The image of Katerina, the main character of the play, is the most vivid. Dobrolyubov, analyzing this work in detail, writes that Katerina is “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” Because only Katerina, a weak woman, protested, only we can talk about her as a strong nature. Although, if we consider Katerina's actions superficially, we can say the opposite. This is a dreamer girl who regrets her childhood years, when she lived with a constant feeling of happiness, joy, and her mother did not have a soul in her. She loved to go to church and did not suspect what life awaited her.
But childhood is over. Katerina did not marry for love, she ended up in the Kabanovs' house, from which her suffering begins. The main character of the drama is a bird that has been put in a cage. She lives among the representatives of the "dark kingdom", but she cannot live like that. Quiet, modest Katerina, from whom you sometimes don’t hear a word, as a child, offended by something at home, sailed away alone in a boat along the Volga.
In the very character of the heroine, integrity and fearlessness were laid. She herself knows this and says: “I was born so hot.” In a conversation with Varvara, Katerina cannot be recognized. She utters unusual words: “Why don’t people fly?”, which seem strange and incomprehensible to Varvara, but mean a lot for understanding Katerina’s character and her position in the boar’s house. The heroine wants to feel like a free bird that can flap its wings and fly, but, alas, she is deprived of such an opportunity. With these words of a young woman, A.N. Ostrovsky shows how hard it is for her to endure captivity, the despotism of an imperious and cruel mother-in-law.
But the heroine struggles against the “dark kingdom” with all her might, and it is precisely this inability to fully reconcile herself to the boar oppression that aggravates the conflict that has long been brewing. Her words addressed to Varvara sound prophetic: “And if it gets too cold for me here, they won’t hold me back by any force. I'll throw myself out the window, I'll throw myself into the Volga. I don’t want to live here, so I won’t, even if you cut me!”
An all-consuming feeling seized Katerina when she met Boris. The heroine triumphs over herself, she discovers the ability to love deeply and strongly, sacrificing everything for the sake of her beloved, who speaks of her living soul, that Katerina's sincere feelings have not died in the boar's world. She is no longer afraid of love, is not afraid of talking: “If I am not afraid of sin for myself, will I be afraid of human shame?” The girl fell in love with a man in whom she found something different from those around her, but this was not so. We see a clear contrast between the sublime love of the heroine and the mundane, cautious passion of Boris.
But even in such a difficult situation, the girl tries to be true to herself, her life principles, she seeks to suppress love, which promises so much happiness and joy. The heroine begs her husband to take her with him, as he foresees what might happen to her. But Tikhon is indifferent to her pleas. Katerina wants to take an oath of allegiance, but even here Tikhon does not understand her. She keeps trying to get away from the inevitable. At the moment of the first meeting with Boris, Katerina hesitates. “Why have you come, my destroyer?” she says. But by the will of fate, what she was so afraid of happens.
Katerina could not live with sin, then we see her repentance. And the cries of the crazy lady, the thunderclaps, the unexpected appearance of Boris lead the impressionable heroine into unprecedented excitement, makes her repent of her deed, especially since Katerina was afraid all her life to die “with her sins” - without repenting. But this is not only weakness, but also the strength of the spirit of the heroine, who, like Varvara and Kudryash, could not live in the joys of hidden love, was not afraid of human judgment. It wasn't a thunderclap that struck down the young woman. She herself throws herself into the pool, she decides her own fate, seeking liberation from the unbearable torments of such a life. She believes that going home, that to the grave, even "in the grave is better." She commits suicide. Great courage is needed for such a decision, and it is not for nothing that the remaining Tikhon envy her, dead, “to live ... and suffer.” By her act, Katerina proved her innocence, a moral victory over the “dark kingdom”.
Katerina combined in herself proud strength, independence, which Dobrolyubov regarded as a sign of deep protest against external, including social conditions of life. Katerina, who is hostile to this world with her sincerity, integrity and recklessness of feelings, undermines the “dark kingdom”. A weak woman was able to oppose him and won.
In the heroine, fidelity to ideals, spiritual purity, and moral superiority over those around her are striking. In the image of Katerina, the writer embodied the best features - love of freedom, independence, talent, poetry, high moral qualities.
According to one version, the drama "Thunderstorm" was written by Ostrovsky when he was under the impression of one married actress - Lyuba Kositskaya. The image of Katerina in The Thunderstorm appeared precisely thanks to Kositskaya, and it is interesting that then she got this role on stage.
Katerina was born into a merchant family, their house was prosperous, and Katerina's childhood was carefree and joyful. The heroine herself compared herself with a free bird, and confessed to Varvara that she had been doing what she wanted until she got married. Yes, Katerina's family was good, her upbringing was good, so the girl grew up clean and open. In the image of Katerina, a kind, sincere, Russian soul is clearly visible, which does not know how to deceive.
Let's continue to consider the image of Katerina in the drama "Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky, and note that it was very difficult for a girl to live with her husband without pretense, given his family. If we recall Kabanikha, Katerina's mother-in-law, who keeps everyone at home under fear, it becomes clear why these characters in the drama have a conflict. Of course, Kabanikha acted with methods of humiliation and intimidation, and some were able to adapt to this and put up with it. For example, it was easier for Varvara and Tikhon to create the impression that they were completely submissive to their mother, although both daughter and son went on a rampage outside the home.
