The drama “The Thunderstorm” is considered to be one of the main works of A. N. Ostrovsky. And this cannot be denied. Love conflict in the play it recedes almost into the background; instead, the bitter social truth is exposed, the “dark kingdom” of vices and sins is shown. Dobrolyubov called the playwright a subtle connoisseur of the Russian soul. It is difficult to disagree with this opinion. Ostrovsky very subtly describes the experiences of one person, but at the same time is accurate in depicting the universal human vices and flaws of the human soul that are inherent in all representatives of “ dark kingdom"in "Thunderstorm". Dobrolyubov called such people tyrants. Kalinov’s main tyrants are Kabanikha and Dikoy.
Dikoy is a bright representative of the “dark kingdom”, initially shown as an unpleasant and slippery person. He appears in the first act along with his nephew Boris. Savl Prokofievich is very dissatisfied with Boris’s appearance in the city: “Darmoed! Get lost!" The merchant swears and spits on the street, thereby showing his bad manners. It should be noted that in the life of the Wild there is absolutely no place for cultural enrichment or spiritual growth. He knows only what he is supposed to know in order to lead the “dark kingdom.”
Savl Prokofievich does not know either history or its representatives. So, when Kuligin quotes Derzhavin’s lines, Dikoy orders not to be rude to him. Usually speech allows you to say a lot about a person: about his upbringing, manners, outlook, and so on. Dikiy’s remarks are full of curses and threats: “not a single calculation is complete without abuse.” In almost every appearance on stage, Savl Prokofievich is either rude to others or expresses himself incorrectly. The merchant is especially irritated by those who ask him for money. At the same time, Dikoy himself very often deceives when making calculations in his favor. Dikoy is not afraid of either the authorities or the “senseless and merciless” rebellion. He is confident in the inviolability of his person and the position he occupies. It is known that when talking with the mayor about how Dikoy allegedly robs ordinary men, the merchant openly admits his guilt, but as if he himself is proud of such an act: “Is it worth it, your honor, for us to talk about such trifles! I have a lot of people a year: you understand: I won’t pay them a penny extra per person, but I make thousands out of this, so it’s good for me!” Kuligin says that in trade everyone is friend They also steal a friend, and choose as assistants those who, from prolonged drunkenness, have lost both their human appearance and all humanity.
Dikoy does not understand what it means to work for the common good. Kuligin proposed installing a lightning rod, with the help of which it would be easier to obtain electricity. But Savl Prokofievich drove the inventor away with the words: “So you know that you are a worm. If I want, I’ll have mercy. If I want, I’ll crush it.” In this phrase, the position of the Wild is most clearly visible. The merchant is confident in his rightness, impunity and power. Savl Prokofievich considers his power absolute, because the guarantee of his authority is money, of which the merchant has more than enough. The meaning of the Wild's life is to accumulate and increase his capital by any legal or illegal methods. Dikoy believes that wealth gives him the right to scold, humiliate and insult everyone. However, his influence and rudeness frighten many, but not Curly. Kudryash says that he is not afraid of the Wild One, so he only acts as he wants. By this, the author wanted to show that sooner or later the tyrants of the dark kingdom will lose their influence, because the prerequisites for this already exist.
