In many of his dramas, Ostrovsky portrayed social injustice, human vices and negative sides. Poverty, greed, an uncontrollable desire to be in power - these and many other themes can be traced in the plays “Our people will count”, “Poverty is not a vice”, “Dowry”. "Thunderstorm" should also be considered in the context of the above works. The world described by the playwright in the text was called by critics the "dark kingdom". It seems to be a kind of swamp, from which it is impossible to find a way out, which sucks a person more and more, killing humanity in him. Such victims dark kingdom"In the" Storm "at first glance, quite a bit.

The first victim of the "dark kingdom" is Katerina Kabanova. Katya is a frequent and honest girl. She was married early, but she never managed to love her husband. Despite this, she still tries to find positive aspects in him in order to maintain established relationships and the marriage itself. Katya is terrorized by Kabanikha, one of the brightest representatives of the "dark kingdom". Marfa Ignatievna insults her daughter-in-law, trying with all her might to break her.

However, not only the confrontation of characters makes Katerina a victim. This, of course, and the circumstances. In the "dark kingdom" an honest life is a priori impossible. Here everything is built on lies, pretense and flattery. Strong is the one who has money. Power in Kalinovo belongs to the rich and merchants, for example, Wild, whose moral standards are very low. Merchants deceive each other, steal from ordinary people, seeking to enrich themselves and increase their influence. The motive of lies is also often found in the description of everyday life. Varvara tells Katya that only lies hold the Kabanov family together, and Boris is surprised by Katya's desire to tell Tikhon and Marfa Ignatievna about their secret relationship. Katerina often compares herself to a bird: the girl wants to escape from this place, but there is no way. The "Dark Kingdom" will find Katya anywhere, because it is not limited to the boundaries of a fictional city. No exit. Katya makes a desperate and final decision: either to live honestly, or not at all. “I live, toil, I don’t see a light for myself. And I won’t see, I know!” The first option, as mentioned earlier, is impossible, so Katya chooses the second. The girl commits suicide not so much because Boris refuses to take her to Siberia, but because she understands that Boris turned out to be the same as the others, and a life full of reproaches and shame can no longer continue. "Here's your Katherine. Her body is here, take it; and the soul is no longer yours: it is now before a judge who is more merciful than you!

”- with these words, Kuligin gives the body of the girl to the Kabanov family. In this remark, the comparison with the Supreme Judge is important. It makes the reader and the viewer think about how rotten the world of the "dark kingdom" is, that even Last Judgment turns out to be more merciful than the court of "tyrants".

Tikhon Kabanov also turns out to be a victim in The Thunderstorm. The phrase with which Tikhon appears in the play is very remarkable: “But how can I, mother, disobey you!” His mother's despotism makes him a victim. Tikhon himself is kind and, to some extent, caring. He loves Katya and pities her. But the authority of the mother is unshakable. Tikhon is a weak-willed sissy, whom Marfa Ignatyevna's excessive guardianship made zibity and spineless. He does not understand how it is possible to oppose the will of the Kabanikh, to have his own opinion or something. “Yes, mother, I don’t want to live by my own will. Where can I live with my will! - so Tikhon answers his mother. Kabanov is used to drowning longing in alcohol (he often drinks with Wild). His character underlines the name. Tikhon is not able to understand the strength of his wife's internal conflict, he cannot help her, however, Tikhon has a desire to break out of this cage. For example, he is happy about his departure for a short 14 days, because all this time he has a chance to be independent. Above him there will be no "thunderstorm" in the form of a controlling mother. Tikhon's last phrase suggests that the man understands that it is better to die than to live such a life, but Tikhon cannot decide on suicide.

Kuligin is shown as a dreaming inventor who stands up for the public good. He constantly thinks about how to improve the life of the city, although he understands perfectly well that none of the inhabitants of Kalinov needs this. He understands the beauty of nature, quotes Derzhavin. Kuligin is more educated and higher than ordinary inhabitants, however, he is poor and lonely in his efforts. Wild only laughs at him when the inventor talks about the benefits of a lightning rod. Savl Prokofievich does not believe that money can be earned in an honest way, so he openly mocks and threatens Kuligin. Perhaps Kuligin understood Katya's true motives for suicide. But he is making attempts to mitigate the contradictions, to find a compromise. He has no choice, either this way or nothing. The young man does not see an active way to resist the "tyrants".

The victims in the play "Thunderstorm" are several characters: Katerina, Kuligin and Tikhon. Boris cannot be called a victim for two reasons: firstly, he came from another city, and secondly, in fact, he is as deceitful and two-faced as the rest of the inhabitants of the “dark kingdom”.

The above description and list of victims of the “dark kingdom” can be used by students of grade 10 when writing an essay on the topic “Victims of the dark kingdom in the play “Thunderstorm””.

Artwork test

In A. Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" life opens before us in the small town of Kalinovo. From the very first action, you can feel the tense atmosphere. Further, we understand that the blame for everything is the influence of two tyrants - Kabanova and Diky. They, like older and wiser people, keep everything in this city under their control.

Only all this control lies in trying to influence fate younger generation and teach them to live by their outdated rules. Life in this city is under the influence of the "dark kingdom", in which it is impossible to live freely and easily.

