Comparative characteristics of wild and wild boar. Essay “Comparison of images: Wild and Kabanikha

The play "The Thunderstorm" takes special place in the works of Ostrovsky. In this play, the playwright most vividly depicted the “world of the dark kingdom,” the world of tyrant merchants, the world of ignorance, tyranny and despotism, and domestic tyranny.

The action in the play takes place in a small town on the Volga - Kalinov. Life here, at first glance, represents a kind of patriarchal idyll. The entire city is surrounded by greenery, an “extraordinary view” opens beyond the Volga, and on its high banks there is a public garden where residents of the town often stroll. Life in Kalinov flows quietly and slowly, there are no shocks, no exceptional events. News from big world The wanderer Feklusha brings to the town, telling the Kalinovites tales about people with dog heads.

However, in reality, not everything is so good in this small, abandoned world. This idyll is already destroyed by Kuligin in a conversation with Boris Grigorievich, Dikiy’s nephew: “ Cruel morals, sir, in our city, they are cruel! In the philistinism, sir, you will see nothing but rudeness and naked poverty... And whoever has money... tries to enslave the poor so that his labors will be free more money make money." However, there is no agreement between the rich either: they “are at enmity with each other”, “they scribble malicious slander”, “they are suing”, “they undermine trade”. Everyone lives behind oak gates, behind strong bars. “And they don’t lock themselves away from thieves, but so that people don’t see how they eat their own family and tyrannize their family. And what tears are flowing behind these locks, invisible and inaudible!.. And what, sir, behind these locks is dark debauchery and drunkenness!” - exclaims Kuligin.

One of the richest influential people The merchant Savel Prokofievich Dikoy is in the city. The main features of the Wild are rudeness, ignorance, hot temper and absurdity of character. “Look for another scolder like ours, Savel Prokofich! He will never cut off a person,” Shapkin says about him. The whole life of the Wild One is based on “swearing”. Neither financial transactions, nor trips to the market - “he doesn’t do anything without swearing.” Most of all, Dikiy gets it from his family and his nephew Boris, who came from Moscow.

Savel Prokofievich is stingy. “...Just mention money to me, it will ignite everything inside me,” he tells Kabanova. Boris came to his uncle in the hope of receiving an inheritance, but actually fell into bondage to him. Savel Prokofievich does not pay him a salary, constantly insults and scolds his nephew, reproaching him for laziness and parasitism.

Dikaya and Kuligin quarrel repeatedly, local self-taught mechanic. Kuligin is trying to find a reasonable reason for Savel Prokofievich’s rudeness: “Why, sir Savel Prokofievich, would you like to offend an honest man?” To which Dikoy replies: “I’ll give you a report, or something!” I don’t give an account to anyone more important than you. I want to think about you like that, and I do! For others you fair man, and I think that you are a robber, that’s all... I say that you are a robber, and that’s the end. So, are you going to sue me or something? So you know that you are a worm. If I want, I’ll have mercy, if I want, I’ll crush.”

“What theoretical reasoning can survive where life is based on such principles! The absence of any law, any logic - this is the law and logic of this life. This is not anarchy, but something much worse...” wrote Dobrolyubov about Dikiy’s tyranny.

Like most Kalinovites, Savel Prokofievich is hopelessly ignorant. When Kuligin asks him for money to install a lightning rod, Dikoy declares: “A thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we can feel it, but you want to defend yourself with poles and rods.”

Dikoy represents the “natural type” of the tyrant in the play. His rudeness, rudeness, and bullying of people are based, first of all, on his absurd, unbridled character, stupidity and lack of opposition from other people. And only then on wealth.

It is characteristic that practically no one offers active resistance to Dikiy. Although it is not so difficult to calm him down: during the transport he was “scolded” by an unfamiliar hussar, and Kabanikha is not shy in front of him. “There are no elders over you, so you are showing off,” Marfa Ignatievna bluntly tells him. It is characteristic that here she is trying to fit the Wild One into her vision of the world order. Kabanikha explains Dikiy’s constant anger and temper with his greed, but Savel Prokofievich himself does not even think of denying her conclusions. “Who doesn’t feel sorry for their own goods!” - he exclaims.

