A. N. Ostrovsky's play “The Thunderstorm” was written in 1859. However, interest in it does not decrease even today. What makes this little work so relevant? What problems does the playwright raise in the work?
At the center of the story is a social conflict, reflecting the confrontation between old and new forces. Vivid personifications of the old world are Savel Prokofievich Dikoy and Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova.
These are typical representatives of society, which the critic Dobrolyubov rightly and aptly called the “dark kingdom.” The despotism of these people knows no bounds. They, like an octopus spreading its tentacles, strive to extend their power to those around them.
The wealthy merchant Dikoy cannot but arouse angry rejection. He has sufficient influence in Kalinov. He is known to the townspeople as a brawler and a stingy guy. Swearing became an integral part of it. Savel Prokofievich cannot live a day without moralizing speeches. He will always find an object of attack, be it his relatives, nephew or employees. He is very strict towards all members of the household, does not allow anyone to breathe freely.
In his tone one can always recognize menacing notes of instructiveness.
Dikoy is obscenely greedy. He puts his own nephews in a humiliating position, not wanting to give them the inheritance bequeathed by his grandmother. In an effort to gain his own benefit, he stipulates conditions. So, Boris, in order not to anger his uncle, should behave respectfully, carry out all his instructions, and endure his tyranny. The wild one will always find something to complain about. Dejected Boris does not really believe that his uncle will fulfill his grandmother’s will.
Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is not inferior to Dikiy in ignorance and rudeness. Everyone in the house groans from her.
Kabanikha keeps everyone in complete submission.
Obedience became the norm for her son. His mother’s control turns Tikhon into a wordless shadow that has nothing to do with the concept of “man.” He cannot even protect his wife from his mother’s despotism.
Varvara Kabanikha’s daughter drove her to the point where she was forced to lie to her all the time, because she did not want to live according to the laws established by her mother.
Katerina becomes the real victim of Kabanikha’s despotism.
The mother-in-law believes that the daughter-in-law should unquestioningly obey her husband in everything. Manifestation of one's own will is unacceptable. Moreover, it is punishable! Her savagery, ignorance and despotism persistently formed in her mind the idea that the husband should “educate” his wife by beating. There should be no warm, human relations between them. Kindness to your wife is, according to Marfa Ignatievna, a manifestation of weakness. The daughter-in-law is obliged to subserviently to her husband, to serve him and his mother.
Thus, the “cruel morals” of the city of Kalinov have their inspirers, who are represented by the images of the Wild and Kabanikha.
Option 2
A.N. Ostrovsky reflects in The Thunderstorm the world of tyranny, tyranny and stupidity. And also the reality of people who do not resist this evil. The literary critic Dobrolyubov called all this “the dark kingdom.” And this concept stuck.
The play takes place in the Volga city of Kalinov. The name is fictitious. What is described in prose was the reality of all Russian cities of that time. And a populated area, fenced off from the outside world by a large river, is even more closed and conservative. Therefore, residents learn about everything from holy fools. And they believe that rulers with dog heads live somewhere, and the people are even more oppressed. This means they themselves are still living well. And we must pray for local “benefactors.”
Kalinov’s “Dark Kingdom” rests on two people: Dikiy and Kabanikha. Self-will, selfishness, unlimited rudeness, rigidity, love of power are common traits of these two personalities. These are stupid and tyrannical people. They are the strength and power in this city. Even the mayor will not contradict them. Savel Prokofievich is a wealthy merchant, “whose whole life is based on swearing.” Every day he tyrannizes, humiliates, scolds someone. And if he comes across a person over whom the Wild has no power and they answer him with the same abuse, then he takes out all his anger on his family. They will not answer, the family is defenseless against him. The merchant's wife, his children and his nephew Boris, who gets the most, suffer and are afraid.
The hero is also despotic in relation to his workers. Dikoy is very greedy. He does not tolerate it at all when people talk to him about money. Even if he himself understands that he owes the person to pay or repay the debt. Rarely does a master pay what is due to men. And I'm happy with that. He even explains to the mayor what profit he has if each employee is not paid extra. And he punishes his nephew to work. And the salary will be in a year, as much as the uncle wants to give. Selfishness is his main distinguishing feature. This man only respects the rich. He cruelly humiliates everyone who is lower than him in material terms.
