Work thunderstorm quotes about the city of Kalinov. Essay by A. N. Ostrovsky

Essay on literature.

Cruel morals in our city, cruel...
A.N. Ostrovsky, "The Thunderstorm".

The city of Kalinov, in which the action of “The Thunderstorm” takes place, is outlined by the author very vaguely. Such a place could be any town in any corner of vast Russia. This immediately increases and generalizes the scale of the events described.

Preparations for the reform to abolish serfdom are in full swing, which affects the life of all of Russia. Outdated orders give way to new ones, previously unknown phenomena and concepts arise. Therefore, even in remote towns like Kalinov, ordinary people are worried when they hear the steps of a new life.

What is this “city on the banks of the Volga”? What kind of people live there? The stage nature of the work does not allow the writer to directly answer these questions with his thoughts, but it is still possible to get a general idea about them.

Externally, the city of Kalinov is a “blessed place.” It stands on the banks of the Volga, from the steepness of the river an “extraordinary view” opens. But most local residents “have either taken a closer look or don’t understand” this beauty and speak disdainfully about it. Kalinov seems to be separated by a wall from the rest of the world. They don’t know anything here about what’s going on in the world. Residents of Kalinov are forced to draw all information about the world around them from the stories of “wanderers” who “they themselves have not walked far, but have heard a lot.” This satisfaction of curiosity leads to ignorance of the majority of citizens. They talk quite seriously about the lands “where people have dog heads”, about how “Lithuania fell from the sky.” Among the residents of Kalinov there are people who “don’t give an account to anyone” for their actions; ordinary people, accustomed to such lack of accountability, lose the ability to see logic in anything.

Kabanova and Dikoy, living according to the old order, are forced to give up their positions. This embitters them and makes them even more furious. Dikoy attacks everyone he meets with abuse and “doesn’t want to know anyone.” Aware internally that there is nothing to respect him for, he, however, reserves the right to deal with the “little people” like this:

If I want, I will have mercy, if I want, I will crush.

Kabanova relentlessly pesters her family with ridiculous demands that contradict common sense. She is terrible because she reads instructions “under the guise of piety,” but she herself cannot be called pious. This can be seen from Kuligin’s conversation with Kabanov:

Kuligin: We must forgive our enemies, sir!
Kabanov: Go and talk to your mother, what will she say to you about this.

Dikoy and Kabanova still seem strong, but they begin to realize that their strength is coming to an end. They have “nowhere to rush,” but life moves forward without asking their permission. That’s why Kabanova is so gloomy, she can’t imagine “how the light will stand” when her ways are forgotten. But those around, not yet feeling the powerlessness of these tyrants, are forced to adapt to them,

Tikhon, deep down kind person, came to terms with his situation. He lives and acts as “mama ordered,” having finally lost the ability to “live with his own mind.”

His sister Varvara is not like that. Tyrant oppression did not break her will, she is bolder and much more independent than Tikhon, but her conviction “if only everything was sewn and covered” suggests that Varvara was unable to fight her oppressors, but only adapted to them.

Vanya Kudryash, a daring and strong character, has become accustomed to tyrants and is not afraid of them. The Wild One needs him and knows this, he will not “slave in front of him.” But the use of rudeness as a weapon of struggle means that Kudryash can only “take an example” from the Wild One, defending himself from him with his own techniques. His reckless daring reaches the point of self-will, and this already borders on tyranny.

Katerina is, in the words of the critic Dobrolyubov, “a ray of light in dark kingdom" Original and lively, she is not like any of the characters in the play. What gives her inner strength is her folk character. But this strength is not enough to withstand Kabanova’s relentless attacks. Katerina is looking for support - and does not find it. Exhausted, unable to further resist oppression, Katerina still did not give up, but left the fight, committing suicide.

Kalinov can be located in any corner of the country, and this allows us to consider the action of the play on a scale throughout Russia. Tyrants are living out their days everywhere; weak people still suffer from their antics. But life moves tirelessly forward, no one can stop its rapid flow. A fresh and strong stream will sweep away the dam of tyranny... Characters freed from oppression will spill out in all their breadth - and the sun will break out in the “dark kingdom”!

The city of Kalinov and its inhabitants (based on the play “The Thunderstorm” by A. N. Ostrovsky)

The action of the play begins with the remark: “A public garden on the high bank of the Volga; beyond the Volga there is a rural view.” Behind these lines lies the extraordinary beauty of the Volga expanses, which only Kuligin, a self-taught mechanic, notices: “... Miracles, truly it must be said that miracles! Curly! Here you are, my brother, for fifty years I’ve been looking across the Volga every day and I can’t get enough of it.” All other residents of the city of Kalinov do not pay attention to the beauty of nature, this is evidenced by Kudryash’s casual remark in response to Kuligin’s enthusiastic words: “Neshto!” And then, to the side, Kuligin sees Dikiy, the “scolder,” waving his arms, scolding Boris, his nephew.

