Ostrovsky's drama "Dowry" is built on the classical naturalness and simplicity of the characters' images, but at the same time on the complexity of their characters and actions. that they are simpler, easy to understand.
Goncharov, discussing the basis of Ostrovsky's drama, said that the playwright "as if he does not want to resort to the plot - this artificiality is below him: he must sacrifice to it part of the truthfulness, integrity of character, precious touches of morals, details of everyday life - and he more willingly lengthens the action, cools the viewer , if only to carefully preserve what he sees and smells alive and true in nature.
Ostrovsky's work does not fit into any of the classical genre forms, this gave Dobrolyubov a reason to speak of it as a "play of life". In "Dowry" Ostrovsky comes to the disclosure of complex, subtle, psychologically polyphonic human characters. He shows us a life conflict, the reader lives this short period of life as a resident of the same city of Bryakhimov, or, even more interesting, like any hero of the drama.
Larisa Ogudalova is the main character of the drama, all the action is around her, intrigues "roam".
Larisa is a girl, even more fragile, unprotected than it seems at first glance. In my opinion, it can be compared with a white noble rose. The girl is just as gentle and beautiful, it is not for nothing that she is called the "decoration of the city." But on the other hand, they say about Larisa that she is "an expensive piece of jewelry that requires a good jeweler." Maybe it would be nice, but here, in the play, these words sounded impudent and vulgar. After all, here Larisa is evaluated as a thing, in this case, as a precious stone. Of course, precious is flattering, but a stone is something cold, inanimate, insensitive, not at all suitable for Larisa's romantic nature.
Her soul is refined, bright, musical, sensitive and melodic. Larisa is like a spark in this city, like the heroine of one of the Russian romances that she loves to sing so much. After listening to romances in her own performance, she begins to dream of pure love, a strong family, a loving wife.
But things don't work out the way the girl wants. The drama is based on a social theme. Larisa is poor, she is a girl without a material dowry, but at the same time she has a rich inner world, which we will not find in any of the heroes of the drama. Larisa lives in a world where everything is bought and sold, even girlish beauty and love. But, getting lost in her dreams, in her rainbow world, she does not notice the most disgusting sides in people, she does not notice an ugly attitude towards herself, Larisa sees only good everywhere and in everyone and believes that people are like that.
This is how Larisa made a mistake in Paratov. He leaves the girl in love for the sake of profit, destroys at his own will. After, Larisa is preparing to marry Karandyshev. The girl perceives him as a kind poor man who is not understood by others. But the heroine does not understand and does not feel the envious, proud nature of Karandyshev. Indeed, in his attitude towards Larisa, there is more complacency for owning such a precious stone as Larisa.
At the end of the drama, Larisa comes to a realization. She realizes with horror and bitterness that everyone around perceives her as a thing or, even worse, wants to make her a kept woman, such as Knurov and Vozhevatov.
And then the heroine utters the words: "Thing ... yes thing. They are right, I am a thing, not a person." Larisa, in desperation, tries to rush into the Volga, but she cannot, she is afraid to part with her life, no matter how useless and unhappy it may seem to her.
The frustrated girl finally understands that in this world everything is evaluated by "the rustle of banknotes", and then she decides: "If it is to be a thing, then one consolation is to be expensive."
Karandyshev's shot is salvation in Larisa's eyes, she is glad that she belongs only to herself again, they cannot sell or buy her, she is free. Larisa Karandysheva finds a shadow of nobility and a living human feeling in a careless accidental act, and her emotional drama finally ends, for the first time the heroine feels truly happy and free.
1. What is the essence of Ostrovsky's play?
2. Acquaintance with the heroine.
3. The moral character of merchants.
4. The tragedy of the heroine.
The essence of the dramatic work of A. N. Ostrovsky "Dowry" is to show the contradictions of the surrounding reality through the fate of the characters. The writer, penetrating into the life of the described estates, depicts his heroes in action, revealing their characteristic features. The main theme of Ostrovsky's work is the drama of the individual in society. All lines of the play are devoted to the disclosure of this theme. Speaking of a woman in bourgeois society, the playwright reveals to the reader the true state of affairs.
In a quiet town on the Volga, there lives a girl of marriageable age, Larisa Ogudalova. There are many enviable suitors around, but Larisa is a dowry. Therefore, despite her spiritual qualities, she is at a disadvantage. These men claim Larisa only as a beautiful thing, talking about her as about another business. The lyrical nature of Larisa at first does not understand this, she is looking for love. If not mutual, then at least self-love. Therefore, in the absence of other candidates, she agrees to become the wife of Karandyshev, who loves her. With this decision, she crosses out a year of empty suffering for another person - Sergei Paratov, deciding that family responsibilities will help to forget about him. But Paratov reappears in her life. He decided to say goodbye to a free single life, maybe he hardly remembers Ogudalova, but Larisa is sure that Sergey Sergeevich came for her sake.
Larisa's mother, Harita Ignatievna, knows what her daughter expects, and her attitude towards her does not differ from the attitude of merchants - she also wants to profitably sell Larisa off her hands. She speaks with disdain to the poor Karandyshev, behaves a little familiarly with Paratov, she agrees with Knurov in everything, understands that he is ready to take his daughter as a kept woman and is glad of this, having received a wardrobe for her daughter and three hundred rubles.
Larisa has self-esteem, and she believes that the lack of a dowry will not stigmatize her. The conflict of the drama is in the contradiction between the girl's expectations and the harsh reality. When Larisa comes face to face with her, she rushes about, trying to maintain her dignity and pride. “Everyone loves themselves. When will someone love me? You will bring me to death ... ”, she says to her fiancé Karandyshev. Larisa cannot change her fate in any way - everything is decided in advance for her by others.
It is regrettable to realize this, but Karandyshev. even though he is in love with Larisa, he also treats her as a beautiful soulless thing. For Larisa, this is terrible. After all, she considers love the main advantage of her fiancé. He rejoices that she will become his wife, perceives this event as a profitable deal for himself. He now has something to boast about in front of these rich people! There is something to hurt them! But he is jealous and also hurt, because Larisa does not even hide that she loves Paratov! Because she believes that she waited for her love, having gone through suffering.
Karandyshev has one difference from other male heroes - he acts at the behest of his heart. He tells Larisa that for her sake he is ready for humiliation. How do others behave? What is experiencing for Larisa Paratov? Does she mean more to him than to others, or does he enjoy his power over a girl in love, as well as dexterity in deceiving the groom? How honest are those around her towards Larisa?
Judging by their actions, the main "moral" quality in the merchant environment is business acumen. They talk about everything from the point of view of profitability, and feelings have no place where there should be only calculation. Merchants keep their distance from the rest of the population, and they are quite distrustful even towards each other. We learn their moral character in relations with Larisa. The imperious and prudent Knurov is emphatically friendly with her, says that he is obliged to take part in her fate. In fact, this means that he will take advantage of the hopeless situation of the girl.
