Where are you, thunderstorm - a symbol of freedom?

A. S. Pushkin

Play by A.N. Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm” was written under the writer’s impression of a trip in 1856 along the Volga River. When the play was published and staged in the theater, contemporaries saw in it a call for renewal of life, for freedom, because it was published in 1860, when everyone was waiting for the abolition of serfdom.

At the center of the play is an acute conflict between the masters of life, representatives of the “dark kingdom,” and their victims. Against the backdrop of a beautiful landscape, Ostrovsky depicts the unbearable life of ordinary people. Ostrovsky often correlates the state of nature with the state of soul of the heroes. At the beginning of the play, nature is quiet, calm and serene; this is how the life of the Kabanov merchant family seems to us. But gradually nature becomes different: clouds roll in, thunder is heard somewhere. A thunderstorm is approaching, but is it only in nature? No. A thunderstorm is also expected in society, in this kingdom of despotism. What is a thunderstorm in Ostrovsky?

This name has multiple meanings. Kabanikha’s son Tikhon is the first to speak about the thunderstorm: “There won’t be any thunderstorm over me for two weeks.” Tikhon is afraid and does not love his mother, he is also an unhappy person. The heroes perceive the thunderstorm as a punishment; they fear it and wait for it at the same time, because then it will become easier. “A thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment,” Dikoy teaches Kuligina. The power of this fear extends to many of the characters in the drama and does not even pass by Katerina.

The image of Katerina is the most striking image in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”. ON THE. Dobrolyubov, analyzing in detail the image of Katerina, called her “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” Katerina is very sincere, real, and freedom-loving. She believes in God, so she considers her love for Boris a sin. She sincerely thinks that she deserves punishment and must repent: “I didn’t know that you were so afraid of thunderstorms,” Varvara tells her. “How, girl, not to be afraid! - Katerina answers. - Everyone should be afraid. It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins.”

If in nature a thunderstorm has already begun, then in life it is only approaching. A thunderstorm is a symbol of liberation from the “dark kingdom” that has already begun. The reason and common sense of the inventor Kuligin is shaking the old foundations; Katerina protests, albeit unconsciously, but she does not want to put up with such living conditions and decides her own fate. She rushes into the Volga to preserve her right to freedom in life and in love. This is how she wins a moral victory over the “dark kingdom.” In all this lies the main meaning of a realistic symbol - the symbol of a thunderstorm.

However, it is not only positive. There is something elemental and natural in Katerina’s love for Boris, just like in a thunderstorm. Love should bring joy, but for Katerina this is not the case, because she is married.

The thunderstorm also manifests itself in the very character of the heroine - she is not subject to any conventions or restrictions. She herself says that as a child, when someone offended her, she ran away from home and sailed alone in a boat along the Volga. Dreamy, honest, sincere, kind Katerina takes the oppressive atmosphere of bourgeois society especially hard. Her act, just like the thunderstorm, disturbed the peace of the provincial town and brought freedom and renewal of life.

Contemporaries saw in the play a protest against the oppression of the individual under serfdom; social implications were important to them. However, the meaning of the name is deeper. Ostrovsky protests against any insult to the individual, against the suppression of freedom.

The topical meaning of the drama is gone, but the play “The Thunderstorm” remains relevant today, because the image of Katerina undoubtedly evokes sympathy among readers and spectators.

The play “The Thunderstorm” appeared in print in 1859, when all of Russia was expecting the abolition of serfdom. Contemporaries of the work saw in it a certain call for renewal of life. In his play A.N. Ostrovsky was an innovator in the choice of plot and characters of the work. He was one of the first to address the problems of the patriarchal “dark kingdom.” Dobrolyubov said this about Ostrovsky’s drama: “...The Thunderstorm” is, without a doubt, Ostrovsky’s most decisive work... There is something refreshing and encouraging in “The Thunderstorm.” This “something is, in our opinion, the background of the play, indicated by us and revealing the precariousness and the near end of tyranny...” The central place in the work is occupied by the conflict between representatives of the “dark kingdom” and their victims.

