The play "Thunderstorm" by Alexander Ostrovsky presents a vivid picture of serf society at the end of the 18th century. The playwright introduces us to the world of the Russian Volga city of Kalinov, which has been living the same patriarchal measured life for centuries. This is the world of philistines and merchants. Is he that good? Is there much light in the Russian patriarchal pre-bourgeois society?
Who keeps the "dark kingdom"?
Deprived of a positive vector of development, the urban community of the times of the disintegration of serfdom is socially ill to such an extent that Nikolai Dobrolyubov calls it a “dark kingdom.” By calling Ostrovsky “a connoisseur of Russian life,” he actually confirms the typicality of images presented by the playwright. Dikoy and Kabanikha in the play "Thunderstorm" really get a direct benefit from the suffering of others and in every way support the suffocating, anti-social atmosphere in society. The meaning of the "dark kingdom" they preserve is obvious: the transformation of human suffering into their personal wealth, into the capital of merchants - world-eaters. Both of the aforementioned negative images in Russian literature are considered classic. They are revealed by the author with great artistic power. The topic of our article is the type of merchant Saveliy Prokofyich Wild. Unfortunately, many critics emphasize its primitiveness. In our opinion, this is incorrect. In particular, it deserves attention that Savel Prokofich is both the ruler and the victim of the county "dark kingdom".
The specifics of the image of the merchant Wild
The image of Dikoy in the play "Thunderstorm" is typical for Russian society. This is a man who "made" a huge fortune, rising from the bottom. The author does not give us a direct comment on this, but the thoughtful reader will discover it. According to the psychotype of a merchant. Let's explain our version. There was once a proverb among the people: "There is no worse pan for his Ivan." The image of the Wild in the play "Thunderstorm" is a clear illustration of the justice of this idea. Savel Prokofievich, even having become the main tycoon of the city of Kalinov, cannot stop in his inertia of a kind of cyborg to earn money by any means.
Savel Prokofich Syndrome
Our task is to understand the image of the Wild in the play "Thunderstorm". Imagine that you are an actor "coming into this role." How to do it in the shortest way? What do you recommend? Let's say you're chronically devoid of mercy. Imagine: having caused a person suffering and even ruined him, you do not experience any moral remorse. "Entering the image", pretend that you do not know the sense of responsibility to society ... Did you feel it?
Agree, the terrible, destructive image of the Wild in the play "Thunderstorm" is typical and is often found in our society, only in other guises ... In his rapid and continuous enrichment, he has one strange advantage over other people - he is not tormented by conscience. Savel Prokofich aggressively expands his living space, stopping only before two factors: before the Force and before the Power. Consider the above condensed characteristic in more detail ...
Mercy of the Wild Merchant
As we have already mentioned, the image of Wild in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" is not even a type of a person who makes a deal with his conscience (Savel Prokofich simply does not have it). His moral principles are very vague, and following the rites of the Orthodox Church is more like a deal with God for the remission of sins than a sincere desire to harmonize oneself and one's relationships with society and family.
Every day his wife prays to visitors not to anger him. After all, Wild in a rage does not control himself, even his family hides from him in attics and closets.
Reflex Fury
To manipulate a person through fear is his comfortable state, which he is embarrassed to openly say. (Aloud, he says: “My heart is like that!”) The image of Wild from the play “Thunderstorm” is a dangerous type of person who receives material benefits while in an inadequate state, bordering on schizophrenia.
It is in a state of consciousness altered by rage that he does things that he often cannot explain later. Let us recall at least his story to the godfather Marfa Kabanova about the unfortunate little man-beggar, who was almost "knocked to death."
The episode attracts attention when he talks about his uncontrollable fury of the Wild in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm". The characterization given by him to himself is sly. Everything is understandable: his fits of rabies are initially selfish, they bring him money. After all, when he underpays hired people for work with a humiliated cry, then the principle works in his favor: “money saved is money earned!” Daily fits guarantee daily extra profit.
