What is the symbolism of the name thunderstorm? The meaning of the name and figurative symbolism of the drama “The Thunderstorm”. (School essays)

1. Image of a thunderstorm. Time in the play.
2. Katerina’s dreams and symbolic images end of the world.
3. Hero-symbols: Wild and Kabanikha.

The very name of A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” is symbolic. A thunderstorm is not only an atmospheric phenomenon, it is an allegorical designation of the relationship between elders and younger ones, those who have power and those who are dependent. “...For two weeks there will be no thunderstorm over me, there are no shackles on my legs...” - Tikhon Kabanov is glad to escape from the house, at least for a little while, where his mother “gives orders, one more menacing than the other.”

The image of a thunderstorm—a threat—is closely related to the feeling of fear. “Well, what are you afraid of, pray tell! Now every grass, every flower is rejoicing, but we are hiding, afraid, as if some kind of misfortune is coming! The thunderstorm will kill! This is not a thunderstorm, but grace! Yes, grace! It's a storm for everyone!" - Kuligin shames his fellow citizens who tremble at the sounds of thunder. Indeed, a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon is as necessary as sunny weather. Rain washes away dirt, cleanses the earth, promotes better growth plants. A person who sees a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon in the cycle of life, and not as a sign of divine wrath, does not experience fear. The attitude towards the thunderstorm in a certain way characterizes the heroes of the play. The fatalistic superstition associated with thunderstorms and widespread among the people is voiced by the tyrant Dikoy and the woman hiding from the thunderstorm: “The thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we feel...”; “No matter how you hide! If it’s destined for someone, you won’t go anywhere.” But in the perception of Dikiy, Kabanikha and many others, fear of a thunderstorm is something familiar and not a very vivid experience. “That’s it, you need to live in such a way that you are always ready for anything; “For fear this wouldn’t happen,” Kabanikha coolly notes. She has no doubt that the thunderstorm is a sign of God's wrath. But the heroine is so convinced that she is leading the right lifestyle that she does not experience any anxiety.

In the play, only Katerina experiences the most lively trepidation before a thunderstorm. We can say that this fear clearly demonstrates her mental discord. On the one hand, Katerina longs to challenge her hateful existence and meet her love halfway. On the other hand, she is not able to renounce the ideas instilled in the environment in which she grew up and continues to live. Fear, according to Katerina, is an integral element of life, and it is not so much the fear of death as such, but the fear of future punishment, of one’s spiritual failure: “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, with all your evil thoughts.”

In the play we also find a different attitude towards the thunderstorm, towards the fear that it supposedly must certainly evoke. “I’m not afraid,” say Varvara and the inventor Kuligin. The attitude towards a thunderstorm also characterizes the interaction of one or another character in the play with time. Dikoy, Kabanikha and those who share their view of the thunderstorm as a manifestation of heavenly displeasure are, of course, inextricably linked with the past. Internal conflict Katerina comes from the fact that she is unable either to break with ideas that are a thing of the past, or to keep the precepts of “Domostroy” in inviolable purity. Thus, she is at the point of the present, in a contradictory, turning point time, when a person must choose what to do. Varvara and Kuligin are looking to the future. In the fate of Varvara, this is emphasized due to the fact that she leaves her home to an unknown destination, almost like heroes of folklore going in search of happiness, and Kuligin is constantly in scientific search.

The image of time slips into the play every now and then. Time does not move evenly: it either shrinks to a few moments, or drags on for an incredibly long time. These transformations symbolize different sensations and changes, depending on the context. “Sure, it happened that I would enter heaven, and I didn’t see anyone, and I didn’t remember the time, and I didn’t hear when the service was over. Just like it all happened in one second” - this is how Katerina characterizes the special state of spiritual flight that she experienced as a child, attending church.

