Why does the critic N.A. Dobrolyubov call Katerina a “strong character”?

In the article “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom”, N.A. Dobrolyubov writes that “The Thunderstorm” expresses “a strong Russian character”, which strikes “by its opposite to any self-impossible beginnings”. This character is “concentrated and resolute, unswervingly faithful to the instinct of natural truth, full of faith in new ideals and selfless, in the sense that death is better for him than life under those principles that are contrary to him.” This is how the critic saw the character of Katerina. But is this the way the reader sees it? And how does the character of the heroine manifest itself in action?

The formation of personality begins in childhood, so the author introduces Katerina's story about life in her parents' house into the play. The experiences of the heroine, her state of mind, the perception of the events that happened to her as a tragedy - all this would be incomprehensible without a description of life before marriage and after. To explain the changes that have taken place in Katerina's soul, and her inner struggle that arose as a result of her actions, the author gives pictures of the heroine's childhood and youth through memories painted in light colors (unlike " dark kingdom where she is forced to live in marriage).

Katerina considers the atmosphere of the parental home very beneficial for her development and upbringing: “I lived, didn’t grieve about anything, ... like a bird in the wild.” The occupations of this period - needlework, gardening, going to church, singing, talking with wanderers - do not differ much from what fills the life of the heroine in the Kabanovs' house. But behind the fence of the merchant's house there is no freedom of choice, warmth and sincerity in relations between people, there is no joy and desire to sing like a bird. Everything, as in a distorted mirror, is distorted beyond recognition, and this causes dissonance in Katerina's soul. Anger, quarrelsomeness, eternal dissatisfaction, constant reproaches, moralizing and distrust of the mother-in-law deprived Katerina of confidence in her own rightness and purity of thoughts, caused anxiety and mental pain. She longingly recalls a happy and peaceful life in girlhood, about how her parents loved her. Here, in the “dark kingdom”, the joyful expectation of happiness, the bright perception of the world, disappeared.

Cheerfulness, optimism, a feeling of purity and light in the soul were replaced by despondency, a sense of sinfulness and guilt, fear and a desire to die. This is no longer the cheerful girl that people knew her as a girl, this is a completely different Katerina. But the strength of character is manifested even in the conditions of life behind the fence, since the heroine cannot humbly endure injustice and humiliation, accept the principles of merchant hypocrisy. When Kabanova reproaches Katerina for pretense, she objects to her mother-in-law: “What with people, without people, I’m all alone, I don’t prove anything of myself ... It’s nice to endure slander!”

So no one talked to Kabanova, and Katerina was used to being sincere, and she wanted to stay like that in her husband's family. Indeed, before marriage, she was a cheerful and sensitive girl, loved nature, was kind to people. That is why N.A. Dobrolyubov had reason to call Katerina a “strong character”, which “amazes us with its opposite” in relation to the characters of the merchant class depicted in the play. Indeed, the image main character is the opposite of others female characters in the play "Thunderstorm".

Katerina is a sensitive and romantic nature: sometimes it seemed to her that she was standing over an abyss and someone was pushing her there, down. She seemed to have a premonition of her fall (sin and early death), so her soul is filled with fear. To love another person while married is an unforgivable sin for a believer. The girl was brought up on principles high morality and the fulfillment of Christian commandments, but she is used to living "by her own will", that is, to have the opportunity to choose in her actions, to make decisions on her own. Therefore, she says to Varvara: “And if I get cold here, they won’t hold me back by any force. I’ll throw myself out the window, I’ll throw myself into the Volga.

Boris said about Katerina that in church she prays with an angelic smile, "but from her face it seems to glow." And this opinion confirms the peculiarity inner world Katerina, speaks of her difference in comparison with other heroes of the play. IN native family where there was respect for the personality of the child, in an atmosphere of love, kindness and trust, the girl saw worthy role models. Feeling warmth and sincerity, she got used to a free life, to work without coercion. Parents did not scold her, but rejoiced, watching her behavior and actions. This gave her confidence that she was living correctly and without sin, and that God had nothing to punish her for. Her pure, immaculate soul was open to kindness and love.

