Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" was written a year before the abolition of serfdom, in 1859. This work stands out among the playwright's other plays due to the character of the main character. In “The Thunderstorm,” Katerina is the main character through whom the conflict of the play is shown. Katerina is not like other residents of Kalinov; she is distinguished by a special perception of life, strength of character and self-esteem. The image of Katerina from the play “The Thunderstorm” is formed due to a combination of many factors. For example, words, thoughts, environment, actions.
Childhood
Katya is about 19 years old, she was married off early. From Katerina's monologue in the first act, we learn about Katya's childhood. Mama “doted on her.” Together with her parents, the girl went to church, walked, and then did some work. Katerina Kabanova remembers all this with bright sadness. Varvara’s phrase that “we have the same thing” is interesting. But now Katya doesn’t have a feeling of ease, now “everything is done under duress.” In fact, life before marriage was practically no different from life after: the same actions, the same events. But now Katya treats everything differently. Then she felt supported, felt alive, and had amazing dreams about flying. “And now they dream,” but only much less often. Before her marriage, Katerina felt the movement of life, the presence of certain higher forces in this world, she was devout: “she loved going to church with such passion!
“From early childhood, Katerina had everything she needed: her mother’s love and freedom. Now, by force of circumstances, she is torn away from her loved one and deprived of her freedom.
Environment
Katerina lives in the same house with her husband, her husband's sister and mother-in-law. This circumstance alone is no longer conducive to a happy family life. However, the situation is worsened by the fact that Kabanikha, Katya’s mother-in-law, is a cruel and greedy person. Greed here should be understood as a passionate desire for something, bordering on madness. Kabanikha wants to subjugate everyone and everything to her will. One experience with Tikhon was successful, the next victim is Katerina. Despite the fact that Marfa Ignatievna was looking forward to her son’s wedding, she is unhappy with her daughter-in-law. Kabanikha did not expect that Katerina would be so strong in character that she could silently resist her influence. The old woman understands that Katya can turn Tikhon against her mother, she is afraid of this, so she tries in every possible way to break Katya in order to avoid such a development of events. Kabanikha says that his wife has long become dearer to Tikhon than his mother.
“Kabanikha: Or maybe your wife is taking you away from me, I don’t know.
Kabanov: No, mama!What are you saying, have mercy!
Katerina: For me, Mama, everything is the same as my own mother, as you, and Tikhon loves you too.
Kabanova: It seems like you could have kept quiet if they didn’t ask you. Why did you jump out in front of your eyes to make jokes! So that they can see how much you love your husband? So we know, we know, in your eyes you prove it to everyone.
Katerina: You are in vain saying this about me, Mama. Whether in front of people or without people, I’m still alone, I don’t prove anything of myself.”Katerina's answer is quite interesting for several reasons. She, unlike Tikhon, addresses Marfa Ignatievna on a personal level, as if putting herself on an equal footing with her. Katya draws Kabanikha’s attention to the fact that she is not pretending or trying to seem like someone she is not. Despite the fact that Katya fulfills the humiliating request to kneel before Tikhon, this does not indicate her humility. Katerina is insulted by false words: “Who likes to endure falsehoods?” - with this answer Katya not only defends herself, but also reproaches Kabanikha for lying and slander.
Katerina’s husband in “The Thunderstorm” appears to be a gray man. Tikhon looks like an over-aged child who is tired of his mother’s care, but at the same time does not try to change the situation, but only complains about life. Even his sister, Varvara, reproaches Tikhon for the fact that he cannot protect Katya from the attacks of Marfa Ignatievna. Varvara is the only person who is at least a little interested in Katya, but still she persuades the girl that she will have to lie and squirm in order to survive in this family.