The boar, on the contrary, cannot be called greedy. Marfa Ignatieva is generous in public and even kind to some extent. He welcomes wanderers and praying mantises into his home. He feeds them and gives them alms. All so that these old men praise her publicly, this pleases her pride. Tikhon's mother is no less willful and selfish than Dikoy. And he also likes to assert himself by belittling the dignity of others. She shows self-will and excesses only in the family. She is kind to strangers, but she is “stuffed up with food” at home. Whereas Savel Prokofievich does not make exceptions for anyone. But Kabanova’s emotional torture is much more sophisticated. She even turned her own son into a weak-willed creature. And the worst thing is that she is confident that she is right. She is older, wiser and knows everything better. Who else will teach the youth? They have no mind of their own, they must live by the mind of their parents. This means that what she does is not tyranny and tyranny. And a manifestation of maternal love and care.
Dikoy and Kabanikha differ only in their approach to humiliating others. They understand that they are, in fact, weak and may lose power. That's why they put people in a vice. So that no one would have the thought of opposing them.
Wild and Kabanikha in the story Groz Ostrovsky
The play “The Thunderstorm” by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky shows the main characters and the clash between them, associated with their different views on the world, dissimilar ideas and values. The work proves that with the passage of time, the principles of life are constantly changing. Representatives of the “dark kingdom”, the merchant Dikoy and Kabanikha, live according to the Domostroevsky order, which dictates patriarchal norms and old traditions to the new generation, which leads to the emergence of interpersonal conflict in the work.
Kabanikha, the merchant widow Marfa Kabanova, appears to the reader as a tyrant and a bigot. Being a conservative due to his illiteracy, he does not know and does not even think that it is possible to live in any other way, he actively preaches his ideals, since he believes that the eldest in the family is the boss (based on the norms of patriarchy). Kabanova understands that the patriarchal structure is collapsing, so she enforces it even more harshly, this further serves as the cause of the collapse of the family.
Kabanikha tries to hold on to the old, because of which she absolutely does not see real feelings and does not experience them, suppresses them in others. She is ashamed that Katerina openly shows feelings for her son, since she considers it unacceptable to “hang” on her husband’s neck, forcing her to bow at his feet. She speaks in a commanding tone with rude expressions, believing that she has the right to indicate because she is the eldest, the head of the house. A maximalist, she never makes concessions, does not tolerate will, believing in the customs of antiquity.
Merchant Dikoy is also a representative of the “dark kingdom”, a supporter of Kabanikha. But his image has several differences from the image of Kabanikha. The tyranny of the Wild lies in the worship of money. A stingy egoist who seeks profit in everything, when he suffers losses, he loses his temper, gets irritated, and perceives it as punishment.
A. N. Ostrovsky shows Dikoy’s lack of education in the scene of his dialogue with Kuligin, a self-taught mechanic, who proposes to install a lightning rod, but Dikoy, who believes that the thunderstorm is sent as punishment, begins to shout at Kuligin. The abuse of this hero is his kind of defense. Dikoy is used to intimidating everyone, suppressing others, the feeling of power over others brings him confidence and pleasure.
It should be noted that A. N. Ostrovsky endowed the heroes with “talking” surnames, which reveal the essence of their rude, absurd characters.
Thus, the problem of the existence of representatives of the “dark kingdom” who try to hold on to petrified forms of life finds a place in Russian classical literature, affects not only everyday life in the work, but covers other spheres of life, and develops into a larger-scale conflict.
Sample 4
The provincial town of Kalinov, in which the play “The Thunderstorm” takes place, is located on the high bank of the Volga. It would seem that the life of the inhabitants of the city against the backdrop of a beautiful landscape should have flowed calmly and smoothly. But that's not true. Behind the external calm lie cruel morals. Kuligin, a self-taught mechanic, telling Boris about the difficult situation of ordinary residents of the city, says: “What are the rich doing?.. Do you think they are doing work or praying to God? No, sir! And they don’t lock themselves away from thieves, but so that people don’t see how they eat their own family and tyrannize their family!..”
