People who have read Ostrovsky's work "Thunderstorm" think about the meaning of life and about Katerina's act. After reading the play, a person immediately begins to talk about the girl’s action and decision, whether it is weakness or a manifestation of strength. There are those people who believe that this act is power. She killed herself, and not everyone can take such a desperate step. Someone becomes scared, and someone feels sorry for themselves, their parents, relatives and friends. In addition, it is worth paying attention that Katerina is actually a very strong girl. She was able to confess to her husband in public. The girl was not afraid of the ridicule of other people, she did not care what they would say and think about her. With her own death, Katerina stopped her mother-in-law's bullying, talking about herself, and forced Tikhon to change his mind. Even if only for a few minutes, she managed to do it.

Another proof of the girl's strength is that she was a believer. And for such people, committing suicide is one of the worst sins. But that didn't stop her either. She still did what she thought. All these facts indicate that Katerina's suicide is a strength of character.

But there is another opinion on this matter. Some people claim that this is a weakness and Katerina is just a crazy girl. Yes, and she chose a very stupid way to die. Everyone knows that there is no forgiveness or justification for suicide. The girl simply could not stand what happened to her, what hit her. Therein lies her weakness.

You can discuss this topic endlessly. There will always be those who consider Katerina strong, but there will also be those who do not understand her and consider her a weak person. Opinions are still divided into two camps. But it's not surprising. How many people, so many opinions. But it all depends on the person and his character. Maybe there are those who would do exactly the same as this girl. And some people, perhaps, would not understand such a way out of the situation at all. All because it is unacceptable for them. Much depends on the inner world of the reader.

Together with the article “An essay on the topic “Katerina’s act - strength or weakness?” (based on the play by N. A. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm")" read:

An essay about:

"Katerina's strength or weakness is shown in her suicide
in the work of Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm"?

Reading Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm", one involuntarily asks the question: strength or weakness
Katerina is shown in her suicide at the end of the play? She did the right thing or
No? On this occasion, there were many disputes between literary critics of the 40s and 50s of the 19th century. So, Dobrolyubov noted "strong, rebellious
motives" in the character of Katerina and connected them with the atmosphere of the crisis in which everyone was
Russian society. According to him, Ostrovsky's drama shows a complex, tragic
the process of emancipation of the resurrecting soul.

Katerina's first meeting with her beloved, Boris, is deeply tragic. The scene is laced
anxiety. The motive of a folk song sounds - the motive of imminent death ("You kill, ruin me
from midnight..."). "Why did you come? Why have you come, my destroyer?" - anticipates
trouble Katherine. How strong must her feeling be if she goes to battle in the name of love?
certain death! "Do not be sorry, ruin me!" she exclaims, surrendering to the feeling. So
Not everyone can love, and we are convinced of the extraordinary strength of the heroine.

And what are the words of Katerina, uttered in justification to her husband and herself, before
Boar. Let's listen carefully to them: "For me, mother, everything is the same, that my dear
mother, what are you, and Tikhon loves you too. "Unlike his wife, Tikhon pronounces his
excuses plaintively, and at the same time very respectfully, referring to the mother on "you".
Katerina says the same thing as Tikhon, objecting to reproaches. But with what dignity
She speaks simply and sincerely. This appeal to "you" (as to an equal) is also characteristic. She is
strives for clear, friendly human relations.

In the first appearance, we imagine Katerina as a submissive victim, a person with
broken will and crushed soul. "Mommy eats her up, and she's like a shadow
walks unanswered. She only cries and melts like wax, "says Tikhon about his wife. And here she herself
before us. No, she is not a victim. She is a person with a strong, resolute character, with a lively,
free-spirited heart. She does not feel like a slave, on the contrary, she is free, at least
because she has lost everything, that she has nothing more to cherish, even life: "Why should I
now to live, well, for what?

The thirst for liberation also triumphs over her religious ideas. "It's all the same that death will come, that itself ... but you can't live." she contemplates suicide. And then she questions this notion: "Sin! Will they not pray? Whoever loves will pray."
Katerina's dying words are not addressed to God and express no repentance for the committed
sins, they are addressed to the beloved; "My friend! My joy! Farewell!" So free from
prejudices, a lively and strong feeling won in Katerina's soul

On the other hand, it can be shown that Katerina showed weakness. Such a point
vision exists in Pisarev, when in the article "Motives of Russian Drama" he evaluated
"Thunderstorm". The article was directed polemically against Dobrolyubov. Pisarev named
Katerina "crazy dreamer" and "visionary": "Katerina's whole life, according to him
opinion - consists of constant internal contradictions; she rushes out every minute
one extreme to another; today she repents of what she did yesterday, and meanwhile,
she does not know what she will do tomorrow; finally confusing everything that was under her
hands, she cuts the tight knots by the most stupid means, suicide.