The title of the play - "The Thunderstorm" - is certainly very symbolic. Almost the entire fourth act of the work is devoted to this natural phenomenon. For the first time, the word “thunderstorm” flashed in the scene of farewell to Tikhon. He says: “...For two weeks there will be no thunderstorm over me.” Tikhon, leaving for the fair, strives to get rid of fear, powerlessness and dependence.

A thunderstorm, a common natural phenomenon, causes natural, wild horror among the residents of Kalinov. This is fear driven by tyrants, fear of retribution for sins. The Kalinovites consider the thunderstorm to be something supernatural, given to them as a punishment. And only one self-taught mechanic, Kuligin, is not afraid of thunderstorms. He tries to reason with the crowd, says that there is nothing supernatural in this phenomenon: “Well, what are you afraid of, pray tell! Now every grass, every flower is rejoicing, but we are hiding, afraid, as if some misfortune is coming! Eh, people. I’m not afraid.” To avoid accidents, Kuligin suggests that the townspeople make a lightning rod. But he himself understands perfectly well that the residents of Kalinov simply will not hear him - they are too accustomed to being afraid and looking for a threat and danger to themselves in everything. Dikoy expresses the opinion of all residents of the city: “A thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we feel, but you want to defend yourself with poles and some kind of rods, God forgive me. What are you, a Tatar, or what?”

Everyone in the city has their own thunderstorm. And Katerina is terrified of a thunderstorm, expecting it as a just punishment from God. In her opinion, the thunderstorm was a harbinger of the highest retribution for her sins: “Everyone should be afraid. It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins...”

Having fallen in love with Boris and cheating on her husband, Katerina, as a deeply religious person, cannot find peace. Unable to withstand the pressure of her own conscience and the oppression of those around her, she decides to commit the most serious sin - suicide.

Boris, Dikiy's nephew, sincerely fell in love with Katerina. In him, like in his beloved, there is spiritual purity. But, as a person who has come to terms with his spiritual slavery, this hero is not capable of active action. And Katerina, like a bright, dreamy soul, cannot exist in a dark, suffocating, alien society. In my opinion, even if Boris had taken Katerina away from Kalinov, her fate would have been tragic. She could not live under the weight of her sin.

Thunderstorms are also present in the lives of other city residents. For Kabanova and Dikiy, a thunderstorm appears in the person of Kuligin and Katerina. These heroes indicate that changes are approaching, which Kalinov’s inert people refuse to accept. Dikoy and Kabanikha do not know how to hide from the thunderstorm, subconsciously fearing the coming changes. Kabanikha is the embodiment of despotism and hypocrisy. She eats her neighbors and pesters them with complaints and suspicions.
Kabanikha does not hide the fact that she wants to have unlimited and complete power over them. Everything old is good for her, everything young and new is bad for her. It seems to Marfa Kabanova that if the old foundations collapse, the end of the world will come: “I don’t know what will happen, how the old people will die, how the world will stand.”
Dikoy in the play is portrayed as a limited tyrant who rushes at everyone like a dog. The constant scolding of this hero is a form of his self-affirmation, and, in addition, defense from everything hostile and incomprehensible.

I think that it is impossible to exist on earth for a long time with such ideas about the world as the Kalinovites had. Only in an ignorant, dark, uneducated society could the wanderer Feklusha with her tales about wonderful countries in the world, “where all the people with dog heads ... for infidelity ...”, enjoy respect and honor.
This heroine is the intercessor of the “dark kingdom”. Feklusha guesses the desire of the strong and flatteringly asserts: “No, mother,” says Feklusha to Kabanikha, “the reason you have silence in the city is that many people, for example, you, are decorated with virtues, like flowers; That’s why everything is done coolly and orderly.”

Tikhon Kabanov's life has its own storm: strong pressure and fear of his mother, betrayal and death of his wife. Love, filial and maternal feelings do not exist in Kalinov’s “dark kingdom”; they are eradicated by arbitrariness and hypocrisy, callousness. And only at Katerina’s corpse does Tikhon dare to contradict his mother and even blame her for his wife’s death.

