In which of Katerina’s remarks does the motive of sin sound? Ostrovsky Thunderstorm

Educational:

organize student activities to summarize and systematize knowledge within the framework of the lesson topic.

reveal the life positions of the main character of the work, who finds herself in a situation of moral choice.

Educational:

development of the ability to express one’s own opinion on the issues under discussion, students’ readiness for self-determination, decision-making and choice of personal position.

developing the ability to independently select material for a given topic.

develop the ability to work in a team, formulate and defend your point of view.

development of students' creative abilities.

Educational:

formation of moral guidelines in schoolchildren.

the ability to recognize true and false values.

formation of respect for the right of every person to have his own position and point of view.

instilling interest in the study of works of art.

Equipment: portrait of A.N. Ostrovsky, drama by A.N. Ostrovsky “The Thunderstorm”, critical articles, dictionary S.I. Ozhegova, multimedia projector, excerpts from the film “The Thunderstorm”, the song “The stitches have become overgrown”, student reports.

Lesson type: generalization and systematization of students’ knowledge and methods of activity.

Form: lesson - reflection.

Technology: group work, dialogue of cultures, discussion.

Progress of the lesson.

1.Organizing moment.

2. The teacher's word. The drama “The Thunderstorm” leaves an ambiguous impression after reading it. That is why the play caused many conflicting responses both after the production of the work and later, many years later. Let us try to understand the difficult situation that arises before us.The main question that we must answer is: was the love of Katerina Kabanova from A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” a crime? Did the poor woman deserve such a terrible punishment?

Pay attention to the key words in the title of the lesson: sin, repentance, retribution.

You have been divided into 3 groups in advance. Each received one concept. Let's listen to group 1.

Meaning of the word "sin":

Reprehensible act

Example: Remember the sins of the past. Sins of youth (joking). Don’t put it in a bad way, don’t lead the thief into sin (last).

2.-For believers: violation of religious precepts, rules. Example: in sins. sins. Take the city to heart (to act badly; simple).

3.-sinful, Example: To be offended by Mr. G.’s old age (you cannot, you should not be offended, be dissatisfied).

4. What lies on the conscience burdens it like a feeling of guilt. G. lies on the soul. Take a city per capita. Remove the city from the soul. We are all not without sin. Questions for group 1.

In what meanings can this word be used in relation to Katerina’s action?

When you hear the word “sin,” which character comes to mind first? (Katerina). Why? (cheated on her husband).

Why does Katerina cheat on Tikhon? What makes her do this?

2. How does Katerina differ from other characters

The nature is strong and free, pure and bright, loving and sincere, but in the world where she has to live, these qualities are simply incomprehensible.

3. The world in which the heroine lives

Katerina's world is filled with poetry and beauty. They are in everything: in washing with spring water, in the stories and songs of wanderers, in prayers, even in gold embroidery on velvet. And all this was not forced as a girl. After marriage, Katerina lost her sense of freedom and joy of life. “Captivity” kills beauty and poetry, which means it destroys Katerina’s world. (viewing a fragment from the movie “The Thunderstorm”: “Do you know how I used to live?”)

4.What is Katerina’s tragedy

Katerina does not want and cannot live according to the laws of the “dark kingdom”. This is the main reason for her tragedy, the tragedy of a free person who is forced to live in captivity, forced to change his moral convictions. In Kabanikha’s house, “everything seems to be from under captivity.” Katerina’s heart yearns for love, she is ready to respond to any kind word addressed to her with a strong feeling, but the heroine lives in a “loveless” city.

5. Dobrolyubov about Katerina

The nature is dreamy, impressionable, with a predominantly “loving, ideal” character.

Katerina at the same time has an ardent and passionate soul. A woman not only with a passionate, but also with a strong character. Capable of a complete break with the hateful environment and life. "A ray of light in a dark kingdom." Her suicide seemed to momentarily illuminate the endless darkness of the “dark kingdom.”

Such an impressionable, poetically minded and at the same time determined woman finds herself in a musty atmosphere of hypocrisy and annoying, petty care.

