The Thunderstorm is, without a doubt, Ostrovsky's most decisive work; the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought in it to the most tragic consequences. There is, moreover, something refreshing and invigorating in The Thunderstorm. N. A. Dobrolyubov
A. N. Ostrovsky received literary recognition after the appearance of his first major play. Ostrovsky's dramaturgy became an indispensable element of the culture of his time; he retained the position of the best playwright of the era, the head of the Russian drama school, despite the fact that at the same time

A. V. Sukhovo-Kobylin, M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, A. F. Pisemsky, A. K. Tolstoy and L. N. Tolstoy worked with him in this genre. The most popular critics considered his works as a true and deep reflection of modern reality. Meanwhile, Ostrovsky, going his own way in a creative way, often baffled both critics and readers.
So, the play "Thunderstorm" came as a surprise to many. LN Tolstoy did not accept the play. The tragedy of this work forced critics to reconsider their views on Ostrovsky's dramaturgy. Ap. Grigoriev noted that in "Thunderstorm" there is a protest against the "existing", which is terrible for its adherents. Dobrolyubov in the article “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom” stated. that from the image of Katerina in "Thunderstorm" "breathes new life on us."
Perhaps for the first time, scenes of family, “private” life, that arbitrariness and lack of rights that were hitherto hidden behind the thick doors of mansions and estates, were shown with such pictorial power. And at the same time, it was not just a household sketch. The author showed the unenviable position of a Russian woman in a merchant family. The great power of the tragedy was given by the special truthfulness, skillfulness of the author, as D. I. Pisarev rightly noted: “Thunderstorm” is a picture from nature, that’s why it breathes truth.”
The action of the tragedy takes place in the city of Kalinov, which is spread among the greenery of gardens on the steep bank of the Volga. “For fifty years I have been looking beyond the Volga every day and I can’t see enough of everything. The view is extraordinary! The beauty! The soul rejoices,” Kuligin admires. It would seem that the life of the people of this city should be beautiful and joyful. However, the life and customs of the wealthy merchants created "a world of prison and grave silence." Savel Dikoy and Marfa Kabanova are the personification of cruelty and tyranny. Orders in merchant's house are based on obsolete religious dogmas of Domostroy. Dobrolyubov says about Kabanikh that she “gnaws” her victim. long and unrelenting." She forces her daughter-in-law Katerina to bow at the feet of her husband when he leaves, scolds her for not “howling” in public when seeing her husband off.
Kabanikha is very rich, this can be judged by the fact that the interests of her affairs go not far beyond Kalinov, on her behalf Tikhon travels to Moscow. She is respected by Dikoy, for whom the main thing in life is money. But the merchant understands that the political elite also gives the obedience of the environment. She seeks to kill at home any manifestation of resistance to her power. The boar is hypocritical, she only hides behind virtue and piety, in the family she is an inhuman despot and tyrant. Tikhon does not contradict her in anything. Barbara learned to deceive, hide and dodge.
The main character of the play, Katerina, is marked by a strong character, she is not used to humiliation and insults and therefore conflicts with her cruel old mother-in-law. In her mother's house, Katerina lived freely and easily. In the House of Kabanovs, she feels like a bird in a cage. She quickly realizes that she cannot exist here for a long time.
Katerina married Tikhon without love. Everything in the house of Kabanikh trembles at the mere imperious cry of the merchant's wife. Life in this house is hard for the young. And now Katerina meets a completely different person and falls in love. For the first time in her life, she knows a deep personal feeling. One night she goes on a date with Boris. Which side is the playwright on? He is on the side of Katerina, because one cannot destroy the natural aspirations of a person. Life in the Kabanov family is unnatural. And Katerina does not accept the inclinations of those people to whom she fell. Hearing Varvara’s offer to lie and pretend, Katerina replies: “I can’t deceive, I can’t hide anything.”
Katerina's bluntness and sincerity commands respect from the author, the reader, and the viewer. She decides that she can no longer be a victim of a soulless mother-in-law, cannot languish locked up. She is free! But she saw a way out only in her death. And this could be argued.