The landscape background of “Thunderstorms” allows you to more clearly feel the stuffy atmosphere of life in Kalinov residents. In the play, the playwright truthfully reflected social relations of the mid-19th century: he characterized the material and legal situation of the merchant-philistine environment, the level of cultural demands, family life, and outlined the position of women in the family. “The Thunderstorm”... presents us with the idyll of the “dark kingdom”... Residents... sometimes walk along the boulevard above the river..., in the evening they sit on the rubble at the gate and engage in pious conversations; but they spend more time at home, doing housework, eating, sleeping - they go to bed very early, so that it is difficult for an unaccustomed person to endure such a sleepy night as they imagine for themselves... Their life flows smoothly and peacefully, no interests the world does not disturb them because it does not reach them; kingdoms may fall, new countries may open, the face of the earth may change as it pleases, the world may begin new life on a new basis - the inhabitants of the town of Kalinov will continue to exist in complete ignorance of the rest of the world...

It is scary and difficult for every newcomer to try to go against the demands and beliefs of this dark mass, terrible in its naivety and sincerity. After all, she will curse us, will run around like people with the plague - not out of malice, not out of calculations, but out of a deep conviction that we are akin to the Antichrist... A wife, according to prevailing concepts, is connected with him (with her husband ) inextricably, spiritually, through the sacrament; no matter what her husband does, she must obey him and share his meaningless life with him... And in general opinion, the most important difference between a wife and a bast shoe is that she brings with her a whole burden of worries from which the husband does not care. can get rid of it, while the footwear gives only convenience, and if it is inconvenient, it can easily be thrown off... Being in such a position, a woman, of course, must forget that she is the same person, with the same right by you, like a man,” wrote N. A. Dobrolyubov in the article “A Ray of Light in the Dark Kingdom.” Continuing to reflect on the position of a woman, the critic says that she, having decided 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 everything and be ready for everything -va”, because “at the first attempt they will make her feel that she is nothing, that they can crush her”, “they will kill her, leave her to repent, on bread and water, deprive her of daylight, try all the home remedies good old times and will still lead to humility.”

Kuligin, one of the heroes of the drama, gives a characterization of the city of Kalinov: “Cruel morals, sir, in our city, cruel! In philistinism, sir, you will see nothing but rudeness and stark poverty. And never, sir, get out of this bark! Because honest work will never earn us more than our daily bread. And whoever has money, sir, tries to enslave the poor in order to make even more money from his free labors... And among themselves, sir, how they live! They undermine each other's trade, and not so much out of self-interest as out of envy. They are at enmity with each other...” Kuligin also notes that there is no work for the philistines in the city: “The philistines must be given work. Otherwise, he has hands, but nothing to work with,” and dreams of inventing a “perpeta mobile” in order to use the money for the benefit of society.

The tyranny of the Wild and others like him is based on the material and moral dependence of other people. And even the mayor cannot call the Wild One to order, who “will not disrespect any of his men.” He has his own philosophy: “Is it worth it, your honor, for us to talk about such trifles! I have a lot of people every year; You understand: I won’t pay them a penny extra per person, but I make thousands out of this, so it’s good for me!” And the fact that these guys count every penny doesn’t bother him.

And what are Feklusha’s stories about overseas lands worth! (“They say that there are such countries, dear girl, where there are no Orthodox kings, and the Saltans rule the earth... And then there is also a land where all the people have dog heads.” But what about distant countries! The narrow-mindedness of the wanderer’s views is especially clearly manifested in the story of the “vision” in Moscow, when Feklusha mistakes an ordinary chimney sweep for an unclean person who “spreads chaff on the roof, but the people invisibly pick it up during the day in their bustle.”

The rest of the city’s residents are a match for Feklusha, you just have to listen to the conversation of local residents in the gallery:

1st: And this, my brother, what is it?

2nd: And this is the Lithuanian ruin. Battle! Do you see? How ours fought with Lithuania.

1st: What is Lithuania?

2nd: So it is Lithuania.

1st: And they say, my brother, it fell on us from the sky.

2nd: I don’t know how to tell you. From the sky, from the sky.

It is not surprising that the Kalinovites perceive a thunderstorm as God’s punishment. Kuligin, understanding the physical nature of the thunderstorm, tries to secure the city by building a lightning rod, and asks Di-kogo for money for this purpose. Of course, he didn’t give anything, and even scolded the inventor: “What kind of elegance is that!” Well, what kind of robber are you? A thunderstorm is sent to us as punishment, so that we can feel it, but you want to defend yourself with poles and some kind of goads, God forgive me.” But Dikiy’s reaction does not surprise anyone: parting with ten rubles just like that, for the good of the city, is like death. The behavior of the townspeople, who did not even think of standing up for Kuligin, but only silently, from the sidelines, watched as Dikoy insulted the mechanic, is appalling. It is on this indifference, irresponsibility, ignorance that the power of tyrants wavers.