« Last times...by all indications, the latter. There is also paradise and silence in your city, but in other cities it’s just chaos, mother: noise, running around, incessant driving! People are just scurrying around, one here, another there.” The wanderer Feklusha interprets the acceleration of the pace of life as approaching the end of the world. It is interesting that the subjective feeling of time compression is experienced differently by Katerina and Feklusha. If time passes quickly for Katerina church service is associated with a feeling of indescribable happiness, then for Feklushi the “decreasing” of time is an apocalyptic symbol: “...Time is getting shorter. It used to be that summer or winter drag on and on, you can’t wait for it to end, and now you won’t even see it fly by. The days and hours still seem to remain the same; and time, because of our sins, is becoming shorter and shorter.”

No less symbolic are the images from Katerina’s childhood dreams and the fantastic images in the wanderer’s story. Unearthly gardens and palaces, the singing of angelic voices, flying in a dream - all these are symbols of a pure soul, not yet aware of contradictions and doubts. But the uncontrollable movement of time also finds expression in Katerina’s dreams: “I no longer dream, Varya, of paradise trees and mountains as before; and it’s as if someone is hugging me so warmly and warmly and leading me somewhere, and I follow him, I go...” This is how Katerina’s experiences are reflected in dreams. What she tries to suppress in herself rises from the depths of the unconscious.

The motifs of “vanity”, “fiery serpent” that appear in Feklushi’s story are not just the result of a fantastic perception of reality a simple person, ignorant and superstitious. The themes in the wanderer's story are closely related to both folklore and biblical motifs. If the fiery serpent is just a train, then vanity in Feklusha’s view is a capacious and multi-valued image. How often do people rush to do something, not always assessing correctly? real value of his affairs and aspirations: “It seems to him that he is running after business; he’s in a hurry, poor thing, he doesn’t recognize people, he imagines that someone is beckoning him; but when he comes to the place, it’s empty, there’s nothing, just a dream.”

But in the play “The Thunderstorm” not only phenomena and concepts are symbolic. The figures of the characters in the play are also symbolic. This especially applies to the merchant Dikiy and Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova, nicknamed Kabanikha in the city. A symbolic nickname, and the surname of the venerable Savel Prokofich can rightfully be called telling. This is not accidental, because it was in the images of these people that the thunderstorm was embodied, not mystical heavenly wrath, but a very real tyrannical power, firmly entrenched on the sinful earth.

In 1859, the premiere took place on the stage of one of the capital's theaters. The audience saw a drama created by a young writer - Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. This work is considered unique of its kind. Drama does not follow many of the rules of the genre.

"The Thunderstorm" was written in the era of realism. This means that the work is filled with symbols and images. Consequently, in our article you will learn about the meaning of the name and figurative symbolism of the drama “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky.

First image of a thunderstorm

The image of a thunderstorm this work multifaceted. This natural phenomenon is both the idea and the character of the drama. Why do you think Ostrovsky used the image of a thunderstorm? Let's think about this.

Please note that this natural phenomenon in the work appears to the reader in several forms. Firstly, the meaning of the name and figurative symbolism drama "The Thunderstorm" is that initially the reader sees a natural phenomenon. The city of Kalinov, described in the work, as well as its inhabitants live in anticipation and expectation of a thunderstorm. Everything that happens in the play lasts about two weeks. Every now and then on the streets of the town you can hear talk that a storm is approaching.

Compositionally, the thunderstorm is also the climax! It is the powerful peals of thunder that force Katerina to admit to deception and treason. Attentive readers will notice that action 4 is accompanied by peals. One gets the impression that the writer was preparing the reader and viewer for the climax. But that's not all. Secondly, the meaning of the name and figurative symbolism of the drama “The Thunderstorm” has another core. Let's look at that too.

Second image of a thunderstorm

It turns out that each character in the work understands the thunderstorm differently, that is, in their own way:

• The inventor Kuligin is not afraid of it, since he does not see anything mystical in this natural phenomenon.
• Dikoy perceives the thunderstorm as a punishment; he considers it an occasion to remember the Almighty.
• Unhappy Catherine saw in the thunderstorm the symbolism of fate and fate. So, after the most terrible clap of thunder, the young lady confessed her feelings for Boris. She is afraid of thunderstorms because she considers them to be God's judgment. This concludes the search for the meaning of the title of the play “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky does not end there. This natural phenomenon helps Katerina take a desperate step. Thanks to her, she admits to herself and becomes honest.
• Kabanov, her husband, sees a different meaning in the thunderstorm. The reader learns this at the very beginning of the play. He needs to leave for a while, thanks to this he will get rid of his mother’s excessive control, as well as her unbearable orders. He says that there will be no thunderstorm and no shackles over him. These words contain a comparison natural disaster with Kabanikha’s endless hysterics.