  1. Directions exist in almost every play. They serve to indicate the author to the actions of the characters, their gestures, facial expressions, intonation, the psychological meaning of their statements, the pace of speech and pauses, the situation...
  2. Considering as a special honor the proposal of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, communicated by Your Excellency, 1 in relation to the 2nd of last February, to consider Mr. Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm" forwarded to me and say about it ...
  3. The drama Thunderstorm was conceived under the impression of Ostrovsky's trip along the Volga (1856-1857), but was written in 1859. The Thunderstorm, as Dobrolyubov wrote, is without a doubt Ostrovsky's most decisive work. This...
  4. The song opens the “Thunderstorm” and immediately brings the content of the tragedy to the nationwide song space. Behind the fate of Katerina is the fate of the heroine folk song, a recalcitrant young daughter-in-law, given away for a disliked thing to an “alien side place”, ...
  5. THE THEME OF LOVE IN A. N. OSTROVSKY'S "Thunderstorm" Love covers many sins. Ev. from Peter, IV, 8 “Thunderstorm”, showing the terrible, dark world of tyrants and people under their heel, is illuminated, as if ...
  6. A. N. Ostrovsky is truly a Moscow playwright. Contemporaries called him “Columbus of Zamoskvorechye”, and he himself wrote: “I know you, Zamoskvorechye. I know you on holidays and weekdays, in grief and ...
  7. The crisis patriarchal world and patriarchal consciousness remains in the center of the author's attention in "Thunderstorm". But in this drama, Ostrovsky gives the problem a completely different sound, considering it as a fundamentally...
  8. In the dramaturgy of Ostrovsky in the 60-80s. the coverage of Russian reality became wider, and the social composition actors more varied. The beginning of this new period is laid by two plays - “Enough for every wise man ...
  9. The work of A. N. Ostrovsky belongs to the heights of Russian classical and world drama. One of the pearls is his play "Dowry". In the center of the play is the fate of her heroine, Larisa Dmitrievna Ogudalova. Larisa...
  10. The crisis of the patriarchal world and patriarchal consciousness remains in the center of the author's attention in Groz as well. But in this drama, Ostrovsky gives the problem a completely different sound, considers it as a principle...
  11. At the heart of the drama "Thunderstorm" is the image of the awakening sense of personality and a new attitude to the world. Ostrovsky showed that even in the ossified little world of Kalinov, a character of striking beauty and strength can arise. Very...
  12. 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 others...
  13. “Cruel morals sir, in our city, cruel!” - this is the exclamation of Kuligin, one of the heroes of A. N. Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm", most accurately reflects the atmosphere of the whole work and the atmosphere of the life of many Russians ...
  14. All the features of "Thunderstorm" show how innovative this work was. This also applies to others artistic means used by the author. Ostrovsky's plays do not fit into any of the classical forms. They are alien to the stage ...
  15. Man and time, people and history - these are the cross-cutting, constantly interacting problems that determine the specifics of the school study of the poet's work and life. Among the poems proposed for reading after detailed analysis...
  16. The play by A. N. Ostrovsky “Thunderstorm” appeared on the stage in 1860 during the rise of the socio-political struggle in Russia on the eve of the abolition of serfdom. The leading critic of the Sovremennik magazine, N. A. Dobrolyubov, immediately noticed the drama... The tragedy of the heroine of A. N. Ostrovsky's play "The Dowry" The drama takes place in the Volga city of Bryakhimov. And in it, as elsewhere, cruel orders reign. The society here is the same as in other cities. The main character of the play is Larisa...
  17. The formation of the Russian national theater and Russian dramaturgy Dramaturgy is a special kind of art. It exists “at the confluence” of literature and theater, that is, in it the laws of literature and theater are manifested in their own ...

Alexander Nikolayevich covered the most important and especially topical problem of human dignity at that time. The arguments that allow us to consider it as such are very convincing. The author proves that his play is really important, if only by the fact that the issues raised in it continue to excite many years later and the current generation. Drama is being addressed, studied and analyzed, and interest in it has not weakened to this day.

In the 50s and 60s of the 19th century Special attention writers and poets were attracted by the following three themes: the appearance of a diverse intelligentsia, serfdom and the position of women in society and the family. In addition, there was another topic - the tyranny of money, tyranny and old Testament authority among the merchants, under the yoke of which were all family members, and especially women. A. N. Ostrovsky in his drama "Thunderstorm" set the task of exposing the spiritual and economic tyranny in the so-called "dark kingdom".

