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Knurov, Vozhevatov and Larisa Knurov and Vozhevatov are typical representatives

merchant class of the 19th century. These heroes are driven by cold calculation, and the main thing in their lives is money.

Knurov’s, like Vozhevatov’s, attitude towards people is determined by their financial situation. Therefore, Karandyshev’s behavior causes disapproval among the merchants, and even reaches the point of open bullying. It is also impossible not to mention speaking surnames
, because these are brief characteristics of the heroes. “Knur” means boar, boar. Knurov even walks solely for exercise, to work up an appetite and eat his sumptuous lunch. He is secretive and taciturn, but Gavrilo says about him: “How do you want him to talk, if he has millions?...And he goes to Moscow, St. Petersburg and abroad to talk, where he has more space.” Mokiy

Parmenych is also distinguished by his determination, pursuing Larisa, although his attitude towards her is swinish. In his opinion, Larisa is an “expensive diamond” that requires an expensive setting, so Knurov offers the girl the humiliating position of a kept woman.
Vozhevatov, unlike Knurov, was young and could marry Larisa.
But he does not know the feeling of love, he is cold, practical and sarcastic. “What is my closeness?” - says Vozhevatov. - “Sometimes I’ll pour an extra glass of champagne on the sly from my mother [Larissa’s mother], I’ll learn a song, I’ll carry novels that girls are not allowed to read.” And he adds: “I don’t force it. Why should I care about her morality; I’m not her guardian.” Vasily Danilovich treats Larisa irresponsibly; she is like a toy for him. When a girl asks for help

Vozhevatova, he says: “Larisa Dmitrievna, I respect you and would be glad... I can’t do anything. Believe my word! By the way, it is Vozhevatov who comes up with the idea to decide Larisa’s fate with the help of a toss.

One of the main characters of A.N Ostrovsky’s play “Dowry” is Vasily Danilych Vozhevatov. Below we will try to characterize his image in more detail, based on his appearance and character traits.

Vozhevatov is a handsome, charismatic young man, a representative of a steadily growing trading company, and therefore a young man with good money. His appearance excellent. He is dressed immaculately, in the European style, richly and aristocratically. In a word, he is a collective example of a typical merchant of the nineteenth century.

Of the character traits, commercialism is perhaps considered the most important. The most important thing for him in life is money, which he does not see white light. When communicating with people, he is guided only by his own cold calculations, hoping to snatch benefits from them. And his attitude towards people is in the proportion of high financial status - respect, low - rudeness. It is not surprising that even Ostrovsky himself has a negative attitude towards his hero.

The author could easily have done so (and had every right to do so!) that Larisa would marry him and, perhaps, improve his future, but Ostrovsky coldly bypasses Vozhevatov, as if sentencing him to a kind of punishment. The author pushes the reader to think that people like Vozhevatov do not know the feeling of love. He is cold as ice, he is practical as a knife, he is calculating as a mathematics professor.

And even more so, he wants to marry Larisa, not because he loves her madly, but because he can make a profit from this business. This is confirmed by the fact that the hero himself characterizes the relationship with Larisa not as love, but as friendship. And it’s hard to call them friendly, because in the eyes of Vozhevatov, a man who lives by the principle “The end justifies the means,” the heroine is just a means - nothing more.

For example, he is able to quietly slip Larisa an extra glass of alcohol, secretly from her mother. Or bring up romance novels that can introduce him to a girl as a sophisticated romantic. And so on.

When it comes to Vozhevatov, it is worth remembering that this man is deeply immoral. When communicating with people, he either has fun or admires himself. And sometimes it combines all of this.

When Larisa needs understanding and a close soul, the hero does not understand her (does not want to, or rather), justifying himself by saying that he cannot do anything. However, during the game with Knurov, the game in which Vozhevatov put Larisa on the line, he is glad that he is losing. There will be less money spent...

Essay on the topic Vasily Vozhevaty

One of the main characters of the play “Dowry” by A. N. Ostrovsky is Vasily Danilych Vozhevatov.

The young man is a representative of a very wealthy European company and likes to dress in a European style. One of the few people with whom Vozhevatov has normal contact is Merchant Knurov. Their relationship is built on the “make only money” scheme. They are typical representatives of the merchant nobility of the nineteenth century. And that is why the author chose such a surname for the main character, because the word “leader” used to be used to describe a very rich and wealthy person.