This explains Katerina’s conflict with both “ dark kingdom”, and with myself. The tragedy of Katerina’s situation was further complicated by the fact that she was married to a man whom she did not know and could not love, no matter how hard she tried to be his faithful and loving wife.

Where do Katerina's misfortunes begin?

Katerina's misfortunes begin after she marries Tikhon Kabanov and moves into his house. There the young woman realizes that she has found herself in an environment alien to her, in the realm of ignorance, inertia and tyranny. Katerina is trying with all her might to resist him, which is expressed in a conflict with the most prominent representative of this world - Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova.

Why does hostility arise between Katerina and Kabanova?

The hostility that immediately arose between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law is largely based on the difference in their characters.

How was Katerina’s inner world formed?

Katerina’s inner world was mainly formed in accordance with the lifestyle that she led before her marriage. She grew up kind, sympathetic, very religious (she found solace and strength in faith) and dreamy. Her imagination carried her far away from the colorless world in which she now lived. One of the main features that distinguishes Katerina from others is that the essence of everything that happens is important to her, and not the form; she cannot live among dead formulas that have lost their meaning.

What does Kabanova see as the meaning of life?

And for Marfa Ignatievna, maintaining order, strictly following the ancient foundations is the meaning and purpose of life. She eagerly seeks out apostates. But compliance with the rules of “Domostroy” only serves as an explanation for the despotism that stifles all manifestations of life and will.

How can you explain that? What did Katerina decide to cheat on her husband?

At first, Katerina tries to come to terms with the atmosphere in which she found herself, to extinguish her protest against “fading” under the yoke of Marfa Ignatievna. But constant pressure, infringement of rights and loneliness took their toll: Katerina resisted. Her protest found expression in her love for Dikiy’s nephew Boris Grigorievich, since love was the only thing in which a woman of that time could express herself.

And now, having understood the situation Katerina found herself in, is it possible to blame her for an involuntary impulse, a sudden feeling? After all, the girl was married off very early. “You didn’t have to go for a walk with the girls, but your heart hasn’t gone away yet!” - Varvara tells her. And who did they give it for? For someone who cannot take a step without a “mother’s” word, let alone stand up for his wife! So Katerina found herself face to face with Marfa Ignatievna.

Therefore, Katerina is subconsciously looking for someone who could become her support, give her support, and understand her. She chooses Boris because, at first glance, he is very different from the people around whom the heroine finds herself. But it gradually becomes clear that Boris Grigorievich is only an “educated Tikhon.” He does not have the determination that Katerina has. He, seeing all the absurdity of the world of the Wild and Kabanovs, cannot and does not want to do anything to rid himself of his influence and, in spite of him, be happy with his beloved. Like Tikhon, Boris only complains about his fate and laments: “Oh, if only there was strength!” For him, Katerina is too complex, deep nature. He subconsciously understands this and after a while wants to move away from her, to run away.

The heroine, dreaming of finding consolation, hope and new strength from Boris, plunges into a feeling, as if in a pool, without thinking about the consequences and without fear of any judgment: neither divine nor human.

But are the other characters in the play sinless?

Tikhon does not stand up for his wife, Boris seduces and abandons him, Varvara helps to deceive his mother and brother. So why do we remember Katerina first? She is the only one who repents of what she has done to those around her (she does not repent, but repents). Thus we come to the second problem: the problem of repentance. Word to the second group. Meaning of the word "repentance":

Repentance

1) a) Voluntary confession of a committed offense. b) Admitting one’s guilt in smth., smb. errors. 2) Confession of your sins to the priest; confession. 3) decomposition Repentance for smth. ...

rolling." 2. High. Voluntary admission of a wrongdoing, a mistake. Sincere, sincere, public admission of weakness

But, after some time, insight inevitably comes. Katerina realizes that she has committed a grave sin by cheating on her husband. And all excuses, all hopes for the future recede and collapse before the terrible word “treason.”

In order to continue the relationship with Boris after her husband’s arrival, it was necessary to hide and be cunning; She didn’t want it and couldn’t do it. She didn’t want to live like Varvara: “Do what you want, as long as it’s sewn and covered.”

Varvara says: “You are somehow sophisticated,” that is, strange, complex, incomprehensible.

