Nikolay Borisov

Why does N.A. Dobrolyubov call Katerina “a ray of light in a dark kingdom”?

Nikolai Alexandrovich Dobrolyubov is a famous Russian critic, writer, and author of wonderful poems. A young associate of N.G. Chernyshevsky and N.A. Nekrasov, he left a bright mark on the history of Russian literature. Dobrolyubov was characterized by revolutionary democratic convictions, which completely determined the nature of his literary critical activity.

The article “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom” was published in Sovremennik in 1860, a year before Dobrolyubov’s death. The critic's articles of this time acquired a pronounced political overtones. In the article, he reflects on the imminent end of the “dark kingdom”, mainly considering the figure of Katerina, the wife of the son of the merchant Kabanova.

In his article, he enters into polemics with other critics, proving the correctness of his opinion to both them and us. You can agree with Dobrolyubov in many respects, but argue in some respects.

The title of the article refers us to the image of Katerina, “a ray of light in a dark kingdom,” a ray of morality in the cruel and gray world of the Kabanovs and the Wild. Dobrolyubov writes: “... if some critic reproaches Ostrovsky for the fact that Katerina’s face in “The Thunderstorm” is disgusting and immoral, then he does not inspire much confidence in the purity of his own moral sense.” Nikolai Alexandrovich himself adheres to a directly polar position. He clearly assigns a positive sign to Katerina, rejecting all other opinions and not allowing ours if it differs from his own.

We notice the following words in the article: “Criticism - not judicial, but ordinary, as we understand it - is good because it gives people who are not accustomed to focusing their thoughts on literature, so to speak, an extract of the writer, and thereby makes it easier understanding of the work."

Dobrolyubov turns a blind eye to the fact that Katerina is inherently contradictory and Ostrovsky initially gives us such an idea of ​​her. We can look at Katerina from the other side: as a traitor, a suicide and an oathbreaker. It was definitely wrong for the great critic to call Katerina a “fighter”; if she was a fighter, she fought only with herself, with inner temptation (and, by the way, she gave up the fight), and not with something that could be resisted: with the tyranny of her mother-in-law , with its morally outdated foundations, with a society that can easily be called a vulgar world of ordinary people.

But we can also take a different path, look at Katerina as a naive and religious girl Katya, lost, weakened by internal struggle, love for an unworthy person, the tyranny of her mother-in-law, a girl whose childhood dreams and naive Christian ideals collapsed after marriage. From this position Dobrolyubov looks at her. Let her act completely inconsistently, so to speak, obeying female logic, let her slowly enter this gray society, getting used to the “leaden abominations of wild Russian life” (as Maxim Gorky would write many years later in “Childhood”), but Katerina, in contrast from Larisa from “The Dowry” does not want to justify herself, she has sinned and repents of it, frantically searches for a way out of what is by definition a hopeless situation, stumbles upon Kabanikha’s bullying and does not find any more appropriate way out for herself except suicide. Perhaps the above motives prompted N.A. Dobrolyubov to call Katerina “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” “The Dark Kingdom,” by the way, is the title of an earlier article by the critic, where he shows a gray society of stingy, heartless and unforgiving ordinary people, and does not see any “ray” in it. But, carried away by justifying Katerina’s actions and pitying her, the critic does not see, in our opinion, a brighter and more direct “ray” - the self-taught watchmaker Kuligin, and yet he is a much more consistent and integral person than Katerina. He wants to equip Kalinov, help its residents, and again, like Katerina, he comes across resistance from archaic but high-ranking tyrants.

Is it possible to take a middle position between the obvious deification of Katerina and her obvious humiliation? Of course, yes, and it is from her that we will try to look at her personality, actions and circumstances that prompted her to commit a grave sin - suicide, to summarize our opinion.

Let's try to ask ourselves a question: what kind of mistakes did Katerina make? Firstly, she listened to Varvara, who, in an amicable way, should have warned her against betrayal, but on the contrary, she acted in the role of the Old Testament serpent who tempted Adam and Eve. But Katerina, unlike Eva, does not give in to temptation without a fight. She enters into a long and painful struggle with herself, but Varvara strikes another blow, which plays the role of an apple - she brings the key. If Katerina had been able to fully observe her moral constitution, she would have thrown away the key. But still, Varvara is not a serpent. She unintentionally seduces Katerina, unlike the insidious Satan, and then she also takes pity on her and tries to correct what she has done.