The first victims of such a life are the children of Kabanikh - Tikhon and Varvara. From childhood, they were under the pressure of this society. The influence of the mother with the same force affected both the son and the daughter, but she influenced them in different ways.

As for Tikhon, his portrait can be represented as a miserable, depressed person. He has no opinion of his own, he constantly has to do everything that his mother ordered him to do. But despite this constant pressure, Tikhon managed to keep his feelings alive. This can be seen in the timid display of love for his wife. But even in this case, he is not able to understand Katerina's spiritual drama, and is even ready to leave the city without a wife, just to escape from the "dark kingdom". Tikhon is such a weak-willed person that he cannot help Katerina avoid constant reproaches from her mother-in-law and protect her. But at the very end of the play, Tikhon managed to show his character and confront his mother when Katerina dies. He even curses her at the death of his wife: "Mama, you ruined her! You, you, you..." With this accusation, Tikhon is the first to destroy the foundations of this kingdom and shake the power of the Kabanikh.

The character of Varvara was formed differently than that of her brother. Her unwillingness to be under the constant control of her mother and her tyranny, she chooses the path of lies and deceit. Barbara is already so accustomed to performing these actions that she does it easily and cheerfully that no one will suspect her of deceit. The girl is sure that it is impossible to survive in the Kabanovs' house, only without lies and pretense. She believes: “When the mother began to exert even more pressure on Varvara, the girl could not endure it and was forced to run away from home with her lover. Thus, the power of Kabanikh was shaken again.

Boris turned out to be even weaker in relation to the influence of the "dark kingdom". If Tikhon and Varvara were at least to a small extent able to resist this, then Boris was not. The author presents us with a wild nephew as a kind and educated person who was able to stand out among other heroes. But under the authority of his uncle, he cannot prove himself as a courageous and resolute person. He cannot save Katerina by taking her with him, just like Curly did. On the one hand, he can be understood, because if he disobeyed the Wild, then not only he himself would suffer, but also his sister. But on the other hand, Boris is contemptible by many readers because of his weak character. He is not able to express even the slightest protest against the "dark kingdom" and is forced to obey their rules.

But the play is not so sad. Among the inhabitants of the city there is one person who sheds a ray of light into the darkness. This person is Kuligin - a tradesman, self-taught watchmaker, eager to invent a time machine. In his dialogues with other characters, we see his contempt for the cruel attitude towards people and his indifferent attitude towards everything beautiful. Opposition to society can be seen in his conversation with Wild. Kuligin is trying to help the whole society, for example, hang a big clock on the wall or build a lightning rod. Wild refuses all his requests, simply not understanding why to try for the good of society. Kuligin's opposition cannot be open, because he is powerless, and still cannot achieve anything. That is why he has to forever obey and please others. But in the very last remark of Kuligin, we can finally hear a clear protest: "Here is your Katerina. Do what you want with her! Her body is here, take it; and the soul is no longer yours: it is now before a judge who is more merciful than you!" With his statement, he simultaneously justifies the death of Katerina, and charges the "judges" who killed their victim.

HOSTS AND
VICTIMS OF THE “DARK KINGDOM”

Action
drama "Thunderstorm" takes place in a provincial
the city of Kalinov, located on the coast
Volga. The inhabitants of Kalinovo live in that closed
and a life alien to public interests,
which characterized the life of the deaf
provincial towns in the old,
pre-reform times (the play was written in 1859
G.). They live in complete ignorance of what
done in white light. But behind the outer
the tranquility of life hides the harsh,
dark habits. The central figures of this
"dark kingdom" of ignorance and arbitrariness
are in the drama Wild and Boar.

wild -
tyrant merchant. He is accustomed to unquestioning
the obedience of others who go to what
anything, as long as it doesn't piss him off. Especially
it is hard for the household, which,
fleeing from his fury, all day long
hiding in attics and closets. In the end
hunted down his nephew, Boris, Wild,
knowing that he is completely away from him
material dependence. Thanks to
money he holds in his hands all
disenfranchised mass of townsfolk and mocks
above them.

Restrains
he likes himself only before those in whom he sees
equal to myself, including in front of Kabanikha.
Despotism, unbridled arbitrariness,
ignorance, rudeness - these are the features of the “cruel
morals”, which characterize the image
tyrant Wild, a typical representative of the “dark
kingdoms."

Boar
first of all hypocrite. She covers and
justifies all his actions with ideals
patriarchal, ecclesiastical, domostroevskaya
antiquity. She wants to make everyone live the old fashioned way
and does not tolerate any of the surrounding
manifestations of one's own will. her despotism
home life is even harder than despotism
Wild. The boar torments, pursues his
victims day by day, torturing them
cold-blooded, obnoxious. She brings her family
until complete collapse. She brought to the grave
Katerina, because of her Varvara left the house, and
Tikhon, essentially kind, though weak-willed,
a man who has lost all ability to think
and live independently.

Boar,
along with Wild, is harsh
the guardian of the foundations of the "dark kingdom".

