Moral problems raised in Ostrovsky's plays. Moral problems in A. Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm". Composition “Moral problems in the plays of A.N. Ostrovsky (on the example of the drama “Thunderstorm”). To be or not to be? To do or not to do
Columbus of Zamoskvorechye. A. N. Ostrovsky knew the merchant environment well and saw in it the center of national life. Here, according to the playwright, all types of characters are widely represented. The writing of the drama "Thunderstorm" was preceded by the expedition of A. N. Ostrovsky along the Upper Volga in 1856-1857. “The Volga gave Ostrovsky abundant food, showed him new topics for dramas and comedies, and inspired him to those that are the honor and pride of Russian literature” (Maximov S.V.). The plot of the drama "Thunderstorm" did not follow the real story of the Klykov family from Kostroma, as was believed for a long time. The play was written before the tragedy that took place in Kostroma. This fact testifies to the typical nature of the conflict between the old and the new, which was becoming louder and louder among the merchants. The theme of the play is quite multifaceted.
The central problem is the confrontation between the individual and the environment (and as a special case, the disenfranchised position of a woman, about which N. A. Dobrolyubov said: “... the strongest protest is the one that finally rises from the chest of the weakest and most patient”). The problem of confrontation between the individual and the environment is revealed on the basis of the central conflict of the play: there is a collision of a "hot heart" and the dead way of life of a merchant society. The living nature of Katerina Kabanova, romantic, freedom-loving, hot, unable to endure the "cruel manners" of the city of Kalinov, about which in the 3rd yavl. Kuligin narrates the 1st act: “And whoever has money, sir, he tries to enslave the poor, so that he can make even more money on his free labors ... They undermine each other's trade, and not so much out of self-interest, but out of envy. They quarrel with each other; they lure drunken clerks into their tall mansions ... ”All lawlessness and cruelty are committed under the guise of piety. The heroine is not able to put up with hypocrisy and tyranny, among which the exalted soul of Katerina is suffocating. And it is completely impossible for the young Kabanova, an honest and whole nature, the principle of Varvara's "survival": "Do what you want, if only it were sewn and covered." The opposition of the "hot heart" to inertia and hypocrisy, even if life becomes the price for such a rebellion, the critic N. A. Dobrolyubov will call "a ray of light in the dark kingdom."
The tragic state of the mind and progress in a world of ignorance and tyranny. This complex issue is revealed in the play by introducing the image of Kuligin, who cares about the common good and progress, but encounters misunderstanding on the part of the Wild: “... I would use all the money for society and use it for support. Work must be given to the bourgeoisie. And then there are hands, but there is nothing to work. But those who have money, for example, Dikoy, are in no hurry to part with them, and even sign their ignorance: “What else is there elestrichestvo! Well, how are you not a robber! A thunderstorm is sent to us as a punishment so that we feel, and you want to defend yourself with poles and some kind of horns, God forgive me. Feklusha's ignorance finds deep "understanding" in Kabanova: and in Moscow now there are amusement and games, and through the streets there is an Indo roar, there is a groan. Why, mother Marfa Ignatievna, they began to harness the fiery serpent: everything, you see, for the sake of speed.
The substitution of life according to the grace-filled Christian commandments for a blind, fanatical, “house-building” Orthodoxy, bordering on obscurantism. The religiosity of Katerina's nature, on the one hand, and the piety of Kabanikha and Feklusha, on the other, appear completely different. The faith of the young Kabanova carries a creative principle, is full of joy, light and disinterestedness: “You know: on a sunny day, such a bright pillar goes down from the dome, and smoke goes up in this pillar, like clouds, and I see, it used to be like angels in they fly and sing along this column ... Or I’ll go to the garden early in the morning. As soon as the sun rises, I fall on my knees, pray and cry, and I myself don’t know what I’m crying about; so they will find me. And what I prayed for then, what I asked for, I don’t know; I don’t need anything, I had enough of everything. ” Rigid religious and moral postulates and severe asceticism, so revered by Kabanikha, help her to justify her despotism and cruelty.