Ural State Pedagogical University

Test

on Russian literature of the 19th (2nd) century

IV year correspondence students

IFC and MK

Agapova Anastasia Anatolyevna

Ekaterinburg

2011

Subject: The image of the city of Kalinov in “The Thunderstorm” by A. N. Ostrovsky.

Plan:

1. Brief biography of the writer
2. Image of the city of Kalinova
3. Conclusion
4. References

1. Brief biography of the writer

Nikolai Alekseevich Ostrovsky was born on September 29 in the village of Viliya, Volyn province, into a working-class family. He worked as an assistant electrician, and from 1923 - in a leading Komsomol job. In 1927, progressive paralysis confined Ostrovsky to bed, and a year later the future writer became blind, but, “continuing to fight for the ideas of communism,” he decided to take up literature. At the beginning of the 30s, the autobiographical novel “How the Steel Was Tempered” (1935) was written - one of the textbook works of Soviet literature. In 1936, the novel “Born of the Storm” was published, which the author did not have time to finish. Nikolai Ostrovsky died on December 22, 1936.

1. The history of the creation of the story "The Thunderstorm"

The play was begun by Alexander Ostrovsky in July and completed on October 9, 1859. The manuscript is kept inRussian State Library.

The writing of the play “The Thunderstorm” is also associated with the writer’s personal drama. In the manuscript of the play, next to Katerina’s famous monologue: “And what dreams I had, Varenka, what dreams! Or golden temples, or some extraordinary gardens, and everyone is singing invisible voices...” (5), there is Ostrovsky’s entry: “I heard from L.P. about the same dream...”. L.P. is an actressLyubov Pavlovna Kositskaya, with whom the young playwright had a very difficult personal relationship: both had families. The actress's husband was an artist of the Maly TheaterI. M. Nikulin. And Alexander Nikolaevich also had a family: he lived in civil marriage with the commoner Agafya Ivanovna, with whom he had common children - they all died as children. Ostrovsky lived with Agafya Ivanovna for almost twenty years.

It was Lyubov Pavlovna Kositskaya who served as the prototype for the image of the heroine of the play, Katerina, and she also became the first performer of the role.

In 1848, Alexander Ostrovsky went with his family to Kostroma, to the Shchelykovo estate. The natural beauty of the Volga region amazed the playwright, and then he thought about the play. For a long time it was believed that the plot of the drama “The Thunderstorm” was taken by Ostrovsky from the life of the Kostroma merchants. At the beginning of the 20th century, Kostroma residents could accurately indicate the place of Katerina’s suicide.

In his play, Ostrovsky raises the problem of fracture public life that occurred in the 1850s, the problem of changing social foundations.

5 Ostrovsky A. N. Thunderstorm. State Publishing House Fiction. Moscow, 1959.

3. Image of the city of Kalinov

“The Thunderstorm” is rightfully considered one of the masterpieces of Ostrovsky and all Russian drama. “The Thunderstorm” is, without a doubt, Ostrovsky’s most decisive work.

Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" shows the ordinary provincial life of the provincial merchant town of Kalinov. It is located on the high bank of the Russian Volga River. The Volga is a great Russian river, a natural parallel to Russian destiny, Russian soul, Russian character, which means that everything that happens on its banks is understandable and easily recognizable to every Russian person. The view from the shore is divine. The Volga appears here in all its glory. The town itself is no different from others: merchant houses in abundance, a church, a boulevard.

Residents lead their own special way of life. Life in the capital is changing quickly, but here everything is the same as before. Monotonous and slow passage of time. The elders teach the younger ones in everything, but the younger ones are afraid to stick their nose out. There are few visitors to the city, so everyone is mistaken for a stranger, like an overseas curiosity.

The heroes of "The Thunderstorm" live without even suspecting how ugly and dark their existence is. For some, their city is “paradise”, and if it is not ideal, then at least it represents the traditional structure of society of that time. Others do not accept either the situation or the city itself that gave birth to this situation. And yet they constitute an unenviable minority, while others maintain complete neutrality.

Residents of the city, without realizing it themselves, fear that just a story about another city, about other people, can dispel the illusion of prosperity in their “promised land.” In the remark preceding the text, the author determines the place and time of the drama. This is no longer Zamoskvorechye, so characteristic of many of Ostrovsky’s plays, but the city of Kalinov on the banks of the Volga. The city is fictional, in it you can see the features of a variety of Russian cities. The landscape background of “Thunderstorms” also gives a certain emotional mood, allowing, by contrast, to more acutely feel the stuffy atmosphere of life in Kalinovsky.

