« dark kingdom"in the drama of A.N. Ostrovsky" Thunderstorm ": Wild and Boar
A. N. Ostrovsky had a high understanding of Russian life and a great ability to depict sharply and vividly the most significant
her sides. Dobrolyubov called the world depicted by the playwright a "dark kingdom".
So what is this "dark kingdom"?
Getting acquainted with the situation and the way of life of the inhabitants of Kalinovo, already from the first scenes of the drama, we can judge the philistinism
cities.
« Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel!
Tears flow behind high fences, behind heavy locks. “Whoever has money, sir, he tries to enslave the poor ... And
among themselves - then, sir, how they live! ... They are at enmity with each other. Who are they? Rude people, slanderers, envious people, oppressors.
Dobrolyubov calls this type of people "tyrants of Russian life." In the role of "tyrants" in the play, Dikoy and
Boar.
The meaning of Dikov's life is to acquire, increase his wealth. To do this, he does not disdain any
means. To the mayor, to whom the peasants complained that Dikoi was robbing them, he replies: “Is it worth it, your
Your high nobility, you and I are talking about such trifles! I have a lot in a year - then people stay: you - then understand:
I won’t pay them extra for a penny per person, but I make thousands of this, so it’s good for me!
The main features of the Wild are greed and rudeness. Having thousands, he feels his strength and brazenly demands universal respect and
obedience. He considers himself entitled to scold all people in a row.
His whole life is based on cursing. “Most of all, because of money, not a single calculation can do without scolding.” Nobody and
he does not dare to utter a word about his salary, he scolds him for what the world is worth. Everyone in the house is afraid of him, they try not to anger him in the morning,
Otherwise, all day long he will find fault with everyone. And the trouble is, if his man, whom he does not dare to scold; right here at home
hold on. “How he got off the chain,” Kudryash characterizes him.
Showing his power, Dikoi says to Kulizhin: “I say that you are a robber, and the end! What are you, sue, or something with me
you will! So you know that you are a worm. If I want - I will have mercy, if I want - I will crush.
But Dikoy doesn’t scold everyone, he doesn’t talk like that to everyone. It is necessary to stumble upon resistance, so the tone immediately changes.
He is afraid of his clerk Curly. “He is the word, and I am ten; spit and go. No, I won't be a slave to him
I will,” says Kudryash. He does not dare to scold Kabanikha either.
It turns out that it is not so difficult to humble the Wild, it is enough to show him at least some resistance. But the trouble is
that he encounters almost no resistance to this.
The speech of the wild one characterizes him as an extremely rude, ignorant, uneducated person. He doesn't want to know anything
about science, culture, inventions. When Kuligin asks him for money for a sundial, Dikoy won't even understand, oh
what is being said.
To quotes from Derzhavin’s poems, Dikoy says to Kuligin: “Don’t you dare be rude to me!”
The limit of the power of petty tyrants depends on the degree of obedience of others. This was well understood by another mistress of the "dark kingdom"
Boar. She is outwardly calm, well in control of herself. “A hypocrite, she clothes the poor, but she completely ate at home,” - this is what she says about
her Kuligin. Measured, monotonous, without raising her voice, she exhausts her family with her endless moralizing,
reproaches, reproaches, complaints: “If a parent says something when and insulting, in your pride, so, I think you could
postpone".
She does not get tired of repeating that she does not take care of herself, but of the children: “After all, parents are strict out of love - then they come to you, from
love you and scold - then everyone thinks to teach good.
But from her love and care it comes to stupefaction Tikhon, he runs away from Varvara's house. Her constant tyranny tormented Katerina,
led her to her death. The boar constantly pretends to be offended, unhappy: “Mother is old, stupid; Well, what about you young people?
smart people should not exact from us fools. She sees her main concern in cutting off any possibility
rebelliousness. The boar eats domestic animals in order to kill their will, any ability to resist. She supports
superstitions and prejudices, strictly observes the old customs and practices: “Why are you standing there, don’t you know the order? order
wife - how to live without you!