Secondly, Katerina should have understood from the very beginning that Boris was by no means the noble, courageous man whom her heart so beautifully painted. One could understand that he is weak and insignificant from the fact that he makes excuses to Katerina when he comes second on the date:

“Boris: You yourself told me to come...”

Thirdly, one should not succumb to emotions and, in front of Kabanikha, ask her husband for forgiveness for betrayal, because Tikhon is not a despot, he is a person capable of understanding and forgiving in his soul, and his mother is a heartless, lying old woman, capable of seeing only Darkness everywhere.

Of course, these are by no means all the reasons, these are only, so to speak, macro factors; in Katerina’s situation there are still many micro factors. But this is our position, Dobrolyubov did not follow our “middle” path of reasoning, but, according to his radical position, fell into obvious sympathy for Katerina, saw only one side of the coin, and ultimately called her “a ray of light in a dark kingdom,” although this ray fades significantly as the action progresses.

A. N. Ostrovsky wrote many plays about the merchants. They are so truthful and bright that Dobrolyubov called them “plays of life.” In these works, the life of the merchants is described as a world of hidden, quietly sighing sorrow, a world of dull, aching pain, a world of prison, deathly silence. And if a dull, meaningless murmur appears, it fades away at its birth. The critic N.A. Dobrolyubov called his article devoted to the analysis of Ostrovsky’s plays “The Dark Kingdom.” He expressed the idea that the tyranny of the merchants rests only on ignorance and humility. But a way out will be found, because the desire to exist with dignity cannot be destroyed in a person. He will not be subdued for long.

“Who will be able to throw a ray of light into the ugly darkness of the dark kingdom?” - asked Dobrolyubov. The answer to the same question was new play playwright "The Thunderstorm".
Written in 1860, the play, both in its spirit and in its title, seemed to symbolize the process of renewal of society, which was shaking off its torpor. And in the play, the thunderstorm is not only a natural phenomenon, but also a dazzling image internal struggle which started in dark life.

There is a lot in the play characters. But the main one is Katerina. The image of this woman is not only the most complex, it is sharply different from all others. No wonder the critic called her “a ray of light in dark kingdom"What makes Katerina so different from the other inhabitants of this kingdom?

In this world there is no free people! Neither tyrants nor their victims are like that. Here you can deceive, like Varvara, but you cannot exist in truth and conscience, without betraying your soul.

Although Katerina was raised in a merchant family, she “lived at home and did not worry about anything, like a bird in the wild.” But after marriage, this free nature fell into the iron cage of her mother-in-law’s tyranny.

In Katerina’s house there were always many pilgrims and praying men, whose stories (and the whole situation in the house) made her very religious, believing with all her heart in the commandments of the church. It is not surprising that she perceives her love for Boris as a grave sin. But Katerina in religion is a “poet” (according to the expression Gorky's hero). She is endowed with a vivid imagination, she is dreamy and emotional. Listening to various stories, she seems to see them in reality. She often dreamed of paradise gardens and birds, and when she entered the church, she saw angels. Even her speech is musical and melodious, reminiscent of folk tales and songs.

However, religion, a secluded life, and the lack of an outlet for her extraordinary nature contributed to the awakening of unhealthy sensitivity in Katerina. Therefore, during a thunderstorm, hearing the curses of the crazy lady, she began to pray. When she saw a drawing of “fiery hell” on the wall, her nerves could not stand it, and she confessed to Tikhon her love for Boris.