“I was born so hot,” she said. - I was still six years old, no more, so I did it! They offended me with something at home, and it was late in the evening, it was already dark; I ran out to the Volga, got into the boat, and pushed it away from the shore. The next morning they found it about ten miles away! “Eh, Varya, you don’t know my character! - she admits. - Of course, God forbid this happens! And if I get really tired of it here, they won’t hold me back by any force. I’ll throw myself out the window, throw myself into the Volga. I don’t want to live here, I won’t, even if you cut me!”

Love in Katerina's life

Katerina loves differently from the women around her. She is ready to do anything for her loved one, transgressing even those concepts of sin and virtue that were sacred to her. Inner purity and truthfulness do not allow her to lie in love, deceive, or pretend. “Let everyone know, let everyone see what I do! If I wasn’t afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid of human judgment?” - she will tell Boris.

If for many people the most terrible punishment is human trial, then for Katerina the most terrible punishment is pangs of conscience. Of course, by committing a “crime,” she knew that she would set all the residents of the city of Kalinov against her. But the heroine reasoned: “If I’m not afraid of sin, will I be afraidhuman court? Griboyedov’s phrase immediately comes to mind: “Who are the judges?” (there are no sinless people in the city of Kalinov, but they have everything covered up).

This situation is unbearable for Katerina: days and nights she kept thinking, suffering and decided that she needed to repent and announce her actions. And this will not be an admission of guilt, not a renunciation of the right to freedom, but, on the contrary, the only form of protection of internal freedom - the freedom of conscience.

A thunderstorm, a prophecy of a crazy lady, a painting of “The Last Judgment” that she sees on the walls of the gallery - all this drives her into a frenzy, and in this state the heroine confesses her “sin” to her husband in front of everyone. Katerina does not repent of what she did in the absence of her husband, but only opens up in order to atone for her guilt by confessing.

(Watching an excerpt from the film “The Thunderstorm” (confession scene)).

3rd group. Retribution.

Retribution, reward and punishment, payment according to merit, reward; return, return.

Retribution, bribe, punishment, punishment for something. act. Well-deserved retribution. Receive retribution.

It was not human judgment, but remorse that became real retribution for Katerina. (Reading Katerina’s monologue “No, nowhere…” until the words “Where to now?”. Listening to a fragment of the song “The stitches are overgrown...”).

Why does Katerina decide to commit suicide? (Reading the monologue “Where to go now? Go home?”)

Did Katerina deserve such a fate? Was a different outcome possible?

What conclusions can we draw? Katerina's suicide - strength or weakness?

Is such a situation possible at any other time or is it characteristic only of Ostrovsky’s era?

(Bella Akhmadullina’s poem “Oh my shy hero...”)

Result, conclusion.

Homework. Write a letter to one of the characters in the drama.

In “The Thunderstorm” the problem of repentance is the most acute. Main character tragedy - Katerina - experiences terrible pangs of conscience. She is torn between her legal husband and Boris, a righteous life and fall. She cannot forbid herself to love Boris, but she executes herself in her soul, believing that by doing this she is rejecting God, since a husband is to his wife as God is to the church. Therefore, by cheating on her husband, she betrays God, which means she loses all possibility of salvation. She considers this sin unforgivable and therefore denies the possibility of repentance for herself.

Katerina is a very pious woman; since childhood she has been accustomed to pray to God and even seen angels, which is why her torment is so strong. These sufferings bring her to the point that, fearing God’s punishment, personified in the form of a thunderstorm, she throws herself at her husband’s feet and confesses everything to him, putting her life in his hands. People react to this recognition in different ways, revealing their attitude towards the possibility of repentance. Kabanova offers to bury her alive, that is, she believes that there is no way to forgive her. Tikhon, on the contrary, forgives Katerina, that is, he believes that she will receive forgiveness from God.

Katerina believes in repentance because she fears that she will die suddenly - she fears not because her life will be interrupted, but because she is afraid to appear before God unrepentant, with all her sins. People's attitude towards the possibility of repentance is manifested during a thunderstorm.