Paratov is ready for anything for the sake of money, and his relationship with Larisa is like a game of chance, because he believes that everything should be tried in life. Unfortunately, the girl in love does not see his selfishness. The moral image of Sergei Sergeevich Paratov manifests itself for Larisa only when he, having seduced the girl, tells her about his impossibility to marry her. What did he choose? A more financially advantageous marriage to millions. Everyone learns about this event at the very beginning of the play. But, seeing how Larisa rushes about, no one tells her about it, including her childhood friend Vasya Vozhevatov. Vozhevatov is a soulless egoist who is not touched by Larisa's fate. He cannot even offer her help in a critical situation, because he is bound by an honest merchant's word. He plays Larisa in a toss with Knurov.
Knurov is a cynical businessman, he can only say to Ogudalova for the sake of a red word that “I didn’t think for a single minute to offer my hand,” but he is married, so he is ready to give her such satisfaction that all critics of morality will be forced to shut up. That is, there are no immoral acts - there is little money.
So human relations, morality, love, friendship are crossed out for the sake of business relations, for the sake of profit. Here is how Larisa herself sums up her life: “I was looking for love and did not find it. They looked at me and look at me as if they were fun. No one ever tried to look into my soul, I did not see sympathy from anyone, I did not hear a warm, heartfelt word. But it's so cold to live. It's not my fault, I was looking for love and didn't find it... it doesn't exist in the world... there's nothing to look for. I did not find love, so I will look for gold. Larisa makes a choice - she is ready to become a beautiful thing for the rich man Knurov.
As usual, the truth comes from the mouth of the one whose words are not taken seriously. Robinson says to Paratov: merchants are ignorant. And this is the softest characterization that can be given. Karandyshev is the first to open the eyes of the bride to her surroundings, he tells her cruel, but truthful words about those whom she considers friends: “They do not look at you as a woman, as a person - a person controls his own destiny; they look at you like a thing." He believes that he is obliged to protect Larisa and punish her offenders. But a transformation also takes place with him - his love is defiled by jealousy and revenge. He envies merchants and also wants to feel like a master.
After everything that happened, Larisa remains to become a toy for Knurov or die. Therefore, she thanks Karandyshev for accidentally fulfilling her desire: “My dear, what a good deed you have done for me!” Perhaps she herself would not have dared to take her own life, and having become the kept woman of Mokiy Parmenych, she would have lost herself. She takes the blame for her death by covering up for Karandyshev, who spared her further disappointment and suffering.
The inevitability of the tragic ending was prepared by the fact that Larisa does not hold anything in life. Nobody needs her love, the girl is alone in this world. She has lost harmony in her soul and does not see compassion from anyone. The drama of Larisa is that she was born in a world in which only money and power matter.
Ostrovsky's psychological drama The Dowry, like the play The Thunderstorm, is one of Ostrovsky's dramatic masterpieces. It is distinguished by the acuteness of social problems, the colorfulness and brightness of characters, refined psychologism, and the rarest expressive interweaving of the social and the individual-personal.
Almost twenty years separate "Dowry" (1978) from "Thunderstorm" (1859). Intensive changes in Russian life led to increased capitalization, "the triumph of the bourgeoisie." The action of the play takes place in the Volga city of Bryakhimov in the "present days" (that is, in the late 70s of the XIX century). The heroes of the play are Europeanized merchants who, in the words of one of the servants, go to talk "to Moscow, St. Petersburg and abroad."
Cross-cutting in the play, in many respects determining its conflict, is the motive of the omnipotence of capital. A significant part of the exposition of the drama "Dowry", the analysis of which we are interested in, is occupied by the dialogue of the millionaire Knurov with the representative of a wealthy trading company Vozhevatov. Both merchants, like most of Ostrovsky's characters, have significant surnames: "knur" - boar, wild boar, "chewed" - polite, courteous. Merchants are discussing sensational news: the consent of the first beauty of the city, charming and artistic Larisa Ogudalova, to marry a poor official Karandyshev, who is completely insignificant in the eyes of successful merchants. “Well, what is Karandyshev!” - Contemptuously declares Knurov (d. 1, yavl. 2).
From the dialogue of the merchants, we learn about Larisa's relationship with her beloved Paratov, who, according to Vozhevatov, "recaptured all the suitors, and his trace caught a cold, disappeared to no one knows where" (d. 1, yavl. 2). Larisa is in a hopeless situation, she is a dowry, and this is the main reason for her personal misfortunes. The interlocutors also evaluate their own chances in competition for Larisa. The struggle for it, conducted almost according to the laws of the stock market game, reveals in each of the rivals all the immensity of their personal ambitions, the desire to establish themselves as the “hero of the day”. Whatever the merchants talk about, even about the most personal, intimate, the motive of buying and selling comes first everywhere.
Each of the characters in the play "Dowry" (Ostrovsky), the analysis of which interests us, in accordance with his ideas, strives to master the "art of life". Among the hierarchy of life values of merchants and nobles, wealth, luxury, and refined pleasures come to the fore. Knurov, who has a huge fortune, behaves like a person for whom "impossible is not enough." “Paratov lives with chic” - this is how merchants evaluate the lifestyle of the “brilliant gentleman”. “She loves to live happily herself,” says the young, lucky Vasya Vozhevatov, a regular in her house, about the mother of the heroine Kharita Ignatievna Ogudalova. The poor official Karandyshev, "a proud and envious man", striving for success and comfort, appears as a parodic double of Paratov. Karandyshev cannot assimilate the alien, inorganic style of behavior for him and goes astray. According to A. I. Zhuravleva's apt expression, he cannot "get into the image." And only the mentally refined Larisa, as it were, exists “above everyday life”, craves a spiritual and moral life, dreams of sublimely romantic relationships. Naturally, with such different ideas about life, they speak different languages with Karandyshev.