Her religiosity, moreover, somehow sets off such traits as the desire for independence and truth, courage and determination. Tyrant Dikoy and Kabanikha, who always reproaches her relatives, are generally not able to understand other people. In comparison with them, or with the spineless Tikhon, who only sometimes allows himself to go on a spree for a few days, with her beloved Boris, who is unable to appreciate true love, Katerina becomes especially attractive. She does not want and cannot deceive and directly declares: “I don’t know how to deceive; I can’t hide anything!” Love for Boris is everything for Katerina: longing for freedom, dreams of real life. And in the name of this love, she enters into an unequal duel with the “dark kingdom.” She does not perceive her protest as an indignation against the entire system, moreover, she does not think about it. But the “dark kingdom” is structured in such a way that any manifestation of independence, self-reliance, and personal dignity is perceived by them as a mortal sin, as a rebellion against their foundations of domination by tyrants. That is why the play ends with the death of the heroine: after all, she is not only lonely, but also divided by the inner consciousness of her “sin.”

The death of such a woman is not a cry of despair. No, this is a moral victory over the “dark kingdom” that fetters freedom, will, and reason. Suicide, according to the teachings of the church, is an unforgivable sin. But Katerina is no longer afraid of this. Having fallen in love, she declares to Boris: “If I was not afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid of human judgment.” And her last words were: “My friend! My joy! Farewell!”

One can justify or blame Katerina for her decision, which led to a tragic ending, but one cannot help but admire the integrity of her nature, thirst for freedom, and determination. Her death shocked even more people like Tikhon, who already to his face blames his mother for the death of his wife.

This means that Katerina’s act was really a “terrible challenge to tyrant power.” This means that in the “dark kingdom” bright natures can be born who, with their life or death, can illuminate this “kingdom”.

"Katerina is a ray of light in a dark kingdom"

A.N. Ostrovsky, the author of numerous plays, is truly considered the “singer of merchant life.” It is the image of the world of the merchants that is second half of the 19th century century, called by Dobrolyubov in one of his articles “the dark kingdom,” became the main theme of Ostrovsky’s work.

The drama “The Thunderstorm” appeared in print in 1860. Its plot is quite simple. The main character, Katerina Kabanova, not finding a response to her feelings in her husband, fell in love with another person. Tormented by remorse, and also not wanting to lie, she confesses her act in church, publicly. After this, her existence becomes so unbearable that she commits suicide.

This is the eventual outline of the work, with the help of which the author reveals to us a whole gallery of types. Here are tyrant merchants (Savel Prokofievich Dikoy), and respectable mothers of families (Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova), and pilgrim pilgrims who tell tall tales, taking advantage of the darkness and lack of education of the people (Feklusha), and home-grown inventors-projectors (Kuligin), and others. However, with all the variety of types, it is not difficult to notice that they all seem to fall into two camps, which could roughly be called: “the dark kingdom” and “victims of the dark kingdom.”

The “Dark Kingdom” consists of people in whose hands power is concentrated, those who can influence public opinion in the city of Kalinov. First of all, this is Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova, who is respected in the city, considered a model of virtue and a keeper of traditions. Kabanova really sticks to traditions, constantly teaching those around her how they “did it in the old days,” whether it concerns matchmaking, seeing off her husband, or going to church. Kabanova is an irreconcilable enemy of everything new: she sees it as a threat to the established course of things, she condemns young people for not having “proper respect for their elders,” and does not welcome enlightenment, since, in her opinion, “learning only corrupts minds.” . Kabanova believes that a person should live in fear of God, and a woman should also live in fear of her husband.

The Kabanovs’ house is always full of praying mantises and pilgrims who receive “favors” here, and in return they tell what they want to hear from them - tales about lands where people with dog heads live, about “crazy” people in big cities who invent all sorts of innovations like steam locomotive and thereby bringing the end of the world closer. “A prude,” Kuligin says about Kabanova, “he favors the poor, but completely eats up his family...” And indeed, Marfa Ignatievna’s behavior in public differs in many ways from her behavior at home. The whole family lives in fear of her. Tikhon, completely depressed by his domineering mother, lives only with one simple desire - to get out, even if only for a short time, from the house and take a walk to his heart's content. The home situation oppresses him so much that neither the pleas of his wife, whom he sincerely loves, nor his work can keep him at home if even the slightest opportunity is given to go away somewhere. Tikhon's sister, Varvara, also experiences all the hardships of the family situation. However, unlike Tikhon, she has a stronger character, and she has the audacity, albeit secretly, to disobey her mother.

