In what genre is the work of thunderstorm written. Analysis of the play "The Thunderstorm" (A.N.

By genre, the play "The Thunderstorm" can be attributed to a special type of tragedy: its social and everyday form, where the subject of the image is the collisions of everyday life, but raised to the degree of a catastrophic contradiction of the hero with the world around him. Tragedy is one of the main genres of drama; it is based on the insoluble conflict of the personality with life or himself, as a result of which the hero physically dies, but wins a moral victory, which causes the grief of the audience and their mental purification through suffering - catharsis. All this can be fully attributed to Ostrovsky's play.

Indeed, the death of Katerina is inevitable. Katerina, a strong, proud nature capable of effective protest, will never compromise, will never reconcile with her slave position in the Kabanova house. But her victory is impossible, since it is not an evil mother-in-law who opposes Katerina, but the whole world of her modern life - the world of cruelty, lies, obedience and tyranny. To win would mean to change this whole world, so the death of the heroine is natural. On the other hand, according to Dobrolyubov, "The Thunderstorm" produces a refreshing impression, which is a vivid evidence of the presence of the catharsis effect in the audience ("a ray of light in the dark kingdom").

But "The Thunderstorm" is not a classic tragedy, but an innovative work: a social and everyday tragedy. The definition of "social" is given to the play because the conflict underlying it is not a private, but a public one. The playwright depicts not a clash between a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law, but serious disagreements between opposing camps, into which society was divided. But the main artistic discovery of Ostrovsky is that he, having shown the real life of the Volga city in the play, put the tragedy into everyday life, although the high tragedy, according to the existing canons, should not have come into contact with everyday phenomena. Material from the site

The originality of the plot and composition of the play corresponds to the innovation of the genre. The pace of action in the first acts is slowed down, which is associated with the expansion of the exposition: it is important for the playwright to thoroughly get to know the reader and the viewer with the circumstances, everyday life, customs in which the heroes will act, introduce a number of secondary characters, and motivate the ripening of the conflict. The action of the play includes social and individual lines of struggle and two parallel love intrigues - the main one (Katerina - Bo-ris) and the secondary one (Varvara - Kudryash). The play has a number of extra-fictional episodes that play an essential role in the plot, drawing the picture of the "dark kingdom". The intensity of the dramatic action grows from act to act, anticipating a future catastrophe, preparing for it. The culmination falls on Act IV (the scene of repentance), which means that the highest moment in the development of the action is not in the last act, as usual, but in the middle of the play. The denouement occurs in Act V, here two intrigues are completed, and two lines of struggle, intertwining into a tight knot, are untied. But only Katerina finds a way out of the impasse through her tragic death. The ring structure of the play (the events of acts I and V take place on the Volga cliff, the same characters participate in them) serves as compositional completeness and expresses the author's intention.

Without a doubt, The Thunderstorm (1859) is the pinnacle of Alexander Ostrovsky's drama. The author shows the most important changes in the social and political life of Russia using the example of family relations. That is why his creation needs detailed analysis.

The process of creating the play "The Thunderstorm" is connected in many ways with the past periods in the work of Ostrovsky. The author is attracted by the same problems as in the "Muscovite" plays, but the image of the family receives a different interpretation (the novelty was the denial of the stagnation of patriarchal life and the oppression of Domostroi). The appearance of a light, kind beginning, a natural heroine is an innovation in the author's work.

The first thoughts and sketches of The Thunderstorms appeared in the summer of 1859, and already at the beginning of October the writer had a clear idea of ​​the whole picture. The work was greatly influenced by a journey along the Volga. An ethnographic expedition was organized under the patronage of the Maritime Ministry to study the customs and mores of the indigenous population of Russia. Ostrovsky also took part in it.

The city of Kalinov is a collective image of different Volga cities, which are similar to each other at the same time, but have their own distinctive features. Ostrovsky, as an experienced researcher, entered all his observations about the life of the Russian province and the specifics of the behavior of residents in his diary. On the basis of these recordings, the characters of "The Thunderstorms" were later created.

The meaning of the name

A thunderstorm is not only a revelry of the elements, but also a symbol of the collapse and purification of the stagnant atmosphere of a provincial town, where the medieval orders of Kabanikha and the Wild ruled. This is the meaning of the title of the play. With the death of Katerina, which occurred during a thunderstorm, the patience of many people is exhausted: Tikhon rises against the tyranny of his mother, Varvara escapes, Kuligin openly blames the inhabitants of the city for what happened.

For the first time, Tikhon spoke about a thunderstorm during the farewell ceremony: "... For two weeks there will be no thunderstorm over me." By this word he meant the oppressive atmosphere of his home, where an oppressive mother rules the ball. “A thunderstorm is being sent to us as punishment,” says Dikoy to Kuligin. The tyrant understands this phenomenon as punishment for his sins, he is afraid to pay for the unfair treatment of people. The boar is in solidarity with him. The punishment for sin in thunder and lightning is seen by Katerina, whose conscience is also not clear. God's righteous wrath - this is another role of a thunderstorm in Ostrovsky's play. And only Kuligin understands that in this natural phenomenon only a flash of electricity can be found, but his advanced views cannot yet get along in a city that needs to be purified. If you need more information on the role and meaning of thunderstorms, you can read on this topic.

Genre and direction

"The Thunderstorm" is a drama, according to A. Ostrovsky. This genre defines a heavy, serious, often everyday plot, close to reality. Some reviewers have mentioned a more precise wording: a domestic tragedy.

If we talk about direction, then this play is absolutely realistic. The main indicator of this, perhaps, is the description of the mores, habits and everyday aspects of the existence of the inhabitants of the provincial Volga cities (detailed description). The author attaches great importance to this, carefully describing the realities of the life of the heroes and their images.

