What do the fates of Katerina and Larisa have in common? Ostrovsky's plays: the images of Katerina Kabanova and Larisa Ogudalova, as a reflection of the Russian national female character
Katerina and Larisa Ogudalova are the main characters of two famous plays by A. N. Ostrovsky, “The Thunderstorm” (1859) and “Dowry” (1878). The works are separated by nineteen years, but many similarities can be found in these dramas.
Two heroines - a similar fate
The action takes place in a small provincial town, in a merchant-philistine environment, minor characters- representatives of the so-called third estate. The recreation of everyday life occupies a central place in the plot, serving as a backdrop for the concretization and development of images characters, as well as creating a sharp contrast between Larisa Ogudalova and Katerina on the one hand and the surrounding environment on the other. The characterization of Larisa Ogudalova and the comparison of the heroine with Katerina Kabanova are the subject of this review.
Common features in the characters of Larisa and Katerina
The images of the heroines have a lot in common. The girls do not fit into the merchant-philistine world in any way, despite the fact that they were born, raised and brought up in it. Both dream of freedom and happy love and in every possible way oppose the norms, rules and guidelines that their families, acquaintances and, finally, the inhabitants of the city adhere to. Both are unhappy in love: Katerina suffered in the family of Tikhon Kabanov, and Larisa’s engagement with Karandyshev ended in tragedy. The girl’s relationship with Paratov also did not work out: the latter, although he was not indifferent to her, considered it more profitable for himself to marry a rich bride. Both took these shocks hard: for their sensitive, gentle and soft natures it was too heavy a blow.
Protest of heroines against the patriarchal way of life
Each protests in its own way against patriarchal way of life: Larisa Ogudalova is trying with all her might to resist the efforts of her mother, Kharita Ignatievna, to marry her off to a rich and influential groom. Katerina directly declares her rejection of the lifestyle that she leads in the house of her mother-in-law Kabanova. It should be noted that Katerina expresses her position more decisively and boldly than Larisa: she, in principle, cannot get along in the new environment in which she found herself after marriage. Everything in her husband’s family seems alien to her, and even before the fateful date with Boris, she directly declares to Varvara that nothing in her husband’s family is dear to her. Larisa’s protest manifested itself only when she became seriously interested in Sergei Sergeevich Paratov: the girl unexpectedly exhibited character traits that, it seemed, could not be suspected in this well-mannered young lady. However, already from the heroine’s first remarks the reader can judge her decisive character: she speaks quite harshly about her fiancé Karandyshev and directly tells him that he is losing in comparison with Paratov.
Larisa's character
Larisa Ogudalova, a dowryless woman, is very proud: she is ashamed of herself and her mother, of the beggarly lifestyle that they are forced to lead, pleasing the rich guests who come in droves to their house to look at the beautiful but poor bride. Nevertheless, Larisa tolerates these parties, despite repeated scandals in the house, which immediately become known to the whole city. However, when her feelings were affected, the heroine disdained all conventions and ran after Paratov on the day of his departure from Bryakhimov (which, by the way, like Kalinov, is located on the banks of the Volga). After returning home, the heroine continues to live her usual life and even agrees to marry Karandyshev - an unequal marriage in all respects. And if not for the reappearance of Paratov on stage, then, most likely, Larisa would have become Mrs. Karandysheva, would have gone with her husband to the village and, perhaps, after some time in the lap of nature, would have found the strength to continue leading her usual existence.
Katerina's character
However, such a scenario is difficult to imagine in relation to Katerina: it is unlikely that the latter would come to terms with such an existence. To the characterization of Larisa Ogudalova, it should be added that the heroine is extremely withdrawn into herself: at her first appearance on stage, she limits herself to only a few remarks, while Katerina from the very beginning opens up with her husband’s sister Varvara. She willingly shares her childhood memories with her and admits how difficult it is for her in her new environment. In light of the above, it makes sense to compare the images of the heroines with Tatyana Larina, with whom, at first glance, one can find a lot in common: all three are distinguished by their impulsiveness and spontaneity of perception of the world around them. However, both Katerina and Larisa are too divorced from reality: both live as if in a dream, and it seems that they are always in some kind of inner world.
