Why couldn't Boris save Katerina? Boris and Tikhon: comparative characteristics of these heroes

In 1859 A.N. Ostrovsky wrote the play "The Thunderstorm", which caused a strong public outcry for its courage main character. Why did this story become the most popular of the entire series about " dark kingdom"? Is the reason only in the heroine’s action? Could the young woman have acted differently? Schoolchildren are invited to write an essay “Did Katerina have a different path,” which examines different options for the development of the Kabanovs’ future life.

Social significance of the play

Before you start writing the essay “Did Katerina Have Another Path,” it would be useful to find out the reasons for the success of this work. "The Thunderstorm" was written in 1859, when all of Russia was awaiting peasant reform. Therefore, society accepted it with delight: the play was staged a huge number of times on the stage of all theaters in Russia.

Ostrovsky created a new type of heroine, who became the personification of the struggle against the old order. Her act looked in the eyes of society as the beginning of a new period. Everyone perceived the play not as a personal drama, but as a public one. Some asked Ostrovsky to exclude Kabanikha from the list of characters, because in her image they found similarities with the Tsar. "The Thunderstorm" surprised readers with the strength and depth of its dramatic story, its exposure of merchant morals and challenged them.

In the essay “Was there a different path for Katerina in the play “The Thunderstorm””, it is worth recalling the very plot of the work in order to better analyze the development of other versions of the story. In one city, which is located on the Volga, lived the Kabanov family: Marfa Ignatyevna, Tikhon, Katerina and Varvara Kabanikha was a despotic woman, she commanded her son Tikhon and humiliated her daughter-in-law Katerina. Kabanov always obeyed his mother, loved his wife in his own way, but he often drank with a rich merchant whose name was Savel Prokofich Dikoy. He has a cool disposition, just like Kabanikha.

Katerina was an honest girl, very pious, she tried to please her mother-in-law in everything, but it was hard for her to be among them. She could not be in such a despotic, “Domostroevsky” society. Nephew Boris, an educated young man, comes to visit Dikiy. He and Katerina fall in love with each other. But the woman could not deceive her husband and confessed everything to him. Boris Dikoy is sent out of the city, and Katerina, realizing that she can no longer live like this, commits suicide. Of course, many readers feel sorry for the girl. That is why the essay “Was there a different path for Katerina in the play “The Thunderstorm”” was included in the school curriculum.

Possible plot development options

The best way out of the situation for the young woman was to leave with Boris. This is what she hopes for on their last date, that he will take her with him. But the young man was somewhat similar to Tikhon - he did not have his own opinion, was afraid of disobeying his uncle and was not ready to protect Katerina. So he leaves, leaving the poor woman.

What else can you write in the essay “Was there another way for Katerina in “The Thunderstorm”? Another option is to divorce Tikhon. But we should not forget that at that time it was almost impossible to get a divorce. To do this, it was necessary to go through many instances that They would have brought nothing but humiliation to Katerina. If for the noble classes divorce was a long and labor-intensive process, for the merchant class it was practically impossible.

The third option is to go to a monastery. But if she were married, she would have been sent back to the Kabanov family.

The fourth, most terrible thing is to get rid of your husband and mother-in-law. But Katerina could not do such an act: she has too pure, bright soul, she is very pious, so a woman would not break the commandments.

In the essay “Was there another way for Katerina?” it can be mentioned that the connection could have been hidden - Varvara advised her to be cunning. But this would be contrary to the principles of a young woman - she would not be able to deceive anyone.

In A. N. Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm,” the tragic fate of its main character Katerina cannot but evoke deep sympathy. Many women in Rus' lived a similar life, but few, like Katerina, tried to resist their difficult female lot.

Katerina, like other young daughters-in-law, falls under the complete subordination of the family of her husband Tikhon.

In his house, his mother Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova reigns supreme. My mother-in-law has a tough temperament. She finds fault with her son's wife in every possible way on every trifling occasion, endlessly

harassing and reproaching her with a piece of bread. The young woman does not even find support from her own husband. Of course, Tikhon is a typical mama’s boy, acting exclusively on her orders. He married Katerina not so much out of love as at the behest of his mother. Therefore, he is not worried about his mother’s groundless reproaches against his wife. All he can do to help Katerina is to give stupid advice, ignore her mother-in-law’s nagging and not pay attention to them. Tikhon himself is burdened by his mother’s pressure. Therefore, he often runs to a neighbor’s house to take his mind off the domestic terror over a glass. Tikhon happily rushes to Moscow on business, hoping there to take a break from “these shackles.” Trying to escape from the cruel Kabanikha at least temporarily, Katerina asks her husband to take her with him, but he demonstrates complete indifference to his wife’s fate, refusing her in order to enjoy complete freedom himself.