The head of another family presented in the drama is Savel Prokofievich Dikoy. Unlike Kabanikha, who tries to cover up her tyranny with hypocritical arguments about the common good, Dikoy considers this unnecessary for himself. He behaves as he pleases, scolds whomever he sees - neighbors, workers, members of his family; does not pay the workers the money they are owed (“I know that I have to pay, but I can’t do it anyway...”), and is not at all ashamed of this; on the contrary, he declares, not without some pride, that each of the workers will be short a penny, but “ I make thousands out of this.” Dikoy is the guardian of his nephews - Boris and his sister, who, according to the will of their parents, will receive their inheritance from Dikoy “if they are respectful to him.” Everyone in the city, and even Boris himself, understands perfectly well that he and his sister will not receive an inheritance, since nothing will stop Dikiy from declaring that his nephews were disrespectful to him. Moreover, Dikoy directly says that he is not going to part with the money, since he “has his own children.”

Tyrants “rule the roost” in the city of Kalinov. However, this is not only the fault of the representatives of the “dark kingdom” itself, but also, to no less extent, its “victims”. None of those who suffer from rudeness and arbitrariness dare to openly protest. Tikhon strives with all his might to escape from the house; Boris, knowing full well that he will not receive any inheritance, still does not dare to break with his uncle and continues to “go with the flow.” He cannot defend his love and only complains: “Oh, if only there was strength!” - without protesting, even when he is sent to Siberia “on business”. Tikhon’s sister, Varvara, dares to protest, but her philosophy of life is not much different from the philosophy of representatives of the “dark kingdom” - do what you want, “as long as everything is sewn and covered.” She secretly takes the key to the garden gate from her mother, goes on dates, and entices Katerina to go with her. In the end, Varvara runs away from home with Kudryash, but exactly the same morals reign not only in the town of Kalinov. So her escape, like Tikhon’s constant desire to run into the tavern, is pointless.

Even Kuligin, a completely independent person, gives in to Dikiy, preferring not to get involved with him. Kuligin's dreams of a better life and technological progress are utopian. His imagination is only enough to try to install a lightning rod or make a sundial on the square for the common good. He enthusiastically dreams of what he would do if he had a million, but he does nothing to earn this million, but turns to Dikoy for money.

Representatives of the “dark kingdom” not only know how to look after their interests, but can also stand up for themselves very well. As soon as the drunk Dikoy tries to scold Kabanikha, she instantly “puts him in his place,” and the neighbor who had just raged immediately switches to a friendly tone.

Thus, Katerina, who has fallen in love as only very strong and passionate natures can love, finds herself completely alone. No one is able to protect her - neither her husband, nor her loved one, nor the townspeople who sympathize with her (Kuligin). Varvara invites Katerina not to worry and to live as before: to lie at home and at the first opportunity to go on dates with her loved one. However, for Katerina this is unacceptable, since she understands that lying will only destroy her soul and will gradually lose the ability to love sincerely and selflessly. Her piety has nothing to do with Kabanikha’s hypocrisy; for her “sin,” Katerina blames only herself, not a word reproaching Boris, who makes no effort to help her.

Katerina's death at the end of the drama is natural - for her there is no other way out. She cannot join those who preach the principles of the “dark kingdom”, become one of its supporters, since this would mean stopping dreaming, tearing out everything pure and bright from the soul; but she also cannot come to terms with a subordinate position, join the “victims of the dark kingdom” - live by the principle “as long as everything is sewn and covered” and seek consolation on the side. Katerina’s guilt is not a guilt before a specific person or group of people, but a guilt before herself, before her soul for darkening it with lies. Understanding this, Katerina does not blame anyone, but she also understands that it is impossible to live with an unclouded soul in the “dark kingdom”. She doesn’t need such a life, and she prefers to part with it - this is what Kuligin says to Kabanova over Katerina’s lifeless body: “Her body is here, but her soul is no longer yours, she is now before a judge who is more merciful than you!”