Comparison of Larisa and Katerina
It was not without reason that Knurov said that there was “nothing worldly” about Larisa, that she was like “ether.” Perhaps this best characteristic Larisa Ogudalova: the girl is really constantly distracted and remains surprisingly indifferent to everything around her, and only sometimes does she make individual remarks that betray her dislike for the bourgeois life. It is surprising that she does not at all express her love or even any affection for her mother. Of course, from a moral point of view, the portrait of Kharita Ignatievna is far from ideal, but this woman, after all, cares about her daughter, is concerned about her fate and, of course, deserves some respect. Larisa gives the impression of a young lady alienated from life: her image, so to speak, is incorporeal and divorced from the historical and social soil. In this regard, Katerina is more realistic: she reacts vividly and sharply to what is happening around her; she lives a full-blooded, rich, although more tragic, life. However, the image of Katerina is somewhat idealized, despite its quite recognizable features.
Comparison of heroines with Tatyana Larina
Tatyana Larina is not like that - she is firmly attached to her native corner in the village, which she tells Evgeniy at the end of the novel. Pushkin's heroine stands firmly on her own ground, which gives her the moral strength to withstand the trials that befell her. That is why she evokes respect, and Larisa and Katerina evoke compassion and pity. Undoubtedly, the essay “Larisa Ogudalova” should draw a parallel between her drama, the tragedy of Katerina Kabanova and the story of Tatyana Larina.
There are twenty years between “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry”. During this time, the country has changed, the writer has changed. All these changes can be traced through the example of the play “The Thunderstorm” and the drama “Dowry”.
The merchants in “The Dowry” are no longer ignorant and tyrant representatives of the “dark kingdom,” but people who pretend to be educated, read foreign newspapers, and dress in European style.
The main characters of two plays by A.N. Ostrovsky differ significantly in their social status, but they are very similar in their tragic destinies. Katerina in “The Thunderstorm” is the wife of a rich but weak-willed merchant who is entirely under the influence of her despotic mother. Larisa in “Dowry” is beautiful unmarried girl, who lost her father early and was raised by her mother, a poor woman, very energetic, who, unlike her mother-in-law Katerina, is not inclined to tyranny. Kabanikha cares about the happiness of her son Tikhon, as she understands him. Kharita Ignatievna Ogudalova equally zealously cares about the happiness of her daughter Larisa, again, in her own understanding. As a result, Katerina rushes into the Volga and dies at the hands of her unsuccessful groom Larisa. In both cases, the heroines are destined to die, although their relatives and friends seemed to wish them only the best.
The main characters, Katerina and Larisa, are often compared to each other. They both strove for freedom, both received it not in this world, both were pure and bright in nature, loved the unworthy, and with all their being showed a protest against the “dark kingdom” (in my opinion, the “Dowryless” society also fits this definition) .
Katerina Kabanova lives in a small Volga town, where life is still largely patriarchal. And the action of “The Thunderstorm” takes place before the reform of 1861, which had a huge impact on the life of the Russian province. Larisa Ogudalova - resident big city, also located on the Volga, but has long lost the patriarchal nature of family relationships. The Volga unites the heroines; for both of them, the river symbolizes freedom and death: both Katerina and Larisa are overtaken by death on the river. But here are also differences: the city of Bryakhimov is not separated from the rest of the world, like Kalinov, it is not excluded from historical time, it is open, people come and go to it (in “The Thunderstorm” the Volga River is perceived primarily as a border, and in “Dowry” ” it becomes a means of communication with the world).