Relations with Boris
In “The Thunderstorm,” the image of Katerina is also revealed through a love line. Boris came from Moscow on business related to receiving an inheritance. Feelings for Katya flare up suddenly, as do the girl’s reciprocal feelings. This is love at first sight. Boris is worried that Katya is married, but he continues to look for meetings with her. Katya, realizing her feelings, tries to abandon them. Treason is contrary to the laws of Christian morality and society. Varvara helps the lovers meet. For ten whole days, Katya secretly meets with Boris (while Tikhon was away). Having learned about Tikhon's arrival, Boris refuses to meet with Katya; he asks Varvara to persuade Katya to remain silent about their secret meetings. But Katerina is not that kind of person: she needs to be honest with others and herself. She is afraid of God's punishment for her sin, so she regards the raging thunderstorm as a sign from above and talks about betrayal. After this, Katya decides to talk to Boris. It turns out that he is going to leave for Siberia for a few days, but cannot take the girl with him. It is obvious that Boris does not really need Katya, that he did not love her. But Katya didn’t love Boris either. More precisely, she loved, but not Boris. In “The Thunderstorm,” Ostrovsky’s image of Katerina endowed her with the ability to see the good in everything, and endowed the girl with a surprisingly strong imagination. Katya came up with the image of Boris, she saw in him one of his features - non-acceptance of Kalinov's reality - and made it the main one, refusing to see other sides. After all, Boris came to ask Dikiy for money, just like other Kalinovites did. Boris was for Katya a man from another world, from the world of freedom, the one that the girl dreamed of. Therefore, Boris himself becomes a kind of embodiment of freedom for Katya. She falls in love not with him, but with her ideas about him.
The drama "The Thunderstorm" ends tragically. Katya rushes into the Volga, realizing that she cannot live in such a world. And there is no other world. The girl, despite her religiosity, commits one of the most terrible sins of the Christian paradigm. To decide to do such an act requires enormous willpower. Unfortunately, the girl had no other choice in those circumstances. Surprisingly, Katya maintains inner purity even after committing suicide.
A detailed disclosure of the image of the main character and a description of her relationships with other characters in the play will be useful for 10th graders when preparing for an essay on the topic “The Image of Katerina in the play “The Thunderstorm”.”
Work test
In the drama “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky created a completely new female image for his work - with inner harmony, spiritual strength and an extraordinary attitude.
Life before marriage
Katerina is a bright person with a poetic, elevated soul. She is a dreamer with a remarkably developed imagination. Before her marriage, she lived freely: she prayed in church, did handicrafts, listened to the stories of the praying mantis, and saw fabulous dreams. The author vividly represents the heroine’s desire for spirituality and beauty.
Religiosity
Katerina is very pious and religious. Christianity in her perception is closely connected with pagan beliefs and folklore legends. Katerina’s entire inner being strives for freedom and flight: “Why don’t people fly like birds?” she asks. Even in her dreams she sees her own flights in the form of a bird or a butterfly.
Having gotten married and settled in the Kabanovs’ house, she feels like a bird in a cage. Being a person of strong character, Katerina has a sense of self-esteem. In Kabanikha’s house, where everything is done as if against her will, it’s hard for her. How hard it is to accept the stupidity and weak character of your own husband. Their whole life is built on deception and submission.
Hiding behind God's commandments, Kabanova humiliates and insults her household. Most likely, such frequent attacks on the daughter-in-law are due to the fact that she feels in her a rival capable of resisting her will.
Varya Katerina admits that if her life becomes completely unbearable, she will not endure it - she will throw herself into the Volga. Even as a child, when her parents offended her in some way, she sailed away on a boat along the Volga alone. I think that the river for her is a symbol of freedom, will, and space.
Thirst for freedom and love
The thirst for freedom in Katerina’s soul is mixed with the thirst for true love, which knows no boundaries or barriers. Attempts to maintain a relationship with her husband lead nowhere - she cannot respect him because of his weak character. Having fallen in love with Boris, Dikiy’s nephew, she thinks of him as a kind, intelligent and well-mannered man, very different from those around him. He attracts her with his difference, and the heroine surrenders to her feelings.
Subsequently, she begins to be tormented by the awareness of her sinfulness. Her internal conflict is determined not only by the conviction of sin before God, but also before herself. Katerina’s ideas about morality and morality do not allow her to be calm about secret love meetings with Boris and her husband’s deception. Thus, the heroine’s suffering is inevitable. Due to her growing feelings of guilt, the girl confesses everything to her family just as a thunderstorm approaches. In thunder and lightning she sees God's punishment overtaking her.
Resolving internal conflict
Katerina's internal conflict cannot be resolved by her confession. From the inability to reconcile her feelings and the opinions of others about herself, she commits suicide.
Despite the fact that taking one’s own life is a sin, Katerina thinks about Christian forgiveness and is sure that her sins will be forgiven by the one who loves her.
I am very sorry that there was not a single strong man around Katerina who could protect her from internal experiences and external conflicts. In my opinion, Katerina is rightly called “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.”