Who can be considered the bearer of human dignity?

The problem of human dignity in the drama "Thunderstorm" is the most important in this work. It should be noted that there are very few characters in the play about whom one could say: "This is the majority of the characters - either unconditionally bad guys or inexpressive, neutral. Wild and Boar - idols, devoid of elementary human feelings; Boris and Tikhon are spineless beings capable of only obeying; Curly and Varvara are reckless people, drawn to momentary pleasures, incapable of serious feelings and reflections. Only Kuligin, an eccentric inventor, and main character Katerina is knocked out of this series. The problem of human dignity in the drama "Thunderstorm" can be briefly described as the opposition of these two heroes to society.

Inventor Kuligin

Kuligin is a rather attractive person with considerable talents, a sharp mind, poetic soul desire to selflessly serve people. He is honest and kind. It is no coincidence that Ostrovsky trusts him with an assessment of the backward, limited, self-satisfied Kalinov society that does not recognize the rest of the world. However, Kuligin, although he evokes sympathy, is still unable to stand up for himself, therefore he calmly endures rudeness, endless ridicule and insults. This is an educated, enlightened person, but these best qualities in Kalinov are considered only a whim. The inventor is disparagingly referred to as an alchemist. He longs for the common good, he wants to install a lightning rod, a clock in the city, but a rigid society does not want to accept any innovations. The boar, who is the embodiment of the patriarchal world, will not take the train, even if the whole world has been using the railway for a long time. Wild will never understand that lightning is actually electricity. He doesn't even know that word. The problem of human dignity in the drama "Thunderstorm", the epigraph to which can be Kuligin's remark "Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel!", thanks to the introduction of this character, receives deeper coverage.

Kuligin, seeing all the vices of society, is silent. Only Katerina protests. Despite its weakness, it is still strong nature. The plot of the play is based on the tragic conflict between the way of life and the real feeling of the main character. The problem of human dignity in the drama "Thunderstorm" is revealed in the contrast between the "dark kingdom" and the "ray" - Katerina.

"Dark Kingdom" and its victims

The inhabitants of Kalinov are divided into two groups. One of them is made up of representatives of the "dark kingdom", personifying power. This is Boar and Wild. The other group includes Kuligin, Katerina, Kudryash, Tikhon, Boris and Varvara. They are victims of the "dark kingdom", feeling its cruel power, but protesting against it in different ways. Through their actions or inaction, the problem of human dignity is revealed in the drama "Thunderstorm". Ostrovsky's plan was to show from different sides the influence of the "dark kingdom" with its suffocating atmosphere.

Katerina's character

Interests and strongly stands out against the background of the environment in which she unwittingly found herself. The reason for the drama of life lies precisely in its special, exceptional character.

This girl is a dreamy and poetic nature. She was raised by a mother who spoiled her and loved her. The daily activities of the heroine in her childhood were caring for flowers, visiting church, embroidery, walking, stories of praying women and wanderers. Under the influence of this way of life, the girls developed. Sometimes she fell into daydreams, dreamlike dreams. Katerina's speech is emotional, figurative. And this poetically minded and impressionable girl, after marriage, finds herself in Kabanova's house, in an atmosphere of importunate guardianship and hypocrisy. The atmosphere of this world is cold and soulless. Naturally, the conflict between the bright world of Katerina and the atmosphere of this "dark kingdom" ends tragically.

The relationship between Katerina and Tikhon

The situation is further complicated by the fact that she married a man whom she could not love and did not know, although she tried with all her might to become faithful to Tikhon and loving wife. The heroine's attempts to get closer to her husband are shattered by his narrow-mindedness, slavish humiliation and rudeness. Since childhood, he has been accustomed to obey his mother in everything, he is afraid to say a word across to her. Tikhon resignedly endures the tyranny of Kabanikh, not daring to object and protest to her. His only desire is to break out from under the care of this woman, at least for a while, to go on a spree, to drink. This weak-willed man, being one of the many victims of the "dark kingdom", not only could not help Katerina in any way, but simply could not understand her as a human being, since inner world the heroine is too tall, complex and inaccessible to him. He could not foresee the drama brewing in the heart of his wife.