The author's interpretation of the meaning of the title and figurative symbolism of the drama "The Thunderstorm"

We have already said above that the image of a thunderstorm is symbolic, multifaceted, and also multi-valued. This suggests that the title of the play contains many meanings that complement and combine with each other. All this allows the reader to understand the problem comprehensively.

It is worth noting that the reader has a huge number of associations with the name. It is noteworthy that the author’s interpretation of the work does not limit the reader, so we do not know exactly how to decipher the image-symbol that interests us.

Nevertheless, the meaning of the title and figurative symbolism of the drama “The Thunderstorm” is understood by the author as a natural phenomenon, the beginning of which the reader observes in the first act. And in the fourth, the thunderstorm impulsively gains strength.

The city lives in fear of the coming thunderstorm. Only Kuligin is not afraid of her. After all, he alone leads a righteous life - he earns his living by honest labor and so on. He does not understand the primitive fear of the townspeople.

One gets the impression that the image of a thunderstorm carries negative symbolism. However, this is not true. The role of this natural phenomenon in the play is to stimulate and refresh social life and people. It's not in vain literary critic Dobrolyubov wrote that the city of Kalinov is a remote kingdom in which the spirit of vices and stagnation lives. Man has become a fool because he does not know and does not understand his own culture, which means he does not know how to be a Man.

A thunderstorm phenomenon is trying to destroy the trap and enter the city. But one such thunderstorm will not be enough, as will the death of Katerina. The death of the young lady led to the fact that for the first time the indecisive husband acts as his conscience tells him.

River image

As you may have guessed, the image of a thunderstorm in this work is pervasive. That is, he is embodied and appears before the reader in different guises. However, there is another equally important image in the drama, which also contains the figurative symbolism of the drama “The Thunderstorm”.

We move on to consider the image of the Volga River. Ostrovsky depicted it as a border that separates opposite worlds - cruel kingdom the city of Kalinov and the ideal world invented by each hero of the work. The lady repeated several times that the river attracts any beauty, since it is a whirlpool. The supposed symbol of freedom in Kabanikha’s mind turns out to be a symbol of death.

Conclusion

We looked at the work of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky - “The Thunderstorm”. The drama was written in the era of realism, which means it is filled with many meanings and images.

We saw that the meaning of the name and figurative symbolism of the drama “The Thunderstorm” is relevant even today. The author's skill lies in the fact that he was able to depict the image of a thunderstorm in various phenomena. With the help of a natural phenomenon, he showed all sides of Russian society early XIX centuries, starting from wild customs and ending with the personal drama of each of the characters.

/ / / Symbolism in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”

Texts written in the style of realism always contain some special images. They are needed in order to create a certain atmosphere of the work. A.N. Ostrovsky uses various symbols in natural landscapes, in natural phenomena, in the images of the main and minor characters. He even makes the title of his play “” symbolic. And in order to understand everything that the author wanted to tell us, we must unite and combine all artistic images.

An important symbol is the images of birds, which are compared with freedom. The girl often dreams of how she could flutter from tree to tree, from flower to flower. She so wanted to fly away from the hated estate, in which an unbearable mother-in-law and an unloved husband lived.

The image of the Volga plays a special meaning, because it conventionally divides the surrounding space into two worlds. That world was on the other side of the river, it was quiet and calm, and this world was despotic, cruel and filled with tyrants. How often Katerina peered into the distance of the river! She recalled her childhood years, which passed carefree and happily. Volga has another image. This is the image of freedom that the girl found for herself. She jumped off a cliff into deep waters and committed suicide. After this, the stormy river also becomes a symbol of death.