In the house of the Kabanovs, as well as in the city of Kalinovo in general, Katerina finds herself in an atmosphere of bondage, hypocrisy, suspicion, where she is treated as a potential sinner, accused in advance of what she did not even think of doing. At first she made excuses, trying to prove to everyone her moral purity, experienced and endured, but the habit of freedom and longing for sincerity in relations with people make her go out, break out of the “dungeon”, first into the garden, then to the Volga, then to forbidden love. And a feeling of guilt comes to Katerina, she begins to think that, having crossed the borders of the "dark kingdom", she violated her own ideas about Christian morality, about morality. It means that she has become different: she is a sinner, worthy of God's punishment.

For Katerina, feelings of loneliness, defenselessness, her own sinfulness and loss of interest in life turned out to be fatal. No nearby dear people that would be worth living for. Caring for elderly parents or children would bring responsibility and joy into her life, but the heroine has no children, and whether her parents were alive is unknown, the play does not say.

However, it would not be entirely correct to consider Katerina a victim of an unhappy marriage, because hundreds of women patiently accepted and endured such circumstances. It is also impossible to call her repentance to her husband, an honest confession of treason, stupidity, since Katerina could not have done otherwise, thanks to her spiritual purity. And suicide was the only way out because the man she loved, Boris, could not take her with him, leaving at the request of his uncle to Siberia. It was for her to return to the Kabanovs' house worse than death: Katerina understood that they were looking for her, that she would not even have time to escape, and in the state in which the unfortunate woman was, the nearest path led her to the Volga.

All of the above arguments confirm the opinion of N.A. Dobrolyubov that Katerina became a victim of her own purity, although it is in the purity of her spiritual strength and that inner core that the merchant Kabanova could not break. The freedom-loving nature of Katerina, her principles, which did not allow her to lie, put the heroine much higher than all the characters in the play. In this situation, the decision to leave the world, where everything was contrary to her ideals, was a manifestation of strength of character. In those circumstances, only strong man could decide to protest: Katerina felt lonely, but she rebelled against the foundations of the "dark kingdom" and significantly shook this block of ignorance.

In the play, "Thunderstorm" is so ambiguous that it still causes conflicting opinions and disputes among critics. Some call it "a bright ray in dark kingdom”, “decisive nature”. Others, on the contrary, reproach the heroine for her weakness, her inability to stand up for her own happiness. Who Katerina really is is difficult to answer unequivocally, and even impossible. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, and the main character had them too.

The desire to create a happy family

Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" tells about the confrontation between light and darkness, good and evil, new and old. Katerina's characterization allows the reader to understand how hard it is for a girl brought up in a loving family, where warmth and mutual understanding always reigned, to be in a house where everyone lives in fear. The main character wanted with all her heart to love her husband, to create happy family, give birth to children and live a long life, but, unfortunately, all her hopes went to dust.

Katerina's mother-in-law kept the whole city in fear, what can we say about relatives who were afraid to take a step without her knowledge. The boar constantly humiliated and insulted her daughter-in-law, set her son against her. Tikhon treated his wife well, but could not protect her from the arbitrariness of his mother, to whom he unconditionally obeyed. The characterization of Katerina in the play "Thunderstorm" shows how disgusting she is to perform certain "rituals" in public, meaningless and no longer relevant.

Finding Happiness

It is clear that the main character could not live long in such an environment that Kabanikha created, so the tragic ending was obvious from the very beginning. The description of Katerina in the play "Thunderstorm" creates the image of a pure and bright girl, very kind and reverent about religion. She cannot endure oppression, and when her husband leaves for a trip, she decides to find happiness on the side. Katerina starts an affair with Boris Grigorievich, but going on a date with him she already understands that she does not have long to live.

The time spent with her lover is the best in the life of the heroine, she seems to be on a holiday. The characterization of Katerina in the play "Thunderstorm" shows that Boris Grigoryevich becomes for a woman a dream and an outlet, about which she dreamed all the time. The heroine understood that she would never be forgiven for treason, and her mother-in-law would die in general, and she herself could not live with such a grave sin.

Confession

The characterization of Katerina in the play "Thunderstorm" makes it possible to understand that the heroine cannot live a lie, constantly deceive others. A woman confesses her infidelity to her husband and mother-in-law "in front of all honest people." Kabanikha could not endure such a shame. If Katerina had not died, then she would have had to live under eternal arrest, her mother-in-law would not have let her breathe freely.