In fact, suicide is not stupid, but the last resort of the desperate
person. From the point of view of an atheist, there is power in Katerina's act. But from the point of view
Orthodoxy, there is no forgiveness for suicide, no matter what motives it is justified. This is
one of the worst sins. It is believed that people should endure what they are sent
fate. Katerina had to carry her cross. An interesting fact is that in the old days suicides were buried not in the cemetery, but nearby. And the people passing by knew about the fate
deceased. But Katerina dreamed, freed from worldly life, of how: "Under
little grave tree ... The sun warms it ... Birds will fly to the tree, they will sing, children
will bring out. "Her soul could not calmly exist without the beauties of nature, love.

Thus, we see that if a protest awakens, even in such passive
forms, albeit such a weak creature, which was considered a woman in that era, then this is
growing protest among the people, a signal that was a harbinger of the death of the old
a way of life based on a system of feudal-serf despotism, and
gaining momentum of new progressive aspirations for equality, for freedom
human life.

Ostrovsky's play was written in 1859, during the rise of the revolutionary movement of the masses, in an era when the individual stood up to fight for his emancipation. "Thunderstorm", according to N. A. Dobrolyubov, "the most decisive work of Ostrovsky", as it shows the complex, tragic process of emancipation of the reviving soul.

In the play, darkness struggles with light, ups and downs give way to downs, it shows both the vitality of the morality of the "dark kingdom", and its precariousness, and the strength of character that could overcome it even at the cost of

own life. And with all the cruelty, injustice of the "dark kingdom" Katerina, the main character of the play by A. N. Ostrovsky, is fighting.

Her childhood was bright and quiet. Katerina went to church, listened to the stories of wanderers, embroidered with gold on velvet. But Katerina's religiosity is a belief in fairy tales that she listened to as a child. In religion, Katerina is attracted primarily by the beauty of legends, church music, icon painting, "her imagination works tirelessly and takes her to a new world," quiet and bright.

The courageous and decisive nature of Katerina is manifested in childhood. She tells Varvara: “I was still six years old, no more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, but it was in the evening, it was already dark: I ran out to the Volga, got into a boat and pushed it away from the shore. another morning has already been found, ten versts away!"

A bright childhood has passed, and Katerina is married to an unloved person. Katerina did not immediately like life in the mother-in-law's house. The absurd and cruel Boar, who "eats up" her relatives, "grinds iron like rust," seeks to suppress Katerina's freedom-loving nature. But the heroine boldly enters into a fight with the Boar. Honest and truthful, Katerina cannot adapt to the life of the "dark kingdom". "I don't want to live here, so I won't, even if you cut me!" she says decisively to Varvara.

Tenderly and passionately Katerina loves Boris. Her love is also a protest against the moral foundations of the "dark kingdom". The strength of her feelings is such that she is ready to disregard social customs and religious concepts: "Let everyone know, let everyone see what I'm doing!"

But happiness only beckoned Katerina. For two weeks she met with Boris, but now Tikhon arrives. Frightened by a thunderstorm and the lamentations of a half-mad lady, Katerina confesses everything to her husband.

“What, son? Where will the will lead? - Kabanikha says angrily to Tikhon. She gloats that she has defeated Katerina.

But we see that Katerina, not Kabanikha, is morally victorious in this struggle. Katerina's protest grows. She is ready for anything, so she asks Boris to take her with him. But Boris "not of his own free will" leaves, he is completely dependent on his uncle, the merchant Diky.

The last hope went out in Katerina's soul. "Live again? No, no, don't... not good!" she thinks. Katerina understands that living in the Kabanovs' house is immoral. It's better not to live at all than to put up with "miserable vegetation".

N. A. Dobrolyubov writes: "... she is eager for a new life, even if she had to die in this impulse." Here it is, Katerina's protest, a protest against evil and philistinism, cruelty and lies, a protest "carried to the end!"

In response to an article by N. A. Dobrolyubov, four years later, an article by D. I. Pisarev "Motives of Russian Drama" was published. In it, Pisarev criticizes Dobrolyubov's article "A Ray of Light in the 'Dark Kingdom'" and is surprised that the critics could not "make a single objection to Dobrolyubov." Pisarev says about Katerina: "What kind of love is this that arises from the exchange of several views? .. Finally, what kind of suicide is this, caused by such petty troubles, which are tolerated quite safely by all members of all Russian families?" The critic claims that Dobrolyubov, seeing something good in every act of Katerina, made up an ideal image, saw as a result of this "a ray of light in the" dark kingdom." Pisarev cannot agree with this, since "upbringing and life could not give Katerina either a strong character or a developed mind. The mind is the most precious thing, or rather, the mind is everything."