Money plays the main role in the life of Vasily Danilovich. His attitude towards other people depends directly on their position in society and also on their material security. Vozhevatov looks down on everyone. For the same reason, another hero Karandyshev is subjected to constant ridicule from Vozhevatov because of his position. Vasily Danilych considers him a complete loser who will never achieve anything in his life.

He does not tend to love, he is cold towards girls and in relationships he sees only material gain. A clear example of this is Larisa, whom he has known literally since childhood, whom he treats like a thing. Although he could easily marry her. Vozhevatov only likes to spend his time in society beautiful girl, but as soon as she asks him to help her, he indifference leaves her alone with his problems with the words: “I respect you and would be glad... I can’t do anything.”

Vozhevatov is indifferent and cold to everything that happens around him. He is completely indifferent to the girl’s feelings, because for him this is just ordinary entertainment. And it was in his head that the idea came to decide the fate of the girl with the help of a coin. However, here it is worth noting Vozhevatov’s straightforwardness, because he tells the whole truth about his feelings for Larisa, without hiding or hiding anything. As for the author himself, he treats Vasily Danilych with special contempt, because money kills his humanity.

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“Dowry” (1878) is considered the best psychological drama by A.N. Ostrovsky. In this play, the playwright addresses the life of the new, bourgeois Russia. Ostrovsky focuses on the life of people of many classes: nobles, merchants, officials.
In the post-reform years, dramatic changes took place in society: nobles, even the richest, gradually went bankrupt, merchants turned into masters of life with a fortune of millions, their children became the main force of society - educated bourgeois. Against the backdrop of these events, the tragedy of the main character of the play, Larisa Ogudalova, unfolds.

At the very beginning of the drama - in the 2nd scene of Act I - we hear a conversation between Mokiy Parmenych Knurov and Vasily Danilych Vozhevatov. Knurov - “one of the big businessmen of recent times, old man, with a huge fortune." Vozhevatov is “a very young man, one of the representatives of a wealthy trading company, European in costume.” During the casual conversation of these “new” people, we get to know the main characters of the play and learn about the events taking place in their lives.

At the very beginning of the conversation, the figure of Sergei Sergeevich Paratov, a rich gentleman, comes to Bryakhimov on his ship. According to the merchants, this hero lives “in style”, “wasteful”, but does not know how to run a business. It can be assumed that his financial affairs are bad: Paratov sells a steamship to Vozhevatov cheaply: “You know, he doesn’t find any benefit.”

But both Vozhevatov and Knurov see her perfectly. Their practical mind is primarily aimed at extracting benefits, making money. The heroes do this brilliantly - both of them are rich and successful. Knurov and Vozhevatov are enjoying life: they drink champagne in the morning, get ready to go to an exhibition in Paris, and dream that it would be nice to take the city’s first beauty Larisa Ogudalova with them on a trip.

This is how we get to know the main character plays. From the conversation between Knurov and Vozhevatov we learn about her fate, about her life. Larisa is going to marry a petty official, Karandyshev. The merchants are perplexed: “What nonsense! What a fantasy! Well, what is Karandyshev? He’s not a match for her...” But Larisa is homeless and finds it difficult for her to find a good groom. Therefore, the girl’s mother, Kharita Ignatievna, until recently gathered “single people” in her house. These evenings were known to all of Bryakhimov, “because they were a lot of fun: the young lady was pretty, played different instruments, sang, free manners…”

Thanks to her “agility, agility and dexterity,” Kharita Ignatievna married off her two eldest daughters. But their fate is unhappy: one was allegedly stabbed to death by a jealous husband, and the other’s husband turned out to be a cheater. Thus, already at the beginning of the play, the motif of an unhappy female fate, disappointment in love appears, which will develop in the image of Larisa.

Here, in Knurov’s conversation with Vozhevatov, the leading motive of the play appears - the motive of buying and selling. It applies not only to things, but also to people: “Grooms are paid. If someone likes their daughter, then shell out..." Vozhevatov himself, who has known Larisa since childhood, buys the pleasure of visiting her house: "What can you do, you have to pay for pleasures: they don’t come for free; and it’s a great pleasure to be in their house.” Knurov, a married man, dreams: “It would be nice to go to Paris with such a young lady to an exhibition.”

Cold and calculating, these new masters of life are incapable of sincere feelings. Vozhevatov shares with Knurov: “No, somehow I... I don’t notice this in myself at all... what they call love.” For which he receives the approval of an experienced merchant: “Commendable, you will be a good merchant.” The main thing for these people is calculation, profit. Both Knurov and Vozhevatov selfishly take advantage of people. “Why should I care about her morality! I’m not a guardian...” says Vasily Danilych, whom Larisa considers her friend.