It was not worth hoping that Boris would save his beloved and take him away from the city. This man chose money, thereby leaving Katerina to her death. Suicide does not justify a woman, but this step was taken out of desperation. The heroine is a bright nature, she could not take root in the kingdom of darkness.

Katerina - central character Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm". From the moment of writing, the work has been very popular. Performances staged based on the play do not leave the stage of the largest theaters. main reason such popularity in the talented disclosure of Katerina's character by the author.

The inevitable conflict with others and the emotional drama of the main character leads to her tragic death.

In the image of Katerina, Ostrovsky portrayed a strong independent personality, which is held back by the chains of traditional society. The patriarchal way of life, which everyone in the city adheres to, stifles the slightest manifestations of a living soul. His main supporter is Tikhon's mother. She raised her son in conditions of unquestioning obedience. Tikhon in his heart understands all the stupidity of mother's instructions, but he does not have the will to resist her.

Katerina sincerely loves and pities her husband. She cannot look indifferently at his humiliation in front of her mother. But she can't fix anything either. The stuffy atmosphere that prevails in the city gradually takes possession of it. Katerina unconsciously wants to break out of it.

The emotional drama of Katerina lies in the fact that under other conditions she would never have committed adultery to her husband. But in this "sleepy kingdom" it is too crowded for her, she suffocates from such a life. In the famous monologue of the protagonist " Why do people do not fly” this spiritual aspiration is most clearly expressed. The fantastic desire to become a bird and fly away "far, far away" is a passionate impulse of a tortured soul.

In reality, Katerina's release was the result of a sudden love for Boris. The decency of the woman did not allow her to speak openly about this. The rapprochement took place with the assistance of Varvara. The romance with Boris, on the one hand, inspired Katerina, allowed her to feel the real enjoyment of life. On the other hand, this novel became disastrous for the main character.

The image of Katerina is extremely tragic. She cannot be considered a fallen woman who betrayed her husband for the sake of a fleeting hobby. The betrayal occurred through the fault of an old woman who had lost her mind and her weak-willed son. The time spent without a husband flashed by like a moment. Katerina anticipates the inevitable retribution for her terrible sin. She could easily hide all this, but, being a deeply religious woman, she does not even allow the thought of deception.

Katerina's mental turmoil intensifies with the arrival of Tikhon. She lives as if in delirium, frightening those around her with her behavior and words. Katerina is waiting for divine punishment for her sinful behavior. The feeling of imminent death leads her to a terrible confession to her husband and his mother. Having confessed to sin, she, as it were, purifies her soul before death. Katerina's suicide is a logical outcome of the work. Her spiritual drama could not be resolved otherwise.

Katerina is a wonderful example of a strong spiritual personality. She is not to blame for the betrayal, nor for her own death. Ostrovsky convincingly showed what a destructive effect obsolete concepts and prejudices have on the human soul. The emotional drama of Katerina is indicative of any historical era.

Some interesting essays

  • Analysis of the story Commissar Sholokhova

    The action of the work "Food Commissioner" takes place in one village, where there is a huge number of fields. And all of them are sown every year with bread, then it is weeded, and then the time comes to collect it, and this is where the real problems begin.

  • Composition based on the painting Polenov's Grandmother's Garden Grade 8

    In the 19th century most Russian artists worked in the genre of landscape. But Polenov Vasily Dmitrievich worked in the genre of "mood landscape". This genre was personally invented by the artist and was not used by anyone in the future.

  • The image and characteristics of Don Quixote essay

    For Spanish culture, the image of Don Quixote is one of the central and fundamental, and, probably, for the entire European culture, Don Quixote is of great importance. It seems to me that for Russian culture it is not so clear

  • Composition Story of an old textbook or History of an old textbook with direct speech Grade 6

    At the end of the school year, students handed in their textbooks to school library. A caring librarian carefully placed them on the bookshelves where textbooks were supposed to spend all summer.

  • Analysis of the work of the Little Prince Exupery

    « Little Prince"- the most notable work talented French author, publicist and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The product is on the must-have list. school literature

"Thunderstorm". This is a young woman who does not yet have children and lives in her mother-in-law's house, where, in addition to her and her husband Tikhon, Tikhon's unmarried sister, Varvara, also lives. Katerina has been in love with Boris, who lives in the house of Dikiy, his orphaned nephew, for some time.