The events take place in the summer, with 10 days passing between acts 3 and 4. The playwright does not say in what year the events take place; any year can be staged - so typical is what is described in the play for Russian life in the provinces. Ostrovsky especially stipulates that everyone is dressed in Russian, only Boris’s costume corresponds to European standards, which have already penetrated into the life of the Russian capital. This is how new touches appear in depicting the way of life in the city of Kalinov. Time seemed to have stopped here, and life turned out to be closed, impenetrable to new trends.

The main people of the city are tyrant merchants who try to “enslave the poor in order to make even more money from his free labor.” They keep in complete subordination not only the employees, but also the household, who are entirely dependent on them and therefore unresponsive. Considering themselves to be right in everything, they are sure that it is on them that the light rests, and therefore they force all households to strictly follow house-building orders and rituals. Their religiosity is distinguished by the same ritualism: they go to church, observe fasts, receive strangers, generously give them gifts and at the same time tyrannize their family “And what tears flow behind these constipations, invisible and inaudible!.” The internal, moral side of religion is completely alien to Wild and Kabanova, representatives of the “Dark Kingdom” of the City of Kalinov.

The playwright creates a closed patriarchal world: the Kalinovites do not know about the existence of other lands and simply believe the stories of the townspeople:

What is Lithuania? - So it is Lithuania. - And they say, my brother, it fell on us from the sky... I don’t know how to tell you, from the sky, from the sky...

Feklushi:

I...haven’t walked far, but I’ve heard – I’ve heard a lot...

And then there is also a land where all the people have dog heads...For infidelity.

That there are distant countries where “Saltan Maxnut the Turkish” and “Saltan Makhnut the Persian” rule.

Here you have...rarely does anyone come out of the gate to sit...but in Moscow there are carousals and games along the streets, sometimes there is a groan... Why, they began to harness a fiery serpent...

The world of the city is motionless and closed: its inhabitants have a vague idea of ​​their past and know nothing about what is happening outside Kalinov. The absurd stories of Feklusha and the townspeople create distorted ideas about the world among the Kalinovites and instill fear in their souls. She brings darkness and ignorance into society, mourns the end of the good old times, and condemns the new order. The new is powerfully entering life, undermining the foundations of the Domostroev order. Feklusha’s words about “the last times” sound symbolic. She strives to win over those around her, so the tone of her speech is insinuating and flattering.

The life of the city of Kalinov is reproduced in volume, with detailed details. The city appears on the stage, with its streets, houses, beautiful nature, and citizens. The reader seems to see with his own eyes the beauty of Russian nature. Here, on the banks of the free river, glorified by the people, the tragedy that shocked Kalinov will occur. And the first words in “The Thunderstorm” are the words of a familiar song of freedom, sung by Kuligin, a man who deeply feels beauty:

Among the flat valley, at a smooth height, a tall oak blossoms and grows. In mighty beauty.

Silence, excellent air, the smell of flowers from the meadows from across the Volga, the sky is clear... An abyss of stars has opened up and is full...
Miracles, truly it must be said, miracles!... For fifty years I have been looking across the Volga every day and I can’t get enough of it!
The view is extraordinary! Beauty! The soul rejoices! Delight! Either you look closely or you don’t understand what beauty is spilled out in nature. -he says (5). However, next to poetry there is a completely different, unsightly, repulsive side of Kalinov’s reality. It is revealed in Kuligin’s assessments, felt in the conversations of the characters, and sounds in the prophecies of the half-crazy lady.

The only enlightened person in the play, Kuligin, looks like an eccentric in the eyes of the townspeople. Naive, kind, honest, he does not oppose Kalinov’s world, humbly endures not only ridicule, but also rudeness and insult. However, it is he who the author instructs to characterize the “dark kingdom”.

It seems as if Kalinov is fenced off from the whole world and lives some kind of special, closed life. But can we really say that life is completely different in other places? No, this is a typical picture of the Russian province and the wild customs of patriarchal life. Stagnation.

There is no clear description of the city of Kalinov in the play.But as you read it, you can vividly imagine the outlines of the town and its inner life.