The only person with whom the merchant speaks normally is another characteristic representative“dark kingdom” - Kabanikha. Marfa Ignatievna is known for her difficult and grumpy disposition. Marfa Ignatievna is a widow. She herself raised her son Tikhon and daughter Varvara. Total control and tyranny have led to horrific consequences. Tikhon cannot act against the will of his mother; he also does not want to say something incorrect from Kabanikha’s point of view. Tikhon coexists with her, complaining about life, but not trying to change anything. He is weak and spineless. Daughter Varvara lies to her mother, secretly meeting with Kudryash. At the end of the play, she runs away from her home with him. Varvara changed the lock on the gate in the garden so that she could freely go for a walk at night while Kabanikha was sleeping. However, she also does not openly confront her mother. Katerina suffered the most. Kabanikha humiliated the girl, tried in every possible way to hurt her and put her in a bad light in front of her husband (Tikhon). She chose an interesting manipulation tactic. Very measuredly, slowly, Kabanikha gradually “ate” her family, pretending that nothing was happening. Marfa Ignatievna hid behind the fact that she was taking care of the children. She believed that only the old generation retained an understanding of the norms of life, so it is imperative to pass on this knowledge to the next generation, otherwise the world will collapse. But with Kabanikha, all wisdom becomes mutilated, perverted, false. However, it cannot be said that she is doing a good deed. The reader understands that the words “caring for children” become an excuse to other people. Kabanikha is honest with herself and understands perfectly what she is doing. She embodies the belief that the weak should fear the strong. Kabanikha herself speaks about this in the scene of Tikhon’s departure. “Why are you standing there, don’t you know the order? Order your wife how to live without you!” To Tikhon’s quite reasonable remark that Katerina has no need to be afraid of him, because he is her husband, Kabanikha responds very sharply: “Why be afraid! Are you crazy, or what? He won’t be afraid of you, and even less so of me.” Kabanikha has long ceased to be a mother, a widow, a woman. Now he is a real tyrant and dictator who seeks to assert his power by any means.
The action of the play by N.I. Ostrovsky takes place in the Volga region town of Kalinov. The name is fictitious, but this does not mean that such a city does not exist. This is a collective, average image. Any Russian city could have been in the place of the author’s Kalinov.
The work describes Russian reality in the early and mid-19th century. The difficult, oppressive social atmosphere of that time. Therefore the location does not matter. The city, as well as the country, is ruled by the rich, tyrants, liars, ignoramuses, embittered by boredom, profiting from hard work ordinary people. Ostrovsky continues the dramaturgy of Gogol, Fonvizin and Griboedov. Since those times, little has changed. Empty and cruel people are getting richer, but the common people cannot escape from bondage. All this is contemporary with the author and literary critic Dobrolyubov dubbed it the “dark kingdom.” This definition turned out to be so accurate that it still does not lose its relevance and is used in the literature.
In a broad sense, the “dark kingdom” in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” is a figurative description of the socio-political state of Russia at the end of the 18th and until the mid-19th century. A thoughtful reader who knows the history of his native state understands well what time we are talking about, what Russian reality was like at that time. A time dominated by wealthy merchants and powerful landowners. The country is exhausted morally and physically by serfdom and, perhaps, will not recover from it for several more centuries.
The tradesman Kuligin reports that there are cruel morals in the city. And you will find nothing but rudeness and hopeless poverty here. And, as the reader understands, we're talking about not just about one city. And you will never escape from this web. By honest work to the common man not to earn more than a piece of “daily bread”. The poor, who unquestioningly submit to rich tyrants, allow them to humiliate themselves and use them, taking it for granted, are also an integral part of the dark kingdom.
Both the bourgeoisie and even ordinary men understand that “he who has money tries to enslave the poor” so that he can earn more for himself through his hellish labor, which is almost unpaid. more money, increase your fortune. After all, people like Savely Prokofievich don’t even hide it. The master openly tells the mayor that he has accumulated thousands of money from the money underpaid to his workers and it makes him feel good. Dikoy fully lives up to his surname. He not only takes advantage of the hard and free labor of men, but also mocks them. “He will first break with us, abuse us in every possible way, as his heart desires,” but still he will not pay anything. It will also make them guilty of this. Or he’ll throw in a penny and make you rejoice and give thanks, because he might not have even given that.
An equally important element of the dark kingdom is Kabanikha and the stuffy, unpleasant atmosphere in her house. Marfa Ignatievna is shown to be kind and generous, giving to the poor, and they pray for her. And she completely ate her “pets.” She likes to mock her own son and his young wife Katerina. She likes her daughter-in-law to be afraid of her. Katerina sincerely loves her husband and even her mother-in-law calls her mummy. She doesn’t know how to pretend and doesn’t strive for it, which her mother-in-law absolutely cannot understand. This trait in a daughter-in-law causes anger and irritation in the mistress of the house. Dobrolyubov very accurately called Katerina a ray of light in a dark kingdom. But one ray cannot illuminate large spaces and it dies, crushed by darkness.
