Katerina and the barbarian are comparative characteristics in the play Thunderstorm. Comparative characteristics of Katerina and Varvara in "The Thunderstorm Comparative characteristics of Katerina in the play Thunderstorm

In The Thunderstorm, Varvara and Katerina are two truly feminine characters. These two girls embody two different approaches to life, to the world, to the rules of the game. However, it would be a mistake to contrast the images of Katerina and Varvara in The Thunderstorm. For a number of reasons, these two heroines are best viewed as inextricably linked. The actions of one hero illustrate the character of the other more vividly, as if shading it, and vice versa. These characters are interesting in themselves, but in the analysis and detailed comparative characteristics of Katerina and Varvara from Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm", new facets of each image are revealed. By comparing the heroines of "The Thunderstorm", one can understand much better the character traits of each character.

What can the reader say about Varvara and Katerina when he first sees the heroines in the most familiar setting: Tikhon meekly agrees with his mother, and Kabanikha blames Katerina for everything, complaining about life along the way? Girls behave differently. You can see that all of Barbara's remarks are accompanied by the remark “to myself”.

That is, the girl expresses her opinion and dissatisfaction with the current situation, but prefers that no one knows about her thoughts: “Kabanova. Elders are not respected very much nowadays. Varvara (to herself). You will not respect you, of course! ”,“ Varvara (to herself). I found a place to be instructed to read. " Katerina is not afraid to speak openly about her feelings. Katya feels offended by groundless accusations of what she did not commit: “You are talking about me, mamma, in vain you are saying this. Whether with people or without people, I am all alone, I don’t prove anything from myself ”.

Although it is more logical to assume that it is the daughter, that is, Varvara, who will express her claims to the mother. Nevertheless, when Kabanikha leaves, Varvara, unlike Katerina, pounces on Tikhon: what kind of husband is this who cannot protect his wife from the tyranny of her mother-in-law. Varvara is disgusted to look at Tikhon, she realizes how pitiful and lack of initiative he is. She feels sorry for Katya, who is forced to live with Tikhon. It is a mistake to believe that Katya does not notice Tikhon's shortcomings, but she is above self-pity. And from Barbara's side, she does not need pity at all.

Here the other side of the characters opens up, the images of Katerina and Barbara in "The Thunderstorm" are revealed in a new way. It's not so much about strength of character and personal qualities, but about spiritual depth. All residents of Kalinov are opposed to the image of Katerina according to the principle of pettiness - breadth of soul. Varvara differs from the Kalinovites, but still it is impossible to talk about the same deep understanding of the world. Katya is incredibly sensitive to the world, every breath, every ray of the sun. She is religious, therefore, in her understanding of the world, Christian images-symbols (for example, angels and singing) are of great importance.

Varvara, who was brought up differently, cannot understand all metaphysics, she is not able to immerse herself in the sphere of the immanent, she is not given to feel like a free bird, locked in a cage. No, Varvara does not feel the world so well, but she knows life very well. Kabanikha's daughter has no illusions about the people around her, she decides to play by the proposed rules, while keeping her face. Its main principle is that everything should be “sewn covered”, and no one should know anything. Varvara seems much older than Katerina precisely because of such a pragmatic and even somewhat cynical attitude to life, which is not characteristic of a young girl's age. There is a feeling that Barbara does not need sympathy, because she is able to stand up for herself. But Katerina, fragile and tender, only needs an understanding that no one is able to give her. Varvara listens, but does not hear Katya's monologues. And life before the wedding with Kabanov to Varvara seems the same as after marriage: Varvara does not understand the tragedy of the loss of inner freedom.

Katerina tends to reflect more on the topic of relationships and feelings. Love for Boris initially scares Katya, so the girl tries to give up the experiences that have arisen. For Varvara, such a situation is, in principle, impossible, because if she likes a young man, she walks with him, and if she likes another, then, accordingly, she will go for a walk with him. She learned to hide it, so she offers this option to Katya. But Katerina refuses. She understands the responsibility that cheating and lying entail. It is hard for Barbara to see the girl's suffering, so she makes an appointment with Boris on behalf of Katya.

It should be mentioned that it was Varvara who came up with a way to sneak away from home in the evening. She changed the lock on the gate and persuaded the servant. It is unlikely that Katerina would have done so many manipulations and embarked on so many tricks. For a long time, the girl could not decide to just go out to her lover, to look into his eyes.

Varvara to the last tried to persuade Katya not to talk about secret meetings with Boris, but Katya was determined to confess what she had done. The girls look at this situation from different points of view. For Barbara, the main thing was her own happiness, which could be cut short. And after keeping silent secret meetings could be continued. Katya Kabanova thought differently. For her, it was not just a night out with someone she liked. Katya had to make a difficult choice, realizing that deception and betrayal are sins both in Christianity and in society. Further lies and hiding their feelings could aggravate the inner discord of the heroine. The girl could not live in harmony with herself, knowing that she was deceiving everyone, including herself.