Particularly symbolic is the image of a thunderstorm, which is interpreted differently by the main characters of the play. Kuligin considers the thunderstorm to be only electricity, then calls it grace. Dikoy perceives bad weather as God’s wrath, which is a warning from the Almighty.

We discover the symbol of hypocrisy and secrecy in the monologues of the main characters. says that in home environment, not in the public eye, rich people are tyrannical and despotic. They oppress their family and all serving persons.

Reading the lines of the play, we understand and discern the image of injustice that manifests itself in judicial institutions. Cases are delayed and decided in favor of rich and wealthy people.

They made a special impression on me last words, who notes that Katerina was able to find strength in herself and free herself from such a painful life! He himself did not have the courage to end his life like his beloved.

This is the number of symbols and images used by A.N. Ostrovsky in his play. It was symbolism that helped him create such an exciting, emotional drama, which made a huge impression on me.

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

Purpose of the lesson :

Trace the implementation of the thunderstorm metaphor through its image (thunderstorm state of society,

thunderstorm in people's souls);

Help students prepare for a miniature essay “The meaning of the title...”;

Cultivate interest in the work of N. Ostrovsky

PROGRESS OF THE LESSON

How did you miss the thunderstorm in the poster? After all, she is also a character.

We can't find names - what does that mean? This means that the idea of ​​the play is not clear; that the plot is not properly covered... that the very existence of the play is not justified; Why was it written, what new does the author want to say?

(A.N. Ostrovsky)

I. Organizational moment. Subject message.

– Re-read the topic of the lesson. What are we going to talk about?

II. Working with epigraphs.

What are the key words in the formulation of the lesson topic? (The thunderstorm is the protagonist.) So, we will talk about the thunderstorm as acting person plays. This is not enough. What new does the author want to say? (Thunderstorm - idea - plot).

III. Goal setting.

So, it is necessary to find out what the meaning of the title of the play is; learn to analyze dramatic text; prepare for the essay “The meaning of the title of A. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”.

– Where should we start the conversation? (From the definition of the word “thunderstorm”.)

IY. « Let's talk about meaning"

1. Personal message

– What is the meaning of the word “thunderstorm” according to V.I. Dahl’s dictionary? (Fear, noise, anxiety, disruption, crush, thunder, natural phenomenon, threat, threaten, tragedy, cleansing.)

– In what meaning does “thunderstorm” appear in the play? (In the first meaning - “threat”, “sarcasm”, “scold”.)

2 . “We draw conclusions.” Work in groups.

1 group

– What images is associated with the metaphor of a thunderstorm in the exhibition? (Almost all the characters.)

– What meaning of “thunderstorm” predominates in the exhibition? (Fear, threat, threaten.)

Conclusion No. 1. All exposition associated with the meaning of the word “thunderstorm”. Ostrovsky universally implements the metaphor of a thunderstorm.

2nd group

– What drama images symbolize the thunderstorm from below? (Dikoy, Kabanova.)

– What is the threat of the Wild? (Money – power – fear.)

– What is Kabanova's threat? (Money is power under the guise of godliness - fear.)

Conclusion No. 2. For Kalinovites, the storm is “from above” and “from below.” Above is God’s punishment, below is the power and money of the possessor.

3 group

– Why do they need fear in society? (Keep power.)

– Are only Dikoy and Kabanova experiencing the intoxication of power? (Analyze the monologue

Kuligin in the 1st act.)

Conclusion No. 3. The goal of the “warrior” Wild is the lawless rapture of power. Kabanova is a more complex version of tyranny: her goal is the legitimate intoxication of power (under the guise of piety).

4 group

– When does a thunderstorm appear as a natural phenomenon? (At the end of the 1st act.)

– Consider the meaning of this scene. Why did Ostrovsky introduce the half-crazy lady? Who is she talking to? What does he prophesy? What is her prophecy based on? (“I’ve sinned all my life from a young age.”)

– What is Varvara’s reaction to her hysteria? (Smiles.)

– What is Katerina's reaction? (“I’m scared to death…”)

Conclusion No. 4. Ostrovsky, in a detailed composition, needed to show that the order of the merchant town, whose roots were Old Believer, rests on fear.

