The meaning of the name Katerina in a thunderstorm. The image of Katerina in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm"


Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky in the play "Thunderstorm" revealed the theme of the confrontation between good and evil. The main character is the girl Katerina, who, by the will of fate, encounters the "Dark Kingdom" of the city of Kalinov and the Kabanov Family. The long-established way of life and way of life of the inhabitants of the city of Kalinov is called the "Dark Kingdom" in criticism. In this world everything is run by tyranny, tyranny, cruelty. All goals are achieved by humiliating other people. Most heroes exalt themselves at the expense of denouncing the failures of others. A bright, and one might say, the main representative of this kingdom is Kabanikha, who is trying with all her might to subjugate all members of her family, she establishes laws that no one has the right to transgress. By humiliation, reproaches and other moral means of pressure, Marfa Kabanova builds her own social status, makes them obey, not allowing to go beyond what is permitted.

Katerina strives for freedom, she knows exactly what she wants and will never obey tyranny and tyranny. We can say that the girl, by her opposition to all the laws of this kingdom, passes judgment on the inhuman foundations of this society.

Katerina - one-piece image national character. Everything about her, from looks to inner peace, expresses the desire for justice, freedom and happiness. Katerina is a truly tragic heroine. From childhood, the best was brought up in her, the girl, who grew up in love and tenderness, simply could not come to terms with such a cruel life that reigned in the Kabanovs' house: “I was like that! I lived, didn’t grieve about anything, like a bird in the wild.

Mother did not have a soul in me, dressed me up like a doll, did not force me to work; what I want, I used to do it." The simplicity and sincerity of the girl, inherent in all Russian people, sharply distinguishes Katerina from all other heroes of the play. The girl tries to treat everyone with kindness and understanding, not wishing harm to anyone, she lives with the hope of happiness .Girl trying to find mutual language with her husband, to build relationships and live happily, she tries her best to be a gentle, loving, understanding and faithful wife. But all attempts are in vain. Tikhon simply cannot understand what Katerina wants from him, he completely belongs to his mother, Marfa Kabanova controls his every step, and no forces can change this.

Speaking about the image of a girl, we must not forget that Katerina is an extraordinary beauty, a very modest and charming heroine. Simplicity, kindness, piety, naivety, honesty - complement the image of the "earthly angel". Katerina's speech is not the last in her image. The girl speaks smoothly, beautifully, her speech can be compared to a song. But no matter what the daughter-in-law was, Marfa Kabanova disliked her with all her heart. Also an integral feature is the determination and firmness of Katerina's character. Not every girl is capable of such decisive actions, it cannot be said that the heroine's act is an example, but if you think about it, you can understand that such a person as Katerina will never sacrifice her principles. But whatever the daughter-in-law, Marfa Kabanova disliked her with all her heart, and when the girl appeared in their house, disturbed the peace of their petty conditions, Kabanikha decided to do everything possible to save her son from such a wife. Life in the house of an unloved husband, the pressure of her mother-in-law - all this did not make Katerina happy, and she is trying with all her might to fight it.

The clean and bright image of the girl suggests that Katerina personifies the ideal Russian woman. No other conclusion can be drawn here. Katerina, like no one else, knows how to love, for her this is the most important of feelings. She is ready for anything for her, and desperate to find this feeling in her husband's soul, she falls in love with Boris, he seems to her an ideal, perfect, dear person. But Katerina gets burned again. Of all these failures, unjustified hopes, unfulfilled dreams there is a solution that will free the heroine from everything that hurt, and no matter how much she feels sorry for herself, the heroine is ready to pay for her mistakes.

Katerina's character cannot be called simple,

she does not allow herself to be offended, does not tolerate the attacks of her mother-in-law: “It’s nice to endure slander!”

Katerina can be hot and emotional, about which she herself speaks, telling Varvara a story from her childhood: “They offended me with something at home ...; I ran out to the Volga, got into a boat... The next morning they already found it, about ten miles away! The girl loves the world, loves people, tries to treat everything with kindness. She is trusting and simple, dreamy and beautiful. Honesty and nobility are also very important for this girl. It is hard for her to hide her betrayal from her husband, and when she confesses to Tikhon in treason, it becomes easier for her, but she understands that nothing can be returned. "Let everyone know, let everyone see what I'm doing. If I'm not afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid human court?" - like this life position Catherine.

The girl went against the system of tyranny and tyranny, did not obey the absurd orders of her mother-in-law, and never once doubted her innocence. The girl did not betray herself, remained true to her principles. Katerina was right, without any doubt, when she followed the path that her heart suggested. She remained true to herself, gained eternal freedom, soared over the entire "dark kingdom", exposing all its vices.