A thunderstorm represents the wrath of God, and therefore people experience fear when they see a thunderstorm. Some are trying to come up with something. For example, Kuligin wants to build lightning rods and save people from thunderstorms, because he believes that people can be saved from God’s punishment if they repent, then God’s wrath will disappear through repentance, just as lightning goes into the ground through a lightning rod.

Dikoy believes that it is impossible to hide from the wrath of God, that is, he does not believe in the possibility of repentance (although it should be noted that he can repent, since he throws himself at the feet of a man and asks for forgiveness for cursing him). Pangs of conscience drive Katerina to the point where she begins to think about suicide. Suicide in Christianity is one of the most serious sins. It was as if man had rejected God, so the suicides had no hope of salvation. Here the question arises: how was such a devout woman like Katerina able to commit suicide, knowing that by doing so she was destroying her soul? Maybe she didn’t really believe in God at all?

But this can be contrasted with the fact that she considered her soul already ruined and simply did not want to live further in such torment, without hope of salvation. Hamlet’s question arises before her - to be or not to be? To endure torment on earth and know the evil that exists here, or to commit suicide and end your torment on earth. But no one knows exactly what happens after death and whether it will be worse. Katerina is driven to despair by the attitude of people towards her and the torment of her conscience, so she rejects the possibility of salvation. But in the denouement it turns out that she has hope of salvation, since she does not drown in the water, but breaks into an anchor.

The anchor is similar to part of the cross, where the base represents the Holy Grail - the cup with the blood of the Lord. The Holy Grail symbolizes salvation. And Katerina is bleeding from her head. Thus, there is hope that she was forgiven and saved.

The theme of sin, retribution and repentance is highly traditional for Russian classical literature. Suffice it to recall such works as “The Enchanted Wanderer” by N.S. Leskova, “Who Lives Well in Rus'” N.A. Nekrasova, “Crime and Punishment” F.M. Dostoevsky and many others. Of course, the emergence of this topic in Russian literature is not accidental - it is a reflection of the Christian worldview, the principles of religious morality inherent in the most diverse segments of the population of Russia in the 19th century. The same theme is developed in his socio-psychological drama “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky, one of the outstanding masters of Russian drama.

The drama "The Thunderstorm", written in 1859 on the basis of real life impressions, paints a vivid picture of the life of a provincial Volga city, a bourgeois-merchant environment. The main character, Katerina, is the wife of the merchant Tikhon Kabanov. She is an extraordinary person - sincere, incapable of hypocrisy, freedom-loving and natural. It is difficult for such a heroine to get along in a family where everyone obeys an overbearing, despotic mother, where a weak-willed and spineless husband cannot serve as support and protection for her. But Katerina is also deeply religious. This alone constitutes the contradiction between the freedom-loving, open nature of the heroine and the preaching of Christian humility and patience. The motive of the thunderstorm, Katerina’s unreasonable fear of this natural phenomenon, is also connected with this: she is afraid not of death, but of the fact that she will die without repentance, without having time to properly perform all the necessary religious rituals. The scary thing is “that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins, with all your evil thoughts,” Katerina admits to Varvara. She