A boar is a domineering, proud, wayward woman, accustomed only to unquestioning obedience and humiliation
others: “Well, well, order! So that I can hear what you order her!”
“In the night, in the night,” he orders Tikhon. This is not a woman, but a heartless, cruel executioner. Even at the sight of pulled out of
Volga of Katerina's body, she keeps an icy calmness. The boar understands that only fear can keep people in
subjugation, to prolong the domination of petty tyrants. To the words of Tikhon, why should his wife be afraid of him, Kabanikha exclaims in horror: “How
why be afraid! Yes, you're crazy, right? You will not be afraid, and even more so me.
She defends the law, according to which the weak must be afraid of the strong, according to which a person should not have his own will. After
Katerina’s confession, she loudly, triumphantly says to Tikhon: “What, son! Where will the will lead? I told you, so you
did not want to listen. That's what I've been waiting for!"
Indeed, according to Dobrolyubov, “There is nothing sacred, nothing pure, nothing right in this dark world". The critic exclaimed:
“The tyranny, wild, insane, banished from him any sense of honor and right ... brazenly trampled on human tyrants
dignity, individual freedom, faith in love and happiness.
The power of Kabanikh and Dikiy is still great “But - a wonderful thing! ... tyrants begin to feel some kind of discontent and fear,
without knowing what or why. In addition to them, without asking them, another life grew up, with other beginnings. She is far away, but
already gives itself a presentiment and sends not good visions to the dark arbitrariness of petty tyrants.
He is the first writer and playwright, on the pages of whose works the characters of the petty tyrants of Rus' were captured with all the depth, strength and realism. And the essence of the main conflict in The Thunderstorm, its one of the most famous plays, lies in the opposition of heroes representing the patriarchal way of life, and people of a new generation who want to be guided in their actions own feelings and my own mind. But it is not at all easy to overcome the "dark kingdom", since its power is based on despotism, fear, cunning and money.
Already at the very beginning of the play, we are talking about the merchant Diky - a cruel, capricious and wayward man. They say about him: “Look for such and such a scolder as Savel Prokofich among us, look for more! No way will a person be cut off. ” Wild scolds everyone, especially goes to his family. For example, his wife constantly asks relatives: “Fathers, do not make me angry! My dear, don't be angry!" And his biggest pain point is money. He himself admits that it’s even a pity for him to pay his debts: “After all, I already know what I need to pay, but I can’t do everything with good. You are my friend, and I must give it back to you, but if you come to ask me, I will scold you.
Despite all your violent temper, with people who can fight back, Dikoy behaves like an ordinary coward. An example is the situation with a hussar in transit.
The ignorance that characterizes the Wild are also typical feature representative of the "dark kingdom". The episode when the local inventor Kuligin asks for money for the construction of lightning rods, and Dikoi refuses him, arguing that the thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, speaks of him as a close-minded, superstitious and uneducated person.
The female half of the "dark kingdom" is represented in "Thunderstorm" by the merchant Kabanikha. Wild, of course, a big scolder, but quick-witted. But Kabanikha is cunning and vindictive. In addition, she is a real hypocrite who does evil "under the guise of piety." Merchant Kabanova vigilantly stands guard over the patriarchal laws of morality and demands from her loved ones that they strictly follow these rules. The boar knows how to build out of himself and loving mother who wants only good, and when necessary, she comes down or, on the contrary, shows her power.
Instead of a man, Kabanikha raised only her pale shadow from her son, full of fear and humility. Representatives of the "dark kingdom" would be happy to make all the inhabitants of Kalinov so downtrodden and weak-willed. But now the end of the old world is coming, and she becomes afraid. She is opposed by no less strong personality- Katerina. The merchant's wife fights, and even, as it seems to her, wins. But at the end of the play, she realizes that she was left alone. Even her son rebels against her. To lose its former influence and power - what could be worse for Kabanikha?