The heroine herself, according to Vozhevatov, is “simple,” “there is no cunning in her... suddenly, for no reason at all, and... the truth.” The girl sincerely expresses her feelings, does not know how to be hypocritical: “Whoever she is disposed towards, she does not hide it at all.” The young merchant says that last year Larisa was in love with Paratov: “...couldn’t look at him enough, but he traveled for a month,...and there was no trace of him...” The heroine was very worried: “almost died of grief... She rushed to catch up with him ..."

After Paratov, some old man and an always drunk manager wooed Larisa, then a stealing cashier appeared, who was arrested right in the Ogudalovs’ house. The heroine was in despair. She could no longer bear all this “shame” and decided to marry the first one who wooed her. This first was Karandyshev.

In Larisa’s house, he was a “backup option”: they paid attention to him when there was no one more interesting around. And the pathetic Karandyshev, seeing this, “plays different roles, casts wild glances...”

Vozhevatov characterizes Karandyshev as “a proud, envious person.” Having achieved his goal, Yuliy Kapitonich began to “shine like an orange.” Karandyshev boasts of his “booty” - he takes Larisa to the boulevard, walking with her arm. The same motive of buying and selling is visible in his behavior: the hero is proud of Larisa as a beautiful and expensive thing that increases his prestige in society.

At the end of the conversation, the characters feel sorry for Larisa, imagining her future life with Karandyshev: “In a beggarly situation, and even with a fool of a husband, she will either die or become vulgar.”

Thus, the conversation between Knurov and Vozhevatov at the beginning of the play gives an idea of ​​all the main characters of the drama, outlines their characters, and describes their fate. In addition, the leading motives of the play are already indicated here: the motive of buying and selling a person as a beautiful thing, the motive of an unhappy woman’s fate, disappointment in love.

"Dowry"- play by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. Work on it continued for four years - from 1874 to 1878. The premiere performances of “The Dowry” took place in the fall of 1878 and caused protest among spectators and theater critics. Success came to the work after the death of the author.

The play was first published in the magazine “Domestic Notes” (1879, No. 1).

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Subtitles

History of creation

In the 1870s, Alexander Ostrovsky served as an honorary justice of the peace in Kineshma district. Participation in trials and familiarity with criminal chronicles gave him the opportunity to find new topics for his works. Researchers suggest that the plot of “Dowry” was suggested to the playwright by life itself: one of the high-profile cases that shook up the entire county was the murder of his young wife by local resident Ivan Konovalov.

When starting a new work in November 1874, the playwright made a note: “Opus 40.” Work, contrary to expectations, proceeded slowly; In parallel with “The Dowry,” Ostrovsky wrote and published several more works. Finally, in the fall of 1878, the play was completed. In those days, the playwright told one of his actor acquaintances:

I had already read my play in Moscow five times; among the listeners there were people hostile to me, and everyone unanimously recognized “The Dowry” as the best of all my works.

Subsequent events also indicated that the new play was doomed to success: it easily passed censorship, the magazine Otechestvennye Zapiski began preparing the work for publication, and the troupes of first the Maly and then the Alexandrinsky Theater began rehearsals. However, the premiere performances in Moscow and St. Petersburg ended in failure; Reviews from critics were replete with harsh assessments. Only ten years after the author’s death, in the second half of the 1890s, did “Dowry” gain recognition from viewers; it was associated primarily with the name of actress Vera Komissarzhevskaya.

Characters

• Kharita Ignatievna Ogudalova - middle-aged widow, mother of Larisa Dmitrievna.
• Larisa Dmitrievna Ogudalova - a young girl surrounded by admirers, but without a dowry.
• Mokiy Parmenych Knurov - a big businessman, an elderly man, with a huge fortune.
• Vasily Danilych Vozhevatov - a young man who has known Larisa since childhood; one of the representatives of a wealthy trading company.
• Yuliy Kapitonich Karandyshev - poor official.
• Sergei Sergeich Paratov - a brilliant gentleman, a shipowner, over 30 years old.
• Robinson - provincial actor Arkady Schastlivtsev.
• Gavrilo - club bartender and owner of a coffee shop on the boulevard.
• Ivan - servant in a coffee shop.