Katerina and Boris

Dikiy's nephew, Boris, is also a victim of a sanctimonious, dark milieu. In terms of his inner qualities, he is much higher than the "benefactors" surrounding him. The education he received in the capital at a commercial academy developed his cultural needs and views, so it is difficult for this character to survive among the Wild and Kabanovs. The problem of human dignity in the play "Thunderstorm" also confronts this hero. However, he lacks the character to break free from their tyranny. He is the only one who managed to understand Katerina, but was unable to help her: he lacks the determination to fight for the girl’s love, so he advises her to humble herself, submit to fate and leaves her, anticipating the death of Katerina. The inability to fight for happiness doomed Boris and Tikhon not to live, but to suffer. Only Katherine was able to challenge this tyranny. The problem of human dignity in the play is thus also a problem of character. Only strong people can challenge the "dark kingdom". They were only the main character.

Dobrolyubov's opinion

The problem of human dignity in the drama "Thunderstorm" was revealed in an article by Dobrolyubov, who called Katerina "a ray of light in a dark kingdom." The death of a gifted young woman, of a strong, passionate nature, lit up the sleeping "kingdom" for a moment, like a ray of sunshine against the background of gloomy dark clouds. Dobrolyubov considers the suicide of Katerina Dobrolyubov as a challenge not only to the Wild and Kabanovs, but to the whole way of life in a gloomy, despotic feudal serf country.

inevitable ending

It was an inevitable ending, despite the fact that the main character so honored God. It was easier for Katerina Kabanova to leave this life than to endure the reproaches of her mother-in-law, gossip and remorse. She pleaded guilty in public, because she did not know how to lie. Suicide and public repentance should be regarded as actions that elevated her human dignity.

Katerina could be despised, humiliated, even beaten, but she never humiliated herself, did not commit unworthy, low deeds, they only went against the morality of this society. Although what kind of morality can such limited, stupid people have? The issue of human dignity in The Thunderstorm is the issue of the tragic choice between accepting or challenging society. The protest at the same time threatens with serious consequences, up to the need to lose one's life.

Moral problems in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm"

Ostrovsky was once called "Columbus of Zamoskvorechye", emphasizing the artistic discovery of the world of merchants in the playwright's plays, but today such works as "Dowry", "Our people - we will settle", "Talents and admirers", "Forest" and other plays are interesting not only concrete historical problems, but also moral, universal. I would like to tell you more about the play "Thunderstorm".

It is symbolic that in 1859, on the eve of the social upsurge, which would lead to the abolition of serfdom in 61, a play called The Thunderstorm appeared. Just as the title of the play is symbolic, so is its moral issues, in the center of which are the problems of external and internal freedom, love and happiness, the problem of moral choice and responsibility for it.

The problem of external and internal freedom becomes one of the central ones in the play. “Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel,” Kuligin says already at the beginning of the play.

Only one person is given to stand out against the background of those who are humiliating and humiliated - Katerina. Already the first appearance of Katerina reveals in her not the timid daughter-in-law of a strict mother-in-law, but a person who has dignity and feels like a person: “It’s nice to endure something in vain,” says Katerina in response to the unfair words of Kabanikha. Katerina is a spiritual, bright, dreamy person, she, like no one else in the play, knows how to feel the beautiful. Even her religiosity is also a manifestation of spirituality. The church service is filled with a special charm for her: in the rays of sunlight she saw angels, felt her involvement in something higher, unearthly. The motif of light becomes one of the central ones in Katerina's characterization. “But it seems to glow from the face,” it was enough for Boris to say this, as Kudryash immediately realized that it was about Katerina. Her speech is melodious, figurative, reminiscent of Russian folk songs: "Wild winds, you transfer my sadness and longing to him." Katerina is distinguished by inner freedom, passion of nature, it is not by chance that the motif of a bird, flight appears in the play. The captivity of the boar's house oppresses her, suffocates her. “Everything seems to be from under your captivity. I withered completely with you, ”says Katerina, explaining to Varvara why she does not feel happiness in the Kabanovs' house.

