Kabanikha, she is Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova - the central heroine of Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm", a rich merchant's wife, widow, mother of Tikhon and Varvara, mother-in-law of Katerina.

Kabanikha is a very strong and powerful person. She is religious, but does not believe in forgiveness and mercy. This heroine is completely immersed in earthly affairs and practical interests. First of all, she is interested in the strict observance of the patriarchal order. From others, she requires the obligatory performance of the rite and rank. The feelings of people and the emotional side of the issue do not arouse any interest in Kabanikh.

The boar is unhappy with her family, especially her son and daughter-in-law.

She constantly saws them, interferes in their affairs, makes harsh remarks. It seems to her that her son has recently cooled off towards her, and her daughter-in-law does not at all inspire confidence with her behavior. Kabanikha is sure that the correct family structure is based on the younger generation's fear of the elder, the wife's fear of her husband. She believes that fear and command are the main elements family life, therefore, he does not feel like a tyrant, because parents must be strict with children in order to teach them goodness. However, Kabanikha feels that there are fewer and fewer keepers of the old way of life, the patriarchal system is gradually being destroyed, and new changes in life are coming. For Kabanikhi, this is a tragedy. She is not a tyrant at all and even condemns her godfather Wild for his temper. Such willful behavior and endless complaints about domestic Kabanikh considers a manifestation of weakness of character. She herself never complains to others about her family. The boar faithfully honors the traditions of their ancestors, without thinking about whether they are good or bad. She is convinced that you need to live as the fathers bequeathed, this will help maintain peace and order on earth. At the end of the play, Kabanikha experiences a personal tragedy: the daughter-in-law publicly confesses her sin, the son publicly rebels against his mother, and the daughter runs away from home. The world of Kabanikha is collapsing, and she perishes with it.

It is interesting that in the play one can clearly see the contrasting juxtaposition of Kabanikha and main character Catherine. They have similar features: both belong to the patriarchal world with its ideas and values, both have extraordinary strength in character and are maximalists. The heroines do not allow the possibility of compromise, they do not believe in forgiveness and mercy, although both are religious. This is where their similarities end, emphasizing the contrast of the heroines and creating the possibility of their comparison. Katerina and Kabanikha are two opposite poles patriarchal world. The boar is chained to the ground, she monitors the implementation of order and the observance of the way of life in all its petty manifestations. She cares little about the inner essence of human relations. Katerina, on the contrary, embodies poetry, dreaminess, spirituality, impulse and spirit of the patriarchal way of life in its ideal manifestation.

In the play, Kabanikha is characterized not only with the help of his own statements and actions, but also thanks to discussions by other characters. For the first time, the reader learns about Kabanikh from the impoverished wanderer Feklusha, who thanks the merchant for her generosity. Immediately, Kuligin's retort sounds that Kabanikha is kind only to the poor, and completely stuck at home. And only after these introductory characteristics does Kabanikha herself appear, surrounded by her family. The reader is convinced that Kuligin's words have a truthful basis. The merchant's wife saws her relatives and finds fault with them over trifles. Despite the meekness and sincerity of her daughter-in-law, she shows zealous hostility towards her, reproaches her son for indifference towards her mother. At the same time, Kabanikha, confident in her rightness, feels that the patriarchal world is collapsing. Her apocalyptic expectations are revealed during a dialogue with Feklusha. At first, Kabanikha is still invigorated and convinces the wanderer that there is still silence and order in Kalinovo. But at the end of the conversation, having heard enough of the disturbing stories of Feklusha, she is no longer sure that this order will last long.

Kabanikha is a domineering and cruel woman, completely confident in her rightness. She believes that maintaining the old order and way of life is a guarantee of protecting the house from external chaos. Therefore, she manages her household harshly and firmly, refusing unnecessary emotions, not knowing mercy and doing without forgiveness. She seeks to completely eradicate any hint of disobedience on the part of her family, and punishes severely and cold-bloodedly for every misconduct. Humiliating and insulting loved ones, she piously and respectfully treats strangers.

