Short description

Boris Dikoy and Tikhon Kabanov are the two characters most closely associated with the main character, Katerina: Tikhon is her husband, and Boris becomes her lover. They can be called antipodes, which stand out sharply against the background of each other. And, in my opinion, preferences in their comparison should be given to Boris, as a character who is a more active, interesting and pleasant reader, while Tikhon causes some compassion - brought up by a strict mother, he, in fact, cannot make his own decisions and defend his own opinion. In order to substantiate my point of view, below I will consider each character separately and try to analyze their characters and actions.

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BORIS AND TIKHON
Boris Dikoy and Tikhon Kabanov are the two characters most closely associated with the main character, Katerina: Tikhon is her husband, and Boris becomes her lover. They can be called antipodes, which stand out sharply against the background of each other. And, in my opinion, preferences in their comparison should be given to Boris, as a character who is a more active, interesting and pleasant reader, while Tikhon causes some compassion - brought up by a strict mother, he, in fact, cannot make his own decisions and defend his own opinion. In order to substantiate my point of view, below I will consider each character separately and try to analyze their characters and actions.

To begin with, consider Boris Grigorievich Diky. Boris came to the city of Kalinov not out of his own whim, but out of necessity. His grandmother, Anfisa Mikhailovna, disliked his father after he married a noble woman, and after her death left her entire inheritance to her second son, Savel Prokofievich Diky. And Boris would not have cared about this inheritance if his parents had not died of cholera, leaving him and his sister orphans. Savel Prokofievich Dikoi had to pay part of the inheritance of Anfisa Mikhailovna to Boris and his sister, but on the condition that they would be respectful to him. Therefore, throughout the play, Boris tries in every possible way to serve his uncle, not paying attention to all the reproaches, discontent and abuse, and then he leaves for Siberia to serve. From this we can conclude that Boris not only thinks about his future, but also takes care of his sister, who is in an even less advantageous position than he is. This is expressed in his words, which he once said to Kuligin: “If I were alone, it would be fine! I would have left everything and left.

Boris spent all his childhood in Moscow, where he received a good education and manners. It also adds positive features to his image. He is modest and, perhaps, even somewhat timid - if Katerina had not responded to his feelings, if not for the complicity of Varvara and Curly, he would never have crossed the boundaries of what is permitted. His actions are driven by love, perhaps the first, a feeling that even the most reasonable and reasonable people are unable to resist. Some timidity, but sincerity, his gentle words to Katerina make Boris a touching and romantic character, full of charm that cannot leave girlish hearts indifferent.

As a person from the metropolitan society, from secular Moscow, Boris has a hard time in Kalinov. He does not understand local customs, it seems to him that he is a stranger in this provincial city. Boris does not fit into the local society. The hero himself on this occasion says the following words: "... it's hard for me here, without a habit! Everyone looks at me wildly, as if I'm superfluous here, as if I'm disturbing them. I don't know the local customs. I understand that this is all our , Russian, native, but still I can’t get used to it in any way. Boris is overwhelmed by heavy thoughts about his future fate. Youth, the desire to live, desperately rebel against the prospect of staying in Kalinovo: "But I, apparently, will ruin my youth in this slum. I walk completely dead ...".

So, we can say that Boris in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" is a romantic, positive character, and his rash actions can be justified by falling in love, which makes young blood boil and do completely reckless things, forgetting about how they look in the eyes of society.

Tikhon Ivanovich Kabanov, on the other hand, can be considered as a more passive character, unable to make his own decisions. He is strongly influenced by his imperious mother, Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova, he is under her thumb. Tikhon strives for the will, however, it seems to me that he himself does not know what exactly he wants from it. So, breaking free, the hero acts as follows: "... and as soon as I left, I went on a spree. I'm very glad that I broke free. And I drank all the way, and in Moscow I drank everything, so a bunch, what the heck! So much so that I can take a walk for a whole year. I never once thought about the house. " In his desire to escape "from captivity," Tikhon closes his eyes to other people's feelings, including the feelings and experiences of his own wife, Katerina: "..and with some kind of bondage, you will run away from whatever beautiful wife you want! Just think about it: Whatever it is, but I'm still a man; to live like this all your life, as you see, that's how you will run away from your wife. Yes, as I know now that there will be no thunderstorm over me for two weeks, there are no these shackles on my legs, so up to my wife?". I believe that this is Tikhon's main mistake - he did not listen to Katerina, did not take her with him, and did not even take a terrible oath from her, as she herself asked in anticipation of trouble. In the events that followed, there is a share of his guilt.

Returning to the fact that Tikhon is not able to make his own decisions, we can give the following example. After Katerina confesses her sin, he cannot decide what to do - listen to his mother again, who calls her daughter-in-law cunning and tells everyone not to believe her, or show indulgence to his beloved wife. Katerina herself speaks about it this way: "Now he is affectionate, then he is angry, but he drinks everything." Also, in my opinion, an attempt to get away from problems with the help of alcohol also indicates Tikhon's weakness.

We can say that Tikhon Kabanov is a weak character, like a person who evokes sympathy. It is difficult to say whether he really loved his wife, Katerina, but it is safe to assume that with his character he was better suited to another life partner, more like his mother. Brought up in strictness, not having his own opinion, Tikhon needs outside control, guidance and support.

So, on the one hand, we have Boris Grigorievich Diky, a romantic, young, self-confident hero. On the other hand - Tikhon Ivanovich Kabanov, a weak-willed, soft-bodied, unhappy character. Both characters, of course, are pronounced - Ostrovsky in his play managed to convey the full depth of these images, make you worry about each of them. But if we compare them with each other, Boris attracts more attention, he arouses sympathy and interest in the reader, while Kabanov wants to be sorry.

However, each reader himself chooses which of these characters to give his preference. After all, as folk wisdom says, there are no comrades for the taste and color.

BARBARA
Varvara Kabanova - daughter of Kabanikhi, sister of Tikhon. We can say that life in the house of Kabanikhi morally crippled the girl. She also does not want to live according to the patriarchal laws that her mother preaches. But, despite his strong character, V. does not dare to openly protest against them. Its principle is “Do whatever you want, as long as it’s sewn and covered.”
This heroine easily adapts to the laws of the "dark kingdom", easily deceives everyone around her. It became a habit for her. V. claims that it is impossible to live otherwise: their whole house is based on deceit. “And I was not a liar, but I learned when it became necessary.”
V. was cunning as long as it was possible. When they began to lock her up, she ran away from home, inflicting a crushing blow on Kabanikha.
KULIGIN