Another representative of the "dark kingdom" is the wanderer Feklusha, who acts as the protector of the "dark kingdom". She praises the city of Kalinov, its merchant way of life, while criticizing foreign countries: "We have a righteous law, and they ... unrighteous." But, as a person who has been to many places, she sees signs of approaching change: “ end times, mother Marfa Ignatievna, according to all signs, the last. She turned out to be right - before the famous Peasant Reform, which, according to the plan, was supposed to put an end to the "dark kingdom", only a year and a half remained from the release of the play.
/ / / "The Dark Kingdom" in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm"
In his play "", A.N. Ostrovsky for the first time depicts realistic world"dark kingdom" Who was in it? This most of of that society - petty tyrants who had the power of money in their hands, who wanted to enslave the poor and profit even more from their free labor. Ostrovsky for the first time opens the world of merchants with all the realities and true events. There is nothing humane or good in this world. no faith in free man, in happiness, in love and decent work.
What is the play's conflict? In the clash of interests and morality of the obsolete and future generations of people. Complex images of the characters of this play are depicted with special meaning. A wealthy merchant - Wild - is quite an important person in the city. Curly, tobish Savel Prokofievich - presents himself as the arbiter of the world and the master of the life around him. Many characters are afraid of him and simply tremble before his image. Lawlessness in the behavior of the Wild is covered by the power and significance of his financial condition. He has patronage state power.
Ostrovsky creates a rather ambiguous and complex image of the Wild. This character is faced with the problem of not external opposition of others to his person. He is experiencing an internal protest. The hero understands how callous his middle and his heart are. He tells a story about how, for nothing, he scolded a peasant who carried firewood. Dikoy pounced on him and nearly killed him for nothing. And then he began to repent and ask for forgiveness. And he admitted that he had such a “wild” heart.
It is in this image that we see the hidden meaning of the "dark kingdom". It redeemed itself from within. The inner protest of the petty tyrants of that time destroyed them themselves.
Analyzing another image of the play "The Dark Kingdom", one can notice other features of the petty tyrants of that time.
The person makes us confused. In her opinion, all relationships in the family should be subject to fear. She is despotic and hypocritical. She is used to living according to the old society. She completely ate all the household and does not give them a quiet life.
The secondary image of the wanderer Feklusha comes to the defense of the dying "dark kingdom". She enters into a conversation with Kabanikha and keeps preaching to her her thoughts about the imminent death of the "dark kingdom".
In his play, in order to convey to the reader all his thoughts and reasoning, Ostrovsky creates many symbolic images. Thunderstorm is one of them. The finale of the play conveys the author's thoughts that life in such a "dark kingdom" is unbearable and terrible. The reader understands that the world of petty tyrants is overcome by an awakened person who is filled with real, human feelings who can overcome the falsity and hypocrisy of that "dark kingdom".
Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky for the first time in Russian literature deeply and realistically portrayed the world of the “dark kingdom”, painted colorful images of petty tyrants, their way of life and customs. He dared to look behind the iron merchant gates, was not afraid to openly show the conservative strength of "inertness", "numbness". Analyzing Ostrovsky’s “plays of life”, Dobrolyubov wrote: “There is nothing holy, nothing pure, nothing right in this dark world: the tyranny that dominates him, wild, crazy, wrong, drove out of him any consciousness of honor and right ... And it cannot be them where human dignity, freedom of the individual, faith in love and happiness, and the sacredness of honest labor have been crushed to dust and brazenly trampled on by tyrants.” And yet, many of Ostrovsky's plays depict "shakiness and the near end of tyranny."
Dramaturgical conflict in "Thunderstorm" lies in the clash of the moribund morality of petty tyrants with new morality people in whose souls a feeling awakens human dignity. In the play, the very background of life, the setting itself, is important. The world of the "dark kingdom" is based on fear and monetary calculation. The self-taught watchmaker Kuligin says to Boris: “Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel! Whoever has money, he tries to enslave the poor, so that for his labors free more money make money." Immediate monetary dependence forces Boris to be respectful with the “cursor” Dikiy. Tikhon is resignedly obedient to his mother, although in the finale of the play even he rises to a kind of rebellion. The clerk Wild Curly and Tikhon's sister Varvara are cunning and dodging. The penetrating heart of Katerina feels the falsity and inhumanity of the surrounding life. “Yes, everything here seems to be from bondage,” she thinks.