Another moral problem of the play is connected with the image of Katerina - human right to love and happiness. Katerina's rush to Boris is a rush to joy, without which a person cannot live, a rush to happiness, which she was deprived of in the Kabanikh's house. No matter how much Katerina tried to fight her love, this struggle was initially doomed. In Katerina's love, as in a thunderstorm, there was something spontaneous, strong, free, but also tragically doomed, it is no coincidence that she begins her story about love with the words: "I will die soon." Already in this first conversation with Varvara, an image of an abyss, a cliff appears: “To be some kind of sin! Such a fear on me, such a fear! It’s as if I’m standing over an abyss, and someone is pushing me there, but there’s nothing for me to hold on to.”

The most dramatic sound takes on the name of the play when we feel how a "thunderstorm" is brewing in Katerina's soul. The central moral problem play can be called the problem of moral choice. The clash of duty and feeling, like a thunderstorm, destroyed that harmony in Katerina's soul with which she lived; she no longer dreams, as before, of “golden temples or extraordinary gardens”, it is no longer possible to relieve her soul with a prayer: “I will begin to think - I will not collect my thoughts in any way, I will not pray in any way.” Without consent with herself, Katerina cannot live, she could never, like Barbara, be content with thieves', hidden love. The consciousness of her sinfulness burdens Katerina, torments her more than all the reproaches of Kabanikha. The heroine of Ostrovsky cannot live in a world of discord - this explains her death. She herself made the choice - and she pays for it herself, without blaming anyone: "No one is to blame - she herself went for it."

It can be concluded that it is the moral issues of Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" that makes this work interesting for the modern reader even today.

  1. The problem of fathers and children
  2. The problem of self-realization
  3. The Problem of Power
  4. The problem of love
  5. Conflict of old and new

The problematics of a work in literary criticism is a range of problems that are somehow touched upon in the text. This may be one or more aspects that the author focuses on. In this work, we will focus on the problems of Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm. A. N. Ostrovsky received a literary vocation after the first published play. “Poverty is not a vice”, “Dowry”, “Profitable Place” - these and many other works are devoted to social and everyday topics, but the issue of the play “Thunderstorm” needs to be considered separately.

The play received mixed reviews from critics. Dobrolyubov saw in Katerina hope for new life, Ap. Grigoriev noticed the emerging protest against the existing order, and L. Tolstoy did not accept the play at all. The plot of "Thunderstorm", at first glance, is quite simple: everything is based on a love conflict. Katerina secretly meets with a young man, while her husband has gone to another city on business. Unable to cope with the pangs of conscience, the girl confesses to treason, after which she rushes into the Volga.
However, behind all this everyday, domestic, lies much larger things that threaten to grow to the scale of space. Dobrolyubov calls the “dark kingdom” the situation that is described in the text. An atmosphere of lies and betrayal. In Kalinovo, people are so accustomed to moral dirt that their uncomplaining consent only exacerbates the situation. It becomes scary from the realization that this is not a place that made people like this, it was people who independently turned the city into a kind of accumulation of vices. And now already dark kingdom' begins to affect residents. After a detailed acquaintance with the text, one can notice how widely developed the problems of the work "Thunderstorm". The problems in Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm" are diverse, but at the same time they do not have a hierarchy. Each individual problem is important in itself.

The problem of fathers and children

Here we are not talking about misunderstanding, but about total control, about patriarchal orders. The play shows the life of the Kabanov family. At that time, the opinion of the eldest man in the family was undeniable, and wives and daughters were practically deprived of rights. The head of the family is Marfa Ignatievna, a widow. She took over the male functions. This is a powerful and prudent woman. Kabanikha believes that she takes care of her children, ordering them to do as she wants. This behavior led to quite logical consequences. Her son, Tikhon, is a weak and spineless person. Mother, it seems, wanted to see him like that, because in this case it is easier to control a person. Tikhon is afraid to say anything, to express his opinion; in one of the scenes, he admits that he does not have his own point of view at all. Tikhon cannot protect either himself or his wife from the tantrums and cruelty of his mother. The daughter of Kabanikhi, Varvara, on the contrary, managed to adapt to this way of life. She easily lies to her mother, the girl even changed the lock on the gate in the garden in order to freely go on dates with Curly.
Tikhon is not capable of any kind of rebellion, while Varvara, in the finale of the play, escapes from her parents' house with her lover.