Kuligin is a character who partially performs the functions of an exponent of the author's point of view and therefore is sometimes referred to as a reasoning hero, which, however, seems to be incorrect, since in general this hero is certainly distant from the author, a rather detached person is depicted, as an unusual person, even somewhat outlandish. The list of actors says about him: “a tradesman, a self-taught watchmaker, looking for a perpetuum mobile”. The name of the hero transparently hints at a real person - I. P. Kulibin (1755-1818), whose biography was published in the journal of the historian M. P. Pogodin "Moskvityanin", where Ostrovsky collaborated.
Like Katerina, K. is a poetic and dreamy nature (thus, it is he who admires the beauty of the Trans-Volga landscape, complains that the Kalinovs are indifferent to him). He appears, singing "Among the flat valley ...", a folk song of literary origin (to the words of A. F. Merzlyakov). This immediately emphasizes the difference between K. and other characters associated with folklore culture, he is also a bookish man, although of rather archaic bookishness: he says to Boris that he writes poetry “in the old way ... I read Lomonosov, Derzhavin after all ... The wise man was Lomonosov, the tester of nature ... ". Even the characterization of Lomonosov testifies to the erudition of K. precisely in old books: not a “scientist”, but a “sage”, “tester of nature”. “You are an antique, a chemist,” Kudryash tells him. "Self-taught mechanic," corrects K. K.'s technical ideas are also an obvious anachronism. The sundial, which he dreams of installing on Kalinovsky Boulevard, came from antiquity. Lightning rod - a technical discovery of the XVIII century. If K. writes in the spirit of the classics of the 18th century, then his oral stories are sustained in even earlier stylistic traditions and resemble old moralizing stories and apocrypha (“and they will begin, sir, the court and the case, and there will be no end to the torment. They are suing, suing here, but they will go to the province, and there they are already waiting for them, and splashing their hands with joy ”- the picture of judicial red tape, vividly described by K., recalls stories about the torment of sinners and the joy of demons). All these features of the hero, of course, are given by the author in order to show his deep connection with the world of Kalinov: he, of course, differs from the Kalinovites, we can say that he is a “new” person, but only his novelty has developed here, inside this world , which gives rise not only to its passionate and poetic dreamers, like Katerina, but also to its “rationalist” dreamers, its own special, home-grown scientists and humanists. The main business of K.'s life is the dream of inventing the Perpetu Mobile and getting a million from the British for it. He intends to spend this million on Kalinov's society - "the work must be given to the bourgeoisie." Listening to this story, Boris, who received a modern education at the Commercial Academy, remarks: “It's a pity to disappoint him! What a good man! Dreaming for himself - and happy. However, he is hardly right. K. is really a good person: kind, disinterested, delicate and meek. But he is hardly happy: his dream constantly forces him to beg for money for his inventions, conceived for the benefit of society, and it does not even occur to society that there could be any benefit from them, for them K. - a harmless eccentric, something like a city holy fool. And the main of the possible "philanthropists" - Dikoy, completely lashes out at the inventor with abuse, once again confirming both the general opinion and Kabanikhe's own admission that he is not able to part with the money. Kuligin's passion for creativity remains unquenched; he pities his countrymen, seeing in their vices the result of ignorance and poverty, but he cannot help them in anything. So, the advice that he gives (to forgive Katerina, but in such a way that he never remembers her sin) is obviously impracticable in the Kabanovs' house, and K. hardly understands this. The advice is good, humane, because it comes from humane considerations, but does not take into account the real participants in the drama, their characters and beliefs. For all his industriousness, the creative beginning of his personality, K. is a contemplative nature, devoid of any pressure. Probably, this is the only reason the Kalinovites put up with him, despite the fact that he differs from them in everything. It seems that for the same reason it was possible to entrust him with the author's assessment of Katerina's act. "Here's your Katherine. Do with her what you want! Her body is here, take it; and the soul is no longer yours: it is now before the Judge, who is more merciful than you!”
KATERINA
But the most extensive subject for discussion is Katerina - "a Russian strong character", for whom truth and a deep sense of duty are above all else. First, let's turn to the childhood years of the main character, which we learn about from her monologues. As we can see, in this carefree time, Katerina was primarily surrounded by beauty and harmony, she “lived like a bird in the wild” among maternal love and fragrant nature. The young girl went to wash herself, listened to the stories of wanderers, then sat down to some work, and so the whole day passed. She did not yet know the bitter life in "imprisonment", but everything is ahead of her, ahead of her life in the "dark kingdom". From the words of Katerina, we learn about her childhood and adolescence. The girl did not receive a good education. She lived with her mother in the countryside. Katerina's childhood was joyful, cloudless. Her mother "did not have a soul" in her, did not force her to work on the housework. Katya lived freely: she got up early, washed herself with spring water, crawled flowers, went to church with her mother, then sat down to do some work and listened to wanderers and praying women, who were many in their house. Katerina had magical dreams in which she flew under the clouds. And how strongly the act of a six-year-old girl contrasts with such a quiet, happy life when Katya, offended by something, ran away from home in the evening to the Volga, got into a boat and pushed off the shore! We see that Katerina grew up as a happy, romantic, but limited girl. She was very pious and passionately loving. She loved everything and everyone around her: nature, the sun, the church, her house with wanderers, the poor she helped. But the most important thing about Katya is that she lived in her dreams, apart from the rest of the world. Of everything that existed, she chose only that which did not contradict her nature, the rest she did not want to notice and did not notice. Therefore, the girl saw angels in the sky, and for her the church was not an oppressive and oppressive force, but a place where everything is bright, where you can dream. We can say that Katerina was naive and kind, brought up in a completely religious spirit. But if she met on her way what. contradicted her ideals, then turned into a rebellious and stubborn nature and defended herself from that outsider, a stranger that boldly disturbed her soul. It was the same with the boat. After marriage, Katya's life changed a lot. From a free, joyful, sublime world, in which she felt her merging with nature, the girl fell into a life full of deceit, cruelty and omission. It’s not even that Katerina married Tikhon against her will: she didn’t love anyone at all and she didn’t care who she married. The fact is that the girl was robbed of her former life, which she created for herself. Katerina no longer feels such delight from attending church, she cannot do her usual business. Sad, disturbing thoughts do not allow her to calmly admire nature. Katya can only endure, while she is patient, and dream, but she can no longer live with her thoughts, because the cruel reality brings her back to earth, where there is humiliation and suffering. Katerina is trying to find her happiness in love