I believe that the title of this play gives a lot to understand the tragic nature of “The Thunderstorm”. The thunderstorm symbolically expresses the idea of ​​the work and directly participates in the actions of the drama as a very real natural phenomenon. Each character in the play has his own moral “thunderstorm”. Changes are coming. They are inevitable, because they are required by time and new people who have become cramped in the stuffy “dark kingdom” of tyrants.

The meaning of the title of A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”

N. Ostrovsky is the largest playwright of the second half of the 19th century. “The Thunderstorm” is one of his brightest works. It was written in 1859, during the fundamental changes taking place in Russian society. He was one of the first to give a broad description of the merchants in Russia. Alexander Nikolaevich wrote his drama “The Thunderstorm” under the impression of travels along the Volga. And it is no coincidence that he chose this very name for his play.
The word “thunderstorm” has a huge meaning. A thunderstorm is not only a natural phenomenon, but it is also a symbol of changes in the “dark kingdom”, in the way of life that existed for several centuries in Russian life.
At the center of the play is the conflict between representatives of the “dark kingdom” and their victims. Against the backdrop of beautiful, calm nature, the unbearable life of people is depicted. And the main character - Katerina - cannot stand the oppression, the humiliation of her human dignity. This is also evidenced by changes in nature: the colors deepen, a thunderstorm approaches, the sky darkens. You can feel a thunderstorm approaching. All this is a harbinger of some terrible events.
The word “thunderstorm” is heard for the first time in the scene of farewell to Tikhon. He says: “...For two weeks there will be no thunderstorm over me.” Tikhon really wants to escape, at least for a little while, from the atmosphere of his parents’ house, to escape from the power of his mother Kabanikha, to feel free, to “take a break for the whole year.” By “thunderstorm” he means the mother’s oppression, her omnipotence, fear of her, as well as fear of retribution for sins committed. “A thunderstorm is being sent to us as punishment,” Dikoy says to Kuligin. And this fear of retribution is inherent in all the characters in the play, even Katerina. She is religious and considers her love for Boris a great sin, but she can’t help herself.
The only one who was not afraid of the thunderstorm was the self-taught mechanic Kuligin. He even tried to resist this natural phenomenon by building a lightning rod. Kuligin saw in a thunderstorm only a majestic and beautiful spectacle, a manifestation of the strength and power of nature, and not a danger to humans. He says to everyone: “Well, what are you afraid of, pray tell? Now every grass, every flower is rejoicing, but we are hiding, afraid, as if some misfortune is coming! Eh, people. I’m not afraid.”
So, in nature, the thunderstorm has already begun. What is happening in society? Not everything is calm there either - some changes are brewing. The thunderstorm in this case is an omen of the coming conflict and its resolution. Katerina is no longer able to live according to Domostroev’s rules, she wants freedom, but she no longer has the strength to fight with those around her. It is no coincidence, by the way, that a crazy lady appears on stage, which is accompanied by thunderclaps. She predicts the main character's imminent death.
Thus, the thunderstorm is the impetus for the outbreak of the conflict. Katerina was very frightened by the lady’s words and thunderclaps, taking them as a sign “from above.” She was a very emotional and religious person, so she simply could not live with sin in her soul - the sin of love for a stranger. Katerina threw herself into the abyss of the Volga, unable to withstand the terrible, difficult, forced existence that fettered the impulses of her hot heart, unable to come to terms with the hypocritical morality of the tyrants of the “dark kingdom.” These were the consequences the thunderstorm had for Katerina.
It should be noted that the thunderstorm is also a symbol of Katerina’s love for Boris, Dikiy’s nephew, because there is something elemental in their relationship, just like in a thunderstorm. Just like a thunderstorm, this love does not bring joy to either the heroine or her lover. Katerina is a married woman, she has no right to cheat on her husband, because she took an oath of fidelity before God. But the marriage was completed, and no matter how hard the heroine tried, she could not fall in love with her legal husband, who was not able to either protect his wife from the attacks of her mother-in-law or understand her. But Katerina thirsted for love, and these impulses of her heart found a way out in her affection for Boris. He was the only inhabitant of the city of Kalinov who did not grow up in it. Boris was more educated than others; he studied in Moscow. He was the only one who understood Katerina, but could not help her, since he lacked determination. Obviously, this was not such a strong feeling for which one could sacrifice everything. This is also evidenced by the fact that he leaves Katerina completely alone in the city, advising her to submit to fate, foreseeing that she will die. Boris exchanged his love for Dikiy's inheritance, which he will never receive. Thus, Boris is also part of Kalinov’s world.
Ostrovsky in his work was able to show the changes that took place in Russian society in the second half of the 19th century. This is evidenced by the title of the play “The Thunderstorm”. But if in nature after a thunderstorm the air becomes cleaner, a discharge occurs, then in life after a “thunderstorm” it is unlikely that anything will change; most likely, everything will remain in place.