The problem of self-realization

When talking about the problems of the "Thunderstorm" one cannot fail to mention this aspect. The problem is realized in the image of Kuligin. This self-taught inventor dreams of making something useful for all the inhabitants of the city. His plans include assembling a perpetu mobile, building a lightning rod, and getting electricity. But this whole dark, semi-pagan world needs neither light nor enlightenment. Dikoy laughs at Kuligin's plans to find an honest income, openly mocks him. Boris, after talking with Kuligin, understands that the inventor will never invent a single thing. Perhaps Kuligin himself understands this. He could be called naive, but he knows what morals reign in Kalinov, what happens behind closed doors, what are those in whose hands power is concentrated. Kuligin learned to live in this world without losing himself. But he is not able to feel the conflict between reality and dreams as keenly as Katerina did.

The Problem of Power

In the city of Kalinov, power is not in the hands of the relevant authorities, but in those who have money. Proof of this is the dialogue between the merchant Wild and the mayor. The mayor tells the merchant that complaints are being received against the latter. To this Savl Prokofievich replies rudely. Dikoi does not hide the fact that he cheats ordinary peasants, he speaks of deceit as a normal phenomenon: if merchants steal from each other, then you can steal from ordinary residents. In Kalinov, nominal power decides absolutely nothing, and this is fundamentally wrong. After all, it turns out that without money in such a city it is simply impossible to live. Dikoy fancies himself almost a father-king, deciding who to lend money to and who not. “So know that you are a worm. If I want to, I'll have mercy, if I want to, I'll crush it, ”this is how Dikoy Kuligin answers.

The problem of love

In "Thunderstorm" the problem of love is realized in pairs Katerina - Tikhon and Katerina - Boris. The girl is forced to live with her husband, although she does not feel any feelings other than pity for him. Katya rushes from one extreme to another: she thinks between the option of staying with her husband and learning to love him or leaving Tikhon. Katya's feelings for Boris flare up instantly. This passion pushes the girl to take a decisive step: Katya goes against public opinion and Christian morality. Her feelings were mutual, but for Boris this love meant much less. Katya believed that Boris, just like her, was incapable of living in a frozen city and lying for profit. Katerina often compared herself to a bird, she wanted to fly away, to escape from that metaphorical cage, and in Boris Katya saw that air, that freedom that she lacked so much. Unfortunately, the girl made a mistake in Boris. The young man turned out to be the same as the inhabitants of Kalinov. He wanted to improve relations with Wild for the sake of getting money, he spoke with Varvara that it was better to keep feelings for Katya secret for as long as possible.

Conflict of old and new

It is about resisting the patriarchal way of life with the new order, which implies equality and freedom. This topic was very relevant. Recall that the play was written in 1859, and serfdom was abolished in 1861. Social contradictions reached their climax. The author wanted to show what the absence of reforms and decisive action can lead to. Confirmation of this are the final words of Tikhon. “Good for you, Katya! Why am I left to live in the world and suffer!” In such a world, the living envy the dead.

Most of all, this contradiction was reflected in the main character of the play. Katerina cannot understand how one can live in lies and animal humility. The girl was suffocating in the atmosphere that was created by the inhabitants of Kalinov for a long time. She is honest and pure, so her only desire was so small and so great at the same time. Katya just wanted to be herself, to live the way she was raised. Katerina sees that everything is not at all the way she imagined before marriage. She cannot even afford a sincere impulse - to hug her husband - Kabanikha controlled and prevented any attempts by Katya to be sincere. Varvara supports Katya, but cannot understand her. Katerina is left alone in this world of deceit and dirt. The girl could not endure such pressure, she finds salvation in death. Death frees Katya from the burden of earthly life, turning her soul into something light, capable of flying away from the "dark kingdom".

It can be concluded that the problems in the drama "Thunderstorm" are significant and relevant to this day. These are unresolved issues of human existence, which will worry a person at all times. It is thanks to this formulation of the question that the play "Thunderstorm" can be called a work out of time.

Problems of Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm" - a description of the problems for an essay on the topic |

Reflections on the moral edge of the problem of relationships between generations (based on the drama by A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm").

Morality is those rules that determine the behavior of people. Behavior (action) expresses the internal state of a person, manifested through his spirituality (intellect, development of thought) and the life of the soul (feeling).