Kabanikha’s siege war, just like the wild attacks of the Wild One, comes from uncertainty and anxiety. The Wild One’s anxiety is vague and unconscious, Kabanikha’s fear is conscious and far-sighted: something is not going well, something is broken in the mechanism of power and subordination.

Thus, the metaphor of a thunderstorm - fear, intoxication with power, threat, threaten - runs through the entire exhibition.

Group 5

– What scares Katerina? (Death will find you with sinful and evil thoughts.)

– How can you confirm that this scene did the author define it as a plot? (Rolls of thunder sound twice. Katerina’s fear intensifies.)

Thus, in beginning The action involves a thunderstorm.

Conclusion No. 5. Varvara has common sense; she ironically accepts centuries-old traditions. This is her protection. Varvara needs calculation and common sense against fear. Katerina has a complete lack of calculation and common sense, increased emotionality.

3. “Troubles, but not from the barrel.”

1 block of questions.

– What a shock Katerina experienced in the scene of Tikhon’s farewell before leaving for

Moscow? (Shocked by the humiliation.)

– Prove it with text. Pay attention to the stage directions. (D.2, appearance 3,4.)

– “ To foretell a bad outcome” is another meaning of the word “thunderstorm”. How is this meaning

played out in this scene?

– “ Tisha, don’t leave...” - “Well, take me with you...” - “Fathers, I’m dying...” - “... take me

oath..." (D. 2, appearance 4.)

– Is Tikhon capable of protecting Katerina? What Domostroy norms does Katerina violate?

(Throws himself on Tikhon’s neck. – Doesn’t howl: “Why make people laugh.”)

2 block of questions.

– How does the metaphor of a thunderstorm break into Katerina’s monologue after the farewell scene?

(“...she crushed me...”) Analyze Katerina’s monologue (D.2, appearance 4).

– How does Kudryash warn Boris about Katerina’s possible death? (“Only women

they are locked up.” - “So you want to ruin her completely.” - “They will eat you, they will hammer you into the coffin.”)

The theme of the coffin, the grave, bursts in, and from that moment on, it sounds stronger.

– Is Boris able to protect Katerina? Who is trying to protect the heroine? (Kuligin.)

– How? (He suggests installing a lightning rod.)

– Why do you think Dikoy was so angry in his conversation with Kuligin about

lightning rod? (“A thunderstorm is being sent to us as punishment...”)

Lightning rod against the Wild One himself. They feel the fear of God before the Wild One himself, they are afraid of punishment from the Wild One himself. Kabanikha has the same role; Having escaped from her, Tikhon rejoices that “there will be no thunderstorm over him for two weeks.” Tyranny is associated with fear for one’s power, so it requires constant confirmation and testing.

3 block of questions.

– When is the second time a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon breaks into a play? Analyze this

stage. Find frightening, warning phrases of those present (“thunderstorm

it won’t go in vain”, “...crawls, covered with a cap”).

– Why does Katerina hide screaming when the lady appears?

– Who is the crazy lady turning to? Find frightening, key phrases in the lady’s speech (“...I don’t want to die...” - “...Beauty is death after all...” - “...into the pool with beauty...” - “...you can’t escape from God...”).

– Name the combination of circumstances that intensify the tragedy in Katerina’s soul and lead to recognition. (Conversations of those present, a crazy lady with her prophecy, a fiery hyena.)

And Katerina’s confession sounds like a clap of thunder.

For Katerina, a thunderstorm (as for the Kalinovites) is not a stupid fear, but a reminder to a person of responsibility to higher powers goodness and truth. “... the heavenly thunderstorm... only harmonizes with the moral thunderstorm even more terrible. And the mother-in-law is a thunderstorm, and the consciousness of a crime is a thunderstorm.” (M. Pisarev.)

Thus, there is also a thunderstorm in the climax scene.

The thunderstorm brings cleansing. Katerina's death, like a thunderclap, a lightning discharge, brings purification: an awakening sense of personality and a new attitude towards the world.

4 block of questions.