The question naturally arises: is Karandyshev sincere in his feelings for Larisa? Without a doubt, this petty official with great ambitions loves her in his own way. But this feeling is inseparable from his hysterical ambition, the desire to magnify himself, to present his “capital” to his rivals. M. V. Otradin correctly notes that the relationship between Larisa and Karandyshev "immediately manifests itself as mutual claims." Karandyshev, having barely become a groom, begins with accusations, behaves ignoblely, reminds his bride of life "in the camp". Larisa answers him with devastating, merciless frankness: “If I didn’t look for silence, solitude, if I didn’t want to run away from people, would I go for you?” (d. 1, yavl. 4). Romantically inclined Larisa does not hide from Karandyshev that her ideal man is Sergey Sergeyich Paratov. She perceives Paratov in the halo of high romance associations (M. V. Otradin), sees in him a bold, generous, exceptional person in everything. By agreeing to marry Karandyshev, Larisa changes her ideas about love and true happiness. However, Larisa's consent to marriage with an unloved person allows for different interpretations. Having lost, it would seem, the newfound happiness (Paratov left and forgot about Larisa), she does not lose hope for a decent and moral life. And that is why he chooses the path of marriage. “At least for Karandyshev, but marry,” Vozhevatov says, not without annoyance. It is noteworthy that Larisa's mother, Harita Ignatievna Ogudalova, is much less picky about the means of achieving well-being in life. She does not exclude "warm participation" in the life of the daughter of a rich man, as evidenced by her conversation with Knurov. “Well, how will this participation be found,” she agrees with Knurov (d. 2, yavl. 2). In the eyes of the eldest Ogudalova, the daughter is a commodity, therefore the marriage of Larisa or the “patronage” of a sympathetic rich man for her - her mother - are worth each other.
The main event in the first act is Paratov's return to Bryakhimov. His arrival is important not only for the influential people of the city. Both tavern servants and gypsies welcome him. Paratov is everyone's favorite. When he talks about the mechanics from “Swallows”: “He is a foreigner, he is a Dutchman, his soul is short; they have arithmetic instead of a soul ”(d. 1, yavl. 6), - the reader (viewer) has the right to expect that Paratov himself is a truly Russian person with a broad soul. Paratov strives to be perceived in this way. But here it is also revealed that it is not difficult for him to find a common language with the merchants: “I, Moky Parmenych,” he turns to Knurov, “have nothing cherished; I will find a profit, so I will sell everything, anything ”(case 1, yavl. 6). This very frank self-confession is followed by a message about his marriage to a girl with a very rich dowry. Ostrovsky shows that in Russian society there is a process of erasing the differences between the estates. The big gentleman talks and acts quite like a merchant. The fact that Paratov, with his education and intelligence, his ability to feel the beautiful, serves the same idols as the merchants, dramatically sharpens the conflict, inevitably brings the catastrophe closer.
It is noteworthy that, compared with the powers that be, the comic actor Arkady Schastlivtsev (his role in the plot is secondary) appears to be a more natural person. His reactions to the world are more direct, but this only aggravates his position as a jester, with whom the enlightened Russian tyrants of the newest formation “take their souls”. Larisa's fiancé finds himself in a similar buffoonish position, to whom rival men are constantly trying to point out his true place. Larisa herself correlates with Robinson, whom the "medics" look at as a thing.
During the meeting with Larisa (d. 2, yavl. 8) Paratov behaves like a director and an actor at the same time. His appeal to Shakespeare's Hamlet can be explained by the desire to play, change roles, masks. Paratov is an extremely egocentric person, accustomed to excel in everything and, above all, in love. His male pride is flattered that Larisa is still in the grip of passionate feelings. Undoubtedly, he belongs to the "predatory" type of heroes ("paraty" is a strong, predatory beast). In response to Larisa's request not to abuse her frankness, Paratov hypocritically declares: "I, Larisa Dmitrievna, am a person with rules, marriage for me is a sacred matter" (case 2, phenomen 8). The truth of these words is refuted by all his subsequent behavior, the whole course of events. For him, marriage is a profitable deal, he sells both his freedom, and his attraction to Larisa, and the possible prospect of happiness with her for a large dowry of an unloved metropolitan bride.
Without exaggeration, we can say that self-love is the "Archimedean lever" that moves the action. “Everyone loves themselves,” Larisa says bitterly.
Karandyshev, planning a dinner party, cherishes a secret desire to laugh at the rich "buffoons" and take revenge on them. At dinner, he raises a toast to his bride Larisa - and utters a commendable word to himself. Karandyshev feels himself at the zenith of greatness, and his guests see only how ridiculous he is. In the struggle of ambition, the strong and successful win. Paratov, mocking the host of the dinner, achieves his goal: in the eyes of Larisa, Karandyshev is humiliated, and therefore destroyed. Larisa is released from internal obligations to her fiancé.
Karandyshev does not even think about the fact that for Larisa marriage with him is a compromise, that in the family she hopes to find solitude and peace. For him, to intermarry with the noble family of the Ogudalovs, to get a beautiful wife - "to play for a raise." Therefore, he dreams of a ceremonial magnificent wedding, which disgusts Larisa.
In the center of the drama is the fate of a charming and talented homeless woman, around whom frank and cynical bargaining is being carried out. In the process of developing the action, the “torture of feelings” (B. Eikhenbaum’s term) of the heroine drags on as much as possible. Paratov, who decided to destroy Karandyshev, does not think about how much pain he will cause Larisa.
The dominant motifs of the play are formed and supported by the musical romance element. Larisa sings a romance to the verses of Baratynsky "Do not tempt me without need." This elegy is dominated by disappointment, fatigue of the soul, inability to seduce love. The romance can be seen as the key to the heroine's drama. Larisa's singing is the voice of a suffering soul. The girl of the play, having a high romantic feeling for Paratov, tried, but could not come to terms with the role of the bride of an unloved person, whom her mother kept in the house "just in case".
In the analyzed play "Dowry" by Ostrovsky, as in romances, there are many internal paradoxes. Larisa's suffering, it would seem, reached the last line. And suddenly she heard in the words of the admiring Paratov what she had been waiting for and wanted to hear, in her own way she perceived and interpreted his unsteady, but passionate confessions. Her soul instantly responds to the loving, excited voice of her beloved. To live for Larisa means to love. Therefore, without hesitation, she agrees to go beyond the Volga with a man in whom she had already lost faith (case 3, appearance 12). Paratov's remark - "She will go" - addressed to Knurov and Vozhevatov, as if crosses out the entire previous situation (Karandyshev's matchmaking, consent to Larisa's marriage). Paratov always feels himself the master of the situation.
For Karandyshev, the flight of the guests and the bride is a terrible blow. His monologue: "Yes, it's funny... I'm a funny person..." (case 3, appearance 14) is full of pathetic intonations. And the reader (viewer) - perhaps for the first time - begins to sympathize with him. The psychological characteristics of this character become noticeably more complicated, his position is dramatized. Karandyshev is going to take revenge on his offenders, and this rebellion against them: “I will take revenge on each of them, each one, until they kill me myself” (d. 3, yavl. 14) is completely natural.
In Ostrovsky's "Dowry" a significant place is given to the motive of the game, which is multifaceted by the author both in the action of the play, and in the characters, and in the relations of the characters. This is also a cruel joke with the actor Schastlivtsev, whom Paratov passes off as a foreigner Robinson and promises to send him to Paris. But "Paris", where Schastlivtsev ends up, is a Brakhimov restaurant. This is a game of feelings and pride of the central characters.
