Katerina is an outwardly fragile, tender and open-to-feeling young woman, not at all as defenseless as she seems at first glance. She is strong inside, she is a fighter against this." dark kingdom" Katerina is a girl who is able to stand up for herself, who is capable of much for the sake of her love. But she is alone in this world, and it’s hard for her, so she is looking for support. It seems to her that she finds support in Boris. And she strives for him in every possible way, no matter what. She chose him because Boris stood out from all the young people in this city, and they both had a similar situation. But in the finale, Boris abandons her, and she is left alone against the “dark kingdom.” To accept and return to Kabanikha’s house meant not to be herself. Suicide is the only way out. Katerina passes away because she does not accept this world - the world of Kabanikha, Dikiy, Tikhon and Boris. Kabanikha is a completely different person, she is the opposite of Katerina.
She is completely satisfied with the world in which she lives. No one ever dared to contradict her, but then Katerina appears, unwilling to put up with Kabanikha’s rudeness, rudeness and cruelty. And therefore Katerina, with her self-esteem, constantly irritates Kabanikha. A conflict is brewing between Katerina and Kabanikha. This conflict does not explode until there are reasons for it. And the reason is Katerina’s confession of cheating on her husband. And Katerina understands that after this her life is over, because Kabanikha will then completely bully her. And she decides to commit suicide. After the death of Katerina, Kabanikha remains satisfied, because now no one will resist her. Katerina’s death is a kind of protest against this world, a world of lies and hypocrisy, to which she could never get used to.
But Katerina and Kabanikha have something in common, because they are both able to stand up for themselves, both do not want to put up with humiliation and insult, both have strong characters. But their reluctance to be humiliated and insulted manifests itself in different ways. Katerina will never respond to rudeness with rudeness. Kabanikha, on the contrary, will try in every possible way to humiliate, offend, and bully a person who says something unpleasant in her direction.
Katerina and Kabanikha have different attitudes towards God. If Katerina’s feeling for God is something bright, holy, inviolable and highest, then for Kabanikha it is only an external, superficial feeling. Even going to church for Kabanikha is only to make the impression of a pious lady on those around her.
The most suitable comparison between Katerina and Kabanikha is something light and something dark, where Katerina is light and Kabanikha is dark. Katerina is a ray of light in the “dark kingdom”. But this “ray” is not enough to illuminate this darkness that in the end it fades out altogether.
The hero's mental flabbiness and the heroine's moral generosity are most obvious in the scene of their last date. Katerina’s hopes are in vain: “If only I could live with him, maybe I would see some kind of joy.” “If only”, “maybe”, “some kind”... Little consolation! But even here she finds the strength to think not about herself. This is Katerina asking her beloved for forgiveness for the troubles she has caused him. Boris couldn’t even imagine such a thing. He won’t really be able to save or even feel sorry for Katerina: “Who knew that we should suffer so much with you for our love! It would be better for me to run then!” But didn’t she remind Boris of the price to pay for loving married woman folk song performed by Kudryash, didn’t Kudryash warn him about the same thing: “Eh, Boris Grigoryich, stop annoying me! Isn’t that what you told Boris? Alas, the hero simply did not hear any of this.
Dobrolyubov soulfully saw an epochal meaning in the “Thunderstorm” conflict, and in the character of Katerina - “a new phase of our folk life" But, idealizing free love in the spirit of the then popular ideas of female emancipation, he impoverished the moral depth of Katerina’s character. Dobrolyubov considered the hesitation of the heroine, who fell in love with Boris, and the burning of her conscience, “the ignorance of a poor woman who has not received a theoretical education.” Duty, loyalty, conscientiousness, with the maximalism characteristic of revolutionary democracy, were declared “prejudices”, “artificial combinations”, “conventional instructions of the old morality”, “old rags”. It turned out that Dobrolyubov looked at Katerina’s love with the same un-Russian ease as Boris.