Depicting the life and customs of the city, A.N. Ostrovsky denounces the masters of life in the person of the merchants Dikiy and Kabanikha.
Savel Profyich Dikoy is a despot, ignorant, rude. He demands unquestioning obedience from everyone. His family suffers: they hide from the wrath of the Wild One so as not to catch his eye. The hardest time is for Boris, Dikiy’s nephew, who depends on him financially. Dikoy holds the entire city in his hands, mocking people. He humiliates Kuligin when he asks him for money for a sundial for the city. Money is everything for Dikiy; he cannot part with it. For the sake of money, he is ready to commit deception and fraud. He underpays his employees. It is useless to complain about Dikiy; he is on friendly terms with the mayor himself. For his rudeness and swearing, the clerk Kudryash calls Diky “a shrill man.”
Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is the head of the Kabanov house, a tyrant and despot. Everything in the house always happens only according to her will. She completely controls the family and keeps the entire house in fear. Kabanikha is an ardent supporter of the old principles of life, customs and rituals. She says that Domostroy should be observed, but she herself takes from there only the most cruel norms that justify her despotism. The boar is superstitious, attends all church services, gives money to the poor, and receives strangers in her house. But this is ostentatious piety. And the worst thing is that Kabanikha does not doubt that she is right.
Kabanikha tortures and pursues her victims day after day, eroding them “like rusting iron.” Her son Tikhon grew up to be a weak-willed and spineless man. He loves his wife and tries to calm her down after her mother’s attacks, but he is unable to change anything and advises Katerina not to pay attention to her mother. Whenever possible, Tikhon tries to get out of the house and get drunk. Kabanikha brought Katerina to the grave. Varvara, Tikhon’s sister, adapted to such a life; she learned to hide the truth from her mother. But Varvara can’t stand it either and leaves home after Katerina’s death. The morals of this house are capable of destroying every person who ends up there.
The patriarchal world, of which Dikoy and Kabanikha are representatives, is strong and merciless, but it is already on the verge of collapse.
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According to I. A. Goncharov, A. N. Ostrovsky “brought a whole library of artistic works as a gift to literature, and created his own special world for the stage.” The world of Ostrovsky’s works is amazing. He created large and integral characters, knew how to emphasize comic or dramatic properties in them, and draw the reader’s attention to the virtues or vices of his heroes.
The heroes of the play “The Thunderstorm” deserve special attention - Savel Prokofievich Dikoy and Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova.
Savel Prokofievich Dikoy is a merchant, a significant person in the city of Kalinov. The heroes of the play give him eloquent characteristics. “He belongs everywhere. He’s afraid of someone!” - Kudryash says about him. Dikoy, in fact, does not recognize anything other than his own will. He doesn't care about the thoughts and feelings of other people. It costs Savel Prokofievich nothing to scold, humiliate, or insult. With those around him, he behaves as if he had “lost his chain,” and without this he “cannot breathe.” “...You are a worm,” he says to Kulig. “If I want, I’ll have mercy, if I want, I’ll crush.”
The power of the Wild One is stronger, the weaker, more weak-willed the person. So Kudryash, for example, knows how to resist the Wild One. “...He is the word, and I am ten; he will spit and go. No, I won’t slave to him,” says Kudryash about his relationship with the merchant. Another person is Dikiy’s nephew, Boris. “He got Boris Grigoryich as a sacrifice, so he rides on it,” people around him notice. The wild one is not embarrassed by the fact that Boris is an orphan and that he has no one closer to his uncle. The merchant realizes that the fate of his nephew is in his hands, and takes advantage of this. “Driven, beaten...” Boris says sadly. The merchant is no less cruel to his employees: “With us, no one dares even say a word about a salary, he’ll scold you for all he’s worth.” The unscrupulous Dikoy makes his fortune from other people's slave labor and deception: “... I will underpay them by a penny... but I make thousands from this...”. However, sometimes the Dikiy has an epiphany, and he realizes that he is going too far: “After all, I already know that I have to give, but I can’t do everything with good.”