The image of Kabanikh is monumental, he is a living embodiment of " cruel morals". The heroine is revealed in the work as honest and terrible in her strict sequence, the guardian of the graceless "law", not enlightened by Christian love. She does not cause pity, but it is difficult to condemn her. Causing pain and suffering to loved ones, she is sincerely sure that her behavior is absolutely correct and it is impossible to live differently.

In 1856, A. N. Ostrovsky traveled along the Volga. The impressions of the trip are reflected in his work, "Thunderstorm" is also written based on this trip. This is a story about a merchant's wife, brought up in strictness and morality, who fell in love with young man. Having cheated on her husband, she is unable to hide it. Having publicly repented of treason, she rushes into the Volga.

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The controversial image of Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova

The play is built on the juxtaposition of two strong opposite characters: Ekaterina and Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova. In fact, they have a lot in common: the primacy of the patriarchal world, the maximalism inherent in both, strong characters. Despite their religiosity, they do not compromise and are not inclined to mercy. This is where their similarities end. They are at different poles of the patriarchal world. Kabanikha is an earthly woman, she is concerned about keeping order to the smallest detail. She is not interested in human relations. The patriarchal way of life for Katerina lies in dreaminess, spirituality.

The image of Kabanikh in the play "Thunderstorm" is one of the central. She is a widow left with two children, Varvara and Tikhon. She can rightly be called harsh and merciless for Tikhon's reproaches that he loves his mother less than his wife Katerina, and constantly strives to get away from the will of his mother.

The predominant property of Kabanikhi's personality can be called despotism, but not madness. Each of her requirements for others, whether it be her son or daughter-in-law, is subject to the moral and everyday code "Domostroy". Therefore, she firmly believes in the principles of which it speaks, and considers their unswerving observance right. Referring to Domostroy's concepts, she believes that children should honor their parents so much that the will of the children does not matter. Relations between spouses should be built on the wife's fear of her husband, unquestioning obedience to him.

Boar in the speech of strangers

The characterization of Kabanikha is understandable to the reader, thanks to the statements of the characters in the play. The first mention of Marfa Ignatievna comes from the lips of Feklusha. This is a poor wanderer who is grateful to her for her kindness and generosity. In contrast, Kuligin's words sound that she is generous to the poor, and not to her relatives. After these brief characteristics, the reader is introduced to Kabanikha. Kuligin's words are confirmed. The mother finds fault with the words of her son and daughter-in-law. Even with her meekness and sincerity, Katerina does not inspire confidence in her. In the direction of the son, reproaches fly for the lack of love for the mother.

Opinion about Kabanova members of her family

One of the most emotional moments in the play scene of seeing off son Tikhon. The boar reproaches him for not bowing at his mother's feet, and does not say goodbye to his wife in the way he should. Katerina, after Tikhon's departure, according to Kabanikha, should show her love for him - howl and lie on the porch. The younger generation violates all customs and traditions, and this leads Kabanikha to sad reflections.

Katerina, the daughter-in-law, gets it more than anyone else. Any of her words is cut off by sharp attacks and remarks. Noticing affection, and not fear, in dealing with Tikhon, Kabanikha reproaches her with malice. Her ruthlessness reaches its limit after Katerina's confession. In her opinion, the daughter-in-law deserves to be buried alive in the ground.

Boar contemptuous of Katherine, considering her an example of how irreverently young people treat the older generation. Most of all, she is burdened by the thought that she can be left without power. Her behavior leads to tragic ending plays. In the suicide committed by Katerina, there is also her fault. The daughter-in-law endured humiliation in her address for a long time and once could not stand it.

Obeying the orders of a crazy mother Tikhon becomes a spineless creature. The daughter runs away, tired of the constant interference of the parent in her personal life. The old way of life with true high morality disappears from life, leaving only a dead, oppressive shell. The young characters of the play pretend to keep the patriarchal commandments. Tikhon pretends to love his mother, Varvara goes on secret dates, only Katerina is tormented by conflicting feelings.

Marfa Ignatievna is busy with earthly affairs. She considers herself fair, because, in her opinion, the severity of her parents will be reflected in the most in the best way on children - they will learn to be kind. But the old way of life is collapsing, the patriarchal order is disappearing. This is a tragedy for Marfa Ignatievna. However, irascibility and folly are not in her character. She is unhappy with the temper of her godfather Wild. With her willful behavior and complaints about the Dikoy family, she irritates her.