The title of a work very often reflects either its essence or gives the reader at least a little understanding of what will be discussed. This does not apply to texts of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, but this provision can be fully applied to texts of the era of realism. For example, in “Poor People” by F. Dostoevsky it really talks about poor people, and in “Childhood. Adolescence. Youth" by L. Tolstoy shows precisely these stages of a person’s life. The same can be said for plays. One of Ostrovsky's dramas, which will be discussed, was written in 1859, during a time of acute social contradictions. The meaning of the title of the play “The Thunderstorm” is not limited to the characteristics of a natural phenomenon.

In order to most accurately answer the question of why Ostrovsky called the drama “The Thunderstorm,” we need to take a closer look at this image.

As you know, sentimentalists introduced the image of nature into literature, conveying the feelings and emotions of heroes using the landscape. Thunder and lightning in Ostrovsky's play perform the same functions. Initially, the author describes the pre-storm time. This concerns not only the weather (some characters notice that it may soon start to rain), but also the social situation. Before a thunderstorm it is usually very stuffy - the same is true in the city of Kalinov. People who don't like lies and hypocrisy find it impossible to breathe in such an environment. Money talk, drinking and judgment become concentrated to the point where disaster becomes inevitable. In order for this state of affairs to change, a push, a blow, a catalyst was needed, which in the text of the play is thunder and thunder.

The thunderstorm is one of the main characters in the fourth act, namely in the scene of a walk along the embankment. Kuligin draws attention to the gathering rain, admiring the power of nature. He thinks that a lightning rod would be useful to all residents of the city, but Dikoy does not share his ideas. In act No. 4, the author's remarks that a clap of thunder is heard are repeatedly repeated. These sounds become the auditory design of the climactic scene, increasing the semantic load and enhancing the severity of the unfolding tragedy. It is the thunderstorm that frightens Katerina, makes her nervous and weak. The girl, hearing the rumble of thunder, confesses to betraying her husband and Kabanikha, and with the next lightning strike she falls unconscious.

As already indicated earlier, the title of the play “The Thunderstorm” has several meanings. There is one more aspect that needs to be considered in more detail. The thunderstorm appears before the reader not only as a manifestation of the elements, but also as a separate character. The thunderstorm seems like a fate that hangs over all the heroes. It is no coincidence that Tikhon, before leaving, says that “there will be no thunderstorms over him for two weeks.”

By the word “thunderstorm,” Kabanov means the entire unhealthy atmosphere that reigns in their family. This mainly concerns Marfa Ignatievna’s moral teachings, because for two whole weeks the mother will not interfere in her son’s life.
Kuligin, for example, is not afraid of thunderstorms. On the contrary, he calls on residents to come to their senses from causeless anxiety: “it’s not the thunderstorm that kills!... it’s grace that kills!” Perhaps Kuligin is the only character who does not have an internal feeling of a thunderstorm. There is no premonition of impending misfortune. Dikoy believes that “a thunderstorm is sent as punishment.” The merchant thinks that people should be afraid of thunderstorms, even though it scares the Wild One himself. Katerina considers the thunderstorm to be God's punishment. The girl is also afraid of her, but not as much as Dikoy. There is a significant difference between the concepts of “punishment” and “punishment”: punishment is rewarded only for sins, but you can punish just like that. Katerina considers herself a sinner because she betrayed her husband. In her soul, just like in nature, a thunderstorm begins. Doubts accumulate gradually, Katerina is torn between the desire to live her life and control her own destiny and stay in her familiar surroundings, trying to forget about her feelings for Boris. There can be no compromise between these contradictions.