Plot

Act one

The action takes place on the site in front of a coffee shop located on the banks of the Volga. Local merchants Knurov and Vozhevatov are talking here. During the conversation, it turns out that the shipowner Paratov is returning to the city. A year ago, Sergei Sergeevich hastily left Bryakhimov; the departure was so rapid that the master did not have time to say goodbye to Larisa Dmitrievna Ogudalova. She, being a “sensitive” girl, even rushed to catch up with her beloved; she was returned from the second station.

According to Vozhevatov, who has known Larisa since childhood, her main problem is the lack of a dowry. Kharita Ignatievna, the girl’s mother, trying to find a suitable groom for her daughter, keeps the house open. However, after Paratov’s departure, the candidates for the role of Larisa’s husband were unenviable: an old man with gout, the always drunk manager of some prince, and a fraudulent cashier who was arrested right in the Ogudalovs’ house. After the scandal, Larisa Dmitrievna announced to her mother that she would marry the first person she met. It turned out to be a poor official Karandyshev. Listening to a colleague’s story, Knurov notices that this woman was created for luxury; she, like an expensive diamond, needs an “expensive setting.”

Soon the Ogudalov mother and daughter appear on the site, accompanied by Karandyshev. Larisa Dmitrievna's fiance invites coffee shop visitors to his place for a dinner party. Kharita Ignatievna, seeing Knurov’s contemptuous bewilderment, explains that “it’s the same as we have lunch for Larisa.” After the merchants leave, Yuliy Kapitonovich arranges a scene of jealousy for the bride; to his question what is so good about Paratov, the girl replies that she sees in Sergei Sergeevich the ideal of a man.

When a cannon shot is heard on the shore, announcing the arrival of the master, Karandyshev takes Larisa away from the coffee shop. However, the establishment is not empty for long: a few minutes later the owner Gavrilo meets the same merchants and Sergei Sergeevich, who arrived in Bryakhimov along with the actor Arkady Schastlivtsev, nicknamed Robinson. Name book hero, as Paratov explains, the actor received it due to the fact that he was found on a deserted island. The conversation between long-time acquaintances revolves around Paratov’s sale of the steamship “Lastochka” - from now on Vozhevatov will become its owner. In addition, Sergei Sergeevich reports that he is going to marry the daughter of an important gentleman, and is taking gold mines as a dowry. The news of Larisa Ogudalova's upcoming marriage makes him think. Paratov admits that he feels a little guilty towards the girl, but now “the old scores are over.”

Act two

The events unfolding in the second act take place in the Ogudalovs' house. While Larisa is changing clothes, Knurov appears in the room. Kharita Ignatievna greets the merchant as a dear guest. Moky Parmenych makes it clear that Karandyshev is not the best match for such a brilliant young lady as Larisa Dmitrievna; in her situation, the patronage of a rich and influential person is much more useful. Along the way, Knurov reminds that the bride’s wedding dress should be exquisite, and therefore the entire wardrobe should be ordered from the most expensive store; he bears all expenses.

After the merchant leaves, Larisa informs her mother that she intends to leave with her husband immediately after the wedding for Zabolotye, a distant county where Yuliy Kapitonich will run for justice of the peace. However, Karandyshev, appearing in the room, does not share the bride’s wishes: he is annoyed by Larisa’s haste. In the heat of the moment, the groom makes a long speech about how all of Bryakhimov has gone crazy; cab drivers, tavern handlers, gypsies - everyone rejoices at the arrival of the master, who, having wasted himself in carousing, is forced to sell his “last steamboat.”

Next it is Paratov’s turn to pay a visit to the Ogudalovs. First, Sergei Sergeevich sincerely communicates with Kharita Ignatievna. Later, left alone with Larisa, he wonders how long a woman can live apart from her loved one. This conversation is painful for the girl; When asked if she loves Paratov as before, Larisa answers yes.

Paratov’s acquaintance with Karandyshev begins with a conflict: having uttered a saying that “one loves watermelon, and the other loves pork cartilage,” Sergei Sergeevich explains that he learned the Russian language from barge haulers. These words infuriate Yuli Kapitonovich, who believes that barge haulers are rude, ignorant people. Kharita Ignatievna stops the flaring quarrel: she orders champagne to be brought. Peace has been restored, but later, in a conversation with the merchants, Paratov admits that he will find an opportunity to “make fun” of the groom.

Act three

There is a dinner party at Karandyshev's house. Yulia Kapitonovich's aunt, Efrosinya Potapovna, complains to the servant Ivan that this event takes too much effort, and the expenses are too high. It’s good that we managed to save on wine: the seller sold the batch for six hryvnia per bottle, re-sticking the labels.