Being married, Katerina is left alone with her problems. Therefore, she inevitably begins to dream about another life and about another person. Boris stands in her way - sweet, intelligent, tastefully dressed, educated. But with all the external gloss, Boris is the same weak-willed and selfish person as Tikhon. He is also financially dependent, but on the merchant Dikiy and on the terms of his grandmother’s will. He puts his well-being above the happiness of his loved one. Therefore, Boris failed to become a reliable support for Katerina.

Both Tikhon and Boris, despite all their external differences, are weak-willed and selfish, practically pushing Katerina to take a desperate step and, together with Kabanikha, become the main culprits of her tragic death.

Other works on this topic:

1. A. N. Ostrovsky in his play “The Thunderstorm” shows the life of the merchants, their morals and way of life. The essence of the play is the conflict between two generations, the confrontation between old and new,...
2. The famous critic Dobrolyubov, discussing in his article about Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm,” called the main character, Katerina, “a ray of light in a dark kingdom.” About what...
3. Katerina in the fight for her human rights The central place in Ostrovsky’s drama “The Thunderstorm” is given to Katerina. Immediately after its publication, this heroine gained a reputation as a “ray of light...
4. There are two kinds of people: those who are determined, strong personalities, ready to fight for their happiness, while others find it easier to go with the flow, obey the stronger and...
5. Katerina is a ray of light in a dark kingdom From the pen of the famous 19th century playwright Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky, many plays were published in which the world of the merchants was outlined....
6. Plays about merchants occupy an important place in the work of A. N. Ostrovsky. They are distinguished by their brightness and truthfulness; it is no coincidence that Dobrolyubov called them “plays of life.” These works describe...
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Drama A.N. Ostrovsky's "The Thunderstorm" talks about tragic fate a woman who could not step over the patriarchal foundations of the house-building, could not fight for her love, and therefore voluntarily died. The scene of the explanation between the main character of the play Katerina and her lover Boris occurs in the finale; it is a tragic denouement of the relationship between these characters.
Let's return to this scene. What is the internal state of the heroes? Remarks help the reader understand this. Boris looks around when meeting Katerina, he is afraid that they might be noticed together. Katerina is not ashamed of her feelings, she is unable to hide it: she runs up to Boris, hugs him and cries on his chest. In Kabanikha’s house, Katerina is a stranger, her mother-in-law humiliates her, and therefore love for Boris is that fleeting spark of happiness that could make her life different. She is ready to give up everything, run away from her husband and hated mother-in-law, it is no coincidence that she asks Boris: “Take me with you!”
However, Dikiy’s nephew is not capable of decisive actions. He cannot change his life, disobey the Wild One, since he depends on him financially. Let us pay attention to his remark: “I am not going of my own free will: my uncle sends...” But only weak people become dependent on the Wild. And the reader understands that Boris is a weak-willed man, he cannot and is afraid to change his life.
On the other hand, Dikiy’s nephew has it easier than Katerina: he is a “free bird”, and she is a “husband’s wife”. Katerina complains to Boris that her mother-in-law “tortures her, locks her away,” and Tikhon is disgusted with her: “... caressing him is worse to me than beating him.” We see how the weak-willed Boris cries when saying goodbye to his beloved, as if he sympathizes with her and regrets her. However, Boris runs away from his love, not thinking about what it’s like for Katerina to stay in the Kabanovs’ house next to her unloved husband and hated mother-in-law.
The characters understand that their meetings were a mistake, and the characters' lines tell the reader about this. Katerina: “It’s unfortunate that I saw you. I saw little joy, but grief, what grief! There’s still a lot more to come!”; Boris: “Who knew that we should suffer with you for our love! It would be better for me to run then!”
However, it is much harder for Katerina to part with Boris. It’s no coincidence that she doesn’t let him go: “Wait, wait! Let me look at you in last time" And Boris strives to leave as quickly as possible, so as not to see Katerina again, and believes that the best deliverance from suffering for her would be death: “You only need to ask God for one thing, so that she does not suffer for a long time.” However, Boris cannot save her, take her away from the hated Kabanikha. I think that his feeling for Katerina was not strong enough to disobey his uncle. And he, since he himself is a weak-willed person, does not believe that the woman he loves is capable of committing suicide.
So, Katerina is left alone. After this farewell scene, she decides to commit suicide. Perhaps she had such a way out of the situation for a long time. It is no coincidence that she asks Boris: “When you go on your way, don’t miss a single beggar, give it to everyone so that they pray for my sinful soul.” Katerina is very pious and religious. And from the point of view of the church, suicide is a grave sin; a suicide is not even served with a funeral service. And we see how difficult it is for her to take this step, however, it is the betrayal of her closest person that pushes her to commit suicide. Katerina was disappointed in her lover and realized that he was a weak, weak-willed person. Look how Boris behaves in the farewell scene: at first he feels sorry for Katerina, and in the end he himself wishes her death. Perhaps not so terrible, but still the death of Katerina will make Boris forget her faster.
Of course, suicide can be regarded as the act of a weak-willed person. But on the other hand, life in Kabanikha’s house is unbearable for her. And in this act lies the strength of her character. If Boris runs away from his love, abandons Katerina, then what should she do, how to live on? And so she decides to commit suicide, because she cannot stop loving Boris and forgive him for his betrayal. It's no coincidence that last words addressed specifically to him: “My friend! My joy! Goodbye!"
The scene of Katerina's farewell to Boris brings us to the tragic ending of the play. Such an ending is a natural chain of events. But I think if Dikiy’s nephew had decided to take Katerina away and keep his love, he would have been stronger than life’s circumstances, and the ending of the play would have been different.