Composition

1. Exposition: Ostrovsky draws an image of a city and even a world in which heroes live and future events unfold.
2. This is followed by the outset of the conflict between Katerina and the new family and society as a whole and the internal conflict (dialogue between Katerina and Varvara).
3. After the outset, we see the development of the action, during which the heroes seek to resolve the conflict.
4. Closer to the end, the conflict reaches the point where problems require urgent resolution. The climax is Katerina's last monologue in Act 5.
5. This is followed by a denouement, which shows the insolubility of the conflict on the example of the death of Katerina.

Conflict

There are several conflicts in The Thunderstorm:

1. First, it is a confrontation between tyrants (Dikaya, Kabanikha) and victims (Katerina, Tikhon, Boris, etc.). This is a conflict between two worldviews - old and new, obsolete and freedom-loving characters. This conflict is highlighted.
2. On the other hand, action exists thanks to a psychological conflict, that is, an internal one - in Katerina's soul.
3. The social conflict gave rise to all the previous ones: Ostrovsky begins his work with the marriage of an impoverished noblewoman and a merchant. This trend was widespread during the time of the author. The ruling aristocratic class began to lose power, becoming poorer and ruined by idleness, wastefulness and commercial illiteracy. But the merchants gained momentum due to lack of principle, assertiveness, business acumen and nepotism. Then some decided to improve matters at the expense of others: the nobles passed off refined and educated daughters for rude, ignorant, but rich sons from the merchant's guild. Because of this discrepancy, the marriage of Katerina and Tikhon is initially doomed to failure.

The essence

Raised in the best traditions of aristocracy, the noblewoman Katerina, at the insistence of her parents, married an uncouth and soft-bodied drunkard Tikhon, who belonged to a wealthy merchant family. His mother oppresses her daughter-in-law, imposing the false and ridiculous orders of Domostroi on her: to sob for show before her husband leaves, to humiliate herself in front of us in public, etc. The young heroine finds sympathy with the daughter of Kabanikha, Barbara, who teaches a new relative to hide her thoughts and feelings, secretly acquiring the joys of life. During her husband's departure, Katerina falls in love and begins dating Diky's nephew, Boris. But their dates end in separation, because the woman does not want to hide, she wants to escape with her beloved to Siberia. But the hero cannot risk taking her with him. As a result, she still repent of her sins to her husband and mother-in-law, and receives severe punishment from Kabanikha. Realizing that conscience and domestic oppression do not allow her to live on, she rushes into the Volga. After her death, the younger generation revolts: Tikhon reproaches his mother, Varvara escapes with Kudryash, etc.

Ostrovsky's play combines features and contradictions, all the pros and cons of feudal Russia in the 19th century. The town of Kalinov is a collective image, a simplified model of Russian society, described in detail. Looking at this model, we see "a necessary need for people who are active and energetic." The author shows that an outdated worldview only gets in the way. It spoils first family relationships, and later does not allow cities and the whole country to develop.

The main characters and their characteristics

The work has a clear system of characters, into which the images of the heroes fit.

1. First, there are the oppressors. Dikoy is a typical tyrant and a wealthy merchant. From his insults, relatives scatter to the corners. Dikaya's servants are cruel. Everyone knows that it is impossible to please him. Kabanova is the embodiment of the patriarchal way of life, the outdated Domostroi. A wealthy merchant's wife, a widow, she constantly insists on observing all the traditions of her ancestors and herself clearly follows them. We have described them in more detail in this one.
2. Secondly, they have adapted. Tikhon is a weak man who loves his wife, but cannot find the strength to protect her from the oppression of his mother. He does not support the old orders and traditions, but he sees no reason to go against the system. Such is Boris, who tolerates the machinations of his rich uncle. The disclosure of their images is devoted to this. Varvara is the daughter of Kabanikha. She takes her trick, living a double life. During the day, she formally obeys conventions, at night she walks with Kudryash. Deceit, resourcefulness and cunning do not spoil her cheerful, adventurous disposition: she is also kind and responsive to Katerina, tender and caring in relation to her beloved. The whole is devoted to the characterization of this girl.
3. Katerina stands apart, the characterization of the heroine is different from everyone else. This is a young intelligent noblewoman, whom her parents surrounded with understanding, care and attention. Therefore, the girl is accustomed to freedom of thought and speech. But in marriage, she faced cruelty, rudeness and humiliation. At first she tried to come to terms, to love Tikhon and his family, but nothing came of it: Katerina's nature resisted this unnatural union. She then tried on the role of a hypocritical mask that has a secret life. This also did not suit her, because the heroine is distinguished by directness, conscience and honesty. As a result, out of despair, she decided to go to rebellion, admitting a sin and then committing a more terrible one - suicide. We wrote more about the image of Katerina in the dedicated to her.
4. Kuligin is also a special hero. He expresses the author's position, introducing a bit of progressiveness into the archaic world. The hero is a self-taught mechanic, he is educated and smart, in contrast to the superstitious inhabitants of Kalinov. We also wrote a short about his role in the play and his character.

Themes

• The main theme of the work is the life and customs of Kalinov (we have dedicated a separate one to her). The author describes a provincial province in order to show people that they do not need to cling to the remnants of the past, they need to understand the present and think about the future. And the inhabitants of the Volga town are frozen out of time, their life is monotonous, false and empty. It is spoiled and hindered in the development of superstition, conservatism, as well as the unwillingness of tyrants to change for the better. Such a Russia will continue to vegetate in poverty and ignorance.
• Love and family are also important topics here, as in the course of the story the problems of upbringing and generational conflict are raised. The influence of the family on certain heroes is very important (Katerina is a reflection of the upbringing of her parents, and Tikhon grew up so spineless due to the tyranny of his mother).
• The theme of sin and repentance. The heroine stumbled, but realized her mistake in time, deciding to reform and repent of what she had done. From the point of view of Christian philosophy, this is a highly moral decision that uplifts and justifies Katherine. If you are interested in this topic, read our about it.

