Sverdlov M.I.: “Beauty” - Conflict of meanings (analysis of “Thunderstorm”)

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 Feklusha 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"- 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. Appears alternate character- 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 years XIX century.

Raised on religious foundations, Katerina lived in a narrow, isolated world, partly invented by herself and partly reflecting patriarchal way of life 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 social contradictions are revealed. 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.”

Enmity between loved ones
it happens especially
irreconcilable
P. Tacitus
There is no worse retribution
for madness and delusion,
than to see as your own
children suffer because of them
W. Sumner

Play by A.N. Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm" tells about the life of provincial Russia in the 19th century. The events take place in the city of Kalinov, located on the high Volga bank. Against the backdrop of the magnificent beauty of nature, royal tranquility, a tragedy occurs that disrupts quiet life of this city. Not all is well in Kalinov. Here, behind high fences, domestic despotism reigns, and invisible tears are shed. The play centers on the life of one of the merchant families. But there are hundreds of such families in the city, and millions throughout Russia. However, life is structured in such a way that everyone observes certain laws, rules of behavior, and any deviation from them is a shame, a sin.
The main character in the Kabanov family is the mother, the rich widow Marfa Ignatievna. It is she who dictates her own rules in the family and commands the household members. It is no coincidence that her last name is Kabanova. There is something animalistic about this woman: she is uneducated, but powerful, cruel and stubborn, demanding that everyone obey her, honor the foundations of the house-building and observe its traditions. Marfa Ignatievna - Strong woman. She considers the family to be the most important thing, the basis of social order, and demands the uncomplaining obedience of her children and daughter-in-law. However, she sincerely loves her son and daughter, and her remarks speak about this: “After all, it’s out of love that your parents are strict with you, everyone thinks to teach you good.” Kabanikha is lenient towards Varvara and lets her go out with the young people, realizing how hard it will be for her to be married. But Katerina constantly reproaches her daughter-in-law, controls her every step, forces Katerina to live the way she considers right. Perhaps she is jealous of her daughter-in-law for her son, which is why she is so unkind to her. “Ever since I got married, I don’t see the same love from you,” she says, turning to Tikhon. But he is unable to object to his mother, since he is a weak-willed person, brought up in obedience, and respects his mother’s opinion. Let us pay attention to Tikhon’s remarks: “How can I, Mama, disobey you!”; “I, Mama, am not one step out of your control,” etc. However, this is only the external side of his behavior. He doesn’t want to live according to the laws of house-building, he doesn’t want to make his wife his slave, a thing: “But why be afraid? It’s enough for me that she loves me.” Tikhon believes that relationships between a man and a woman in a family should be built on the principles of love and mutual understanding, and not on the subordination of one to the other. And yet he cannot disobey his domineering mother and stand up for the woman he loves. That's why Tikhon seeks solace in drunkenness. The mother, with her domineering character, suppresses the man in him, making him weak and defenseless. Tikhon is not ready to play the role of husband, protector, or take care of family well-being. Therefore, in Katerina’s eyes he is a nonentity, not a husband. She doesn’t love him, but only feels sorry for him and tolerates him.
Tikhon's sister Varvara is much stronger and braver than her brother. She has adapted to life in her mother’s house, where everything is based on deception, and now lives by the principle: “Doing whatever you want, as long as everything is sewn and covered.” Varvara meets her lover Kudryash secretly from her mother, and does not report to Kabanikha for her every step. However, it’s easier for her to live - unmarried girl is free, and therefore she is not kept under lock and key, like Katerina. Varvara tries to explain to Katerina that it is impossible to live in their house without deception. But her brother’s wife is incapable of this: “I don’t know how to deceive, I can’t hide anything.”
Katerina is a stranger in the Kabanovs’ house, everything here is “as if from under captivity” for her. IN parental home she was surrounded by love and affection, she was free: “...what I want, it happened, that’s what I do.” Her soul is like a bird, she must live in free flight. And in her mother-in-law’s house, Katerina is like a bird in a cage: she yearns in captivity, endures undeserved reproaches from her mother-in-law and the drunkenness of her unloved husband. She doesn’t even have children to give them her affection, love, attention.
Fleeing from family despotism, Katerina is looking for support in life, a person she could rely on and truly love. And therefore, Dikiy’s weak and weak-willed nephew Boris becomes in her eyes an ideal man, unlike her husband. She doesn't seem to notice his shortcomings. But Boris turned out to be a man incapable of understanding Katerina and loving her just as selflessly. After all, he throws her to the mercy of her mother-in-law. And Tikhon looks much more noble than Boris: he forgives Katerina everything because he truly loves her.
Therefore, Katerina’s suicide is a pattern. She cannot live under the yoke of Kabanikha and forgive the betrayal of Boris. This tragedy shook up the quiet life provincial town, and even the timid, weak-willed Tikhon begins to protest against his mother: “Mama, it was you who ruined her! You, you, you..."
Using the example of the Kabanov family, we see that relationships in the family cannot be built on the principle of subordination of the weak to the strong, the foundations of Domostroev are being destroyed, and the power of the autocrats is passing. And even a weak woman can challenge this to the wild world by his death. And yet I believe that suicide is not the best way out of this situation. Katerina could have acted differently. For example, go to a monastery and devote your life to serving God, because she is a very religious woman. But the heroine chooses death, and this is both her strength and her weakness.

