The drama of A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm" shows us life in the city of Kalinov, now and then disturbed by various manifestations of a thunderstorm. The image of this natural phenomenon in the drama is very multifaceted: it is both the protagonist of the play and its idea.
One of the most striking manifestations of the image of a thunderstorm is the characterization of the characters in the drama. For example, we can say with confidence that the character of Kabanikha is quite similar to thunder: she also frightens the people around her, and can even destroy her. Let us recall the words of Tikhon before leaving: “Yes, as I know now that there will be no thunderstorm over me for two weeks, there are no shackles on my legs, so am I up to my wife?” A native son, speaking of a thunderstorm, means tyranny in the house. A similar situation prevailed in the house of the Wild. He got angry, cursed, and sometimes even hit on me because of all sorts of little things. Curly said about him: "Shrill man!" - and for sure, the character of the Wild can pierce anyone, like an electric discharge.
But the thunderstorm in the work characterizes not only the "cruel manners" in Kalinov. It is noticeable that the brightest moments of bad weather coincide with Katerina's mental anguish. Recall that when Katerina confessed to Varvara that she loved another, a thunderstorm began. But even in Katerina's soul there was restlessness; her impulsiveness made itself felt: even without doing anything wrong, but only thinking not about her husband, Katerina began to talk about imminent death, running away from home and terrible sins. Upon Kabanov's return, hurricanes raged in Katerina's soul, and, at the same time, thunder was heard on the streets, frightening the townspeople.
Also, the image of a thunderstorm appears before readers as a punishment for committed sins. Katerina spoke of a thunderstorm: "Everyone should be afraid. It's not so terrible that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins, with all your evil thoughts." We can understand that a thunderstorm for the townspeople is only suffering. The same idea is confirmed by the words of Dikoy: "The storm is sent to us as a punishment, so that we feel, and you want to defend yourself with poles and some kind of horns, God forgive me." This fear of a punishment storm characterizes Wild as an adherent of the old ways, if we consider the storm in its following image: a symbol of change.
The thunderstorm as a symbol of the new is vividly shown in Kuligin's monologue: "This is not a thunderstorm, but grace!" Kuligin, being a hero-reasoner, opens up to readers the point of view of Ostrovsky himself: changes are always for the better, they should not be feared.
Thus, it becomes obvious that A. N. Ostrovsky, skillfully wielding the image of a thunderstorm in its various manifestations, showed all aspects of life in a typical Russian provincial town, starting with the tragedy of "cruel morals" and ending with the personal tragedy of everyone.
What is the symbolic meaning of the title of the play "Thunderstorm".
The play "Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky wrote in 1859 at a time when a change in social foundations was ripe in Russia, on the eve of the peasant reform. Therefore, the play was perceived as an expression of the spontaneous revolutionary moods of the masses. It was not for nothing that Ostrovsky gave his play the name "Thunderstorm". Thunderstorm occurs not only as a natural phenomenon, the action unfolds to the sound of thunder, but also as an internal phenomenon - the characters are characterized through their attitude to the thunderstorm. For each hero, a thunderstorm is a special symbol, for some it is a harbinger of a storm, for others it is purification, the beginning of a new life, for others it is a "voice from above" that predicts some important events or warns against any actions.
In Katerina’s soul, an invisible thunderstorm is happening to no one, a thunderstorm for her is a punishment from heaven, “the hand of the Lord”, which should punish her for betraying her husband: “It’s not scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly catch you with all thoughts crafty". Katerina is afraid and waiting for a thunderstorm. She loves Boris, but this depresses her. She believes that she will burn in "fiery hell" for her sinful feelings.
For the mechanic Kuligin, a thunderstorm is a crude manifestation of natural forces, consonant with human ignorance, which must be fought. Kuligin believes that by introducing mechanization and enlightenment into life, one can achieve power over the "thunder", which carries the meaning of rudeness, cruelty and immorality: "I decay in the dust with my body, I command the thunders with my mind." Kuligin dreams of building a lightning rod to save people from the fear of a thunderstorm.
For Tikhon, a thunderstorm is anger, oppression on the part of the mother. He is afraid of her, but as a son he must obey her. Leaving home on business, Tikhon says: "Yes, as far as I know, there will be no thunderstorm over me for two weeks, there are no shackles on my legs."
Dikoy believes that it is impossible and sinful to resist lightning. For him, a thunderstorm is humility. Despite his wild and vicious disposition, he dutifully obeys the Kabanikhe.