The problem of sin. The theme of sin, which appears in the play more than once, is closely connected with the religious issue. Adultery becomes an unbearable burden for Katerina's conscience, and therefore the woman finds the only possible way out for her - public repentance. But the most difficult problem is the question of sin. Katerina considers life among the “dark kingdom” to be a greater sin than suicide: “It’s all the same that death comes, that she herself ... but you can’t live! Sin! Will they not pray? Whoever loves will pray…”
The problem of human dignity. The solution to this problem is directly related to the main problem of the play. Only the main character, by her decision to leave this world, defends her own dignity and the right to respect. The youth of the city of Kalinov are not able to decide on a protest. Their moral "strength" is only enough for secret "vents" that everyone finds for himself: Varvara secretly goes for a walk with Kudryash, Tikhon gets drunk as soon as he leaves the vigilant mother's guardianship. Yes, and other characters have a small selection. “Dignity” can only be afforded by those who have a solid capital and, as a result, power, but Kuligin’s advice can be attributed to the rest: “What to do, sir! We must try to please somehow!”
Columbus of Zamoskvorechye. A. N. Ostrovsky knew the merchant environment well and saw in it the center of national life. Here, according to the playwright, all types of characters are widely represented. The writing of the drama "Thunderstorm" was preceded by the expedition of A. N. Ostrovsky along the Upper Volga in 1856-1857. “The Volga gave Ostrovsky abundant food, showed him new themes for dramas and comedies, and inspired him to those that are the honor and pride of Russian literature” (Maximov S.V.). The plot of the drama "Thunderstorm" did not follow the real story of the Klykov family from Kostroma, as was believed for a long time. The play was written before the tragedy that took place in Kostroma. This fact testifies to the typical nature of the conflict between the old and the new, which was louder and louder in the merchant environment. The theme of the play is quite multifaceted.
Central problem- confrontation between the individual and the environment (and as a special case - the powerless position of a woman, about which N. A. Dobrolyubov said: "... the strongest protest is the one that rises, finally, from the chest of the weakest and most patient"). The problem of confrontation between the individual and the environment is revealed on the basis of the central conflict of the play: there is a clash between the "hot heart" and the dead way of life of the merchant society. The living nature of Katerina Kabanova, romantic, freedom-loving, hot, unable to tolerate the "cruel manners" of the city of Kalinov, about which in the 3rd yavl. Kuligin narrates the 1st act: “And whoever has money, sir, he tries to enslave the poor, so that he can make even more money from his free labors ... They undermine each other's trade, and not so much out of self-interest, but out of envy. They quarrel with each other; they lure drunken clerks into their tall mansions ... ”All lawlessness and cruelty are committed under the guise of piety. To put up with hypocrisy and tyranny, among which the exalted soul of Katerina is suffocating, the heroine is not in a state. And it is absolutely impossible for the young Kabanova, an honest and whole nature, the principle of "survival" of Barbara: "Do what you want, if only it was sewn and covered." The opposition of the "hot heart" to inertia and hypocrisy, even if life becomes the price for such a rebellion, the critic N. A. Dobro-lyubov will call "a ray of light in the dark kingdom."
The tragic state of the mind and progress in the world of ignorance and tyranny. This complex issue is revealed in the play by introducing the image of Kuligin, who cares about the common good and progress, but encounters misunderstanding on the part of the Wild: “... I would use all the money for society and use it for support. Work must be given to the petty-bourgeois. And then there are hands, but there is nothing to work. But those who have money, for example, Dikoy, are in no hurry to part with them, and even sign their ignorance: “What else is there elestrichestvo! Well, how are you not a robber! A thunderstorm is sent to us as a punishment so that we feel, and you want to defend yourself with poles and some kind of horns, God forgive me. Feklusha's ignorance finds deep "understanding" in Kabanova: and in Moscow now there are amusement and games, and through the streets there is an Indo roar, there is a groan. Why, mother Marfa Ignatievna, they began to harness the fiery serpent: everything, you see, for the sake of speed.