Explaining the reasons for the heroine’s nationwide repentance, we will not repeat, following Dobrolyubov’s words, about “superstition,” “ignorance,” and “religious prejudices.” We will not see cowardice and fear of external punishment in Katerina’s “fear”. After all, such a look turns the heroine into a victim of the dark kingdom of the Boars. The true source of the heroine’s repentance lies elsewhere: in her sensitive conscience. “It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins, with all your evil thoughts. I’m not afraid to die, but when I think that I’ll suddenly appear before God as I am here with you, after this conversation, that’s what’s scary.” “My heart really hurts,” says Katerina in a moment of confession. “Whoever has fear, there is also God,” echoes her folk wisdom. From time immemorial, “fear” was understood by the Russian people as a heightened moral self-awareness.
IN " Explanatory dictionary V. I. Dahl “fear” is interpreted as “consciousness of moral responsibility.” This definition corresponds to the heroine’s state of mind. Unlike Kabanikha, Feklushi and other heroes of “The Thunderstorm,” Katerina’s “fear” is the inner voice of her conscience. Katerina perceives the thunderstorm as the chosen one: what is happening in her soul is akin to what is happening in the stormy skies. This is not slavery, this is equality. Katerina is equally heroic both in her passionate and reckless love affair and in her deeply conscientious public repentance. “What a conscience!.. What a mighty Slavic conscience!.. What moral strength... What huge, sublime aspirations, full of power and beauty,” wrote V. M. Doroshevich about Katerina Strepetova in the scene of repentance. And S.V. Maksimov told how he happened to sit next to Ostrovsky during the first performance of “The Thunderstorm” with Nikulina-Kositskaya in the role of Katerina. Ostrovsky watched the drama in silence, absorbed in himself. But in that “pathetic scene when Katerina, tormented by remorse, throws herself at the feet of her husband and mother-in-law, repenting of her sin, Ostrovsky, all pale, whispered: “It’s not me, not me: it’s God!” Ostrovsky, obviously, did not believe that he could write such an amazing scene.” It’s time for us to appreciate not only the love, but also the repentant impulse of Katerina. Having gone through the stormy trials, the heroine is morally cleansed and leaves this sinful world with the consciousness of her rightness: “He who loves will pray.”
“Death due to sins is terrible,” people say. And if Katerina is not afraid of death, then her sins have been atoned for. Her departure takes us back to the beginning of the tragedy. Death is sanctified by the same full-blooded and life-loving religiosity that has entered the heroine’s soul since childhood. “There is a grave under the tree... The sun warms it... birds will fly to the tree, they will sing, they will bring out the children...”
Katerina dies amazingly. Her death is the last flash of spiritualized love for God's world: trees, birds, flowers and herbs. Monologue about the grave - awakened metaphors, folk mythology with her belief in immortality. A person, dying, turns into a tree growing on a grave, or into a bird making a nest in its branches, or into a flower that gives a smile to passers-by - these are the constant motives folk songs about death. When leaving, Katerina retains all the signs that, according to popular belief, distinguished the saint: she is dead as if she were alive. “And exactly, guys, like alive! There’s only a small wound on the temple, and there’s only one drop of blood.”
Kabanikha, aka Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova - central heroine Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm", a rich merchant's wife, widow, mother of Tikhon and Varvara, mother-in-law of Katerina.
Kabanikha is a very strong and powerful person. She is religious, but does not believe in forgiveness and mercy. This heroine is completely immersed in earthly affairs and practical interests. First of all, she is interested in strict adherence to the patriarchal order. From those around her, she requires the obligatory fulfillment of rituals and rites. Kabanikha is not interested in people’s feelings and the emotional side of the issue.
Kabanikha is dissatisfied with her family, especially her son and daughter-in-law.