Thus, Katerina’s protest is a protest against the hypocrisy and hypocritical morality of society, against the lies and vulgarity of human relationships. Katerina’s protest could not be effective, since her voice was lonely, and no one from her environment was able not only to support her, but even to fully understand her. The protest turned out to be self-destructive, but it was and is evidence of the free choice of an individual who does not want to put up with the laws imposed on her by society, with sanctimonious morality and the dullness of everyday life.

Bibliography

To prepare this work, materials were used from the site http://www.bobych.spb.ru/

Katerina is perhaps the best female image, created by Ostrovsky; in many ways it resembles the image of Lisa in “ Noble nest" AND ABOUT. Turgenev. Like Lisa, Katerina is completely imbued with religious feeling. “Before I died, I loved going to church,” she says to Varvara, “as if it happened, I would enter heaven, I don’t see anyone and I don’t remember the time, and I don’t hear when the service ends... And then, a girl, at night I’ll get up, too, lamps were burning everywhere, and somewhere in a corner I’ll pray until the morning.” Katerina had a strong, energetic character who could not tolerate any offense. “I was born so hot,” she tells Varvara, “I was still six years old, so what did I do? They offended me with something at home, and it was late in the evening, it was already dark, I ran out to the Volga, got into the boat, and pushed it away from the shore. The next morning they found it about ten miles away!

Katerina was brought up in complete freedom. Her mother doted on her and fulfilled all her innocent desires. Having married Tikhon, Katerina hoped to live with everyone in love and harmony. But from the very first days of her marriage she encountered severe violence; her most innocent desires and actions were condemned. As soon as she, in a fit of tenderness for her husband, wants to hug him, Kabanova shouts menacingly: “Why are you hanging around your neck, shameless woman?” Will she want to go to the window, as Kabanova is already grumbling: “Do you want to look at the good guys?”

Katerina felt completely alone in the Kabanovsky house, since her husband Tikhon, downtrodden and spoiled by a bad upbringing, was not at all interested in her state of mind and was just thinking about where to have a drink “out of grief.” It is not surprising that after this Katerina drew attention to Boris Grigorievich and fell in love with him. Katerina knew that this love was a sinful feeling, and therefore at first she tried to fight against it. She tried to arouse in herself love for her husband, asked him to take him with her, but Tikhon, busy with himself, only dreamed of walking in freedom. “With such and such captivity, you will run away from whatever beautiful wife you want,” he says with brutal frankness, to which Katerina quite rightly remarked: “How can I love you when you say such words?” Having not found support from her husband, Katerina was unable to fight her feelings.

However, getting closer to Boris did not bring her happiness. If Katerina had not been truthful, she would have found a way out of her difficult situation. She, like Varvara, would lie and pretend. But her truthful soul cannot tolerate deception. As soon as her husband arrived, Katerina could not find peace from remorse. The senseless speeches of the crazy lady, the peals of thunder, the picture of fiery hell - completely shook her soul, and she publicly confessed her sin.

After that, it was unthinkable for her to stay in Kabanova’s house. Like a drowning man clutching at a straw, so Katerina hoped to escape with Boris Grigorievich. But the latter turned out to be so weak-willed that he pushed the unfortunate woman away from him. Then Katerina fell into complete despair and rushed into the Volga.

Dobrolyubov, who wrote an article about “The Thunderstorm,” “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom,” saw a ray of light in Katerina’s face and recognized that with her life she expressed “a protest against Kabanov’s concepts of morality, a protest brought to the end, proclaimed and under mechanical torture and over the abyss into which the poor woman threw herself.” This opinion, however, has raised objections. “Has the “dark kingdom,” notes another critic, “shaken at least a little in its foundations because this truthful, honest nature perished, did her death make at least one person doubt the truth of those rules of life, which in their extreme expression led to young grave, good life? On the contrary, from the point of view of Kabanov’s morality, Katerina’s death is the best confirmation of how dangerous it is to violate her covenants and instructions. No, Katerina is not a ray of light, not a gratifying phenomenon heralding the imminent end of the world of the Wild and Kabanovs, but an unfortunate victim of boundless despotism and tyranny cultivated in this environment.”