The substitution of life according to the grace-filled Christian commandments for a blind, fanatical, "house-building" Orthodoxy, bordering on obscurantism. The religiosity of Katerina's nature, on the one hand, and the piety of Kabanikha and Feklusha, on the other, appear completely different. The faith of the young Kaba-nova bears a creative beginning, full of joy, light and selflessness: “You know: on a sunny day, such a bright column goes down from the dome, and smoke goes down in this column, like clouds, and I see, it used to be , as if angels in this column fly and sing ... Or I’ll go to the garden early in the morning. As soon as the sun rises, I fall on my knees, pray and cry, and I myself don’t know what I’m crying about; so they will find me. And what I prayed for then, what I asked for, I don’t know; I don’t need anything, but I had enough of everything. Rigid religious and moral postulates and severe asceticism, so revered by Kabanikha, help her to justify her despotism and cruelty.
The problem of sin. The theme of sin, which appears more than once in the play, is closely connected with the religious question. Adultery becomes an unbearable burden for Katerina's conscience, and therefore the woman finds the only possible way out for her - public repentance. But the most difficult problem is the solution of the question of sin. Katerina considers life among the “dark kingdom” to be a greater sin than suicide: “It’s all the same that death comes, that she herself ... but you can’t live! Sin! Will they not pray? Whoever loves will pray…” material from the site
The problem of human dignity. The solution to this problem is directly related to the main problem of the play. Only the main character, by her decision to leave this world, defends her own dignity and the right to respect. The youth of the city of Kalinov is not able to decide on a protest. Their moral "strength" is only enough for secret "vents" that everyone finds for himself: Varvara secretly goes for a walk with Kudryash, Tikhon gets drunk as soon as he leaves the vigilant mother's guardianship. Yes, and other characters have a small selection. “Dignity” can only be afforded by those who have a solid capital and, as a result, power, but Kuligin’s advice can be attributed to the rest: “What to do, sir! We must try to please somehow!
N. A. Ostrovsky covers a wide range of moral problems that were acute in his contemporary merchant society, and their interpretation and comprehension goes beyond a specific historical period and receives a universal sound.
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Ostrovsky was once called the "Columbus of Zamoskvorechye", emphasizing the artistic discovery of the world of merchants in the playwright's plays, but his plays are interesting not only for specific historical issues, but also for moral, universal ones. So, it is the moral issues of Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" that makes this work interesting for the modern reader even today. The action of Ostrovsky's drama takes place in the city of Kalinovo, which is spread among the greenery of gardens on the steep bank of the Volga. “For fifty years I have been looking at the Volga every day and I can’t get enough of everything. The view is extraordinary. The soul rejoices,” Kuligin admires. It would seem that the life of the people of this city should be beautiful and joyful. Especially considering the fact that Kabanikha, a woman who personifies the entire “dark kingdom”, constantly talks about high morality. But why didn’t life in the city become a kingdom of light and joy, but turned into a “world of prison and grave silence”?
There are moral laws that are not written anywhere, but by fulfilling which a person is able to comprehend spiritual happiness, find light and joy on earth. How are these laws implemented in a provincial town on the Volga?
1. The moral laws of people's lives are replaced in Kalinov by the law of force, power and money. Wild's big money unties his hands and gives him the opportunity to swagger with impunity over everyone who is poor and financially dependent on him. People are nothing to him. "You are a worm. If I want, I’ll have mercy, if I want, I’ll crush, ”he says to Kuligin We see that the basis of everything in the city is money. They are worshipped. The basis of human relationships is material dependence. Here, money is everything, and power belongs to those who have more capital. . Profit and enrichment become the goal and meaning of life for the majority of Kalinovtsy. Because of money, they quarrel among themselves and harm each other: “I’ll spend it, and it will cost him a pretty penny.” Even the self-taught mechanic, advanced in his views, Kuligin, realizing the power of money, dreams of a million in order to talk on equal terms with the rich.
