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.
/ / / Symbolism in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm"
Texts written in the style of realism always contain some special images. They are needed in order to create a certain atmosphere of the work. A.N. Ostrovsky uses various symbols in natural landscapes, in natural phenomena, in the images of the main and secondary characters. He even makes the title of his play "" symbolic. And in order to understand everything that the author wanted to tell us, we must unite and combine all the artistic images.
An important symbol is the images of birds, which are compared with freedom. The girl often dreams of how she could flutter, from tree to tree, from flower to flower. She so wanted to fly away from the hated estate, in which lived an unbearable mother-in-law and an unloved husband.
The image of the Volga is of particular importance, because it conditionally divides the surrounding space into two worlds. That world was on the other side of the river, it was quiet and calm there, and this world is despotic, cruel and filled with petty tyrants. How often Katerina peered into the distance of the river! She recalled her childhood years of life, which passed carefree and happily. The Volga has another image. This is the image of freedom that the girl found for herself. She jumped off a cliff into deep waters and committed suicide. After that, the stormy river also becomes a symbol of death.
Especially symbolic is the image of a thunderstorm, which is interpreted differently by the main characters of the play. Kuligin considers a thunderstorm to be only electricity, then he calls it grace. Wild perceives bad weather as God's wrath, which is a warning from the Almighty.
We open the symbol of hypocrisy and secrecy in the monologues of the main characters. says that at home, not in front of the public, rich people are tyrannical and despotic. They oppress their family and all servants.
Reading the lines of the play, we understand and distinguish the image of injustice that manifests itself in judicial institutions. Cases are dragged out and decided in favor of rich and moneyed people.
The last words made a special impression on me, which notices that Katerina was able to find strength in herself and free herself from such a painful life! He himself did not have the courage to end his life like his beloved.
This is the number of symbols and images used by A.N. Ostrovsky in his play. It was the symbolism that helped him create such an exciting, emotional drama that made a huge impression on me.
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.
1. The image of a thunderstorm. time in the play.
2. Katerina's dreams and symbolic images of the end of the world.
3. Heroes-symbols: Wild and Boar.
The very title of A. N. Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" is symbolic. A thunderstorm is not only an atmospheric phenomenon, it is an allegorical designation of the relationship between the elders and the younger, those who have power and those who are dependent. “... There will be no thunderstorm over me for two weeks, there are no shackles on my legs ...” - Tikhon Kabanov is glad to escape from the house at least for a while, where his mother “gives orders, one is more menacing than the other.”
The image of a thunderstorm - a threat - is closely related to 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.
The image of time now and then slips through the play. Time does not move uniformly: it either shrinks to a few moments, or it stretches for an incredibly long time. These transformations symbolize different sensations and changes, depending on the context. “For sure, I used to go into paradise, and I don’t see anyone, and I don’t remember the time, and I don’t hear when the service is over. Just like it all happened in one second” - this is how Katerina characterizes the special state of spiritual flight that she experienced in her childhood, attending church.
“The last times ... according to all signs, the last. You also have paradise and silence in your city, but in other cities it’s so simple sodom, mother: noise, running around, incessant driving! The people are just scurrying about, one there, the other here. The wanderer Feklusha interprets the acceleration of the pace of life as approaching the end of the world. Interestingly, the subjective sensation of time compression is experienced differently by Katerina and Feklusha. If for Katerina the quickly flying time of the church service is associated with a feeling of indescribable happiness, then for Feklusha the “diminution” of time is an apocalyptic symbol: “... Time is getting shorter. It used to be that summer or winter dragged on and on, you can’t wait until they end, and now you don’t even see how they fly by. The days and hours seem to have remained the same; but time, for our sins, is getting shorter and shorter.
No less symbolic are the images from Katerina's childhood dreams and the fantastic images in the wanderer's story. Alien gardens and palaces, the singing of angelic voices, flying in a dream - all these are symbols of a pure soul that does not yet know contradictions and doubts. But the unrestrained movement of time finds expression in Katerina's dreams: “I no longer dream, Varya, as before, paradise trees and mountains; but it’s as if someone is hugging me so hotly and hotly and leading me somewhere, and I follow him, I go ... ”. So Katerina's experiences are reflected in dreams. What she tries to suppress in herself rises from the depths of the unconscious.
The motifs of "vanity", "fiery serpent" that arise in Feklusha's story are not just the result of a fantastic perception of reality by a simple person, ignorant and superstitious. The themes sounding in the wanderer's story are closely connected with both folklore and biblical motifs. If the fiery serpent is just a train, then the vanity in Feklusha's view is a capacious and ambiguous image. How often people are in a hurry to do something, not always correctly assessing the real significance of their deeds and aspirations: “It seems to him that he is running after business; he is in a hurry, the poor man, he does not recognize people, it seems to him that someone is beckoning him; but it will come to the place, but it is empty, there is nothing, there is only one dream.
But in the play "Thunderstorm" not only phenomena and concepts are symbolic. The figures of the characters in the play are also symbolic. In particular, this applies to the merchant Diky and Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova, nicknamed Kabanikha in the city. A symbolic nickname, and even the surname of the venerable Savel Prokofich can rightfully be called a speaker. This is not accidental, because it was in the images of these people that the storm was embodied, not mystical heavenly wrath, but a very real tyrannical power, firmly entrenched on sinful earth.
It was first staged on stage in 1859. The writer wrote his work in the era of realism, when all phenomena and objects were endowed with a symbolic meaning. Drama is no exception. Let's decide what is the meaning and symbolism of the title of Ostrovsky's play.
The meaning of the title of the drama Storm
When you read a playwright's play, you involuntarily single out the main character Katerina. But the writer does not name the work in honor of Katerina, he chooses the symbolic name Thunderstorm, and for a reason.
In the play, a thunderstorm is presented as a natural phenomenon, where various events are accompanied by frequent bad weather, and the inhabitants of Kalinovo live in anticipation of the elements. But not only a thunderstorm acts as a natural phenomenon, here it is also an active person. It became a challenge to the established order, where the writer denounces tyranny in everyday life and shows the protest that should have arisen.
The thunderstorm is also a characteristic of individual characters in the drama. So we see the Boar, whose character is like thunder. Everyone is afraid of her and does not dare to contradict her. She is also a representative of the old orders.
The storm is also raging in the soul of Katerina, who protests against the prevailing foundations and cannot come to terms with them. She begins to fight injustice and throws herself into the river, freeing her living soul, choosing death. So it turns out that the meaning of the title of the drama is much broader than to show the life of people in anticipation of this natural phenomenon. The point is to show the changes and turning points that are caused by the rejection of the rules, foundations, mores and the loss of morality.
The symbolism of the play Thunderstorm Ostrovsky
Getting acquainted with the drama of Ostrovsky, we can notice the different symbolism that the writer uses in his work. First of all, it is a thunderstorm, which is both a symbol of God's punishment and punishment for sins, and a symbol of change, rebellion. It is also a symbol of the new, the future.
Often Katerina remembers birds and dreams of becoming one of them. Here, the birds symbolize freedom, independence, the lightness that the heroine dreamed of getting, freeing herself from the swampy swamp of life.
Still symbolically, the writer uses a river in his work. It is like a boundary between two lives. On one side of Kalinov, where the old foundations and the dark kingdom. On the other side, the ideal life. For everyone it is different, but it is special, one in which everyone would like to be. At the same time, the Volga also becomes a symbol of death, although it sounds strange. After all, water is essentially life. But on the other hand, by jumping into the river, Katerina gained the very freedom that she so dreamed of. She was freed from the dark realm.