Much more complex in the play is the image of Kabanikha. This is an exponent of the “ideology of the dark kingdom”, which “created for itself a whole world of special rules and superstitious customs.”

Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is a rich merchant’s wife, a widow, cultivating the orders and traditions of antiquity. She is grumpy and constantly dissatisfied with those around her. She gets it from her, first of all, from her family: she “eats” her son Tikhon, reads endless moral lectures to her daughter-in-law, and tries to control her daughter’s behavior.

Kabanikha zealously defends all the laws and customs of Domostroy. A wife, in her opinion, should be afraid of her husband, be silent and submissive. Children must honor their parents, unquestioningly follow all their instructions, follow their advice, and respect them. None of these requirements, according to Kabanova, are met in her family. Marfa Ignatievna is dissatisfied with the behavior of her son and daughter-in-law: “They know nothing, no order,” she argues alone. She reproaches Katerina for not knowing how to see her husband off “in the old-fashioned way” - therefore, she doesn’t love him enough. "Another good wife“After seeing her husband off, she howls for an hour and a half and lies on the porch...” she lectures her daughter-in-law. Tikhon, according to Kabanova, is too gentle in his treatment of his wife and is not sufficiently respectful towards his mother. “They don’t really respect elders these days,” says Marfa Ignatievna, reading instructions to her son.

Kabanikha is fanatically religious: she constantly remembers God, sin and retribution; wanderers often visit her house. However, Marfa Ignatievna’s religiosity is nothing more than pharisaism: “A bigot... She gives tribute to the poor, but completely eats up her family,” Kuligin notes about her. In her faith, Marfa Ignatievna is stern and unyielding; there is no place for love, mercy, or forgiveness in her. So, at the end of the play she does not even think about forgiving Katerina for her sin. On the contrary, she advises Tikhon to “bury his wife alive in the ground so that she will be executed.”

Religion, ancient rituals, pharisaical complaints about his life, playing on filial feelings - Kabanikha uses everything to assert her absolute power in family. And she “gets her way”: in the harsh, oppressive atmosphere of domestic tyranny, Tikhon’s personality is disfigured. “Tikhon himself loved his wife and would be ready to do anything for her; but the oppression under which he grew up so disfigured him that there was no strong feeling, no decisive desire can develop. He has a conscience, a desire for good, but he constantly acts against himself and serves as a submissive instrument of his mother, even in his relations with his wife,” writes Dobrolyubov.

The simple-minded, gentle Tikhon lost the integrity of his feelings, the opportunity to express best features of your nature. Family happiness was initially closed to him: in the family where he grew up, this happiness was replaced by “Chinese ceremonies.” He cannot show his love for his wife, and not because “a wife should be afraid of her husband,” but because he simply “doesn’t know how” to show his feelings, which have been cruelly suppressed since childhood. All this led Tikhon to a certain emotional deafness: he often does not understand Katerina’s condition.

Depriving her son of any initiative, Kabanikha constantly suppressed his masculinity and at the same time reproached him for his lack of masculinity. Subconsciously, he strives to make up for this “lack of masculinity” through drinking and rare “partying” “in the wild.” Tikhon cannot realize himself in any business - probably his mother does not allow him to manage affairs, considering his son unsuitable for this. Kabanova can only send her son on an errand, but everything else is under her strict control. It turns out that Tikhon is deprived and own opinion, and your own feelings. It is characteristic that Marfa Ignatievna herself is to some extent dissatisfied with her son’s infantilism. This comes through in her intonations. However, she probably does not realize the extent of her involvement in this.

In the Kabanov family, a life philosophy Barbarians. Her rule is simple: “do what you want, as long as it’s safe and covered.” Varvara is far from Katerina’s religiosity, from her poetry and exaltation. She quickly learned to lie and dodge. We can say that Varvara, in her own way, “mastered” the “Chinese ceremonies”, perceiving their very essence. The heroine still retains spontaneity of feelings and kindness, but her lies are nothing more than reconciliation with Kalinov’s morality.

It is characteristic that in the finale of the play both Tikhon and Varvara, each in their own way, rebel against “mama’s power.” Varvara runs away from home with Kuryash, while Tikhon openly expresses his opinion for the first time, reproaching his mother for the death of his wife.