2. The basis of morality is respect for elders, parents, father and mother. But this law is perverted in Kalinov , because it is replaced by a ban on freedom, on respect. Katerina suffers most from the tyranny of Kabanikh. A freedom-loving nature, she cannot live in a family where the younger unquestioningly obeys the elder, the wife - her husband, where any desire for will and manifestation of her own dignity is suppressed. "Will" for Kabanikhi is a dirty word. “Wait! Live free!" she threatens the young. For Kabanikha, the most important thing is not the real order, but its external manifestation. E He is outraged that Tikhon, leaving home, does not order Katerina how to behave, and he does not know how to order, and the wife does not throw herself at her husband's feet and does not howl to show her love. “That's how you respect your elders ...” - Kabanova says every now and then, respect, in her understanding, is fear. You should be afraid, she says.
3. The great law of morality is to live in harmony with your heart, according to your conscience. But in Kalinov, any manifestation of sincere feeling is regarded as a sin. Love is a sin. And secretly run on dates - you can. When Katerina, saying goodbye to Tikhon, throws herself on his neck, Kabanikha pulls her up: “What are you hanging on your neck, shameless! Don't say goodbye to your lover! He is your husband, head! Love and marriage are incompatible here. The boar remembers love only when she needs to justify her cruelty: “After all, parents are strict with you because of love.” She wants to force the younger generation to live according to the laws of hypocrisy, arguing that what is most important is not the true manifestation of feelings, but the external respect for decorum. The boar is outraged that Tikhon, leaving home, does not order Katerina how to behave, and the wife does not throw herself at her husband’s feet and does not howl to show her love
4.There is no place for sincere feeling in the city . The boar is hypocritical she only hides behind virtue and piety, in the family she is an inhuman despot and tyrant. Kuligin gives her an apt description: “A hypocrite, sir! She clothes the poor, but eats the household completely. Lies and deceit, having become commonplace in life, cripple the souls of people.
It is in such conditions that the young generation of the city of Kalinov is forced to live.
5. Only one person is given to stand out against the background of humiliating and humiliated – Katerina. Already the first appearance of Katerina reveals in her not a timid daughter-in-law of a strict mother-in-law, but a person who has dignity and feels like a person: “It’s nice to endure something in vain,” says Katerina in response to the unfair words of Kabanikha. Katerina is a spiritual, bright, dreamy person, she, like no one else in the play, knows how to feel the beautiful. Even her religiosity is also a manifestation of spirituality. The church service is filled with a special charm for her: in the rays of sunlight she saw angels, felt her involvement in something higher, unearthly. The motif of light becomes one of the central ones in Katerina's characterization. “But it seems to glow from the face,” it was enough for Boris to say this, as Kudryash immediately realized that it was about Katerina. Her speech is melodious, figurative, reminiscent of Russian folk songs: "Wild winds, you transfer my sadness and longing to him." Katerina is distinguished by inner freedom, passion of nature, it is not by chance that the motif of a bird, flight appears in the play. The captivity of the boar's house oppresses her, suffocates her. “Everything seems to be from under your captivity. I withered completely with you, ”says Katerina, explaining to Varvara why she does not feel happiness in the Kabanovs' house.
6. Another one is connected with the image of Katerina the moral problem of the play is the human right to love and happiness. Katerina's rush to Boris is a rush to joy, without which a person cannot live, a rush to happiness, which she was deprived of in the Kabanikh's house. No matter how much Katerina tried to fight her love, this struggle was initially doomed. In Katerina's love, as in a thunderstorm, there was something spontaneous, strong, free, but also tragically doomed, it is no coincidence that she begins her love story with the words: "I will die soon." Already in this first conversation with Varvara, an image of an abyss, a cliff appears: “To be some kind of sin! Such a fear on me, such a fear! It’s as if I’m standing over an abyss, and someone is pushing me there, but there’s nothing for me to hold on to.”