Central
in the drama "Thunderstorm" is the image of Katerina.
Nature is poetic and dreamy,
impressionable, with character
predominantly “loving, ideal”, but
definition of Dobrolyubov, Katerina has
at the same time, a passionate and passionate soul. She
struggles between two feelings: love for
Boris and the consciousness of the “illegality” of this
love. Katerina is capable of not only
bold deeds, but also at a complete break with
disgusted with her environment and life. After
parental home paradise Katerina
falls into an environment from which emanates
deadly cold and soulless. Attempts
Katerina find a response in her husband's heart
break on slavish humiliation and
nearness of Tikhon. Love for Boris has become
the only reason for its existence.
Katerina is ready for anything for her beloved
of a person, transcending even those concepts of
sin and virtue

,
which were sacred to her. Internal
purity and truthfulness do not allow her to lie
in love, cheat. Katerina does not want to
can hide his "sin". She publicly
on the city boulevard, repents before her husband and
commits suicide by throwing himself into
water. By this she showed her desperate, though
and a powerless protest against the “dark
kingdoms." According to Dobrolyubov, in her
tragic end "given a terrible challenge
arrogant force...”

Light
a ray in the “dark kingdom” can also be called
Kuligin. This is a poor watchmaker, a self-taught mechanic,
dreaming of finding eternal
engine. Kuligin does not think about his personal
profit, but about the improvement of his native city,
about the situation of the poor, etc. Kuligin, poet,
romantic, alone in the city with his
enthusiastic attitude towards nature. Kuligin
and Katerina, each in their own way, illuminate
heavy darkness over the dead "dark kingdom".

To the victims of the "dark
kingdoms” in the play include Tikhon and Boris.
Tikhon from childhood used to obey in everything
his mother. The only cherished
Tikhon's desire is to break out, at least
for a short time, from under her care, go on a spree like this,
to take a whole year off. Tikhon in his own way
loves his wife. He pities her with all his heart and
wants to alleviate her plight. But
he is not only a weak-willed man, but also
limited, simple. soul world
Catherine is too tall and incomprehensible for him.
Denying her support at the most critical
moment of her life, he involuntarily becomes
one of the culprits of her death.

Boris
sincerely, truly loves Katerina,
ready to suffer for her, to ease her pain.
He is truly the only one
understands Katerina, but he lacks
determination to defend his love, he is not in
power to help her. So "dark kingdom",
turned them into weak-willed, downtrodden people,
unable to fight for their happiness,

doomed
both to "live and suffer."

In his
Ostrovsky staged the play one of
the most important questions of the time
liberation of women from family slavery,
her emancipation.

Victims of the "dark kingdom"

The play by A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" was written in 1859. In the same year, it was staged in theaters in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and for many years it has not left the stages of all theaters in the world. During this time, the play has undergone many interpretations, which are sometimes strikingly different from each other. This, it seems to me, is due to the depth and symbolism of the play.

In the center of the plot of the play is the conflict between the feelings of Katerina, the main character, and the way of life in the city of Kalinov. But Dobrolyubov also pointed out that readers think "not about a love affair, but about their whole life." This means that accusatory notes touched on various aspects of Russian life. In the drama, a verdict was pronounced on the "dark kingdom" and, consequently, on the socio-political system that it supported.

The action of the drama takes place in the provincial town of Kalinov, located on the banks of the Volga River. In this place, everything is so monotonous and stable that even news from other cities and from the capital does not reach here. Residents in the city are closed, distrustful, hate everything new and blindly follow the Domostroy way of life, which has long outlived its usefulness. Ostrovsky calls adherents of the old way of life the "dark kingdom", to which Dikoy and Kabanikha belong. Another group of characters include Katerina, Kuligin, Tikhon, Boris, Kudryash and Varvara. These are the victims of the "dark kingdom", the oppressed, equally feeling the influence of the Wild and Boar, but expressing their protest against them in different ways.

wild - bright representative the first group, Ostrovsky applies to him the definition of "tyrant". Wild's behavior is governed by unbridled arbitrariness and stupid obstinacy. He demands the unquestioning obedience of those around him, who will do anything to somehow not anger him. The most important thing for Wild is money. For their sake, he is ready for anything - both for deceit and fraud: “A lot of people stay with me a year ... I won’t pay them extra for a penny per person, but I make up a thousand of this, so it’s for me Fine!" Passes Wild only to those who are able to repulse him. On the way across the Volga, he did not dare to contact the passing hussar, but after that he again took out his anger at home, dispersing everyone into attics and closets. The qualities of his character are also manifested in speech. Wild uses rude and offensive expressions: a robber, a worm, a parasite, a fool, etc. Despotism, ignorance, rudeness are the features that characterize the image of this hero, a typical representative of the "dark kingdom". But Dikoy restrains his temper in front of Kabanikha, his godfather.

Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is another supporter of the "dark kingdom", she is even worse than her husband. Kuligin describes her this way: “A hypocrite, sir! She clothes the poor, but eats the household completely. Kabanikha skillfully covers up his immoral acts with the ideals of patriarchal antiquity. She observes all the customs and orders laid down by the house-builder. The new orders seem to her absurd and even ridiculous. She wants to force everyone to live the old fashioned way and does not tolerate in anyone around them the manifestation of her will, initiative. Kabanikha tries to give the impression of a pious and superstitious woman. But she is harsh and cruel to her family. A woman ruins a family: Katerina voluntarily passes away; Barbara leaves the house; Tikhon, a kind and gentle man, loses the ability to think and live independently. The enemy of everything new, Kabanikha nevertheless foresees that the old days are coming to an end, that hard times are coming for her. In Kabanova's speech, there are both proverbs and turns of folk speech. All this makes her language peculiar, but does not hide the essence of her "dark" soul.