Danger of mental disorder
He is worried about something else. Deprived of any spirituality, the image of Dikov in the play "Thunderstorm" falls into a kind of vicious circle, reminiscent of Tolkien's false ring of omnipotence. He understands that the reflex “initiating rabies - obtaining benefits” that he has developed over decades can play a cruel joke with him: completely drive him crazy and destroy him. It is about this that he expresses his anxiety to his godfather, the merchant's wife Kabanikhe. Savel Prokofich himself no longer notices when a mechanism is triggered in him that turns on madness ...
Why is the image of the Wild presented episodically?
A man terrorizing the city... The image of the Wild in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" is deliberately revealed by Ostrovsky in an unsystematic way. In the course of the action, he only appears three times in front of the viewer of the performance. And this is understandable. It is quite risky even to denounce the classics of their contemporaries - the powers that be.
What features, not disclosed by the author, may be inherent in Savel Prokofich? Most adult readers can easily guess this characterization themselves. Let us provide only two key thoughts for this discussion. Is the presence of the psychotype of the main merchant of the city of Kalinov typical of today's powerful people? Does the modern average citizen have real rights in court?...
Conclusion
This, of course, is a sad truth, but a host of modern unscrupulous merchants Diky, apologists for the neoversion of serfdom, flashes before us in the mass media every day. These are modern feudal lords, prospering among entire strata of society (according to Pelevin's apt expression, working "for food").
So, what features can complement the modernized image of Wild in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm"? This practice, by the way, is demonstrated by the theaters of Israel, where the modernized version of Gogol's The Inspector General goes with a bang. Let's turn on the fantasy. What can help the type of Wild in modern society to “raise the mud in the water”, make money more efficiently and plant his “ego”?
Let's answer briefly. A talent for inciting hatred between people and representatives of different nationalities. Lack of moral brakes when authorizing a murder (or murders). The desire to rake in the heat with the wrong hands, using your money as a tool.
Finishing our reasoning, we note that such a sociopathy really poisons the harmony of society, turning relations in it into a "dark kingdom".
The characterization of Wild from the play "Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky is important for revealing the ideological meaning of the work. The image of this character must be analyzed to understand what the author wanted to show. Was this person invented or had a prototype? Why did Ostrovsky call him that? What traits endowed the hero? All this will be discussed in the essay.
Brief description of Wild from the play "Thunderstorm"
Savel Prokofich Dikoy is a resident of the town of Kalinov, where the action of Thunderstorm takes place. A merchant with a very large income. Money loves him, and he parted with them extremely hard. In his city, Wild is a respected person. He is considered an authority and feared. The main reason for this is wealth. In Kalinovo Wild - the wealthiest resident.
Ostrovsky gives a rather meager description of Wild. Virtually no description of the appearance of this character. The reader can get an idea about the hero only by “observing” his behavior in the course of the plot.
Features of the image of the Wild
The image of the Wild can be called integral. He is not characterized by any hesitation, doubt, throwing. He is not busy searching for the meaning of life, does not aspire to some heights, does not suffer from remorse. It's a bulldog man. He is confident in himself and in everything he does. He goes through life like a tank, not caring that he might crush someone along the way.
At the same time, Wild is completely uneducated and ignorant. Art, science, political and social processes are very far from it and are not interesting. Moreover, Dikoy considers all this empty, ridiculous, unworthy of respect, and even harmful. The rich man lives, guided by prejudices or superstitions.
This is clearly shown when Kuligin turns to the merchant for help in arranging a lightning rod. The inhabitants of Kalinovo are very afraid of thunderstorms, which is why such an idea arises. However, Diko ridicules Kuligin's idea and himself. He claims that a thunderstorm with thunder and lightning is a sign of God to people. A reminder to live right. And it is foolish to try to fight with a higher power with the help of some kind of "poles and gongs." The rich man does not recognize another opinion.
