The title of the play alone contains all the main motives for its understanding. The thunderstorm is the ideological symbol of Ostrovsky's work. In the first act, when Catherine made a hint to her mother-in-law about her secret love, a thunderstorm began to approach almost immediately. The approaching thunderstorm - this commemorates the tragedy in the play. But it breaks out only when main character tells her husband and mother-in-law about her sin.
The image of a thunderstorm-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 soil, and promotes better plant growth. A person who sees a thunderstorm as a natural phenomenon in the cycle of life, and not 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 neither able to break with ideas that are a thing of the past, nor 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.
M.Yu. Lermontov (Hero of our time)
Katerina’s emotional drama from Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” consists of the discrepancy between real life and desires, the collapse of hopes and illusions, the awareness of the hopelessness and immutability of the situation. Katerina could not live in a world of ignoramuses and deceivers; the girl was torn by the contradiction of duty and feelings. This conflict turned out to be tragic.
The meaning of the name and symbolism of the play “The Thunderstorm”
The realistic method of writing enriched literature with images and symbols. Griboedov used this technique in the comedy “Woe from Wit.” The point is that objects are endowed with a certain symbolic meaning. Symbolic images can be end-to-end, that is, repeated several times throughout the text. In this case, the meaning of the symbol becomes significant for the plot. Special attention you need to pay attention to those images-symbols that are included in the title of the work. That is why emphasis should be placed on the meaning of the name and figurative symbolism of the drama “The Thunderstorm”.
To answer the question of what the symbolism of the title of the play “The Thunderstorm” contains, it is important to know why and why the playwright used this particular image. The thunderstorm in the drama appears in several forms. The first is a natural phenomenon. Kalinov and its inhabitants seem to live in anticipation of thunderstorms and rain. The events that unfold in the play take place over approximately 14 days. All this time, phrases are heard from passers-by or from the main characters that a thunderstorm is approaching. The violence of the elements is the culmination of the play: it is the thunderstorm and the clap of thunder that force the heroine to admit to treason. Moreover, thunderclaps accompany almost the entire fourth act. With each blow the sound becomes louder: Ostrovsky seems to be preparing readers for the highest point of conflict.
The symbolism of a thunderstorm includes another meaning. "Thunderstorm" is understood different heroes differently. Kuligin is not afraid of a thunderstorm, because he does not see anything mystical in it. Dikoy considers the thunderstorm a punishment and a reason to remember the existence of God. Katerina sees the thunderstorm as a symbol of rock and fate - after the loudest thunderclap, the girl confesses her feelings for Boris. Katerina is afraid of thunderstorms, because for her it is equivalent Last Judgment. At the same time, the thunderstorm helps the girl decide to desperate step, after which she became honest with herself. For Kabanov, Katerina’s husband, the thunderstorm has its own meaning. He talks about this at the beginning of the story: Tikhon needs to leave for a while, which means he will lose his mother’s control and orders. “For two weeks there will be no thunderstorm over me, there are no shackles on my legs...” Tikhon compares the riot of nature with the incessant hysterics and whims of Marfa Ignatievna.
One of the main symbols in Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm” can be called the Volga River. It’s as if she separates two worlds: the city of Kalinov, “ dark kingdom"and that ideal world that each of the characters came up with for themselves. The words of Barynya are indicative in this regard. Twice the woman said that the river is a whirlpool that draws in beauty. From a symbol of supposed freedom, the river turns into a symbol of death.
Katerina often compares herself to a bird. She dreams of flying away, breaking out of this addictive space. "I speak: why people don't 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,” says Katya to Varvara. Birds symbolize freedom and lightness, which the girl is deprived of.
The symbol of the court is not difficult to trace: it appears several times throughout the work. Kuligin, in conversations with Boris, mentions the trial in the context of the “cruel morals of the city.” The court appears to be a bureaucratic apparatus that is not called upon to seek the truth and punish violations. All he can do is waste time and money. Feklusha talks about refereeing in other countries. From her point of view, only the Christian court and the court according to the laws of the economy can judge righteously, while the rest are mired in sin.
Katerina talks about the Almighty and about human judgment when she tells Boris about her feelings. For her, Christian laws, and not public opinion, come first: “if I was not afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid of human judgment?”