Problematic

Social conflict leads to social and personal problems.

1. Ostrovsky, firstly, denounces tyranny as a psychological phenomenon in the images of Dikiy and Kabanova. These people played with the fates of their subordinates, trampling on the manifestations of their individuality and freedom. And because of their ignorance and despotism, the younger generation becomes as vicious and useless as what has already become obsolete.
2. Second, the author condemns weakness, obedience and selfishness with the help of the images of Tikhon, Boris and Varvara. By their behavior, they only condone the tyranny of the masters of life, although they could together turn the tide in their favor.
3. The problem of the controversial Russian character, conveyed in the image of Katerina, can be called personal, albeit inspired by global upheavals. A deeply religious woman, in search and finding herself, goes to treason, and then to suicide, which is contrary to all Christian canons.
4. Moral issues associated with love and devotion, education and tyranny, sin and repentance. The heroes cannot distinguish one from the other, these concepts are intricately intertwined with each other. Katerina, for example, is forced to choose between loyalty and love, and Kabanikha does not see the difference between the role of a mother and the power of a dogmatist, she is driven by good intentions, but she embodies them to the detriment of everyone.
5. Tragedy of conscience is quite important. For example, Tikhon had to make a decision - to defend his wife from his mother's attacks or not. Katerina also made a deal with her conscience when she became close to Boris. You can read more about this.
6. Ignorance. The inhabitants of Kalinov are stupid and not educated, they believe fortune-tellers and wanderers, and not scientists and professionals in their field. Their worldview is turned into the past, they do not strive for a better life, so there is no need to be surprised at the savagery of manners and ostentatious hypocrisy of the main persons of the city.

Meaning

The author is convinced that the desire for freedom is natural, despite certain setbacks in life, and tyranny and hypocrisy ruin the country and the talented people in it. Therefore, your independence, craving for knowledge, beauty and spirituality must be defended, otherwise the old order will not go anywhere, their falsity will simply cover the new generation and make it play by its own rules. This idea is reflected in the position of Kuligin, a kind of voice of Ostrovsky.

The author's position in the play is clearly expressed. We understand that Kabanikha, although she preserves traditions, is not right, just as the rebellious Katerina is also wrong. However, Katerina had potential, she had intelligence, she had purity of thoughts, and the great people personified in her can still be reborn, throwing off the shackles of ignorance and tyranny. You can find out more about the meaning of the drama in on this topic.

Criticism

The Thunderstorm was the subject of bitter controversy among critics in both the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 19th century, Nikolai Dobrolyubov (article "A ray of light in the dark kingdom"), Dmitry Pisarev (article "Motives of Russian drama") and Apollon Grigoriev wrote about it from opposite positions.

I.A.Goncharov praised the play and expressed his opinion in a critical article of the same name:

In the same drama, a broad picture of national life and customs settled down, with unparalleled artistic, fullness and fidelity. Every face in a drama is a typical character, snatched directly from the environment of popular life.

The question of genres has always been quite resonant among literary scholars and critics. Disputes over which genre a particular work should be attributed to gave rise to many points of view, sometimes completely unexpected. Most often, disagreements arise between the author's and the scientific designation of the genre. For example, NV Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" from a scientific point of view should have been called a novel. In the case of drama, too, everything is not so simple. And we are not talking here about the symbolist understanding of the drama or futuristic experiences, but about the drama within the framework of the realistic method. Speaking specifically, about the genre "Thunderstorms" by Ostrovsky.

Ostrovsky wrote this play in 1859, at a time when theater reform was necessary. Ostrovsky himself believed that the play of the actors is much more important to the audience, and the text of the play can be read at home. The playwright was already beginning to prepare the audience for the difference between plays for performances and plays for reading. But the old traditions were still strong. The author himself defined the genre of The Thunderstorm as a drama. First you need to understand the terminology. The drama is characterized by a serious, mainly domestic plot, the style is close to real life. At first glance, The Thunderstorm has many dramatic elements. This is, of course, everyday life. The customs and way of life of the city of Kalinov are spelled out incredibly clearly. One gets a complete impression not only of a single city, but also of all provincial towns. It is no coincidence that the author points to the conventionality of the scene: it is necessary to show that the existence of the inhabitants is typical. Social characteristics are also distinct: the actions and character of each hero are largely determined by his social status.

The tragic beginning is associated with the image of Katerina and, in part, Kabanikha. A tragedy requires a strong ideological conflict, a struggle that can end with the death of the protagonist or several characters. In the image of Katerina, a strong, pure and honest person is shown who strives for freedom and justice. She was early married against her will, but she was able to fall in love with her spineless husband to some extent. Katya often thinks that she could fly. She again wants to feel the inner lightness that was before marriage. The girl is cramped and stuffy in an atmosphere of constant scandals and quarrels. She can neither lie, even though Varvara says that the whole Kabanov family rests on a lie, nor hush up the truth. Katya falls in love with Boris, because initially both she and the readers seem to be the same as her. The girl had the last hope of saving herself from disappointment in life and in people - an escape with Boris, but the young man refused Katya, acting like other inhabitants of a world alien to Katerina.

The death of Katerina shocks not only readers and viewers, but also other characters in the play. Tikhon says that his domineering mother, who killed the girl, is to blame for everything. Tikhon himself was ready to forgive his wife's betrayal, but Kabanikha was against it.