The images of petty tyrants in The Thunderstorm are artistically authentic, complex, devoid of psychological unambiguity. Wild - a wealthy merchant, a significant person in the city of Kalinov. At first glance, nothing threatens his power. Savel Prokofievich, according to Kudryash’s apt definition, “as if he had broken loose”: he feels himself the master of life, the arbiter of the destinies of people subject to him. Doesn't Diky's attitude towards Boris speak of this? The people around are afraid to anger Savel Prokofievich with something, his wife trembles before him.
Wild feels on his side the power of money, the support of state power. In vain are the requests to restore justice, with which the “peasants” deceived by the merchant turn to the mayor. Savel Prokofievich patted the mayor on the shoulder and said: “Is it worth it, your honor, to talk about such trifles with you!”
At the same time, as already mentioned, the image of the Wild is rather complicated. The tough disposition of the “significant person in the city” does not come up against some kind of external protest, not against the manifestation of discontent of others, but against internal self-condemnation. Savel Prokofievich himself is not happy with his "heart": He came for the money, he carried firewood ... He sinned: he scolded, so scolded that it was impossible to demand better, he almost nailed him. That's what my heart is! After forgiveness, he asked, bowed at his feet. This is what my heart brings me to: here in the yard, in the mud, I bowed; bowed to him in front of everyone.” This recognition of Dikoy contains a meaning that is terrible for the foundations of the “dark kingdom”: tyranny is so unnatural and inhuman that it outlives itself, loses any moral justification for its existence.
The rich merchant Kabanova can also be called a “tyrant in a skirt”. An exact description of Marfa Ignatievna was put into the mouth of Kuligin: “A hypocrite, sir! She feeds the poor, but eats the household completely.” In a conversation with his son and daughter-in-law, Kabanikha hypocritically sighs: “Oh, a grave sin! How long to sin!”
Behind this feigned exclamation lies an imperious, despotic character. Marfa Ignatievna actively defends the foundations of the "dark kingdom", trying to subdue Tikhon and Katerina. Relations between people in the family should, according to Kabanova, be regulated by the law of fear, the Domostroy principle “let the wife of her husband be afraid.” Marfa Ignatievna's desire to follow the old traditions in everything is manifested in the scene of Tikhon's farewell to Katerina.
The position of the hostess in the house cannot completely reassure the Kabanikha. Marfa Ignatievna is frightened by the fact that young people want to, that the traditions of hoary antiquity are not respected. “What will happen, how the old people will die, how the light will stand, I don’t know. Well, at least it’s good that I won’t see anything, ”Kabanikha sighs. In this case, her fear is quite sincere, not designed for any external effect (Marfa Ignatievna pronounces her words alone).
"Dark Kingdom" in Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm"
Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" in accordance with the critical and theatrical traditions interpretation is understood as a social drama, since in it special meaning given to life.
As almost always with Ostrovsky, the play begins with a lengthy, unhurried exposition. The playwright does more than introduce us to the characters and the scene: he creates an image of the world in which the characters live and where events will unfold.
The action takes place in a fictional remote town, but, unlike other plays by the playwright, the city of Kalinov is described in detail, concretely and in many ways. In The Thunderstorm, an important role is played by the landscape, described not only in the remarks, but also in the dialogues. actors. One can see its beauty, others have looked at it and are completely indifferent. The high steep bank of the Volga and beyond the river introduce the motif of space and flight.
Beautiful nature, pictures of the nightly festivities of young people, songs that sound in the third act, Katerina's stories about childhood and her religious experiences - all this is the poetry of Kalinov's world. But Ostrovsky confronts her with gloomy pictures of the everyday cruelty of the inhabitants to each other, with stories about the lack of rights of the majority of the townsfolk, with the fantastic, incredible "lostness" of Kalinov's life.