She constantly nags them, interferes in their affairs, and makes harsh remarks. It seems to her that her son is Lately He has lost interest in her, and his daughter-in-law does not inspire confidence at all with her behavior. Kabanikha is sure that he is correct family life is based on the fear of the younger generation of the elder, of the wife of the husband. She believes that fear and orders are the main elements of family life, so she does not feel like a tyrant, because parents must be strict with their children in order to teach them goodness. However, Kabanikha feels that there are fewer and fewer guardians of the old way of life, the patriarchal system is gradually being destroyed, and new changes in life are coming. For Kabanikha this is a tragedy. She is not a tyrant at all and even condemns her godfather Diky for his temper. Kabanikha considers such willful behavior and endless complaints about family members to be a manifestation of weakness of character. She herself never complains to others about her family. Kabanikha faithfully honors the traditions of her ancestors, without thinking about whether they are good or bad. She is convinced that one must live as the fathers bequeathed, this will help maintain peace and order on earth. At the end of the play, Kabanikha experiences a personal tragedy: the daughter-in-law publicly confesses her sin, the son publicly rebels against his mother, and the daughter runs away from home. Kabanikha’s world collapses, and she dies with him.
It is interesting that the play clearly shows a contrasting comparison between Kabanikha and main character Katerina. They have similar traits: both belong to the patriarchal world with its ideas and life values, both have extraordinary strength in character and are maximalists. The heroines do not allow the possibility of compromise; they do not believe in forgiveness and mercy, although both are religious. This is where their similarities end, emphasizing the contrast of the heroines and creating the possibility of comparing them. Katerina and Kabanikha are two opposite poles of the patriarchal world. The boar is chained to the ground, she monitors the implementation of order and compliance with the way of life in all its petty manifestations. Inner Essence she cares little about human relationships. Katerina, on the contrary, embodies poetry, dreaminess, spirituality, impulse and the spirit of the patriarchal way of life in its ideal manifestation.
In the play, Kabanikha is characterized not only through her own statements and actions, but also through discussions of her by other characters. The reader first learns about Kabanikha from the beggar wanderer Feklusha, who thanks the merchant’s wife for her generosity. Kuligin’s remark is immediately heard that Kabanikha is only kind to the poor, and is completely fed up with her family. And only after these introductory characteristics, Kabanikha herself appears, surrounded by her family. The reader is convinced that Kuligin’s words have a truthful basis. The merchant's wife nags her relatives and finds fault with them over trifles. Despite the meekness and sincerity of the daughter-in-law, she shows zealous hostility towards her and reproaches her son for indifference towards his mother. At the same time, Kabanikha, confident that she is right, feels that the patriarchal world is collapsing. Her apocalyptic expectations are revealed during the dialogue with Feklusha. At first, Kabanikha is still cheerful and convinces the wanderer that there is still peace and order in Kalinov. But at the end of the conversation, having listened to Feklusha’s exciting stories, she is no longer sure that this order will last long.
Kabanikha is a powerful and cruel woman, completely confident that she is right. She believes that maintaining the ancient order and way of life is a guarantee of protecting the home from external chaos. Therefore, she manages her household harshly and firmly, abandoning unnecessary emotions, not knowing mercy and doing without forgiveness. She strives to completely eradicate any hint of insubordination on the part of her family, and punishes every offense severely and coldly. While humiliating and insulting her loved ones, she treats strangers with piety and respect.
The image of Kabanikha is monumental, he is the living embodiment of “ cruel morals" The heroine is revealed in the work as an honest and terrible, in her strict consistency, keeper of the graceless “law”, not enlightened by Christian love. She does not evoke pity, but it is also difficult to condemn her. Causing pain and suffering to loved ones, she is sincerely convinced that her behavior is absolutely correct and it is impossible to live differently.
Katerina is an outwardly fragile, tender and open-to-feeling young woman, not at all as defenseless as she seems at first glance. She is strong inside, she is a fighter against this “dark kingdom”. Katerina is a girl who is able to stand up for herself, who is capable of much for the sake of her love. But she is alone in this world, and it’s hard for her, so she is looking for support. It seems to her that she finds support in Boris. And she strives for him in every possible way, no matter what. She chose him because Boris stood out from all the young people in this city,
And they both had a similar situation. But in the finale, Boris abandons her, and she is left alone against the “dark kingdom.” To resign herself and return to Kabanikha’s house meant not to be herself. Suicide is the only way out. Katerina passes away because she does not accept this world - the world of Kabanikha, Dikiy, Tikhon and Boris. Kabanikha is a completely different person, she is the opposite of Katerina.