Another meaning of the name of the drama “The Thunderstorm” can be called a plot-forming factor. The thunderstorm becomes the impetus for the conflict to end. Both the internal contradiction of the main character and the conflict between representatives of the “dark kingdom” and educated people of the 19th century. Katerina was frightened by the words of the crazy Lady about beauty, which certainly leads to the whirlpool, but only after a clap of thunder did Katerina admit to treason.

The relationship between Boris and Katya can also be compared to a thunderstorm. There is a lot of decisive, passionate, spontaneous things in them. But, like a thunderstorm, this relationship would not last long.
So, what is the meaning of the title of the play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky? The thunderstorm appears as a natural phenomenon, framing the work with an auditory frame; as a separate image; as a symbol of fate and punishment; as a kind of generalized reflection of the social catastrophe that hung over Russia in the 19th century.

The given versions of the title of Ostrovsky’s drama are intended to answer the popular question “why was the thunderstorm called a thunderstorm?” This information can help 10th grade students in revealing the relevant topic in the essay “The meaning of the title of the play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky.”

Work test

HISTORY OF THE CREATION OF THE PLAY

The play was begun by Alexander Ostrovsky in July 1859 and completed on October 9. The manuscript of the play is kept in the Russian State Library.

In 1848, Alexander Ostrovsky went with his family to Kostroma, to the Shchelykovo estate. The natural beauty of the Volga region struck the playwright and then he thought about the play. For a long time it was believed that the plot of the drama The Thunderstorm was taken by Ostrovsky from the life of the Kostroma merchants. At the beginning of the 20th century, Kostroma residents could accurately point to the place of Katerina’s suicide.

In his play, Ostrovsky raises the problem of the turning point in social life that occurred in the 1850s, the problem of changing social foundations.

The names of the characters in the play are endowed with symbolism: Kabanova is an overweight woman with a difficult character; Kuligin is a “kuliga”, a swamp, some of its features and name are similar to the name of the inventor Kulibin; the name Katerina means “pure”; Varvara opposed to her - “ barbarian».

THE MEANING OF THE TITLE OF THE DRAMA THUNDERSTORM

The title of Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm" plays a big role in understanding this play. The image of a thunderstorm in Ostrovsky's drama is unusually complex and multi-valued. On the one hand, the thunderstorm is a direct participant in the action of the play, on the other hand, it is a symbol of the idea of ​​this work. In addition, the image of a thunderstorm has so many meanings that it illuminates almost all facets of the tragic collision in the play.

Thunderstorm plays an important role in the composition of the drama. In the first act there is the plot of the work: Katerina tells Varvara about her dreams and hints at her secret love. Almost immediately after this, a thunderstorm approaches: “... the storm is setting in...” At the beginning of the fourth act, a thunderstorm is also gathering, foreshadowing the tragedy: “Remember my words, this storm will not pass in vain...”

And a thunderstorm breaks out only in the scene of Katerina’s confession - at the climax of the play, when the heroine speaks about her sin to her husband and mother-in-law, without being ashamed of the presence of other townspeople. The thunderstorm is directly involved in the action as a real natural phenomenon. It influences the behavior of the characters: after all, it is during a thunderstorm that Katerina confesses her sin. They even talk about the thunderstorm as if it were alive (“The rain is dripping, as if a thunderstorm is not going to gather?”, “And so it creeps on us, and creeps, as if alive!”).

But the thunderstorm in the play also has a figurative meaning. For example, Tikhon calls his mother’s swearing, scolding and antics a thunderstorm: “But as I know now that there won’t be any thunderstorm over me for two weeks, there are no shackles on my legs, so what do I care about my wife?”