The action of “Dowry” takes place in the late 1870s, at the end of the second decade after the liberation of the peasants. Capitalism is developing rapidly. Former merchants are turning into millionaire entrepreneurs. The Ogudalov family is not rich, but thanks to the persistence of Kharita Ignatievna, they make acquaintances with influential and rich people. The mother inspires Larisa that, although she does not have a dowry, she should marry a rich groom. And Larisa has no doubt about it, hoping that both love and wealth will unite in the person of her future chosen one. The choice for Katerina had already been made long ago, marrying off the unloved, weak-willed, but rich Tikhon. Larisa got used to have a fun life Volga “light” - parties, music, dancing. She herself has abilities - Larisa sings well. It is simply impossible to imagine Katerina in such a situation. It is much more closely connected with nature, with popular beliefs, and is truly religious. Larisa is also in Hard time remembers God, and, having agreed to marry a petty official, Karandyshev, dreams of leaving with him to the village, away from the city temptations and former wealthy acquaintances. However, in general, she is a person of a different era and environment than Katerina. Larisa has a more subtle psychological makeup, a more subtle sense of beauty than the heroine of “The Thunderstorm”. But this also makes her even more defenseless against any unfavorable external circumstances.
The merchants of “Groza” are just becoming the bourgeoisie, this is manifested in the fact that the patriarchal relations traditional for them are becoming obsolete, deception and hypocrisy are being established (Kabanikha, Varvara), which are so disgusting to Katerina.
Larisa is also a victim of deception and hypocrisy, but she has different life values, unthinkable for Katerina, the source of which, first of all, lies in upbringing. Larisa received a Europeanized upbringing and education. She is looking for sublimely beautiful love, gracefully beautiful life. To do this, ultimately, she needs wealth. But there is no strength of character, no integrity of nature in her. It would seem that the educated and cultured Larisa should have expressed at least some kind of protest, unlike Katerina. But she is a weak nature in all respects. Weak not only in order to kill herself when everything collapsed and everything became hateful, but even in order to somehow resist the deeply alien norms of life that boils around her. In soul and body, Larisa herself turns out to be an expression of the deceitfulness of the surrounding life, emptiness, spiritual chill, hiding behind a spectacular external shine.
The essence of the conflict in dramas is also different. In “The Thunderstorm,” the clash occurs between tyrants and their victims. The play has very strong motifs of lack of freedom, stuffiness, suppression, and closed space. Katerina, accustomed to living “like a bird in the wild,” dreaming of flight, cannot subordinate herself to the laws of the world in which she found herself after her marriage. Her situation is truly tragic: the free expression of feeling - love for Boris - comes into conflict with her true religiosity, her inner inability to live in sin. The climax of the play is Katerina’s public recognition, which takes place amid the thunderclaps of an approaching thunderstorm.
An event that, like a thunderclap, shakes the entire city is the death of Katerina. Traditionally, it is perceived by drama viewers as a protest against the cruel laws of life, as a victory of the heroine over the force that oppresses her.
In “Dowry”, at first glance, everything is the opposite. Larisa is not sharply opposed to the heroes around her; she is admired and idolized. There is no talk of any suppression or despotism. But another motive is extremely strong in the play, which was not in “The Thunderstorm” - the motive of money. It is he who forms the conflict of the drama. Larisa is homeless, and this determines her position in the play. All the characters around her - Knurov, Vozhevatov, Paratov, Karandyshev - talk only about money, benefit, profit, buying and selling. In this world, a person’s feelings also become a subject of trade. This clash of monetary, material interests with the feelings of the heroine leads to a tragic ending.
And the heroines’ attitudes towards death are very different; Larisa’s willpower is much weaker than Katerina’s. Katerina sees death here as an opportunity to merge with the natural world and get rid of suffering, when her husband’s house became a grave for her: “Where to now? Should I go home? No, it doesn’t matter to me whether I go home or go to the grave. Yes, to home, to the grave!.. to the grave! It’s better in a grave... There’s a grave under a tree... how nice!.. The sun warms it, wets it with rain... in the spring the grass will grow on it, so soft... birds will fly to the tree, they will sing, they will bring out children, flowers will bloom: yellow, red, blue... all sorts of (thoughts) all sorts...”