This is one of the forms of embodiment of the conflict. In the second act, Paratov is talking to Larisa's mother. He playfully remarks: “It’s not for us, frivolous gentlemen, to start new turns!” (Javl. 7). In fact, he is far from gentlemanly: a noble gloss is his mask, and behind it are the nature and interests of the businessman. Harita Ignatievna is trying to reveal Paratov's game, to discover his secret intentions: “I understand: do you want to get married profitably?” Marrying the dowry Larisa is impossible for Paratov - this is a game not worth the candle: “After all, I almost married Larisa - if only I would make people laugh! Yes, I played a fool” (case 1, appearance 7). Yes, and the very relationship with Larisa, which awakens the passion of the player in Paratov, is a cruel, dangerous game, a completely conscious risk: “I will abandon all calculations, and no force will snatch you from me; except together with my life” (case 3, appearance 12). In the scene of recognition, Paratov's ornate speeches are regarded by Larisa as a play on words: “No, no, Sergey Sergeyevich, you don’t say phrases to me! ..” (d. 4, yavl. 7). The concept of "game" is also realized in the play in a metaphorical sense: "life is a game". “I have lost more than a fortune, I have lost you; I myself suffer, and I made you suffer” (case 3, appearance 12). The last action begins with a card game scene, followed by an episode of Larisa's tossing, where Knurov and Vozhevatov rely on chance.
The “cruel game” of Paratov and Larisa ended with the fact that the true Paratov finally opens up to the heroine, for whom calculation and profit are above all. Disappointment in a loved one for Larisa is tantamount to a loss of the meaning of life. Suffering from the betrayal of Paratov, the dowry does not find sympathy in anyone, even in her childhood friend, Vozhevatov. The last dialogue in the play, between Larisa and Karandyshev, goes on strong emotional swings. The murderous word "thing", which Karandyshev finds for the former bride, becomes one of the leitmotifs of this last conversation. “I take you, I am your master,” says Karandyshev (d. 4, yavl. 11). But further, shocked by Larisa's intention to go to Knurov, he softens: “Larisa Dmitrievna! Stop! I forgive you, I forgive everything. Karandyshev begs to make him happy, confesses his love. And then - in response to Larisa's categorical refusal and contempt - a new emotional drop follows: "So don't get to anyone!" The ex-fiance of Larisa, who decided to protect her and avenge her (one of all and one against all), is not kept at this height and kills his beloved, confirming the view of her as a thing (B. O. Kostelyanets).
Larisa regards Karandyshev's shot as a boon. There is no Katerina's integrity in her, so Larisa found herself on the verge of compromise and moral decline, although she has a passionate dream of the purity and beauty of human relations. Death allows her to maintain integrity and height, not to lose her own dignity. But, as A. I. Zhuravleva emphasizes, “the more softness and forgiveness the heroine has, the sharper the judgment of the viewer.”
The meaning of the title of the play "Dowry", the analysis of which we have carried out, is focused not only on the social and domestic, but also on the moral and psychological conflict. “You can’t call Katerina a dowry. It is rich: behind it is the power of tradition, the strength of the people's worldview and folk poetry. Larisa is beautiful, but she is by herself, ”N. N. Skatov rightly noted. The heroines of Ostrovsky's two dramatic masterpieces appear individually unique and are among the most charming female characters in Russian and world literature.
Ostrovsky "Dowry" - composition "The tragic fate of Larisa in the "dark kingdom" (based on the play by A. N. Ostrovsky "Dowry")"
The heroes of Ostrovsky's plays are most often women. Of course, these women are extraordinary and extraordinary personalities. Suffice it to recall the heroine of the drama "Thunderstorm" Katerina. She is so emotional, impressionable that she stands apart from other heroes of the play. The fate of Katerina is somewhat similar to the fate of another heroine of Ostrovsky. In this case, we are talking about the play "Dowry".Larisa Ogudalova had to experience the indifference and cruelty of those around her, endure a love drama, and as a result she dies, just like the heroine of Thunderstorm. But with a seeming similarity, Larisa Ogudalova is the owner of a completely different character than Katerina Kabanova. The girl received an excellent education. She is smart, sophisticated, educated, dreams of beautiful love, but initially her life is very different. She is a dowry. Larisa's mother is very mercenary. She trades in the beauty and youth of her daughters. Larisa's older sisters have already been “attached” thanks to the cares of a resourceful parent, but, unfortunately, their life is very, very tragic.
Larisa Ogudalova falls in love with the "brilliant gentleman" Sergei Sergeevich Paratov. She sincerely considers him the ideal of a man. The master has a fortune, he fully corresponds to the idea of a noble and educated person. Its inner essence is revealed later. Larisa is young and inexperienced, so she falls into Paratov's trap and destroys herself. She does not have a strong character and becomes a toy in the hands of others. It comes to the fact that the girl is played in a toss. People around her consider her a thing, expensive and beautiful fun, and her sublime soul, beauty and talent are not important. Karandyshev says to Larisa: "They don't look at you like a woman, like a person... they look at you like a thing."
She herself agrees with this: “Thing ... yes, thing! They are right, I am a thing, I am not a man...”.
Larisa has an ardent heart, she is sincere and emotional. She generously gives her love, but what does she get in return? For her loved one, Larisa is another entertainment, fun. Out of desperation, she even agrees to accept Knurov's conditions.
Death is a kind of salvation for Larisa, spiritual salvation, of course. Such a tragic ending saves her from the difficult choice that she is trying to make, saves her from moral death and falling into the abyss called depravity.
Drama "Dowry" (1879) became one of the pinnacles in Ostrovsky's dramaturgy. Here, each character is revealed with the utmost authenticity and persuasiveness. The play consists of a series of large and significant scenes, which are arranged in accordance with the logic of situations and situations.
Ostrovsky puts the fate of a woman at the center of the work, showing life from the most emotional and expressive side, contrasting the cold and soulless calculation and selfishness with the sincerity, gullibility and inconsideration of "hot hearts".
In "B" a piece of Russian life at the end of the 19th century is presented. The impoverished nobles Ogudalovs, living in the provincial Volga city of Bryakhimov, with difficulty maintaining the appearance of well-being and secularism, wealthy businessmen Knurov and Vozhevatov, "a brilliant gentleman from the shipowners" Sergey Sergeich Paratov, a poor official, "little man" Karandyshev, a wandering actor Robinson, a barman, servants, gypsies - such is the composition of the actors in the drama. The composition is quite colorful, but accurately reflects the signs of Russian life at that time.
The play is unusual in composition.. In general, this is a culmination drama, because it captures the moment of the highest tension in the life of the main character Larisa Ogudalova. The painful experiences of the “dowry”, a mental crisis due to a long and incomprehensible separation from Paratov for her forced the girl to make a difficult decision for herself - to become the wife of an uninteresting and unattractive Karandyshev.