Tyranny and despotism, suppressing freedom and independence in those around them, inevitably give rise to opportunistic people who are afraid to live by their own mind and therefore submit to oppressors. Such victims of the "dark kingdom" in the play include Tikhon, Varvara and Boris. From childhood, Tikhon was accustomed to obey his mother in everything, and in adulthood he is afraid to act against her will. Without a murmur, he endures all the bullying of Kabanikh, not daring to protest: “But how can I, mother, disobey you! Yes, mother, I don’t want to live by my own will.

Boris Grigoryevich, Dikiy's nephew, stands significantly higher than his environment in terms of his level of development. The education he received in Moscow does not allow him to get along among wild and wild boars. But he does not have enough character to escape from their power. Both of them - both Tikhon and Boris - failed to protect and save Katerina. And the "dark kingdom", which turned them into weak-willed, downtrodden people, unable to fight for their happiness, doomed both of them to "live in the world and suffer."

The central character of the play, "a ray of light in the dark kingdom," is Katerina. She stands out sharply from the environment in which she was born. The nature is dreamy, impressionable, tender, Katerina at the same time had an ardent and passionate soul: “I was born so hot!”, She says about herself. The girl was distinguished not only by a passionate, but also by a strong character. She is capable of a complete break with her boring environment. The conflict between the "dark kingdom" and the bright spiritual world of Katerina ended tragically. Not having received support from Boris, the girl commits suicide during a thunderstorm!

Pushing the "dark kingdom" and the "bright ray" against each other, Ostrovsky protested against everything old. “It is better not to live than to live like this!” - that's what Katerina's suicide meant. The verdict on society, expressed in such a tragic form, was not yet known to Russian literature before The Thunderstorm. Yes, the light did not conquer the darkness, but where there is a ray, the sun will soon appear and outshine the darkness.

And that tears flow behind these constipations,

invisible and inaudible.

A. N. Ostrovsky

Tyranny and despotism, suppressing in those around them the dream of freedom, of independence, inevitably gives rise to people who are intimidated and downtrodden, who do not dare to live by their own will. Tikhon and Boris in the drama The Thunderstorm belong to such victims of the “dark kingdom”.

From childhood, Tikhon was accustomed to obey his mother in everything, he got used to the fact that in adulthood he was afraid to act against her will. He resignedly endures all the bullying of Kabanikh, not daring to protest. “But how can I, mother, disobey you!” - he says and then adds: “Yes, mama, I don’t want to live by my own will. Where can I live with my will!

Tikhon's only cherished desire is to escape, at least for a short time, from under the care of his mother, to drink, go on a spree, go on a spree so that he can take a walk for a whole year. In the send-off scene, Kabanikh's despotism reaches its extreme and Tikhon's complete inability to not only protect but also understand Katerina is revealed. Kabanikhi, with her instructions, brought him to complete exhaustion, and he, maintaining a respectful tone, is looking forward to when this torture will end.

Tikhon understands that by doing the will of his mother, he humiliates his wife. He is both ashamed of her and sorry for her, but he cannot disobey his mother. And so, under the dictation of his mother, he teaches Katerina, trying at the same time to soften the rudeness of words and the harshness of his mother's intonations. Powerless to protect his wife, forced to play the miserable role of a tool in the hands of Kabanikh, Tikhon does not deserve respect. Katerina’s spiritual world is incomprehensible to him, a man not only weak-willed, but also limited, rustic. “I won’t understand you, Katya! Then you won’t get a word from you, let alone affection; otherwise you climb yourself, ”he tells her. Nor did he understand the drama brewing in his wife's soul. Tikhon unwittingly becomes one of the culprits of her death, as he refused to support Katerina, pushed her away at the most critical moment.

According to Dobrolyubov, Tikhon is “a living corpse - not one, not an exception, but a whole mass of people subject to the pernicious influence of the Wild and Kabanovs!”

Boris, Dikiy's nephew, stands significantly higher than his environment in terms of his level of development. He received a commercial education, not without a "certain degree of nobility" (Dobrolyubov). He understands the savagery and cruelty of the mores of the Kalinovites. But he is powerless, indecisive: material dependence puts pressure on him and turns him into a victim of his uncle-tyrant. “Education took away from him the strength to do dirty tricks ... but did not give him the strength to resist the dirty tricks that others do,” Dobrolyubov notes.

Boris sincerely loves Katerina, is ready to suffer for her, to ease her suffering: “Do with me what you want, just don’t torture her!” He is the only one among all who understands Katerina, but is unable to help her. Boris is a kind, gentle person. But Dobrolyubov is right, who believed that Katerina fell in love with him "more in the absence of people", in the absence of a more worthy person. material from the site

Both of them - both Tikhon and Boris failed to protect and save Katerina. And the "dark kingdom", which turned them into weak-willed, downtrodden people, doomed both of them to "live and suffer." But even such weak, weak-willed, resigned to life, driven to the extreme, people like the inhabitants of Kalinovo are able to condemn the despotism of tyrants. The death of Katerina prompted Kudryash and Varvara to search for another life, for the first time forced Kuligin to turn to petty tyrants with bitter reproach. Even the unfortunate Tikhon comes out of unconditional submission to his mother, regrets that he did not die with his wife: “Good for you, Katya! Why am I left to live in the world and suffer!” Of course, the protest of Varvara, Kudryash, Kuligin, Tikhon has a different character than that of Katerina. But Ostrovsky showed that the “dark kingdom” was beginning to loosen up, and Dikoi and Kabanikha were showing signs of fear of new phenomena that they did not understand in the life around them.