She is completely satisfied with the world in which she lives. No one ever dared to contradict her, but then Katerina appears, unwilling to put up with Kabanikha’s rudeness, rudeness and cruelty. And therefore Katerina, with her self-esteem, constantly irritates Kabanikha. A conflict is brewing between Katerina and Kabanikha. This conflict does not come to an explosion until there are reasons for it. And the reason is Katerina’s confession of cheating on her husband. And Katerina understands that after this her life is over, because Kabanikha will then completely bully her. And she decides to commit suicide. After Katerina’s death, Kabanikha remains satisfied, because now no one will resist her. Katerina’s death is a kind of protest against this world, a world of lies and hypocrisy, to which she could never get used to.
But Katerina and Kabanikha have something in common, because they are both able to stand up for themselves, both do not want to put up with humiliation and insult, both have strong characters. But their reluctance to be humiliated and insulted manifests itself in different ways. Katerina will never respond to rudeness with rudeness. Kabanikha, on the contrary, will try in every possible way to humiliate, offend, and bully a person who says something unpleasant in her direction.
Katerina and Kabanikha have different attitudes towards God. If Katerina’s feeling for God is something bright, holy, inviolable and highest, then for Kabanikha it is only an external, superficial feeling. Even going to church for Kabanikha is only to make the impression of a pious lady on those around her.
The most suitable comparison between Katerina and Kabanikha is something light and something dark, where Katerina is light and Kabanikha is dark. Katerina is a ray of light in the “dark kingdom”. But this “ray” is not enough to illuminate this darkness that in the end it fades out altogether.
The hero's mental flabbiness and the heroine's moral generosity are most obvious in the scene of their last date. Katerina’s hopes are in vain: “If only I could live with him, maybe I would see some kind of joy.” “If only”, “maybe”, “some kind”... Little consolation! But even here she finds the strength to think not about herself. This is Katerina asking her beloved for forgiveness for the troubles she has caused him. Boris couldn’t even imagine such a thing. He won’t really be able to save or even feel sorry for Katerina: “Who knew that we should suffer so much with you for our love! It would be better for me to run then!” But didn’t the folk song performed by Kudryash remind Boris of the retribution for his love for a married woman? Didn’t Kudryash warn him about the same: “Eh, Boris Grigoryich, stop annoying me! After all, this means you want to ruin her completely...” And didn’t Katerina herself, during the poetic nights on the Volga, tell Boris about this? Alas, the hero simply did not hear any of this.
Dobrolyubov soulfully saw an epochal meaning in the “Thunderstorm” conflict, and in the character of Katerina – “a new phase of our people’s life.” But, idealizing free love in the spirit of the then popular ideas of female emancipation, he impoverished the moral depth of Katerina’s character. Dobrolyubov considered the hesitation of the heroine, who fell in love with Boris, and the burning of her conscience, “the ignorance of a poor woman who has not received a theoretical education.” Duty, loyalty, conscientiousness, with the maximalism characteristic of revolutionary democracy, were declared “prejudices”, “artificial combinations”, “conventional instructions of the old morality”, “old rags”. It turned out that Dobrolyubov looked at Katerina’s love with the same un-Russian ease as Boris.
Explaining the reasons for the heroine’s nationwide repentance, we will not repeat, following Dobrolyubov’s words, about “superstition,” “ignorance,” and “religious prejudices.” We will not see cowardice and fear of external punishment in Katerina’s “fear”. After all, such a look turns the heroine into a victim of the dark kingdom of the Boars. The true source of the heroine’s repentance lies elsewhere: in her sensitive conscience. “It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins, with all your evil thoughts. I’m not afraid to die, but when I think that I’ll suddenly appear before God as I am here with you, after this conversation, that’s what’s scary.” “My heart really hurts,” says Katerina in a moment of confession. “Whoever has fear, there is God,” echoes popular wisdom. “Fear” has always been understood by the Russian people as a heightened moral self-awareness.