– In which of the heroes does the personality awaken under the influence of Katerina’s death? (Varvara and Kudryash ran away. - Tikhon accuses his mother publicly for the first time: “you ruined her.” - Kuligin: “... the soul is not yours now, it is before a judge who is more merciful than you!”)

So, A.N. Ostrovsky universally implemented the metaphor of a thunderstorm in the play. The title of the play is an image that symbolizes not only the elemental power of nature, but also the stormy state of society, the storm in the souls of people. The thunderstorm passes through all the elements of the composition (everything is connected with the image of the thunderstorm important points plot). Ostrovsky used all the meanings of the word “thunderstorm” indicated in V. Dahl’s dictionary.

- Why were we looking for the meaning of the title of Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm?”

Y. Making a plan.

Joint formulation of the introduction, thesis, conclusion, and the children work on the main part at home.

Rough plan.

I. The meaning of the word “thunderstorm” according to V. Dahl’s dictionary.

II. Ostrovsky universally implements the metaphor of a thunderstorm in his drama.

1. Dikoy and Kabanikha are a “thunderstorm” for the Kalinovites, an example of tyranny.

2. Katerina’s premonition of misfortune and fear after the first thunderclap.

3. Katerina is shocked by the humiliation in the scene of Tikhon’s farewell before leaving for Moscow.

4. Kuligin suggests installing a lightning rod.

5. Against the backdrop of a thunderstorm, Katerina admits to treason.

6. Katerina is a victim “ internal thunderstorm”, “thunderstorms of conscience”.

III. Katerina's death, like a thunderstorm, brings purification.

VI. Homework: learn by heart a passage of your choice (Kuligin " Cruel morals We have sir...” 1 act., yavl. 3,

Katerina “I say: why don’t people fly...” 1 act., yavl. 7).

Essay plan
1. Introduction. Variety of symbolism in the play.
2. Main part. Motives and themes of the play, artistic foreshadowing, symbolism of images, phenomena, details.
— Folklore motives as an artistic anticipation of the heroine’s situation.
— Katerina’s dreams and symbolism of images.
— A story about childhood as a compositional prelude.
— The motive of sin and retribution in the play. Kabanov and Dikoy.
— The motive of sin in the images of Feklusha and half-crazy lady.
— The motive of sin in the images of Kudryash, Varvara and Tikhon.
— Katerina’s perception of sin.
— The idea of ​​the play.
— The symbolic meaning of the images of the play.
— Symbolism of objects.
3. Conclusion. Philosophical and poetic subtext of the play.

Symbolism in the play by A.N. Ostrovsky is diverse. The very name of the play, the theme of a thunderstorm, the motives of sin and judgment are symbolic. Landscape paintings, objects, and some images are symbolic. Some motifs and themes take on an allegorical meaning folk songs.
At the very beginning of the play, the song “Among the Flat Valley...” (sung by Kuligin) sounds, which already at the very beginning introduces the motive of a thunderstorm and the motive of death. If we remember the entire lyrics of the song, then there are the following lines:

Where can I rest my heart?
When will the storm rise?
A gentle friend sleeps in damp earth,
He won't come to help.

The theme of loneliness, orphanhood, and life without love also arises in it. All these motives seem to precede life situation Katerina at the beginning of the play:

Oh, it's boring to be lonely
And the tree grows!
Oh, it’s bitter, it’s bitter for the fellow
Lead a life without a sweetheart!