Why are the views of Pisarev and Dobrolyubov so divergent? What makes one write about the strength of Katerina's character, and the other about the weakness of this character? Recall that Dobrolyubov's article was published in 1860, during a revolutionary upsurge, when bold and resolute heroes stood in the forefront, striving for a new life, ready to die for its sake. At that time there could be no other protest, but even such a protest affirmed the strength of the personality's character.

Pisarev's article was written in 1864, in the era of reaction, when thinking people were needed. Therefore, D. I. Pisarev writes about Katerina's act in this way: "... Having done many stupid things, he throws himself into the water and thus does the last and greatest absurdity."

How do I feel about Katherine? Do I consider it "a ray of light in a dark kingdom"? Yes, I love Katerina, I love her kindness and tenderness, the sincerity of her feelings, her determination and truthfulness. I believe that Katerina can be called "a ray of light in a dark kingdom", as she protests against Kaban's concepts of morality, "does not want to put up, does not want to take advantage of the miserable vegetative life that they give her in exchange for her living soul."

This, in my opinion, is the strength of Katerina's character.

The play by N. A. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" is still the subject of discussions unfolding around the question of the genre of the work. The fact is that the author's definition of the genre is not correct enough. It would be more logical to attribute The Thunderstorm to the genre of tragedy, because Katerina's suicide in The Thunderstorm is the denouement of the work. The tragedy is characterized by an ending in which the death of one or more characters is shown; besides, the conflict itself in The Thunderstorm passes from the everyday sphere into the sphere of eternal values.

In general, the question of what suicide is - a manifestation of strength or weakness - is quite interesting. So, the text shows, relatively speaking, a crime - the death of Katerina. In order to figure out who is guilty, and also to answer the question: “Katerina’s suicide is a strength or weakness”, we need to consider the reasons for Katerina’s suicide in the play “Thunderstorm”. In order to do something, a person must have motives. Katya had several motives. First, family problems. Katerina's mother-in-law, Marfa Ignatyevna, humiliated, insulted and mocked the young girl at every opportunity. At that time, it was not customary to argue with the elders, even if their point of view was erroneous. A good upbringing did not allow Katya to offend in response. Marfa Ignatyevna knew that Katya had a strong character, so she was afraid that her daughter-in-law would not change the resigned Tikhon. Katya's relationship with her husband was strained. The girl was married early to someone whom she could not love. Katerina confesses to Varvara that she feels pity for Tikhon. Tikhon himself is so subordinate to his mother that he cannot protect Katya from Kabanikh's tantrums, despite the fact that he sincerely loves his wife. A man finds salvation and an outlet in drinking.

Secondly, disappointment in Boris. Katya fell in love with a young man who came from Moscow very quickly. Her feelings were mutual. Most likely, the girl, thanks to the power of her imagination, supplemented the real Boris with features unusual for him, created an ideal image and fell in love with the image, and not the person himself. Katerina believed that with Boris her life would correspond to her ideas: to be on a par with her husband, not to lie, to be free. But Boris turned out to be a little different. He came to Kalinov only to ask for money from his uncle Saul Prokofievich. In one of the most important moments of Katya's life, Boris refuses to help. The young man refuses to take Katya with him to Siberia, answers very vaguely. Boris does not want to take responsibility for his feelings, for the girl Katya. Katya was left alone. She understands that she has nowhere and no one to go to. From this point of view, som. After all, you can find strength in yourself, put up with shame, and so on and so forth. But it is important to know one circumstance.

Thirdly, Katya was worried about the discrepancy between real life and her ideas about this life. The girl was taught to live honestly, according to the laws of Christian morality. In Kalinov, this concept was replaced by the cruel laws of society. Katya sees that hiding behind Christian values, people do terrible things. What is happening resembles a vicious circle, a swamp, which sooner or later will climb into the soul of every city dweller. It is impossible for Katya to get out of this world, because Kalinov is an exhaustive space. There is no other space. For a long time the girl feels in a cage, nothing allows her to feel life itself.

