The image of Katerina in the play "The Thunderstorm": the tragedy of the "female share" in the interpretation of A. Ostrovsky

The image of Katerina in the play
The image of Katerina in the play "The Thunderstorm": the tragedy of the "female share" in the interpretation of A. Ostrovsky

The image of the "dark kingdom" in the work "The Thunderstorm" is embodied in the provincial town of Kalinov. Poor people are forced to work in it around the clock, rich people prefer to spend time behind high fences and "eat" everyone who is dependent on them. The mores of the patriarchal merchants are personified by the Kabanov family.

Martha Ignatievna, a well-to-do merchant's wife, is called "Kabanikha". This nickname gives the impression of something unpleasant. The heroine has a difficult character. She is despotic, power-hungry. Boar

Does not recognize anything new and believes in the power of rituals. She loves children in her own way, but considers them unable to make their own choices. Marfa Ignatievna does not tolerate objections. The son Tikhon tries to be outside the home as often as possible so as not to feel her influence, and the daughter Varvara learns to cheat. Only Katerina, Kabanikha's daughter-in-law, can neither pretend nor go somewhere. She believes in the best and cannot stand the cruel morals prevailing in the family.

Readers can remember Tikhon only as the son of Kabanikha - this is exactly the description the author gives him at the beginning of the work. The hero has a weak character. His urge to leave

Out of control is expressed in binges away from home. Tikhon loves his wife and does not want to hurt her. He is at odds with himself and cannot make a choice between the domineering mother and Katerina. Kabanov opposes Marfa Ignatievna when it gets too late: his wife dies.

The character of Varvara Kabanova can be described by her name: "barbarian, foreigner." As long as the heroine manages to deceive her mother, she does not enter into open conflict. "If only everything was sewn and covered" - this rule is true for the Kabanovs' house. As soon as the secret becomes clear, and Kabanikha tries to restrict her daughter's freedom, Barbara escapes. There is no doubt that her ability to adapt to circumstances will be helpful.

Katerina was never able to become part of the Kabanov family. She spends most of her time in memories of the past. A young woman dreams of flying like a bird, of being free. Nothing can keep her in the "dark kingdom": Boris does not pass the test of love, Tikhon does not dare to object to his mother ... A thunderstorm begins in Katerina's life. She dies, proud and independent.

Thus, the Kabanov family in the play is represented by several characteristic images. Similar people can be found in different cities. Ostrovsky gives an exhaustive description of the patriarchal world and the people who live in it.

Essays on topics:

  1. The beginning of the 19th century. The city of Kalinov, standing on the steep bank of the Volga. In the first act of the play, the reader sees a public city garden. Here...
  2. In the drama "Thunderstorm" the young generation is represented very widely: it is Katerina, her husband Tikhon, beloved Boris, Varvara, Kudryash. Given the theme of the essay, ...
  3. A. N. Ostrovsky is a great Russian playwright. He was the first in Russian literature to lift the curtain over the life of the merchant class, to show the powerlessness of women ...
  4. Tikhon and Boris became those men who predetermined the fate of the main character of Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" by Katerina. For the first time, Tikhon Kabanov, we ...

I re-read all the posts, kaments, resigned videos related to the tragedy of the Kabanov family and made disappointing conclusions. Despite the fact that numerous friends, acquaintances and acquaintances write about them (in the records of these there are mainly assumptions and baseless guesses: perhaps she drank, perhaps he beat her, did not want to work), one thing is obvious and indisputable: a large , the young family strove for well-being and stability and seized on all opportunities, up to playing roulette, running their own restaurant business, opening a loan of money at interest. Having an apartment, they did not rent it, but in order to have a decent income and a decent standard of living, they sold and invested the entire amount in the business, using the correct principle: money must work. In the restaurant, to raise the popularity of the institution, flash mobs were arranged with an expensive snack, but free wine. All this suggests that the couple had a good perspective thanks to their ingenuity and indefatigable activity. The couple did not remain indifferent to what was happening in the country, took part in rallies and protests .. at the same time, having three children, managed to keep them and her house in order, trying her best to create the appearance of well-being.
Why did their life go downhill and lead to total ruin? Why did one business collapse, another ..
I'll make a small digression with a bright sketch. Recently I had a conversation with a lady, in Soviet times - the director of a restaurant. She said that after retiring, she found former employees in order to organize her own business and open her own restaurant on shares. A native Petersburg woman, she was forced to take premises for SUB-RENT from Caucasians, There were simply no other premises! However, everything was organized, the promotion began, the restaurant began to make a profit. And then the whistle with the lease began. The price increased every month until the establishment had to be closed.
What happened to the Kabanovs' business? Nobody writes about this. Why did they, with their desire, youth and energy not manage to unwind and reach a stable level? One can only guess about this ..
I do not want to believe in the senseless cruelty of Irina's husband, many facts do not appear in my head:
1. They lived together for more than one year, but did not divorce ..
2. We have suffered a lot of difficulties together.
3. Apparently, they had common interests, tastes, views, including political ones.
4. They raised two common children and one child from Irina's first marriage.
5. In the end, sophisticated murder, carefully thought-out steps to cover up the tracks .... and the parts of the corpse left in the car .. and the evidence resignedly provided to the police - all this somehow does not fit into a single picture.
In conclusion:
In the media, on TV, on the internet, we are endlessly told: Do you want to be rich? - behave like rich and wealthy, self-confident people. This is exactly how the Kabanovs behaved. To many friends and acquaintances, they seemed quite prosperous .. Borrow money and don’t give it back? Such a vile nature! And it never occurred to anyone that the family was really in poverty and was on the brink of disaster!