The girls strive for freedom, but for Varvara freedom of movement, freedom, which is realized in the material world, is more important, and Katerina strives for freedom of spirit. In the finale of the play, the author deduces both heroines from the work. Katerina throws herself into the Volga, thus gaining freedom. Varvara runs away from home. Why is the path of Barbara impossible for Katerina? Because it would still be a lie to oneself, not gaining the long-awaited freedom, but an escape. Katerina would be haunted by the ghosts of the past, and her conscience would torment.

Product test

In The Thunderstorm, Varvara and Katerina are two truly feminine characters. These two girls embody two different approaches to life, to the world, to the rules of the game. However, it would be a mistake to contrast the images of Katerina and Varvara in The Thunderstorm. For a number of reasons, these two heroines are best viewed as inextricably linked. The actions of one hero illustrate the character of the other more vividly, as if shading it, and vice versa. These characters are interesting in themselves, but in the analysis and detailed comparative characteristics of Katerina and Varvara from Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm", new facets of each image are revealed. By comparing the heroines of "The Thunderstorm", one can understand much better the character traits of each character.

What can the reader say about Varvara and Katerina when he first sees the heroines in the most familiar setting: Tikhon meekly agrees with his mother, and Kabanikha blames Katerina for everything, complaining about life along the way? Girls behave differently. You can see that all of Barbara's remarks are accompanied by the remark “to myself”.

That is, the girl expresses her opinion and dissatisfaction with the current situation, but prefers that no one knows about her thoughts: “Kabanova. Elders are not respected very much nowadays. Varvara (to herself). You will not respect you, of course! ”,“ Varvara (to herself). I found a place to be instructed to read. " Katerina is not afraid to speak openly about her feelings. Katya feels offended by groundless accusations of what she did not commit: “You are talking about me, mamma, in vain you are saying this. Whether with people or without people, I am all alone, I don’t prove anything from myself ”.

Although it is more logical to assume that it is the daughter, that is, Varvara, who will express her claims to the mother. Nevertheless, when Kabanikha leaves, Varvara, unlike Katerina, pounces on Tikhon: what kind of husband is this who cannot protect his wife from the tyranny of her mother-in-law. Varvara is disgusted to look at Tikhon, she realizes how pitiful and lack of initiative he is. She feels sorry for Katya, who is forced to live with Tikhon. It is a mistake to believe that Katya does not notice Tikhon's shortcomings, but she is above self-pity. And from Barbara's side, she does not need pity at all.

Here the other side of the characters opens up, the images of Katerina and Barbara in "The Thunderstorm" are revealed in a new way. It's not so much about strength of character and personal qualities, but about spiritual depth. All residents of Kalinov are opposed to the image of Katerina according to the principle of pettiness - breadth of soul. Varvara differs from the Kalinovites, but still it is impossible to talk about the same deep understanding of the world. Katya is incredibly sensitive to the world, every breath, every ray of the sun. She is religious, therefore, in her understanding of the world, Christian images-symbols (for example, angels and singing) are of great importance.

Varvara, who was brought up differently, cannot understand all metaphysics, she is not able to immerse herself in the sphere of the immanent, she is not given to feel like a free bird, locked in a cage. No, Varvara does not feel the world so well, but she knows life very well. Kabanikha's daughter has no illusions about the people around her, she decides to play by the proposed rules, while keeping her face. Its main principle is that everything should be “sewn covered”, and no one should know anything. Varvara seems much older than Katerina precisely because of such a pragmatic and even somewhat cynical attitude to life, which is not characteristic of a young girl's age. There is a feeling that Barbara does not need sympathy, because she is able to stand up for herself. But Katerina, fragile and tender, only needs an understanding that no one is able to give her. Varvara listens, but does not hear Katya's monologues. And life before the wedding with Kabanov to Varvara seems the same as after marriage: Varvara does not understand the tragedy of the loss of inner freedom.

Katerina tends to reflect more on the topic of relationships and feelings. Love for Boris initially scares Katya, so the girl tries to give up the experiences that have arisen. For Varvara, such a situation is, in principle, impossible, because if she likes a young man, she walks with him, and if she likes another, then, accordingly, she will go for a walk with him. She learned to hide it, so she offers this option to Katya. But Katerina refuses. She understands the responsibility that cheating and lying entail. It is hard for Barbara to see the girl's suffering, so she makes an appointment with Boris on behalf of Katya.

It should be mentioned that it was Varvara who came up with a way to sneak away from home in the evening. She changed the lock on the gate and persuaded the servant. It is unlikely that Katerina would have done so many manipulations and embarked on so many tricks. For a long time, the girl could not decide to just go out to her lover, to look into his eyes.

Varvara to the last tried to persuade Katya not to talk about secret meetings with Boris, but Katya was determined to confess what she had done. The girls look at this situation from different points of view. For Barbara, the main thing was her own happiness, which could be cut short. And after keeping silent secret meetings could be continued. Katya Kabanova thought differently. For her, it was not just a night out with someone she liked. Katya had to make a difficult choice, realizing that deception and betrayal are sins both in Christianity and in society. Further lies and hiding their feelings could aggravate the inner discord of the heroine. The girl could not live in harmony with herself, knowing that she was deceiving everyone, including herself.