On the walls of the dilapidated gallery, past which residents of Kalinov walk, scenes from the Holy Letter are depicted. In particular, pictures of fiery Gehenna. Katerina herself remembers this mythical place. Hell becomes synonymous with mustiness and stagnation, which Katya fears. She chooses death, knowing that this is one of the most terrible Christian sins. But at the same time, through death, the girl gains freedom.
The image of a thunderstorm in Ostrovsky's play
The image of a thunderstorm in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” is symbolic and multi-valued. It includes several meanings that combine and complement each other, allowing you to show several facets of the problem. First you need to separate the concept of image-symbol from the concept of metaphor. The image-symbol is polysemantic, like a metaphor, but, unlike the latter, it implies that the reader can have many different associations that are not limited to the author’s interpretation of the text. That is, the text of the work does not indicate exactly how one or another image-symbol should be deciphered and understood. The interpretation of metaphorical transfer is usually indicated by the author himself. It is the latter option that is implemented in the play under consideration by Alexander Nikolaevich.
The image of a thunderstorm in Ostrovsky's drama includes several author's interpretations. Thunderstorm is understood in literally, that is, as a natural phenomenon. The thunderstorm begins already in the first act and, by the fourth, periodically stopping, it gains strength. The city of Kalinov literally lives in anticipation of a thunderstorm. The inhabitants' fear of thunder and rain is comparable to pagan fears of the elements. The only one who is not afraid of thunderstorms is the self-taught inventor Kuligin. He is the only one who leads a righteous life in the city, strives to earn money by honest labor and thinks about the good of society. For him, there is nothing mysterious or mystical in a thunderstorm. Kuligin is shocked by the reaction to the thunderstorm: “after all, it’s not the thunderstorm that kills, it’s grace that kills!” A man does not understand that primal fear to which everyone submits. Dikoy even believes that God sends the thunderstorm so that sinners do not forget about him. This is a pagan, not a Christian understanding. Katerina, the main character of the play, is frightened by the thunderstorm for other reasons. Katya herself is a calm and quiet girl, so any burst of energy makes her feel anxious. From the first appearances of the play, the reader learns that Katerina is terribly afraid of thunderstorms, and therefore strives in every possible way to hide from it as soon as possible. Even Varvara’s remark “Why are you afraid: the thunderstorm is still far away,” which can be regarded as prophetic, cannot calm the girl down. Katya explains her fear from a philosophical point of view (quite in the spirit of Woland from “The Master and Margarita”): “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 evil thoughts." So it becomes clear that the image of a thunderstorm in Ostrovsky’s drama is associated with the motive of death. The power of the elements reaches its apogee in the fourth act - the culmination of the work. At first, as usual before a thunderstorm, it was quiet. Townspeople walked along the embankment, talked, and admired the scenery. But as soon as the weather began to deteriorate, many took refuge in the gallery, on the walls of which one could discern the remains of a drawing of fiery Gehenna, that is, hell. Negative symbolism is again added to the image of a thunderstorm.
At the same time, the image of a thunderstorm in the play cannot be perceived as unambiguously negative. Of course, Katerina is frightened by the violent weather. The thunder is getting louder, and the fear of getting bogged down in lies is getting stronger. In the thunderstorm, Katya saw a symbol of the Higher Court, God's punishment for those who do not live a righteous life. That is why the onset of a thunderstorm can be considered a catalyst for admitting treason. On the embankment, in front of everyone, despite the entreaties of Tikhon and Varvara, Katerina says that all the time Tikhon was away, she secretly met with Boris. This is becoming a real thunderstorm. Katya’s confession turned the life of the whole family upside down and made them think about life. A thunderstorm becomes not only an external manifestation, but also an internal conflict. There was a thunderstorm in Katya's soul. She was going for a long time, the clouds became blacker with each mother-in-law’s reproach. The gap between real life and the girl’s ideas was too great. Katya could not avoid the inner storm: she was brought up differently. She was taught to live honestly and righteously. And in the Kabanov family they want to teach you to lie and pretend. Feelings for Boris can also be compared to a thunderstorm. They develop rapidly and spontaneously. But unfortunately, they are a priori doomed to a quick and sad ending.