The only thing that matters to Wild is money. If they fell into his pocket, then Savel Prokofich would never part with them. Even the salaries of the employees of Dikoye have to beg. However, this does not always work out, and if it does, you will have to listen to a lot of abuse from the rich man.
The main feature of the Wild is rudeness. It can be traced throughout the work. From the lips of Savel Prokofich swear words are constantly pouring out. He is absolutely not shy in expressions, does not restrain himself, without any twinge of conscience humiliates, insults the interlocutor. He calls everyone around "parasites", "asps".
The merchant manifests himself everywhere as a rude and petty tyrant. However, more than others goes to his family. Nephew Boris Dikoy just hounded. And all because he depends on him financially. The wife of the moneybag, driven to despair, ashamed of her husband's behavior, trembling before him, with tears in her eyes, asks all her friends and relatives not to anger Savel Prokofich. However, it is difficult to fulfill her request even if desired. The aggressiveness of the Wild is often not justified. He may not like the appearance of a person, some of his word, look - and scolding begins.
The meaning of the image of the merchant in the work
Why did the author introduce this character into his work? To understand the meaning of the image of the Wild in "Thunderstorm", you need to remember one more feature of this person. Kalinov's richest and most respected man is, in fact, an ordinary coward. Wild behaves boorishly only with those who cannot "give back", who are weaker morally.
If on the way there is a person who is ready to fight back, a brawler and a petty tyrant "tucks his tail". For example, Diky's relationship with his clerk Curly. He is not at all afraid of the boss and can answer him with rudeness. For this reason, the merchant prefers not to contact the worker. With respect, the moneybags also treat the imperious and cruel Kabanikhe. Next to such people, the aggressiveness of the merchant disappears.
In the play "Thunderstorm" Dikoy is a representative of the "dark kingdom". Moreover, his zealous guardian. Wild - the opposite of the "kingdom of light." It wins if a person does not bow his head, he can fight back.
Such thoughts are prompted by the image of Wild, to whom the author even gave an eloquent surname. Perhaps the character's shortcomings are somewhat exaggerated - there is hyperbole here.
The play "Thunderstorm" occupies a special place in the work of Ostrovsky. In this play, the playwright most vividly described the "world of the dark kingdom", the world of tyrant merchants, the world of ignorance, arbitrariness and despotism, domestic tyranny.
The action in the play takes place in a small town on the Volga - Kalinov. Life here, at first glance, is a kind of patriarchal idyll. The whole city is immersed in greenery, beyond the Volga there is an “unusual view”, on its high banks there is a public garden, where the inhabitants of the town often stroll. Life in Kalinovo flows quietly and unhurriedly, there are no upheavals, no exceptional events. News from the big world is brought to the town by the pilgrim Feklusha, who tells Kalinovtsy fables about people with dog heads.
However, in reality, not everything is so safe in this small, abandoned world. This idyll is already destroyed by Kuligin in a conversation with Boris Grigoryevich, Dikiy's nephew: “Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel! In philistinism, sir, you will see nothing but rudeness and naked poverty ... And whoever has money, ... he tries to enslave the poor, so that he can make even more money for his gratuitous labors. However, there is no agreement between the rich either: they “feud with each other”, “scribble malicious slander”, “sue”, “undermine trade”. Everyone lives behind oak gates, behind strong locks. “And they don’t lock themselves up from thieves, but so that people don’t see how they eat their own home and tyrannize their family. And what tears flow behind these locks, invisible and inaudible!.. And what, sir, behind these locks is the debauchery of dark and drunkenness!” exclaims Kuligin.
One of the richest, most influential people in the city is the merchant Savel Prokofievich Wild. The main features of the Wild are rudeness, ignorance, irascibility and absurdity of character. “Look for such and such a scolding, like Savel Prokofich with us, to look for more! For no reason will a person be cut off, ”Shapkin says about him. The whole life of Wild is based on "cursing". Neither cash settlements, nor trips to the market - "he does nothing without scolding." Most of all, he gets from Wild to his family and his nephew Boris, who came from Moscow.