In V.I. Dahl’s Explanatory Dictionary, “fear” is interpreted as “consciousness of moral responsibility.” This definition corresponds to the heroine’s state of mind. Unlike Kabanikha, Feklushi and other heroes of “The Thunderstorm,” Katerina’s “fear” is the inner voice of her conscience. Katerina perceives the thunderstorm as the chosen one: what is happening in her soul is akin to what is happening in the stormy skies. This is not slavery, this is equality. Katerina is equally heroic both in her passionate and reckless love affair and in her deeply conscientious public repentance. “What a conscience! What a mighty Slavic conscience! What moral strength... What huge, sublime aspirations, full of power and beauty,” wrote V. M. Doroshevich about Katerina-Strepetova in the scene of repentance. And S.V. Maksimov told how he happened to sit next to Ostrovsky during the first performance of “The Thunderstorm” with Nikulina-Kositskaya in the role of Katerina. Ostrovsky watched the drama in silence, absorbed in himself. But in that “pathetic scene when Katerina, tormented by remorse, throws herself at the feet of her husband and mother-in-law, repenting of her sin, Ostrovsky, all pale, whispered: “It’s not me, not me: it’s God!” Ostrovsky, obviously, did not believe that he could write such an amazing scene.” It’s time for us to appreciate not only the love, but also the repentant impulse of Katerina. Having gone through the stormy trials, the heroine is morally cleansed and leaves this sinful world with the consciousness of her rightness: “He who loves will pray.”
“Death due to sins is terrible,” people say. And if Katerina is not afraid of death, then her sins have been atoned for. Her departure takes us back to the beginning of the tragedy. Death is sanctified by the same full-blooded and life-loving religiosity that has entered the heroine’s soul since childhood. “There is a grave under the tree... The sun warms it... birds will fly to the tree, they will sing, they will bring out the children...”
Katerina dies amazingly. Her death is the last flash of spiritualized love for God's world: trees, birds, flowers and herbs. Monologue about the grave - awakened metaphors, folk mythology with its belief in immortality. A person, dying, turns into a tree growing on a grave, or into a bird making a nest in its branches, or into a flower that gives a smile to passers-by - these are the constant motifs of folk songs about death. When leaving, Katerina retains all the signs that, according to popular belief, distinguished the saint: she is dead as if she were alive. “That’s right, guys, it looks like it’s alive! There’s only a small wound on the temple, and there’s only one drop of blood.”
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- A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” was written in 1859. The events of the drama take place in the merchant town of Kalinov, located on the banks of the Volga, in the first half of the nineteenth century. The work depicts the musty atmosphere of a provincial town with its rudeness, hypocrisy, and the power of the rich. Let's remember Read More......
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- Kabanikha Characteristics literary hero Kabanikha (Kabanova Marfa Ignatievna) - “rich merchant’s wife, widow,” mother-in-law of Katerina, mother of Tikhon and Varvara. K. is a very strong and powerful person. She is religious, but does not believe in forgiveness and mercy. This heroine consists entirely of Read More......
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The famous Russian playwright Alexander Ostrovsky made a significant contribution to classic literature and national drama. His play “The Thunderstorm” caused a wide resonance in society. In particular, literary critics Dobrolyubov and Pisarev in their own way defined the inner essence of the main character - Katerina Kabanova.
Female images of Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm"
This play has been adorning theater posters in Russia and around the world for a century and a half. Ostrovsky's female images are a real creative find of the author. They will be discussed in this article.
In the house of a wealthy merchant of the city of Kalinov - Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova - two young women live: Varvara and Katerina. Comparative characteristics them is the topic of this article. Varvara Kabanova is the daughter of Kabanikha (as the merchant’s wife is called in the city). Katerina Kabanova is the daughter-in-law of Marfa Ignatievna, she is married to Tikhon Kabanov.
Katerina was raised by loving parents
The childhood and growing up of these two women took place completely differently and in completely different families. in the upbringing of the heroines of the play gives reason to assert: Varvara and Katerina are diametrically different (despite their similarity in age). childhood makes it clear that the second girl had a much easier life.