The motif of the complete isolation of Kalinov's world is getting stronger and stronger in the play. Residents do not see anything new and do not know other lands and countries. But even about their past, they retained only vague, lost connection and meaning legends (talking about Lithuania, which “fell to us from the sky”). Life in Kalinovo freezes, dries up. The past is forgotten, "there are hands, but there is nothing to work." News from big world the wanderer Feklusha brings the inhabitants, and they listen with equal confidence both about countries where people with dog heads “for infidelity”, and about the railway, where for speed “the fire serpent began to be harnessed”, and about the time that “began to belittle ".
There is no one among the characters in the play who does not belong to Kalinov's world. Lively and meek, domineering and subservient, merchants and clerks, a wanderer and even an old crazy lady prophesying hellish torments for everyone - they all revolve in the sphere of concepts and ideas of a closed patriarchal world. Not only Kalinov's obscure townsfolk, but also Kuligin, who performs some of the functions of the reasoning hero in the play, is also flesh and blood of Kalinov's world.
This character is depicted as an unusual person. The list of actors says about him: "... a tradesman, a self-taught watchmaker, looking for a perpetuum mobile." The name of the hero clearly hints at real face– I.P. Kulibin (1735 - 1818). The word "kuliga" means a swamp with a well-established connotation of the meaning "far, deaf place" due to the wide famous saying"in the middle of nowhere."
Like Katerina, Kuligin is a poetic and dreamy nature. So, it is he who admires the beauty of the Trans-Volga landscape, complains that the Kalinovites are indifferent to him. He sings "Among the flat valley ...", folk song literary origin. This immediately emphasizes the difference between Kuligin and other characters associated with folklore culture, he is also a bookish man, although of rather archaic bookishness. He confidentially informs Boris that he writes poetry "in the old way," as Lomonosov and Derzhavin once wrote. In addition, he is a self-taught mechanic. However technical ideas Kuligin is an obvious anachronism. Sundial, which he dreams of installing on Kalinovsky Boulevard, came from antiquity. Lightning rod - a technical discovery of the XVIII century. And his oral stories about judicial red tape are sustained in even earlier traditions and are reminiscent of old moralizing stories. All these features show his deep connection with the world of Kalinov. He, of course, is different from the Kalinovites. It can be said that Kuligin " new person”, but only its novelty has developed here, inside this world, which gives rise not only to its passionate and poetic dreamers, like Katerina, but also to its “rationalists” - dreamers, its own special, home-grown scientists and humanists.
The main business of Kuligin's life is the dream of inventing the "perpetuum mobile" and getting a million from the British for it. He intends to spend this million on Kalinov's society, to give work to the bourgeoisie. Kuligin is really a good person: kind, disinterested, delicate and meek. But he is hardly happy, as Boris thinks of him. His dream constantly forces him to beg for money for his inventions, conceived for the benefit of society, and it never occurs to society that there can be any benefit from them, for fellow countrymen Kuligin is a harmless eccentric, something like a city holy fool. And the main of the possible "philanthropists" of Dikaya even lashes out at the inventor with abuse, confirming general opinion that he is unable to part with the money.
Kuligin's passion for creativity remains unquenched: he pities his countrymen, seeing in their vices the result of ignorance and poverty, but he cannot help them in anything. With all the industriousness, creative warehouse of his personality, Kuligin is a contemplative nature, devoid of any pressure and aggressiveness. Probably, this is the only reason the Kalinovites put up with him, despite the fact that he differs from them in everything.
Only one person does not belong to the Kalinovsky world by birth and upbringing, does not look like other residents of the city in appearance and manners - Boris, "a young man, decently educated," according to Ostrovsky's remark.
