moscow), and that Dikoy respects her. But the affairs of Kabanikha are of little interest to the playwright: she is assigned a different role in the play. If Dikiy shows the brute force of tyranny, then Kabanikha is the exponent of the ideas and principles of the “dark kingdom”. She understands that money alone does not give power, another indispensable condition is the obedience of those who do not have money. And she sees her main concern in suppressing any possibility of disobedience. She “eats” her family in order to kill their will, any ability to resist. With Jesuitical sophistication, she drains the soul out of them, insults their human dignity with unfounded suspicions. She skillfully uses various techniques to assert her will.
Kabanikha can speak in a friendly and instructive way (“I know, I know that you don’t like my words, but what can I do, I’m not a stranger to you, my heart aches for you”), and hypocritically become poor (“Mother is old , stupid; well, you, young people, smart, shouldn’t exact from us, fools”), and command imperiously (“Look, remember! Cut your nose!”, “Bow at your feet!”). Kabanikha is trying to show her religiosity. Words: “Oh, a grave sin! How long will it take to sin!”, “Only one sin!” - constantly accompany her speech. She supports superstitions and prejudices and strictly observes ancient customs. It is not known whether Kabanikha believes in Feklushi’s absurd fairy tales and the signs of the townspeople; she herself says nothing of the kind. But it resolutely suppresses any manifestations of free thought. She condemns Kuligin’s statements against prejudices and superstitions, and she supports the superstitious prophecies of the townspeople that “this storm will not pass in vain” and edifyingly tells her son: “Don’t judge your older self! They know more than you. Old people have signs for everything. An old man won’t say a word to the wind.” She sees both religion and ancient customs as the main goal: to push a person away, to keep him in eternal fear. She understands that only fear can keep people in subjection and prolong the shaky reign of tyrants. In response to Tikhon’s words, why should his wife be afraid of him, Kabanova exclaims in horror: “Why, why be afraid! How, why be afraid! Are you crazy, or what? He won’t be afraid of you, and he won’t be afraid of me either. What kind of order will there be in the house? After all, you, tea, live with her in law. Ali, do you think the law means nothing?” She defends the law according to which the weak should fear the strong, according to which a person should not have his own will. As a faithful guardian of this order, she teaches her household in full view of the crowd of townspeople. After Katerina’s confession, she loudly and triumphantly says to Tikhon: “What, son! Where will the will lead? I spoke, but you didn’t want to listen. That’s what I’ve been waiting for!”
In Kabanikha’s son, Tikhon, we see the living embodiment of the goal that the rulers of the “dark kingdom” strive for. They would be completely calm if they could make all people just as downtrodden and weak-willed. Thanks to the efforts of “mama,” Tikhon is so saturated with fear and humility that he does not even dare to think about living with his own mind and his own will. “Yes, Mama, I don’t want to live by my own will. Where can I live by my own will!” - he assures his mother.
But Tikhon is by nature a good person. He is kind, sympathetic, sincerely loves and pities Katerina, and is alien to any selfish aspirations. But everything human is suppressed in him by the despotism of his mother, he becomes a submissive executor of her will. However, Katerina’s tragedy forces even the submissive Tikhon to raise his voice of protest. If Tikhon’s first words in the play are: “How can I, Mama, disobey you!”, then at the end of it he desperately throws a passionate, angry accusation into his mother’s face: “You ruined her! You! You!"
The unbearable life under the yoke of Kabanikha, the longing for freedom, the desire for love and devotion - all this, which did not find a response in Tikhon, was the reason for the emergence of Katerina’s feelings for Boris. Boris is not like the other inhabitants of Kalinov. He is educated and seems to be from another world. Like Katerina, he is also oppressed, and this gives the young woman hope of finding in him a kindred spirit who can respond to her ardent feelings. But Katerina was bitterly deceived in Boris. Boris only outwardly seems better than Tikhon, but in reality he is worse than him. Like Tikhon, Boris does not have his own will and obeys without complaint.