Larisa, clearly idealizing Paratov, does not see his egoism and callousness and recklessly follows him, not in the least doubting his nobility. The shock of deceit turns out to be so heavy, and the situation is so irreparable - honor is lost, faith in a loved one and in love itself is lost - that life loses all meaning for Larisa. But in order to leave it, she does not find the strength in herself and is forced to accept the law of bourgeois society, where beauty, being a commodity, is bought and sold. Larisa is ready to become Knurov's kept woman, and only Karandyshev's shot put an end to doubts, torment, moral hesitation, cutting off the life of Larisa Ogudalova.
The play is structured in such a way that the main action develops in two streams - on stage and off stage. Only the most acute events take place on the stage, situations are shown that reveal the psychological complexity of relationships and sharp turns in the development of the plot. Everything ordinary, everyday or worldly known remains outside the stage space. Thus, the playwright omits the scene of Larisa's first meeting with Paratov, does not show her experiences after his departure (the viewer learns about this from the characters' replicas), there is no scene of Larisa's trip across the Volga with gypsies. The basis of the drama is not only the action, but also the psychological process.
"B" is a play about a beautiful, outstanding girl who finds herself in an ordinary bourgeois environment that looks at her as a bright, attractive thing. The theme of buying and selling permeates the entire work, is the main one and is announced at the very beginning of the drama, when there is a conversation about the “Swallow”, which was profitably bought by Vozhevatov from Paratov, about the pleasures for which “you have to pay” (meaning the pleasure of being in the Ogudalovs’ house ), that it would be nice to take a ride to Paris with Larisa Dmitrievna to an exhibition, and that this woman was created for luxury and she, like an expensive diamond, needs an expensive setting. All remarks about Larisa are not thrown by chance, they develop, and in the finale their truly dramatic meaning is revealed: at the most difficult moment for Larisa, when she realizes that Paratov cruelly deceived her, Knurov makes her an offer to go to Paris with him to the exhibition.
Larisa does not have that wholeness and inner strength that was felt in Katerina. Her soul rushes about with a dream of pure love, of a noble groom, between the desire to love people, to live according to the laws of honor, according to the norms of morality adopted in the noble environment, and the ability to moral compromise.
The playwright emphasizes the loneliness of Larisa with an unexpected device: the heroine dies to the “loud choir of gypsies”. Before her death, she perceives Karandyshev's shot as a blessing, as a deliverance from suffering. To the sounds of a gypsy song, Larisa speaks of love for people and sends a farewell kiss. At the beginning of the play, the Ogudalovs' house was compared to a camp, and the play ends with a camp song. Beginnings and ends, causes and effects, temporal and eternal have united. Dying, Larisa realizes that she is a stranger to everyone, but at the same time she does not blame anyone: “Let them have fun, whoever has fun ... I don’t want to interfere with anyone! Live, live everyone! her death is not an accident, but an inevitable death due to the inconsistency of this woman with a practical and cruel world.
"B" is a drama, but it is seen by the tragic e-you. A number of keynotes:
Simplicity, which is set off by the motif of wealth
At the beginning of the play, the motive of the tragedy arises: Larisa all the time feels herself over the edge of the abyss
Like Katerina, she recklessly shows her feelings all the time. Simplicity and stupidity testify to this.
The motive of the “man of the thing” is not only in Larisa, but also in Paratov.
the motive of the game - acting is characteristic of everyone except Larisa.
Dramatic conflict: “to be a thing is expensive” => having lost love, she accepts what is offered to her.
Death is a manifestation of weakness, not strength, as was the case with Katerina.
Two contenders for the heart of Laris - Paratov and Karandyshev. Both Knurov and Vozhevatov are related to the death of Larisa. However, Paratov and Karandyshev occupy a central place in the system of images. It was these heroes who pushed Larisa to the moral abyss. Paratov cruelly deceives the girl, uses her gullibility and selfless love, and Karandyshev, having no power over Larisa's heart, kills her.
At first glance, these characters are antipodes. Paratov is handsome, rich, "a brilliant gentleman from the shipowners," and Karandyshev is a petty, poor official with an uninteresting appearance. Paratov appears everywhere with chic, every gesture, every step draws attention to himself. Paratov easily finds a common language with people, arouses their admiration. Harita Ignatievna, for example, speaks of Paratov like this: “Well done man ... What a falcon! Look at you and rejoice." Larisa will deeply and strongly love Paratov, a brave and passionate admirer. Karandyshev, on the contrary, the girl, even agreeing to become his wife, almost despises. He is a straw for her, “for the cat. a drowning man grabs." None of the characters speak of him with respect. “Ch-to proud, envious,” remarks Vozhevatov. “Well, what is Karandyshev!” - with contempt and bewilderment gov. Knurov, having learned about Larisa's decision to marry this man. The envy of Karandyshev, his anger, the desire to be in the chosen society at all costs are unpleasant to those around him. Karandyshev and Paratov are rivals. M\u hero-mi there is a social. abyss. Karandyshev - "little ch-k", and Paratov - "master of life." He has a rule - "do not forgive anyone, otherwise they will forget the fear, they will begin to forget." And this is not an empty phrase, but one of the main qualities of Paratov, cat. can be defined as the nobility. However, with a deep analysis of the characters and actions of Paratov and Karandyshev, we can conclude that the characters have a lot in common. Both he and others are extremely proud and vain, they like to impress, they achieve their goal by any means. Both Larisa is needed for self-affirmation. She is a toy for them, a THING. Para-tov ensured that Larisa fell in love with him passionately, and he himself "recaptured all the suitors, and the trace caught a cold ..."
Returning to Bryakhimov and inviting the girl for a ride on the "Swallow", Paratov calmly sacrifices her reputation to his whim. For him, the trip is a cheerful farewell to a bachelor life, and for Larisa, it is a hope for a happy marriage with a loved one.
Karandyshev stubbornly waited for Larisa to be left without contenders for her hand, and he also achieved his goal: he became the girl's fiancé. He can not wait to experience the triumph of the winner, and after her consent to marry him, he already looks at Larisa as his property.
Both Karandyshev and Paratov are not indifferent to Larisa, but at the same time they do not value the girl, do not listen to her words, do not want to understand what is happening to her. The heroes revel in their power over Larisa. At the dinner party, Karandyshev rejoices, he is already enjoying his position as future husband, the complete ruler of Larisa. For her, he decides whether she will sing for the guests or not: “No, no, and don’t ask, you can’t; I forbid..." Both heroes are to blame for the death of Larisa. Both the “little man” and the brilliant gentleman do not have true sensitivity and the ability to love unselfishly in their souls. They believe that in a world where everything is based on calculation, you can buy honor, love, and beauty. Larisa idealized both Paratov and Karandyshev. She perceived Karandysheva as a person with a good soul, poor and misunderstood by others, she sincerely wanted to love him. Paratov was the ideal man for Larisa. She considered a hundred noble and reliable, dreamed of uniting her fate with him. Too late, the girl realized that in the world of profit and self-interest there is no place for love.
Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky's play "The Dowry" is considered to be a true masterpiece of Russian dramaturgy. It compares favorably with deep psychologism, colorful images, and the acuteness of social and personal issues. We suggest that you familiarize yourself with the literary analysis of the work according to the plan, which will be useful to students in grade 10 in preparation for a lesson in literature.
Brief analysis
Year of writing- 1874-1878 years.
History of creation- As the basis of the plot, Ostrovsky, who held the honorary position of a justice of the peace, took the real story of the death of a young woman who died at the hands of her own husband. The author worked on the play for four years, from 1874 to 1878. At first, the work did not receive recognition, but after a while it became a resounding success.
Theme- Distorted relationships in a society in which the principles of "purchase and sale" reign. Any person, any act can be bought, the only question is the price.
Composition– A work consisting of four acts is characterized by a linear composition. The first act is the exposition and application (Arrival of Paratov), the second act is the development of the plot (Larisa's strong love for Paratov, for which she is ready for great sacrifices), the third act is the culmination (lunch at Karandyshev's), the fourth act is the denouement (Larisa's death) .
Genre- A play. Socio-psychological drama.
Direction- Realism.
History of writing
In the 70s of the 19th century, Alexander Nikolayevich served as a magistrate of the Kineshma district. On duty, he took part in high-profile court hearings and was well acquainted with the criminal chronicle of that time. All this gave Ostrovsky, as a writer, rich literary material, which he often used in his works.
Presumably, the plot of "Dowry" was based on a real story that shocked the entire Kineshma district, when a local resident Ivan Konovalov killed his own young beautiful wife.
Ostrovsky began writing the play in the fall of 1874. However, parallel work on other works delayed her writing for four long years. Having successfully passed the censorship, "Dowry" was published in 1879 in the literary magazine "Domestic Notes".
The first performances were a failure and caused sharp criticism in their address. Such rejection was due to the fact that the author managed to open painful ulcers on the body of society. Such courage was not to everyone's taste, and was received with hostility by both theater critics and ordinary readers.
And only in the 90s of the 19th century, almost 10 years after the death of the writer, the well-deserved success came to the play.
Theme
The essence of Ostrovsky's drama fully reflects the meaning of the title- "Dowry". Previously, this was the name of poor girls who did not have a penny for their souls. Their position was very humiliating and difficult - rarely did anyone want to create a family with a dependent, who had to be fully supported all his life. Only beauty, upbringing and inner qualities could attract the attention of a worthy groom, ready to turn a blind eye to the lack of a dowry from the bride.
Thus, the author draws one of the serious problems of a society in which a person appears as a commodity that can be bought or sold. Few people are interested in the personality of a person, his emotional experiences, since everyone pursues only one goal - not to sell too cheap.
Larisa Ogudalova is a sensitive, kind and vulnerable girl, a real beauty, who, nevertheless, has one significant drawback - the lack of a dowry. They see the meaning of their life in the search for true love, and soon find it in the person of Sergei Paratov. She sees his image in a kind of halo, endowing him with virtues that do not exist in reality.
However, soon the romantic veil falls from the eyes of the heroine, and she sensibly assesses the current situation. The people around her, including her own mother, see in her only luxurious fun, an expensive toy that can be boasted in society. Even in close circle, no one seeks to look into her soul, to show sincere participation in her.
Larisa comes to the sad conclusion that she is a thing that should be sold at a higher price. The collision of a pure soul with a vicious material world invariably leads to a tragic denouement - the death of the main character. However, Larisa finds consolation in her death, as it gives her long-awaited freedom.
Composition
In The Bride, the analysis includes a description of the compositional structure of the work. The composition of the play is sustained according to all classical laws, and consists of four acts:
- first act contains an exposition and a plot (a description of the life of Larisa and her family, the arrival of Paratov);
- in the second act a development of events takes place (Larisa is becoming more and more convinced that her personal happiness is possible only with Paratov, and for his sake she is ready to sacrifice a lot);
- third act- climax (lunch at Karandyshev's, Larisa's singing, which, in fact, is a pure and sincere declaration of love for Paratov);
- fourth act- denouement (the death of Larisa, who, at the moment of her death, from the bottom of her heart forgives all those who, one way or another, are guilty of her death).
All events take place during the day, which further enhances the drama of the story. The linear composition allows the author to convey the motives of the behavior of the main characters as accurately as possible. It becomes clear that their actions are largely determined not only by character traits, but also by the environment in which they live.
main characters
Genre
The play "Dowry" is fully consistent with the genre of drama, since it presents the difficult fate of the main character, forced to live in a constant conflict of her soul and society.
The purpose of the socio-psychological drama, to which "Dowry" belongs, is to reveal to the reader all the hardships that a person has to face in an alien environment. As a rule, the main characters of the drama expect internal contradictions, spiritual suffering, and, as a result, a tragic fate. But at the same time, the drama fully reflects the realities of life around, making you think about many important problems that prevail in any society.
Ostrovsky "Dowry" - composition "The tragic fate of Larisa in the "dark kingdom" (based on the play by A. N. Ostrovsky "Dowry")"
The heroes of Ostrovsky's plays are most often women. Of course, these women are extraordinary and extraordinary personalities. Suffice it to recall the heroine of the drama "Thunderstorm" Katerina. She is so emotional, impressionable that she stands apart from other heroes of the play. The fate of Katerina is somewhat similar to the fate of another heroine of Ostrovsky. In this case, we are talking about the play "Dowry".Larisa Ogudalova had to experience the indifference and cruelty of those around her, endure a love drama, and as a result she dies, just like the heroine of Thunderstorm. But with a seeming similarity, Larisa Ogudalova is the owner of a completely different character than Katerina Kabanova. The girl received an excellent education. She is smart, sophisticated, educated, dreams of beautiful love, but initially her life is very different. She is a dowry. Larisa's mother is very mercenary. She trades in the beauty and youth of her daughters. Larisa's older sisters have already been “attached” thanks to the cares of a resourceful parent, but, unfortunately, their life is very, very tragic.
Larisa Ogudalova falls in love with the "brilliant gentleman" Sergei Sergeevich Paratov. She sincerely considers him the ideal of a man. The master has a fortune, he fully corresponds to the idea of a noble and educated person. Its inner essence is revealed later. Larisa is young and inexperienced, so she falls into Paratov's trap and destroys herself. She does not have a strong character and becomes a toy in the hands of others. It comes to the fact that the girl is played in a toss. People around her consider her a thing, expensive and beautiful fun, and her sublime soul, beauty and talent are not important. Karandyshev says to Larisa: "They don't look at you like a woman, like a person... they look at you like a thing."