considers her nascent love for Boris a “terrible sin”, trying to break and deceive herself that she will love only her husband, forcing her to take a “terrible oath” so that she does not dare to think about anyone. The scene of Tikhon's departure is decisive for further development actions. Katerina was rudely humiliated by her mother-in-law, Tikhon did not understand and pushed her away, and led Varvara into temptation, giving away the key to the gate. The author is like a master psychological analysis, reveals state of mind heroine: why is she, well aware of the sinfulness and forbiddenness of her love, unable to resist it. She clearly understands that she has “ruined” her soul, and for her this is the most terrible tragedy. In this, Katerina is contrasted with all the other characters - Varvara, Kudryash, Boris himself, for whom the main thing is the secret, so that everything is “sealed and covered”, so that “no one knows” about this love. Katerina is not interested in the opinions of others, public reputation - all this is petty and insignificant compared to the tragedy of a soul ruined by mortal sin. “If I was not afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid of human judgment?” - she says to Boris. Therefore, “The Thunderstorm” is not so much a tragedy of love as a tragedy of conscience, collapse inner world a heroine forced to live by the rules of hypocritical public morality. The morality of society and truly religious morality are different things, as the author shows us. And as a true believer, Katerina could not pretend in front of her husband that nothing had happened: she was in a state close to hysteria, so much so that even Kabanikha felt something was wrong. In the scene of Katerina’s public repentance, Ostrovsky again shows himself to be a subtle psychologist: he again connects the heroine’s state of mind with the motif of a thunderstorm, and we see how every seemingly little thing affects the further outcome of events. Random remarks from passersby, threats from a crazy lady, a fresco on the wall of the chapel - all this drop by drop fills the heroine’s patience, and she falls to her knees, confessing to the sin she has committed. Again, the contrast between a truly believing soul and the hypocritical behavior of ordinary people is revealed. The most important thing for Tikhon is to hide everything from his mother, and for Marfa Ignatievna to prove that he is right. Now Katerina becomes an outcast from society: everyone laughs in her eyes, reproaches her “at every word.” There is no place for forgiveness or mercy. In response to Kuligin’s words that enemies need to be forgiven, Tikhon replies: “Go, talk to your mother, what will she tell you about this.” Boris Grigoryich is also weak, unable to protect Katerina. Poor woman dreams of last date, considering only himself to blame for everything. She dreams of death as a release from torment; now she no longer cares: “I’ve already ruined my soul.” And having said goodbye to Boris, she realizes even more clearly that she has no reason to live anymore: she is disgusted with the house, its walls, and people. An already ruined soul is indifferent to the sin of suicide; what is much more important to it is that “you cannot live.” Katerina’s suicide was regarded in criticism in different ways: both as a protest of the individual against the foundations of the “dark kingdom” (N.A. Dobrolyubov), and as simply stupidity (D.I. Pisarev). But we can probably talk about the tragedy of a truly religious person in a world of generally accepted hypocritical morality, where sin is simply covered up by external appearances and lies, and there is no place for forgiveness and mercy. Katerina paid dearly for her originality, exclusivity, and desire for love and happiness. Will retribution come to this society for its lost soul? Can Tikhon’s words, which he threw at him in anger, be considered an epiphany?