Katya's parents loved their daughter and did not bother her with work. Mother is in it. The girl looked like an angel, her spirituality turned her into everyone’s favorite. In the parental home there was a sea of flowers, a joyful, spiritualized patriarchal atmosphere reigned. Mother welcomed wanderers and praying mantises. Ostrovsky (“The Thunderstorm”) poetically talks about real Russian customs in his work. Katerina was brought up in the spirit. Mother naively believed that the wealth of soul brought up in her daughter would certainly bring her happiness in love and in the family. To her joy, Tikhon, Katerina’s husband, turned out to be from a wealthy family. And this, according to the mother-in-law, guaranteed a happy family life. Therefore, to her daughter’s misfortune, she decided not to bother her matchmaker with visits. And how wrong I was!
The merciless foundations of Varvara’s family
Unfortunately, the girl’s enthusiastic religiosity, romanticism and sincerity in the Kabanovs’ house, devoid of love, respect and mercy, made her vulnerable. Varvara and Katerina felt differently. The comparative characteristics of the heroines reveal Katya’s vulnerability and insecurity in contrast to Varenka, who grew up in the pernicious atmosphere of the “dark kingdom.”
Varvara, judging by her revelations, had undergone these trials earlier. Since childhood, she has already experienced the dislike, insincerity, and cruelty instilled in her mother’s house. And it broke. Varenka made her choice, forever betraying her childhood ideals. What is her position now? Feigned obedience to his mother, but in reality - contempt for her and for his brother, a drunkard, and as an outlet - indulgence in his desires. She secretly meets with Kudryash, the clerk of the merchant Dikiy, not considering this a disgrace for the family. “The main thing,” she says, “is that everything is covered!”
Home diktat of Marfa Kabanova
So, two young women live under one inhospitable roof: Varvara and Katerina. The comparative characteristics show a completely different level, so to speak, of opportunism. Katerina, at first in love with the kind, but characterless Tikhon, is completely disappointed in him. In fact, he is a mama's boy. The mother-in-law turns out to be a real monster towards everyone at home and especially towards Katerina. The reason for this attitude is that the daughter-in-law is the only one in the house who tries to express her opinion. While Tikhon is completely subordinate to his mother, Varenka habitually gives the appearance of being subordinate.
Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is cunning and merciless. She eats her family, generously hurling accusations of disrespect for elders at them. The boar constantly talks about the rules, forcing the daughter-in-law to greet her husband with a bow, etc.
Symbolically named his - “Thunderstorm”. Katerina, figuratively speaking, constantly feels heavy dislike in the Kabanovs’ house.
The difference in the awareness of betrayal by Varya and Katya
The plot of the play leads us to the climax. One day, Katerina inadvertently expressed a desire to relax in nature and ride a boat. Varvara took her sister-in-law’s words in her own way. She became the initiator of Katerina’s dates with Boris due to her understanding of the situation. And when her sister-in-law hesitated: to go or not, it was Varvara who pushed her. The characterization (“The Thunderstorm” reveals this in detail) of a truly fatal, rash act is completely different in the understanding of Katerina and Varenka.
According to Kabanikha’s daughter, nothing special happened. A small but acceptable meanness has been committed. Moreover, no one outsider found out about it, so everything is fine. However, her impressionable sister-in-law thinks differently. The outbreak of a thunderstorm frightens the wife who cheated on Tikhon. And the mad lady’s screaming puts her in a state of horror. Despite Varenka’s admonitions and her attempts to calm her friend down, Katya makes a decision and admits to cheating on her husband.
Tragedy
What awaits her after this? The merciless Kabanikha uncontrollably slanderes and forces Tikhon to beat his wife. Out of habit, Varvara is silent. The characterization (“The Thunderstorm” finally reaches its climax) of Boris’s meanness introduces the reader into the state of an overloaded computer. We understand what he condemns a woman who trusts him to in a patriarchal society! To be persecuted for the rest of my life.
Katerina realizes that the merciless Kabanikha will now certainly torture her and expresses her protest to the “dark kingdom” in the most radical way - suicide. Varenka openly accuses her mother of inciting her daughter-in-law to commit suicide and after that secretly runs away from home. Tikhon goes on a drinking binge out of grief. Kabanikha’s family collapsed, but Marfa Ignatievna did not change her views - to plant “ dark kingdom».