Larisa, seeing that the guests did not touch the offered dishes and drinks, feels ashamed for the groom. The situation is aggravated by the fact that Robinson, who is tasked with making his owner drunk until he is completely insensitive, suffers loudly due to the fact that instead of the declared Burgundy he has to use some kind of “Kinder Balsam”.

Paratov, demonstrating affection towards Karandyshev, agrees to have a drink with his rival for brotherhood. When Sergei Sergeevich asks Larisa to sing, Yuliy Kapitonovich tries to protest. In response, Larisa takes the guitar and performs the romance “Don’t tempt me unnecessarily.” Her singing makes a strong impression on those present. Paratov admits to the girl that he is tormented by the fact that he lost such a treasure. He immediately invites the young lady to go beyond the Volga. While Karandyshev proposes a toast in honor of his bride and looks for new wine, Larisa says goodbye to her mother.

Returning with champagne, Yuliy Kapitonovich discovers that the house is empty. The desperate monologue of the deceived groom is dedicated to the drama of a funny man who, when angry, is capable of revenge. Grabbing a pistol from the table, Karandyshev rushes in search of the bride and her friends.

Act four

Knurov and Vozhevatov, returning from a night walk along the Volga, discuss Larisa’s fate. Both understand that Paratov will not exchange a rich bride for a dowry. To remove the question of possible rivalry, Vozhevatov proposes to resolve everything by drawing lots. The thrown coin indicates that Knurov will take Larisa to the exhibition in Paris.

Meanwhile, Larisa, climbing up the mountain from the pier, has a difficult conversation with Paratov. She is interested in one thing: is she now Sergei Sergeevich’s wife or not? The news that her lover is engaged comes as a shock to the girl.

She is sitting at a table not far from the coffee shop when Knurov appears. He invites Larisa Dmitrievna to the French capital, guaranteeing, if she agrees, the highest content and fulfillment of any whims. Karandyshev comes up next. He tries to open the bride’s eyes to her friends, explaining that they see her only as a thing. The found word seems successful to Larisa. Having informed her ex-fiancé that he is too petty and insignificant for her, the young lady passionately declares that, having not found love, she will look for gold.

Karandyshev, listening to Larisa, takes out a pistol. The shot is accompanied by the words: “So don’t get it to anyone!” In a fading voice, Larisa informs Paratov and the merchants who have run out of the coffee shop that she is not complaining about anything and is not offended by anyone.

Stage fate. Reviews

The premiere at the Maly Theater, where the role of Larisa Ogudalova was played by Glikeria Fedotova, and Paratov was Alexander Lensky, took place on November 10, 1878. The hype around new play unprecedented reign reigned; in the hall, as reviewers later reported, “all of Moscow, loving the Russian stage, gathered,” including the writer Fyodor Dostoevsky. Expectations, however, were not met: according to a columnist for the newspaper Russkie Vedomosti, “the playwright tired the entire audience, right down to the most naive spectators.” It was the most deafening failure in creative biography Ostrovsky.

The first production on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater, where main role played by Maria Savina, caused less derogatory responses. Thus, the St. Petersburg newspaper “Novoye Vremya” admitted that the performance of “Dowry” made a “strong impression” on the audience. However, there was no need to talk about success: a critic of the same publication, a certain K., complained that Ostrovsky spent a lot of effort on creating few people interesting story about the “silly seduced girl”:

Those who expected a new word, new types from the venerable playwright are sorely mistaken; in return, we received updated old motifs, we received a lot of dialogue instead of action.

The critics did not spare the actors who participated in “Dowry.” The capital's newspaper Birzhevye Vedomosti (1878, No. 325) noted that Glikeria Fedotova “did not understand the role at all and played poorly.” Journalist and writer Pyotr Boborykin, who published a note in Russkie Vedomosti (1879, March 23), remembered only “the panache and falsehood from the first step to last word". Actor Lensky, according to Boborykin, when creating the image, placed too much emphasis on the white gloves that his hero Paratov put on “unnecessarily every minute.” Mikhail Sadovsky, who performed the role of Karandyshev on the Moscow stage, presented, in the words of the New Time columnist, “a poorly conceived type of official-groom.”