The girls strive for freedom, but for Varvara freedom of movement, freedom, which is realized in the material world, is more important, and Katerina strives for freedom of spirit. In the finale of the play, the author deduces both heroines from the work. Katerina throws herself into the Volga, thus gaining freedom. Varvara runs away from home. Why is the path of Barbara impossible for Katerina? Because it would still be a lie to oneself, not gaining the long-awaited freedom, but an escape. Katerina would be haunted by the ghosts of the past, and her conscience would torment.

Product test

The drama by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky "The Thunderstorm" is the most significant and final work of the first half of the writer's work. In The Thunderstorm, Ostrovsky returned to his favorite theme, to the depiction of the family and everyday conflict in its internal dramatic development, brought it to a decisive denouement and thus for the first time went beyond the comedy genre.
In The Thunderstorm, the playwright found a character more significant than in previous plays. In Katherine, he portrayed a woman who, for all her underdevelopment, has willpower and an outstanding temperament. However, another heroine of the play, Varvara, who, in her love for Kudryash, is able to actively and boldly bypass the straightforward prohibitions of the Domostroy world, is distinguished by similar properties. But Varvara is shallow in her feelings and needs.
Katerina, on the other hand, possesses not only strength, but also the depth of feelings arising from her moral uncommonness, and, above all, from her vague and unconscious romantic aspirations. In a conversation with Varvara, Katerina's soul is revealed: “I say, why do people not fly like birds? You know I sometimes
it seems that I am a bird. When you stand on a mountain, you are drawn to fly. So I would have scattered, raised my hands and flew. "
These aspirations of Katerina were developed even before marriage, in the patriarchal-merchant conditions of her upbringing. Mother in Katerina “doted”, “the house was full of pilgrims and praying moths”, “there were many, many flowers”, they often went to church, they embroidered “on velvet with gold” at home ... it was painted in tones of religious exaltation. However, these conditions also contributed to the fact that the norms of patriarchal obedience, backed by the authority of religion, were firmly embedded and strengthened in Katerina's awareness. Having awakened Katerina's religious and romantic daydreaming, the patriarchal house-building system played a cruel joke on her. The girl's mother was convinced that Katerina "would love any husband," and, flattered by a profitable marriage, betrayed her without love to the Kabanov family. But this family is of a completely different temper, here everything is done not from the heart, but "out of bondage."
Here Varvara is used to living in such an atmosphere. She deceives her mother without feeling the slightest remorse. Outwardly, Barbara submits to the power of Kabanikha, but inside she protests. And she does not consider this double life shameful - she is used to it. “Well, but without this (deception) it is impossible ... Our whole house rests on that. And I was not a liar, but I learned when I needed to, ”she teaches Katerina. Varvara perfectly learned the lessons of her mother-bigot and hypocrite.
Katerina, on the other hand, is burdened by the atmosphere in which she is forced to live ... She does not like a narrow-minded and weak-willed husband, she despises her spiteful and quarrelsome mother-in-law. Inevitably, her romantic aspirations had to find and find a way out. Katerina fell passionately in love with Boris. At first, she tried to suppress a sinful feeling in herself, but, unable to resist it, she is seriously and sincerely experiencing betrayal of her husband.
Katerina is full of fear of the sin she has committed, but she is not afraid of human judgment. Katerina perceives the thunderstorm as God's punishment, therefore she expects death from her. And it is doubly scary to die without repentance, therefore "before the whole world" is recognized. “I’m not afraid to die, but when I think that suddenly I will appear before God as I am here ... - that’s what’s scary! What's on my mind! What a sin! It's scary to say it! "
Varvara is afraid of one thing - to vegetate from boredom. She has a completely different “philosophy”: “And what a desire to dry up! Though die of melancholy, they will regret that eh, you! Why, wait. So what a bondage to torture yourself! " She lives according to rather peculiar rules, but it is difficult to judge her, her mother forces Varvara to lie and hide. Kabanikha's hypocrisy, her eternal prohibitions push Varvara on this path.
Katerina herself repents to Tikhon of her perfect sin, her impulse for freedom, her desire to break out of the Domostroy prison at least at the cost of her life turns out to be stronger than her sense of duty. Katerina is ready to run with Boris, only he doesn't take her. Left by her lover, Katerina prefers death to return to her husband in family bondage.
Varvara has a completely different situation. She is free from obligations, nothing binds her to her family, except for unpleasant memories, there is no family affection, a feeling of childlike gratitude, so she calmly leaves with Curly, not caring about the consequences.
Ostrovsky brought to the stage two opposite characters, showing the way out of the "dark kingdom". The viewer is probably closer to the "flight" of Varvara than the departure of Katerina. She chose too harsh a path, but she had no other choice.