Here is an excellent essay based on the work “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky. This is an essay on the topic “Katerina is a ray of light in a dark kingdom.”

Essay text

In the play “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky posed one of the most pressing issues of his time - the liberation of women from family slavery, her emancipation.

The central place in the play is occupied by the fate of Katerina: the story of her marriage, life in the Kabanovs’ house, her love and longing for freedom. In terms of her character, Katerina stands out sharply from the environment into which she found herself. This exclusivity and originality of the character of the heroine is the reason for the deep life drama that she had to experience in “ dark kingdom » Wild and Kabanov.

Katerina is a poetic and dreamy person. The image of a bird often appears in her mind:

“Why don’t people fly! Why don’t people fly like birds?.. Sometimes it seems to me that I am a bird. When you stand on a mountain, you feel the urge to fly. That’s how I would run up, raise my hands and fly..."

Remembering her childhood and girlhood years, which flashed by so unnoticed, Katerina herself tells Varya about how the world of her feelings and moods was formed. Then in parental home, she lived, " like a bird in the wild " The caresses of the mother who is in her " doted on me ", caring for the favorite flowers that Katerina had " lots and lots ", embroidery on velvet - this is the range of those daily impressions, under the influence of which her inner world took shape. Katerina, impressionable by nature, eagerly listened to the stories of wanderers and praying mantises. As a result, her imagination, fantasy, and religious daydreaming developed greatly. Katerina lived in isolation inner world, sometimes plunging into some kind of waking dreams, similar to fairy-tale visions.

“...On a sunny day, a light column goes down from the dome, and smoke moves in this column, like clouds, and I see, it happened, as if angels were flying and singing in this column. And then, it happened, I would get up at night... and somewhere in the corner and pray until the morning. Or I’ll go to the garden early... I’ll fall on my knees, pray and cry, and I myself don’t know what I’m praying for and what I’m crying about...” she tells Varvara.

Katerina has an ardent and passionate soul.

“I was born so hot! I was still six years old, no more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, and it was late in the evening, it was already dark, I ran out to the Volga, got into the boat, and pushed it away from the shore. The next morning they found it, about ten miles away!..."

Katerina is capable not only of courageous actions, but also of a complete break with the life that has disgusted her.

“Eh, Varya, you don’t know my character! Of course, God forbid this happens! And if I get really tired of being here, no force can hold me back. I’ll throw myself out the window, throw myself into the Volga. I don’t want to live here, I won’t do this, even if you cut me!”

And so Katerina finds herself in the Kabanova family, in an atmosphere of hypocrisy and annoying, petty care. After home paradise, with its magical world of dreams and visions, Katerina finds herself in the “ dark kingdom " Naturally, the conflict between " dark kingdom “and Katerina’s peace of mind turned out to be inevitable.

Katerina’s situation is further complicated by the fact that she was married to a man whom she did not know and could not love, no matter how hard she tried to be his faithful and loving wife. Katerina’s attempts to find a response in her husband’s heart are broken by Tikhon’s slavish humiliation and narrow-mindedness. It is not difficult to understand with what force Katerina’s feelings must have flared up when someone stood in her way new person, unlike everyone around her, with a soul similar to her own, and with moods close to herself. Love for Boris became the meaning of her existence. Katerina is special in love too. She is ready to do anything for her loved one, transgressing even those concepts of sin and virtue that were sacred to her. Inner purity and truthfulness do not allow her to lie in love, deceive, or pretend. " Let everyone know, let everyone see what I am doing!... If I was not afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid of human judgment?“- she declares to Boris. The catastrophe occurs precisely because Katerina does not want and cannot hide her sin. The heightened struggle between feelings and duty ends with the unfortunate woman publicly, on the city boulevard, repenting to her husband. The denouement of the drama soon occurs: the suicide of the heroine, who showed her desperate, albeit powerless, protest against “ dark kingdom ».

At its tragic end, according to Dobrolyubov, “ a terrible challenge was given to tyrant power... In Katerina we see a protest against Kabanov’s concepts of morality, a protest brought to the end, proclaimed both under domestic torture and over the abyss into which the poor woman threw herself«.