In the image of Kabanikha, a wealthy merchant woman in the Volga town of Kalinov, Ostrovsky painted a typical character that had developed among the Russian bourgeoisie of the pre-reform period. At the same time, Ostrovsky not only denounces the social type reflected in the image of Kabanikha, but also reveals the inconsistency of the principles defended by Kabanikha, the inevitability of their death in the concrete historical conditions of the late fifties. He shows how Kabanikha, deeply convinced that only "the house rests on her", by consistent implementation of her principles contributes to the collapse of her family.


Having shown the disgusting essence of Kabanikha, Ostrovsky simultaneously endowed her with an outstanding mind and strength of character. Comparing the mind with the limitedness and distortion of its ideas and concepts made it possible for the playwright to show the pernicious influence of the dark kingdom not only on its victims, but also on the owners, and thereby increase the accusatory power of the drama.
The boar appears for the first time in the fifth phenomenon of the first act, surrounded by the whole family.


Ostrovsky reveals her character - a peculiar combination of hypocrisy, despotism, harsh cruelty and rudeness, unbridled tyranny and petty picky. Using the example of Kabanikha, Ostrovsky shows with amazing skill what it means to eat, “how rust wears away iron”.
From the very first remarks, we see the manner characteristic of Kabanikha - to make domestic reproaches. The purpose of Kabanikha's reproaches is to bring the household to such a state that they would not dare to think about any disobedience. But Kabanikha's reproaches are somewhat special. Their originality lies, first, in their complete groundlessness. In what Kabanikha reproaches her household, they are completely innocent, and Kabanikha herself perfectly understands this; secondly, reproaches are often needed by Kabanikha in order to start her instructions, starting from them, therefore the most unexpected reasons for them are found.


Kabanikha has favorite themes for reproaches and admonitions. First of all, these are reproaches of children's disrespect towards their parents and reproaches to Tikhon that he prefers his wife to his mother, that he wants to "live with his own mind." All Tikhon's excuses do not help at all. Yes, Tikhon does not even hope for this. He knows very well that Kabanikha needs these excuses as proof of his complete obedience. Reproaching, the Kabanikha vigilantly watches its victim. The slightest misstep, the answer not in the form required, causes her cruel blow. So, to the careless remark of Tikhon: "Why should she be afraid, it's enough for me that she loves me" - followed by her stern cry. The reproach turns into a threat. But Kabanikha not only reproaches and threatens, she instructs. The favorite topic of her instructions is “how to live”, what should be the order in the family.


The boar is a prude. A sanctimonious coloring to her speeches is given, firstly, by affectionate addresses: "my friend", "my dear", etc .; secondly, phrases expressing self-deprecation: “mother is old, stupid, but you, young people, smart, should not collect fools from us”; thirdly, references to parental love: “because of love, parents are strict about you, or "... but what can I do, I am not a stranger to you, my heart hurts about you"; fourthly, the desire to present oneself as unhappy: “Well, wait, live and be free when I’m gone. Then do what you want, there will be no elders over you. Or maybe you will remember me too ... "; fifthly, the presence of elements of church jargon: "grave sin", "a conversation close to my heart will go, well, you will sin ..."

Kabanikha is characterized not only by hypocrisy, she is a rude cruel despot. “Why did you jump out in your eyes to cheer,” or “That you are pretending to be an orphan,” or “You’re crazy, or something,” or “You keep stupid thoughts in your head,” etc.
Thus, Kabanikha's speech is based on the interweaving of terrible rudeness and unctuous humility.