Boris fears human thunderstorms more than natural ones. Therefore, he leaves, throws Katerina alone with people's rumors. "It's scarier here!" - says Boris, running away from the place of prayer of the whole city.
The thunderstorm in Ostrovsky's play symbolizes both ignorance and malice, heavenly punishment and retribution, as well as purification, insight, the beginning of a new life. This is evidenced by the conversation of two citizens of Kalinov, changes began to occur in the outlook of the inhabitants, the assessment of everything that happened began to change. Perhaps people will have a desire to overcome their fear of a thunderstorm, to get rid of the oppression of anger and ignorance that reigns in the city. After the terrible peals of thunder and lightning strikes, the sun will shine again overhead.
N.A. Dobrolyubov in the article "A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom" interpreted the image of Katerina as "a spontaneous protest carried to the end", and suicide - as a force of a freedom-loving character: "such a liberation is bitter; but what to do when there is no other."
I believe that Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" was timely and contributed to the fight against the oppressors.
In 1859, the premiere took place on the stage of one of the capital's theaters. The audience saw a drama created by a young writer - Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolayevich. This work is considered unique in its kind. The drama does not follow many of the laws of the genre.
"Thunderstorm" was written in the era of realism. And this means that the work is filled with symbols and images. Therefore, in our article you will learn about the meaning of the title and figurative symbolism of the drama "Thunderstorm" by Ostrovsky.
The first image of a thunderstorm
The image of a thunderstorm in this work is multifaceted. This natural phenomenon is both the idea and the protagonist of the drama. Why do you think Ostrovsky used the image of a thunderstorm? Let's discuss this.
Please note that this phenomenon of nature in the work appears before the reader in several guises. Firstly, the meaning of the title and figurative symbolism of the drama "Thunderstorm" lies in the fact that initially the reader sees a natural phenomenon. The city of Kalinov, described in the work, as well as its inhabitants live in anticipation and expectation of a thunderstorm. Everything that happens in the play lasts about two weeks. Every now and then on the streets of the town one can hear talk that a storm is coming.
In compositional terms, a thunderstorm is also the culmination! It is the powerful peals of thunder that force Katerina to confess to deceit and treason. Attentive readers will notice that act 4 is accompanied by peals. One gets the impression that the writer was preparing the reader and viewer for the apogee. But that's not all. Secondly, the meaning of the title and figurative symbolism of the drama "Thunderstorm" has one more core. Let's take a look at that as well.
The second image of a thunderstorm
It turns out that each character in the work understands the storm in different ways, that is, in his own way:
- The inventor Kuligin is not afraid of it, because he does not see anything mystical in this natural phenomenon.
- Thunderstorm is perceived by Wild as a punishment, he considers it an occasion to remember the Almighty.
- The unfortunate Catherine saw in the thunderstorm the symbolism of fate and fate. So, after the most terrible roll of thunder, the young lady confessed her feelings for Boris. She fears thunderstorms because she considers them to be God's judgment. On this, the search for the meaning of the name of the play "Thunderstorm" by A.N. Ostrovsky do not end. This natural phenomenon helps Katerina take a desperate step. Thanks to her, she admits to herself, becomes honest.
- Kabanov, her husband, sees a different meaning in a thunderstorm. The reader will recognize this at the very beginning of the play. He needs to leave for a while, thanks to this he will get rid of excessive maternal control, as well as her unbearable orders. He says that there will be no thunderstorm over him and no shackles. In these words lies the comparison of a natural disaster with the endless tantrums of Kabanikh.
The author's interpretation of the meaning of the title and figurative symbolism of the drama "Thunderstorm"
Above, we have already said that the image of a thunderstorm is symbolic, multifaceted, and also polysemantic. This suggests that the title of the play contains many meanings that complement and combine with each other. All this allows the reader to understand the problem comprehensively.
It is worth noting that the reader has a huge number of associations with the title. It is noteworthy that the author's interpretation of the work does not limit the reader, so we do not know exactly how to decipher the image-symbol that interests us.
Nevertheless, the author understands the meaning of the title and figurative symbolism of the drama "Thunderstorm" as a natural phenomenon, the beginning of which the reader observes in the first act. And in the fourth, the storm is impulsively gaining strength.
The city lives in fear of the coming of a thunderstorm. Only Kuligin is not afraid of her. After all, he alone leads a righteous life - earns a living by honest work, and so on. He does not understand the primal fear of the townspeople.