Dobrolyubov noted that “some critics even wanted to see in Ostrovsky a singer of broad natures,” “they wanted to assign arbitrariness to the Russian person as a special, natural quality of his nature - under the name of “breadth of nature”; they also wanted to legitimize trickery and cunning among the Russian people under the name of sharpness and guile." In the play "The Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky debunks both phenomena. Arbitrariness comes out "heavy, ugly, lawless" for him, he sees in it nothing more than tyranny. Trickery and cunning turn into vulgarity rather than ingenuity , the other side of tyranny.

Such and such a scolder like ours
Savel Prokofich, look again!
A. N. Ostrovsky
Drama by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky “The Thunderstorm” long years has become a textbook work depicting the “dark kingdom” that suppresses the best human feelings and aspirations, trying to force everyone to live by his rough laws. No free-thinking - unconditional and complete submission to elders. The bearers of this “ideology” are Dikoy and Kabanikha. Internally they are very similar, but some external difference present in their characters.
The boar is a prude and a hypocrite. Under the guise of piety, she, “like rusting iron,” eats her household members, completely suppressing their will. Kabanikha raised a weak-willed son and wants to control his every step. She hates the very idea that Tikhon can make his own decisions without looking back at his mother. “I would believe you, my friend,” she says to Tikhon, “if I had not seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears what kind of respect for parents from children has now become! If only they remembered how many illnesses mothers suffer from their children.”
Kabanikha not only humiliates the children herself, she teaches Tikhon this too, forcing him to torture his wife. This old woman is suspicious of everything. If she had not been so fierce, Katerina would not have rushed first into the arms of Boris, and then into the Volga. The wild one just pounces on everyone like a chain. Kudryash, however, is sure that “...we don’t have many guys like me, otherwise we would have taught him not to be naughty.” This is absolutely true. Dikoy does not meet adequate resistance, and therefore suppresses everyone. The capital behind him is the basis of his outrages, which is why he behaves this way. For the Wild there is one law - money. With them he determines the “value” of a person. Swearing is a normal state for him. They say about him: “We should look for another scolder like our Savel Prokofich. There’s no way he’ll cut someone off.”
Kabanikha and Dikoy are “pillars of society”, spiritual mentors in the city of Kalinov. They have established unbearable orders, from which one rushes into the Volga, others run wherever they want, and still others become drunkards.
Kabanikha is quite confident that she is right; she alone knows the ultimate truth. That is why he behaves so unceremoniously. She is the enemy of everything new, young, fresh. “That’s how the old man comes out. I don’t even want to go to another house. And if you get up, you’ll spit, but get out quickly. What will happen, how the old people will die, how the light will remain, I don’t know. Well, at least it’s good that I won’t see anything.”
Dikiy has a pathological love of money. In them he sees the basis of his unlimited power over people. Moreover, for him, all means are good in making money: he cheats the townspeople, “he won’t cheat a single one,” he makes up “thousands” from unpaid kopecks, and quite calmly appropriates the inheritance of his nephews. Dikoy is not scrupulous in his choice of funds.
Under the yoke of the Wild and Boars, not only their households groan, but the entire city. “Fat is powerful” opens up for them the unlimited possibility of arbitrariness and tyranny. “The absence of any law, any logic - this is the law and logic of this life,” writes Dobrolyubov about the life of the city of Kalinov, and, consequently, of any other city in Tsarist Russia.
In the play "The Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky gives a true picture of the musty atmosphere provincial town. The reader and viewer get a terrifying impression, but why is the drama still relevant 140 years after its creation? Little has changed in human psychology. Whoever is rich and in power is right, unfortunately, to this day.