The dreams of the heroine in “The Thunderstorm” also acquire a symbolic meaning. So, Katerina is sad because people don’t fly. “Why don’t people fly!.. I say: why don’t people fly like birds? You know, sometimes I feel like I'm a bird. When you stand on a mountain, you feel the urge to fly. That's how she would run up, raise her hands and fly. Is there anything I should try now?” she says to Varvara. IN parental home Katerina lived like a “bird in the wild.” She dreams about how she flies. Elsewhere in the play she dreams of becoming a butterfly. The theme of birds introduces the motif of captivity and cages into the narrative. Here we can recall the symbolic ritual of the Slavs releasing birds from cages, which is based on the Slavic belief in the ability of reincarnation human soul. As noted by Yu.V. Lebedev, “the Slavs believed that the human soul was capable of turning into a butterfly or bird. IN folk songs a woman yearning for the wrong side of an unloved family turns into a cuckoo, flies into the garden to her beloved mother, and complains to her about her hard lot.” But the theme of birds also sets the motive for death here. Yes, in many cultures Milky Way called the “bird road” because the souls flying along this road to heaven were represented by birds. Thus, already at the beginning of the play we notice the motives that precede the death of the heroine.
Peculiar artistic preview Katerina’s story about her childhood also becomes: “...I was born so hot! I was still six years old, no more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, and it was late in the evening, it was already dark; I ran out to the Volga, got into the boat and pushed it away from the shore. The next morning they found it about ten miles away!” But Katerina’s story is also a compositional preview of the play’s finale. For her, the Volga is a symbol of will, space, and free choice. And in the end she makes her choice.
Final scenes“Thunderstorms” are also preceded by Kudryash’s song:

Like a Don Cossack, the Cossack led his horse to water,
Good fellow, he’s already standing at the gate.
Standing at the gate, he himself is thinking,
Dumu thinks about how he will destroy his wife.
How a wife prayed to her husband,
Soon she bowed to him:
You, father, are you a dear, dear friend!
Don't hit me, don't destroy me this evening!
You kill, ruin me from midnight!
Let my little children sleep
To little children, to all our close neighbors.