“The Thunderstorm” was received with great success by the audience. Katerina and Varvara - two brilliant female images, demonstrating two different ways escape from the “dark kingdom” were appreciated by critics. The impressionable and impulsive Katya undoubtedly acted rashly. At the same time, Varenka’s act, which left Kalinov with her friend Kudryash, evokes respect. For the first time in her life, she acts honestly, preferring freedom to well-fed vegetation. And, perhaps, he will continue to live a decent life.
Conclusion
The characterization of Varvara and Katerina in Alexander Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” has been given in literature for a century and a half now. various shades and nuances by actors and directors. However, these heroines always look bright and non-trivial. This is the greatness of a true playwright - to create creative content himself. high level. This is how the Roman Horace wrote two thousand years ago, and this is how the British Shakespeare worked five hundred years ago. This is what Alexander Ostrovsky did in the century before last. His female images from the play “The Thunderstorm” are truly relevant at all times!
The image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” is one of the main negative ones that forms the plot. Hence the depth of his portrayal by playwright Ostrovsky. The play itself shows how, in the depths of an outdated but still strong patriarchal society, the champions of the “dark kingdom” in the very bud stifle the barely emerging shoots of the new. At the same time, the author of the work depicts two types that support the foundations of the Old Testament society based on dogma. This is the widowed wealthy merchant Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova, as well as the wealthy merchant Savel Prokofich Dikoy. No wonder they call each other godfathers.
Merchant's wife Kabanova as an ideologist of the “dark kingdom”
It should be admitted that the image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” is gradated negative images occupies a more significant position than the character of the merchant Wild. Unlike her godfather, who oppresses those around him in the most primitive ways (with the help of swearing, almost reaching the point of beatings and humiliation), Marfa Ignatievna understands perfectly well what “old times” are and how they should be protected. Her influence on others is more subtle. After all, as the reader reads the drama, she sees not only scenes where she peremptorily lectures her family, but also moments where she pretends to be “old and stupid.” Moreover, the merchant Kabanova acts as an apologist for double morality and hypocrisy in the manipulation of her neighbors. And in this sense, the image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” is truly classic in Russian literature.
The merchant's desire is to subjugate her neighbors
The playwright Ostrovsky managed to show at the same time, deeply and clearly for the reader, how in the merchant Kabanova, ostentatious, insincere religiosity coexists with an absolutely unchristian, immoral and selfish desire - to subjugate people to himself. Marfa Ignatievna really breaks the will and characters of her neighbors, their life aspirations, crushes real, genuine spirituality. She is opposed by the image of Katerina in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm,” her daughter-in-law.
Different understanding of antiquity by Kabanikha and Katerina
To be precise, Katerina is also a representative of a patriarchal society. This idea was expressed by the actor and literary critic Pisarev in response to famous article Nikolai Dobrolyubov “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom.”
However, if her mother-in-law represents the “old times”, gloomy, dogmatic, subjugating people and killing their aspirations with meaningless “don’ts” and teachings “how it should be,” then Katerina, in contrast to her, has completely different views on the “old times”.
For her, there are also centuries-old traditions, but they are expressed in completely different ways: in love for others and care for them, in a childishly enthusiastic attitude towards the world around us, in the ability to see and perceive all the good things around, in the instinctive rejection of gloomy dogmatism, in mercy . “Old time” for Katerina is colorful, romantic, poetic, joyful. Thus, Katerina and Kabanikha personalize two opposing aspects of Russian patriarchal serf society - dark and light.
Psychological pressure from Kabanikha on Katerina
The tragic image of Katerina in Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" invariably evokes the reader's sympathy and sympathy. The girl ends up in the Kabanov family by marrying Tikhon, the son of a merchant's wife. Before Katerina appeared in the house, her future mother-in-law completely imposed her will on everyone at home: her son and daughter Varvara. Moreover, if Tikhon is completely morally broken and is only able to follow the instructions of “mama,” then Varvara only pretends to agree, but always acts in her own way. However, under the influence of her mother, her personality was also deformed - the girl became insincere and double-minded.