Savel Prokofievich is stingy. “...Just give me a hint about money, it will start to kindle my whole interior,” he says to Kabanova. Boris came to his uncle hoping to receive an inheritance, but actually fell into bondage to him. Savel Prokofievich does not pay him a salary, constantly insults and scolds his nephew, reproaching him for laziness and parasitism.
Repeatedly quarrels with Dika and with Kuligin, a local self-taught mechanic. Kuligin is trying to find a reasonable reason for Savel Prokofievich's rudeness: "Why, sir Savel Prokofievich, would you like to offend an honest man?" To which Dikoy replies: “A report, or something, I will give you! I don't report to anyone more important than you. I want to think about you like that, I think so! For others, you are an honest person, but I think that you are a robber, that's all ... I say that you are a robber, and that's the end. Well, are you going to sue, or what, will you be with me? So you know that you are a worm. If I want, I will have mercy, if I want, I will crush.
“What theoretical reasoning can stand where life is based on such principles! The absence of any law, any logic is the law and logic of this life. This is not anarchy, but something even much worse ... ”, Dobrolyubov wrote about the tyranny of Wild.
Like most Kalinovites, Savel Prokofievich is hopelessly ignorant. When Kuligin asks him for money to install a lightning rod, Dikoi declares: “The storm is sent to us as a punishment, so that we feel, and you want to defend yourself with poles and horns.”
Wild represents the "natural type" of the petty tyrant in the play. His rudeness, rudeness, mockery of people are based, first of all, on an absurd, unbridled character, stupidity and lack of opposition from other people. And only then already on wealth.
It is characteristic that practically no one offers Wild active resistance. Although it is not so difficult to calm him down: an unfamiliar hussar “cursed” him on the ferry, and Kabanikha is not shy in front of him. “There are no elders above you, so you are swaggering,” Marfa Ignatyevna bluntly declares to him. It is characteristic that here she is trying to fit Wild to her vision of the world order. Kabanikha explains the constant anger, irascibility of Wild by his greed, but Savel Prokofievich himself does not even think about denying her conclusions. "Who does not feel sorry for his own good!" he exclaims.
Much more complex in the play is the image of Kabanikha. This is an exponent of the "ideology of the dark kingdom", which "created for itself a whole world of special rules and superstitious customs."
Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is a wealthy merchant's wife, a widow who cultivates the customs and traditions of antiquity. She is grouchy, constantly dissatisfied with others. It gets from her, first of all, at home: she “eats” her son Tikhon, reads endless moralizing to her daughter-in-law, and tries to control her daughter’s behavior.
The boar zealously defends all the laws and customs of Domostroy. A wife, in her opinion, should be afraid of her husband, be silent and submissive. Children should honor their parents, unquestioningly follow all their instructions, follow their advice, respect them. None of these requirements, according to Kabanova, is fulfilled in her family. Marfa Ignatyevna is dissatisfied with the behavior of her son and daughter-in-law: “They don’t know anything, there is no order,” she argues alone. She reproaches Katerina with the fact that she does not know how to see off her husband "in the old way" - therefore, she does not love him enough. “Another good wife, after seeing her husband off, howls for an hour and a half, lies on the porch ...,” she instructs her daughter-in-law. Tikhon, according to Kabanova, is too soft in dealing with his wife, not respectful enough in relation to his mother. “They don’t really respect elders nowadays,” says Marfa Ignatievna, reading instructions to her son.
The boar is fanatically religious: she constantly remembers God, sin and retribution, and there are often wanderers in her house. However, the religiosity of Marfa Ignatievna is nothing but hypocrisy: “The hypocrite ... She clothes the poor, but she completely ate the household,” Kuligin remarks about her. In her faith, Marfa Ignatievna is severe and adamant, there is no place for love, mercy, forgiveness in her. So, at the end of the play, she does not even think about forgiving Katerina her sin. On the contrary, she advises Tikhon to bury his wife alive in the ground so that she is executed.