What are the similarities and differences between the images of the Wild and Kabanikha?
(Based on the play “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky)

N.A. Dobrolyubov. "A ray of light in dark kingdom" Article – 1860
"The Thunderstorm", as you know, presents us with the idyll of the "dark kingdom" ...
The absence of any law, all logic - that is the law andthe logic of this life. It's not anarchy, but something much worse…
...the internal significance of tyrants is much closer to its end than the influence of people who know how to support themselves and their principles with external concessions. That’s why Kabanova is so sad, that’s why Dikoy is so furious: they last moment they did not want to curtail their broad ambitions and are now in the position of a rich merchant on the eve of bankruptcy... The Kabanovs and Dikiye are now trying to ensure that faith in their strength continues. They don’t even expect to improve their affairs; but they know that their willfulness will still have quite a lot of scope as long as everyone is timid in front of them, and that’s why they are so stubborn, so arrogant, so formidable even in last minutes“The position of the Dikikhs, Kabanovs and all similar tyrants is no longer as calm and firm as it once was, in the blissful times of patriarchal morals.”

What are the characters in Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm”, Dikaya and Kabanikh? First of all, it should be said about their cruelty and heartlessness. Dikoy does not regard not only those around him, but even his family and friends. His family lives in constant fear of his wrath. Kabanikha Dikoy behaves in exactly the same way and mocks his nephew in every possible way. It is enough to remember his words: “I told you once, I told you twice: “Don’t you dare come across me”; you're itching for everything! Not enough space for you? Wherever you go, here you are. Ugh, damn you! Why are you standing like a pillar! Are they telling you no?”

Dikoy openly shows that he does not respect his nephew at all. He puts himself above everyone around him. And no one offers him the slightest resistance. Is it any wonder that Dikoy is becoming more and more firmly convinced of the impunity of his actions, and as a result feels like a full-fledged master of life?

Kudryash says: “This is such an establishment among our merchants.” He means that all the merchants of the city of Kalinov, and all of Russia, behave in a similar way. Kabanova, or Kabanikha, as she is called in the city, is no different from Dikiy. Kabanova hides under the mask of piety. As Kuligin says about her: “Prudence, sir! He gives money to the poor, but completely eats up his family.” How false and hypocritical the joy of the wanderer Feklushi seems: “Bla-ale-pie, dear, blaalepie! Wonderful beauty! What can I say! You live in the promised land! And the merchants are all pious people, adorned with many virtues! Generosity and many donations! I’m so pleased, so, mother, completely satisfied! For our failure to leave them even more bounties, and especially to the Kabanovs’ house.”

Can the merchants be called a pious people? In no case, because in the work from the lips of Kuligin one can clearly hear the exposure of the existence of representatives of the merchant class. People are mired in arrogance, anger, debauchery and drunkenness. And they consider this the norm of life. The whole way of life in the city is such that being there to an unusual person It's simply impossible. It is no coincidence that Boris says that his mother could not be with her relatives even for several days. She was noble origin, therefore, the merchant order did not suit her at all.
Dikiy and Kabanikha, on the one hand, can be called typical representatives of the Russian merchant class. After all, the way of life was the same everywhere, so it is not surprising that everyone had similar qualities and characteristics. The behavior of Wild and Kabanikha does not surprise anyone. Both Dikoy and Kabanova are at the head of their own family. That is why they dispose of others as they see fit.

On the one hand, we can state the fact that all Russian merchants of the 19th century. mired in vulgarity, cruelty and stupidity. But I immediately remember the story of Boris, whose father “married a noble,” that is, a woman of noble origin. But Boris’s father was the brother of the merchant Dikiy. What does this mean? This suggests that even people born and raised in the same family could differ significantly from each other. Boris's father grew up in the same conditions as the merchant Dikoy. But nevertheless, he led a completely different life from his brother. This means that Dikoy, despite all his similarities to other representatives of his class, still cannot be called typical.

The same can be said about Kabanova. She is the mother of the family, but at the same time she treats her family so badly that mother's love and there can be no talk. She torments not only Katerina, who is essentially a stranger to her, with nagging and reproaches, but also her own son and daughter. Isn't it normal person will behave In a similar way? Most likely no. Katerina’s story about her childhood immediately comes to mind. The girl talks about her mother, who loved and cared for her very much. But Katerina’s parents belonged to the same merchant class as Kabanova. Katerina’s mother had sensitivity, kindness and sincerely loved her children. And Kabanikha is not capable of loving anyone.