The first period of the playwright’s life and work (1847 - 1860) - plays reflecting the life of pre-reform Russia: 1) accusatory plays in the spirit Gogolian tradition(“Family picture”, “Our people - let’s count!”, “Morning young man"," "Unexpected case," "Poor bride," "Didn't get along." The second period of the playwright’s life and work (1860-1875): 1) plays reflecting life post-reform Russia- about ruined nobles and businessmen of a new type (“Mad Money”, “Forest”, “Wolves and Sheep” and historical plays depicting strong characters(“Kozma Zakharyich Minin, Sukhoruk”, “Voevoda”, “Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky”). The third period of the playwright’s life and work (1875 - 1886): plays about tragic fate women in the conditions of capitalizing Russia, about workers, commoners, actors (“Rich Brides”, “Truth is good, but happiness is better”, “The Last Victim”, “Dowry”, “Talents and Admirers”, “Guilty Without Guilt”. In "Thunderstorm" as in dramatic work The plot is based on the development of the conflict. The drama consists of five acts, each of which depicts a certain stage of the struggle - act 1: the social and everyday background of the conflict, the inevitability (premonition) of the conflict; Act 2: the irreconcilability of contradictions and the severity of Katerina’s conflict with “ dark kingdom"; Act 3: freedom gained by Katerina is a step towards tragic death heroines; Act 4: Katerina’s mental turmoil is a consequence of the freedom she has acquired; Act 5: Katerina’s suicide as a challenge to tyranny. Each action is divided into separate scenes, that is, into such sections of text in which the conflict is depicted from any one perspective, seen through the eyes of any one character. The conflict in “The Thunderstorm” develops quickly and intensely, which is achieved by a special arrangement of scenes: with each new scene, starting from the outbreak of the conflict, the tension (dramatic intensity) of the struggle increases. This tension is enhanced by other techniques: firstly, by observing the law of retrospection in the arrangement of certain scenes; secondly, by depicting such phenomena that, expressing a premonition of trouble, cause a state of emotional anxiety in the viewer. Scene 1: “masters of life” - Dikoy and Kabanikha - in public opinion cities. Dikoy and Kabanikha are presented as Kuligin sees and understands them. The first scene gives an idea of the time and place of action, the character characters And life position, which each of them occupies. Wild is not yet on stage, but we already get a clear idea of the hero from what Kudryash, Shapkin, and Kuligin say about him. Then Dikoy appears, he rudely scolds Boris Grigorievich, scolds him just like that, for no reason, just because he caught his eye. From what they say about Dikoy, and from his remarks addressed to Boris Grigorievich, we conclude that Dikoy is a rude, tough, despotic person, a tyrant, and that Boris Grigorievich is economically dependent on him. The appearance of the Wild One signifies the outbreak of a social conflict: many people are economically dependent on him. What role this social conflict will play in the personal drama of the heroes is not yet clear. Scene 2: family relationships Kabanov. From Kabanikha’s first appearance, her character is clear to us. We are frightened by her ideas about the relationship between parents and children. She tyrannizes her children every hour, demands that they fear her, obey her unquestioningly in everything, so that they do not dare to take a step without her permission. She reproaches her son, calls him a fool only because Tikhon, as it seems to her, loves his wife more than his mother, because he does not understand why a wife should be afraid of her husband. We don’t yet know how the personal drama of the characters will develop, but we can already see that a clash is inevitable, since Katerina finds herself next to such a character as Kabanikha. Katerina seems passive in this action. But her silence is alarming: we have a premonition of trouble. We