In September 1896, he undertook to revive the play, which had long been removed from the repertoire. Alexandrinsky Theater. The role of Larisa Ogudalova, performed by Vera Komissarzhevskaya, initially caused the familiar irritation of reviewers: they wrote that the actress “played unevenly, in the last act she fell into melodrama.” However, the audience understood and accepted the new stage version of "Dowry", in which the heroine was not between suitors, and above them; The play gradually began to return to the country's theaters.

Productions

Main characters

Larisa, included in the gallery of notable female images second literature half of the 19th century century, strives for independent actions; she feels like a person capable of making decisions. However, the impulses of the young heroine collide with the cynical morality of society, which perceives her as an expensive, sophisticated thing.

The girl is surrounded by four fans, each of whom is trying to get her attention. At the same time, according to researcher Vladimir Lakshin, it is not love that drives Larisa’s suitors. So, Vozhevatov is not very upset when the lot in the form of a thrown coin points to Knurov. He, in turn, is ready to wait until Paratov comes into play, so that later he can “take revenge and take the broken heroine to Paris.” Karandyshev also perceives Larisa as a thing; however, unlike his rivals, he does not want to see his beloved stranger thing The simplest explanation for all the heroine’s troubles, associated with the lack of a dowry, is broken by the theme of loneliness that young Ogudalova carries within herself; her inner orphanhood is so great that the girl looks “incompatible with the world.”

Critics perceived Larisa as a kind of “continuation” of Katerina from Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” (they are united by ardor and recklessness of feelings, which led to a tragic ending); at the same time, she revealed features of other heroines of Russian literature - we are talking about some of Turgenev’s girls, as well as Nastasya Filippovna from “The Idiot” and Anna Karenina from the novel of the same name:

The heroines of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Ostrovsky are brought together by the unexpected, illogical, reckless actions they commit, dictated by emotions: love, hatred, contempt, repentance.

Karandyshev, like Larisa, is poor. Against the background of the “masters of life” - Knurov, Vozhevatov and Paratov - he looks like a “little man” who can be humiliated and insulted with impunity. At the same time, unlike the heroine, Yuliy Kapitonovich is not a victim, but Part cruel world. Wanting to connect his life with Larisa, he hopes to settle accounts with his former offenders and demonstrate to them his moral superiority. Even before the wedding, he tries to dictate to the bride how to behave in society; her reciprocal protest is incomprehensible to Karandyshev; he cannot delve into the reasons for their disagreements, because he is “too busy with himself”

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Knurov and Vozhevatov are typical representatives of the merchant class of the 19th century. These heroes are driven by cold calculation, and the main thing in their lives is money.

Knurov’s, like Vozhevatov’s, attitude towards people is determined by their financial situation. Therefore, Karandyshev’s behavior causes disapproval among the merchants, and even reaches the point of open bullying.

It is also impossible not to mention the speaking surnames, because this brief characteristics heroes. “Knur” means boar, boar. Knurov even walks solely for exercise, to work up an appetite and eat his sumptuous lunch. He is secretive and taciturn, but Gavrilo says about him: “How do you want him to talk, if he has millions?...And he goes to Moscow, St. Petersburg and abroad to talk, where he has more space.” Mokiy Parmenych is also distinguished by his determination, pursuing Larisa, although his attitude towards her is swinish. In his opinion, Larisa is an “expensive diamond” that requires an expensive setting, so Knurov offers the girl the humiliating position of a kept woman.

Vozhevatov, unlike Knurov, was young and could marry Larisa. But he does not know the feeling of love, he is cold, practical and sarcastic. “What’s my brother-

anger? - says Vozhevatov. - “Sometimes I’ll pour an extra glass of champagne on the sly from my mother [Larissa’s mother], I’ll learn a song, I’ll carry novels that girls are not allowed to read.” And he adds: “I don’t force it. What should I say about her moral-

to care; I’m not her guardian.” Vasily Danilovich treats Larisa irresponsibly; she is like a toy for him. When a girl asks Vozhev for help,

tova, he says: “Larisa Dmitrievna, I respect you and would be glad... I can’t do anything. Believe my word! By the way, it is Vozhevatov who comes up with the idea to decide Larisa’s fate with the help of a toss.

So, we can say that in this work A.N. Ostrovsky wanted to show what money does to people. Even in the title of the play you can already guess what it will be about. Money kills love, conscience, and makes you look down on those people who don’t have it. The coin decides the fate of a person, literally and figuratively.

Knurov, Vozhevatov and Larisa Knurov and Vozhevatov are typical representatives of the merchant class of the 19th century. These heroes are driven by cold calculation, and the main thing in their lives is money.