The boar is devoted to the traditions of her family and ancestors and honors them without judging, judging or complaining about them. If you live according to the will of your fathers, this will lead to peace and order on earth. There is religiosity in the character of Kabanikh. She believes that a person will go to hell for committing evil deeds, but at the same time she does not consider herself guilty of anything. Humiliating others at the expense of her wealth and power is in the order of things for her.

Kabanikhe characterized by dominance, cruelty and confidence in the correctness of their views. In her opinion, maintaining the old order will be able to save her house from the unrest that is happening outside of her house. Therefore, rigidity and hardness are manifested in her character more and more clearly. And having eradicated his own, superfluous emotions, he cannot bear their manifestation in others. For disobedience to her words, the closest people are punished with cold-blooded humiliation and insults. At the same time, this does not apply to strangers, with them she is pious and respectful.

Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is an ambiguous character, it is difficult to feel sorry or just condemn her. On the one hand, she hurts her family members, and on the other, she firmly believes in the correctness of her behavior. Thus, negative qualities the character of Kabanikhi can be called:

  • cruelty;
  • authority;
  • composure.

And the positive ones:

  • strong unshakable character;
  • religiosity;
  • "kindness and generosity to strangers."

The boar in the play "Thunderstorm" is the antagonist of the main character, Katerina. The contrast of the characters in the work is of decisive importance, revealing its meaning. The heroines are representatives of the opposite poles of the patriarchal world. If Katerina is spirituality, poetry, kindness, mercy, then Marfa Ignatievna is earthiness, love of money, pettiness.

The heroine's relationship with her family

An ignorant person, rude, superstitious, guardian of the old laws, despotic, likes to teach and keep everyone in fear - this is a brief description of Boars. This is a rich merchant's wife, widow, mother of Varvara and Tikhon, mother-in-law of Katerina. A woman comes to her family, she constantly saws, teaches, tries to keep the old order at home and gets angry when the youth does not listen to her. Kabanova Marfa Ignatievna firmly believes that order can be restored only if everyone is kept in fear.

The characteristic of Kabanikh allows the reader to understand the attitude of the Old Believers to the new world. The merchant's wife raised her children in fear, she wants to extend her power to her daughter-in-law. She constantly teaches her son, makes him punish his wife, keep her on a short leash. When Tikhon wonders why Katerina needs to be afraid of him, because she loves him, his mother yells at him. After all, if the daughter-in-law of her husband will not be afraid, then her mother-in-law and even more so.

The relationship of the merchant with others

The boar regularly goes to church, surrounds himself with hysterics, regularly gives alms to the poor. The merchant's wife talks to her godfather Wild on an equal footing. Although these two belong to the same world and support the old order, the characterization of Kabanikh shows that the woman still disdains the tyranny of the landowner. Marfa Ignatieva really keeps her family in fear, but she does this to maintain order in the house, and not because of her violent nature. In addition, the merchant's wife will never complain in public about problems in her family, as Wild does.

The last guardian of order

The image of Kabanikh is the embodiment of old belief, some medieval foundations. The merchant's wife suffers from the fact that her world is slowly collapsing. She sees that the youth does not support her, does not respect the old laws, and thinks in a new way. The woman is overwhelmed with some kind of apocalyptic expectations, she does not understand what will happen when all the old-timers die out, and there will be no one to resist everything modern. The House of the Kabanovs is almost the last stronghold where the dogmas of antiquity are revered.

The characterization of Kabanikha does not cause pity for this heroine, although at the end of the play not only Katerina, but also her mother-in-law suffered. For the merchant's wife, the public confession of her daughter-in-law, the rebellion of her son and the escape from her daughter's house were a terrible blow. But this woman did not understand that by her rejection modern world she led to the death of Katerina, ruined the life of Varvara and pushed Tikhon to drunkenness. No one got better from the rule of Kabanikhi. But she does not understand this, because the merchant's wife, even after so many misfortunes, continues to insist on her own.