The theme of sin, retribution and repentance is highly traditional in Russian classical literature. Suffice it to recall such works as “The Enchanted Wanderer” by N.S. Leskova, “Who Lives Well in Rus'” N.A. Nekrasova, “Crime and Punishment” F.M. Dostoevsky and many others. Of course, the emergence of this topic in Russian literature is not accidental - it is a reflection of the Christian worldview, the principles of religious morality inherent in the most diverse segments of the population of Russia in the 19th century. The same theme is developed in his socio-psychological drama “The Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky, one of the outstanding masters of Russian drama.

The drama "The Thunderstorm", written in 1859 on the basis of real life impressions, paints a vivid picture of the life of a provincial Volga city, a bourgeois-merchant environment. The main character, Katerina, is the wife of the merchant Tikhon Kabanov. She is an extraordinary person - sincere, incapable of hypocrisy, freedom-loving and natural. It is difficult for such a heroine to get along in a family where everyone obeys an overbearing, despotic mother, where a weak-willed and spineless husband cannot serve as support and protection for her. But Katerina is also deeply religious. This alone constitutes the contradiction between the freedom-loving, open nature of the heroine and the preaching of Christian humility and patience. The motive of the thunderstorm, Katerina’s unreasonable fear of this natural phenomenon, is also connected with this: she is afraid not of death, but of the fact that she will die without repentance, without having time to properly perform all the necessary religious rituals. The scary thing is “that death will suddenly find you as you are, with all your sins, with all your evil thoughts,” Katerina admits to Varvara. She considers her nascent love for Boris a “terrible sin”, trying to break and deceive herself that she will love only her husband, forcing her to take a “terrible oath” so that she does not dare to think about anyone. The scene of Tikhon's departure is decisive for the further development of the action. Katerina was rudely humiliated by her mother-in-law, Tikhon did not understand and pushed her away, and led Varvara into temptation, giving away the key to the gate. The author, as a master of psychological analysis, reveals the heroine’s state of mind: why she, well aware of the sinfulness and forbiddenness of her love, is unable to resist it. She clearly understands that she has “ruined” her soul, and for her this is the most terrible tragedy. In this, Katerina is contrasted with all the other characters - Varvara, Kudryash, Boris himself, for whom the main thing is the secret, so that everything is “sealed and covered”, so that “no one knows” about this love. Katerina is not interested in the opinions of others, public reputation - all this is petty and insignificant compared to the tragedy of a soul ruined by mortal sin. “If I was not afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid of human judgment?” - she says to Boris. Therefore, “The Thunderstorm” is not so much a tragedy of love as a tragedy of conscience, the collapse of the heroine’s inner world, forced to live by the rules of hypocritical public morality. The morality of society and truly religious morality are different things, as the author shows us. And as a true believer, Katerina could not pretend in front of her husband that nothing had happened: she was in a state close to hysteria, so much so that even Kabanikha felt something was wrong. In the scene of Katerina’s public repentance, Ostrovsky again shows himself to be a subtle psychologist: he again connects the heroine’s state of mind with the motif of a thunderstorm, and we see how every seemingly little thing affects the further outcome of events. Random remarks from passersby, threats from a crazy lady, a fresco on the wall of the chapel - all this drop by drop fills the heroine’s patience, and she falls to her knees, confessing to the sin she has committed. Again, the contrast between a truly believing soul and the hypocritical behavior of ordinary people is revealed. The most important thing for Tikhon is to hide everything from his mother, and for Marfa Ignatievna to prove that he is right. Now Katerina becomes an outcast from society: everyone laughs in her eyes, reproaches her “at every word.” There is no place for forgiveness or mercy. In response to Kuligin’s words that enemies need to be forgiven, Tikhon replies: “Go, talk to your mother, what will she tell you about this.” Boris Grigoryich is also weak, unable to protect Katerina. The poor woman dreams of her last date, considering only herself to blame for everything. She dreams of death as a release from torment; now she no longer cares: “I’ve already ruined my soul.” And having said goodbye to Boris, she realizes even more clearly that she has no reason to live anymore: she is disgusted with the house, its walls, and people. An already ruined soul is indifferent to the sin of suicide; what is much more important to it is that “you cannot live.” Katerina’s suicide was regarded in criticism in different ways: both as a protest of the individual against the foundations of the “dark kingdom” (N.A. Dobrolyubov), and as simply stupidity (D.I. Pisarev). But we can probably talk about the tragedy of a truly religious person in a world of generally accepted hypocritical morality, where sin is simply covered up by external appearances and lies, and there is no place for forgiveness and mercy. Katerina paid dearly for her originality, exclusivity, and desire for love and happiness. Will retribution come to this society for its lost soul? Can Tikhon’s words, which he threw at him in anger, be considered an epiphany?

The theme of sin, retribution and repentance in A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”

The soul wanted to see the body skinny and hungry, disgusting... This soul itself was still skinny... and cruelty was the lust of this soul. Isn’t your soul poverty and filth and pathetic self-satisfaction?... The insignificance of your sins cries out to heaven.

Zarathustra

Religion and religiosity. What do we mean by these concepts? By what criteria do we evaluate the degree of religiosity of a person? What important components do these two concepts include? These and other questions should be based on when considering one of the main ideas of A. N. Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”.

We are accustomed to associate the concepts of sin, retribution and repentance with the concept of “religion”. Moreover, “sin”, “retribution”, “repentance” are a kind of religious constants, which simply cannot be refuted or questioned in the minds of a “true believer” person.

From the standpoint of morality and ethics, it is generally accepted that religion (any religion) carries within itself the laws of truth and justice, goodness and forgiveness. Of course, this is true. But this is true when considering religion ideally. But if we approach this issue from the side of the human factor (from the side of one person, the individual in relation to all of humanity), then many fundamental religious laws will come into conflict with the personal freedom of man. For example, the main commandments of the Christian religion are mostly based on a prohibition defined as a taboo. To break a prohibition means to commit a sin, to take the path of a sinful life. “Whoever commits sin commits iniquity; and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). From all this it follows that he who takes the path of vice violates the Law of God, therefore, he is guilty and must fear punishment.