7. The most dramatic sound takes on the name of the play when we feel how a "thunderstorm" is brewing in Katerina's soul. The central moral problem play can be called the problem of moral choice. The clash of duty and feeling, like a thunderstorm, destroyed that harmony in Katerina's soul with which she lived; she no longer dreams, as before, of “golden temples or extraordinary gardens”, it is no longer possible to relieve her soul with a prayer: “I will begin to think - I will not collect my thoughts in any way, I will not pray in any way.” Without consent with herself, Katerina cannot live, she could never, like Barbara, be content with thieves', hidden love. The consciousness of her sinfulness burdens Katerina, torments her more than all the reproaches of Kabanikha. The heroine of Ostrovsky cannot live in a world of discord - this explains her death. She herself made the choice - and she pays for it herself, without blaming anyone: "No one is to blame - she herself went for it."
It can be concluded that it is the moral issues of Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" that makes this work interesting for the modern reader even today.
2. “A poet in Russia is more than a poet” (based on the lyrics by N. A. Nekrasov). Reading by heart one of the poet's poems (at the student's choice).
The theme of the poet and poetry is traditional for Russian lyrics. It is this theme that is one of the main ones in Nekrasov's lyrics.
N. A. Nekrasov’s ideas about the essence and purpose of poetry developed in the process of creative communication with the ideologists of revolutionary democracy N. G. Chernyshevsky, N. A. Dobrolyubov, as well as such progressive writers as M. E. Saltykov-Shchedrin, L. N. Tolstoy. Nekrasov believes that the role of the poet in the life of society is so significant that it requires from him not only artistic talent, but also citizenship, active struggle for civic convictions.
1. Nekrasov repeatedly declares his view to assign your creativity . So, in the poem "Yesterday, at six o'clock ..." he says that his muse becomes the sister of all the humiliated and offended:
They beat a woman with a whip,
A young peasant...
... And I said to the Muse: “Look!
Your own sister!"
The same idea resounds in a later poem, "Muse" (1852). The poet sees from the very beginning his vocation is to sing of the common people, to sympathize with their suffering, to express their thoughts and aspirations, to denounce and mercilessly satire their oppressors . The muse of Nekrasov, on the one hand, is a peasant woman. But on the other hand, this is the fate of this floor itself, persecuted and persecuted by the powerful of this world. The muse of Nekrasov is suffering, glorifying the people and calling to fight.
2..In a poem "Poet and Citizen" (1856) Nekrasov argues with representatives of the "pure art" direction, who, in his opinion, lead the reader away from acute social problems. The poem is structured as a dialogue. This dialogue with Nekrasov is an internal dispute, a struggle in his soul between the Poet and the Citizen. The author himself tragically experienced this internal rupture, often making the same claims to himself as the Citizen to the Poet. The citizen in the poem shames the Poet for inaction; in his understanding, the immeasurable sublimity of civic service overshadows the former ideals of freedom of creativity, the new lofty goal is to die for the Fatherland: "... go and die flawlessly."
A poet who truly loves his homeland must have a clear civic position , without hesitation to expose and condemn the vices of society, as did Gogol, on the day of whose death the poem was written. Nekrasov emphasizes that the life of a poet who has chosen this path is immeasurably more difficult than the life of one who avoids social problems in his work. But this is the feat of a true poet, that he patiently endures all hardships for the sake of his lofty goal. According to Nekrasov, such a poet will be deservedly appreciated only by future generations, posthumously:
From all sides they curse him,
And, only seeing his corpse,
How much he did, they will understand
And how he loved - hating!