Therefore, we can conclude that Dikiy and Kabanikha cannot be considered typical representatives of the merchant class. These characters in Ostrovsky's drama are distinguished by selfish inclinations; they think only about themselves. And even their own children seem to them to be a hindrance to some extent. Such an attitude cannot decorate people, which is why Dikoy and Kabanikha cause persistent negative emotions from readers.

All residents of this city can be divided into two groups: despots and those who obey them. The two most influential people in the city can easily be considered despots: Dikiy and Kabanova, whom everyone in the city calls Kabanikha. The names of these people say a lot about their characters. After all, it’s not for nothing that no one (except Feklushi) calls Dikiy Savel Prokofievich, and Kabanikha Marfa Ignatievna.

Both Dikoya and Kabanikha feel like full-fledged masters in the city. Everyone obeys them: some willingly (“It’s better to endure”), others not, but all their protests are expressed only in words (“We don’t have enough guys to take my stand, otherwise we’d teach him not to be naughty”). And that is why they do what they want, and no one dares to object to them.

The main feature that unites these merchants is the love of money. All relationships between people, in their opinion, are built on wealth. as well as Tikhon. Already on the list characters it is said about him that he is “her son,” that is, the son of Kabanikha. He really is more likely just Kabanikha’s son than a person. Tikhon has no willpower. This person’s only desire is to escape from his mother’s care so that he can take a break for the whole year. Tikhon is also unable to help Katerina. Both Boris and Tikhon leave her alone with their inner experiences.

If Kabanikha and Dikoy belong to the old way of life, Kuligin carries the ideas of enlightenment, then Katerina is at a crossroads. Growing up and brought up in a patriarchal spirit, Katerina fully follows this way of life. Cheating here is considered unforgivable, and having cheated on her husband, Katerina sees this as a sin before God. But her character is naturally proud, independent and free. Her dream of flying means breaking free from the power of her oppressive mother-in-law and from the stuffy world of the Kabanovs' house. As a child, she once, offended by something, went to the Volga in the evening. The same protest can be heard in her words addressed to Varya: “And if I’m really tired of being here, they won’t hold me back by any force. I’ll throw myself out the window, throw myself into the Volga. I don’t want to live here, I won’t do this, even if you cut me!” In Katerina’s soul there is a struggle between the pangs of conscience and the desire for freedom. She does not know how to adapt to life, to be a hypocrite and pretend, as Kabanikha does, she does not know how to look at the world as easily as Varya.

The morals of the Kabanov house drive Katerina to suicide.

Dikoy is depicted in only three scenes, but the playwright created a complete image, a type of tyrant. Ostrovsky not only introduced the word “tyrant” into literature, but also artistically developed the phenomenon of tyranny itself, revealing on what basis it arises and develops.

Dikoy swaggers in front of his nephew, in front of his family, but retreats in front of those who are able to fight back. Rude and unceremonious, he can no longer be different. His speech cannot be confused with the language of the other characters in “The Thunderstorm”. Already the first appearance of the Wild One on stage reveals his nature. He takes advantage of the fact that his nephew is financially dependent on him. Savel Prokofievich's vocabulary is replete with swear words and rude expressions. This is how he talks to Boris: “What the hell, I came here to beat you up!” Parasite! You'll be lost." The reason for this attitude towards people is the awareness of their superiority and complete impunity.

Dikoy behaves differently with Kabanova, although he is also rude to her out of habit. It’s interesting how they call each other: “kum”, “kuma”. This is how people usually addressed old people they knew well, were on friendly terms. There are almost no stage directions in this scene; the dialogue is conducted calmly and peacefully. It is from Kabanova that Dikaya seeks peace after having fought at home: “Talk to me so that my heart will go away. You’re the only one in the whole city who knows how to make me talk.” Stinginess and unbridledness are, of course, not purely individual qualities of the Wild. This typical features patriarchal merchants. But it stood out from the people's environment. But, breaking away from folk culture, this part of the merchant class has lost best sides folk character.

In the Wild there are features inherent in the people. Thus, he perceives natural phenomena in purely religious traditions. To Kuligin’s request to give money for the construction of a lightning rod, Dikoy proudly replies: “What a fuss.” In general, Kuligin’s words - in Dikoy’s view - are already a crime against something that even he, Dikoy, respects.

Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is perceived as a strong and powerful character. She is the antipode of Katerina. True, both of them are united by the most serious attitude towards Domostroevsky orders and uncompromisingness. She seems genuinely saddened by the decline in morality among younger generation, disrespectful attitude to the laws to which she herself obeyed unconditionally. She stands up for a strong, lasting family, for order in the house, which, in her opinion, is possible only if the rules prescribed by the house-building are observed. She is concerned about the future of her children - Tikhon and Varvara.

The playwright motivates Kabanova’s actions by the characteristics of her character, the conditions of social and domestic life, and purely maternal feelings. That is why the image turned out to be so convincing and impressive. Kabanikha's son Tikhon is married. Until now, he lived only with her, his mother, with his mind, was her property, and never contradicted her in anything. As a result, he grew into a person deprived of independence, firmness, and the ability to stand up for himself. He loves his wife Katerina, cannot and does not want to keep her in fear, does not demand respect from her. The mother feels how her son is gradually leaving her power, that he has his own life, that he treats his wife not as a master, but is drawn to her in his own way. Ostrovsky showed maternal jealousy in Kabanova and explained her active dislike for Katerina. Marfa Ignatievna is convinced that she is right and that her laws are necessary. A loving mother, she is also a very powerful woman. Only a strong personality can resist it.

The confrontation is shown in “The Thunderstorm” already at the very beginning of the action, where the irreconcilability of the two is felt different worlds, the world of Kabanova and the world of Katerina. The family scene on the boulevard, although it does not take place behind a high fence, immerses us in the atmosphere of the Kabanovs’ house. The first remark of the head of the family is an order: “If you want to listen to your mother, then when you get there, do as I ordered you.” This is followed by Tikhon’s humble answer: “How can I, Mama, disobey you!” The family scene is one of the leading ones in the play, but the events mainly take place on the street, in the world - Ostrovsky correctly grasped and conveyed that the life of the merchant class, which had not yet broken with traditions folk life, despite high fences and strong bolts, has an open character, in which it is impossible to hide what is happening in this or that family.

Let’s listen to Kabanikha’s remarks: “They don’t really respect elders these days”; “If only they remembered how many illnesses mothers suffer from their children”; “What a mother doesn’t see with her eyes, her heart is a prophet; she can feel with her heart. Or maybe your wife is taking you away from me, I don’t know.” It seems that there is nothing offensive, nothing unpleasant in Kabanikha’s complaints. But the conversation is structured by the playwright in such a way that no sympathy arises for Marfa Ignatievna, she does not evoke sympathy. Kabanova is present in many scenes; she is given much more time in the work than Dikiy: she is one of those who actively moves the action, bringing it closer to the tragic denouement. She takes into account what is accepted, what order requires, and honors the traditions and rituals that have developed in her class. In her deep conviction, a wife must submit to her husband and live in fear of him. Kabanikha admonishes Tikhon, who does not understand why Katerina should be afraid of him: “Why be afraid! Are you crazy, or what? He won’t be afraid of you, and he won’t be afraid of me either. What kind of order will there be in the house?” Kabanova holds tightly to order and adherence to form. This is especially evident in the scene of farewell to Tikhon. The mother demands that the son give his wife instructions for order: not to be rude to the mother-in-law, not to sit idle, not to look at other people’s men. The savagery and absurdity of this “order” are obvious. The main thing for Kabanikha is to say, to observe the ritual. She is convinced: if the Domostroev laws are not observed, human life will lose support, the family will collapse.

It turns out that “stopping” the Wild One is not so difficult: he humbles himself at the slightest resistance; and the trouble is that he encounters almost no resistance from anyone. However, this inner weakness of his, this cowardice indicates that Dikoy, like Kabanikha, is short-lived, that the reign of the Wild is coming to an end.

Events of “Thunderstorm”, characters, course dramatic action not only address the tragic aspects of Russian patriarchal life, with its darkness, limitations, and savagery, but also open up the prospect of renewal of life. With the entire structure of the play, Ostrovsky conveyed how tense the stuffy atmosphere of Kalinov was. The demand for uncomplaining obedience, absolute submission is already meeting with spontaneous resistance. Other times are coming, when the voice of protest is heard among weak people, when other principles penetrate into the world of the dark kingdom.