“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. I’m not afraid of dying, but how do I think that suddenly I will appear before God as I am here with you. After this conversation, that’s what’s scary. What's on my mind! What a sin! It’s scary to say!” - intimidated by her own religiosity, this is what Katerina says to Varvara at the end of the first act of the play. In fact, Katerina has already committed the sin mentally, and this depresses her, it somehow devalues ​​her own life, placing guilt and the awareness of this guilt as a crime at the forefront

In essence, Katerina’s religiosity is similar to Kabanikha’s: they both do not remember mercy and forgiveness, and make God a terrible judge, whose will is to prohibit and punish. The statement “God is love” loses its meaning in a world of prohibition. Idyllic Harmony family life closed on formalities. For religious reasons, a person who has entered into a marriage does not have the right to break it. There is no turning back, a step to the side is adultery, which means sin. And if in a union of two people there is no love, there is either habit or compulsion? The rest of a person's life turns into hell. It’s no wonder that Katerina devalued her life so much. “... Something bad is happening to me, some kind of miracle!” This is a vague feeling, which Katerina, of course, cannot explain rationally - an awakening sense of personality In the heroine’s soul, it is, naturally, in accordance with everything life experience a merchant's wife, takes the form of individual, personal love. Katerina perceives her love as a terrible, indelible sin, because love for a stranger for her is married woman, is a violation of moral duty, and religious commandments for Katerina are full of pristine meaning.

Katerina is a personality and a fanatic at the same time. Having already realized her love for Boris, she strives with all her might to resist it, but does not find support in this struggle: everything around her is already collapsing, and everything that she tries to rely on turns out to be an empty shell, devoid of genuine moral content. The “thunderstorm,” therefore, is not a “tragedy of love,” but rather a “tragedy of conscience.” The consciousness of sin does not leave Katerina even in a moment of happiness, and with tremendous power takes possession of her when the happiness is over. Katerina publicly repents without hope of forgiveness - this is the motive of repentance. Katerina’s death is therefore a foregone conclusion and inevitable, no matter how the people on whom her life depends behave. She repents to herself. She admits to herself her love, for which she does not have the will.

“Do I want the death of the lawless man?” - says the Lord God. Is it not that he should turn from his ways and live? “For I do not want the death of the dying, says the Lord God; but turn and live!” It turns out that Katerina must recognize her love as a crime and repent of it, and then return back to the hell from which she had to emerge at the behest of love.

Katerina is a victim not of anyone around her (no matter what the characters in the play think about this), but of the course of life.

The world of fanaticism is harsh. They made God a punisher. His priceless gift - life - is perceived as a duty. Beauty and love take ugly forms. "Beauty! And you pray to God to take away the beauty! Beauty is our destruction! - even reason does not serve the true will of man. And a natural thunderstorm that breaks out frightens everyone (except Kuligin) with the fear of retribution for their sins.

A thunderstorm is a symbol of God’s wrath and God’s punishment (such symbolism is found both in the Bible and in the patristic tradition). It was under the impression of a thunderstorm (and in combination with the image of “Gehenna” on the frescoes of the “vaulted gallery” and with the prophecies of the “half-crazy lady”) that Katerina confesses to Tikhon that she has committed treason.

Let us remember that in the dispute between Dikiy and Kuligin over the installation of a lightning rod, Kuligin calls a thunderstorm “electricity,” that is, he reduces this concept to a simple phenomenon of nature, removing the symbolic cover from it. On the other hand, the same Kuligin interprets the thunderstorm from a deep religious and philosophical perspective: “The thunderstorm will kill! This is not a thunderstorm, but grace! Yes, grace! It's all a storm!... You've created a scare for yourself out of everything.”

These “scarecrows” were actually created by the people themselves, peacefully covering them up with supposedly religious morality.

But religion is different. The question of true and false religiosity is very complex, and has not yet been resolved. And today, many religions, hiding behind false loyalty, still continue to prohibit what cannot be prohibited.

All this allows us to interpret the play “The Thunderstorm” as a religious and philosophical parable. If a “thunderstorm” is the judgment of God, then for a Pharisee or a militant pagan God will be a thunderstorm, but for those who believe in love it is “not a thunderstorm.”