get our first glimpse of Katerina before she appears on stage: Boris Grigorievich confesses his love for Katerina to Kuligin. In the second scene we see Katerina next to Kabanikha, Tikhon and Varvara: her silent reaction to Kabanikha’s “lesson” to the children speaks of her complete psychological incompatibility with her mother-in-law and husband. It is clear that she cannot love her husband: in her silence during Kabanikha’s instructions to Tikhon, we, together with her, experience annoyance for Tikhon and pity for him. We feel: there will be trouble if Katerina responds to Boris Grigorievich’s love. But already in this scene, Katerina responded to Kabanikha’s direct appeal to her with a remark that contained the “germ of protest” (Dobrolyubov): “You are in vain saying this about me, mamma. Whether in front of people or without people, I’m all alone,” “who enjoys tolerating falsehoods!” Seeing Tikhon's downtroddenness, his complete dependence on his mother, his inability to stand up for himself (how can he stand up for his wife!), we understand that in the fight against Kabanikha, Katerina will be alone - Tikhon is not her support. Scene 5: Tikhon's departure. The central moment of this scene is Katerina’s farewell to her husband before his departure. Tikhon refuses to take Katerina with him: “What fun it is to go with you! You've really driven me too far here! I don’t know how to get out, and you’re still forcing yourself on me.” Answering his wife’s question: “Have you really stopped loving me?” Tikhon brings down on Katerina, who is thirsty for love and sympathy, all his grievances and dissatisfaction with life: “Yes, you haven’t stopped loving; and with this kind of bondage you can run away from whatever beautiful wife you want! Just think about it: no matter what I am, I’m still a man; Live like this all your life, as you see, you will run away from your wife. Yes, how do I know now that for two weeks there will be no thunderstorms over me, these shackles but-h gah no, what do I care about my wife?” These words were spoken without the desire to offend, not under the heat of the moment, not in anger, but in good location spirit. This is the norm for his attitude towards his wife. Is it possible to justify such rudeness and frankness of Tikhon towards Katerina by his forced position? Is it Katerina’s fault that he has “shackles” on his feet? Isn’t such a position a betrayal towards Katerina, albeit spontaneous, unconscious? “How can I love you when you say such words?” - these words of Katerina, full of emotional pain, strengthen Pasha’s contemptuous attitude towards Tikhon. And when Katerina, in response to Kabanikha’s reproach for not howling after her husband’s departure, declares: “There’s no point! Yes, and I can’t. Why make people laugh!”, we perceive this as the beginning of a protest. Scene 6: Katerina’s mental turmoil after her husband’s departure. Let's re-read phenomenon 10 - the story with the key. What significance do Katerina’s explanation with Tikhon before his departure and the story with the key have in the development of the action? They mean the beginning of a conflict. The essence of the conflict is that tension mental strength Katerina, doomed in the Kabanovs' house complete loneliness, the humiliating position of a person whose dignity is grossly trampled upon has reached its limit. Her patience is over, she can no longer live like this: “Come what may, I will see Boris! Ah, if only the night would speed up!..” Why Katerina’s desire to be human, to remain herself, found expression in an impulse of love is not difficult to understand. Let us remember how she is afraid to admit her love for Boris, how she wants to love her husband, how she looks for support in Tikhon and the fight against the feeling that has gripped her. To love or not to love is the only thing in which a woman, confined to the circle of family and household responsibilities, could show her freedom. There were no other forms of manifestation of independence for a woman from a bourgeois-merchant environment.