Dikoy is a despot and tyrant in his family, “his own people cannot please him,” “when he is offended by a person whom he does not dare to scold; here, stay home!”
Kabanikha, the rich Kalinovsky merchant’s wife, is not inferior to Dikiy. Kabanikha is a hypocrite, she does everything “under the guise of piety.” Outwardly she is very pious. However, as Kuligin notes, Kabanikha “gives money to the poor, but completely eats up her family.” The main object of her tyranny is her own son Tikhon. Being an adult, married man, he is completely at the mercy of his mother, has no opinion of his own, and is afraid to contradict her. Kabanikha “builds” his relationship with his wife, she guides his every action, every word. Complete obedience is all she wants to see in her son. The power-hungry Kabanikha does not notice that under her yoke a cowardly, pathetic, weak-willed, irresponsible man has grown up. Having escaped from the supervision of his mother for a while, he chokes on freedom and drinks, because he does not know how to use freedom in any other way. “...Not one step out of your will,” he repeats to his mother, and “he himself thinks about how he can escape as quickly as possible.”
Kabanikha is jealous of her son’s daughter-in-law, constantly reproaches him with Katerina, “she eats him.” “I already see that I’m a hindrance to you,” she nags Tikhon. Kabanikha believes that the wife of her husband should be afraid, precisely afraid, and not love or respect. In her opinion, correct relationships are built precisely on the suppression of one person by another, on humiliation, on lack of freedom. Indicative in this regard is the scene of Katerina’s farewell to her husband, when all Tikhon’s words addressed to his wife are just a repetition of Kabanikha’s instigations.
If Tikhon, who has been crushed by her since childhood, suffers from Kabanikha, then the life of such a dreamy, poetic and integral nature as Katerina in the merchant’s house becomes unbearable. “Here, whether you got married or buried, it’s all the same,” Boris thinks about this.
Constant pressure forces Kabanikha’s daughter, Varvara, to adapt. “Do what you want, as long as it’s sewn and covered,” she reasons.
Assessing the images of the “masters of life,” N. Dobro-lyubov shows Diky and Kabanikha as tyrants, with their “constant suspicion, scrupulousness and pickiness.” According to the critic, “The Thunderstorm” is Ostrovsky’s most decisive work” in this play “the mutual relations of tyranny and voicelessness are brought... to the most tragic consequences...”.
As you know, in classical works and fairy tales there are several types of heroes. This article will focus on the antagonist-protagonist pair. This opposition will be examined using the example of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”. The main character of this play, in other words the protagonist, is a young girl Katerina Kabanova. She is opposed, that is, is an antagonist, by Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova. Using the example of comparisons and analysis of actions, we will give a more complete description of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm”.
First, let's look at the list of characters: Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova (Kabanikha) - an old merchant's wife, a widow. Her husband died, so the woman had to raise two children alone, manage the household and take care of business. Agree, this is quite difficult at the present time. Despite the fact that the merchant's nickname is indicated in parentheses, the author never calls her that. The text contains remarks from Kabanova, not Kabanikha. With such a technique, the playwright wanted to emphasize the fact that people call a woman this way among themselves, but they personally address her with respect. That is, in fact, the residents of Kalinov do not like this man, but they are afraid of him.
Initially, the reader learns about Marfa Ignatievna from the lips of Kuligin. The self-taught mechanic calls her “a hypocrite who has eaten up everyone at home.” Kudryash only confirms these words. Next, a wanderer, Feklusha, appears on the stage. Her judgment about Kabanikha is exactly the opposite: quote. As a result of this disagreement, additional interest in this character arises. Marfa Ignatievna appears on stage already in the first act, and the reader or viewer is given the opportunity to verify the veracity of Kuligin’s words.