Religion, ancient rites, pharisaical complaints about his life, playing on filial feelings - Kabanikha uses everything to assert his absolute power in the family. And she "gets her way": in the harsh, overwhelming atmosphere of domestic tyranny, Tikhon's personality is mutilated. “Tikhon himself loved his wife and would be ready to do everything for her; but the oppression under which he grew up has so disfigured him that no strong feeling, no resolute striving can develop in him. He has a conscience, there is a desire for good, but he constantly acts against himself and serves as a submissive tool of his mother, even in his relationship with his wife, ”writes Dobrolyubov.
The simple-hearted, gentle Tikhon lost the integrity of his feelings, the opportunity to show the best features of his nature. Family happiness was closed to him from the very beginning: in the family where he grew up, this happiness was replaced by “Chinese ceremonies”. He cannot show his love for his wife, and not because “a wife should be afraid of her husband”, but because he simply “does not know how” to show his feelings, which have been cruelly suppressed since childhood. All this led Tikhon to a certain emotional deafness: he often does not understand Katerina's condition.
Depriving her son of any initiative, Kabanikha constantly suppressed his masculinity and at the same time reproached him for his lack of masculinity. Subconsciously, he seeks to make up for this "lack of masculinity" in drinking and rare "partying" "in the wild." Tikhon cannot realize himself in some business - probably, his mother does not allow him to manage affairs, considering his son unsuitable for this. Kabanova can only send her son on an assignment, but everything else is under her strict control. It turns out that Tikhon is deprived of both his own opinion and his own feelings. It is characteristic that Marfa Ignatievna herself is to some extent dissatisfied with her son's infantilism. It slips through her intonation. However, she probably does not realize the extent of her involvement in this.
The life philosophy of Varvara was also formed in the Kabanov family. Her rule is simple: “do whatever you want, as long as it’s sewn and covered.” Varvara is far from Katerina's religiosity, from her poetry, exaltation. She quickly learned to lie and dodge. We can say that Varvara, in her own way, "learned" the "Chinese ceremonies", having perceived their very essence. The heroine still retains immediacy of feelings, kindness, but her lie is nothing more than reconciliation with Kalinov's morality.
It is characteristic that in the finale of the play both Tikhon and Varvara, each in their own way, rebel against the "power of mother". Varvara runs away from home with Kuryash, while Tikhon expresses his opinion openly for the first time, reproaching his mother for the death of his wife.
Dobrolyubov noted that “some critics even wanted to see in Ostrovsky a singer of broad natures”, “they wanted to assign arbitrariness to a Russian person as a special, natural quality of his nature - under the name“ breadth of nature ”; they also wanted to legitimize cheating and cunning in the Russian people under the name of sharpness and deceit". In the play "Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky debunks both that and another phenomenon. Arbitrariness turns out to be "heavy, ugly, lawless", he sees in it nothing more than tyranny. Roguery and cunning turn into not sharpness, but vulgarity , the reverse side of tyranny.
“Until recently, people were very wild”
(L. Dobychin)
Wild in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" completely belongs to the "dark kingdom". A wealthy merchant, the most respected and influential person in the city. But at the same time terribly ignorant and cruel. The characterization of Wild in the play "Thunderstorm" is inextricably linked with the description of the manners and habits of the city's inhabitants. Kalinov himself is a fictional space, so the vices spread to the scale of the whole of Russia. Having identified the character traits of Wild, one can easily understand the sad social situation that developed in Russia in the 19th century.
The author of Wild in "Thunderstorm" gives a meager characterization: a merchant, a significant person in the city. Almost nothing is said about appearance. Nevertheless, it is a colorful image. The name of the character speaks for itself. The semantic field of "wildness" is mentioned more than once in the text of the work. In the description of the life of the city of Kalinov, drunkenness, swearing and assault, in other words, savagery, are constantly mentioned. The unmotivated fear of a thunderstorm only strengthens the belief that the inhabitants have stopped at some primitive stage of development. The name Saul is also speaking. It belongs to the Christian tradition. This biblical character is known as the persecutor of Christians.