Pre-Yurolubov in his critical article writes that “individual freedom, faith in love and happiness, the shrine of honest labor is impossible where it has been thrown into dust and brazenly trampled by tyrants human dignity" It also does not relieve responsibility from those who allow themselves to be trampled. The critic believes that the dark world described by Ostrovsky is close to collapse. That the play presents “the precariousness and the near end of tyranny.” After all, rare rays of light are already appearing, such as Katerina, which means the sun will soon rise over this kingdom.
Option 2
The work “The Thunderstorm” by A. N. Ostrovsky was written on the eve of the abolition of serfdom in 1859. And it became the first sign of a change in the era. In "The Thunderstorm" the merchant environment is illuminated, which personifies the "dark kingdom" in the work. Ostrovsky settled a whole range of negative images in the city of Kalinov. Their example reveals to the reader such characteristics as lack of education, ignorance and adherence to old principles. It can be said that all the townspeople are imprisoned in the shackles of the ancient “house-building”. The brightest representatives of the “dark kingdom” are Kabanova and Dikoy, in them the reader can clearly see the ruling class of that time.
Let's take a closer look at the described images of Marfa Kabanova and Wild.
Dikoy and Kabanova are the most prosperous merchants in Kalinov, they are the “supreme” power, with the help of it they believe that they can put pressure on the serfs, but even more so on their relatives, deciding that they are right.
Ostrovsky opens to the reader the world of merchants, with all its vices, realities and true events and many bright, revealing images. Showing that there is nothing human, spiritual, or good there. There is no faith in a new, better future, love and free labor.
Such qualities as tyranny, ignorance, rudeness, cruelty and greed are always present in these images. All this cannot be eradicated, since upbringing and environment left their mark on the personalities of Dikiy and Kabanova. Such images are attracted to each other, and cannot exist without each other; where one ignoramus appears, another will appear. It is very convenient to hide your stupidity and ignorance under the guise of progressive thoughts and education; such images can be found everywhere. Considering themselves the “hand of power,” they oppress those around them, not worrying about taking responsibility for what they have done. Boars and Dikoy are a world of money, envy, cruelty and malice. They shy away from innovation and progressive thoughts.
Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is very despotic and hypocritical; in her opinion, family relationships should be subject to fear. She completely ate her brownies and did not very firmly root the ancient foundations both in the house and in her head.
The image of the Wild One is very ambiguous and complex. He experiences his inner protest, Dikoy realizes how callous his nature and heart are, but he cannot do anything about it. First he scolds, no matter what the world stands on, and then asks for forgiveness and repentance.
The main idea of the play "The Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky is to expose the "dark kingdom", the stingy merchant environment, with the help of the images of Dikiy and Kabanova. But they are the only symbolic images; they convey to the reader the thoughts and reasoning of the author. He pointed out the vices of rich people, denouncing their lack of spirituality, meanness, and cruelty. At the end of the play, the idea that life is unbearable and terrible in the “dark kingdom” comes through very clearly. Unfortunately, the world of tyrants oppresses a progressive and new person who could overcome ignorance, falsehood and meanness. In Russia at that time, cities and villages were full of such images as in the work "The Thunderstorm".
The Dark Kingdom in Ostrovsky's play Groz
The play “The Thunderstorm” was published two years before Alexander II introduced his great reform. The thirst for change grew in society, but the fear of it also grew. In nature, a thunderstorm is terrible in appearance and the force beating in it, but beneficial in its consequences. A.N. Ostrovsky wrote in an atmosphere of changes expected by many, bringing to light the “ulcers of society.”