Kabanikha is not happy with the way her son behaves. She teaches him to live, despite the fact that his son is already an adult and has been married for a long time. Marfa Ignatievna shows herself as a grumpy, domineering woman. Her daughter-in-law Katerina behaves differently. In general, it is quite interesting to trace the similarities and differences of these characters throughout the play.
In theory, both Kabanikha and Katerina should love Tikhon. For one he is a son, for another he is a husband. However, neither Katya nor Marfa Ignatievna have real love for Tikhon. Katya feels sorry for her husband, but does not love him. And Kabanikha treats him as a guinea pig, as a creature on whom you can take out your aggression and test methods of manipulation, while hiding behind maternal love. Everyone knows that the most important thing for every mother is the happiness of her child. But Marfa Kabanova in “The Thunderstorm” is not at all interested in Tikhon’s opinion. Through years of tyranny and dictatorship, she was able to teach her son that the lack of his own point of view is quite normal. Even observing how carefully and, in some moments, tenderly Tikhon treats Katerina, Kabanikha always tries to destroy their relationship.
Many critics argued about the strength or weakness of Katerina’s character, but no one doubted the strength of Kabanikha’s character. This is a truly cruel person who tries to subjugate those around him. She should rule the state, but she has to waste her “talents” on her family and provincial town. Varvara, the daughter of Marfa Kabanova, chose pretense and lies as a way of coexistence with her oppressive mother. Katerina, on the contrary, resolutely opposes her mother-in-law. They seemed to take two positions, truth and lie, defending them. And in their conversations that Kabanikha should not categorically blame Katya for mistakes and various sins, the struggle of light and darkness, truth and the “dark kingdom”, of which Kabanikha is a representative, emerges through the everyday background.
Katerina and Kabanikha are Orthodox Christians. But their faith is completely different. For Katerina, faith that comes from within is much more important. For her, the place of prayer is not important. The girl is devout, she sees the presence of God throughout the world, and not just in the church building. Marfa Ignatievna’s religiosity can be called external. For her, rituals and strict adherence to rules are important. But behind all this obsession with practical manipulations, faith itself disappears. Also, for Kabanikha it turns out to be important to observe and maintain old traditions, despite the fact that many of them are already outdated: “they won’t be afraid of you, and even less so of me. What kind of order will there be in the house? After all, you, tea, live with her in law. Ali, do you think the law means nothing? Yes, if you hold such stupid thoughts in your head, you should at least not talk in front of her, in front of your sister, in front of the girl.” It is impossible to characterize Kabanikha in Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm” without mentioning her almost manic attention to detail. Tikhon, the son of Kabanova Sr., is a drunkard, his daughter Varvara is lying, hanging out with whoever she wants, and is about to run away from home, disgracing the family. And Marfa Ignatievna is worried that they come to the door without bowing, not as their great-grandfathers taught. Her behavior is reminiscent of the behavior of the priestesses of a dying cult, who are trying with all their might to maintain life in it with the help of external paraphernalia.
Katerina Kabanova was a somewhat suspicious girl: in the “prophecies” of the crazy lady she imagined her own fate, and in the thunderstorm the girl saw the Lord’s punishment. Kabanikha is too mercantile and down-to-earth for this. She is closer to the material world, practicality and utilitarianism. Kabanova is not at all afraid of thunder and thunder, she just doesn’t want to get wet. While the residents of Kalinov are talking about the raging elements, Kabanikha grumbles and expresses her dissatisfaction: “Look, what races he has made. There is something to listen to, nothing to say! Now the times have come, some teachers have appeared. If an old man thinks like this, what can we demand from young people!”, “Don’t judge your older self! They know more than you. Old people have signs for everything. An old man won’t say a word to the wind.”
The image of Kabanikha in the play “The Thunderstorm” can be called a kind of generalization, a conglomerate of negative human qualities. It’s hard to call her a woman, a mother, or even a person in general. Of course, she is far from the dummies of the city of Foolov, but her desire to subjugate and rule killed all human qualities in Marfa Ignatievna.
Work test
“And they don’t lock themselves away from thieves, but so that people don’t see
how they eat their own family and tyrannize their families.”