This song develops in the play the motif of sin and retribution, which runs through the entire narrative. Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova constantly remembers sin: “What a long time to sin! A conversation close to the heart will go well, and you will sin, you will get angry,” “Enough, come on, don’t be afraid! Sin!”, “What can I say to a fool! There’s only one sin!” Judging by these remarks, sin for Kabanova is irritation, anger, lies and deception. However, in this case, Marfa Ignatievna constantly sins. She often gets irritated and angry with her son and daughter-in-law. While preaching religious commandments, she forgets about love for her neighbor and therefore lies to others. “A prude... she lavishes on the poor, but completely eats up her family,” Kuligin says about her. Kabanova is far from true mercy, her faith is harsh and merciless. Dikoy also mentions sin in the play. Sin for him is his “swearing”, anger, nonsense of character. Dikoy “sins” often: he gets it from his family, his nephew, Kuligin, and the peasants.
The wanderer Feklusha thoughtfully reflects on sin in the play: “It’s impossible, mother, without sin: we live in the world,” she says to Glasha. For Feklusha, sin is anger, quarrel, absurdity of character, gluttony. She admits to herself only one of these sins - gluttony: “I have one sin, for sure; I myself know that there is. I love to eat sweets." However, at the same time, Feklusha is also prone to deception and suspicion; she tells Glasha to look after “the wretched one” so that she “doesn’t steal anything.” The motive of sin is also embodied in the image of a half-crazy lady who sinned a lot from her youth. Since then, she prophesies to everyone a “pool”, “fire... unquenchable.”
In a conversation with Boris, Kudryash also mentions sin. Noticing Boris Grigoryich near the Kabanovs’ garden and at first considering him a rival, Kudryash warns young man: “I love you, sir, and I’m ready for any service to you, but on this path you don’t meet me at night, so that, God forbid, some sin does not happen.” Knowing Kudryash’s character, we can guess what kind of “sins” he has. In the play, Varvara “sins” without discussing sin. This concept lives in her mind only in the usual everyday life, but she obviously does not consider herself a sinner. Tikhon also has his sins. He himself admits this in a conversation with Kuligin: “I went to Moscow, you know? On the way, my mother read, gave me instructions, but as soon as I left, I went on a spree. I’m very glad that I broke free. And he drank all the way, and in Moscow he drank everything, so it’s a lot, what the heck! So that whole year take a walk. I never even remembered the house.” Kuligin advises him to forgive his wife: “You yourself, tea, are also not without sin!” Tikhon agrees unconditionally: “What can I say!”
Katerina often thinks about sin in the play. This is exactly how she evaluates her love for Boris. Already in the first conversation about this with Varya, she clearly indicates her feelings: “Oh, Varya, sin is on my mind! How much I, poor thing, cried, what I didn’t do to myself! I can't escape this sin. Can't go anywhere. It's not good, it's terrible sin“Varenka, why do I love someone else?” Moreover, for Katerina, a sin is not only the act as such, but also the thought about it: “I’m not afraid to die, but when I think that suddenly I will appear before God as I am here with you, then I’ll talk,” That's what's scary. What's on my mind! What a sin! It’s scary to say!” Katerina recognizes her sin the moment she meets Boris. “If I was not afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid human court? They say it’s even easier when you suffer for some sin here on earth.” However, then the heroine begins to suffer from the consciousness of her own sin. Her own behavior is at odds with hers ideal ideas about the world, of which she herself is a particle. Katerina introduces into the narrative the motive of repentance, retribution for sins, and God's punishment.
And the theme of God's punishment is connected both with the title of the play and with the thunderstorm as natural phenomenon. Ostrovsky’s theme is symbolic. However, what meaning does the playwright give to the concept of “thunderstorm”? If we remember the Bible, then the peals of thunder there are likened to the voice of the Lord. Almost all Kalinovites have an unambiguous attitude towards thunderstorms: it instills in them a mystical fear, reminds them of God’s wrath and moral responsibility. Dikoy says: “...a thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we feel...”. The prophecies of the crazy lady also hint at God’s punishment: “You’ll have to answer for everything... You can’t escape God.” Katerina perceives the thunderstorm in exactly the same way: she is convinced that this is nothing more than retribution for her sins. However, the Bible also has another meaning for this phenomenon. The Gospel sermon is compared to thunder here. And this, I think, is the true meaning of this symbol in the play. The thunderstorm is “designed” to crush the stubbornness and cruelty of the Kalinovites, to remind them of love and forgiveness.
This is exactly what the Kalinovites should have done with Katerina. The heroine’s public repentance is an attempt at her reconciliation with the world, at reconciliation with herself. The subtext of the play contains biblical wisdom: “Judge not, lest ye be judged, for by whatever judgment you judge, so will you be judged...” Thus, the motifs of sin and judgment, intertwined, form a deep semantic subtext in “The Thunderstorm,” bringing us close to the biblical parable.
In addition to themes and motives, we note symbolic meaning some images of the play. Kuligin introduces ideas and themes of enlightenment thinking into the play, and this character also introduces the image of natural harmony and grace. Ostrovsky’s image of a half-crazy lady is a symbol of Katerina’s sick conscience, while the image of Feklusha is a symbol of the old patriarchal world, the foundations of which are crumbling.
The last times of the “dark kingdom” are also symbolized by some objects in the play, in particular an ancient gallery and a key. In the fourth act, we see in the foreground a narrow gallery with an ancient building that is beginning to collapse. Its painting is reminiscent of very specific subjects - “fiery hell”, the battle between the Russians and Lithuania. However, now it has almost completely collapsed, everything is overgrown, and after the fire it was never repaired. Symbolic detail There is also a key that Varvara gives to Katerina. The scene with the key plays a crucial role in the development of the conflict of the play. There is an internal struggle going on in Katerina's soul. She perceives the key as a temptation, as a sign of impending doom. But the thirst for happiness wins: “Why am I saying that I’m deceiving myself? I could even die to see him. To whom am I pretending!.. Throw in the key! No, not for anything in the world! He’s mine now... Whatever happens, I’ll see Boris! Oh, if only the night could come sooner!..” The key here becomes a symbol of freedom for the heroine, as if it unlocks her soul languishing in captivity.
Thus, Ostrovsky’s play has both poetic and philosophical overtones, expressed in motifs, images and details. The thunderstorm that swept over Kalinov becomes “a cleansing storm, sweeping away deeply rooted prejudices and clearing the way for other “mores.”

1. Lebedev Yu.V. Russian literature XIX century. Second half. Book for teachers. M., 1990, p. 169–170.

2. Lyon P.E., Lokhova N.M. Decree. cit., p.255.

3. Buslakova T.P. Russian literature of the 19th century. Minimum educational requirement for applicants. M., 2005, p. 531.