for Tikhon: “I will love my husband. Tisha, my dear, I won’t exchange you for anyone.” But the sincere manifestations of this love are suppressed by Kabanikha: "Why are you hanging around your neck, shameless? You don’t say goodbye to your lover." Katerina has a strong sense of outward humility and duty, which is why she forces herself to love her unloved husband. Tikhon himself, because of the tyranny of his mother, cannot truly love his wife, although he probably wants to. And when he, leaving for a while, leaves Katya to work up plenty, the girl (already a woman) becomes completely alone. Why did Katerina fall in love with Boris? After all, he did not exhibit his masculine qualities, like Paratov, he did not even talk to her. Perhaps the reason was that she lacked something pure in the stuffy atmosphere of the Kabanikh's house. And love for Boris was this pure, did not allow Katerina to completely wither away, somehow supported her. She went on a date with Boris because she felt like a person with pride, elementary rights. It was a rebellion against resignation to fate, against lawlessness. Katerina knew that she was committing a sin, but she also knew that it was still impossible to live on. She sacrificed the purity of her conscience to freedom and Boris. In my opinion, taking this step, Katya already felt the approaching end and probably thought: "Now or never." She wanted to be filled with love, knowing that there would be no other chance. On the first date, Katerina told Boris: "You ruined me." Boris is the reason for the discrediting of her soul, and for Katya this is tantamount to death. Sin hangs on her heart like a heavy stone. Katerina is terribly afraid of the approaching thunderstorm, considering it a punishment for what she has done. Katerina has been afraid of thunderstorms ever since she started thinking about Boris. For her pure soul, even the thought of loving a stranger is a sin. Katya cannot live on with her sin, and she considers repentance to be the only way to at least partially get rid of it. She confesses everything to her husband and Kabanikh. Such an act in our time seems very strange, naive. “I don’t know how to deceive; I can’t hide anything” - such is Katerina. Tikhon forgave his wife, but did she forgive herself? Being very religious. Katya is afraid of God, and her God lives in her, God is her conscience. The girl is tormented by two questions: how will she return home and look into the eyes of her husband, whom she cheated on, and how will she live with a stain on her conscience. Katerina sees death as the only way out of this situation: “No, it’s all the same for me to go home or to the grave It’s better to live in the grave again? Dobrolyubov defined Katerina's character as "resolute, whole, Russian." Decisive, because she decided to take the last step, to die in order to save herself from shame and remorse. Whole, because in Katya's character everything is harmonious, one, nothing contradicts each other, because Katya is one with nature, with God. Russian, because who, no matter how Russian, is capable of loving like that, able to sacrifice like that, so seemingly submissively endure all hardships, while remaining himself, free, not a slave. Although Katerina's life has changed, she has not lost her poetic nature: she is still fascinated by nature, she sees bliss in harmony with it. She wants to fly high, high, touch the blue of the sky and from there, from a height, send a big hello to everyone. The poetic nature of the heroine requires a different life than the one she has. Katerina yearns for "freedom", but not for the freedom of her flesh, but for the freedom of her soul. Therefore, she is building a different world, in which there is no lie, lack of rights, injustice, cruelty. In this world, unlike reality, everything is perfect: angels live here, “innocent voices sing, it smells of cypress, and the mountains and trees, as if not the same as usual, but as they are written on the images.” But despite this, she still has to return to the real world, full of selfish and petty tyrants. And among them she tries to find a kindred spirit. Katerina in the crowd of "empty" faces is looking for someone who could understand her, look into her soul and accept her for who she is, and not for who they want to make her. The heroine is looking for and can't find anyone. Her eyes are "cut" by the darkness and wretchedness of this "kingdom", her mind has to come to terms, but her heart believes and waits for the only one who will help her survive and fight for the truth in this world of lies and deceit. Katerina meets Boris, and her clouded heart says that this is the one she has been looking for for so long. But is it? No, Boris is far from ideal, he cannot give Katerina what she asks for, namely: understanding and protection. She cannot feel with Boris "as if behind a stone wall." And the justice of this is confirmed by Boris' vile act, full of cowardice and indecision: he leaves Katerina alone, throws her "to be eaten by wolves." These "wolves" are terrible, but they cannot frighten the "Russian soul" of Katerina. And her soul is truly Russian. And Katerina unites with the people not only communication, but also communion with Christianity. Katerina believes in God so much that she prays every evening in her little room. She likes to go to church, look at the icons, listen to the ringing of the bell. She, like Russian people, loves freedom. And it is precisely this love of freedom that does not allow her to come to terms with the current situation. Our heroine is not used to lying, and therefore she talks about her love for Boris to her husband. But instead of understanding, Katerina meets only a direct reproach. Now nothing holds her in this world: Boris turned out to be not the way Katerina “painted” him for herself, and life in the house of Kabanikh became even more unbearable. The poor, innocent "bird imprisoned in a cage" could not withstand captivity - Katerina committed suicide. The girl still managed to “fly up”, she stepped from the high bank into the Volga, “spread her wings” and boldly went to the bottom. By her act, Katerina resists the "dark kingdom". But Dobrolyubov calls her a “beam” in him, not only because her tragic death revealed all the horror of the “dark kingdom” and showed the inevitability of death for those who cannot come to terms with oppression, but also because Katerina’s death will not pass and will not can pass without a trace for "cruel morals." After all, anger is already being born at these tyrants. Kuligin - and he reproached Kabanikha for the lack of mercy, even the meek executor of his mother's wishes, Tikhon, publicly dared to throw an accusation in her face for the death of Katerina. Already, an ominous thunderstorm is brewing over this entire “kingdom”, capable of destroying it “to smithereens”. And this bright ray, which awakened, even for a moment, the consciousness of destitute, unrequited people who are materially dependent on the rich, convincingly showed that there must come an end to the unrestrained robbery and complacency of the Wild and the oppressive lust for power and hypocrisy of the Boars. The significance of the image of Katerina is also important today. Yes, maybe many consider Katerina an immoral, shameless traitor, but is she really to blame for this?! Most likely, Tikhon is to blame, who did not pay due attention and affection to his wife, but only followed the advice of his "mother". Katerina is only to blame for marrying such a weak-willed person. Her life was destroyed, but she tried to “build” a new one from the remains. Katerina boldly walked forward until she realized that there was nowhere else to go. But even then she took a brave step, the last step over the abyss leading to another world, perhaps a better one, and perhaps a worse one. And this courage, the thirst for truth and freedom make you bow before Katerina. Yes, she is probably not so perfect, she has her flaws, but courage makes the heroine a role model worthy of praise