The boar with stupid fanaticism is absorbed in the observance of order, of which she is the guardian. The word "order" in the mouth of Kabanikha has its own definite meaning. This is the norm of family life, this is what is recognized as correct in the dark kingdom. The instructions that she gives Tikhon regarding Katerina express the views of the dark kingdom on the position of the daughter-in-law in the family.
With her monologues, Kabanikha repeatedly emphasizes the role and importance of elders in the house. “It’s good who else has elders in the house, they keep the house while they are alive ...” “I don’t know what will happen, how the old people will die, how the light will stand.”


In the third act of the play, Ostrovsky shows Kabanikha in a new aspect. The boar was given outside the family circle: with the wanderer Feklusha and with the owner of the city Wild.
A conversation with Feklusha reveals Kabanikha's exceptional ignorance, obscurantism and conservatism; he also shows how high the wanderer's authority is in her eyes. This is the only phenomenon where Kabanikha is not talking, but where she only listens and assent, or picks up Feklusha's remarks. Feklusha is the only character in a conversation with whom Kabanikha does not speak downwardly.


Thus, not only the remarks and monologues of Kabanikha themselves reveal her character, but also how Kabanikha changes depending on who she is talking to. If Kabanikha is rude to her family, if her sanctimonious tone continuously alternates with a rude shout, if she speaks with Dikim in an instructive tone, then with Feklusha she speaks gravely and affectionately. This affectionateness is emphasized by the address "sweetheart", "you have no place to rush, sweetheart," "I heard, sweetheart," etc.


The conversation with Feklusha is followed by a scene with Dikim. In this "competition" of tyrants, the advantage remains on the side of Kabanikha. She is stronger and smarter than the Wild. It seems incredible that Kabanikha, who has just listened with complete confidence to Feklusha's absurd tales, is reasoning so cleverly with Dikim.
Kabanikha's ideas about life are distorted. She is ignorant, narrow-minded, but smart. She perfectly understands the Wild one, she knows the value of his strength. “And the honor is not great, because you have been at war with women all your life,” says Kabanikha, which underlines her attitude towards the Wild.


The mind and knowledge of the people of their circle is also evidenced by the psychological analysis of the behavior of the Wild, which is done by Kabanikha. “If you see that they want to ask you for something, you will take someone on your own on purpose and pounce to get angry; because you know that no one will approach you angry. "
For Kabanikha, money is the criterion and basis of everything.
The life of Kabanikha is put into the framework of the old way of life, where every act has its own once and for all established consequence, and a misdemeanor is a punishment. One must act so righteously that at any moment one should be ready for death, i.e. ready to face God, says religion. And a righteous life, according to Kabanikha, is strict adherence to the rules established by custom and ritual.

The image of Katerina in the play "The Thunderstorm" contrasts perfectly with the gloomy realities of Russia in the pre-reform period. At the epicenter of the unfolding drama is the conflict between the heroine, striving to defend her human rights, and the world in which everything is ruled by strong, rich and powerful people.

Katerina as the embodiment of a pure, strong and bright folk soul

From the very first pages of the work, the image of Katerina in the play "The Thunderstorm" cannot fail to attract attention and make you feel sympathetic. Honesty, the ability to feel deeply, sincerity of nature and a penchant for poetry - these are the features that distinguish Katerina herself from the representatives of the "dark kingdom". In the main character, Ostrovsky tried to capture all the beauty of the people's simple soul. The girl expresses her emotions and feelings unpretentiously and does not use distorted words and expressions common in the merchant environment. It is not difficult to notice, Katerina's speech itself is more reminiscent of a melodic tune, she is replete with diminutive words and expressions: "sun", "grass", "rain". The heroine shows incredible sincerity, talking about her free life in her father's house, among icons, calm prayers and flowers, where she lived "like a bird in the wild."

The image of a bird is an accurate reflection of the state of mind of the heroine

The image of Katerina in the play "The Thunderstorm" echoes in the best possible way with the image of a bird, which symbolizes freedom in folk poetry. Talking to Barbara, she repeatedly refers to this analogy and claims that she is "a free bird that fell into an iron cage." In captivity, she is sad and painful.