While her husband is nearby, she secretly dreams of Boris, but after his departure, Katerina begins to meet with a young man and enters into a love affair with him, with the aid of her daughter-in-law, to whom Katerina's connection is even beneficial.

The main conflict in the novel is the confrontation between Katerina and her mother-in-law, Tikhon's mother, Kabanikha. Life in the city of Kalinov is a deep swamp that sucks deeper and deeper. "Old concepts" prevail over everything. Whatever the “seniors” do, they should get away with everything, free-thinking will not be tolerated here, the “wild nobility” here feels like a fish in water.

The mother-in-law is jealous of a young attractive daughter-in-law, feeling that with the marriage of her son, her power over him rests only on constant reproaches and moral pressure. In her daughter-in-law, despite her dependent position, Kabanikha feels a strong opponent, a whole nature that does not succumb to her tyrant oppression.

Katerina does not have due respect for her, does not tremble and does not look Kabanikhe in the mouth, catching her every word. She does not act sad when her husband leaves, she does not try to be useful to her mother-in-law in order to earn a favorable nod - she is different, her nature resists pressure.

Katerina is a believing woman, and for her sin is a crime that she cannot hide. In the house of her parents, she lived as she wanted, and did what she liked: she planted flowers, prayed earnestly in church, experiencing a sense of enlightenment, listened with curiosity to the stories of wanderers. She was always loved, and she developed a strong, self-willed character, she did not tolerate any injustice and could not lie and maneuver.

At the mother-in-law, however, constant unfair reproaches await her. She is guilty of the fact that Tikhon does not, as before, show proper respect for his mother, and does not demand it from his wife either. The boar reproaches her son for not appreciating the mother's suffering in his name. The power of the tyrant slips out of the hands right before our eyes.

The betrayal of the daughter-in-law, in which the impressionable Katerina confessed in public, is the reason for Kabanikh to rejoice and repeat:

“I told you! And no one listened to me!

All sins and transgressions are due to the fact that, perceiving new trends, they do not listen to the elders. The world in which the eldest Kabanova lives suits her quite well: power over her family and in the city, wealth, severe moral pressure over her family. This is the life of Kabanikh, this is how her parents lived, and their parents - and this has not changed.

While the girl is young, she does what she wants, but when she gets married, she seems to die for the world, appearing with her family only in the market and in the church, and occasionally in crowded places. So Katerina, having come to her husband's house after a free and happy youth, also had to symbolically die, but she could not.

The same feeling of a miracle that is about to come, the expectation of the unknown, the desire to fly in and soar, which had been with her since her free youth, did not disappear anywhere, and the explosion would have happened anyway. Even if not by a connection with Boris, Katerina would still challenge the world into which she came after marriage.

It would be easier for Katerina if she loved her husband. But every day, watching how Tikhon is mercilessly suppressed by her mother-in-law, she lost her feelings, and even the remnants of respect for him. She felt sorry for him, encouraging him from time to time, and not even being very offended when Tikhon, humiliated by his mother, takes out his insult on her.

Boris seems different to her, although he is in the same humiliated position because of his sister as Tikhon. Since Katerina sees him briefly, she cannot appreciate his spiritual qualities. And when two weeks of love dope are dispelled with the arrival of her husband, she is too busy with mental anguish and her guilt to understand that his situation is no better than that of Tikhon. Boris, still clinging to a faint hope that he will get something from his grandmother's fortune, is forced to leave. He does not call Katerina with him, his mental strength is not enough for this, and he leaves with tears:

“Oh, if only there was strength!”

Katerina has no way out. The daughter-in-law has fled, the husband is broken, the lover is leaving. She remains in the power of the Kabanikha, and understands that now she will not let the guilty daughter-in-law do anything ... if she scolded her for nothing before. Further - this is a slow death, not a day without reproaches, a weak husband and there is no way to see Boris. And believing Katerina prefers to all this a terrible mortal sin - suicide - as a liberation from earthly torments.

She realizes that her impulse is terrible, but for her it is even more preferable to punish for sin than to live in the same house with the Boar before her physical death - the spiritual one has already happened.

A whole and freedom-loving nature can never withstand pressure and mockery.

Katerina could have run away, but she had no one with her. Because - suicide, quick death instead of slow. She nevertheless made her escape from the realm of "tyrants of Russian life".