According to Nekrasov, without civic ideals, without an active social position, a poet will not be a true poet . The Poet, the protagonist of the poem "The Poet and the Citizen", agrees with this. The dispute ends not with the victory of the Poet or the Citizen, but with a general conclusion: the role of the poet is so significant that it requires civic convictions and the struggle for these convictions .
3 .. In 1874 Nekrasov creates a poem "Prophet". This work, of course, continued the series, which already included the works of Pushkin and Lermontov . It again speaks of the difficulty of the chosen path, of the divine beginning of creativity :
He has not yet been crucified,
But the hour will come - he will be on the cross,
4. But N. A. Nekrasov sees the highest mission of the poet in selfless service to the people . The theme of the people, the motherland becomes one of the most important themes of the entire work of the poet. He is sure: as long as the theme of the suffering of the people is relevant, the artist has no right to forget it. This selfless service to people is the essence of the poetry of N. A. Nekrasov. In a poem "Elegy", (1874) one of his most beloved poems, Nekrasov, as it were, sums up his work:
I dedicated the lyre to my people.
Perhaps I will die unknown to him,
But I served him - and my heart is calm ...
The poet creates poems not for the sake of fame, but for the sake of conscience .. Because you can only live in the service of the people, and not yourself.
« A poet in Russia is more than a poet,” these words do not belong to Nekrasov, but with good reason can be attributed to his work. A poet in Russia is, first of all, a person with an active lifestyle. And all the work of Nekrasov affirmed the thought: "You may not be a poet, but you must be a citizen."
Moral problems in Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm"
Ostrovsky was once called the "Columbus of Zamoskvorechye", emphasizing the artistic discovery of the world of merchants in the playwright's plays, but today such works as "Dowry", "Our people - we will get along", "Talents and admirers", "Forest" and other plays are interesting not only concrete historical problems, but also moral, universal. I would like to tell you more about the play "Thunderstorm".
It is symbolic that in 1859, on the eve of the social upsurge, which would lead to the abolition of serfdom in 61, a play called The Thunderstorm appeared. Just as the name of the play is symbolic, its moral issues are also multifaceted, in the center of which are the problems of external and internal freedom, love and happiness, the problem of moral choice and responsibility for it.
The problem of external and internal freedom becomes one of the central ones in the play. “Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel,” Kuligin says already at the beginning of the play.
Only one person is given to stand out against the background of those who are humiliating and humiliated - Katerina. Already the first appearance of Katerina reveals in her not a timid daughter-in-law of a strict mother-in-law, but a person who has dignity and feels like a person: “It’s nice to endure something in vain,” says Katerina in response to the unfair words of Kabanikha. Katerina is a spiritual, bright, dreamy person, she, like no one else in the play, knows how to feel the beautiful. Even her religiosity is also a manifestation of spirituality. The church service is filled with a special charm for her: in the rays of sunlight she saw angels, felt her involvement in something higher, unearthly. The motif of light becomes one of the central ones in Katerina's characterization. “But it seems to glow from the face,” it was enough for Boris to say this, as Kudryash immediately realized that it was about Katerina. Her speech is melodious, figurative, reminiscent of Russian folk songs: "Wild winds, you transfer my sadness and longing to him." Katerina is distinguished by inner freedom, passion of nature, it is not by chance that the motif of a bird, flight appears in the play. The captivity of the boar's house oppresses her, suffocates her. “Everything seems to be from under your captivity. I withered completely with you, ”says Katerina, explaining to Varvara why she does not feel happiness in the Kabanovs' house.
Another moral problem of the play is connected with the image of Katerina - human right to love and happiness. Katerina's rush to Boris is a rush to joy, without which a person cannot live, a rush to happiness, which she was deprived of in the Kabanikh's house. No matter how much Katerina tried to fight her love, this struggle was initially doomed. In Katerina's love, as in a thunderstorm, there was something spontaneous, strong, free, but also tragically doomed, it is no coincidence that she begins her love story with the words: "I will die soon." Already in this first conversation with Varvara, an image of an abyss, a cliff appears: “To be some kind of sin! Such a fear on me, such a fear! It’s as if I’m standing over an abyss, and someone is pushing me there, but there’s nothing for me to hold on to.”