Katerina's life in the Kabanovs' house. Love of Katerina and Boris

In the Kabanovs' house, Katerina, who is inherent in dreaminess and romance, feels like a completely stranger. The humiliating reproaches of the mother-in-law, accustomed to keeping all household members at bay, the atmosphere of tyranny, lies and hypocrisy oppress the girl. However, Katerina herself, who is by nature a strong, whole person, knows that there is a limit to her patience: “I don’t want to live here, I won’t do this, even though you cut me!” Barbara's words that it is impossible to survive in this house without deception cause strong rejection in Katerina. The heroine opposes the "dark kingdom", his orders did not break her will to live, fortunately, did not force her to become like other residents of the Kabanovs' house and begin to be hypocritical and lie herself at every step.

The image of Katerina in the play "The Thunderstorm" is revealed in a new way, when the girl makes an attempt to escape from the "hateful" world. She does not know how and does not want to love the way the inhabitants of the "dark kingdom" do, freedom, openness, "honest" happiness are important to her. While Boris convinces her that their love will remain a secret, Katerina wants everyone to know about it, so that everyone can see. Tikhon, her husband, however, the bright feeling awakened in her heart seems to her And just at this moment the reader comes face to face with the tragedy of her suffering and torment. From this moment, Katerina's conflict occurs not only with the outside world, but also with herself. It is difficult for her to make a choice between love and duty, she tries to forbid herself to love and be happy. However, the struggle with their own feelings is beyond the strength of the fragile Katerina.

The style and laws that reign in the world around the girl put pressure on her. She seeks to repent of what she has done, to purify her soul. Seeing the painting "The Last Judgment" on the wall in the church, Katerina can not stand it, falls to her knees and begins to publicly repent of her sin. However, even this does not bring the girl the desired relief. Other heroes of Ostrovsky's The Thunderstorm are not able to support her, even a loved one. Boris refuses to Katerina's requests to take her out of here. This person is not a hero, he is simply unable to protect himself or his beloved.

Death of Katerina - a ray of light that illuminated the "dark kingdom"

Evil falls on Katherine from all sides. Constant bullying by the mother-in-law, throwing between duty and love - all this ultimately leads the girl to a tragic ending. Having managed to learn happiness and love in her short life, she is simply not able to continue living in the Kabanovs' house, where such concepts do not exist at all. She sees the only way out in suicide: the future frightens Katerina, and the grave is perceived as salvation from the torment of the soul. However, the image of Katerina in the drama "The Thunderstorm", in spite of everything, remains strong - she did not choose a wretched existence in a "cage" and did not allow anyone to break her living soul.

Nevertheless, the death of the heroine was not in vain. The girl won a moral victory over the "dark kingdom", she managed to dispel a little darkness in the hearts of people, to induce them to action, to open their eyes. The life of the heroine herself became a "ray of light" that blazed in the darkness and for a long time left its glow over the world of madness and darkness.

Kabanova, or as she is called - Kabanikha - is one of the main characters in Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm". Marfa Ignatievna is a wealthy merchant's wife and also a widow. She has two children: son Tikhon and daughter Varvara. Her son Tikhon lives in her house with his wife Katerina.

The boar is presented as an evil, envious and hypocritical woman who seemingly hates everything around her. Her favorite pastime is reading morality to her son and daughter, and she generally keeps Katherine in awe. Her appearance alone is formidable and fearless.

It is not in vain that the writer endows the head of the family with such a strange nickname. It fully conveys the character of the heroine. Assessing her actions, we can confidently call her heartless.

Her biggest offense is that she raised her son to be a weak-willed and spineless person. He cannot take a step without asking her. Thus, he cannot and does not even try to protect his wife from the attacks of his mother-in-law. On the part of Kabanikha, the reader sees an ordinary jealousy of his own son.

Her image is contradictory: she believes in God, but does evil, gives alms, but offends her loved ones. She skillfully plays in front of those around her: she pretends to be incomprehensible, calls herself old and haggard, but at the same time is full of determination to teach others.

Naturally, the image of Kabanova is the prototype of Catherine, her opposite. Although, there is still something in common between them. They both respect the old days, but they understand it differently. For the mother-in-law, antiquity is what the youth should subdue. Her attitude says that old people should order, and young people should obey unquestioningly. Katerina has different ideas. For her, antiquity is love and care for one's neighbor, it is mercy and compassion not only for the elderly, but also for everyone around. Katerina is a victim of Kabanikha, who endures bullying and abuse, while Varvara only pretends to listen to her mother, in fact holding only her own views.