He introduces us to the oppressive atmosphere of the merchant environment, a real “house-building”. The “dark kingdom” he showed is in the pre-storm stage, when everything calms down. It seems that there is not even enough air to breathe. This atmosphere is so depressing. Kabanikha and Dikoy do not yet feel the near end of their power over the minds of those around them. For now they are sovereign stewards. The imperious Marfa Kabanova plagues everyone with her meticulousness, reproaches and suspicion. Her ideal is ancient orders and customs. Dikoy is a tyrant, a drunkard and an ignorant person. He is much more primitive than Kabanova, but the power of money and ancient customs brought him into the circle of the “fathers” of the city. They subjugated almost everyone. Kabanikha’s son Tikhon will not contradict his mother in anything. Dikiy’s nephew Boris also resigned himself to “spiritual” slavery. Only Tikhon’s sister lives as she sees fit. But for this, Varvara imitates submission, deceives and deceives everyone. And so almost everything. Some are afraid of the power of money, some are afraid of pressure and arrogance, some are afraid of feigned splendor, and some are afraid simply out of habit.
But not everyone reconciled. The despotism of Dikiy and Kabanikha is opposed by Katerina and Kuligin. Katerina is pure and light soul. Unable to withstand the unequal struggle, she commits the most terrible sin in the Christian faith - suicide. But this protest against the oppressive atmosphere of life in the city, if it did not completely dispel the clouds, then gave the opportunity to break through them to a small ray of light and hope. A murmur arises and sprouts of resistance to the “dark kingdom” may emerge. And there is a leader of the resistance. Kuligin is still acting with conviction, trying to show everyone the horror of what is happening. Frankly, we will say that he is not doing very well. But he did not break and continues to fight for minds, trying to change the mood in society.
I really like the play “The Thunderstorm” for its meticulous enumeration of the vices of the author’s contemporary society. He deliberately exaggerates and does not allow comic situations, which he is a master at describing. I think that he also does not indicate ways to solve the problem on purpose. As an experienced person, "engineer human souls", as writers will be called in our country in the next century, knows that logical constructions in real life does not work. The main thing is to show the problem in all its “glory” and convey to people that the absence of a solution will lead to the gradual degradation of society. I believe that A.N. Ostrovsky achieved this by writing the play “The Thunderstorm”.
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A.N. Ostrovsky was born and lived in Moscow, on Malaya Ordynka. Merchants have settled in this area for a long time. Since childhood, he noticed pictures of everyday life and the peculiar customs of this merchant's world. And it is clear why the writer in his works used, first of all, his rich stock of observations of the life of merchants, clerks and townspeople. The whole warehouse of this empty place was alien and disgusting to him, dark life. Ostrovsky wrote 48 plays, and all of them were a great success, which indicates the unprecedented talent of the author.
One of the best works A.N. Ostrovsky is the drama “The Thunderstorm”, written by him in 1859. It was written at a time when the desire for study, for knowledge, the desire to truly live and freely replaced the Domostroev order, the rotten, useless antiquity. be in love. In “The Thunderstorm,” Ostrovsky showed typical representatives of the “dark kingdom,” the “fathers” of the city of Kalinov, who, relying on their wealth, humiliate and rob poor people, commit any outrages both at home and on the streets of the city.
The richest Kalinovsky merchant is Savel Prokofievich Dikoy. He is a powerful and stern man, accustomed to having everyone around him obey him, and they will do anything to avoid angering him. Dikoy feels his power over the rest of the residents of Kalinov, and therefore it costs him nothing to scold, rob the poor man and kick him out the door. For the sake of money, he is ready to commit any fraud and deception. And he directly declares to the mayor: “I have a lot of people every year... I won’t pay them a penny extra, I make thousands out of this, so it’s good for me.” All members of the Wild family are in constant fear, afraid of doing anything to anger their master, the tyrant. This is what Kuligin says: “Look for another scolder like Savel Prokofievich!”
Wild is a very dark and illiterate person. When the self-taught mechanic Kuligin explained to him what a thunderstorm is, he exclaimed indignantly: “What other kind of electricity is there!? Why aren't you a robber? A thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we can feel it, but you want to defend yourself with poles and some kind of goads, God forgive me. What are you, a Tatar, or what?”