As Dobrolyubov correctly noted, Ostrovsky in one of his plays depicts a truly “dark kingdom” - a world of tyranny, betrayal and stupidity. The drama takes place in the city of Kalinov, which stands on the banks of the Volga. There is a certain symbolic parallelism in the location of the city: the rapid flow of the river is contrasted with an atmosphere of stagnation, lawlessness and oppression. It seems as if the city is isolated from the outside world. Residents learn news thanks to the stories of wanderers. Moreover, this news is of very dubious and sometimes completely absurd content. The Kalinovites blindly believe the stories of crazy old people about unrighteous countries, lands that have fallen from heaven and rulers with dog heads. People are accustomed to living in fear not only of the world, but also of the rulers of the “dark kingdom”. This is their comfort zone that no one intends to leave. If, in principle, everything is clear with ordinary people, then what about the above-mentioned rulers?
In “The Thunderstorm,” Dikoy and Kabanikha represent the “dark kingdom.” They are both the masters and creators of this world. The tyranny of the Wild and Kabani knows no bounds.
In the city, power does not belong to the mayor, but to the merchants, who, thanks to their connections and profits, were able to receive support from higher authorities. They mock the bourgeoisie and deceive ordinary people. In the text of the work, this image is embodied in Savl Prokofievich Diky, a middle-aged merchant who keeps everyone in fear, lends money at huge interest rates and deceives other merchants. In Kalinov there are legends about his cruelty. No one except Kudryashch can answer the Wild One in an appropriate way, and the merchant actively takes advantage of this. He asserts himself through humiliation and mockery, and the feeling of impunity only increases the degree of cruelty. “Look for another scolder like ours, Savel Prokofich! He will never cut off a person,” this is what the residents themselves say about Dikiy. It is interesting that Dikoy takes out his anger only on those he knows, or on the residents of the city - the weak-willed and downtrodden. This is evidenced by the episode of Dikiy’s quarrel with the hussar: the hussar scolded Saul Prokofievich so much that he did not say a word, but then everyone at home “hid in attics and basements” for two weeks.
Enlightenment and new technologies simply cannot penetrate Kalinov. Residents are distrustful of all innovations. So, in one of the last appearances, Kuligin tells Diky about the benefits of a lightning rod, but he doesn’t want to listen. Dikoy is only rude to Kuligin and says that it is impossible to earn money honestly, which once again proves that he did not receive his wealth through daily efforts. A negative attitude towards change is a common feature of the Wild and Kabanikha. Marfa Ignatievna advocates for the observance of old traditions. It is important to her how they enter the house, how they express feelings, how they go for walks. At the same time, neither the internal content of such actions nor other problems (for example, her son’s alcoholism) bother her. Tikhon’s words that his wife’s embrace is enough for him seem unconvincing to Marfa Ignatievna: Katerina must “howl” when she says goodbye to her husband and throw herself at his feet. By the way, external ritualism and attribution are characteristic of Marfa Ignatievna’s life position as a whole. A woman treats religion in exactly the same way, forgetting that in addition to weekly trips to church, faith must come from the heart. In addition, Christianity in the minds of these people was mixed with pagan superstitions, which can be seen in the scene with the thunderstorm.
Kabanikha believes that the whole world rests on those who follow the old laws: “something will happen when the old people die, I don’t even know how the light will last.” She also convinces the merchant of this. From the dialogue between Wild and Kabanikha, one can see a certain hierarchy in their relationship. Savl Prokofievich recognizes Kabanikha’s unspoken leadership, her strength of character and intelligence. Dikoy understands that he is incapable of such manipulative hysterics as Marfa Ignatievna throws at her family every day.
The comparative characterization of the Wild and Kabanikha from the play “The Thunderstorm” is also quite interesting. Dikiy’s despotism is aimed more at the outside world - at the residents of the city, only relatives suffer from Marfa Ignatievna’s tyranny, and in society the woman maintains the image of a respectable mother and housewife. Marfa Ignatievna, like Dikiy, is not at all embarrassed by gossip and conversations, because both are confident that they are right. Neither one nor the other cares about the happiness of loved ones. Family relationships for each of these characters must be built on fear and oppression. This can be seen especially clearly in Kabanova’s behavior.