One gets the impression that the image of a thunderstorm carries a negative symbolism. However, it is not. The role of this natural phenomenon in the play is to stir up and refresh social life and people. After all, it was not in vain that the literary critic Dobrolyubov wrote that the city of Kalinov is a deaf kingdom in which the spirit of vices and stagnation lives. Man has become a fool because he does not know and does not understand his own culture, which means that he does not know how to be a Man.
A thunderstorm phenomenon is trying to destroy the trap and penetrate the city. But one such thunderstorm will not be enough, as well as the death of Katerina. The death of the young lady led to the fact that the indecisive spouse for the first time acts as his conscience tells him.
The image of the river
As you may have guessed, the image of a thunderstorm in this work is transparent. That is, he is embodied and appears before the reader in different guises. However, there is another equally important image in the drama, which also contains the figurative symbolism of the drama The Thunderstorm.
We are now moving on to consider the image of the Volga River. Ostrovsky depicted it as a border that separates opposite worlds - the cruel kingdom of the city of Kalinov and the ideal world, invented by each hero of the work. The lady repeated several times that the river draws in any beauty, as it is a whirlpool. The alleged symbol of freedom in the representation of Kabanikh turns out to be a symbol of death.
Conclusion
We have examined the work of Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky - "Thunderstorm". The drama was written in the era of realism, which means that it is filled with many meanings and images.
We have seen that the meaning of the title and the figurative symbolism of the drama "Thunderstorm" is relevant even today. The skill of the author lies in the fact that he was able to depict the image of a thunderstorm in various phenomena. With the help of a natural phenomenon, he showed all aspects of Russian society at the beginning of the 19th century, from wild customs to the personal drama of each of the characters.
One name of the play contains all the main motives for its understanding. The storm is the ideological symbol of Ostrovsky's work. In the first act, when Catherine hinted to her mother-in-law about her secret love, a thunderstorm began to approach almost immediately. The coming storm - it is a commemoration of the tragedy in the play. But she breaks out only when the main character tells her husband and mother-in-law about her sin.
The image of a thunderstorm-threat is closely connected with the feeling of fear. “Well, what are you afraid of, pray tell! Now every grass, every flower rejoices, but we hide, we are afraid, just what kind of misfortune! The storm will kill! This is not a storm, but grace! Yes, grace! You all have a thunderstorm! - Kuligin shames fellow citizens, trembling at the sound of thunder. Indeed, a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon is as necessary as sunny weather. Rain washes away dirt, cleanses the earth, promotes better plant growth. A person who sees in a thunderstorm a phenomenon natural in the cycle of life, and not a sign of divine wrath, does not feel fear. The attitude to the thunderstorm in a certain way characterizes the heroes of the play. The fatalistic superstition associated with a thunderstorm and widespread among the people is voiced by the tyrant Wild and a woman hiding from a thunderstorm: “A thunderstorm is sent to us as a punishment so that we feel ...”; "Yes, no matter how you hide! If someone's destiny is written, then you won't go anywhere. But in the perception of Dikiy, Kabanikh and many others, the fear of a thunderstorm is something familiar and not a very vivid experience. “That's it, you need to live in such a way as to always be ready for anything; there would be no such fear, ”Kabanikha remarks coolly. She has no doubt that the storm is a sign of God's wrath. But the heroine is so convinced that she leads the right way of life that she does not experience any anxiety.
Only Katerina experiences the liveliest thrill before a thunderstorm in the play. We can say that this fear clearly demonstrates her mental discord. On the one hand, Katerina longs to challenge the hateful existence, to meet her love. On the other hand, she is not able to renounce the ideas inspired by the environment in which she grew up and continues to live. Fear, according to Katerina, is an integral element of life, and it is not so much the fear of death as such, but the fear of the coming punishment, of one's own spiritual failure: “Everyone should be afraid. It’s not that scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins, with all your evil thoughts.
In the play, we also find another attitude to the storm, to the fear that it supposedly must evoke. “I'm not afraid,” say Varvara and the inventor Kuligin. The attitude to the thunderstorm also characterizes the interaction of one or another character in the play with time. Wild, Kabanikhs and those who share their view of the thunderstorm as a manifestation of heavenly displeasure, of course, are inextricably linked with the past. Katerina's internal conflict comes from the fact that she is unable to either break with ideas that are fading into the past, or keep the precepts of Domostroy in inviolable purity. Thus, she is at the point of the present, at a contradictory, critical time when a person must choose how to act. Varvara and Kuligin are looking to the future. In the fate of Varvara, this is emphasized by the fact that she leaves her native home to no one knows where, almost like folklore heroes setting off in search of happiness, and Kuligin is constantly in scientific search.
M.Yu. Lermontov (Hero of our time)