Kuligin consults with Dikiy about building a sundial, a lightning rod - all those things that are needed in the city. But this rich man is so ignorant and ignorant that he not only does not give money to Kuligin, but threatens him with prison for freethinking: “And for these words, send you to the mayor, so he will give you a hard time!”
Dikoy is a representative of the old order, he is very religious. Afraid of angering God, he at the same time commits outrages against the poor. I have to Dikoy the only feeling- this is hostility, contempt. How vilely did he act with his nephew Boris? The shine of gold drove this merchant to the point that he violated his mother’s will and did not give that part of the inheritance that was intended for his nephew. In all his appearance this man is terribly disgusting. A terrible egoist.
The second representative of the Kalinovsky merchants is Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova (Kabanikha). This face is also typical of representatives of the “dark kingdom”, but even more sinister and gloomy. The boar is stern and domineering. She doesn't take anyone into account and makes the whole family crawl on their knees in front of her.
“Prude, sir! He gives money to the poor, but completely eats up his family,” - this is how Kuligin correctly and aptly defines the character of Kabanikha.
She strictly observes the rules of Domostroevskaya antiquity and tries to subordinate her children to these orders, who, as she sees, live by different rules that are completely incomprehensible to her. She cannot imagine how young people will live after the death of their “wise” fathers and mothers: “... What will happen, how the elders will die, how the light will stand, I don’t know!”
Kabanikha, like Dikoy, is dark and ignorant. She answers the wanderer Feklusha this way when she tells her about new amazing machines: “You can call it anything, perhaps even call it a machine; People are stupid, they will believe everything. Even if you shower me with gold, I won’t go.”
She is evil and tyrannical. Demanding obedience, she does not allow Tikhon and Katerina to live, does not allow them to act independently. Having disliked Katerina for her love of freedom, pride, and disobedience, she is even glad of the death of this beautiful girl who wanted to live and love freely, so that she would not be bound by the framework of house-building. Kabanikha’s power is also reflected when she forces Katerina to kneel in front of Tikhon: “To your feet, to your feet!”
Dikoy and Kabanikha are similar to each other, but at the same time they have sharp differences: Kabanikha is, first of all, smarter than Dikoy, she is more restrained, outwardly impassive and stern. She is the only person in the city with whom Dikoy somehow reckons.
Kabanikha and Dikoy typical representatives“dark kingdom”, which hinder the development of everything new and advanced.
Merit of A.N. Ostrovsky is that he was very accurately and aptly able to show us representatives of the merchant world in the drama “The Thunderstorm”. ON THE. Goncharov wrote: “No matter from which side it is taken, whether from the outline of the plan, or the dramatic movement, or finally the characters, it is everywhere captured by the power of creativity, the subtlety of observation and the grace of decoration.”
Throughout the course of the drama, we see the inevitable doom of the “dark kingdom”, all the Kabanovs and Wild Ones who interfere with a proper free life.
“DARK KINGDOM” IN A.N. OSTROVSKY’S PLAY “GRO3A”
1.Introduction.
"A ray of light in a dark kingdom."
2. Main part.
2.1 The world of the city of Kalinov.
2.2 Image of nature.
2.3 Inhabitants of Kalinov:
a) Dikoya and Kabanikha;
b) Tikhon, Boris and Varvara.
2.4 The collapse of the old world.
3. Conclusion.
A turning point in the popular consciousness. Yes, everything here seems to be out of captivity.
A. N. Ostrovsky
The play “The Thunderstorm” by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky, published in 1859, was enthusiastically received by advanced critics thanks, first of all, to the image main character— Katerina Kabanova. However, this beautiful female image, “a ray of light in the dark kingdom” (in the words of N.A. Dobrolyubov), was formed precisely in the atmosphere of patriarchal merchant relations, oppressing and killing everything new.