The only character whose strength of character can be compared with Katerina is Marfa Ignatievna. Her desire to subjugate everything and everyone makes a woman a real dictator. Her difficult character eventually led to the fact that her daughter ran away from home, her daughter-in-law committed suicide, and her son blames her failures. Kabanikha can be called to some extent the antagonist of Katherine.

The play's conflict can also be viewed from two sides. From the point of view of tragedy, the conflict is revealed in the clash of two different worldviews: the old and the new. And from the point of view of the drama in the play, the contradictions of reality and the characters collide.

The genre of Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm" cannot be precisely defined. Some are inclined towards the author's version - social and everyday drama, others suggest reflecting the characteristic elements of both tragedy and drama, defining the genre of "Thunderstorms" as a household tragedy. But one thing cannot be denied for sure: this play contains both features of tragedy and features of drama.

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Without a doubt, The Thunderstorm (1859) is the pinnacle of Alexander Ostrovsky's drama. The author shows the most important changes in the social and political life of Russia using the example of family relations. That is why his creation needs detailed analysis.

The process of creating the play "The Thunderstorm" is connected in many ways with the past periods in the work of Ostrovsky. The author is attracted by the same problems as in the "Muscovite" plays, but the image of the family receives a different interpretation (the novelty was the denial of the stagnation of patriarchal life and the oppression of Domostroi). The appearance of a light, kind beginning, a natural heroine is an innovation in the author's work.

The first thoughts and sketches of The Thunderstorms appeared in the summer of 1859, and already at the beginning of October the writer had a clear idea of ​​the whole picture. The work was greatly influenced by a journey along the Volga. An ethnographic expedition was organized under the patronage of the Maritime Ministry to study the customs and mores of the indigenous population of Russia. Ostrovsky also took part in it.

The city of Kalinov is a collective image of different Volga cities, which are similar to each other at the same time, but have their own distinctive features. Ostrovsky, as an experienced researcher, entered all his observations about the life of the Russian province and the specifics of the behavior of residents in his diary. On the basis of these recordings, the characters of "The Thunderstorms" were later created.

The meaning of the name

A thunderstorm is not only a revelry of the elements, but also a symbol of the collapse and purification of the stagnant atmosphere of a provincial town, where the medieval orders of Kabanikha and the Wild ruled. This is the meaning of the title of the play. With the death of Katerina, which occurred during a thunderstorm, the patience of many people is exhausted: Tikhon rises against the tyranny of his mother, Varvara escapes, Kuligin openly blames the inhabitants of the city for what happened.

For the first time, Tikhon spoke about a thunderstorm during the farewell ceremony: "... For two weeks there will be no thunderstorm over me." By this word he meant the oppressive atmosphere of his home, where an oppressive mother rules the ball. “A thunderstorm is being sent to us as punishment,” says Dikoy to Kuligin. The tyrant understands this phenomenon as punishment for his sins, he is afraid to pay for the unfair treatment of people. The boar is in solidarity with him. The punishment for sin in thunder and lightning is seen by Katerina, whose conscience is also not clear. God's righteous wrath - this is another role of a thunderstorm in Ostrovsky's play. And only Kuligin understands that in this natural phenomenon only a flash of electricity can be found, but his advanced views cannot yet get along in a city that needs purification. If you need more information on the role and meaning of thunderstorms, you can read on this topic.

Genre and direction

"The Thunderstorm" is a drama, according to A. Ostrovsky. This genre defines a heavy, serious, often everyday plot, close to reality. Some reviewers have mentioned a more precise wording: a domestic tragedy.

If we talk about direction, then this play is absolutely realistic. The main indicator of this, perhaps, is the description of the mores, habits and everyday aspects of the existence of the inhabitants of the provincial Volga cities (detailed description). The author attaches great importance to this, carefully describing the realities of the life of the heroes and their images.

Composition

1. Exposition: Ostrovsky draws an image of a city and even a world in which heroes live and future events unfold.
2. This is followed by the outset of the conflict between Katerina and the new family and society as a whole and the internal conflict (dialogue between Katerina and Varvara).
3. After the outset, we see the development of the action, during which the heroes seek to resolve the conflict.
4. Closer to the end, the conflict reaches the point when problems require urgent resolution. The climax is Katerina's last monologue in Act 5.
5. This is followed by a denouement, which shows the insolubility of the conflict on the example of the death of Katerina.

Conflict

There are several conflicts in The Thunderstorm:

1. First, it is a confrontation between tyrants (Dikaya, Kabanikha) and victims (Katerina, Tikhon, Boris, etc.). This is a conflict between two worldviews - old and new, obsolete and freedom-loving characters. This conflict is highlighted.
2. On the other hand, action exists thanks to a psychological conflict, that is, an internal one - in Katerina's soul.
3. The social conflict gave rise to all the previous ones: Ostrovsky begins his work with the marriage of an impoverished noblewoman and a merchant. This trend was widespread during the time of the author. The ruling aristocratic class began to lose power, becoming poorer and ruined by idleness, wastefulness and commercial illiteracy. But the merchants gained momentum due to lack of principle, assertiveness, business acumen and nepotism. Then some decided to improve matters at the expense of others: the nobles passed off refined and educated daughters for rude, ignorant, but rich sons from the merchant's guild. Because of this discrepancy, the marriage of Katerina and Tikhon is initially doomed to failure.