The Dark Kingdom in the drama of Ostrovsky Thunderstorm (Wild and Boar)

One gets the impression that Kalinov is fenced off from the rest of the world by a high fence and lives some kind of special, closed life. Ostrovsky focused on the most important, showing the wretchedness, the savagery of the customs of the Russian patriarchal way of life - after all, this whole life only stands on the usual, outdated laws, which, obviously, are completely ridiculous. The "dark kingdom" tenaciously clings to everything old and settled. This is standing in one place, stagnation. And stagnation is possible only when it is supported by people who have strength and power.

Although Dikoy is depicted in only three scenes, the playwright created a complete image. His name sounds even in the exposition “Look for such and such a scolder like Savel Prokofich with us,” says Shapkin. Dikoy is a typical tyrant, that is, a person who who acts purely according to his own whim, according to his own arbitrariness, regardless of others.And one can fully agree with Dobrolyubov that "a tyrant is trying to prove that no one orders him and he will do whatever he wants."

Dikoy swaggers over his nephew and all his household, but retreats before those who can fight him back. He scolds everyone over whom he feels his strength, but if someone scolds him and he cannot answer, then hold on all the household "The Wild will take all his anger out on them.

“So you know that you’re a worm. If I want to, I’ll have mercy, if I want to, I’ll crush it,” Dikoy says. He behaves completely differently with Kabanova, although he is rude to her out of habit. quickly tames It is from her that Wild seeks solace, having fought at home "Talk to me so that my heart passes. You are the only one in the whole city who knows how to talk to me, Marfa Ignatievna."

It is obvious that in Dikoy there are features inherent in the people as a whole. He looks at natural phenomena from religious positions, believes that a lightning rod is "vanity" and a thunderstorm is sent to people as a punishment by Dikoy - not an exception for Kalinov, but the fruit of the whole way of Kalinov's life In a sense, he is a child of his city. But the worst thing is that such an attitude towards family members, and towards all Kalinovites without rights, is perceived by everyone as the norm and no deviations are seen in this.

Not better, and Kabanova Marfa Ignatievna has a strong and domineering character. She also keeps everyone in her subordination and constant fear. However, Kabanikha is condescending towards her daughter Varvara Knowing full well what kind of life Varya has to do when she gets married, she willingly lets her daughter go for a walk with young people and talks to them in a motherly affectionate way.

Kabanikha is one of the characters who actively move the action. She takes into account what is accepted, what order requires, honors traditions and rituals According to her deepest conviction, a wife should obey her husband, live in fear of him And she admonishes Tikhon that Katerina owes him to be afraid of Kabanova not only observes the house-building norms, but also fights for them. Marfa Ignatievna surrounded herself with ignorant wanderers. They are necessary to her like air, as they support her enormous authority, without which she cannot imagine her existence. sweetheart, blah-alepie "Wonderful beauty" But what can we say "You live in the promised land."

And what is interesting is that neither the beauty of the wondrous nature, nor the charming view of the Volga cause such delight. She glorifies the customs of the city. In the image of Feklusha, the playwright showed not a proud person, who was many among the wanderers, but a selfish, ignorant, deceitful nature. The harm of such people is undeniable. The wanderer is many talks about unknown lands in which unrighteous orders And in Kalinove, in her opinion, life is very good Flatters Kabanikha, she only wants to be noted for selfish purposes in time, singled out from among others In addition, Feklusha protects the interests of Kabanova, which means , and the entire "dark kingdom".

In The Thunderstorm, according to Goncharov, "the picture of national life and customs subsided with unparalleled artistic completeness and fidelity." In this capacity, the play was a passionate challenge to despotism and ignorance that reigned in pre-reform Russia.

Bibliography

For the preparation of this work, materials from the site http://www.ostrovskiy.org.ru/ were used.

“And they do not lock themselves from thieves, but so that people do not see,
how they eat their own household food, but they tyrannize their families.