The play "Thunderstorm" is the most famous creation of Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky. Each hero of this work is a unique personality that takes its place in the system of characters. Noteworthy in this regard is the characteristic of Tikhon. The Thunderstorm, a play whose main conflict is based on the confrontation between the strong and the weak, is interesting for its oppressed heroes, including our character.

The play "Thunderstorm"

The play was written in 1859. The scene is the fictional city of Kalinov, which stands on the banks of the Volga. Time of action - summer, the whole work covers 12 days.

According to its genre, "Thunderstorm" refers to the social drama. Ostrovsky paid much attention to the description of the everyday life of the city, the characters of the work come into conflict with the established orders, which have long become obsolete, and the despotism of the older generation. Of course, Katerina (the main character) expresses the main protest, but her husband also occupies not the last place in the rebellion, which is confirmed by Tikhon's characterization.

"Thunderstorm" is a work that tells about human freedom, about the desire to break out of the shackles of outdated dogmas, religious authoritarianism. And all this is depicted against the backdrop of the failed love of the main character.

Image system

The system of images in the play is built on the opposition of tyrants who are used to commanding everyone (Kabanikha, Dikoy), and young people who want to finally find freedom and live by their own mind. Katerina leads the second camp, only she has the courage to open confrontation. However, other young characters also strive to get rid of the yoke of dilapidated and meaningless rules. But there are those who reconciled, and not the last among them is Katerina's husband (below is a detailed description of Tikhon).

"The Thunderstorm" draws the world of the "dark kingdom", only the heroes themselves can destroy it or die, like Katerina, misunderstood and rejected. It turns out that the petty tyrants who seized power and their laws are too strong, and any rebellion against them leads to tragedy.

Tikhon: characteristic

"Thunderstorm" is a work where there are no strong male characters (with the exception of Wild). So, Tikhon Kabanov appears only as a weak-willed, weak and intimidated by his mother man, unable to protect his beloved woman. The characterization of Tikhon from the play "Thunderstorm" shows that this hero is a victim of the "dark kingdom", he lacks the determination to live with his own mind. Whatever he does and wherever he goes - everything happens according to the will of the mother.

As a child, Tikhon was accustomed to follow the orders of the Kabanikh, and this habit remained in him in his mature years. Moreover, this need to obey is so ingrained that even the thought of disobedience plunges him into horror. Here is what he himself says about this: “Yes, mama, I don’t want to live by my own will.”

The characteristic of Tikhon ("Thunderstorm") speaks of this character as a person who is ready to endure all the mockery and rudeness of his mother. And the only thing he dares to do is the desire to break out of the house to have a spree. This is the only freedom and liberation available to him.

Katerina and Tikhon: characteristics

"Thunderstorm" is a play where one of the main storylines is love, but how close is it to our hero? Yes, Tikhon loves his wife, but in his own way, not in the way that Kabanikha would like. He is affectionate with her, does not want to dominate the girl, intimidate her. However, Tikhon does not understand Katerina and her mental suffering at all. His softness has a detrimental effect on the heroine. If Tikhon had been a little more courageous and possessed at least some will and ability to fight, Katerina would not have needed to look for all this on the side - in Boris.

The characterization of Tikhon from the play "Thunderstorm" exposes him in a completely unattractive light. Despite the fact that he reacted calmly to his wife's betrayal, he was unable to protect her either from his mother or from other representatives of the "dark kingdom". He leaves Katerina alone despite his love for her. The non-intervention of this character was largely the cause of the final tragedy. Only realizing that he lost his beloved, Tikhon ventures into an open rebellion against his mother. He accuses her of the death of the girl, no longer fearing her tyranny and power over him.

Images of Tikhon and Boris

A comparative description of Boris and Tikhon ("The Thunderstorm") allows us to conclude that they are similar in many respects, some literary critics even call them twin heroes. So, what do they have in common, and how are they different?

Not finding the necessary support and understanding from Tikhon, Katerina turns to Boris. What was it about him that attracted the heroine so much? First of all, he differs from other residents of the city: he is educated, graduated from the academy, dresses in a European manner. But that's just the outside, what's on the inside? In the course of the story, it turns out that he depends on the Wild in the same way as Tikhon depends on the Boar. Boris is weak-willed and spineless. He says that he keeps only his inheritance, having lost it, his sister will become a dowry. But all this seems like an excuse: he endures all the humiliations of his uncle too humbly. Boris sincerely falls in love with Katerina, but he does not care that this love will destroy a married woman. He, like Tikhon, worries only about himself. In words, both of these heroes sympathize with the main character, but they do not have enough fortitude to help her, protect her.

Federal Agency for Education of the Russian Federation

Gymnasium No. 123

on literature

Speech characteristics of heroes in the drama of A.N. Ostrovsky

"Thunderstorm".

Work completed:

10th grade student "A"

Khomenko Evgenia Sergeevna

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Teacher:

Orekhova Olga Vasilievna

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Grade…………………….

Barnaul-2005

Introduction………………………………………………………

Chapter 1. Biography of A. N. Ostrovsky……………………..

Chapter 2

Chapter 3. Speech characteristics of Katerina………………..

Chapter 4

Conclusion……………………………………………………

List of used literature……………………….

Introduction

Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm" is the most significant work of the famous playwright. It was written during a period of social upsurge, when the foundations of serfdom were cracking, and a thunderstorm was really gathering in a stuffy atmosphere. Ostrovsky's play takes us to a merchant environment, where the house-building order was most stubbornly maintained. The inhabitants of a provincial town live a life closed and alien to public interests, in ignorance of what is going on in the world, in ignorance and indifference.

It is to this drama that we turn now. The problems that the author touches upon in it are very important for us. Ostrovsky raises the problem of a turning point in public life that occurred in the 50s, a change in social foundations.

After reading the novel, I set myself the goal of seeing the features of the speech characteristics of the characters and finding out how the speech of the characters helps to understand their character. After all, the image of a hero is created with the help of a portrait, with the help of artistic means, with the help of characterization of actions, speech characteristics. Seeing a person for the first time, by his speech, intonation, behavior, we can understand his inner world, some vital interests and, most importantly, his character. The speech characteristic is very important for a dramatic work, because it is through it that one can see the essence of a particular character.

In order to better understand the character of Katerina, Kabanikha and Dikoy, it is necessary to solve the following tasks.

I decided to start with the biography of Ostrovsky and the history of the creation of "Thunderstorm", in order to understand how the talent of the future master of the speech characteristics of the characters was honed, because the author very clearly shows the whole global difference between the positive and negative characters of his work. Then I will consider the speech characteristics of Katerina and make the same characterization of Diky and Boar. After all this, I will try to draw a definite conclusion about the speech characteristics of the characters and their role in the drama "Thunderstorm"

While working on the topic, I got acquainted with the articles by I. A. Goncharov “Review of the drama “Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky” and N. A. Dobrolyubov “Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom”. Moreover, I studied the article by A.I. Revyakin "Features of Katerina's speech", where the main sources of Katerina's language are well shown. I found various material about the biography of Ostrovsky and the history of the creation of the drama in the textbook Russian literature of the 19th century by V. Yu. Lebedev.

To deal with theoretical concepts (hero, characterization, speech, author), I was helped by an encyclopedic dictionary of terms, published under the guidance of Yu. Boreev.

Despite the fact that many critical articles and responses of literary critics are devoted to Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm", the speech characteristics of the characters have not been fully studied, therefore it is of interest for research.

Chapter 1. Biography of A. N. Ostrovsky

Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky was born on March 31, 1823 in Zamoskvorechye, in the very center of Moscow, in the cradle of glorious Russian history, about which everyone was talking about, even the names of Zamoskvoretsky streets.

Ostrovsky graduated from the First Moscow Gymnasium and in 1840, at the request of his father, entered the law faculty of Moscow University. But studying at the university did not please him, a conflict arose with one of the professors, and at the end of the second year, Ostrovsky quit "due to domestic circumstances."