The role of a thunderstorm in the play “The Thunderstorm” comes down to stirring up people and shaking up space. Dobrolyubov called Kalinov a “dark kingdom,” a kingdom of vices and stagnation. Here live narrow-minded people, who are made fools not by ignorance of the cultures of other countries, but by ignorance own culture, inability to be human. Merchant Dikoy, one of the most influential people in the city, does not know Derzhavin and Lomonosov; residents are accustomed to lying and stealing, pretending that nothing is happening, but at the same time cheating and terrorizing their families. There was nothing human left in the inhabitants. Kuligin, Tikhon, Boris and Katya call Kalinov differently, but the meaning is the same: this is a space from which it is impossible to get out. There's no fresh air, and it sucks in like a swamp. The thunderstorm, with its strength and energy, must break through the crust, break the trap, and allow something new to penetrate into the city of Kalinov. Unfortunately, one thunderstorm is not enough. Just like Katya’s death is not enough for people to remove the “dark kingdom” from their souls. Only Tikhon, incapable of decisive action, goes against the established rules for the first time. He blames his mother for the death of his wife, and he, mourning Katya, regrets that he cannot go with her to another world, where he can live according to the laws of conscience.
Characters
First you need to pay attention to characters. The main character of the work is Katerina Kabanova. Dobrolyubov calls her “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” The girl is different from the other characters. She does not want to subjugate everyone to her will, like Kabanikha, she does not want to teach the old orders. Katerina wants to live honestly and freely. She doesn’t want to humiliate herself and lie to her family, like her husband does. She doesn’t want to hide and deceive, like Varvara Kabanova did. Her desire to be honest with herself and with others leads to disaster. It seems that it is impossible to get out of the vicious circle into which Katya fell by force of circumstances. But Boris, Dikiy’s nephew, comes to the city. He, just like Katerina, does not want to suffocate “in this outback,” he does not accept the prevailing order in Kalinov, he does not want to have anything to do with the narrow-minded residents of the provincial town. Boris falls in love with Katerina, and the feeling turns out to be mutual. Thanks to Boris, Katerina understands that she has the strength to fight the tyrants who dictate the laws. She is thinking about a possible break with her husband, that she could leave with Boris, despite public opinion. But Boris turns out to be a little different from what Katya seems to be. He, of course, does not like the hypocrisy and lies that help the residents of Kalinov achieve their goals, but nevertheless Boris does the same thing: he tries to improve relations with the person he despises in order to receive an inheritance. Boris does not hide this, he speaks openly about his intentions (conversation with Kuligin).
Criticism
Analyzing the play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky, one cannot fail to mention the critical assessment of the work. Despite the fact that at that time the concept of “drama for reading” did not yet exist, many literary critics and writers expressed their opinions about this play. Many writers turned to criticism of Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm". Some, for example, Apollon Grigoriev, considered the most significant folk life reflected in the work. Fyodor Dostoevsky entered into a debate with him, arguing that what is primarily important is not the national component, but the internal conflict of the main character. Dobrolyubov most of all appreciated the absence of the author's conclusions in the finale of the play. Thanks to this, the reader himself could “draw his own conclusion.” Unlike Dostoevsky, Dobrolyubov saw the conflict of the drama not in the personality of the heroine, but in Katerina’s opposition to the world of tyranny and stupidity. The critic appreciated the revolutionary ideas contained in the “thunderstorm”: claims to truth, respect for rights and respect for people.
Pisarev responded to this play by Ostrovsky only 4 years after it was written. In his article, he entered into a polemic with Dobrolyubov, because he did not accept the latter’s views on the work. Calling Katerina the “Russian Ophelia,” the critic puts her on a par with Bazarov, a hero who sought to break the existing order of things. Pisarev saw in Katerina’s character something that could serve as a catalyst for the abolition of serfdom. However, this was on the eve of 1861. Pisarev's hopes for a revolution and that the people would be able to achieve democracy were not justified. It was through this prism that Pisarev later viewed the death of Katerina - the death of hopes for improving the social situation.
Play by A.N. Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm" and its main character - Katerina Kabanova - caused and still causes a lot of controversy and discussion. Often the opinions of critics and literary scholars turn out to be radically opposite. We can observe this feature in the articles of two classics of Russian literary criticism - A.N. Dobrolyubova and D.I. Pisareva.
In his article “A Ray of Light in a Dark Kingdom,” dedicated to the image of Katerina Kabanova, Dobrolyubov examines the main conflict of the play from a revolutionary populist point of view. According to this critic, Katerina is completely new image in Russian literature of the 19th century, meeting the requirements of the time.