The essence

Raised in the best traditions of aristocracy, the noblewoman Katerina, at the insistence of her parents, married an uncouth and soft-bodied drunkard Tikhon, who belonged to a wealthy merchant family. His mother oppresses her daughter-in-law, imposing the false and ridiculous orders of Domostroi on her: to sob for show before her husband leaves, to humiliate herself in front of us in public, etc. The young heroine finds sympathy with the daughter of Kabanikha, Barbara, who teaches a new relative to hide her thoughts and feelings, secretly acquiring the joys of life. During her husband's departure, Katerina falls in love and begins dating Diky's nephew, Boris. But their dates end in separation, because the woman does not want to hide, she wants to escape with her beloved to Siberia. But the hero cannot risk taking her with him. As a result, she still repent of her sins to her husband and mother-in-law, and receives severe punishment from Kabanikha. Realizing that conscience and domestic oppression do not allow her to live on, she rushes into the Volga. After her death, the younger generation revolts: Tikhon reproaches his mother, Varvara escapes with Kudryash, etc.

Ostrovsky's play combines features and contradictions, all the pros and cons of feudal Russia in the 19th century. The town of Kalinov is a collective image, a simplified model of Russian society, described in detail. Looking at this model, we see "a necessary need for people who are active and energetic." The author shows that an outdated worldview only gets in the way. It spoils first family relationships, and later does not allow cities and the whole country to develop.

The main characters and their characteristics

The work has a clear system of characters, into which the images of the heroes fit.

1. First, there are the oppressors. Dikoy is a typical tyrant and a wealthy merchant. From his insults, relatives scatter to the corners. Dikaya's servants are cruel. Everyone knows that it is impossible to please him. Kabanova is the embodiment of the patriarchal way of life, the outdated Domostroi. A wealthy merchant's wife, a widow, she constantly insists on observing all the traditions of her ancestors and herself clearly follows them. We have described them in more detail in this one.
2. Secondly, they have adapted. Tikhon is a weak man who loves his wife, but cannot find the strength to protect her from the oppression of his mother. He does not support the old orders and traditions, but he sees no reason to go against the system. Such is Boris, who tolerates the machinations of his rich uncle. The disclosure of their images is devoted to this. Varvara is the daughter of Kabanikha. She takes her trick, living a double life. During the day, she formally obeys conventions, at night she walks with Kudryash. Deceit, resourcefulness and cunning do not spoil her cheerful, adventurous disposition: she is also kind and responsive to Katerina, tender and caring in relation to her beloved. The whole is devoted to the characterization of this girl.
3. Katerina stands apart, the characterization of the heroine is different from everyone else. This is a young intelligent noblewoman, whom her parents surrounded with understanding, care and attention. Therefore, the girl is accustomed to freedom of thought and speech. But in marriage, she faced cruelty, rudeness and humiliation. At first she tried to come to terms, to love Tikhon and his family, but nothing came of it: Katerina's nature resisted this unnatural union. She then tried on the role of a hypocritical mask that has a secret life. This also did not suit her, because the heroine is distinguished by directness, conscience and honesty. As a result, out of despair, she decided to go to rebellion, admitting a sin and then committing a more terrible one - suicide. We wrote more about the image of Katerina in the dedicated to her.
4. Kuligin is also a special hero. He expresses the author's position, introducing a bit of progressiveness into the archaic world. The hero is a self-taught mechanic, he is educated and smart, in contrast to the superstitious inhabitants of Kalinov. We also wrote a short about his role in the play and his character.

Themes

• The main theme of the work is the life and customs of Kalinov (we have dedicated a separate one to her). The author describes a provincial province in order to show people that they do not need to cling to the remnants of the past, they need to understand the present and think about the future. And the inhabitants of the Volga town are frozen out of time, their life is monotonous, false and empty. It is spoiled and hindered in the development of superstition, conservatism, as well as the unwillingness of tyrants to change for the better. Such a Russia will continue to vegetate in poverty and ignorance.
• Love and family are also important topics here, as in the course of the story the problems of upbringing and generational conflict are raised. The influence of the family on certain heroes is very important (Katerina is a reflection of the upbringing of her parents, and Tikhon grew up so spineless due to the tyranny of his mother).
• The theme of sin and repentance. The heroine stumbled, but realized her mistake in time, deciding to reform and repent of what she had done. From the point of view of Christian philosophy, this is a highly moral decision that uplifts and justifies Katherine. If you are interested in this topic, read our about it.

Problematic

Social conflict leads to social and personal problems.

1. Ostrovsky, firstly, denounces tyranny as a psychological phenomenon in the images of Dikiy and Kabanova. These people played with the fates of their subordinates, trampling on the manifestations of their individuality and freedom. And because of their ignorance and despotism, the younger generation becomes as vicious and useless as what has already become obsolete.
2. Second, the author condemns weakness, obedience and selfishness with the help of the images of Tikhon, Boris and Varvara. By their behavior, they only condone the tyranny of the masters of life, although they could together turn the tide in their favor.
3. The problem of the controversial Russian character, conveyed in the image of Katerina, can be called personal, albeit inspired by global upheavals. A deeply religious woman, in search and finding herself, goes to treason, and then to suicide, which is contrary to all Christian canons.
4. Moral issues associated with love and devotion, education and tyranny, sin and repentance. The heroes cannot distinguish one from the other, these concepts are intricately intertwined with each other. Katerina, for example, is forced to choose between loyalty and love, and Kabanikha does not see the difference between the role of a mother and the power of a dogmatist, she is driven by good intentions, but she embodies them to the detriment of everyone.
5. Tragedy of conscience is quite important. For example, Tikhon had to make a decision - to defend his wife from his mother's attacks or not. Katerina also made a deal with her conscience when she became close to Boris. You can read more about this.
6. Ignorance. The inhabitants of Kalinov are stupid and not educated, they believe fortune-tellers and wanderers, and not scientists and professionals in their field. Their worldview is turned into the past, they do not strive for a better life, so there is no need to be surprised at the savagery of manners and ostentatious hypocrisy of the main persons of the city.