In 1843, his father appointed him to serve in the Moscow conscientious court. For the future playwright, this was an unexpected gift of fate. The court considered the complaints of fathers against unlucky sons, property and other domestic disputes. The judge delved deeply into the case, carefully listened to the disputing parties, and the scribe Ostrovsky kept records of cases. Plaintiffs and defendants in the course of the investigation uttered such things that are usually hidden and hidden from prying eyes. It was a real school of knowledge of the dramatic aspects of merchant life. In 1845, Ostrovsky moved to the Moscow Commercial Court as a clerical officer of the table "for cases of verbal violence." Here he encountered peasants, urban philistines, merchants, and petty nobility who were engaged in trade. Judged "according to conscience" of brothers and sisters arguing about the inheritance, insolvent debtors. A whole world of dramatic conflicts unfolded before us, all the discordant richness of the living Great Russian language sounded. I had to guess the character of a person by his speech warehouse, by the features of intonation. The talent of the future “auditory realist”, as Ostrovsky called himself, was brought up and honed - a playwright, a master of the speech characterization of characters in his plays.

Having worked for the Russian stage for almost forty years, Ostrovsky created a whole repertoire - about fifty plays. The works of Ostrovsky still remain on the stage. And after a hundred and fifty years it is not difficult to see the heroes of his plays nearby.

Ostrovsky died in 1886 in his beloved Trans-Volga estate Shchelykovo, which is in the dense forests of Kostroma: on the hilly banks of small winding rivers. For the most part, the life of the writer proceeded in these core places of Russia: where from a young age he could observe the primordial customs and mores, still little affected by contemporary urban civilization, and hear the native Russian speech.

Chapter 2

The creation of "Thunderstorm" was preceded by the playwright's expedition along the Upper Volga, undertaken on the instructions of the Moscow Ministry in 1856-1857. She revived and resurrected his youthful impressions in 1848, when in 1848 Ostrovsky first went with his family on an exciting journey to his father's homeland, to the Volga city of Kostroma and further, to the Shchelykovo estate acquired by his father. The result of this trip was Ostrovsky's diary, which reveals a lot in his perception of provincial Volga Russia.

For quite a long time, it was believed that Ostrovsky took the plot of The Thunderstorm from the life of the Kostroma merchants, that it was based on the Klykov case, which made a sensation in Kostroma at the end of 1859. Until the beginning of the 20th century, Kostroma residents pointed to the place of Katerina's murder - a gazebo at the end of a small boulevard, which in those years literally hung over the Volga. They also showed the house where she lived - next to the Church of the Assumption. And when the "Thunderstorm" was for the first time on the stage of the Kostroma Theater, the artists made up "under the Klykovs."

Kostroma local historians then thoroughly examined the Klykovo case in the archive and, with documents in their hands, came to the conclusion that it was this story that Ostrovsky used in his work on Thunderstorm. The coincidences were almost literal. A.P. Klykova was extradited at the age of sixteen to a gloomy, unsociable merchant family, consisting of old parents, a son and an unmarried daughter. The mistress of the house, severe and obstinate, depersonalized her husband and children with her despotism. She forced her young daughter-in-law to do any menial work, she provided her with requests to see her relatives.

At the time of the drama, Klykova was nineteen years old. In the past, she was brought up in love and in the hall of the soul in her, a doting grandmother, she was cheerful, lively, cheerful. Now she was unkind and a stranger in the family. Her young husband, Klykov, a carefree man, could not protect his wife from the harassment of his mother-in-law and treated her indifferently. The Klykovs had no children. And then another man stood in the way of the young woman, Maryin, who works in the post office. Began suspicions, scenes of jealousy. It ended with the fact that on November 10, 1859, the body of A.P. Klykova was found in the Volga. A long legal process began, which received wide publicity even outside the Kostroma province, and none of the Kostroma residents doubted that Ostrovsky had used the materials of this case in Groz.

Many decades passed before researchers established for sure that The Thunderstorm was written before the Kostroma merchant Klykova rushed into the Volga. Ostrovsky began working on The Thunderstorm in June-July 1859 and finished on October 9 of the same year. The play was first published in the January 1860 issue of The Library for Reading. The first performance of "Thunderstorm" on stage took place on November 16, 1859 at the Maly Theater, in the benefit performance of S. V. Vasiliev with L. P. Nikulina-Kositskaya in the role of Katerina. The version about the Kostroma source of the "Thunderstorm" turned out to be far-fetched. However, the very fact of an amazing coincidence speaks volumes: it testifies to the foresight of the national playwright, who caught the growing conflict between the old and the new in merchant life, a conflict in which Dobrolyubov saw “what is refreshing and encouraging” for a reason, and the famous theater figure S. A. Yuryev said: “Thunderstorm” was not written by Ostrovsky ... “Thunderstorm” was written by Volga.

Chapter 3

The main sources of Katerina's language are folk vernacular, folk oral poetry and ecclesiastical literature.

The deep connection of her language with folk vernacular is reflected in vocabulary, figurativeness, and syntax.

Her speech is full of verbal expressions, idioms of folk vernacular: “So that I don’t see either my father or my mother”; "did not have a soul"; "Calm my soul"; “how long to get into trouble”; "to be sin," in the sense of unhappiness. But these and similar phraseological units are generally understood, commonly used, clear. Only as an exception in her speech are morphologically incorrect formations: “you do not know my character”; "After this conversation, then."

The figurativeness of her language is manifested in the abundance of verbal and visual means, in particular comparisons. So, in her speech there are more than twenty comparisons, and all the other characters in the play, taken together, have a little more than this number. At the same time, her comparisons are of a widespread, folk character: “it’s like dove me”, “it’s like a dove is cooing”, “it’s like a mountain has fallen off my shoulders”, “it burns my hands, like coal”.

Katerina's speech often contains words and phrases, motifs and echoes of folk poetry.

Turning to Varvara, Katerina says: "Why don't people fly like birds? .." - etc.

Yearning for Boris, Katerina in the penultimate monologue says: “Why should I live now, well, why? I don’t need anything, nothing is nice to me, and the light of God is not nice!

Here there are phraseological turns of folk-colloquial and folk-song character. So, for example, in the collection of folk songs published by Sobolevsky, we read:

No way, no way it is impossible to live without a dear friend ...

I will remember, I will remember about the dear, the white light is not nice to the girl,

Not nice, not nice white light ... I'll go from the mountain to the dark forest ...

Going out on a date with Boris, Katerina exclaims: “Why did you come, my destroyer?” In a folk wedding ceremony, the bride greets the groom with the words: "Here comes my destroyer."

In the final monologue, Katerina says: “It’s better in the grave ... There is a grave under the tree ... how good ... The sun warms her, wets her with rain ... in the spring, grass grows on it, so soft ... birds will fly to the tree, they will sing, they will bring out children, flowers will bloom: yellow , red ones, blue ones ... ".

Here everything is from folk poetry: diminutive-suffixal vocabulary, phraseological turns, images.