As Dobrolyubov correctly noted, Ostrovsky in one of his plays truly depicts dark kingdom"- the world of tyranny, betrayal and stupidity. The action of the drama takes place in the city of Kalinov, which stands on the banks of the Volga. There is a certain symbolic parallelism in the location of the city: the rapid flow of the river is opposed to the atmosphere of stagnation, lack of rights and oppression. It seems that the city is isolated from the outside world. Residents learn the news thanks to the stories of wanderers. Moreover, these news are of very dubious, and sometimes completely absurd content. Kalinovtsy blindly believe the stories of crazy old people about unrighteous countries, lands that fell from heaven and rulers with dog heads. People are accustomed to live in fear not only of the world, but also of the rulers. dark kingdom". This is their comfort zone, which no one intends to leave. If, in principle, everything is clear with the townsfolk, then what about the above-mentioned rulers?

In "Thunderstorm" Dikoy and Boar represent the "dark kingdom". They are the masters and creators of this world. The tyranny of the Wild and Boar knows no bounds.

In the city, power does not belong to the mayor at all, but to the merchants, who, thanks to their connections and profits, were able to get the support of higher authorities. They mock the philistines and deceive the common people. In the text of the work, this image is embodied in Savl Prokofyevich Dik, a middle-aged merchant who keeps everyone in fear, lends at huge interest rates and deceives other merchants. In Kalinov, his cruelty is legendary. No one, except Curly, can respond to Wild in a proper way, and the merchant actively uses this. He asserts himself through humiliation and mockery, and the feeling of impunity only increases the degree of cruelty. “Already such a scolder as Savel Prokofich is with us, look for more! For no reason will a person be cut off ”- this is how the residents themselves say about Diky. It is interesting that Wild takes out his anger only on those whom he knows, or on the inhabitants of the city - weak-willed and downtrodden. This is evidenced by an episode of Diky's quarrel with a hussar: the hussar scolded Savl Prokofievich so much that he did not say a word, but then all the household members “hid in attics and basements” for two weeks.

Enlightenment and new technologies simply cannot penetrate Kalinov. Residents are distrustful of all innovations. So, in one of the last appearances, Kuligin tells Diky about the benefits of a lightning rod, but he does not want to listen. Wild is only rude to Kuligin and says that it is impossible to earn money in an honest way, which once again proves that he did not receive his wealth through daily efforts. Negative attitude towards change common feature Wild and Boar. Marfa Ignatievna stands up for the observance of old traditions. It is important for her how they enter the house, how they express feelings, how they go for a walk. At the same time, neither the internal content of such actions, nor other problems (for example, her son's alcoholism) bother her. Tikhon's words that the hugs of his wife are enough for him seem unconvincing to Marfa Ignatievna: Katerina must “howl” when she says goodbye to her husband and throw herself at his feet. By the way, external ritualism and attribution is characteristic of life position Marfa Ignatievna in general. In the same way, a woman treats religion, forgetting that in addition to weekly trips to church, faith must come from the heart. In addition, Christianity in the minds of these people was mixed with pagan superstitions, which can be seen in the scene with a thunderstorm.

Kabanikha believes that the whole world rests on those who observe the old laws: “something will happen when the old people die, I don’t know how the light will stand.” She convinces the merchant of this as well. From the dialogue between Wild and Boar you can see a certain hierarchy in their relationship. Savl Prokofievich recognizes the unspoken leadership of Kabanikha, her strength of character and intelligence. Dikoi understands that he is incapable of such manipulative tantrums that Marfa Ignatievna arranges for her family every day.

Comparative characteristics of the Wild and Boar from the play "Thunderstorm" is also quite interesting. Dikoy's despotism is directed more towards the outside world - towards the inhabitants of the city, only relatives suffer from the tyranny of Marfa Ignatievna, and in society a woman maintains the image of a respectable mother and housewife. Marfa Ignatievna, like Diky, is not at all embarrassed by gossip and talk, because both are sure that they are right. Neither one nor the other cares about the happiness of loved ones. Family relationships for each of these characters must be built on fear and oppression. This is especially clear in the behavior of Kabanova.

As can be seen from the examples above, there are similarities and differences between Kabanikha and Diky. But most of all they have in common a sense of permissiveness and an unshakable conviction that this is how everything should be.

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