It cannot be said that Katerina's suicide is her victory, this girl dreamed of a bright future, great love, happy family, but fate decreed that only this step became her deliverance from the shackles of the "dark kingdom." Many character traits helped the girl determine her fate. Let the play end on such a tragic note, but everyone understands that suicide has become a necessity for Katerina, thus a means of achieving absolute freedom from cruelty and tyranny.

In the drama "Thunderstorm" A.N. Ostrovsky created a completely new for his work female image- With inner harmony, spiritual strength and extraordinary attitude.

Life before marriage

Katerina bright man with a poetic high spirit. She is a dreamer with a remarkably developed imagination. Before her marriage, she lived freely: she prayed in church, did needlework, listened to the stories of praying women, and had fabulous dreams. The author vividly represents the heroine's desire for spirituality and beauty.

Religiosity

Katerina is very devout and religious. Christianity in her perception is closely connected with pagan beliefs and folklore stories. Katerina's whole inner being strives for freedom and flight: "Why don't people fly like birds?" she asks. Even in a dream, she sees her own flights in the form of a bird or a butterfly.

Having married, settled in the house of the Kabanovs, she feels like a bird in a cage. Being a person of strong character, Katerina has a sense dignity. In the house of Kabanikhi, where everything is done as if involuntarily, it is hard for her. How hard it is to accept the stupidity and weakness of your own husband. Their whole life is built on deceit and submission.

Hiding behind the commandments of God, Kabanova humiliates and insults the household. Most likely, such frequent attacks on her daughter-in-law are due to the fact that she feels in her a rival capable of resisting her will.

Varya Katerina admits that if her life becomes completely unbearable, she will not endure - she will rush into the Volga. Even as a child, when her parents offended her with something, she sailed away on a boat along the Volga alone. I think that the river for her is a symbol of freedom, will, space.

Thirst for freedom and love

The thirst for freedom in Katerina's soul is mixed with thirst true love that knows no boundaries and barriers. Attempts to maintain a relationship with her husband lead nowhere - she cannot respect him because of his weak character. Having fallen in love with Boris, Diky's nephew, she imagines him to be a kind, intelligent and well-mannered man, very different from those around him. He attracts her with his dissimilarity, and the heroine surrenders to her feelings.

Subsequently, she begins to be tormented by the realization of her sinfulness. Her internal conflict is conditioned not only by the conviction of sin before God, but also before oneself. Katerina's ideas about morality and morality do not allow her to calmly treat secret love meetings with Boris and her husband's deceit. Thus, the suffering of the heroine is inevitable. Due to the growing guilt, the girl confesses to her entire family just as the storm is approaching. In thunder and lightning, she sees God's punishment overtaking.

Resolution of internal conflict

Katerina's internal conflict cannot be resolved by her confession. From the inability to reconcile her feelings and the opinions of those around her, she commits suicide.

Despite the fact that taking one's own life is a sin, Katerina thinks about Christian forgiveness and is sure that the one who loves her will forgive her sins.

I am very sorry that no one was found in Katerina's entourage. strong man able to protect her from internal experiences and external conflicts. In my opinion, Katerina is rightly called "a ray of light in a dark kingdom."

Among all types of work with the text of the play "Thunderstorm" (Ostrovsky), the composition causes particular difficulties. This is probably because the schoolchildren do not fully understand the peculiarities of Katerina's character, the peculiarity of the time in which she lived.

Let's try together to understand the issue and, based on the text, interpret the image the way the author wanted to show it.

A.N Ostrovsky. "Storm". Characteristics of Katerina

The very beginning of the nineteenth century. The first acquaintance with Katerina helps to understand the difficult environment in which she lives. The weak-willed husband who is afraid of his mother, the tyrant Kabanikha, who loves to humiliate people, strangles and oppresses Katerina. She feels her loneliness, her defenselessness, but with great love reminisces about the parental home.

The characterization of Katerina ("Thunderstorm") begins with a picture of urban customs, and continues with her memories of the house where she was loved and free, where she felt like a bird. But was it all good? After all, she was given in marriage by the decision of the family, and her parents could not help but know how weak-willed her husband was, how cruel her mother-in-law was.

However, the girl, even in the stuffy atmosphere of the house-building, managed to maintain the ability to love. He falls in love with the nephew of the merchant Wild. But Katerina's character is so strong, and she herself is so pure, that the girl is afraid to even think about cheating on her husband.

The characteristic of Katerina ("Thunderstorm") stands out as a bright spot against the background of other heroes. Weak, helpless, pleased with that that Tikhon will break out from under maternal control, lying at the behest of the circumstances of Varvara - each of them struggles in his own way with unbearable and inhuman morals.