Kabanikha is very rich. This can be judged because her trade affairs extend beyond Kalinov (on her instructions, Tikhon traveled to Moscow), and that Dikoy respects her. But the affairs of Kabanikha are of little interest to the playwright: she is assigned a different role in the play. If Dikiy shows the brute force of tyranny, then Kabanikha is the exponent of the ideas and principles of the “dark kingdom”. She understands that money alone does not give the authorities, another indispensable condition is the obedience of those who do not have money. And yours main concern she sees it as cutting off any possibility of disobedience. She “eats” her family in order to kill their will, any ability to resist. With Jesuitical sophistication, she drains the soul out of them, insults their human dignity with unfounded suspicions. She skillfully uses various techniques to assert her will.

Kabanikha can speak in a friendly and instructive way (“I know, I know that you don’t like my words, but what can I do, I’m not a stranger to you, my heart aches for you”), and hypocritically become poor (“Mother is old , stupid; well, you, young people, smart, should not exact from us, fools), and command imperiously (“Look, remember! Cut your nose!”, “Bow at your feet!”). Kabanikha is trying to show her religiosity. Words: “Oh, a grave sin! How long will it take to sin!”, “Only one sin!” - constantly accompany her speech. She supports superstitions and prejudices and strictly observes ancient customs. It is not known whether Kabanikha believes in Feklushi’s absurd fairy tales and the signs of the townspeople; she herself says nothing of the kind. But it resolutely suppresses any manifestations of free thought. She condemns Kuligin’s statements against prejudices and superstitions, and she supports the superstitious prophecies of the townspeople that “this storm will not pass in vain” and edifyingly tells her son: “Don’t judge your older self! They know more than you. Old people have signs for everything. an old man he won’t say a word to the wind.” Both in religion and ancient customs she sees main goal: to push a person, to keep him in constant fear. She understands that only fear can keep people in subjection and prolong the shaky reign of tyrants. In response to Tikhon’s words, why should his wife be afraid of him, Kabanova exclaims in horror: “Why, why be afraid! How, why be afraid! Are you crazy, or what? He won’t be afraid of you, and he won’t be afraid of me either. What kind of order will there be in the house? After all, you, tea, live with her in law. Ali, do you think the law means nothing?” She defends the law according to which the weak should fear the strong, according to which a person should not have his own will. As a faithful guardian of this order, she teaches her household in full view of the crowd of townspeople. After Katerina’s confession, she loudly and triumphantly says to Tikhon: “What, son! Where will the will lead? I spoke, but you didn’t want to listen. That’s what I’ve been waiting for!” In Kabanikha’s son, Tikhon, we see the living embodiment of the goal that the rulers of the “dark kingdom” strive for. They would be completely calm if they could make all people just as downtrodden and weak-willed. Thanks to the efforts of “mama,” Tikhon is so saturated with fear and humility that he does not even dare to think about living with his own mind and his own will. “Yes, Mama, I don’t want to live by my own will. Where can I live by my own will!” - he assures his mother.

But Tikhon is by nature a good person. He is kind, sympathetic, sincerely loves and pities Katerina, and is alien to any selfish aspirations. But everything human is suppressed in him by the despotism of his mother, he becomes a submissive executor of her will. However, Katerina’s tragedy forces even the submissive Tikhon to raise his voice of protest. If Tikhon’s first words in the play are: “How can I, Mama, disobey you!”, then at the end of it he desperately throws a passionate, angry accusation into his mother’s face: “You ruined her! You! You!" The unbearable life under the yoke of Kabanikha, the longing for freedom, the desire for love and devotion - all this, which did not find a response in Tikhon, was the reason for the emergence of Katerina’s feelings for Boris. Boris is not like the other inhabitants of Kalinov. He is educated and seems to be from another world. Like Katerina, he is also oppressed, and this gives the young woman hope of finding in him a kindred spirit who can respond to her ardent feelings. But Katerina was bitterly deceived in Boris. Boris only outwardly seems better than Tikhon, but in reality he is worse than him. Like Tikhon, Boris does not have his own will and obeys without complaint.