The comedy "The Thunderstorm" is one of the most famous works Russian playwright A. N. Ostrovsky. The idea and characters of the work can be explored forever. The images of the characters in "The Thunderstorm" are quite remarkable.

Problems of the play "The Thunderstorm"

All characters can be divided into 2 groups: representatives of the older and younger generations. The eldest represents Kabanikh and Dikoy. They are representatives of the patriarchal world, where selfishness and poverty rule. Other characters suffer from the tyranny of Kabanikha and Wild. These are primarily Varvara, Katerina, Boris and Tikhon. A comparative description of the characters shows that all the heroes have resigned themselves to their fate, and only Katerina is not able to go against her conscience and her desires.

The entire work "The Thunderstorm" is dedicated to the story of the main character Katerina. She is one of the participants. Katerina has to choose between two men, and these men are Boris and Tikhon. These characters will help you understand in detail the behavior of the characters in the play.

Boris's fate

Before analyzing the character of Boris, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with his history.

Boris is not Kalinova. He gets there by the will of his parents. Boris was supposed to get the inheritance, which for the time being was managed by Dikoy. For good behavior and obedience, Dikoy is obliged to give the inheritance to Boris, but readers understand that due to Dikoy’s greed this will never happen. Therefore, Boris has to stay in Kalinov and live there according to the rules established by Dikiy and Kabanikha.

Tikhon's fate

Among all the characters, two heroes stand out, two men - Boris and Tikhon. The comparative characteristics of these heroes can say a lot.

Tikhon depends on Kabanikha - his mother. He has to obey her in everything. Kabanikha does not hesitate to interfere in the personal life of her son, dictating how he should treat his wife. Kabanikha literally takes his daughter-in-law out of the world. Kabanikha constantly finds fault with Katerina.

One day Tikhon is forced to leave for another city for several days. The reader clearly sees how glad he is at the opportunity to be alone and show his independence.

What Boris and Tikhon have in common

So, we have two characters - Boris and Tikhon. A comparative description of these heroes is impossible without an analysis of their lifestyle. So, both characters live with tyrants, both heroes are forced to obey the will of others. Both heroes lack independence. Both heroes love Katerina.

At the end of the play, both suffer greatly after the death of Katerina. Tikhon is left alone with his mother, and orders Boris Dika to leave Kalinov. Of course, after the incident with Katerina, he definitely won’t see an inheritance.

Boris and Tikhon: differences

There are more differences between Boris and Tikhon than they have in common. So, Boris and Tikhon - comparative characteristics. The table below will help systematize knowledge about these heroes.

Such are Boris and Tikhon. The comparative characteristics of the characters given in the table above are quite brief and succinct. It is worth noting that mostly readers sympathize with Boris rather than Tikhon.

The main idea of ​​the play "The Thunderstorm"

The characterization of Boris and Tikhon suggests that the two men loved Katerina. However, neither one nor the other could save her. Katerina threw herself off a cliff into the river, no one stopped her. It was Boris and Tikhon, whose comparative characteristics were given above, who should have saved her, who should have rebelled against the power of the Kalinovsky tyrants. However, they failed, and Katerina’s lifeless body was taken out of the river.

Kalinov is a town that lives by its own rules. Dobrolyubov called Katerina “a ray of light in a dark kingdom,” and this is true. Katerina could not change her fate, but perhaps she could change the whole city. Her death is the first catastrophe that disrupted the patriarchal structure of the family. Kabanikha and Dikoy feel that young people are leaving their power, which means changes are coming.

Thus, A. Ostrovsky was able to show not just a family tragedy. Before us is the tragedy of an entire city perishing under the despotism of the Wild and Kabanikha. Kalinov is not a fictional city, but there are a lot of such “Kalinovs” throughout Russia.

Why did Katerina die and what did Boris do for this?

Last date Katerina and Boris occur in the third scene of the fifth act of the play “The Thunderstorm”. This scene is of utmost importance for revealing the images of Katerina and Boris. And it is also the turning point in the whole action. We can say that this scene led the play to a tragic ending.