And only Katerina is fighting.

First with you. At first she does not want to hear about a meeting with Boris. Trying to "observe himself", he begs Tikhon to take her with him. Then she rebels against an inhuman society.

The characterization of Katerina ("Thunderstorm") is based on the fact that the girl is opposed to all characters. She does not secretly run to parties, as the cunning Varvara does, she is not afraid of the Kabanikha, as her son does.

The strength of Katerina's character is not that she fell in love, but that she dared to do it. And in the fact that, having failed to maintain her purity before God, she dared to accept death contrary to human and Divine laws.

The characterization of Katerina ("Thunderstorm") was created by Ostrovsky not by describing the features of her nature, but by the actions that the girl performed. Pure and honest, but infinitely lonely and infinitely loving Boris, she wanted to confess her love to the entire Kalinovsky society. He knew that she could be waiting, but she was not afraid of either the rumors or the bullying that would necessarily follow her confession.

But the tragedy of the heroine is that no one else has such strong character. Boris abandons her, preferring an ephemeral legacy. Varvara does not understand why she confessed: she would walk herself slowly. The husband can only sob over the corpse, saying "you are happy, Katya."

The image of Katerina, created by Ostrovsky, is an excellent example of an awakening personality who is trying to break out of the sticky networks of the patriarchal way of life.

On the example of the life of a single family from fictional city Kalinov in the play "Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky shows the whole essence of the outdated patriarchal structure Russia XIX century. Katerina - main character works. She is opposed to all other actors of the tragedy, even from Kuligin, who also stands out among the inhabitants of Kalinov, Katya is distinguished by the power of protest. Description of Katerina from "Thunderstorm", the characteristics of other characters, a description of the life of the city - all this adds up to a revealing tragic scene rendered photographically accurately. The characterization of Katerina from the play "Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky is not limited to the author's commentary in the list actors. The playwright does not evaluate the actions of the heroine, relieving himself of the duties of an omniscient author. Thanks to this position, each perceiving subject, whether a reader or a viewer, can himself evaluate the heroine based on his moral convictions.

Katya was married to Tikhon Kabanov, the son of a merchant. It was given out, because then, according to the house building, marriage was more the will of the parents than the decision of young people. Katya's husband is a pitiful sight. The irresponsibility and infantilism of the child, bordering on idiocy, led to the fact that Tikhon is not capable of anything other than drunkenness. Martha Kabanova fully embodied the ideas of tyranny and hypocrisy inherent in everything " dark kingdom". Katya strives for freedom, comparing herself with a bird. It is hard for her to survive in conditions of stagnation and slavish worship of false idols. Katerina is truly religious, every trip to church seems like a holiday for her, and as a child, Katya often fancied that she heard angelic singing. Sometimes, Katya prayed in the garden, because she believed that the Lord would hear her prayers anywhere, not only in the church. But in Kalinov Christian faith devoid of any inner content.

Katerina's dreams allow her to briefly escape from real world. There she is free, like a bird, free to fly wherever she wants, not obeying any laws. “And what dreams I had, Varenka,” continues Katerina, “what dreams! Or golden temples, or unusual gardens, and invisible voices sing, and the smell of cypress, and the mountains and trees seem not to be the same as usual, but as they are written on the images. And it’s like I’m flying, and I’m flying through the air. ” However, in Lately Katerina became inherent in a certain mysticism. Everywhere she begins to see imminent death, and in her dreams she sees the evil one, who warmly embraces her, and then destroys her. These dreams were prophetic.

Katya is dreamy and gentle, but along with her fragility, Katerina's monologues from The Thunderstorm show resilience and strength. For example, a girl decides to meet Boris. She was overcome by doubts, she wanted to throw the key from the gate into the Volga, thought about the consequences, but nevertheless took an important step for herself: “Throw the key!

No, not for anything! He is mine now ... Come what may, and I will see Boris! Katya is disgusted with the Kabanikh's house, the girl does not like Tikhon. She thought about leaving her husband and, having received a divorce, live honestly with Boris. But there was nowhere to hide from the tyranny of the mother-in-law. With her tantrums, Kabanikha turned the house into hell, cutting off any opportunity for escape.

Katerina is surprisingly perceptive towards herself. The girl knows about her character traits, about her decisive disposition: “I was born like that, hot! I was still six years old, no more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, but it was towards 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 already found it, ten miles away! Such a person will not submit to tyranny, will not be subject to dirty manipulations by the Kabanikh. It is not Katerina's fault that she was born at a time when the wife had to unquestioningly obey her husband, she was an almost disenfranchised application, the function of which was childbearing. By the way, Katya herself says that children could be her joy. But Katya has no children.