"He revealed man to the world new formation: a merchant-Old Believer and a merchant-capitalist, a merchant in an armyak and a merchant in a “troika”, traveling abroad and doing his own business. Ostrovsky opened wide the door to a world hitherto locked behind high fences from the prying eyes of others." (V. G. Marantsman).

Ostrovsky spent his entire childhood and part of his youth in the very center of Zamoskvorechye, which at that time, according to the conditions of his life, was completely special world. This world populated his imagination with those ideas and types that he later reproduced in his comedies.

New hero Ostrovsky gives rise to the originality of the problems and themes of the plays, determines the characteristics of the characters. Very often in the plays of N.A. Ostrovsky, the theme of the power of money arises. The thirst for profit determines the actions of many of his characters and changes their psychology. Moreover, money brings a lot of grief to those who do not strive for it at any cost: wealthy people the playwright is aware of the strength of the position that wealth gives them, and is always ready to humiliate the weak. Capital allows you to gain real power over people and influence their destinies.

Samson Silych Bolshov is a despot who knew “no restraint.” The whole family was in awe of him. Money gives power, strength, and honor - the example of Bolshov teaches this to everyone around him. The passion for profit corrupts people, develops cunning and hypocrisy in them. In this society the law reigns: “man is a wolf to man.” It is not surprising that in a family where relationships are based on fear and humiliation, there is no mutual love, no respect for the person.

The tyranny of the Wild is also based on the power of money, material dependence and traditional obedience; he is aware of his strength - this is the power of the money bag. That’s why he values every penny so much, which is why his meetings with Boris, who lays claim to part of the inheritance, are so annoying. Dikoy understands perfectly well that Boris depends on him, and openly makes fun of him. Material dependence is the basis of the relationship between the characters in the play.

“The power of money breaks people’s destinies.” Boris, Dikiy’s nephew, refuses the love of pure and ardent Katerina in the name of the possibility of ever receiving an inheritance. Money probably also played a role in the decision of Katerina’s parents to marry her to Tikhon Kabanov. Tikhon, sincerely loving wife, obeys her domineering mother in everything, as it seems to me, also because she depends on Marfa Ignatievna’s money.

In "Dowry" the theme of money is extremely important. We can say that it is money or the lack thereof that determines the actions of the characters, and in many ways their fate. The thirst for money, solid capital forces Paratov to “sell his freedom”, abandoning a sincere feeling, the value of which he understands. Knurov, a “millionaire,” decides to simply buy the love of Larisa Ogudalova. For him she is a commodity.

Larisa's product is also for her mother. Kharita Ignatievna is a hanger-on with noble gentlemen. Perhaps in her youth she led luxurious life at the expense of her fans, she is now trading in the beauty and talent of her daughter. In order to maintain the same lifestyle and provide for her old age, Ogudalova is ready to sell her daughters. As Vozhevatov says about her: “Grooms are paid. If someone likes their daughter, then fork out the money. Then he will take the dowry from the groom, but don’t ask for the dowry.” However, he is not offended, because “you have to pay for pleasures, they don’t come for free...”.

One of the researchers of A. Ostrovsky’s work defined this combination as follows: “Mad money means random, restless money that does not stay in your pocket for long. There are always not enough of them, everyone is hunting for them, but not everyone gets them. This means that Ostrovsky’s play is also about our problems today.” For the heroes of the play “Mad Money”, marriage is a trade transaction, and love is a subject of purchase and sale. All human feelings are valued at their weight in gold. For them, monetary interest is the only driving motive of behavior.

The playwright saw how destructive the power of money is, how everything becomes an object purchase and sale. The phenomenon began in the second half of the 1870s. We are seeing its flourishing today. Unfortunately, money still remains the greatest value, becoming a measure of beauty, love, and happiness. I believe that Ostrovsky’s plays have not lost their relevance: if we modernize his works: change the names, details of everyday life, social conditions etc., then any of his plays will be like a “cast” of our life.