Dobrolyubov calls the environment in which the heroine exists a “dark kingdom” - the dominance of the conservative, ignorant, inert, and hindering progress. Life in the “dark kingdom” is hard for everyone, especially for freedom-loving, bright natures. The critic considers Katerina Kabanova just such a person, calling her “a strong Russian character.”
What are the signs of such a nature? Firstly, it is distinguished by “its opposition to all tyrant principles.” In addition, the Russian strong character is “focused and decisive, unswervingly faithful to the instinct of natural truth, filled with faith in new ideals and selfless, in the sense that it is better for him to die than to live under those principles that are disgusting to him.”
Dobrolyubov sees artistic logic in the fact that the protesting image is embodied in the play precisely in feminine character. According to the critic, the strongest protest is brewing in the weakest and most subservient souls. In Russian patriarchal society, women are such. Dobrolyubov writes: “A woman who wants to go to the end in her rebellion against the oppression and tyranny of her elders in the Russian family must be filled with heroic self-sacrifice, must decide on anything and be ready for anything.”
This is exactly what Katerina does, according to the critic. And in her protest she goes to the end - even to suicide. From Dobrolyubov’s article we understand that it commands respect from the critic and, in his opinion, should command respect from readers as well.
DI. Pisarev looks at the image of Katerina Kabanova in a fundamentally different way. If Dobrolyubov’s worldview was based on revolutionary populist ideas, and he viewed the character of Katerina precisely in this vein, then Pisarev’s views were completely different. He based his concept on the image of a strong person, an individual. It is known that this critic considered Bazarov to be a true hero in Russian literature. It is precisely such people, according to Pisarev, who are capable of changing lives and doing something extraordinary.
Katerina, according to the critic, belongs to a completely different type of hero. She is just a hysterical woman, who herself is not aware of her actions.
Pisarev believes that the upbringing and environment in which this heroine was brought up could not develop in her a strong and persistent character. He writes: “In all Katerina’s actions and feelings, what is noticeable first of all is a sharp disproportion between causes and effects.” According to the critic, the heroine reacts inadequately to everyday little things that happen in the “family chicken coop.”
In general, Pisarev concludes that Katerina belongs to the category of “dwarfs and eternal children” who cannot produce anything new. Therefore, he extremely disagrees with the opinion of Dobrolyubov, who saw a heroic Russian character in Katerina.
Which critic's opinion is closest to me? One hundred percent, I don't think I can agree with any of them. But, despite this, to a greater extent I still agree with Pisarev. I don’t see in Katerina a heroic character resisting the “dark kingdom.” It seems to me that this woman committed suicide out of despair, not seeing any prospects for herself in the future.
And, indeed, how would her life have developed after the popular confession of treason? The pangs of conscience, Kabanikha’s cruel bullying, Tikhon’s helplessness and fear, the contempt of all the Kalinovites... I think Katerina just realized that she couldn’t stand it, she was scared to some extent...
Perhaps her action was impulsive, Katerina committed it under the influence of emotions. But it seems to me that this was the best solution for her.
Thus, the opinions of Dobrolyubov and Pisarev on the character of Katerina Kabanova are completely opposite. If revolutionary-democrat Dobrolyubov considers Ostrovsky’s heroine a “Russian strong character”, then the individualist Pisarev classified this character as “dwarfs and eternal children”, incapable of strong conscious actions.
I think the truth is still somewhere between these radical opinions. Katerina is a strong character, but her strength lies elsewhere - in moral purity and the strength of religious faith.
A.P. Grigoriev wrote about "Thunderstorm" by A.N. Ostrovsky: This is done as if it was not an artist, but a whole people who created it here, which is not difficult to see and feel for yourself only after reading this surprisingly believable drama about the most important thing. It was not for nothing that he called A.N. Ostrovsky as an artist: the heroes of the work, as if alive, captivate with the versatility of their characters, making the reader cry and rejoice, be indignant, and sympathize not with book characters, but with bright personalities.
Fitting harmoniously into the outline of the work, it complements it fancy pattern almost weightless lace. And all of them serve to create a complete picture, whether these are the names of the characters, the place of action, its time, or even the name of the drama.