But even though he is a stranger, he has already been taken prisoner by Kalinov, he cannot break ties with him, he has recognized his laws over himself. After all, Boris's connection with Wild is not even monetary dependence. And he himself understands, and those around him say that he will never give him Wild grandmother's inheritance, left on such "Kalinov" conditions ("if he is respectful to his uncle"). And yet he behaves as if he is financially dependent on Wild or is obliged to obey him as the eldest in the family. And although Boris becomes the subject of great passion for Katerina, who fell in love with him precisely because outwardly he is so different from those around him, Dobrolyubov is still right when he said about this hero that he should be attributed to the setting.
IN in a certain sense the same can be said about all the other characters in the play, starting with Diky and ending with Kudryash and Varvara. All of them are bright and lively. However, compositionally, two heroes are put forward in the center of the play: Katerina and Kabanikha, representing, as it were, two poles of Kalinov's world.
The image of Katerina is undoubtedly correlated with the image of Kabanikha. Both of them are maximalists, both will never reconcile with human weaknesses and will not compromise. Both, finally, believe in the same way, their religion is harsh and merciless, there is no forgiveness for sin, and they both do not remember mercy.
Only Kabanikha is all chained to the ground, all her forces are aimed at holding, collecting, upholding the way of life, she is the guardian of the ossified form of the patriarchal world. The boar perceives life as a ceremonial, and she not only does not need, but is also afraid to think about the long-vanished spirit of this form. And Katerina embodies the spirit of this world, its dream, its impulse.
Ostrovsky showed that even in the ossified world of Kalinov, folk character of amazing beauty and strength, whose faith - truly Kalinov's - is nevertheless based on love, on a free dream of justice, beauty, some kind of higher truth.
For the general concept of the play, it is very important that Katerina did not appear from somewhere from the expanses of another life, another historical time (after all, the patriarchal Kalinov and contemporary Moscow, where vanity boils, or Railway, which Feklusha talks about, is different historical time), but was born and formed in the same "Kalinov" conditions.
Katerina lives in an era when the very spirit of patriarchal morality is harmony between individual and moral ideas of the environment - has disappeared and the ossified forms of relations are held only by violence and coercion. Her sensitive soul caught it. After listening to her daughter-in-law's story about life before marriage, Varvara exclaims in surprise: "But it's the same with us." “Yes, everything here seems to be from under captivity,” Katerina drops.
All family relationships in the house of the Kabanovs are, in essence, a complete violation of the essence of patriarchal morality. Children willingly express their humility, listen to instructions without attaching any importance to them, and slowly violate all these commandments and orders. “Oh, I think you can do whatever you want. If only it was sewn and covered, ”says Varya
Katerina's husband in the list of characters follows directly Kabanova, and it is said about him: "her son." Such, indeed, is the position of Tikhon in the city of Kalinov and in the family. Belonging, like a number of other characters in the play (Barbara, Kudryash, Shapkin), to younger generation Kalinovtsy, Tikhon in his own way marks the end of the patriarchal way of life.
Kalinov's youth no longer wants to adhere to the old ways of life. However, Tikhon, Varvara, Kudryash are alien to the maximalism of Katerina, and, unlike the central heroines of the play, Katerina and Kabanikha, all these characters stand on the position of worldly compromises. Of course, the oppression of their elders is hard for them, but they have learned to get around it, each according to his character. Formally recognizing the power of elders and the power of customs over themselves, they constantly go against them. But it is against the background of their unconscious and compromise position that Katerina looks significant and morally lofty.
Tikhon in no way corresponds to the role of a husband in patriarchal family: to be the ruler and at the same time the support and protection of the wife. Gentle and weak person, he is torn between the harsh demands of his mother and compassion for his wife. Tikhon loves Katerina, but not in the way that, according to the norms of patriarchal morality, a husband should love, and Katerina's feeling for him is not the same as she should have for him according to her own ideas.
For Tikhon, to break free from his mother's care means to go on a spree, to drink. “Yes, mother, I don’t want to live by my own will. Where can I live with my will! - he answers the endless reproaches and instructions of Kabanikh. Humiliated by his mother's reproaches, Tikhon is ready to vent his annoyance on Katerina, and only the intercession of her sister Barbara, who secretly lets him go to drink at a party, stops the scene.