Features in the image of Katerina in the drama "Thunderstorm"
With what traits of character did Katerina literally frighten Kabanikha? She was pure in soul, sincere and ardent, did not tolerate hypocrisy and deceit. For example, when her husband's departure took place, the mother-in-law wanted to see her daughter-in-law howling, but it was not in Katerina's rules to pretend. If the custom does not accept the soul, then you should not follow it, the girl believes.
When Katerina realized that she loved Boris, she did not hide her feelings by talking about them. Varvara, her mother-in-law, and the husband of the main character himself found out about Katerina's love. In the nature of a girl, we see depth, strength and passion, and her words express these personality traits well. She talks about people and birds, why can't people fly the same way? As a result, Katerina says that she will not endure an unbearable and disgusting life, and in extreme cases, she will decide on a fatal step - to throw herself out the window or drown herself in the river. Reflecting on these words, one can better understand the image of Katerina in Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm".
Finally, what an effort it took for the girl to tell Boris about her feelings! After all, Katerina was a married woman, but the passion for freedom and the desire to be happy, as well as willpower, manifested themselves in this bold act. Ostrovsky contrasts these character traits of Katerina with the world of Kabanikh (Marfa Kabanova). How is it shown? For example, Kabanikha blindly bows to the traditions of the old times, and this is not an impulse of the soul, but an opportunity not to lose power over others. The same can be said about the religious attitude, because for Katerina it is natural and pleasant to go to church, in Kabanikha she performs a formality, and everyday questions excite her more than thoughts about the spiritual.
What is Katherine going for?
An important point that must be taken into account when speaking about the image of Katerina in the drama "Thunderstorm" is that she is full of religious fear. The girl thinks that the punishment for sin from the Lord and the thunderstorm, which she identifies with these concepts, are terrible and severe. All this, together with a sense of guilt, prompts her to tell everyone about her sin in front of everyone. Katerina decides to run away from a family that she does not accept with her heart and soul. The husband feels sorry for her, but he beats her, because this is how it should be done.
Boris, Katerina's lover, cannot help her. And although he sympathizes with her, it is clear how powerless he is and shows weakness, lack of will. Left alone, Katerina decides to throw herself off a cliff. Some attribute such an action to the weakness of the girl, but Ostrovsky wanted to show the strength of her personality, which, again, complements the image of Katerina.
In conclusion, we can say that the beautiful Russian soul was embodied in Katerina - pure and bright. Her soul is opposed to tyranny, rudeness, cruelty and ignorance - qualities that are inherent in many people not only at the time of writing the drama, but also today.
We hope that consideration of the image of Katerina in the drama "Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky turned out to be useful for you. Other articles
In Russian literature, a truly Russian image of a woman (Apollon Grigoriev).
The image of Katerina Kabanova in the drama "Thunderstorm"
The childhood of the heroine determines her character:
“She lived .., like a bird in the wild”, “she didn’t force me to work”, “our house was full of wanderers and pilgrims”, “And to death I loved to go to church!”, “... I’ll get up at night ... and pray until the morning” .
It is fundamental that Ostrovsky chooses a character in a merchant environment, as more patriarchal, alien to new trends, this determines the strength of the heroine's protest and the drama of the conflict.
Katerina's character
The playwright emphasizes the following features in the image of this heroine:
- strength of character
“This is how I was born, hot!”, “And if it gets cold here for me, there’s no way to keep me by any force. I'll throw myself out the window, I'll throw myself into the Volga. I don’t want to live here, I won’t, even if you cut me”;
- truthfulness
“I don’t know how to deceive; I can’t hide anything”;
- patience
“I’d rather endure as long as I endure.”;
- poetry
"Why don't people fly?";
- religiosity
“For sure, it happened that I would enter paradise, and I don’t see anyone, and I don’t remember the time, and I don’t hear when the service is over,”
attitude to treason as a sin, to suicide as a sin
- superstition (fear of thunderstorms as God's punishment).
Katerina in the figurative system of the play
The heroine is opposed in the play and at the same time comparable to them:
- the confrontation between Katerina and Kabanikhi determines the main external conflict of the play (the confrontation between the trends of the new and patriarchal foundations - Domostroy);
- the strength of the character of the heroine opposes the character of the heroes, Tikhon and Boris, as people resigned to the power of petty tyrants
“She is attracted to Boris not only by the fact that she likes him, that he, both in appearance and in speech, is not like the others around her; she is attracted to him by the need for love, which has not found a response in her husband, and the offended feeling of the wife and woman, and the mortal anguish of her monotonous life, and the desire for freedom, space, hot, unrestricted freedom "-
Boris and Tikhon are twin images;
- Katerina is also opposed to those who protest the "dark kingdom" - Varvara and Kudryash. However, they adapt to life
(Varvara is deceiving, because it is impossible without deception, Curly behaves in the same way as Dikoy) for the time being, and then they run. Comparison: Katerina - Varvara-Kudryash - the younger generation, oppose the "dark kingdom". Contrasting: Varvara and Kudryash are more free, Varvara is not married, Katerina is a married woman.