After reading the play, the reader realizes that it was Kabanikha who contributed to the death of Katerina. She threatened to settle scores with her life, obviously running away from her mother-in-law's attacks. Maybe Kabanikha did not want such a denouement, but the desire to break her daughter-in-law prevailed in any case. As a result, the Kabanova family is crumbling. The daughter blamed her mother for Katerina's death and left home, while Tikhon falls into a binge.

Option 2

We all know Ostrovsky's dramatic play "The Thunderstorm", in which there is an interesting heroine - Kabanikha (Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova).

The boar is presented in the form of a rich merchant's wife. Marfa Ignatievna is a widowed woman for a long time.

This woman can be described as a lover of showing her strength. Power and fortitude are the main features of the Kabanikha image.

From everyone Marfa Ignatievna requires obligatory obedience, including from relatives. She is almost always unhappy with them. Every day she scolds and educates them, she is especially unhappy with her son and Katerina. Kabanikha requires people to perform rituals and ranks. She believes that it is important to keep family order at bay.

Kabanikha loves to do different things and the main interests are expressed in the implementation of the established procedures.

Kabanikha and Katerina have a slight similarity in that both are not capable of reconciling weak character traits. The second similarity is expressed in religiosity, both worship her, while not believing in forgiveness. This is where the similarity of their character traits ends.

Differences in characters are expressed in the fact that she is spiritualized and a dreamer, the second lover of maintaining order in the little things. For Katerina, the first place is - love and will, for Kabanikha - the execution of orders.

Kabanikha feels like a guardian of order, believing that with her death, chaos will come in the world and at home. No one doubts that the lady has an imperious character, which she periodically shows to everyone.

Kabanikha herself, no matter how much she scolded her children for being disobedient, never complains about them. Therefore, when the daughter-in-law openly confesses in public, it is unacceptable for her and turns out to be a terrible blow to her pride, to which was added the rebellion of her son, in addition to these troubles, one more thing is added - the daughter's escape from her home.

At the end of the play, the author shows the collapse of the imperious, at first glance, indestructible world of Kabanikha. For her, a terrible blow that everything went out of control of the lady. Of course, the reader does not sympathize with her, because this is her fault. What she deserved is what she got.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the image of Martha Ignatievna personifies the patriarchal way of life. She claims that it is not her business, good or bad, but it must be observed.

The ending of the play is tragic: Katerina dies, the son riots, the daughter runs away from home. With all the events taking place in the play, Kabanikha's world collapses, along with her.

Essay on the theme of the boar

One of the main characters in The Thunderstorm is Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova. The people called her Kabanikha. The wealthy merchant's wife and widow had two children, Varvara and Tikhon, who had Catherine in his wives. She was a typical older generation who enjoys giving instruction and reading notation. For her, the most important priority in life was to observe the customs and orders established in society. She disliked her children, kept the whole house at bay, and often hurt people.

The author of the play describes her heroine as a formidable, strict, evil, cruel and heartless woman. She did not neglect to display hypocrisy. In public, she tried to behave decently. She helped the poor, but at the same time she offended her own children and her daughter-in-law Ekaterina. She often left everyone to pray to God. But that didn't help her live a holy life. Her children believed that there was only one way to survive in their mother's house, by learning to cheat. Martha Ignatievna preferred to keep her Son at bay. She was often jealous of his young wife. In her instructions, she repeatedly repeated that young people should respect the elderly. In fact, she only had herself. It was not so important for her that others should be obeyed. She just liked to keep everyone at bay and feel like she was holding everything in her hands. Kabanikha strictly observed traditions and forced young people to do the same.

The heroine was a very harsh woman. You could often hear her scolding and criticizing everyone around. In her character one could observe despotism, which was the result of her blind trust in the prevailing customs. Her severity was also expressed in relation to her own daughter-in-law. She cut off every word of Catherine and made poisonous remarks. She condemned her daughter-in-law for being kind to her husband. In her opinion, a woman should be afraid of her husband enough to feel like his work.

As a result, with her behavior and attitude to life, Kabanikha strangled all living things around her. Her children were unhappy. The fate of each of them is not attractive to readers. Perhaps everyone who has read the play wondered whether it is worth being such a stern admirer of man-made traditions.

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky wrote his play "The Thunderstorm" in 1859. The plot revolves around a confrontation between generations. The older generation has always kept to the old morals, experiences and customs. They refused to understand the young. And those, on the contrary, never tried to follow the traditions established over the centuries. Therefore, the elders tried to re-educate their will. This problem, which Ostrovsky described in his play, will forever remain significant as long as fathers and children exist. Parents want their children to be like them and to follow their paths.

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