5 Ostrovsky A. N. Thunderstorm. State Publishing House of Fiction. Moscow, 1959.

The central position in the play is occupied by the image main character Katerina Kabanova. For her, the city is a cage from which she is not destined to escape. The main reason for Katerina’s attitude towards the city is that she has learned the contrast. Her happy childhood and serene youth passed, above all, under the sign of freedom. Having gotten married and finding herself in Kalinov, Katerina felt like she was in prison. The city and the prevailing situation in it (traditionality and patriarchy) only aggravate the situation of the heroine. Her suicide - a challenge given to the city - was committed on the basis of Katerina’s internal state and the surrounding reality.
Boris, a hero who also came “from outside,” develops a similar point of view. Probably, their love was due precisely to this. In addition, for him, like Katerina, the main role in the family is played by the “domestic tyrant” Dikoy, who is a direct product of the city and is a direct part of it.
The above can be fully applied to Kabanikha. But for her the city is not ideal; before her eyes, old traditions and foundations are crumbling. Kabanikha is one of those who tries to preserve them, but only " Chinese ceremonies".
It is on the basis of the differences between the heroes that the main conflict arises - the struggle between the old, the patriarchal and the new, reason and ignorance. The city gave birth to people like Dikoy and Kabanikha, they (and wealthy merchants like them) rule the roost. And all the city’s shortcomings are fueled by morals and environment, which in turn support Kabanikh and Dikoy with all their might.
The artistic space of the play is closed, it is confined exclusively to the city of Kalinov, the more difficult it is to find a way for those who are trying to escape from the city. In addition, the city is static, like its main inhabitants. That is why the stormy Volga contrasts so sharply with the stillness of the city. The river embodies movement. The city perceives any movement as extremely painful.
At the very beginning of the play, Kuligin, who is in some respects similar to Katerina, talks about the surrounding landscape. He sincerely admires the beauty of the natural world, although Kuligin has a very good idea of ​​the internal structure of the city of Kalinov. Not many characters are given the ability to see and admire the world around them, especially in the setting of the “dark kingdom.” For example, Kudryash does not notice anything, just as he tries not to notice the cruel morals reigning around him. The natural phenomenon shown in Ostrovsky's work - a thunderstorm - is also viewed differently by city residents (by the way, according to one of the characters, thunderstorms are a frequent occurrence in Kalinov, this makes it possible to classify it as part of the city's landscape). For Wild thunderstorm - given to people an event tested by God, for Katerina it is a symbol of the near end of her drama, a symbol of fear. Only Kuligin perceives the thunderstorm as ordinary natural phenomenon, which you can even rejoice at.

The town is small, so from a high point on the shore where the public garden is located, the fields of nearby villages are visible. The houses in the city are wooden, and there is a flower garden near each house. This was the case almost everywhere in Russia. This is the house Katerina used to live in. She recalls: “I used to get up early; If it’s summer, I’ll go to the spring, wash myself, bring some water with me, and that’s it, I’ll water all the flowers in the house. I had many, many flowers. Then we’ll go to church with mommy...”
The church is the main place in any village in Russia. The people were very pious, and the church was given the most beautiful part of the city. It was built on a hill and should have been visible from everywhere in the city. Kalinov was no exception, and the church there was a meeting place for all residents, the source of all conversations and gossip. Walking near the church, Kuligin tells Boris about the order of life here: “Cruel morals in our city,” he says, “In the philistinism, sir, you will not see anything except rudeness and basic poverty” (4). Money makes everything happen - that’s the motto of that life. And yet, the writer’s love for cities like Kalinov is felt in the discreet, but warm descriptions local landscapes.

"It's quiet, the air is great, because...

The Volga of servants smells of flowers, unclean..."

I just want to find myself in that place, to walk along the boulevard with the residents. After all, the boulevard is also one of the main places in small and large cities. The whole class goes out to the boulevard for a walk in the evening.
Previously, when there were no museums, cinemas, or television, the boulevard was the main place of entertainment. Mothers took their daughters there as if to a bridesmaid, married couples proved the strength of their union, and young men looked for future wives. But nevertheless, the life of ordinary people is boring and monotonous. For people with a lively and sensitive nature, such as Katerina, this life is a burden. It sucks you in like a quagmire, and there is no way to get out of it or change anything. On this high note of tragedy, the life of the main character of the play, Katerina, ends. “It’s better in the grave,” she says. She was able to get out of monotony and boredom only in this way. Concluding her “protest, driven to despair,” Katerina draws attention to the same despair of other residents of the city of Kalinov. Such despair is expressed in different ways. It is, according to

Dobrolyubov notation, fits into various types social clashes: younger with older, irresponsible with self-willed, poor with rich. After all, Ostrovsky, bringing the residents of Kalinov onto the stage, draws a panorama of the morals of not just one city, but the entire society, where a person depends only on wealth, which gives strength, whether he is a fool or a smart one, a nobleman or a commoner.