Larisa, after her hopes for marriage with Paratov have finally collapsed, and Knurov openly invited her to become a rich kept woman, is thinking about throwing herself into the Volga, like Katerina. However, she does not have enough determination for this: “Larissa. Just now I looked down through the bars, my head began to spin, and I almost fell. And if you fall, they say... certain death. (Thinking.) It would be nice to rush! No, why rush!.. Stand by the bars and look down, you’ll get dizzy and fall... Yes, that’s better... unconscious, no pain... you won’t feel anything! (He approaches the bars and looks down. He bends down, grabs the bars tightly, then runs away in horror.) Oh, oh! How scary! (Almost falls, grabs the gazebo.) What dizziness! I'm falling, falling, ouch! (Sits down at the table near the gazebo.) Oh, no... (Through tears.) Parting with life is not at all as easy as I thought. So I have no strength! Here I am, how unhappy! But there are people for whom this is easy...”
Here the author’s remarks convey the confusion of the main character of “The Dowry,” her desire for suicide and her inability to accomplish it. Larisa either approaches the cliff or moves away from it. She still hopes that some force acting against her will will help her die. Larisa dreams of leaving life pure, sinless, including without the sin of suicide. And she clearly lacks the determination to take her own life. Katerina is a different matter. She realizes that she is a sinner because she cheated on her husband, even an unloved one, even for the sake of real, genuine love. Her suicide is both atonement for sin (albeit through, from the point of view of Christianity, another sin, but for Katerina this circumstance no longer matters), and reunification with the natural world - birds, trees, and liberation from the earthly grave - the home of the hated Kabanikha. Before her death, Katerina by no means forgives her mother-in-law who killed her. Larisa, in full agreement with Christian ideals, declares that she loves all those - Paratov, Knurov, Vozhevatov, Karandyshev - who, voluntarily or unwittingly, contributed to her death. Katerina’s faith is more passionate and less canonical, in some ways close to the pagan deification of the natural elements. Larisa's faith is calmer, partly bookish, although no less sincere. The heroine of “The Thunderstorm” is a more strong-willed person. She is capable of such a decisive act as suicide. The heroine of “The Dowry” does not have the will to commit suicide. An accident comes to her aid in the person of Karandyshev, who ended Larisa’s life with his shot.
Freedom and love are the main things that were in Katerina’s character. She believed in God freely, not under pressure. By her own free will, she sinned and punished herself. Moreover, suicide for a believer is an even more terrible sin, but Katerina agreed to it. Her impulse for freedom, for freedom, turned out to be stronger than the fear of torment beyond the grave, but, more likely, it was her hope in God’s mercy, for Katerina’s God is undoubtedly kindness and forgiveness incarnate.
The female image, its inconsistency and true beauty have always attracted playwrights. One of the main features of Russian literature is attention to female characters, and often the removal female image as the main thing, leading in the work. Despite the fact that the authors of the works were men, they felt very subtly and extremely accurately depicted strength and weakness feminine character. A. N. Ostrovsky, the creator of the national Russian theater, was no exception. In his plays, the writer showed the life of merchant society and how time changed it. Two, perhaps, the most popular plays of the writer - “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry” - are separated by an interval of twenty years. “The Thunderstorm,” written in 1859, was the pinnacle of A. N. Ostrovsky’s creativity. This play became the pearl of Russian drama of the second half of the 19th century century, because a force appeared in her that resolutely resisted the strange deadening order, the oppressive atmosphere. The lines of “Dowry” were written on paper in 1879. In this play, the merchants are no longer ignorant representatives of the “dark kingdom”, but people who pretend to be educated, read foreign newspapers, and dress in European fashion. The plays are very similar in concept. The pages of both works reflect the problem of women's powerlessness, the confrontation between character and inner world girls to the orders and morals of the society in which she lives. The fates of Katerina and Larisa Ogudalova are similar. A. N. Ostrovsky demonstrates that when money interferes in people’s relationships, what was once called love and trust is destroyed. But it seems to me that the issue is not only the irresistible power