Dobrolyubov, when analyzing the image of Katerina, said that for such people "death is better than life under those principles that are disgusting to him." The critic believed that “it is in the integrity and harmony of character that his strength lies. Free air and light, contrary to all the precautions of perishing tyranny, burst into Katerina's cell, she yearns for a new life, even if she had to die in this impulse. What is death to her? It doesn’t matter - she doesn’t consider life to be the vegetative life that fell to her lot in the Kabanov family. ” Katerina's suicide, according to Dobrolyubov, is a manifestation of strength. Her decision was not impulsive. Katya knew very well that she would die soon. She was of that breed of people who live in extremes in order to save themselves. Katya did not want to leave her soul to be torn to pieces by the tyrants of the dark kingdom, the girl simply could not do otherwise. To reconcile and silently endure the antics of Kabanikh, as well as to lie, albeit for the good, the girl could not. It turns out that life is impossible for her in any sense. You can't stay any longer, you can't leave. Katya decides to cross the threshold of the real world in order to gain freedom through death.
Interestingly, Dobrolyubov can be considered Katerina's lawyer, while Pisarev, another Russian critic, deserves the prosecutor's job. The fact is that in the article "Motives of Russian Drama" Pisarev is sincerely perplexed: Boris looked - Katya fell in love, "The boar grumbles - Katerina is languishing." The critic regarded Katya's suicide as a senseless act that did not change anything. Instead of alleviating suffering for herself or others, Katya rushes into the Volga. From this angle, Katerina appears to be a victim of herself; a weak girl who does not see other ways to solve problems.

The opinions of critics are largely opposite. To choose what Katya's death actually is is a personal matter for each person. In favor of Pisarev's theory, we can say that the death of the girl really did not change anything. Only Tikhon, who is incapable of a greater protest, says that he is jealous of his dead wife.

In this publication, we tried to explain the causes and consequences of Katerina's act. This information will help grade 10 when writing an essay on the topic "Katerina's suicide in the Thunderstorm - strength or weakness?".

Artwork test

Ostrovsky was an amazing writer who felt the mood of his time. His works are filled with life, the issues raised by him remain relevant to this day. Those who wish not only to read good books, but also to engage in introspection, should get acquainted with his work.

One of the most important works of the writer is the play "Thunderstorm", written in the era of the revolutionary movement. This atmosphere greatly influenced the content of the work, we can see how the title symbolizes the beginning of something terrible and unusual.

In the first part of the play, the characters feel the approach of a terrible and powerful force. Her main character strongly feels special, who, as if succumbing to chaos in the country, invited him into her own life. The story of Katerina is tragic, as the girl accepted love, but could not subdue her.

The story of the girl is rather banal for that time. Katerina's childhood was cheerful and carefree, being under the wing of her parents she felt safe. The girl loved life and the world, and, it would seem, he answered her the same. The situation changed after her growing up, being a naive and dreamy girl. She married a man she did not love, in order to quickly become more independent and finally gain the status of a married woman, which all the girls of that time dreamed of.

Marriage turned out to be a real torture, and now the reader sees her as an already tired and exhausted woman. She is not cheerful and all days pass in sadness, she hates everyone from her new family, and her husband causes only pity. She was so happy and carefree, but in a few years everything most fabulous and magical died in her, that which attracted her to other people. The appearance of Boris changes the life of the main character, creating a staggering bridge that can fall at any moment.

Katerina is very religious, she is ashamed of the mere thought of cheating on her husband, betraying him and becoming a sinner. Each time she sees Boris when she meets, she wants to hide, run away, but her heart in love makes her look, come closer and start a conversation.

Indeed, such a situation could not remain in one place for a long time. Boris also fell in love with Katerina and intended to take her away with him, where they could revel in their happiness. A thunderstorm was approaching, the author uses a similar symbol to characterize not only the mood around, the moment when serfdom will be abolished, but also the mood of the main character, which was moving towards its climax.

Katerina and Boris allowed love to completely consume their hearts and minds. The hero promised her to get out of the iron lamas of the Kabanov family, but only Katerina did not dare to dream of such happiness. She perfectly understood what betrayal she committed, what sin fell on her fragile shoulders.

It is impossible to say exactly the strong and weak personality of Katerina. She is presented to the reader from several sides, the first is the side of her weakness. The girl was married, but despite this, she succumbed to feelings that, according to her, were difficult to contain. The other side is the side of the strong Katerina, her fatal act, which gave her peace and lack of choice. Many may think that suicide was an attempt to escape from problems, but this is not so. After all, she understood what kind of sin such a crime would bring, she wanted to punish herself, to punish herself for having made such a terrible and stupid mistake - she surrendered to the will of her heart.