The title of the play itself has symbolic meaning. Thunderstorms in nature are perceived differently characters of the play: for Kuligin she is “grace”, with which “every... grass, every flower rejoices”, while the Kalinovites are hiding from her as if from “some kind of misfortune”. The thunderstorm intensifies Katerina's spiritual drama, her tension, influencing the very outcome of this drama. The thunderstorm gives the play not only emotional tension, but also a pronounced tragic flavor. At the same time, N.A. Dobrolyubov saw something “refreshing and encouraging” in the ending of the drama. It is known that Ostrovsky himself, who attached great importance to the title of the play, wrote to the playwright N. Ya. Solovyov that if he cannot find a title for the work, it means that “the idea of ​​the play is not clear to him.”

In “The Thunderstorm,” the playwright often uses the techniques of parallelism and antithesis in the system of images and directly in the plot itself, in the depiction of pictures of nature. The technique of antithesis is especially clearly manifested: in the opposition of the two main characters- Katerina and Kabanikha; in the composition of the third act, the first scene (at the gates of Kabanova’s house) and the second (night meeting in the ravine) differ sharply from each other; in the depiction of pictures of nature and, in particular, the approach of a thunderstorm in the first and fourth acts.

1. Conclusion

Ostrovsky in his play showed a fictional city, but it looks extremely authentic. The author saw with pain how backward Russia was politically, economically, and culturally, how dark the population of the country was, especially in the provinces.

Ostrovsky not only recreates the panorama of city life in detail, specifically and in many ways, but also, using various dramatic means and techniques, introduces art world The plays contain elements of the natural world and the world of distant cities and countries. The peculiarity of seeing the surrounding environment, inherent in the townspeople, creates the effect of a fantastic, incredible “lostness” of Kalinovsky life.

A special role in the play is played by the landscape, described not only in the stage directions, but also in the dialogues of the characters. Some people can understand its beauty, others have taken a closer look at it and are completely indifferent. The Kalinovites not only “fenced off, isolated” themselves from other cities, countries, lands, they made their souls, their consciousness immune to the influence of the natural world, a world full of life, harmony, and higher meaning.

People who perceive their surroundings in this way are ready to believe in anything, even the most incredible, as long as it does not threaten to destroy their “quiet, heavenly life.” This position is based on fear, psychological unwillingness to change something in one’s life. Thus, the playwright creates not only an external, but also an internal, psychological background for the tragic story of Katerina.

“The Thunderstorm” is a drama with a tragic ending, the author uses satirical devices, on the basis of which readers develop a negative attitude towards Kalinov and his typical representatives. He especially introduces satire to show the ignorance and lack of education of the Kalinovites.

Thus, Ostrovsky creates an image of a city traditional for the first half of the 19th century. The author shows through the eyes of his heroes. The image of Kalinov is collective; the author knew the merchants well and the environment in which they developed. Thus, with the help of different points of view of the characters in the play “The Thunderstorm,” Ostrovsky creates a complete picture of the district merchant town of Kalinov.

1. References

1. Anastasyev A. “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky. “Fiction” Moscow, 1975.
2. Kachurin M. G., Motolskaya D. K. Russian literature. Moscow, Education, 1986.
3. Lobanov P. P. Ostrovsky. Moscow, 1989.
4. Ostrovsky A. N. Selected works. Moscow, Children's literature, 1965.

5. Ostrovsky A. N. Thunderstorm. State Publishing House of Fiction. Moscow, 1959.

6. http://referati.vladbazar.com

7. http://www.litra.ru/com

In the merchant world of the city of Kalinov, where dramatic events unfold, “cruel morals” reign. Kuligin, a local self-taught mechanic, gives a detailed description of these morals. According to him, in Kalinov one cannot see anything except rudeness and unrequited humility, wealth and “stark poverty.” Those who have “tight money” try to “enslave the poor in order to make even more money from his free labors,” and they are at enmity with each other: they litigate, slander, “they undermine each other’s trade, and not so much out of self-interest, but out of envy."

A vivid figurative expression of the manifestations of rudeness and hostility that reign in the city is the merchant Savel Prokofich Dikoy, a “scold” and “shrill man,” as its residents characterize it. It is his appearance that gives Kuligin the opportunity to pronounce a monologue about Kalinov’s cruel morals. Dikoy is an ignorant tyrant, endowed with stubbornness and greed, a despot in his family and beyond. He also terrorizes his nephew Boris, who “got to be his sacrifice.” Swearing and swearing for any reason is not only the usual way of treating people, it is his nature, his character, the content of his entire life. “There’s no one to calm him down, so he’s fighting.”