She herself agrees with this: “Thing ... yes, thing! They are right, I am a thing, I am not a man...”.
Larisa has an ardent heart, she is sincere and emotional. She generously gives her love, but what does she get in return? For her loved one, Larisa is another entertainment, fun. Out of desperation, she even agrees to accept Knurov's conditions.
Death is a kind of salvation for Larisa, spiritual salvation, of course. Such a tragic ending saves her from the difficult choice that she is trying to make, saves her from moral death and falling into the abyss called depravity.
Ostrovsky's drama "Dowry" is built on the classical naturalness and simplicity of the characters' images, but at the same time on the complexity of their characters and actions. that they are simpler, easy to understand.
Goncharov, discussing the basis of Ostrovsky's drama, said that the playwright "as if he does not want to resort to the plot - this artificiality is below him: he must sacrifice to it part of the truthfulness, integrity of character, precious touches of morals, details of everyday life - and he more willingly lengthens the action, cools the viewer , if only to carefully preserve what he sees and smells alive and true in nature.
Ostrovsky's work does not fit into any of the classical genre forms, this gave Dobrolyubov a reason to speak of it as a "play of life". In "Dowry" Ostrovsky comes to the disclosure of complex, subtle, psychologically polyphonic human characters. He shows us a life conflict, the reader lives this short period of life as a resident of the same city of Bryakhimov, or, even more interesting, like any hero of the drama.
Larisa Ogudalova is the main character of the drama, all the action is around her, intrigues "roam".
Larisa is a girl, even more fragile, unprotected than it seems at first glance. In my opinion, it can be compared with a white noble rose. The girl is just as gentle and beautiful, it is not for nothing that she is called the "decoration of the city." But on the other hand, they say about Larisa that she is "an expensive piece of jewelry that requires a good jeweler." Maybe it would be nice, but here, in the play, these words sounded impudent and vulgar. After all, here Larisa is evaluated as a thing, in this case, as a precious stone. Of course, precious is flattering, but a stone is something cold, inanimate, insensitive, not at all suitable for Larisa's romantic nature.
Her soul is refined, bright, musical, sensitive and melodic. Larisa is like a spark in this city, like the heroine of one of the Russian romances that she loves to sing so much. After listening to romances in her own performance, she begins to dream of pure love, a strong family, a loving wife.
But things don't work out the way the girl wants. The drama is based on a social theme. Larisa is poor, she is a girl without a material dowry, but at the same time she has a rich inner world, which we will not find in any of the heroes of the drama. Larisa lives in a world where everything is bought and sold, even girlish beauty and love. But, getting lost in her dreams, in her rainbow world, she does not notice the most disgusting sides in people, she does not notice an ugly attitude towards herself, Larisa sees only good everywhere and in everyone and believes that people are like that.
This is how Larisa made a mistake in Paratov. He leaves the girl in love for the sake of profit, destroys at his own will. After, Larisa is preparing to marry Karandyshev. The girl perceives him as a kind poor man who is not understood by others. But the heroine does not understand and does not feel the envious, proud nature of Karandyshev. Indeed, in his attitude towards Larisa, there is more complacency for owning such a precious stone as Larisa.
At the end of the drama, Larisa comes to a realization. She realizes with horror and bitterness that everyone around perceives her as a thing or, even worse, wants to make her a kept woman, such as Knurov and Vozhevatov.
And then the heroine utters the words: "Thing ... yes thing. They are right, I am a thing, not a person." Larisa, in desperation, tries to rush into the Volga, but she cannot, she is afraid to part with her life, no matter how useless and unhappy it may seem to her.
The frustrated girl finally understands that in this world everything is evaluated by "the rustle of banknotes", and then she decides: "If it is to be a thing, then one consolation is to be expensive."
Karandyshev's shot is salvation in Larisa's eyes, she is glad that she belongs only to herself again, they cannot sell or buy her, she is free. Larisa Karandysheva finds a shadow of nobility and a living human feeling in a careless accidental act, and her emotional drama finally ends, for the first time the heroine feels truly happy and free.
Larisa Ogudalova is the main character of A. N. Ostrovsky's play "The Dowry", which was first published in Otechestvennye Zapiski in 1879. In the dramaturgy of Ostrovsky in the 1970s and 1980s, the theme of the power of money, property, wealth in the era of the "triumph of the bourgeoisie" becomes the main theme. The playwright continues to look for forces in Russian life that could withstand the elements of unbridled predation, humiliation of human dignity, cold calculation and selfishness. The writer's anxiety is especially felt for the fate of a person "with a warm heart", who, even at this prudent time, continues to live with feeling, looking for love, understanding, happiness. Such is the heroine of the play "Dowry".
Larisa has everything - intelligence, talent, beauty, sensitivity. She is pure in heart and selfless. She reaches out to people, trusts them, hopes for understanding and a reciprocal feeling. But Larisa is a dowry, and this predetermines her tragic fate.
Larisa's mother seeks to marry off her daughter more profitably, she tries to teach Larisa to live by the rules dictated by time, forcing her daughter to lie, to be nice to richer young people. But the heroine of the play cannot act according to calculation. She gives her heart to Sergey Sergeevich Paratov, handsome, smart and strong. But Paratov is a man of his time, living by the principle: "There is a price for every product." Larisa is also a commodity for him. And he is not ready to pay with his material well-being for love and happiness. Paratov marries a rich bride, or rather, in gold mines, which are given to her as a dowry.
Not finding love, Larisa tries to live "like everyone else." She decides to marry the poor Official Yuli Kapitonovich Karandyshev. In her chosen one, Larisa is looking for features worthy of respect: “I should at least respect my husband,” she says. But it is difficult to respect Karandyshev. In his vain attempts to compare with Knurov and Vozhevatov, he looks ridiculous and pathetic. He does not hear Larisa's plea to leave for the village, where she hopes to find at least peace of mind. It is more important for Julius Kapitonovich to “in turn laugh” at those whose humiliations he endured for three years. He is not up to the torment of Larisa!
After breaking up with Karandyshev, after deceiving Paratov, Larisa is looking for simple human sympathy, turning to her childhood friend Vozhevatov: “Well, at least cry with me,” she asks him. However, Vozhevatov has already lost to Knurov the opportunity to influence the fate of Larisa. “I can’t, I can’t do anything,” is Vozhevatov’s answer to Larisa. material from the site
Finding no love, no respect, no simple compassion and understanding, Larisa loses the meaning of life. She says bitterly: “They looked at me and look at me as if they were fun. No one ever tried to look into my soul, I did not see sympathy from anyone, I did not hear a warm, heartfelt word. But it’s cold to live like that.”