In many of his dramas, Ostrovsky portrayed social injustice, human vices and negative sides. Poverty, greed, an uncontrollable desire to be in power - these and many other themes can be traced in the plays “Our people will count”, “Poverty is not a vice”, “Dowry”. "Thunderstorm" should also be considered in the context of the above works. The world described by the playwright in the text was called by critics the "dark kingdom". It seems to be a kind of swamp, from which it is impossible to find a way out, which sucks a person more and more, killing humanity in him. At first glance, there are very few such victims "" in "Thunderstorm".

However, not only the confrontation of characters makes Katerina a victim. This, of course, and the circumstances. In the "dark kingdom" an honest life is a priori impossible. Here everything is built on lies, pretense and flattery. Strong is the one who has money. Power in Kalinovo belongs to the rich and merchants, for example, Wild, whose moral standards are very low. Merchants deceive each other, steal from ordinary people, seeking to enrich themselves and increase their influence. The motif of lies is also often found in the description of everyday life. Varvara tells Katya that only lies hold the Kabanov family together, and Boris is surprised by Katya's desire to tell Tikhon and Marfa Ignatievna about their secret relationship. Katerina often compares herself to a bird: the girl wants to escape from this place, but there is no way. "" will find Katya anywhere, because it is not limited to the boundaries of a fictional city. No exit. Katya makes a desperate and final decision: either to live honestly, or not at all. “I live, toil, I don’t see a light for myself. And I won’t see, I know!” The first option, as mentioned earlier, is impossible, so Katya chooses the second. The girl commits suicide not so much because Boris refuses to take her to Siberia, but because she understands that Boris turned out to be the same as the others, and a life full of reproaches and shame can no longer continue. "Here's your Katherine. Her body is here, take it; and the soul is no longer yours: it is now before a judge who is more merciful than you!” - with these words, Kuligin gives the body of the girl to the Kabanov family. In this remark, the comparison with the Supreme Judge is important. It makes the reader and the viewer think about how rotten the world of the “dark kingdom” is, that even the Last Judgment turns out to be more merciful than the court of “tyrants”.

All essays on literature for grade 10 Team of authors

1. "The Dark Kingdom" and its victims (based on the play by A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm")

Thunderstorm was published in 1859 (the day before revolutionary situation in Russia, in the "pre-storm" era). Its historicism lies in the conflict itself, the irreconcilable contradictions reflected in the play. She responds to the spirit of the times.

"Thunderstorm" is an idyll of the "dark kingdom". Tyranny and silence are brought in it to the limit. In the play, a real heroine from the people's environment appears, and it is the description of her character that is given the main attention, and the little world of the city of Kalinov and the conflict itself are described more generally.

“Their life flows smoothly and peacefully, no interests of the world disturb them, because they do not reach them; kingdoms can collapse, new countries open up, the face of the earth will change... - the inhabitants of the town of Kalinov will continue to exist in complete ignorance of the rest of the world... The concepts and way of life they have adopted are the best in the world, everything new comes from evil spirits... they find it awkward and even the daring to persistently seek reasonable grounds ... The information reported by the Feklushs is such that they are not able to inspire a great desire to exchange their lives for another ... A dark mass, terrible in its naivety and sincerity " .

Terrible and hard for everyone is an attempt to go against the requirements and convictions of this dark mass. The absence of any law, any logic - that is the law and logic of this life. In their indisputable, irresponsible dark dominion, giving complete freedom to whims, not putting any laws and logic into anything, the "tyrants" of life begin to feel some kind of discontent and fear, without knowing what and why. They are fiercely looking for their enemy, ready to attack the most innocent, some Kuligin: but there is neither an enemy nor a guilty person who could be destroyed: the law of time, the law of nature and history takes its toll, and the old boars breathe heavily, feeling that there is a power above them, which they cannot overcome ... They do not want to give in, they only care about how it would become in their lifetime ...

Kabanova is very seriously upset by the future of the old order, with which she has outlived a century, talking about the collapse of the established world: “And it will be worse than this, dear,” and in response to the words of the wanderer: “We just don’t live to see it.” The boar throws weightily: "Maybe we'll live." She only consoles herself with the fact that somehow with her help the old order will stand until her death.

The Kabanovs and the wild ones are busy now only to continue the former. They know that their self-will will still have plenty of scope as long as everyone will be shy before them; that's why they are so stubborn.