The motif of freedom is repeated many times in the work. An interesting parallel is Katerina - Barbara. Sister Tikhon also strives to be free, but this freedom must be physical, freedom from despotism and mother's prohibitions. At the end of the play, the girl runs away from home, finding what she dreamed of. Katerina understands freedom differently. For her, this is an opportunity to do as she wants, to take responsibility for her life, not to obey stupid orders. This is the freedom of the soul. Katerina, like Varvara, gains freedom. But such freedom can only be achieved by suicide.

In the work of Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm", Katerina and the characteristics of her image were perceived differently by critics. If Dobrolyubov saw in the girl a symbol of the Russian soul, tormented by the patriarchal housing construction, then Pisarev saw a weak girl who herself drove herself into such a situation.

Artwork test

The main characters of "Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky

Events in the drama of A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" unfold on the Volga coast, in the fictional city of Kalinov. The work contains a list of characters and their brief characteristics, but they are still not enough to better understand the world of each character and reveal the conflict of the play as a whole. There are not so many main characters in Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm.

Katerina, a girl, the main character of the play. She is quite young, she was married off early. Katya was brought up exactly according to the traditions of house building: the main qualities of a wife were respect and obedience to her husband. At first, Katya tried to love Tikhon, but she could not feel anything but pity for him. At the same time, the girl tried to support her husband, help him and not reproach him. Katerina can be called the most modest, but at the same time the most strong character"Thunderstorms". Indeed, outwardly, the strength of Katya's character is not manifested. At first glance, this girl is weak and silent, it seems that she is easily broken. But that's not the case at all. Katerina is the only one in the family who resists Kabanikh's attacks. It opposes, and does not ignore them, like Barbara. Conflict brings more internal character. After all, Kabanikha is afraid that Katya can influence her son, after which Tikhon will no longer obey the will of his mother.

Katya wants to fly, often compares herself to a bird. She literally suffocates in the "dark kingdom" of Kalinov. Falling in love with a visitor young man, Katya created for herself perfect image love and eventual liberation. Unfortunately, her ideas had little to do with reality. The girl's life ended tragically.

Ostrovsky in "Thunderstorm" makes not only Katerina the main character. The image of Katya is opposed to the image of Marfa Ignatievna. A woman who keeps the whole family in fear and tension does not command respect. The boar is strong and despotic. Most likely, she took over the “reins of government” after the death of her husband. Although it is more likely that even in marriage, Kabanikha did not differ in humility. Most of all, Katya, her daughter-in-law, got it from her. It is Kabanikha who is indirectly responsible for the death of Katerina.



Varvara is the daughter of Kabanikhi. Despite the fact that she has learned resourcefulness and lies over the years, the reader still sympathizes with her. barbarian good girl. Surprisingly, deceit and cunning do not make her like the rest of the city. She does as she pleases and lives as she pleases. Barbara is not afraid of her mother's wrath, because she is not an authority for her.

Tikhon Kabanov fully lives up to his name. He is quiet, weak, inconspicuous. Tikhon cannot protect his wife from his mother, since he himself is under strong influence Boars. His rebellion ends up being the most significant. After all, it is the words, and not Varvara's escape, that make readers think about the whole tragedy of the situation.

The author characterizes Kuligin as a self-taught mechanic. This character is a kind of guide. In the first act, he seems to be taking us around Kalinov, talking about his customs, about the families that live here, about the social situation. Kuligin seems to know everything about everyone. His estimates of others are very accurate. Kuligin himself a kind person who is accustomed to living by established rules. He constantly dreams of the common good, of the perpetual mobile, of the lightning rod, of honest work. Unfortunately, his dreams were not destined to come true.

Diky has a clerk, Curly. This character is interesting because he is not afraid of the merchant and can tell him what he thinks about him. At the same time, Curly, just like Wild, tries to find a benefit in everything. He can be described as a simple person.

Boris comes to Kalinov on business: he urgently needs to improve relations with Diky, because only in this case will he be able to receive the money legally bequeathed to him. However, neither Boris nor Dikoy even want to see each other. Initially, Boris seems to readers like Katya, honest and fair. In the last scenes, this is refuted: Boris is not able to take a serious step, take responsibility, he simply runs away, leaving Katya alone.