Meaning

The author is convinced that the desire for freedom is natural, despite certain setbacks in life, and tyranny and hypocrisy ruin the country and the talented people in it. Therefore, your independence, craving for knowledge, beauty and spirituality must be defended, otherwise the old order will not go anywhere, their falsity will simply cover the new generation and make it play by its own rules. This idea is reflected in the position of Kuligin, a kind of voice of Ostrovsky.

The author's position in the play is clearly expressed. We understand that Kabanikha, although she preserves traditions, is not right, just as the rebellious Katerina is also wrong. However, Katerina had potential, she had intelligence, she had purity of thoughts, and the great people personified in her can still be reborn, throwing off the shackles of ignorance and tyranny. You can find out more about the meaning of the drama in on this topic.

Criticism

The Thunderstorm was the subject of bitter controversy among critics in both the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 19th century, Nikolai Dobrolyubov (article "A ray of light in the dark kingdom"), Dmitry Pisarev (article "Motives of Russian drama") and Apollon Grigoriev wrote about it from opposite positions.

I.A.Goncharov praised the play and expressed his opinion in a critical article of the same name:

In the same drama, a broad picture of national life and customs settled down, with unparalleled artistic, fullness and fidelity. Every face in a drama is a typical character, snatched directly from the environment of popular life.

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The question of genres has always been quite resonant among literary scholars and critics. Disputes over which genre a particular work should be attributed to gave rise to many points of view, sometimes completely unexpected. Most often, disagreements arise between the author's and the scientific designation of the genre. For example, NV Gogol's poem "Dead Souls" from a scientific point of view should have been called a novel. In the case of drama, too, everything is not so simple. And we are not talking here about the symbolist understanding of the drama or futuristic experiences, but about the drama within the framework of the realistic method. Speaking specifically, about the genre "Thunderstorms" by Ostrovsky.

Ostrovsky wrote this play in 1859, at a time when theater reform was necessary. Ostrovsky himself believed that the play of the actors is much more important to the audience, and the text of the play can be read at home. The playwright was already beginning to prepare the audience for the difference between plays for performances and plays for reading. But the old traditions were still strong. The author himself defined the genre of The Thunderstorm as a drama. First you need to understand the terminology. The drama is characterized by a serious, mainly domestic plot, the style is close to real life. At first glance, The Thunderstorm has many dramatic elements. This is, of course, everyday life. The customs and way of life of the city of Kalinov are spelled out incredibly clearly. One gets a complete impression not only of a single city, but also of all provincial towns. It is no coincidence that the author points to the conventionality of the scene: it is necessary to show that the existence of the inhabitants is typical. Social characteristics are also distinct: the actions and character of each hero are largely determined by his social status.

The tragic beginning is associated with the image of Katerina and, in part, Kabanikha. A tragedy requires a strong ideological conflict, a struggle that can end with the death of the protagonist or several characters. In the image of Katerina, a strong, pure and honest person is shown who strives for freedom and justice. She was early married against her will, but she was able to fall in love with her spineless husband to some extent. Katya often thinks that she could fly. She again wants to feel the inner lightness that was before marriage. The girl is cramped and stuffy in an atmosphere of constant scandals and quarrels. She can neither lie, even though Varvara says that the whole Kabanov family rests on a lie, nor hush up the truth. Katya falls in love with Boris, because initially both she and the readers seem to be the same as her. The girl had the last hope of saving herself from disappointment in life and in people - an escape with Boris, but the young man refused Katya, acting like other inhabitants of a world alien to Katerina.

The death of Katerina shocks not only readers and viewers, but also other characters in the play. Tikhon says that his domineering mother, who killed the girl, is to blame for everything. Tikhon himself was ready to forgive his wife's betrayal, but Kabanikha was against it.

The only character whose strength of character can be compared with Katerina is Marfa Ignatievna. Her desire to subjugate everything and everyone makes a woman a real dictator. Her difficult character eventually led to the fact that her daughter ran away from home, her daughter-in-law committed suicide, and her son blames her failures. Kabanikha can be called to some extent the antagonist of Katherine.

The play's conflict can also be viewed from two sides. From the point of view of tragedy, the conflict is revealed in the clash of two different worldviews: the old and the new. And from the point of view of the drama in the play, the contradictions of reality and the characters collide.

The genre of Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm" cannot be precisely defined. Some are inclined towards the author's version - social and everyday drama, others suggest reflecting the characteristic elements of both tragedy and drama, defining the genre of "Thunderstorms" as a household tragedy. But one thing cannot be denied for sure: this play contains both features of tragedy and features of drama.

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The work of the Russian playwright Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky is widely known to many readers since school years. He lived a long life. Born in eighteen hundred and twenty-three, and died in eighteen hundred and eighty-six. And on his path in life there was one very important date.

This is one thousand eight hundred and fifty-six. In that year, Alexander Nikolaevich moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg, where literary life was in full swing. The most popular Russian magazines were published, and here Ostrovsky consolidated his fame as a playwright, which he won back in Moscow.

Features of the era in which the work was written

The most famous work of this remarkable author was A. N. Ostrovsky wrote it in one thousand eight hundred and fifty-ninth year. And first of all, it is necessary to say about what kind of era it was in Russian life. There are only two years left before the great reform, the abolition of serfdom. This was a period when topics and problems were raised that previously preferred to remain silent.

Attention to the folk theme was drawn everywhere at that time. And in newspapers, and in literature, and in the theater. The play in question was awarded the Uvarov Prize. In one thousand eight hundred and fifty-ninth year on the stage of the Maly Theater was staged for the first time a drama written by Ostrovsky - "The Thunderstorm". The content and images of the play have been delighting many spectators for one hundred and fifty years.