of money. I believe that if between two people there really are high relations, then not a single person who is faced with the choice of “money or beloved” will stop for a minute on the “money” option. But in Ostrovsky’s plays, neither Boris nor Paratov could choose the comfortable existence of their beloved women over money. In my opinion, in in this case one cannot talk about Boris’s love for Katerina and any true feelings of Paratov for Larisa. Katerina's character was formed in the atmosphere of a simple patriarchal merchant family. Her spiritual needs were satisfied by the stories of wanderers and praying men like Feklushi. Love in the family and the freedom provided to her shaped the character of Katerina, who is naturally endowed poetic soul. N.A. Dobrolyubov described Katerina as “a ray of light in dark kingdom" This is true. She shone with the genuine beauty of her soul, sincerity and belief that a different way of life was possible. Among the shaky morality, which became the last straw and the impetus for betrayal, she was the most highly moral person. Her betrayal of her husband cannot be viewed as a fatal mistake and she cannot be condemned for it. After all, the heroine struggled with her feelings in all ways, trying to protect herself from sin. In Boris she sees her protector and seeks support. But he also leaves and abandons Katerina, realizing that the best way out for her is death. It is impossible to say unambiguously whether Katerina is strong or weak. On the one hand, she strong man, because she found the strength to resist the social foundations of that time, she fights for happiness with her feelings.
KATERINA AND LARISA. COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HEROINES OF A. N. OSTROVSKY’S PLAYS “THE THUNDER” AND “THE DOWER”
I speak, why people don't fly like birds? A.N. Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky in his plays created a gallery of unforgettable Russian characters, an entire repertoire of Russian theater. The images of Katerina from “The Thunderstorm” and Larisa Ogudalova from “The Dowry” seem reverent, romantic and so different. IN different time these two dramas were written, maybe that’s why Ostrovsky’s heroines are so different. Katerina is a romantic, dreamy, God-fearing woman. Her soul is initially tormented by conflicting feelings: the impulse for freedom and Christian humility before fate. Katrina is a merchant’s daughter, married without love. But her soul strives for happiness, longing for freedom. Larisa Ogudalova is much more educated and complex in her internal makeup, the range of experienced feelings. She lives in a different environment - in the world of books, music. But that's not what the hero does
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There are twenty years between the two works, the play "The Thunderstorm" and the drama "Dowry". The country has changed a lot during this time, and the writer himself has changed. All this can be traced by analyzing these works. In this article we will conduct a comparison of Larisa, the main characters of the two plays.
Features of merchants in two works
In "The Thunderstorm" the merchants only become the bourgeoisie. This is evident from the fact that for them traditional patriarchal relationships are becoming obsolete, hypocrisy and deception are being established (Varvara, Kabanikha), which Katerina is disgusted with.
In "The Dowry", Ostrovsky's later creation, the merchants are no longer tyrant and ignorant representatives of the so-called "dark kingdom" but people claiming to be educated, dressed in European style, reading foreign newspapers.
This should be taken into account when conducting Katerina and Larisa. After all, the merchant environment largely influenced the development of the characters and destinies of these girls.
Social status of heroines
Our Comparative characteristics Katerina and Larisa begins with the definition of girls. In the two plays, the main characters differ significantly in this criterion, but in their tragic destinies they are very similar. In "The Thunderstorm" Katerina is the wife of a weak-willed but rich merchant who is completely under the influence of her oppressive mother.
In "Dowryless" Larisa is unmarried beautiful girl, who lost her father early and is being raised by her mother, a very energetic, poor woman, not prone to tyranny. Kabanikha, in her own way, cares about the happiness of Tikhon, her son. Ogudalova Kharita Ignatievna also zealously cares about the well-being of Larisa, her daughter, understanding it in her own way. As a result of this, Katerina throws herself into the Volga, and Larisa dies at the hands of her fiancé. The heroines in both cases are destined to die, despite the fact that their loved ones seem to wish them only the best.
What do these girls have in common?