The image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” is antagonistic to the image of Katerina throughout the entire play. It’s not for nothing that the daughter-in-law reproaches that her mother-in-law “eats her.” Kabanikha constantly insults her with far-fetched suspicions. It exhausts the soul with senseless compulsions to “bow to your husband” and “cut your nose.” Moreover, the merchant's wife appeals to quite plausible principles: maintaining order in the family; harmonious (as is customary in the Russian tradition) relationships between relatives; foundations of the Christian faith. In fact, Marfa Ignatievna’s influence on Katerina comes down to compulsion - to blindly follow her orders. Kabanikha wants to turn her into another subject of her home “dark kingdom”.
Unmercifulness is a common trait between Kabanikha and Wild
The characterization of the image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky shows her common feature with the image of the merchant Wild, despite their obvious characteristic differences. This is unmerciful towards people. Both of them treat their neighbors and fellow citizens in a non-Christian, consumerist way.
True, Savel Prokofich does this openly, and Marfa Ignatievna resorts to mimicry, imitating Christian beliefs. In conversations with her neighbors, she prefers the tactic “the best defense is attack,” accusing them of non-existent “sins.” She doesn’t even hear counter arguments from her children and daughter-in-law. “I would believe... if I hadn’t heard with my own ears... what veneration is like...” Isn’t it a very convenient, almost “impenetrable” position?
The characterization and image of Kabanikha from the play “The Thunderstorm” by A. Ostrovsky combines hypocrisy and cruelty. After all, in fact, Kabanikha, who regularly goes to church and does not spare alms to the poor, turns out to be cruel and unable to forgive Katerina, who has repented and admitted cheating on her husband. Moreover, she instructs her son Tikhon, who is deprived of his own point of view, to beat her, which he does. They motivate this, again, by tradition.
Kabanikha contributed to Katerina’s suicide
It is the image of Katerina Kabanova in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm,” constantly bullied by her mother-in-law, deprived of all rights and intercession, that gives tragedy to Ostrovsky’s play. None of the readers doubt that her suicide is the result of the unfavorable influence of her mother-in-law, constant humiliation, threats, and cruel treatment.
The situation is aggravated by the fact that Katerina had already previously stated that she would settle scores with her unhappy life. Marfa Ignatievna, who was well aware of everything that was going on in the house, could not help but know this. Was there any direct intent on the part of the mother-in-law to drive her daughter-in-law to suicide? Hardly. Rather, Kabanikha thought of “breaking” her, completely, as she had already done with her son. As a result, the merchant's family collapses: her daughter Varvara accuses her of directly contributing to the tragedy and leaves home. Tikhon goes on a drinking binge...
However, the hard-hearted Marfa Ignatievna does not repent even after this. For her, the “dark kingdom”, manipulating people is more important than family, more important than morality. This conclusion can be drawn from the episode of Kabanikha’s revealed hypocrisy even in this tragic situation. The merchant's wife publicly bows and thanks the people who retrieved the body of the late Katerina from the Volga. However, then he declares that she cannot be forgiven. What could be more anti-Christian than not forgiving a dead person? This, perhaps, can only be done by a real apostate.
Instead of a conclusion
The negative character - the merchant Kabanova - is revealed gradually as the action progresses. Does the image of Katerina in A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” fully oppose him? Probably no. The girl has nothing to oppose to the suffocating atmosphere around her; she only begs for understanding. She makes a mistake. The imaginary liberation from the domestic “dark kingdom” of the Kabanovs - an affair with Boris - turns out to be a mirage. Katerina repents. It would seem that Kabanikha’s morality has won... It costs the merchant’s wife nothing to turn the girl into her ally. To do this, you just need to show mercy. However, as they say, habit is second nature. Kabanikha, “offended,” bullies the already unrequited, humiliated Katerina with redoubled force.
Daughter-in-law's suicide brings devastating consequences for the family of Marfa Ignatievna. We are now seeing a crisis in the obedient (before Katerina’s appearance) family of the merchant’s wife, which is falling apart. Kabanikha can no longer effectively defend the “old times.” From the above, the conclusion suggests itself that turn of the 19th century century way of life Russian society was changing steadily.
In fact, society even then demanded a liberation decree abolishing serfdom, allowing commoners to raise the role of education and social freedoms.