Its plot is quite simple. It shows the life of ordinary people of the merchant class and the inner experiences of the main character Katerina. Her peculiar love for her husband. Subsequent relationship with her lover Tikhon. And most importantly, reverence for traditions and God, which prompted Katya to commit suicide in the tragic finale of the work.

A special class. Genre of the work

In his play, Alexander Nikolaevich continued the theme, an expert in which he had established himself back in the Moscow years. Russian merchants - an estate with its own special traditions. These are people who are not prone to changes in their lives. They live a fairly simple life, and the main thing for them is the observance of traditions. And behind this lies a whole philosophy, which Alexander Nikolaevich knew very well.

Ostrovsky designated the genre of the play "The Thunderstorm" as a drama. Readers know that at the end of the work, the main character Catherine dies without overcoming the difficult circumstances of her personal life. But then this play must belong to the genre of tragedy. How to correctly determine the belonging of the work, based on the storyline and problems in the drama "The Thunderstorm"?

Values ​​of merchant families. Complex construction of the work

The virtue of a merchant family is to multiply their fortune not for the sake of luxury, but in the name of observing a special moral code. This is a very vicious circle, where everyone obeys traditions. The son must definitely continue his father's work, and not go to university or the service. And the daughter must be infinitely submissive to the will of her parents.

The town of Kalinov, located on the banks of the Volga, in which the play takes place, is also a kind of closed world. And news from the big world gets there with great difficulty. Kalinov is separated from him by many barriers.

It is transmitted using a complex scheme for constructing the work. It has a lower level - this is a ravine and a whirlpool, the middle, where the houses of the inhabitants are located, and the upper - the high bank of the Volga. For ordinary people, going down into a ravine is like going to hell, and going up to the shore is like going to heaven.

The main character is Katerina. "Thunderstorm": transition from old to new

But there is a main character in the work, who has the opposite. When Katerina descends into the ravine, she overcomes herself, reaches the paradise state of freedom. And if it rises to a high bank, it means that she has come close to death. Because the top and bottom are connected. There is only one jump to the pool.

Life in the city of Kalinovo seemed to have stopped. The image of the inventor Kulibin is very indicative. And he in Ostrovsky comes up with things that were either invented long ago, like a lightning rod, or generally impossible - like a perpetual motion machine. All the fates of the inhabitants of the city personify the fates of the inhabitants of the then Russia. All characters are at a crossroads between the old way and the new, including Katerina.

"The Thunderstorm" is a play that shows the transition from the traditional merchant world, where a person does not have an individual destiny, private will, but only obedience to what is accepted, to a new world based on the activity of each individual. This is what lies behind the simple events of this piece. But what is the meaning of the title of the drama "The Thunderstorm"? What role does this phenomenon play in the composition of the play?

Natural phenomenon as a character

A thunderstorm is not only a symbol of the work, but also a participant in the main actions of the drama. A common natural phenomenon has a significant impact on the behavior of many characters. Reveals their characters. And first of all, the meaning of the name of the drama "The Thunderstorm" is very closely connected with the main character Katerina.

Even her very personality resembles this natural phenomenon. Inside Katya's character, two irreconcilable extremes cannot converge. She is both a person of tradition and a person living in the spirit of the new time, according to her own emotions. The most important thing is that no one denounces her, there were no witnesses to their meetings with Tikhon. She herself admits this.

On the one hand, Katerina even threatens to throw herself into the Volga, and in the end it turns out that way. On the other hand, she is very devout. She is experiencing moments of extraordinary enthusiasm in the church. And love for God in this play sounds very clear and voluminous. And, like many believers at that time, the main character considers this natural phenomenon to be a heavenly punishment. It is during a thunderstorm that Katya confesses her sin.

Vivid but tragic consequences

The more the reader ponders not only the meaning of the title of the drama "The Thunderstorm", but also the plot line of the play, the more clearly he understands that Katerina is not opposed to any particular person. Not Kabanikha, not Boris, not Wild, but the whole world order. To some forces that are far superior to the world in which she lives.

And Katya's main enemy is inside her consciousness. She observes traditions, the concept of sin is significant for her, and at the same time she wants to act at the behest of her soul, love and other feelings. This is a dramatic confrontation between man and the elements. And it has not only very striking, but also tragic consequences.

Genre originality of the drama "The Thunderstorm"

“Thunderstorm” is a people's social and everyday tragedy.

N. A. Dobrolyubov

"The Thunderstorm" stands out as the main, milestone work of the playwright. "The Thunderstorm" was to be included in the collection "Nights on the Volga", conceived by the author during a trip to Russia in 1856, organized by the naval ministry. True, Ostrovsky then changed his mind and did not combine, as he initially assumed, the cycle of "Volga" plays by a common title. The Thunderstorm was published as a separate book in 1859. During Ostrovsky's work on it, the play underwent great changes - the author introduced a number of new characters, but most importantly, Ostrovsky changed his original idea and decided to write not a comedy, but a drama. However, the strength of the social conflict in The Thunderstorm is so great that one can speak of the play not even as a drama, but as a tragedy. There are arguments in defense of both opinions, so the genre of the play is difficult to define unambiguously.

Undoubtedly, the play is written on a social and everyday theme: it is characterized by the author's special attention to depicting the details of everyday life, the desire to accurately convey the atmosphere of the city of Kalinov, its “cruel manners”. The fictional city is described in detail, in many ways. An important role is played by the landscape opening, but here you can immediately see a contradiction: Ku-ligin speaks of the beauty of the distant beyond the river, the high Volga cliff. “Nothing,” Kudryash objects to him. Pictures of night walks along the boulevard, songs, picturesque nature, Katerina's stories about her childhood - this is the poetry of the Kalinov world, which collides with the daily cruelty of the inhabitants, stories about the "poverty of the naked". The Kalinovites have preserved only vague legends about the past - Lithuania “fell from heaven to us,” news from the big world is brought to them by the wanderer Feklusha. Undoubtedly, such attention of the author to the details of the characters' everyday life makes it possible to speak of drama as a genre of the play “The Thunderstorm”.