References 1.A.N. Ostrovsky "Dowry" 2.A.N. Ostrovsky “We are our own people - we will be numbered” 3.A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" 4.A.N. Ostrovsky “Mad Money” 5. Vishnevskaya I. The country of Zamoskvorechye is noisy 6. Goncharov I. A. Collected works 7. Zhuravleva A. I. The world of Ostrovsky’s dramaturgy. 8. Ovchinina I. Money, business, love: comedy by A. N. Ostrovsky “Mad Money” 9. Revyakin A. I. The art of dramaturgy by A. N. Ostrovsky. 10.Encyclopedias of literature. Publishing house "Avanta +"

Project completed by: Olga Subbotina

Project manager: Popova Olga Aleksandrovna

"He revealed to the world a man of a new formation: an Old Believer merchant and a capitalist merchant, a merchant in an army coat and a merchant in a troika, traveling abroad and doing his own business. Ostrovsky opened wide the door to a world hitherto locked behind high fences from the prying eyes of others ". (V. G. Marantsman).

,

Ostrovsky spent his entire childhood and part of his youth in the very center of Zamoskvorechye, which at that time, according to the conditions of his life, was a completely special world. This world populated his imagination with those ideas and types that he later reproduced in his comedies.

Ostrovsky's new hero gives rise to the originality of the problems and themes of the plays and determines the characteristics of the characters.

Very often in the plays of N.A. Ostrovsky, the theme of the power of money arises. The thirst for profit determines the actions of many of his characters and changes their psychology. Moreover, money brings a lot of grief to those who do not strive for it at any cost: the playwright’s wealthy people are aware of the strength of the position that wealth gives them, and are always ready to humiliate the weak. Capital allows you to gain real power over people and influence their destinies.

Ostrovsky introduced the word “tyrant” into literature, explaining it this way in one of his plays: “A tyrant is what it’s called, if a person doesn’t listen to anyone, you’ll even bother him with a stake on his head, but he’ll have his own.” What is the tyranny of Ostrovsky’s characters based on?

“Their tyranny knows no boundaries, as long as they feel solid ground beneath them - wealth.”

“And whoever has money, sir, tries to enslave the poor so that he can make even more money from his free labors...”

The tyranny of the Wild is also based on the power of money, material dependence and traditional obedience; he is aware of his strength - this is the power of the money bag. That’s why he values every penny so much, which is why his meetings with Boris, who lays claim to part of the inheritance, are so annoying. Dikoy understands perfectly well that Boris depends on him, and openly makes fun of him. Material dependence is the basis of the relationship between the characters in the play.

“The power of money breaks people’s destinies.” Boris, Dikiy’s nephew, refuses the love of pure and ardent Katerina in the name of the possibility of ever receiving an inheritance. Money probably also played a role in the decision of Katerina’s parents to marry her to Tikhon Kabanov. Tikhon, who sincerely loves his wife, obeys his domineering mother in everything, as it seems to me, also because he depends on Marfa Ignatievna’s money.

"They don't look at you as a woman, as a person... they look at you as a thing...".

Larisa's product is also for her mother. Kharita Ignatievna is a hanger-on with noble gentlemen. Perhaps in her youth she led a luxurious life at the expense of her fans, but now she is trading on the beauty and talent of her daughter. In order to maintain the same lifestyle and provide for her old age, Ogudalova is ready to sell her daughters. As Vozhevatov says about her: “Grooms are paid. If someone likes their daughter, then fork out the money. Then he will take the dowry from the groom, but don’t ask for the dowry.” However, he is not offended, because “you have to pay for pleasures, they don’t come for free...”.

“No matter how much I get carried away, I won’t leave the budget”

For the heroes of the play “Mad Money”, marriage is a trade transaction, and love is a subject of purchase and sale. All human feelings are worth their weight in gold. For them, monetary interest is the only driving motive of behavior.

The playwright saw how destructive the power of money is, how everything becomes an object of purchase and sale. The phenomenon began in the second half of the 1870s. We are seeing its flourishing today. Unfortunately, money still remains the greatest value, becoming a measure of beauty, love, and happiness. I believe that Ostrovsky’s plays have not lost their relevance: if we modernize his works: change names, details of everyday life, social conditions, etc., then any of his plays will be like a “cast” of our life.