The image of Katerina is the most important discovery of Ostrovsky - the discovery of the born patriarchal world strong folk character with an awakening sense of identity. The relationship between Katerina and Kabanikha in the play is not an everyday feud between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, their fates expressed the clash of two historical eras, which determines the tragic nature of the conflict. In the soul of a completely “Kalinovskaya” woman in terms of upbringing and moral ideas, a new attitude to the world is born, a feeling that is not yet clear to the heroine herself: “Something bad is happening to me, some kind of miracle! I’m just starting to live again, or I don’t know.” Katerina perceives awakened love as a terrible, indelible sin, because love for a stranger for her, married woman, there is a breach of moral duty. With all her heart she wants to be pure and impeccable, her moral demands on herself do not allow compromise. Having already realized her love for Boris, she resists it with all her might, but does not find support in this struggle: “it’s as if I’m standing over an abyss and someone is pushing me there, but there’s nothing for me to hold on to.” Not only external forms of household chores, but even prayer becomes inaccessible to her, as she felt the power of sinful passion over herself. She feels fear of herself, of the desire for will that has grown in her, inseparably merged in her mind with love: “Of course, God forbid this should happen! And if it gets too cold for me here, they won't hold me back by any force. I'll throw myself out the window, I'll throw myself into the Volga. I don’t want to live here, so I won’t, even if you cut me!”

The consciousness of sin does not leave her at the moment of intoxication with happiness and takes possession of her with great force when happiness is over. Katerina repents publicly without hope of forgiveness, and it is the complete absence of hope that pushes her to commit suicide, a sin even more serious: “I still ruined my soul.” The complete impossibility of reconciling one's love with the demands of conscience and the physical aversion to home prison, to captivity, kill Katerina.

Katerina is not a victim of anyone personally from her surroundings, but of the course of life. The world of patriarchal relations is dying, and the soul of this world leaves life in torment and suffering, crushed by the form of worldly ties, and passes a moral judgment on itself, because the patriarchal ideal lives in it.

This text is an introductory piece. From the book Gogol in Russian criticism author Dobrolyubov Nikolai Alexandrovich

dark kingdom<Отрывок>... We have already noticed that general ideas are accepted, developed and expressed by the artist in his works in a completely different way than ordinary theorists. It is not abstract ideas and general principles that occupy the artist, but living images in which

From book IV [Collection of scientific papers] author Philology Team of authors --

N. I. Ischuk-Fadeeva. "Thunderstorm" by A. Ostrovsky - a Christian tragedy? Tver The very concept of " philosophical tragedy' may seem a bit dubious. New time, going through stages that are in many respects similar to the stages of the formation of drama, discovered this: one of the first

From the book Poet and prose: a book about Pasternak author Fateeva Natalya Alexandrovna

Annex to Chapter 2 "The dense kingdom of plants" and "the mighty kingdom of animals" This appendix presents tables of absolute frequencies for the flora and fauna of Pasternak. The indicators are given first under the headings "poetry" (the entire corpus of poems, including

From the book Writer-Inspector: Fedor Sologub and F. K. Teternikov author Pavlova Margarita Mikhailovna

From the book Russian Literature in Evaluations, Judgments, Disputes: Reader of Literary Critical Texts author Esin Andrey Borisovich

Drama A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" Of all the works of Ostrovsky, the play "Thunderstorm" caused the greatest resonance in society and the most acute controversy in criticism. This was explained as the nature of the drama itself (the severity of the conflict, its tragic outcome, a strong and original image

From the book In disputes about Russia: A. N. Ostrovsky author Moskvina Tatyana Vladimirovna

I.A. Goncharov Review of the drama "Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky<…>Without fear of an accusation of exaggeration, I can honestly say that there has never been such a work as a drama in our literature. It undeniably occupies and probably will for a long time occupy the first place in high

From the book Writers and Soviet Leaders author Frezinsky Boris Yakovlevich

M. M. Dostoevsky "Thunderstorm". Drama in 5 acts by A.N. Ostrovsky<…>For this pure, unsullied nature1 only the bright side of things is available; obeying everything around her, finding everything lawful, she knew how to create her own out of the meager2 life of a provincial town.

From the book All essays on literature for grade 10 author Team of authors

P.I. Melnikov-Pechersky "Thunderstorm". Drama in five acts by A.N. Ostrovsky<…>We will not analyze the previous works of our gifted playwright - they are known to everyone and a lot, a lot is said about them in our magazines. Let's just say one thing, that all the former

From the book How to write an essay. To prepare for the exam author Sitnikov Vitaly Pavlovich

Foreign and national in Ostrovsky's play "Dmitry the Pretender and Vasily Shuisky" Those "reflections and reflections of various truths" that Markov wrote about when reflecting on the problem of Ostrovsky's "moralism" can be recognized as a fundamental, defining feature of his dramaturgy.