2. The image of Katerina in the play "Thunderstorm"

Katerina is a lonely young woman who lacks human participation, sympathy, love. The need for this draws her to Boris. She sees that outwardly he does not look like other residents of the city of Kalinov, and, not being able to find out his inner essence, considers him a man of another world. In her imagination, Boris appears as a handsome prince who will take her away from the "dark kingdom" to fairy world that exists in her dreams.

In terms of character and interests, Katerina stands out sharply from her environment. The fate of Katerina, unfortunately, is a vivid and typical example of the fate of thousands of Russian women of that time. Katerina is a young woman, the wife of the merchant's son Tikhon Kabanov. She recently left her home and moved to her husband's house, where she lives with her mother-in-law Kabanova, who is the sovereign mistress. In the family, Katerina has no rights, she is not even free to dispose of herself. With warmth and love, she recalls her parental home, her maiden life. There she lived freely, surrounded by the caress and care of her mother.

Katerina found herself in completely different conditions in her husband's house .. At every step she felt dependent on her mother-in-law, suffered humiliation and insults. On the part of Tikhon, she does not meet any support, much less understanding, since he himself is under the rule of Kabanikh. By her kindness, Katerina is ready to treat Kabanikha like her own mother. "But Katerina's sincere feelings do not meet with support from either Kabanikha or Tikhon.

Life in such an environment changed the character of Katerina. Katerina's sincerity and truthfulness collide in the house of Kabanikh with lies, hypocrisy, hypocrisy, and rudeness. When love for Boris is born in Katerina, it seems to her a crime, and she struggles with the feeling that has washed over her. Katerina's truthfulness and sincerity make her suffer so much that she finally has to repent to her husband. Katerina's sincerity, her truthfulness are incompatible with the life of the "dark kingdom". All this was the cause of the tragedy of Katerina.

"Katerina's public repentance shows the depth of her suffering, moral greatness, determination. But after repentance, her situation became unbearable. Her husband does not understand her, Boris is weak-willed and does not go to her aid. The situation has become hopeless - Katerina is dying. It is not the fault of Katerina's death one specific person. Her death is the result of the incompatibility of morality and the way of life in which she was forced to exist. The image of Katerina was of great educational importance for Ostrovsky's contemporaries and for subsequent generations. He called for the fight against all forms of despotism and oppression human personality. It is an expression of the growing protest of the masses against all forms of slavery.

Katerina, sad and cheerful, compliant and obstinate, dreamy, depressed and proud. Such different states of mind are explained by the naturalness of every mental movement of this at the same time restrained and impetuous nature, the strength of which lies in the ability to always be itself. Katerina remained true to herself, that is, she could not change the very essence of her character.

I think that the most important trait of Katerina's character is honesty towards herself, her husband, the world around her; it is her unwillingness to live a lie. She does not want and cannot cheat, pretend, lie, hide. This is confirmed by the scene of Katerina's confession of treason. Not a thunderstorm, not a frightening prophecy of a crazy old woman, not a fear of fiery hell prompted the heroine to tell the truth. “The whole heart is broken! I can't take it anymore!" So she began her confession. For her honest and whole nature, the false position in which she found herself is unbearable. To live just to live is not for her. To live means to be yourself. Her most precious value is personal freedom, the freedom of the soul.

With such a character, Katerina, after betraying her husband, could not remain in his house, return to a monotonous and dreary life, endure the constant reproaches and “moralizing” of Kabanikh, lose her freedom. But any patience comes to an end. It is difficult for Katerina to be where she is not understood, where her human dignity is humiliated and insulted, her feelings and desires are ignored. Before her death, she says: “What is home, what is in the grave is all the same ... In the grave is better ...” She does not want death, but life is unbearable.

Katerina is a deeply religious and God-fearing person. Since, according to the Christian religion, suicide is a great sin, by deliberately committing it, she showed not weakness, but strength of character. Her death is a challenge to the “dark force”, a desire to live in the “light kingdom” of love, joy and happiness.

The death of Katerina is the result of a collision of two historical eras. With her death, Katerina protests against despotism and tyranny, her death testifies to the approaching end of the "dark kingdom." The image of Katerina belongs to the best images Russian fiction. Katerina is a new type of people in Russian reality in the 60s of the XIX century.