Morality in the life of the older and younger generations is connected with the eternal law of continuity. The young adopt life experience and traditions from the old, and the wise elders teach the young the rules of life - “mind-reason”. However, young people are characterized by boldness of thought, an unbiased view of things without reference to an established opinion. It is because of this that conflicts often arise between them, a lack of agreement of opinions.

The actions and life assessments of the heroes of the drama A.N. Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm" (1859) reflect their morality.

Representatives of the merchant class of Dikoy and Kabanov are those people whose wealth and significance among the inhabitants of the city of Kalinov determine their high position. Those around them feel the power of their influence, and this power is capable of breaking the will of dependent people, humiliating the unfortunate, realizing their own insignificance in comparison with the "powerful ones of this world." Therefore, Savel Prokofievich Wild, “ significant person in the city”, does not meet any contradiction in anyone. He keeps the family in awe, which, in the days of his anger, hides “in attics and closets”; likes to catch fear on people who do not dare to “peep” about salaries; keeps his nephew Boris in a black body, having robbed them with his sister, brazenly appropriated their inheritance; denounce, insulting, meek Kuligin.

Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova, known in the city for her piety and wealth, also has her own ideas about morality. For her, the desire of the younger generation for “freedom” is criminal, because what good and the young wife of the son, and the daughter, the “girl”, will cease to be “afraid” of both Tikhon and herself, all-powerful and infallible. “They don’t know anything, there is no order,” the old woman is angry. “Order” and “old times” are the basis on which the Wild and Kabanovs rely. But their tyranny loses self-confidence, it is not able to stop the development of young forces. New concepts and attitudes inevitably come into life and crowd out the old forces, obsolete norms of life and established morality. So Kuligin, a naive person, wants to ennoble Kalinov by building a lightning rod and a sundial. And he dares, impudent, to read Derzhavin's poems, glorifying the "mind", in front of "his degree", the all-powerful merchant, who is on friendly footing with the mayor himself, the head of the city. And the young daughter-in-law of Marfa Ignatievna at parting "throws herself on her husband's neck." And it is supposed to bow at the feet. Yes, and does not want to "howl" on the porch - "to make people laugh." And the resigned Tikhon will blame his mother for the death of his wife.

Tyranny, as the critic Dobrolyubov claims, "is hostile to the natural demands of mankind ... because in their triumph he sees the approach of his inevitable death." “Wild and Kabanovs are shrinking and shrinking” - this is inevitable.

The younger generation is Tikhon, Katerina, Varvara Kabanova, this is the nephew of Wild Boris. Katerina and her mother-in-law have similar ideas about the morality of the younger members of the family: they must be God-fearing and honor the elders - this is in the traditions of the Russian family. But further on, the ideas of one and the other about life, in their moral assessments, differ sharply.

Brought up in the atmosphere of a patriarchal merchant's house, in conditions of parental love, care and prosperity, the young Kabanova has a character that is "loving, creative, ideal." But in her husband's family, she faces a formidable prohibition "to live by her own will", which comes from a harsh and soulless mother-in-law. That's when the demands of "nature", a living, natural feeling, acquire an irresistible power over a young woman. “This is how I was born, hot,” she says of herself. According to Dobrolyubov, Katerina's morality is not guided by logic and reason. “She is strange, extravagant, from the point of view of others,” and, fortunately, the oppression of her mother-in-law with her despotic disposition did not kill the desire for “freedom” in the heroine.

Will is both an elemental impulse (“That’s how I would run up, raise my hands and fly”), and the desire to ride along the Volga with songs, embracing, and fervent prayers, if the soul asks for communion with God, and even the need “to throw myself out the window, into Volga to rush ", if she "gets cold" captivity.

Her feelings for Boris are unrestrained. Katerina is ruled by love (he is not like everyone else, he is the best!) and passion (“If I am not afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid of human court?”). But the heroine, a woman with a solid, strong character, does not accept lies, and she considers split feelings, pretense, even a greater sin than her own fall.

The purity of her moral sense and pangs of conscience lead her to repentance, public recognition and, as a result, to suicide.

The conflict between generations due to different moral assessments acquires tragic features if it ends in the death of people.

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