For this part of the monologue in oral poetry, direct textile correspondences are also abundant. For example:

... They will cover with an oak board

Yes, they will be lowered into the grave

And covered with damp earth.

You are ant grass,

More scarlet flowers!

Along with folk vernacular and the arrangement of folk poetry in the language of Katerina, as already noted, ecclesiastical literature had a great influence.

“Our house,” she says, “was full of wanderers and pilgrims. And we’ll come from the church, sit down for some work ... and the wanderers will begin to tell where they were, what they saw, different lives, or they sing poems ”(d. 1, yavl. 7).

Possessing a relatively rich vocabulary, Katerina speaks freely, drawing on various and psychologically very deep comparisons. Her speech is flowing. So, such words and turns of the literary language are not alien to her, such as: a dream, thoughts, of course, as if all this happened in one second, something so unusual in me.

In the first monologue, Katerina talks about her dreams: “What dreams I had, Varenka, what dreams! Or golden temples, or some extraordinary gardens, and everyone sings invisible voices, and it smells of cypress, and mountains and trees, as if not the same as usual, but as they are written on the images.

These dreams, both in content and in the form of verbal expression, are undoubtedly inspired by spiritual verses.

Katerina's speech is original not only lexico-phraseologically, but also syntactically. It consists mainly of simple and compound sentences, with predicates at the end of the phrase: “So the time will pass before lunch. Here the old women would fall asleep and lie down, and I would walk in the garden… It was so good” (d. 1, yavl. 7).

Most often, as is typical for the syntax of folk speech, Katerina connects sentences through conjunctions a and yes. “And we’ll come from the church ... and the wanderers will begin to tell ... Otherwise it’s like I’m flying ... And what dreams I had.”

Katerina's floating speech sometimes takes on the character of a folk lament: “Oh, my misfortune, misfortune! (Crying) Where can I, poor thing, go? Who can I grab onto?"

Katerina's speech is deeply emotional, lyrically sincere, poetic. To give her speech emotional and poetic expressiveness, diminutive suffixes are also used, so inherent in folk speech (key, water, children, grave, rain, grass), and amplifying particles (“How did he feel sorry for me? What words did he say?” ), and interjections (“Oh, how I miss him!”).

Lyrical sincerity, poetry of Katerina's speech is given by epithets that come after defined words (golden temples, unusual gardens, crafty thoughts), and repetitions, so characteristic of the oral poetry of the people.

Ostrovsky reveals in Katerina's speech not only her passionate, tenderly poetic nature, but also strong-willed power. Willpower, Katerina's determination are set off by syntactic constructions of a sharply assertive or negative nature.

Chapter 4

Kabanikhi

In Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm", Dikoy and Kabanikh are representatives of the "Dark Kingdom". One gets the impression that Kalinov is fenced off from the rest of the world by the highest fence and lives some kind of special, closed life. Ostrovsky focused on the most important, showing the wretchedness, the savagery of the customs of the Russian patriarchal life, because all this life only stands on the usual, outdated laws, which, obviously, are completely ridiculous. The "Dark Kingdom" tenaciously clings to its old, well-established. This is standing in one place. And such a standing is possible if it is supported by people who have power and authority.

A more complete, in my opinion, idea of ​​a person can be given by his speech, that is, the usual and specific expressions inherent only to this hero. We see how Wild, as if nothing had happened, just like that can offend a person. He does not put in anything not only those around him, but even his relatives and friends. His household live in constant fear of his wrath. Wild in every possible way mocks his nephew. It is enough to recall his words: “I told you once, I told you twice”; "Don't you dare meet me"; you will get everything! Is there enough space for you? Wherever you go, here you are. Pah you damned! Why are you standing like a pillar! Are you being told or not?" Wild frankly 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. He scolds everyone over whom he feels his power, but if someone scolds him himself, he will not be able to answer, then hold on, all at home! On them, the Wild will take all his anger.

Wild - a "significant person" in the city, a merchant. Here's how Shapkin says about him: For no reason will a person be cut off.

“The view is extraordinary! The beauty! The soul rejoices! ”- exclaims Kuligin, but against the background of this beautiful landscape, a bleak picture of life is drawn, which appears before us in The Thunderstorm. It is Kuligin who gives an accurate and clear description of the life, customs and customs that prevail in the city of Kalinov.

So, like Wild, Kabanikha is distinguished by selfish inclinations, she thinks only of herself. Residents of the city of Kalinov talk about Dikoy and Kabanikh very often, and this makes it possible to obtain rich material about them. In conversations with Kudryash, Shapkin calls Diky "a scolder", while Kudryash calls him a "shrill peasant". The boar calls Wild a "warrior". All this speaks of the grumpiness and nervousness of his character. Reviews about Kabanikh are also not very flattering. Kuligin calls her "a hypocrite" and says that she "clothes the poor, but completely ate her home." This characterizes the merchant from a bad side.

We are struck by their heartlessness in relation to people dependent on them, their unwillingness to part with money in settlements with workers. Let’s remember what Dikoy says: “I was talking about a fast, about a great one, and then it’s not easy and slip a little man, I came for money, I carried firewood ... I sinned: I scolded, so scolded ... I almost nailed it.” All relationships between people, in their opinion, are built on wealth.

The boar is richer than the Wild Boar, and therefore she is the only person in the city with whom the Wild Boar must be polite. “Well, don’t open your throat very much! Find me cheaper! And I love you!"

Another feature that unites them is religiosity. But they perceive God, not as someone who forgives, but as someone who can punish them.

Kabanikha, like no other, reflects the whole commitment of this city to old traditions. (She teaches Katerina, Tikhon how to live in general and how to behave in a particular case.) Kabanova tries to seem kind, sincere, and most importantly an unhappy woman, tries to justify her actions with her age: “Mother is old, stupid; well, you young people, smart, should not exact from us fools. But these statements are more like irony than sincere confession. Kabanova considers herself the center of attention, she cannot imagine what will happen to the whole world after her death. The boar is blindly devoted to her old traditions to the point of absurdity, forcing all households to dance to her tune. She makes Tikhon say goodbye to his wife in the old way, causing laughter and a feeling of regret among those around him.

On the one hand, it seems that the Wild is rougher, stronger and, therefore, scarier. But, looking closer, we see that Wild is only capable of screaming and rampaging. She managed to subdue everyone, keeps everything under control, she even tries to manage people's relationships, which leads Katerina to death. The boar is cunning and smart, unlike the Wild Boar, and this makes her more scary. In the speech of Kabanikhi, hypocrisy and duality of speech are very clearly manifested. She talks to people very boldly and rudely, but at the same time, while communicating with him, she wants to seem kind, sensitive, sincere, and most importantly, an unhappy woman.