From the author's book

2. The tragedy of Katerina (based on the play by A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm") Katerina - main character Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm", wife of Tikhon, daughter-in-law of Kabanikhi. The main idea of the work is the conflict of this girl with the "dark kingdom", the kingdom of tyrants, despots and ignoramuses. Find out why

From the author's book

3. "The Tragedy of Conscience" (based on the play by A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm") In "Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky shows the life of a Russian merchant family and the position of a woman in it. The character of Katerina was formed in a simple merchant family, where love reigned and her daughter was given complete freedom. She

From the author's book

4. " Small man"in the world of Ostrovsky (based on the play by A. N. Ostrovsky "The Dowry") A special hero in the world of Ostrovsky, adjoining the type of a poor official with self-esteem, is Yuly Kapitonovich Karandyshev. At the same time, self-love in him

From the author's book

The tragic acuteness of Katerina's conflict with the "dark kingdom" in the drama of A. N. Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm" I. The combination in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" of the genres of drama and tragedy.II. Masters and victims of the "dark kingdom".1. “The absence of any law and logic is the law and logic of this life”

From the author's book

Dobrolyubov N. A Ray of light in the dark kingdom (Thunderstorm. Drama in five acts by A. N. Ostrovsky, St. Petersburg, 1860) In the development of the drama, there must be observed strict unity and consistency; the denouement should flow naturally and necessarily from the tie; every scene must

From the author's book

Bykova N. G. Drama by A. N. Ostrovsky “Thunderstorm” “Thunderstorm” is a drama written by A. N. Ostrovsky in 1859. The play was created on the eve of the abolition of serfdom. The action takes place in the small merchant town of Kalinov on the Volga. Life there is slow, sleepy, boring.Home

"Thunderstorm", as you know, presents us with an idyll of the "dark kingdom", which little by little illuminates us with Ostrovsky's talent. The people you see here live in blessed places: the city stands on the banks of the Volga, all in greenery; from the steep banks one can see distant spaces covered with villages and fields; a fertile summer day beckons to the shore, to the air, under the open sky, under this breeze, refreshingly blowing from the Volga. And the inhabitants, it’s true, sometimes walk along the boulevard above the river, although they have already got accustomed to the beauties of the Volga views; in the evening they sit on the rubble at the gate and engage in pious conversations; but they spend more time at home, do housework, eat, sleep - they go to bed very early, so it is difficult for an unaccustomed person to endure such a sleepy night as they ask themselves. But what should they do, how not to sleep when they are full?
Their life flows smoothly and peacefully, no interests of the world disturb them, because they do not reach them; kingdoms may collapse, new lands may open up, the face of the earth may change as it pleases, the world may begin new life on new principles - the inhabitants of the city of Kalinov will continue to exist in complete ignorance of the rest of the world.
From a young age they still show some curiosity, but there is nowhere for her to get food: information comes to them only from wanderers, and even those now are few, real; one has to be content with those who “themselves, due to their weakness, did not go far, but heard a lot,” like Feklusha in “Thunderstorm”. From them only the inhabitants of Kalinovo learn about what is happening in the world; otherwise they would think that the whole world is the same as their Kalinov, and that it is absolutely impossible to live otherwise than them. But the information reported by the Feklushs is such that they are not able to inspire a great desire to exchange their life for another.
Feklusha belongs to a patriotic and highly conservative party; she feels good among the pious and naive Kalinovites: she is both revered, and treated, and supplied with everything necessary; she can seriously assure that her very sins come from the fact that she is higher than other mortals: “ ordinary people, - he says, - one enemy confuses everyone, but to us, strange people, to whom there are six, to whom twelve are assigned, so we must overcome them all. And they believe her. It is clear that the simple instinct of self-preservation should make her say a good word about what is being done in other lands.
And this is not at all because these people were more stupid and stupid than many others whom we meet in academies and learned societies. No, the whole point is that by their position, by their life under the yoke of arbitrariness, they have all been accustomed to see the lack of accountability and senselessness and therefore find it awkward and even daring to persistently seek out reasonable grounds for anything. Ask a question - there will be more of them; but if the answer is such that “the cannon itself, and the mortar itself,” then they no longer dare to torture further and are humbly content with this explanation. The secret of such indifference to logic lies primarily in the absence of any logic in life relationships.
The key to this mystery is given to us, for example, by the following line of Diky in Groz. Kuligin, in response to his rudeness, says: “Why, sir Savel Prokofich, would you like to offend an honest man?” Wild replies this: “A report, or something, I will give you! I don't report to anyone more important than you. I want to think about you like that, I think so! For others you fair man and I think you're a robber, that's all. Would you like to hear it from me? So listen! I say that the robber, and the end. Well, are you going to sue, or what, will you be with me? So you know that you are a worm. If I want, I will have mercy, if I want, I will crush.”
What theoretical reasoning can stand where life is based on such principles! The absence of any law, any logic - that is the law and logic of this life. This is not anarchy, but something much worse (although the imagination of an educated European cannot imagine anything worse than anarchy).
The condition of a society subject to such anarchy (if such anarchy is possible) is indeed terrible.
In fact, no matter what you say, a man alone, left to himself, will not fool much in society and will very soon feel the need to agree and come to an agreement with others in terms of common benefit. But a person will never feel this need if he finds a vast field for exercising his whims in a multitude of his kind, and if he sees in their dependent, humiliated position a constant reinforcement of his tyranny.
But - a wonderful thing! - in their indisputable, irresponsible dark dominion, giving complete freedom to their whims, putting all sorts of laws and logic into nothing, the tyrants of Russian life begin, however, to feel some kind of discontent and fear, without knowing what and why. Everything seems to be the same, everything is fine: Dikoy scolds whomever he wants; when they say to him: “how can no one in the whole house please you!” - he smugly replies: “Here you go!” Kabanova still keeps her children in fear, forces her daughter-in-law to observe all the etiquettes of antiquity, eats her like rusty iron, considers herself completely infallible and is pleased by various Feklushas.
And everything is somehow restless, not good for them. In addition to them, without asking them, another life has grown, with other beginnings, and although it is far away, it is still not clearly visible, but it already gives itself a presentiment and sends bad visions to the dark arbitrariness of tyrants. They are fiercely looking for their enemy, ready to attack the most innocent, some Kuligin; but there is neither an enemy nor a guilty person whom they could destroy: the law of time, the law of nature and history takes its toll, and the old Kabanovs breathe heavily, feeling that there is a power higher than them, which they cannot overcome, which they cannot even approach know how.
They do not want to give in (and no one for the time being demands concessions from them), but shrink, shrink; before they wanted to establish their system of life, forever indestructible, and now they are also trying to preach; but already hope is betraying them, and they, in essence, are only busy with how it would become in their lifetime ... Kabanova argues that “ end times come,” and when Feklusha tells her about the various horrors of the present – about railways, etc. – she prophetically remarks: “And it will be worse, my dear.” “We just don’t want to live to see it,” Feklusha replies with a sigh. “Maybe we will live,” Kabanova says again fatalistically, revealing her doubts and uncertainty. Why is she worried? People travel by railroads - what does it matter to her?
But you see: she, “even though you scree it all with gold,” will not go according to the devil’s invention; and the people travel more and more, ignoring her curses; Isn't that sad, isn't it a testament to her impotence? People have found out about electricity - it seems that there is something offensive for the Wild and Kabanovs? But, you see, Dikoi says that “a thunderstorm is sent to us as a punishment, so that we feel,” but Kuligin does not feel or feels not at all, and talks about electricity. Isn't this self-will, not a disregard for the power and importance of the Wild One?
They don’t want to believe what he believes, which means that they don’t believe him either, they consider themselves smarter than him; think about what it will lead to? No wonder Kabanova remarks about Kuligin: “The time has come, what teachers have appeared! If the old man thinks like that, what can you demand from the young!” And Kabanova is very seriously upset by the future of the old order, with which she has outlived a century. She foresees their end, tries to maintain their significance, but already feels that there is no former reverence for them, that they are no longer willingly preserved, only involuntarily, and that at the first opportunity they will be abandoned. She herself had somehow lost some of her knightly fervor; no longer with the same energy she takes care of observing the old customs, in many cases she has already waved her hand, drooped before the impossibility of stopping the stream, and only looks with despair as it gradually floods the motley flower beds of her whimsical superstitions.
That is why, of course, appearance everything on which their influence extends preserves the antiquities more and seems more immovable than where people, having abandoned tyranny, are already trying only to preserve the essence of their interests and significance; but in fact, the inner significance of petty tyrants is much closer to its end than the influence of people who know how to support themselves and their principle by external concessions. That is why Kabanova is so sad, and that is why Dikoya is so furious: until the last moment they did not want to tame their broad manners and now they are in the position of a rich merchant on the eve of bankruptcy.