The image of the Wild in the play "Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky is quite unambiguous. There is not a single scene or episode where this character would show his positive qualities. Yes, and to show, in fact, there is nothing. The entire Wild seems to consist of bile, dirt and swearing. Almost all of his remarks contain swear words: “Fail you! I don’t want to talk to you, with a Jesuit”, “Get away from me! Leave me alone! Stupid person!”, “Yes, you damned ones, you will lead anyone into sin!”
Thoughtless subjugation to those with more money has created a kind of legend about Diky as the main man in the city. And the wild behaves in accordance with this conditional status. He is rude to the mayor, steals from ordinary peasants, threatens Kuligin: “Send you to the mayor for these words, so he will ask you!”, “So you know that you are a worm. If I want - I will have mercy, if I want - I will crush. Wild uneducated. He does not know history, does not know the present. The names of Derzhavin and Lomonosov, and even more so the lines from their writings, look like the most insulting abuse to Diky. The inner world of the hero is so poor that the reader has no reason to sympathize with him. Wild is not even a hero, but rather a character. It has no internal filling. Several qualities are taken as the basis of the character of Saul Prokofievich: greed, selfishness and cruelty. There is absolutely nothing else in the Wild and a priori cannot appear.
Almost imperceptible to readers is one scene from the life of Wild. Curly says that once a man was rude to Dikoy and put him in an awkward position, because of which they laughed at the merchant for another two weeks. That is, Wild is actually not at all what he wants to seem. It is laughter that is an indicator of his insignificance and inappropriate pathos.
In one of the actions, the intoxicated merchant "confesses" with Marfa Ignatievna. Kabanikha speaks with him on an equal footing, from her point of view, Savl Prokofievich would be less arrogant if there was a richer man in Kalinovo. But Dikoy does not agree, remembering how he scolded the peasant, and then apologized, bowing at his feet. We can say that in his speeches a typical feature of the Russian mentality is realized: “I know that I am doing badly, but I can’t do anything with myself.” Wild admits: “I will give, give, but scold. Therefore, just give me a hint about money, my whole interior will be kindled; it kindles the whole interior, and that’s all; well, and in those days I will not scold a person for anything. Kabanikha notices that often Savl Prokofievich deliberately tries to provoke aggression in himself when they come to him to ask for loans. But Dikoy retorts - “Who does not feel sorry for his own good!” Although the merchant is used to taking out his anger on women, he is cautious with Kabanikha: she is more cunning and stronger than him. Perhaps it is in her that he sees a much stronger tyrant than himself.
The role of Wild in Ostrovsky's The Thunderstorm is clear. It is in this character that such a thing as tyranny is embodied. A wild greedy worthless man who imagines himself the arbiter of destinies. He is capricious and irresponsible, like Tikhon, just likes to miss a glass of vodka. However, behind all this tyranny, rudeness and ignorance lies ordinary human cowardice. He is even afraid of wild thunderstorms. In it, he sees supernatural power, the punishment of the Lord, so he tries to hide from the storm as soon as possible.
Thanks to such a concentrated image, many social flaws can be identified. For example, servility, bribery, stupidity, narrow-mindedness. Along with this, one can also talk about selfishness, the fall of moral principles and violence.
Artwork test
“Until recently, people were very wild”
(L. Dobychin)
Wild in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" completely belongs to the "dark kingdom". A wealthy merchant, the most respected and influential person in the city. But at the same time terribly ignorant and cruel. The characterization of Wild in the play "Thunderstorm" is inextricably linked with the description of the manners and habits of the city's inhabitants. Kalinov himself is a fictional space, so the vices spread to the scale of the whole of Russia. Having identified the character traits of Wild, one can easily understand the sad social situation that developed in Russia in the 19th century.