One of the heroes of the "Thunderstorm" is a wanderer and a servant. Feklusha and Glasha are shown as typical inhabitants of the city of Kalinov. Their darkness and ignorance is truly amazing. Their judgments are absurd, and their outlook is very narrow. Women judge morality and morality by some perverted, distorted concepts. “Moscow is now a place of amusement and games, but there is an Indo roar in the streets, a groan stands. Why, mother Marfa Ignatievna, they began to harness the fiery serpent: everything, you see, for the sake of speed ”- this is how Feklusha speaks of progress and reforms, and the woman calls the car a “fire serpent”. The concept of progress and culture is alien to such people, because it is convenient for them to live in a fictional limited world of calm and regularity.

Characteristics of Katerina from the play "Thunderstorm"

Using the example of the life of a single family from the fictional city of Kalinov, Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" shows the whole essence of the outdated patriarchal structure of Russia in the 19th century. Katerina is the main character of the work. She is opposed to all other actors of the tragedy, even from Kuligin, who also stands out among the inhabitants of Kalinov, Katya is distinguished by the power of protest. The description of Katerina from The Thunderstorm, the characteristics of other characters, the description of the life of the city - all this adds up to a revealing tragic picture, conveyed photographically accurately. The characterization of Katerina from the play "Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky is not limited to the author's commentary in the list of characters. The playwright does not evaluate the actions of the heroine, relieving himself of the duties of an omniscient author. Thanks to this position, each perceiving subject, whether a reader or a viewer, can himself evaluate the heroine based on his moral convictions.

Katya was married to Tikhon Kabanov, the son of a merchant. It was given out, because then, according to the house building, marriage was more the will of the parents than the decision of young people. Katya's husband is a pitiful sight. The irresponsibility and infantilism of the child, bordering on idiocy, led to the fact that Tikhon is not capable of anything other than drunkenness. In Marfa Kabanova, the ideas of tyranny and hypocrisy inherent in the entire "dark kingdom" were fully embodied. Katya strives for freedom, comparing herself with a bird. It is hard for her to survive in conditions of stagnation and slavish worship of false idols. Katerina is truly religious, every trip to church seems like a holiday for her, and as a child, Katya often fancied that she heard angelic singing. Sometimes, Katya prayed in the garden, because she believed that the Lord would hear her prayers anywhere, not only in the church. But in Kalinovo, the Christian faith was deprived of any inner content.

Katerina's dreams allow her to briefly escape from the real world. There she is free, like a bird, free to fly wherever she wants, not obeying any laws. “And what dreams I had, Varenka,” continues Katerina, “what dreams! Or golden temples, or unusual gardens, and invisible voices sing, and the smell of cypress, and the mountains and trees seem not to be the same as usual, but as they are written on the images. And it’s like I’m flying, and I’m flying through the air. ” Recently, however, a certain mysticism has become inherent in Katerina. Everywhere she begins to see imminent death, and in her dreams she sees the evil one, who warmly embraces her, and then destroys her. These dreams were prophetic.

Katya is dreamy and gentle, but along with her fragility, Katerina's monologues from The Thunderstorm show resilience and strength. For example, a girl decides to meet Boris. She was overcome by doubts, she wanted to throw the key from the gate into the Volga, thought about the consequences, but nevertheless took an important step for herself: “Throw the key! No, not for anything! He is mine now ... Come what may, and I will see Boris! Katya is disgusted with the Kabanikh's house, the girl does not like Tikhon. She thought about leaving her husband and, having received a divorce, live honestly with Boris. But there was nowhere to hide from the tyranny of the mother-in-law. With her tantrums, Kabanikha turned the house into hell, cutting off any opportunity for escape.

Katerina is surprisingly perceptive towards herself. The girl knows about her character traits, about her decisive disposition: “I was born like that, hot! I was still six years old, no more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, but it was towards 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 already found it, ten miles away! Such a person will not submit to tyranny, will not be subject to dirty manipulations by the Kabanikh. It is not Katerina's fault that she was born at a time when the wife had to unquestioningly obey her husband, she was an almost disenfranchised application, the function of which was childbearing. By the way, Katya herself says that children could be her joy. But Katya has no children.

The motif of freedom is repeated many times in the work. An interesting parallel is Katerina - Barbara. Sister Tikhon also strives to be free, but this freedom must be physical, freedom from despotism and mother's prohibitions. At the end of the play, the girl runs away from home, finding what she dreamed of. Katerina understands freedom differently. For her, this is an opportunity to do as she wants, to take responsibility for her life, not to obey stupid orders. This is the freedom of the soul. Katerina, like Varvara, gains freedom. But such freedom can only be achieved by suicide.

In the work of Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm", Katerina and the characteristics of her image were perceived differently by critics. If Dobrolyubov saw in the girl a symbol of the Russian soul, tormented by the patriarchal housing construction, then Pisarev saw a weak girl who herself drove herself into such a situation.