The play opens with a calm, unhurried exposition. Ostrovsky depicts the idyllic world in which the heroes live. This is the provincial town of Kalinov, which is described in great detail. The action takes place against the backdrop of the beautiful nature of central Russia. Kuligin, walking along the river bank, exclaims: “Miracles, truly it must be said that miracles!”< … >For fifty years I’ve been looking at the Volga every day and I can’t get enough of it.” Beautiful nature contrasts with the cruel morals of the city, with the poverty and lack of rights of its inhabitants, with their lack of education and limitations. The heroes seem to be closed in this world; they don’t want to know anything new and don’t see other lands and countries. Merchant Dikoy and Marfa Kabanova, nicknamed Kabanikha, are true representatives of the “dark kingdom”. These are individuals with a strong character, who have power over other heroes and manipulate their relatives with the help of money. They adhere to the old, patriarchal order, which completely suits them. Kabanova tyranns all members of her family, constantly finding fault with her son and daughter-in-law, teaching and criticizing them. However, she no longer has absolute confidence in the inviolability of patriarchal foundations, so she defends her world with her last strength. Tikhon, Boris and Varvara - representatives younger generation. But they too were influenced by the old world and its orders. Tikhon, completely subordinate to his mother’s authority, gradually becomes an alcoholic. And only the death of his wife makes him cry out: “Mama, you ruined her! You, you, you...” Boris is also under the yoke of his uncle Dikiy. He hopes to receive his grandmother's inheritance, so he endures his uncle's bullying in public. At the request of the Dikiy, he leaves Katerina, pushing her to suicide with this act. Varvara, daughter of Kabanikha, is bright and strong personality. By creating visible humility and obedience to her mother, she lives in her own way. When meeting with Kudryash, Varvara is not at all worried about the moral side of her behavior. For her, the first place is the observance of external decency, which drowns out the voice of conscience. However, the patriarchal world, so strong and powerful, which destroyed the main character of the play, is dying. All the heroes feel this. Katerina's public declaration of love for Boris was a terrible blow for Kabanikha, a sign that the old was leaving forever. Through a love-domestic conflict, Ostrovsky showed the turning point taking place in people's minds. A new attitude to the world, an individual perception of reality are replacing the patriarchal, communal way of life. In the play "The Thunderstorm" these processes are depicted especially vividly and realistically.
In Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm" the problems of morality are widely raised. For example provincial town Kalinov, the playwright showed the truly cruel customs reigning there. Ostrovsky depicted the cruelty of people living in the old fashioned way, according to Domostroy, and a new generation of youth rejecting these foundations. The characters in the drama are divided into two groups. On one side stand the old people, champions of the old order, who, in essence, carry out this “Domostroy”; on the other, Katerina and the younger generation of the city.
The heroes of the drama live in the city of Kalinov. This city occupies a small, but not the least place in Russia at that time, at the same time it is the personification of serfdom and “Domostroy”. Outside the walls of the city one imagines another, alien world. It is not for nothing that Ostrovsky mentions the Volga in his stage directions, “a public garden on the banks of the Volga, beyond the Volga there is a rural view.” We see how Kalinov’s cruel, closed world differs from the external, “uncontrollably huge” one. This is the world of Katerina, born and raised on the Volga. Behind this world lies the life that Kabanikha and others like her are so afraid of. According to the wanderer Feklushi, “ old world" is leaving, only in this city is there "paradise and silence", in other places "just sodomy": people in the bustle of each other do not notice, harnessing the "fiery serpent", and in Moscow "now there are walks and games, and along the streets There's a roar and a groan." But something is changing in old Kalinov too. Kuligin carries new thoughts. Kuligin, embodying the ideas of Lomonosov, Derzhavin and representatives of more early culture, suggests putting a clock on the boulevard so you can use it to tell the time.
Let's meet the rest of Kalinov's representatives.
Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is a champion of the old world. The name itself paints a picture of an overweight woman with a difficult character, and the nickname “Kabanikha” complements this unpleasant picture. Kabanikha lives the old fashioned way, in accordance with strict order. But she only observes the appearance of this order, which she supports in public: a kind son, an obedient daughter-in-law. He even complains: “They don’t know anything, no order... What will happen, how the old people will die, how the light will remain, I don’t even know. Well, at least it’s good that I won’t see anything.” There is real arbitrariness in the house. The boar is despotic, rude to the peasants, “eats” the family and does not tolerate objections. Her son is completely subordinate to her will, and she expects this from her daughter-in-law as well.