- the image of Kuligin is comparable to the image of Katerina, since he also protests against the mores of Kalinov
("Cruel morals, sir, in our city"),
but his protest is expressed exclusively verbally.
Our presentation about Katerina:
- the desire to love her husband,
- refuse to meet with Boris,
- feeling breaks out, meeting with Boris,
- oppression of sin, thunderstorm, confession,
- the inability to live in the Kabanovs' house after the confession,
- the struggle between the concept of the sin of suicide and the lack of a way out,
- death.
Tools for creating the image of Katerina
They emphasize her exclusivity, for example, in the speech of the character, where there are many poetic words, this is especially pronounced in the monologues of the heroine.
The historical significance of the appearance of the Russian female character in the image of Katerina in the literature of the second half of the 19th century is a harbinger of the need for changes in the social life of Russia.
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Ostrovsky embodied in the image of Katerina a typical representative of that time, more precisely, the 19th century. The time when a woman did not yet have rights, when there was no such thing as a divorce. Marriages were concluded not by the consent of the couple themselves (as it happens in the modern world), but by matchmaking, that is, at the request of the parents. Marriages were rarely successful, women had almost no rights and were most often the "victims" of marriage.
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The main character of Ostrovsky's work "Thunderstorm" found herself in a similar situation.
What was the family, upbringing and education of the character? One of the reasons for Katerina's problems is that the family she ended up in (became Tikhon's wife) was the opposite of her own family. So, for example, they had different customs, principles, traditions. Katrina's family was distinguished by meekness of morals and good nature, in the Kabanov family everything is absolutely the opposite. Katerina received her education at home, like all women at that time, who did not have the right to study on an equal basis with men. Therefore, her upbringing was good (modest, distinguished by religiosity).
Portrait of the hero (external features, psychological, internal portrait) There is no description of Katerina's appearance in the work, so Ostrovsky invites the reader to independently come up with the appearance of the heroine. So, for example, I see her as a blue-eyed, dark-haired and slender girl with kind eyes. That is how, in my opinion, the appearance of the darkness would reflect the inner world of the heroine. The play says that she is very beautiful, this is done so that everyone will like her (in the head a person will think of it himself, but everyone has different tastes, so the author wanted Katerina to be beautiful for everyone) Many characters admire her face. The girl is childishly vulnerable, naive, open, sweet, good-natured, very sensitive.
Character traits (how character traits are manifested) She is kind, manifested in the fact that after living in the house of Kabanikh she did not become embittered, did not become callous. She tried to establish communication links with Tikhon's mother, but she did not want to cooperate with her. Tender, vulnerable - trying to awaken her husband's self-esteem and stand up for her. Unfortunately, all attempts of the heroine are in vain. The problem is with the system itself, not just the people.
Features of speech Katerina's speech is melodic, musical, reminiscent of a folk song, a fairy tale. Addresses all heroes with reverence and respect, courtesy. So the author shows that she is close to the people.
The role in Katerina's work (what themes and problems are presented through Katerina?) Ostrovsky considers in his work such topics as the theme of love (the relationship between Katerina and Boris), the conflict of fathers and children, the problem of the fate of a Russian woman - the main problem. The author wanted to convey the idea of the importance of equality between men and women, that it is time to move away from patriarchy and matriarchy, and come to a partner type of family.
Updated: 2017-12-01
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Katerina is the wife of Tikhon Kabanov and the daughter-in-law of Kabanikhi. This is the central character of the play, with the help of which Ostrovsky shows the fate of a strong, extraordinary personality in a small patriarchal town. In Katerina, since childhood, the desire for happiness is very strong, which, with growing up, develops into a desire for mutual love. Despite her religiosity, Katerina remains an earthly and lively girl, experiencing a love feeling. But how much her heart is full of love, just as much the main character feels her sinfulness. She is married, and the object of her sighs is a completely foreign, alien man. Katerina tries to find peace with the help of religion, love for her lawful husband, but her free nature turns out to be stronger. Perhaps if she had felt the support of her husband at this dramatic moment in her life, then she would have been able to cope with herself. But her husband is a weak person, whose will is subordinated to his mother - Boar. And so Tikhon drives off, and the feeling, as a result of a fierce internal struggle, takes up morality: "I should at least die, but see him."
After betraying her husband, Katerina's religiosity only intensifies. The heroine, who is essentially a simple provincial girl, turns out to be unprepared for the abyss that opens before her. Katerina feels a growing fear, it seems to her that she will definitely be punished by heaven for her sins. Finally, at the moment of a thunderstorm, she repents of her betrayal in front of everyone.
Thunderstorm is not only a love drama, but also a tragedy of a strong man who, after a misdeed, does not feel sorry for himself, but, on the contrary, deliberately gives himself up to the judgment of others without hope of forgiveness. And by committing adultery, Katerina, in fact, makes a kind of existential choice in favor of her real "I". And for this choice she had to pay with her life.