Another personification of the “cruel morals” of the city of Kalinov is Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova - another despot. “A prude,” Kuligin characterizes her, “she gives favors to the poor, but completely eats up her family.” Kabanikha firmly stands guard over the patriarchal, house-building orders of antiquity, jealously guarding the life of her home from the fresh wind of change. Unlike the Wild One, she never swears, she has her own methods of intimidation: she is corrosive, like rusty iron, “sharpening” her loved ones. Dikoy and Kabanova openly or under the guise of piety have a destructive effect on those around them, poisoning their lives, destroying bright feelings in them,

Making them your slaves. Because for them, the loss of power is the loss of everything in which they see the meaning of existence.

It was no coincidence that Dobrolyubov called the life of Kalinov and similar cities in Russia at that time a “dark kingdom.” The bulk of the inhabitants of such towns lead a sleepy, calm, measured existence: “They go to bed very early, so it is difficult for an unaccustomed person to endure such a sleepy night.” On holidays, they walk decorously along the boulevard, but “they only pretend to be walking, but they themselves go there to show off their outfits.” The inhabitants are superstitious and submissive, they are not interested in new ideas and thoughts, and the sources of news are pilgrims and pilgrims who hide “all spiritual abomination” under their black scarves, such as Feklusha, who is willingly accepted in Kalinov’s houses. The owners of the city need her ridiculous stories to maintain their authority and power. The basis of relationships between people in Kalinov is material dependence, so Feklusha spreads her “news” not disinterestedly: here they will feed you, here they will give you something to drink, there they will give you gifts.

Another colorful exponent of the cruel morals of the “dark kingdom” is the half-crazy lady. She personifies the lost beauty, darkness and madness of the surrounding world and at the same time threatens the death of someone else's beauty, which is incompatible with the ugliness of the prevailing order.

Dikoy, Kabanova, Feklusha, the half-crazy lady - they all express the worst sides of a passing world that is experiencing its last times. But these characters have nothing to do with our past with a distinctive culture. On the other hand, what in the present seems scary and ugly to Kuligin, seems beautiful to Feklusha: “Blaalepie, dear, blaalepie! Wonderful beauty!.. You live in the promised land!” And vice versa: what seems marvelous and magnificent to Kuligin, the lady sees as a disastrous whirlpool.

Ostrovsky in the play showed not only the customs of the city of Kalinov, but also recreated the atmosphere of Kalinov’s life, selecting appropriate details and colors for this. The feeling of an approaching thunderstorm, when “the whole sky has surrounded”, “covered with an even cap,” presses, as if conveying eternal, unshakable laws scary world, where man is a wolf to man. That’s why Kuligin exclaims: “We will never, sir, get out of this hole!.. There is no end to the torment.”

But representatives of the younger generation also live in these conditions, which break and paralyze the will. Someone, like Katerina, is closely connected with the way of the city and depends on it, lives and suffers, strives to escape from it, and someone, like Varvara, Kudryash, Boris and

Tikhon humbles himself, accepts his laws or finds ways to reconcile with them.

Tikhon is narrow-minded, spineless, not distinguished by any special intelligence, delicacy, or tenderness. He drowns his timid protest in wine and revelry, because he is not capable of more. Boris, “a young man of decent education,” is the only one who does not belong to the Kalinovsky world by birth and upbringing, does not understand local customs, but he is submissive, cowardly, unable to either defend himself from the insults of the Wild, or “resist the dirty tricks that other". Cheerful and cheerful Varvara adapted, learned to be cunning so as not to obey her mother. She runs with Kudryash, who is well acquainted with the customs of the merchant environment, but lives easily, without thinking.

Kuligin, who in the play acts as an “exposer of vices,” sympathizes with the poor, he is concerned with improving people’s lives, having received a reward for the discovery of a perpetual motion machine. He is an opponent of superstitions, a champion of knowledge, science, creativity, enlightenment, but his own knowledge is not enough. He doesn’t see an active way to resist tyrants, and therefore prefers to submit. It is clear that this is not the person who is able to bring novelty and fresh air into the life of the city of Kalinov.

Among the characters in the drama there is no one who does not belong to Kalinov’s world. Merchants, clerks, a lady with two footmen, a wanderer and a maid, lively and meek, powerful and subordinate - they all revolve in the sphere of concepts and ideas of a closed patriarchal environment. These persons are necessary for a better understanding of the situation that determines the meaning of the activities of the main characters. Of all the characters - residents of the city of Kalinova - only Katerina is completely focused on the future. According to academician N. N. Skatov, “Katerina was brought up not only in the narrow world of a merchant family, she was born not only by the patriarchal world, but by the entire national world, folk life, already spilling over the boundaries of patriarchy, already looking for new horizons.”

Kuligin says: “Cruel morals... in our city,” talking about the life of the people of the city of Kalinov. In the drama “The Thunderstorm,” it is he who acts as the bearer of the author’s thoughts, exposing the morals of the inhabitants living in the “dark kingdom.” And among the reasons for such morals is the dominant position of wealthy people: “... whoever has money... tries to enslave the poor in order... to make even more money.” People in the city are embittered and find joy when they manage to do something bad to their neighbor: “but among themselves... how they live! Trade... is being undermined... They are fighting..."