As can be seen from the examples above, Kabanikha and Dikiy have similarities and differences. But most of all, they are united by a sense of permissiveness and an unshakable confidence that this is exactly how everything should be.
Work test
The imperious and rude Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova or Kabanikha is one of the central female characters in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”.
Characteristics of the heroine
(Faina Shevchenko as Kabanikha, dramatic production, 1934)
Kabanikha is a wealthy merchant and widow living in the provincial town of Kalinov with her daughter, son and wife. She single-handedly manages all family affairs and does not accept any objections; she has a very strong and domineering nature. For her, the main concepts in the family life, which she demands to be strictly followed, are “fear” and “order”.
Despite the fact that she is religious and a zealous Christian, she is far from spiritual life, and is interested exclusively in earthly and pressing problems. She is a very hypocritical, cold-blooded and cunning old woman who gives alms to the poor in public, but at home she offends and tyrannizes her children and daughter-in-law. It costs her nothing to insult or humiliate a person, she is distinguished by rigidity and severity, she likes to keep people in fear, so it is better to control them and subjugate them to her will.
(Illustration by Gerasimov S.V., detgiz 1950)
Kabanikha is a typical representative of the old patriarchal way of life; for her, orders and customs are primarily important; she simply does not take into account the feelings and desires of her loved ones and thinks that she has every moral right to humiliate them, “read morals” and manage them in every possible way. Moreover, justifying herself with parental care and love for children, she does not at all consider herself a tyrant and firmly believes that she is acting for the good. Kabanikha is confident that she is not at all obliged to judge whether she is doing the right thing or not, the main thing is to live according to the covenant of her fathers and strictly follow their instructions, then peace and order will reign everywhere. According to her, only older people have sufficient intelligence and wisdom; young people must do everything according to their instructions; they themselves cannot make any decisions.
The quiet and submissive daughter-in-law Katerina suffers most from the tyranny of the evil Kabanikha, whom she hates with all her soul and is furiously jealous of her son. His mother considers him a doormat, and his displays of affection towards his young wife are weakness; before his departure, she advises him to reprimand Katerina as strictly as possible, so that she fears and respects him. The changes in her daughter-in-law's behavior do not escape her and she suspects her of cheating on her husband. When Tikhon returns, Katerina’s mother brings her to the point where she confesses everything. Kabanikha is completely satisfied, because she turned out to be right in everything - an affectionate attitude towards her wife cannot lead to anything good.
The image of the heroine in the work
The image of Kabanikha, a tyrant and tyrant in female form, symbolizes the customs and moral principles that reigned in merchant society in Russia in the 19th century. Mired in outdated dogmas and unshakable traditions, they have the strength and financial resources to make the state better, but lacking sufficient self-awareness and stuck in inertia and hypocrisy, they cannot decide to do this.
At the end of the work, the evil and cruel Kabanikha faces her own “thunderstorm” and the complete collapse of her world: daughter-in-law Katerina confesses her feelings for another man, her son publicly rebels against her, and her daughter runs away from home. It all ends very sadly: Katerina, under the pressure of shame and morality, driven by Kabanikha to complete despair, throws herself off a cliff into the river, her daughter finds salvation in escape, and her son Tikhon, finally throwing away all the years of humiliation and indulging his mother’s whims, finally tells the truth: “You ruined her.” !You!".
In his work, Ostrovsky created a terrible and gloomy fictional city of Kalinov, the real embodiment of a cruel and inhumane attitude towards people. This is the kingdom of darkness, where such monsters as the merchant Kabanikha and her godfather Dikoy reign supreme. Sometimes rare rays of light and kindness break through there, such as Katerina, but having expressed their protest against the terrible and dark kingdom, they die, unable to withstand the unequal struggle against the dominance of evil and cruelty. And yet, the kingdom of darkness will sooner or later be dispelled, and people in Kalinov will live a new, happy life.