Another feature characteristic of the drama and present in the play is the presence of a chain of intra-family conflicts. First, this is a conflict between the daughter-in-law and the mother-in-law behind the locks of the gates of the house, then the whole city learns about this conflict, and from everyday life it grows into a social one. The expression of the code-conflict characteristic of drama in the actions and words of the heroes is most vividly shown in the monologues and dialogues of the characters. So, we learn about Katerina's life before marriage from a conversation between young Kabanova and Varvara: Katerina lived, “she didn’t grieve about anything,” like “a bird in the wild,” spending the whole day in pleasures and household chores. We do not know anything about the first meeting of Katerina and Boris, about how their love originated. In his article, N. A. Dobrolyubov considered the insufficient “development of passion” to be a significant omission, he said that this is precisely why “the struggle between passion and duty” is meant for us “not quite clearly and strongly”. But this fact does not contradict the laws of drama.

The originality of the Thunderstorms genre is also manifested in the fact that, despite the gloomy, tragic general flavor, the play also contains comic, satirical scenes. We think the anecdotal and ignorant stories of Feklushi about the Saltans, about the lands where all people are “with dog heads”, seem ridiculous. After the release of The Thunderstorm, AD Galakhov wrote in his review of the play that “the action and the catastrophe are tragic, although many passages arouse laughter.”

The author himself called his play a drama. But could it be otherwise? At that time, speaking of the tragic genre, they were used to dealing with a historical plot, with the main characters, outstanding not only in character, but also in position, placed in exceptional life situations. Tragedy was usually associated with images of historical figures, even legendary ones, like Oedipus (Sophocles), Hamlet (Shakespeare), Boris Godunov (Pushkin). It seems to me that on Ostrovsky's side, calling "The Thunderstorm" a drama was just a tribute to tradition.

A. N. Ostrovsky's innovation consisted in the fact that he wrote a tragedy on an exclusively vital material, completely uncharacteristic of the tragic genre.

The tragedy of "The Thunderstorm" is revealed by the conflict with the environment not only of the main character, Katerina, but also of other characters. Here "the living envy ... the dead" (N. A. Dobrolyubov). So, the fate of Tikhon, who is a weak-willed toy in the hands of his domineering despotic mother, is tragic here. Regarding Tikhon's final words, NA Dobrolyubov wrote that Tikhon's “grief” was in his indecision. If life is sick, what prevents him from rushing into the Volga? Tikhon can do absolutely nothing, not even that “in which he recognizes his own good and salvation”. Tragic in its hopelessness is the position of Kuli-gin, who dreams of the happiness of the working people, but is doomed to obey the will of the rude tyrant - the Wild one and mend small household utensils, earning only “his daily bread” by “honest labor”.

A feature of the tragedy is the presence of a hero who is outstanding in his spiritual qualities, according to VG Belinsky, “a man of a higher nature”, in the opinion of NG Chernyshevsky, a person “with a great, not petty character”. Turning from this position to "The Thunder" by A. N. Ostrovsky, we certainly see that this feature of the tragedy is clearly manifested in the character of the main character.

Katerina differs from Kalinov's "dark kingdom" in her morality and willpower. Her soul is constantly striving for beauty, her dreams are full of fabulous visions. It seems that she fell in love with Boris not real, but created by her imagination. Katerina could easily adapt to the morals of the city and continue to deceive her husband, but “she cannot deceive, she cannot hide anything,” honesty does not allow Katerina to pretend to her husband any longer. As a deeply religious person, Katerina had to have tremendous courage to overcome not only the fear of a physical end, but also the fear of “being judged” for the sin of suicide. The spiritual strength of Katerina “... and the desire for freedom, mixed with religious prejudices, create a tragedy” (V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko).

A feature of the tragic genre is the physical death of the protagonist. Thus, according to VG Belinsky, Katerina is “a real tragic heroine”. The fate of Katerina was determined by the collision of two historical eras. Not only her misfortune is that she commits suicide, it is a misfortune, a tragedy of society. She needs to free herself from the heavy oppression, from the fear that weighs on the soul.

Another characteristic feature of the tragic genre is the cleansing effect on the audience, which arouses in them noble, lofty aspirations. So, in the "Thunder", as N. A. Dobrolyubov said, "there is even something refreshing and encouraging."

The general flavor of the play is also tragic, with its gloom, with the every second feeling of an impending thunderstorm. The parallelism of the social, public thunderstorm and the thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon is clearly emphasized here.

In the presence of an undeniable tragic conflict, the play is imbued with optimism. The death of Katerina testifies to the rejection of the "dark kingdom", about resistance, about the growth of forces called upon to replace the Kabanikhs and the Wilds. Let it be still timid, but the Kuligins are already beginning to protest.

So, the genre peculiarity of "The Thunderstorm" lies in the fact that it is, without a doubt, a tragedy, the first Russian tragedy, written on social and everyday material. This is not only Katerina's tragedy, it is the tragedy of the entire Russian society, which is at a turning point in its development, living on the eve of significant changes, in a revolutionary situation that contributed to the individual's awareness of self-esteem. One cannot but agree with the opinion of V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, who wrote: “If some merchant's wife cheated on her husband and hence all her misfortunes, it would be a drama. But for Ostrovsky this is only the basis for a lofty life theme ... Here everything rises to a tragedy. "

Bibliography

For the preparation of this work were used materials from the site ostrovskiy.org.ru/

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