The author of Wild in "Thunderstorm" gives a meager characterization: a merchant, a significant person in the city. Almost nothing is said about appearance. Nevertheless, it is a colorful image. The name of the character speaks for itself. The semantic field of "wildness" is mentioned more than once in the text of the work. In the description of the life of the city of Kalinov, drunkenness, swearing and assault, in other words, savagery, are constantly mentioned. The unmotivated fear of a thunderstorm only strengthens the belief that the inhabitants have stopped at some primitive stage of development. The name Saul is also speaking. It belongs to the Christian tradition. This biblical character is known as the persecutor of Christians.
The image of the Wild in the play "Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky is quite unambiguous. There is not a single scene or episode where this character would show his positive qualities. Yes, and to show, in fact, there is nothing. The entire Wild seems to consist of bile, dirt and swearing. Almost all of his remarks contain swear words: “Fail you! I don’t want to talk to you, with a Jesuit”, “Get away from me! Leave me alone! Stupid person!”, “Yes, you damned ones, you will lead anyone into sin!”
Thoughtless subjugation to those with more money has created a kind of legend about Diky as the main man in the city. And the wild behaves in accordance with this conditional status. He is rude to the mayor, steals from ordinary peasants, threatens Kuligin: “Send you to the mayor for these words, so he will ask you!”, “So you know that you are a worm. If I want - I will have mercy, if I want - I will crush. Wild uneducated. He does not know history, does not know the present. The names of Derzhavin and Lomonosov, and even more so the lines from their writings, look like the most insulting abuse to Diky. The inner world of the hero is so poor that the reader has no reason to sympathize with him. Wild is not even a hero, but rather a character. It has no internal filling. Several qualities are taken as the basis of the character of Saul Prokofievich: greed, selfishness and cruelty. There is absolutely nothing else in the Wild and a priori cannot appear.
Almost imperceptible to readers is one scene from the life of Wild. Curly says that once a man was rude to Dikoy and put him in an awkward position, because of which they laughed at the merchant for another two weeks. That is, Wild is actually not at all what he wants to seem. It is laughter that is an indicator of his insignificance and inappropriate pathos.
In one of the actions, the intoxicated merchant "confesses" with Marfa Ignatievna. Kabanikha speaks with him on an equal footing, from her point of view, Savl Prokofievich would be less arrogant if there was a richer man in Kalinovo. But Dikoy does not agree, remembering how he scolded the peasant, and then apologized, bowing at his feet. We can say that in his speeches a typical feature of the Russian mentality is realized: “I know that I am doing badly, but I can’t do anything with myself.” Wild admits: “I will give, give, but scold. Therefore, just give me a hint about money, my whole interior will be kindled; it kindles the whole interior, and that’s all; well, and in those days I will not scold a person for anything. Kabanikha notices that often Savl Prokofievich deliberately tries to provoke aggression in himself when they come to him to ask for loans. But Dikoy retorts - “Who does not feel sorry for his own good!” Although the merchant is used to taking out his anger on women, he is cautious with Kabanikha: she is more cunning and stronger than him. Perhaps it is in her that he sees a much stronger tyrant than himself.
The role of Wild in Ostrovsky's The Thunderstorm is clear. It is in this character that such a thing as tyranny is embodied. A wild greedy worthless man who imagines himself the arbiter of destinies. He is capricious and irresponsible, like Tikhon, just likes to miss a glass of vodka. However, behind all this tyranny, rudeness and ignorance lies ordinary human cowardice. He is even afraid of wild thunderstorms. In it, he sees supernatural power, the punishment of the Lord, so he tries to hide from the storm as soon as possible.
Thanks to such a concentrated image, many social flaws can be identified. For example, servility, bribery, stupidity, narrow-mindedness. Along with this, one can also talk about selfishness, the fall of moral principles and violence.
Artwork test