Essay on literature on the topic: Masters and victims of the "dark kingdom"

Other writings:

In the atmosphere of the "dark kingdom", under the yoke of tyrannical power, living human feelings fade, wither away, the will weakens, the mind fades. If a person is endowed with energy, a thirst for life, then, applying himself to circumstances, he begins to lie, cunning, dodge. Under the pressure of this dark force, characters develop Read More ......
The writer Yuryev noted: Ostrovsky did not write “Thunderstorm”, Volga wrote “Thunderstorm”. The action of the play takes place in the city of Kalinov, located on the banks of the Volga River. This is a fictional provincial town dominated by cruel morals. And it seems very strange, because the picturesque nature of this cozy Read More ......
In Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm" the problems of morality are widely posed. For example provincial town Kalinov, the playwright showed the truly cruel customs reigning there. Ostrovsky portrayed the cruelty of people living in the old fashioned way, according to Domostroy, and a new generation of young people who reject these foundations. Drama characters are divided into Read More ......
The play by A. N. Ostrovsky “Thunderstorm” was written in 1859. In the same year, it was staged in theaters in Moscow and St. Petersburg, and for many years it has not left the stages of all theaters in the world. During this time, the play has undergone many Read More ......
Reading the works of Ostrovsky, we involuntarily find ourselves in the atmosphere that prevails in this society, and become direct participants in the events that take place on the stage. We merge with the crowd and, as if from the outside, observe the life of the heroes. So, being in Read More ......
A. N. Ostrovsky is considered an innovator of domestic drama. Perhaps he was the first to show the world of the “dark kingdom” in his works. In his essay “Notes of a Zamoskvoretsky Resident”, the writer, as it were, “discovered” a country “until now not known in detail and by none of the travelers Read More ......
Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm" is the most significant work of the famous playwright. It was written in 1860 during a period of social upsurge, when the foundations of serfdom were cracking, and a thunderstorm was gathering in the stuffy atmosphere of reality. Ostrovsky's play takes us to a merchant environment, where house-building orders Read More ......
The basis of the conflict in the play by A. N. Ostrovsky “Thunderstorm” is the opposition of a dark and ignorant merchant environment with a bright personality. As a result, the “dark kingdom” of the city of Kalinov wins, which, as the playwright shows, is very strong and has a huge influence. What is this “dark Read More ......

Masters and victims of the "dark kingdom"