The most dramatic sound takes on the name of the play when we feel how a "thunderstorm" is brewing in Katerina's soul. The central moral problem play can be called the problem of moral choice. The clash of duty and feeling, like a thunderstorm, destroyed that harmony in Katerina's soul with which she lived; she no longer dreams, as before, of “golden temples or extraordinary gardens”, it is no longer possible to relieve her soul with a prayer: “I will begin to think - I will not collect my thoughts in any way, I will not pray in any way.” Without consent with herself, Katerina cannot live, she could never, like Barbara, be content with thieves', hidden love. The consciousness of her sinfulness burdens Katerina, torments her more than all the reproaches of Kabanikha. The heroine of Ostrovsky cannot live in a world of discord - this explains her death. She herself made the choice - and she pays for it herself, without blaming anyone: "No one is to blame - she herself went for it."
It can be concluded that it is the moral issues of Ostrovsky's play "Thunderstorm" that makes this work interesting for the modern reader even today.
The problematics of a work in literary criticism is a range of problems that are somehow touched upon in the text. This may be one or more aspects that the author focuses on. In this work, we will focus on the problems of Ostrovsky's Thunderstorm. A. N. Ostrovsky received a literary vocation after the first published play. “Poverty is not a vice”, “Dowry”, “Profitable place” - these and many other works are devoted to social and everyday topics, but the issue of the play “Thunderstorm” should be considered separately.
The play received mixed reviews from critics. Dobrolyubov saw in Katerina the hope for a new life, Ap. Grigoriev noticed the emerging protest against the existing order, and L. Tolstoy did not accept the play at all. The plot of "Thunderstorm", at first glance, is quite simple: everything is based on a love conflict. Katerina secretly meets with a young man, while her husband has gone to another city on business. Unable to cope with the pangs of conscience, the girl confesses to treason, after which she rushes into the Volga. However, behind all this everyday, domestic, lies much larger things that threaten to grow to the scale of space. Dobrolyubov calls the “dark kingdom” the situation that is described in the text. An atmosphere of lies and betrayal. In Kalinovo, people are so accustomed to moral dirt that their uncomplaining consent only exacerbates the situation. It becomes scary from the realization that this place did not make people like this, it was people who independently turned the city into a kind of accumulation of vices. And now the "dark kingdom" begins to influence the inhabitants. After a detailed acquaintance with the text, one can notice how widely developed the problems of the work "Thunderstorm".
The problems in Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm" are diverse, but at the same time they do not have a hierarchy. Each individual problem is important in itself.
The problem of fathers and children
Here we are not talking about misunderstanding, but about total control, about patriarchal orders. The play shows the life of the Kabanov family. At that time, the opinion of the eldest man in the family was undeniable, and wives and daughters were practically deprived of rights. The head of the family is Marfa Ignatievna, a widow. She took over the male functions. This is a powerful and prudent woman. Kabanikha believes that she takes care of her children, ordering them to do as she wants. This behavior led to quite logical consequences. Her son, Tikhon, is a weak and spineless person. Mother, it seems, wanted to see him like that, because in this case it is easier to control a person. Tikhon is afraid to say anything, to express his opinion; in one of the scenes, he admits that he does not have his own point of view at all. Tikhon cannot protect either himself or his wife from the tantrums and cruelty of his mother. The daughter of Kabanikhi, Varvara, on the contrary, managed to adapt to this way of life. She easily lies to her mother, the girl even changed the lock on the gate in the garden in order to freely go on dates with Curly. Tikhon is not capable of any kind of rebellion, while Varvara, in the finale of the play, escapes from her parents' house with her lover.