We can say that Dikoy is completely illiterate. He says to Boris: “Fail you! I don't want to talk to the Jesuit with you." Dikoy uses in his speech "with the Jesuit" instead of "with the Jesuit". So he also accompanies his speech with spitting, which finally shows his lack of culture. In general, throughout the drama, we see him sprinkle his speech with abuse. “What are you doing here! What the hell is the water one here! ”, Which shows him as an extremely rude and ill-mannered person.

Wild is rude and straightforward in his aggressiveness, he does things that sometimes cause bewilderment and surprise among others. He is able to offend and beat a peasant without giving him money, and then, in front of everyone, stand in front of him in the dirt, asking for forgiveness. He is a brawler, and in his rampage he is able to throw thunder and lightning at his household, hiding from him in fear.

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

Conclusion

Speaking of Ostrovsky, in my opinion, we can rightfully call him an unsurpassed master of words, an artist. The characters in the play "Thunderstorm" appear before us as living, with bright embossed characters. Each word spoken by the hero reveals some new facet of his character, shows him from the other side. The character of a person, his mood, attitude towards others, even if he does not want it, are manifested in speech, and Ostrovsky, a true master of speech characteristics, notices these features. The style of speech, according to the author, can tell the reader a lot about the character. Thus, each character acquires its own individuality, unique flavor. This is especially true for drama.

In Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm, we can clearly distinguish the positive hero Katerina and two negative heroes Wild and Kabanikha. Of course, they are representatives of the "dark kingdom". And Katerina is the only person who tries to fight them. The image of Katerina is drawn brightly and vividly. The main character speaks beautifully, figurative folk language. Her speech abounds in subtle semantic nuances. Katerina's monologues, like a drop of water, reflect her entire rich inner world. In the speech of the character, even the attitude of the author towards him appears. With what love, sympathy, Ostrovsky treats Katerina, and how sharply he condemns the tyranny of Kabanikh and Diky.

He draws Kabanikha as a staunch defender of the foundations of the "dark kingdom". She strictly observes all the orders of patriarchal antiquity, does not tolerate the manifestation of personal will in anyone, and has great power over others.

As for Wild, Ostrovsky was able to convey all the anger and anger that boils in his soul. All households are afraid of the wild, including nephew Boris. He is open, rude and unceremonious. But both powerful heroes are unhappy: they do not know what to do with their unrestrained character.

In Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm", with the help of artistic means, the writer managed to characterize the characters and create a vivid picture of that time. "Thunderstorm" is very strong in its impact on the reader, the viewer. The dramas of the heroes do not leave indifferent the hearts and minds of people, which not every writer succeeds. Only a true artist can create such magnificent, eloquent images, only such a master of speech characteristics is able to tell the reader about the characters only with the help of their own words, intonations, without resorting to any other additional characteristic.

List of used literature

1. A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm". Moscow "Moscow worker", 1974.

2. Yu. V. Lebedev "Russian literature of the nineteenth century", part 2. Enlightenment, 2000.

3. I. E. Kaplin, M. T. Pinaev "Russian Literature". Moscow "Enlightenment", 1993.

4. Yu. Borev. Aesthetics. Theory. Literature. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Terms, 2003.

Ostrovsky wrote a drama called "Thunderstorm" after a trip to the cities of the Volga region. He reflected in the work mores, life and customs of the inhabitants of many provinces.

The drama was written in 1859. During this period, serfdom was abolished. But the author does not mention this event. The main focus is on the conflict that arose in the middle of the 19th century.

The drama of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" is liked by many people. The author is a major cultural figure. His work was forever fixed in literature.

He made an invaluable contribution to development. The play "Thunderstorm" was written after a long journey along the Volga.

Thanks to the maritime ministry, a trip was organized with Ostrovsky. The main task of the ethnographic expedition was to study the customs and mores of the population of the Russian Federation.

The prototype of the city of Kalinov is many settlements along the Volga. They are similar to each other, but there are also unique features.

Ostrovsky is an experienced researcher, and he recorded his observations and thoughts in his own diary.

He paid special attention to the life of the Russian provinces, the character of the people. Based on these records, the drama "Thunderstorm" was written.

Note! For a long time, people believed that the story of the creation of the drama is based on real events.

In 1859, when Ostrovsky wrote his book, a native of Kostroma disappeared. Early in the morning she left home, and then they took her out of the Volga.

The investigation revealed that there was a tense situation in the family. The girl developed a tense relationship with her mother-in-law, and her husband could not resist his mother, so he did not help defuse the situation.

In Kostroma, the work "Thunderstorm" was published as a separate book. During the production, the actors tried to get used to the image as much as possible in order to be like the main characters - the Klykovs.

Local residents tried to determine the place from which the girl jumped into the water. S.Yu. Lebedev is a well-known literature researcher, so he found the same matches.

A brief description of the characters for the reader's diary

Not many main characters are described in Ostrovsky's story.

Important! It is important for readers to familiarize themselves with the characteristics of each character for the reader's diary in order to correctly write an essay and make a brief analysis.

Consider:

character `s name	Brief description of the heroes
Katerina	This is the main character. The girl married early at the behest of her parents. She was brought up according to strict traditions, so she believed that a wife must respect her husband and obey him. At first, the girl tried to love her husband, but apart from pity, she had no more feelings. Katerina was modest, but her strength of character does not go unnoticed while reading the book. She was not afraid to confront Kabanikha, who, at any opportunity, tried to attack the girl.
barbarian	This is the daughter of Kabanikhi. She knows how to deftly lie and dodgy out of different situations. But readers still sympathize with her. Barbara is not like other residents of the city, she tries to live the way she wants, and does not impose society
Boar	This is the mother of Katerina's husband. She is a despotic, strong woman who keeps her family at bay. She did not love her daughter-in-law
Tikhon Kabanov	The image is fully consistent with the name. A man of weak character, did not protect his wife
Kuligin	This is a self-taught mechanic. In the drama, he acts as a tour guide. Kuligin is a kind person who constantly thinks about the common good and honest work. But his desires remained dreams
Wild	This is a clerk who is not afraid of a merchant and expresses an opinion at a convenient moment. He is a simple and kind person.
Boris	This is a guest of a provincial town who came to establish relations with Wild. His main goal is to receive bequeathed money.
Feklusha and Glasha	She is a stranger and a maid. They are uneducated and dark people who judge biased, and sometimes absurd. Women talk about morality and morality in distorted terms

The events of the drama take place in the middle of the 19th century, in the city of Kalinov. It is located next to the Volga River. The work is divided into several chapters.

The shortest summary of actions:

1. In act 1, the inhabitants of the city heard about the evil and greedy merchant Diky. He scolds Boris' nephew. The young man confesses that he endures his uncle for the sake of his inheritance.

   Boris likes Katerina Kabanova, who married Tikhon. At this time, the merchant Kabanikha went for a walk with her daughter, son and daughter-in-law.

   She reproaches Tikhon that when he got married, his mother faded into the background. He reassures his mother, and she goes home, and Tikhon goes to visit Diky.