Before the last meeting, Katerina was already driven to despair. In the second appearance we meet her in tossing and torment. She doesn’t want to live: “And death doesn’t come. You call for her, but she doesn’t come.” But still, in the depths of her wounded soul, hope still glimmers: “If only I could live with him, maybe I would see some kind of joy...”. Katerina yearns for her beloved and prays, almost paganly, for the “violent winds” to bring her “sadness and melancholy” to Boris.

And then a miracle happens: the heroine meets the one for whose sake she neglected everything, for whose sake she “ruined her soul.”

Having met, lovers cry, whether from grief, from happiness, or from both. The remark given by Ostrovsky - “Silence” - perfectly describes the internal state of the characters. And really, what is there to talk about?

Boris is the first to break the silence. After all, he came here for a reason. He came to tell Katerina that he was leaving: “Far away... to Siberia.”

Katerina's first phrases in this scene are abrupt and short. As if she is preparing to say something extremely important, something that will decide her fate. After Boris informs her of his departure, Katerina bursts out with a plea. She asks the hero to take her with him. This is almost a cry of last hope. The phrase “Take me with you from here!” is the climax of the entire scene. The fate of Katerina, and his fate too, depends on the decision Boris makes.

What does Boris answer her? He says that he “asked my uncle for a minute, he wanted to at least say goodbye to the place where we met.” The fact that at such a moment Boris remembers his uncle speaks of his spinelessness. He cannot make decisions himself. And he refuses Katerina.

At this turning point, Katerina shows the full breadth of her soul. When her last hope collapsed and the earth began to disappear from under her feet, she finds the strength to tell Boris: “Go with God!” Instead of cursing the heartless and spineless Boris, who left her to be torn to pieces by her mother-in-law and public opinion, Katerina tells him of her love.

And her love, truly, knows no bounds: “I saw little joy, but grief, so much grief! And there’s so much more to come! Well, what to think about what will happen! Now I’ve seen you, they won’t take that away from me; and I don’t need anything else. I just needed to see you. Now it has become much easier for me; It was as if a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. And I kept thinking that you were angry with me, cursing me...”

Reading these lines, you understand that only a great woman is capable of such love and such feelings. Ready to go against everyone, give up everything and follow her loved one to distant and cold Siberia, in a difficult moment she forgives Boris. Forgives for everything.

But a convulsive thought still spins in Katerina’s head. She can’t find the right words: “I wanted to tell you something! I forgot! Something needed to be said! Everything is confused in my head, I don’t remember anything.”

And Boris, instead of supporting Katerina, says: “It’s time for me, Katya!”

In the next second, the idea, which was still in the air, and its execution seemed so impossible, turned in Katerina’s head into a conscious and terrible decision. We don’t yet know what we’re talking about, but we can already guess. Katerina tells Boris not to let “a single beggar” pass on his way and to order everyone to pray for her “sinful soul.” It was at this moment that Katerina decided to commit the most terrible sin, in the Christian understanding, which even a thousand beggars could not pray for: suicide.

From this second, Katerina begins to say goodbye to Boris forever, as she realized that she would never see him again. Boris, unable to understand where he is pushing his beloved, begins to complain, blame everyone and everything: “You are villains! Monsters! And he utters one of his most important phrases: “Oh, if only there was strength!” He admits his powerlessness, that he cannot do anything to save Katerina. And most importantly, he admits to his endless selfishness. Suspecting that Katya is up to no good, he thinks not about her, but about the fact that he will be exhausted on the road, thinking about heroin.

There is an amazing moment in this scene. For the last time, Boris wants to hug Katerina, but she... won’t let him get close to her. It is impossible to believe that, without being offended by Boris’s refusal right away, she decided to be offended now. Yes, and this does not fit into the image of Katerina. Simply, having decided to commit suicide, she cannot allow her beloved to touch her - a terrible sinner. In addition, Katerina hurries Boris: “Go, quickly, go!”

Boris's action can be called betrayal. He, in this situation, is a criminal and a sinner, not Katerina. He betrayed the most sacred and valuable feeling for which people are ready to die - love. And, leaving, Boris wishes Katerina death: “We only need to ask God for one thing, that she die as soon as possible, so that she does not suffer for a long time!”

This is the fate he wants for Katerina! This is how he sees the solution to the problem! And we understand that he didn’t help Katerina not because he was a spineless and weak-willed person, but because he didn’t want to!

Who knows how the fate of the heroes would have turned out if at that most important moment Boris had agreed to take Katerina with him. Yes, terrible difficulties would await the heroes. Perhaps she would be disappointed in her choice. But Boris could not, or rather, could not, act differently.

Having said goodbye to Boris forever, Katerina rushes into the Volga, taking with her her great love for the man who did not want to save her.