The problem of self-realization
When talking about the problems of the "Thunderstorm" one cannot fail to mention this aspect. The problem is realized in the image of Kuligin. This self-taught inventor dreams of making something useful for all the inhabitants of the city. His plans include assembling a perpetu mobile, building a lightning rod, and getting electricity. But this whole dark, semi-pagan world needs neither light nor enlightenment. Dikoy laughs at Kuligin's plans to find an honest income, openly mocks him. Boris, after talking with Kuligin, understands that the inventor will never invent a single thing. Perhaps Kuligin himself understands this. He could be called naive, but he knows what morals reign in Kalinov, what happens behind closed doors, what are those in whose hands power is concentrated. Kuligin learned to live in this world without losing himself. But he is not able to feel the conflict between reality and dreams as keenly as Katerina did.
The Problem of Power
In the city of Kalinov, power is not in the hands of the relevant authorities, but in those who have money. Proof of this is the dialogue between the merchant Wild and the mayor. The mayor tells the merchant that complaints are being received against the latter. To this Savl Prokofievich replies rudely. Dikoi does not hide that he cheats ordinary peasants, he speaks of deceit as a normal phenomenon: if merchants steal from each other, then you can steal from ordinary residents. In Kalinov, nominal power decides absolutely nothing, and this is fundamentally wrong. After all, it turns out that without money in such a city it is simply impossible to live. Dikoy fancies himself almost a father-king, deciding who to lend money to and who not. “So know that you are a worm. If I want to, I'll have mercy, if I want to, I'll crush it, ”this is how Dikoy Kuligin answers.
The problem of love
In "Thunderstorm" the problem of love is realized in pairs Katerina - Tikhon and Katerina - Boris. The girl is forced to live with her husband, although she does not feel any feelings other than pity for him. Katya rushes from one extreme to another: she thinks between the option of staying with her husband and learning to love him or leaving Tikhon. Katya's feelings for Boris flare up instantly. This passion pushes the girl to take a decisive step: Katya goes against public opinion and Christian morality. Her feelings were mutual, but for Boris this love meant much less. Katya believed that Boris, just like her, was incapable of living in a frozen city and lying for profit. Katerina often compared herself to a bird, she wanted to fly away, to escape from that metaphorical cage, and in Boris Katya saw that air, that freedom that she lacked so much. Unfortunately, the girl made a mistake in Boris. The young man turned out to be the same as the inhabitants of Kalinov. He wanted to improve relations with Wild for the sake of getting money, he spoke with Varvara that it was better to keep feelings for Katya secret for as long as possible.
Conflict of old and new
It is about resisting the patriarchal way of life with the new order, which implies equality and freedom. This topic was very relevant. Recall that the play was written in 1859, and serfdom was abolished in 1861. Social contradictions reached their apogee. The author wanted to show what the absence of reforms and decisive action can lead to. Confirmation of this are the final words of Tikhon. “Good for you, Katya! Why am I left to live in the world and suffer!” In such a world, the living envy the dead.
Most of all, this contradiction was reflected in the main character of the play. Katerina cannot understand how one can live in lies and animal humility. The girl was suffocating in the atmosphere that was created by the inhabitants of Kalinov for a long time. She is honest and pure, so her only desire was so small and so great at the same time. Katya just wanted to be herself, to live the way she was raised. Katerina sees that everything is not at all the way she imagined before marriage. She cannot even afford a sincere impulse - to hug her husband - Kabanikha controlled and prevented any attempts by Katya to be sincere. Varvara supports Katya, but cannot understand her. Katerina is left alone in this world of deceit and dirt. The girl could not endure such pressure, she finds salvation in death. Death frees Katya from the burden of earthly life, turning her soul into something light, capable of flying away from the "dark kingdom".
It can be concluded that the problems in the drama "Thunderstorm" are significant and relevant to this day. These are unresolved issues of human existence, which will worry a person at all times. It is thanks to this formulation of the question that the play "Thunderstorm" can be called a work out of time.
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