Another noteworthy fact is that Kuligin is a supporter of the peaceful eradication of vices (he wants to ridicule bad morals in the book: “I wanted to depict all this in poetry...”). And it is he who suggests that Dikiy make a lightning rod (“copper tablet”), which serves here as an allegory, because gentle and peaceful opposition to vices by exposing them in books is a kind of lightning rod.

In addition, the thunderstorm is perceived differently by all characters. So, Dikoy says: “A thunderstorm is being sent to us as punishment.” Dikoy declares that people should be afraid of thunderstorms, but his power and tyranny are based precisely on people’s fear of him. Evidence of this is the fate of Boris. He is afraid of not receiving the inheritance and therefore submits to the Wild One. This means that the Wild One benefits from this fear. He wants everyone to be afraid of the thunderstorm, just like him.

But Kuligin treats the thunderstorm differently: “Now every blade of grass, every flower is rejoicing, but we are hiding, afraid, as if some misfortune is coming!” He sees a life-giving force in a thunderstorm. It is interesting that not only the attitude towards thunderstorms, but also the principles of Dikiy and Kuligin are different. Kuligin condemns the lifestyle of Dikiy, Kabanova and their morals: “Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel!..”

So the image of a thunderstorm turns out to be connected with the revelation of the characters of the drama. Katerina is also afraid of thunderstorms, but not as much as Dikoy. She sincerely believes that the thunderstorm is God's punishment. Katerina does not talk about the benefits of a thunderstorm; she is afraid not of punishment, but of sins. Her fear is associated with deep, strong faith and high moral ideals. Therefore, in her words about the fear of thunderstorms, there is no sound of complacency, like Dikiy’s, but rather of repentance: “It’s not so scary that it will kill you, but that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins, with all your evil thoughts.” ..."

The heroine herself also resembles a thunderstorm. Firstly, the theme of the thunderstorm is connected with Katerina’s experiences and state of mind. In the first act, a thunderstorm gathers, as if a harbinger of tragedy and as an expression of the heroine’s troubled soul. It was then that Katerina confesses to Varvara that she loves someone else - not her husband. The thunderstorm did not bother Katerina during her date with Boris, when she suddenly felt happy. A thunderstorm appears whenever storms rage in the soul of the heroine herself: the words “With Boris Grigorievich!” (in the scene of Katerina’s confession) - and again, according to the author’s remark, a “thunderclap” is heard.

Secondly, Katerina’s confession and her suicide was a challenge to the forces of the “dark kingdom” and its principles (“secretly hidden”). Love itself, which Katerina did not hide, her desire for freedom is also a protest, a challenge that thundered over the forces of the “dark kingdom” like a thunderstorm. Katerina’s victory is that rumors will spread about Kabanikha, about her role in her daughter-in-law’s suicide, and it will not be possible to hide the truth. Even Tikhon begins to weakly protest. “You ruined her! You! You!" - he shouts to his mother.

So, Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm” produces, despite its tragedy, a refreshing, encouraging impression, which Dobrolyubov spoke about: “... the end (of the play)... seems gratifying to us, it’s easy to understand why: it presents a terrible challenge to tyrant power. ..”

Katerina does not adapt to Kabanova’s principles, she did not want to lie and listen to other people’s lies: “You are in vain saying this about me, Mama...”

A thunderstorm is also not subject to anything or anyone - it happens in both summer and spring, not limited to the time of year, like precipitation. It is not without reason that in many pagan religions the main god is the Thunderer, the lord of thunder and lightning (thunderstorms).

As in nature, a thunderstorm in Ostrovsky’s play combines destructive and creative forces: “The thunderstorm will kill!”, “This is not a thunderstorm, but grace!”

So, the image of a thunderstorm in Ostrovsky’s drama is multi-valued and multi-sided: while symbolically expressing the idea of ​​the work, it is at the same time directly involved in the action. The image of a thunderstorm illuminates almost all facets of the tragic conflict of the play, which is why the meaning of the title becomes so important for understanding the play.