   When the girls are left alone, Katerina admits that she secretly loves another person, considers this a great sin.

2. Tikhon is going to leave for the city for 15 days, and Katerina asks him to stay at home or take her with him. When they say goodbye, Tikhon leaves.

   Varvara is trying with all her might to help Katerina so that she meets with Boris. She contrives and steals the keys to the gate from her mother.

   Katerina was brought up in strictness and does not want to deceive her husband, but she has a great desire to meet Boris.

3. Merchant Wild comes to visit Kabanikha. He wants to talk. The merchant confesses that he is sorry to give money to workers, even when they have earned it honestly.

   Boris secretly approaches Kabanikh's house to see Katerina. Varvara tells him that the girl is waiting for him near the ravine.

   When the young man arrives at the intended place, he sees Katerina. Young people confess to each other that they love each other.

4. After 10 days, Varvara meets Boris and tells him that Tikhon returned home earlier. At this time, Kabanikha, Tikhon and Katerina are walking around the city and meet Boris.

   When a girl sees her lover, she starts to cry. Varvara hints to Boris that it is better for him to leave.

   People on the street warn that a severe thunderstorm will begin soon, which could lead to a fire. When Katerina hears these words, she tells her husband that today the storm will kill her.

   A woman passes by, who calls the girl a sinner, and she admits that she went to Boris for 10 nights.

5. Tikhon meets with Kulagin, tells about the news. Varvara runs away from home with Kudryash, Boris is sent to another city for 3 years.

   Kuligin advise Tikhon to forgive his wife, but the merchant is against it. The maid announces that Katherine has left the house.

   The girl meets Boris on the street, who says goodbye to her and leaves for Siberia.

   Tikhon sees his wife in the river and wants to save her, but his mother forbids him to do so. Katerina's body is carried ashore, Tikhon blames his mother for the death of his wife.

Events in the drama of A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" unfold on the coast of the Volga, in the fictional city of Kalinov. The work gives a list of characters and their brief characteristics, but they are still not enough to better understand the world of each character and reveal the conflict of the play as a whole. There are not so many main characters in Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm.

Katerina, a girl, the main character of the play. She is quite young, she was married off early. Katya was brought up exactly according to the traditions of house building: the main qualities of a wife were respect and humility

to your spouse. At first, Katya tried to love Tikhon, but she could not feel anything but pity for him. At the same time, the girl tried to support her husband, help him and not reproach him. Katerina can be called the most modest, but at the same time the most powerful character in Thunderstorm. Indeed, outwardly, the strength of Katya's character is not manifested. At first glance, this girl is weak and silent, it seems that she is easily broken. But that's not the case at all. Katerina is the only one in the family who resists Kabanikh's attacks.
It opposes, and does not ignore them, like Barbara. The conflict is more of an internal nature. After all, Kabanikha is afraid that Katya can influence her son, after which Tikhon will no longer obey the will of his mother.

Katya wants to fly, often compares herself to a bird. She literally suffocates in the "dark kingdom" of Kalinov. Having fallen in love with a visiting young man, Katya created for herself an ideal image of love and possible liberation. Unfortunately, her ideas had little to do with reality. The girl's life ended tragically.

Ostrovsky in "Thunderstorm" makes not only Katerina the main character. The image of Katya is opposed to the image of Marfa Ignatievna. A woman who keeps the whole family in fear and tension does not command respect. The boar is strong and despotic. Most likely, she took over the “reins of government” after the death of her husband. Although it is more likely that in marriage, Kabanikha was not distinguished by humility. Most of all, Katya, her daughter-in-law, got it from her. It is Kabanikha who is indirectly responsible for the death of Katerina.

Varvara is the daughter of Kabanikhi. Despite the fact that she has learned resourcefulness and lies over so many years, the reader still sympathizes with her. Barbara is a good girl. Surprisingly, deceit and cunning do not make her like the rest of the city. She does as she pleases and lives as she pleases. Barbara is not afraid of her mother's wrath, because she is not an authority for her.

Tikhon Kabanov fully lives up to his name. He is quiet, weak, inconspicuous. Tikhon cannot protect his wife from his mother, since he himself is under the strong influence of Kabanikh. His rebellion ends up being the most significant. After all, it is the words, and not Varvara's escape, that make readers think about the whole tragedy of the situation.

The author characterizes Kuligin as a self-taught mechanic. This character is a kind of guide.
In the first act, he seems to be taking us around Kalinov, talking about his customs, about the families that live here, about the social situation. Kuligin seems to know everything about everyone. His estimates of others are very accurate. Kuligin himself is a kind person who is used to living by established rules. He constantly dreams of the common good, of a perpetual mobile, of a lightning rod, of honest work. Unfortunately, his dreams were not destined to come true.

Diky has a clerk, Curly. This character is interesting because he is not afraid of the merchant and can tell him what he thinks about him. At the same time, Kudryash, like Dikoy, tries to find a benefit in everything. He can be described as a simple person.

Boris comes to Kalinov on business: he urgently needs to improve relations with Diky, because only in this case will he be able to receive the money legally bequeathed to him. However, neither Boris nor Dikoy even want to see each other. Initially, Boris seems to readers like Katya, honest and fair. In the last scenes, this is refuted: Boris is not able to take a serious step, to take responsibility, he simply runs away, leaving Katya alone.

One of the heroes of the "Thunderstorm" is a wanderer and a maid. Feklusha and Glasha are shown as typical inhabitants of the city of Kalinov. Their darkness and ignorance is truly amazing. Their judgments are absurd, and their outlook is very narrow. Women judge morality and morality by some perverted, distorted concepts. “Moscow is now a playground and a game, but there is a roaring through the streets, there is a groan. Why, mother Marfa Ignatievna, they began to harness the fiery serpent: everything, you see, for the sake of speed ”- this is how Feklusha speaks of progress and reforms, and the woman calls the car a“ fire serpent ”. Such people are alien to the concept of progress and culture, because it is convenient for them to live in a fictional limited world of calm and regularity.

This article gives a brief description of the heroes of the play "Thunderstorm", for a deeper understanding, we recommend that you read the thematic articles about each character of the "Thunderstorm" on our website.

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2. The image of a thunderstorm in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" is symbolic and ambiguous. It includes several meanings that combine and complement each other, allowing you to show ...
3. The question of genres has always been quite resonant among literary scholars and critics. Disputes over which genre to attribute this or that work to, gave rise to many ...
4. Plan Characters Conflict Criticism Ostrovsky wrote the drama "Thunderstorm" under the impression of an expedition to the cities of the Volga region. It is not surprising that the text of the work reflected not only ...
5. Plan The ideological meaning of the work Characteristics of the main characters The relationship of the characters The ideological meaning of the work The story "Ionych", written by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, belongs to the late period of the author's work. For...
6. Until relatively recently, it was widely believed that the famous play by Ostrovsky is interesting for us only because it is an illustration of a certain stage in the historical development of Russia, ...