However, the latter, it seems to me, has several meanings. For some, a thunderstorm is heavenly punishment sent to us from above, and, as can be seen from the text, it overtakes those who stumble on their path. On the other hand, it cleanses the earth, because it is not for nothing that after a thunderstorm the air smells so sweetly of freshness. A thunderstorm also personifies mental tossing, that storm of feelings that sometimes takes possession of each of us. But for me personally, it is a powerful and unpredictable, but no less beautiful, element, not subject to anyone except the Creator, but before which everyone freezes in fear and admiration.
In the story about a thunderstorm, throughout the entire story, the narration is reminiscent of the rumbles of thunder heard by the characters and the idea of lightning rods proposed by Kuligin.
These lightning rods are also a symbol, a chance to avoid many troubles, which, unfortunately, was abandoned, citing the principle “what will happen, cannot be avoided.”
Another symbol in this interweaving of destinies and characters, oddly enough, is the Volga. A flat river, it calmly carries its waters to the sea, without changes for many years, exactly like life in Kalinov. So in the Kabanov family throughout for long years the same orders and customs operate, within the framework of which people live without the right to change, to freedom.
The last act of "The Thunderstorm" is immersed in the evening twilight, when the outlines of objects blur and the division into darkness and light loses its meaning. Can this time be called day or night? Is Katerina’s action good or bad? In the last act, the author does not divide actions into right and wrong, everyone does this for themselves. But when passing judgment, you need to remember: in the twilight even familiar things change, and with unimaginable ease the outline of one object can be mistaken for another.
Updated: 2018-02-21
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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 phenomenon nature in the work appears before the reader in several forms. Firstly, the meaning of the title and figurative symbolism of the 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 act 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 the 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, it is not. The role of this natural phenomenon in the play is to stir up 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 one more thing in the drama no less important image, 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 divides opposite worlds- the cruel kingdom of 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 morals and ending with the personal drama of each of the heroes.
The realistic method of writing enriched literature with images and symbols. Griboedov used this technique in the comedy “Woe from Wit.” The point is that objects are endowed with a certain symbolic meaning. Symbolic images can be end-to-end, that is, repeated several times throughout the text. In this case, the meaning of the symbol becomes significant for the plot. Particular attention should be paid to those images-symbols that are included in the title of the work. That is why emphasis should be placed on the meaning of the name and figurative symbolism of the drama “The Thunderstorm”.
To answer the question of what the symbolism of the title of the play “The Thunderstorm” contains, it is important to know why and why the playwright used this particular image. The thunderstorm in the drama appears in several forms. The first is a natural phenomenon. Kalinov and its inhabitants seem to live in anticipation of thunderstorms and rain. The events that unfold in the play take place over approximately 14 days. All this time, phrases are heard from passers-by or from the main characters that a thunderstorm is approaching. The violence of the elements is the culmination of the play: it is the thunderstorm and the clap of thunder that force the heroine to admit to treason. Moreover, thunderclaps accompany almost the entire fourth act. With each blow the sound becomes louder: Ostrovsky seems to be preparing readers for the highest point of conflict.
The symbolism of a thunderstorm includes another meaning. “Thunderstorm” is understood differently by different heroes. Kuligin is not afraid of a thunderstorm, because he does not see anything mystical in it. Dikoy considers the thunderstorm a punishment and a reason to remember the existence of God. Katerina sees the thunderstorm as a symbol of rock and fate - after the loudest thunderclap, the girl confesses her feelings for Boris. Katerina is afraid of thunderstorms, because for her it is equivalent to the Last Judgment. At the same time, the thunderstorm helps the girl decide to take a desperate step, after which she becomes honest with herself. For Kabanov, Katerina’s husband, the thunderstorm has its own meaning. He talks about this at the beginning of the story: Tikhon needs to leave for a while, which means he will lose his mother’s control and orders. “For two weeks there will be no thunderstorm over me, there are no shackles on my legs...” Tikhon compares the riot of nature with the incessant hysterics and whims of Marfa Ignatievna.
One of the main symbols in Ostrovsky’s “The Thunderstorm” can be called the Volga River. It’s as if she separates two worlds: the city of Kalinov, the “dark kingdom” and the ideal world that each of the characters invented for themselves. The words of Barynya are indicative in this regard. Twice the woman said that the river is a whirlpool that draws in beauty. From a symbol of supposed freedom, the river turns into a symbol of death.
Katerina often compares herself to a bird. She dreams of flying away, breaking out of this addictive space. “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,” says Katya to Varvara. Birds symbolize freedom and lightness, which the girl is deprived of.