Next to Kabanikha, who day after day “sharpenes all her household like rusting iron,” stands the merchant Dikoy, whose name is associated with wild power. Dikoy not only “sharpenes and saws” his family members. The men whom he deceives during payments suffer from it, and, of course, the customers, as well as his clerk Kudryash, a rebellious and impudent guy, ready to teach a “scold” a lesson in a dark alley with his fists.
Ostrovsky described the character of the Wild One very accurately. For the Wild, the main thing is money, in which he sees everything: power, glory, worship. This is especially striking in the small town where he lives. He can easily “pat on the shoulder” the mayor himself.
Dikiy and Kabanikha, representatives of the old order, are opposed by Kuligin. Ku-ligin is an inventor, his views correspond to educational views. He wants to invent a sundial, a “perpetuum mobile,” and a lightning rod. His invention of the lightning rod is symbolic, just as a thunderstorm is symbolic in drama. No wonder Dikoy dislikes Kuligin so much, calling him a “worm,” “Tatar,” and “robber.” Dikiy’s readiness to send the inventor-enlightener to the mayor, his attempts to refute Kuligin’s knowledge, based on the wildest religious superstition - all this also takes on the form of symbolic meaning. Kuligin quotes Lomonosov and Derzhavin and refers to their authority. He lives in the old “Domostroevsky” world, where they still believe in omens and people with “dog heads”, but the image of Kuligin is evidence that in the “dark kingdom” people have already appeared who can become moral judges of those who dominate them . Therefore, at the end of the drama, it is Kuligin who carries Katerina’s body ashore and utters words full of reproach.
The images of Tikhon and Boris are developed slightly; Dobrolyubov in a well-known article says that Boris can be attributed more to the setting than to the heroes. In the remark, Boris stands out only by his clothes: “All faces, except Boris, are dressed in Russian.” This is the first difference between him and the residents of Kalinov. The second difference is that he studied at a commercial academy in Moscow. But Ostrovsky made him the nephew of the Wild, and this suggests that, despite some differences, he belongs to the people of the “dark kingdom”. This is also confirmed by the fact that he is incapable
fight this kingdom. Instead of lending a helping hand to Katerina, he advises her to submit to her fate. Tikhon is the same. Already on the list characters it is said about him that he is “her son,” that is, the son of Kabanikha. He really is more likely just Kabanikha’s son than a person. Tikhon has no willpower. This person’s only desire is to escape from his mother’s care so that he can take a break for the whole year. Tikhon is also unable to help Katerina. Both Boris and Tikhon leave her alone with their inner experiences.
If Kabanikha and Dikoy belong to the old way of life, Kuligin carries the ideas of enlightenment, then Katerina is at a crossroads. Having grown up and brought up in a patriarchal spirit, Katerina fully follows this way of life. Cheating here is considered unforgivable, and having cheated on her husband, Katerina sees this as a sin before God. But her nature is proud, independent and free. Her dream of flying means breaking free from the power of her oppressive mother-in-law and from the stuffy world of the Kabanovs' house. As a child, she once, offended by something, went to the Volga in the evening. The same protest can be heard in her words addressed to Varya: “And if I’m really tired of being here, they won’t hold me back by any force. 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!” In Katerina’s soul there is a struggle between the pangs of conscience and the desire for freedom. Katerina also differs from the representatives of the youth - Varvara and Kudryash. She does not know how to adapt to life, to be a hypocrite and pretend, as Kabanikha does, she does not know how to look at the world as easily as Varya. Ostrovsky could have ended the drama with a scene of Katerina's repentance. But this would mean that the “dark kingdom” had won. Katerina dies, and this is her victory over. old world.
According to contemporaries, Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” had a very great importance. It shows two worlds, two ways of life - old and new with their representatives. The death of the main character Katerina suggests that the new world will win and that it is this world that will replace the old one.