A comparative description of Katerina and Larisa reveals other common features. Both of these girls strove for freedom, but did not find it in our world; both are bright and pure natures and love the unworthy. They show with all their essence a protest against the so-called dark kingdom (the “Dowryless” society fits the this definition just like his representatives in "The Thunderstorm").
Time and place of action of two plays
Katerina Kabanova lives in a small Volga town, where life is still largely patriarchal. The action of "The Thunderstorm" itself takes place before the reform that occurred in 1861, which had a huge impact on the life of the province. lives in also located on the Volga, which has long lost its patriarchy in various fields, including in family relationships. The Volga River unites girls like Katerina and Larisa. A comparative description of the heroines shows that she symbolizes death and freedom for both: both Larisa and Katerina are overtaken by death on the river. The differences should also be noted: Bryakhimov is open - people come here and leave from here. The Volga River in "The Thunderstorm" is perceived primarily as a border, and in the play "Dowry" it becomes a kind of means of communication with the outside world.
In the drama "Dowry" the action takes place around the end of the 1870s, when the second decade after the abolition of serfdom was ending. At this time, capitalism is developing rapidly. Former merchants, as we have already noted, become millionaire entrepreneurs.
Differences in upbringing and character
We continue the comparison of Katerina and Larisa in “The Thunderstorm” and “Dowry”. The Ogudalov family is not rich, but the persistence of Larisa’s mother helps them make acquaintances with wealthy and influential people. She inspires her daughter that she must definitely marry a rich chosen one. The choice for Katerina was made a long time ago, passing off the weak-willed, unloved, but wealthy Tikhon. The heroine of "The Dowry" is accustomed to the relaxed life of the "society" - dancing, music, parties. She herself has abilities - the girl sings well. It is impossible to imagine Katerina in such a situation. It is connected much more with folk beliefs, with nature, and is religious. In difficult times, Larisa also remembers God and dreams of agreeing to throw in her lot with Karandyshev, a minor official, and go to the village with him, away from wealthy acquaintances and city temptations. On the whole, however, she is a person of a different environment and era than main character"Thunderstorms". Katerina and Larisa, whose comparative characteristics we are carrying out, are different in character. Larisa has a more subtle psychological makeup; she feels beauty more subtly than Katerina. This also makes her more defenseless against unfavorable circumstances.
Larisa is also a victim of hypocrisy and deception, but she has others that are unthinkable for another heroine. Their source lies, first of all, in upbringing. The heroine of "The Dowry" received a Europeanized education. She longs to find beautiful, sublime love and the same life. Ultimately, she needs wealth for this. But this girl has no integrity of nature, no strength of character. Cultured and educated Larisa, it would seem, should express, unlike Katerina, at least some semblance of protest. But this girl is a weak person. And it helps us understand how different they are, Katerina and Larisa, a comparative description of the girls.
Various conflicts in works
In dramas, the essence of the conflict is also different. The clash in "The Thunderstorm" occurs between the victims of tyrants and the tyrants themselves. The motifs of closed space, suppression, stuffiness, and lack of freedom are very strong in the play. Katerina cannot subject herself to the laws of the world in which she found herself after her marriage. Her situation is tragic: her love for Boris conflicts with the heroine’s religiosity and this girl’s inability to live in sin. The culmination of the work is Katerina’s recognition. The ending is the death of the main character.
At first glance, in "Dowry" everything is the other way around. Everyone idolizes Larisa, admires her, she is not opposed to the heroes around her. There can be no talk of despotism and suppression. However, the play has a very strong motive, which was not present in The Thunderstorm - the motive of money. It is he who shapes the conflict of the drama. Larisa is homeless, which determines her position in the drama. Everyone around them talks only about money, buying and selling, profit, benefit. in this world it also becomes an object of trade. The collision of material, monetary interests with the personal feelings of the heroine leads to a tragic ending.
Katerina and Larisa: two women - one destiny. “The Thunderstorm” (Ostrovsky) and “Dowry” (the same author) show that the fate of the girls is tragic both before and after the abolition of serfdom. Ostrovsky invites us to think about many eternal and pressing issues of our time.