Karandyshev's shot becomes for her deliverance from mental anguish, from the vulgar life of a "thing", a toy in the hands of those who can pay for it. “To die while there is nothing to reproach yourself with yet” is the best that remains for a “hot heart” in the world of calculation and vanity.
This is Larisa's personal tragedy. But this is also the tragedy of a society where money rules and a person's happiness is measured only by their quantity.
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The play by Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky is based on the fate of Larisa Ogudalova. Already in the title of the work, the position of the girl is emphasized: she is a dowry. This is the reason why Larisa cannot find true happiness. It is not customary in society to associate one's life with a girl who does not have a dowry, regardless of her moral qualities, life goals and aspirations.
The feelings of the main character are sincere, but they are not appreciated by other residents of the city of Bryakhimov. And therein lies the tragedy of the situation.
An honest and benevolent girl does not find understanding in society, because she does not live according to the rules of the people around her. Larisa's mother tries to give her life instructions: to lie and pretend to marry a really noble and successful person. But Larisa Ogudalova has completely different dreams and ideals: the girl wants a quiet and peaceful life in the countryside, where she will be truly free and happy.
It is because of the desire to gain freedom that the main character agrees to marry the first proposer. asks the groom Karandyshev to fulfill her desires faster, but the dream in the work collides with reality.
In the life of Larisa, her lover reappears, who, after wooing her, fled the city. Larisa's feelings for Paratov show that the girl is dreamy and sacrificial. The main character forgives the betrayal of Sergei Sergeyich and is again exposed to his passions, which leads to a real tragedy. For the sake of Paratov, Larisa refuses marriage to Karandyshev, whom she always considered low and empty, and dreams of happiness with the "ideal man" Paratov.
However, for the hero, Larisa's feelings did not matter, he plays with her like with a doll. The girl feels like a real thing that can be easily bought or sold. Larisa learns that her lover is already engaged to another girl. This causes Larisa Ogudalova to be disappointed not only in love, but in life in general.
Larisa is looking for support, but no one understands the girl. Even her own mother turns out to be indifferent to Larisa. For Kharita Ignatievna, it was important to safely arrange her daughter's marriage, and what Larisa feels does not bother her.
Such an indifferent and even cruel attitude of society, in which attention is paid only to wealth and position in society, becomes the cause of the tragic end of the life of Larisa Ogudalova. After talking with Paratov, the girl thinks about death, wishing that she would come to her herself. Larisa becomes indifferent to her life, she expresses to Karandyshev everything that she thinks about him. Embittered by Larisa's inability to make a decision, he shoots her with a pistol.
The life of the heroine, which was distinguished by misunderstanding on the part of the people around her, ended so tragically. And the main destructive beginning is a society that did not appreciate the feelings of Larisa, but paid attention only to the social status of people.
"He showed not only the morals, priorities, traditions of businessmen, boyars, petty officials, but also the personal drama of a woman in love. And this woman is Larisa Ogudalova.
Larisa has a poetic soul, striving for love and happiness. She is well brought up, gifted with beauty and intelligence. Her character is opposed to the foundations of the "new time". Ogudalova lives in a world of businessmen, where the main value is money, where everything is bought and sold, where "every product has a price."
Larisa is the main product of the play. “I am a doll for you; you play with me, break it and leave it,” she says. Her mother and childhood friend Vozhevatov, and Knurov, and Paratov, and even Karandyshev sell it. So, Karandyshev, organizing a dinner in honor of Larisa, decided to simply brag about the acquired “toy”, to show his superiority over others: “I have the right to be proud and proud! She understood me, appreciated and preferred me to everyone.
Vozhevatov and Knurov throw a coin, who will get such an ornament. But Larisa doesn't care about them. All her thoughts and feelings are connected with Paratov, but Paratov is only concerned about his condition. As soon as he has problems, he immediately drives off, forgetting to say goodbye to Larisa. She forgives him. And as soon as he returns, Larisa already feels the precariousness of her position: "You drown me, push me into the abyss." She asks to go away, to the village, as Katerina, the heroine of the play "Thunderstorm", asked to take an oath from Tikhon.
Larisa wants to protect herself from the act to which her heart aspires. But Karandyshev does not support Larisa, just as Tikhon did not support Catherine. Karandyshev only cares about pride. So Larisa is left alone with her fears.
Upon arrival, Paratov does not remember Larisa until Vozhevatov informs him that Larisa is getting married. Paratov also marries, or rather, the process of buying and selling takes place again: in exchange for his freedom, he acquires gold mines. Paratov wants to play last, and Larisa is a great toy. He gives her the worst thing - faith in happiness. “I dream of one bliss: to be your slave; I lost more than my fortune, I lost you,” says Paratov. He deceives, speaks of love, when there is not even a share of pity in him. Larisa believes him and throws herself headlong into the pool.
Paratov's goal is achieved: Larisa, mad with her love, with faith and hope in their joint future, agrees to be his entirely. However, in the morning, when Larisa asks if she can consider herself his wife, Paratov "remembers" that he is bound by chains that he cannot break. This does not stop Larisa: “I will share this burden with you, I will take on most of the burden,” until Paratov admits that he is engaged. Larisa was trampled on, her love was spit on, her feelings were trampled into the dirt, she was laughed at in the face. And again, fate plays with her, Knurov offers to buy her. She is disgusted, she is sick of this world.
She tries to die, but she does not succeed: “What is holding me over this abyss, what is stopping me? Ah, no, no ... not Knurov ... luxury, brilliance ... no, no ... I am far from fuss ... Debauchery ... oh, no ... I just don’t have the determination. In the denouement, Larisa falls in the struggle and takes the position that society assigned her from the very beginning: “Yes, a thing, ... I am a thing, not a person; ... Each thing has its own price ... I am too expensive for you.” But the tragedy of Larisa is different, her words sound like thunder in The Thunderstorm: “I was looking for love and did not find it. They looked at me and look at me as if they were fun ... I was looking for love and did not find it ... it does not exist in the world, there is nothing to look for. I did not find love, so I will look for gold. Larisa is lying, she doesn't need gold, she doesn't need anything. That is why, when Karandyshev shoots Larisa, she thanks him.
In her life there were several options for the outcome of events. Until the last minutes, Larisa loved Paratov, and if she had remained alive, she could have forgiven him once again, and if he accidentally returned to the city again, she would again believe him, and again be deceived. Larisa could become Knurov's luxury, but for her it is exactly death. I would never have become Karandyshev's wife, Karandyshev's patronage is a grave insult. Be that as it may, Larisa would not have found happiness, there is no love for her in this world, because in those days, love was experienced only for money, and not for people.