The defender of the order established in Kalinov is the page of Feklush, who exclaims admiringly: “You live in the promised land! And the merchants... pious people!” So, N.A. Ostrovsky creates a contrast of opinions when he shows the reader two different points of view on what is happening. Feklusha is the real embodiment of inertia, ignorance and superstition, which enters the houses of influential people in the city of Kalinov. It is with the help of her image that the playwright emphasizes how much what is happening in Kalinov contradicts her assessment, when she every now and then says: “Splendor, dear, splendor!..”

The embodiment of tyranny, feeble-mindedness, ignorance, and cruelty in the play are the wealthy merchants Kabanova Marfa Ignatievna and Dikoy Savel Prokofievich. Kabanikha is the head of the family, who considers herself right in everything, she holds everyone living in the house in her fist, closely monitors the observance of largely outdated customs and orders based on Domostroy and church prejudices. Moreover, the principles of Domostroy are distorted in her; she takes from it not a wise way of life, but prejudices and superstitions.

Kabanikha is the bearer of the principles of the “dark kingdom”. She is smart enough to understand that her money alone will not give her real power, and that is why she craves obedience from those around her. And according to N.A. Dobrolyubova, for deviating from her established rules, she “gnaws at her victim... relentlessly.” Most of all goes to Katerina, who must bow at her husband’s feet and howl when leaving. She diligently hides her tyranny and tyranny under the guise of piety, and she herself destroys the lives of people around her: Tikhon, Varvara, Katerina. It’s not in vain that Tikhon regrets that he did not die with Katerina: “Good for you..! Why did I stay in the world and suffer?”

Diky, unlike Kabanikha, can hardly be called a bearer of the ideas of the “dark kingdom”; he is simply a narrow-minded and rude tyrant. He is proud of his ignorance and rejects everything new. The achievements of science and culture mean absolutely nothing to him. He's superstitious. The dominant trait of the Wild is the desire for profit and greed; he devotes his life to accumulating and increasing his fortune, while not disdaining any methods.

Despite the gloomy picture of the cruel morals that reign in Kalinov, the playwright leads us to the idea that the oppression of the “dark kingdom” is not eternal, because the death of Katerina served as the beginning of change and became a symbol of the fight against tyranny. Kudryash and Varvara cannot live any longer in this world and therefore run away to distant lands.

To summarize, we can say that N.A. Ostrovsky in his drama exposed the morals of life of the merchant class and the autocratic-serf system of his contemporary Russia, which he did not want to see in society: despotism, tyranny, greed and ignorance.

Essay The cruel morals of the city of Kalinov

The drama “The Thunderstorm,” written by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky in the mid-nineteenth century, remains a work relevant and understandable to everyone today. Human dramas, difficult life choices and ambiguous relationships between seemingly close people - these are the main issues that the writer touches on in his work, which has become truly iconic for Russian literature.

The small town of Kalinov, located on the banks of the Volga River, amazes with its picturesque places and beautiful nature. However, the man whose foot set foot on such fertile soil managed to ruin absolutely the entire impression of the city. Kalinov is stuck in the highest and strongest fences, and all the houses are similar to each other in their facelessness and grayness. We can say that the inhabitants of the city are very reminiscent of the place where they live, and using the example of the two main negative characters of the play, Marfa Kabanova and Savel Dikiy, I would like to show exactly why.

Kabanova, or Kabanikha, is a very wealthy merchant of the city of Kalinov. She is despotic towards members of her family, and especially towards Katerina, her daughter-in-law, but strangers know her as a person of exceptional decency and kindness. It is not difficult to guess that this virtue is nothing more than a mask behind which hides a truly cruel and evil woman who is not afraid of anyone, and therefore feels complete impunity.

The second one negative character In the play, Savel Dikoy appears before readers as a man of rare ignorance and narrow-mindedness. He does not strive to learn something new, improve and develop, instead preferring to quarrel with someone once again. Dikoy believes that accumulation cash is the most important goal in the life of every reasonable person, of whom he considers himself, so he is always busy looking for easy money.

In my opinion, in his work “At the Bottom” Ostrovsky shows readers how terrible ignorance, limitations and banal human stupidity are. After all, it was Kalinin’s morals that destroyed Katerina, who simply could not live in such an environment and in such a moral atmosphere. The worst thing is that there are very, very many people like Kabanova and Dikoy, we meet them at almost every step, and it is very important to be able to abstract from their harmful and destructive influence and, of course, to realize how important it is to remain a bright and kind person .

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