Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky in the play "The Thunderstorm" revealed the theme of the confrontation between good and evil. The main character is the girl Katerina, who, by the will of fate, encounters the “Dark Kingdom” of the city of Kalinov and the Kabanov Family. Criticism refers to the long-established way of life and way of life of the residents of the city of Kalinov as the “Dark Kingdom”. In this world, everything is ruled by tyranny, tyranny, and cruelty. All goals are achieved by humiliating other people. Most heroes exalt themselves by exposing the failures of others. The brightest, and one might say, the main representative of this kingdom is Kabanikha, who is trying with all her might to subjugate all members of her family; she establishes laws that no one has the right to break. By humiliation, reproaches and other moral means of pressure, Marfa Kabanova builds her social status, forces her to obey, not allowing her to go beyond what is permitted.

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Katerina strives for freedom, she knows exactly what she wants and will never obey tyranny and tyranny. We can say that the girl, by her opposition to all the laws of this kingdom, pronounces a verdict on the inhuman foundations of this society.

Katerina is a complete image of a national character. Everything in her, from appearance to inner world, expresses the desire for justice, freedom and happiness. Katerina is a truly tragic heroine. From childhood, she was brought up with the best, the girl, who grew up in love and tenderness, simply could not come to terms with such a cruel life that reigned in the Kabanovs’ house: “That’s what I was like! I lived, didn’t grieve for anything, like a bird in the wild. Mama doted on me, she dressed me up like a doll, she didn’t force me to work; I did whatever I wanted.” The girl’s simplicity and sincerity, inherent in all Russian people, sharply distinguishes Katerina from all other heroes of the play. The girl tries to treat everyone with kindness and understanding, not wishing harm to anyone, she lives with the hope of happiness. The girl is trying to find a common language with her husband, establish relationships and live happily, trying her best to be a gentle, loving, understanding and faithful wife. But all attempts become futile. Tikhon simply cannot understand what Katerina wants from him, he belongs completely to his mother, his every step is controlled by Marfa Kabanova, and no force can change this.

Speaking about the image of a girl, we must not forget that Katerina is an extraordinary beauty, a very modest and charming heroine. Simplicity, kindness, piety, naivety, honesty complete the image of an “earthly angel”. Katerina’s speech is not the last place in her image. The girl speaks smoothly, beautifully, her speech can be compared to a song. But no matter what her daughter-in-law was, Marfa Kabanova disliked her with all her heart. Also an integral feature is Katerina’s determination and strength of character. Not every girl is capable of such decisive actions; it cannot be said that the heroine’s act is an example, but if you think about it, you can understand that a person like Katerina will never sacrifice her principles. But no matter what her daughter-in-law was, Marfa Kabanova disliked her with all her heart, and when the girl appeared in their house and disturbed the peace of their tyrant conditions, Kabanikha decided to do everything possible to rid her son of such a wife. Life in the house of an unloved husband, pressure from her mother-in-law - all this did not make Katerina happy, and she is trying with all her might to fight it.

The pure and bright image of the girl suggests that Katerina personifies the ideal Russian woman. There is no other conclusion to be drawn here. Katerina knows how to love like no one else; for her this is the most important of feelings. She is ready to do anything for her, and despairing of finding this feeling in her husband’s soul, she falls in love with Boris, he seems to her an ideal, perfect, dear person. But Katerina gets burned again. From all these failures, unjustified hopes, unfulfilled dreams, a solution emerges that will free the heroine from everything that caused pain, and no matter how much she feels sorry for herself, the heroine is ready to pay for her mistakes.

Katerina’s character cannot be called simple, she does not allow herself to be offended, does not tolerate attacks from her mother-in-law: “Who likes to endure lies!” Katerina can be hot and emotional, which she herself says when she told Varvara a story from her childhood: “They offended me with something at home...; I ran out to the Volga, got into the boat... The next morning they found it, about ten miles away!” The girl loves the world, loves people, tries to treat everything with kindness. She is trusting and simple, dreamy and beautiful. Honesty and nobility are also very important for this girl. It’s hard for her to hide her betrayal from her husband, and when she confesses to Tikhon about her betrayal, she feels better, but she understands that nothing can be returned. “Let everyone know, let everyone see what I am doing. If I was not afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid of human judgment?” - this is Katerina’s life position.

The girl went against the system of tyranny and tyranny, did not obey the absurd orders of her mother-in-law and never once doubted that she was right. The girl did not betray herself and remained true to her principles. Katerina, without any doubt, was right when she followed the path that her heart told her. She remained true to herself, gained eternal freedom, soared above the entire “dark kingdom”, exposing all its vices.

It is impossible not to say that Katerina’s suicide is her victory, this girl dreamed of a bright future, great love, a happy family, but fate decreed that only this step would free her from the shackles of the “dark kingdom.” Many character traits helped the girl determine your destiny. Even though the play ends on such a tragic note, everyone understands that suicide has become a necessity for Katerina, thereby a means of achieving absolute freedom from cruelty and tyranny.

Everything fresh, young, and talented perishes in the gloomy atmosphere of the city of Kalinov depicted by Ostrovsky in “The Thunderstorm.” It withers from violence, anger, from the dead emptiness of this life. The weak become drunkards, vicious and petty natures defeat despotism with cunning and resourcefulness. For straight, bright natures, endowed with a tireless desire for a different life, a tragic end is inevitable when confronted with the brute forces of this world.

A. N. Ostrovsky. Storm. Play

This outcome becomes inevitable for Katerina, the main character of “The Thunderstorm”. Brought up in her father's house, under the conditions of that time, locked up in the rooms of her home, the girl grew up surrounded by love in her own peculiar little world. Dreamy by nature, she found an outlet for the vague desires of a child's soul in religious contemplations and dreams; she loved church services, the lives of saints, and the stories of the praying mantis about holy places.

Her love for nature merged with religious ideas and dreams; Some kind of religious delight burns in her soul, like Joan of Arc in childhood: at night she gets up and prays fervently, at dawn she loves to pray in the garden and cry in a vague, unconscious impulse. Mental strength accumulates in her and They encourage and call her to some kind of sacrifices and deeds. She dreams of wonderfully beautiful countries, and invisible voices sing to her from above. At the same time, she discovers strength, directness and independence of character.

And this girl, full of bright spiritual strength, finds herself in the rough atmosphere of the house of the merchant Kabanova, the wife of her weak-willed, downtrodden and humiliated son, Tikhon. At first she became attached to her husband, but his lethargy, downtroddenness and his eternal desire to leave her parents’ house and lose herself in drunkenness pushed Katerina away from him. In the house, the tyrant Kabanova began to visit Katerina less and less often for her religious visions; she began to languish and get bored. A meeting with the nephew of the merchant Dikiy, Boris, decided her fate: she fell in love with Boris as was typical of her nature - strongly and deeply.

Katerina struggles with this “sinful passion” for a long time, despite the persuasion of Kabanova’s daughter, Varvara. But in the end, there is an oppressive feeling of loneliness, melancholy and emptiness of existence in the house. Kabanova and the passionate thirst for life in Katerina’s young soul resolve her hesitations. In her struggle, she seeks help from her husband, but he leaves his disgusted mother’s house, where he is not even pleased with his wife. The consciousness that she has violated some inviolable commandment does not leave Katerina; she cannot calmly surrender to love, like Varvara, cunning and hiding. Katerina is gnawing at the consciousness of guilt, her life is completely clouded; pure by nature, she cannot live in deception, in lies, in criminal joys.

Full of painful doubts and a thirst to throw off something unclean, to wash away some stain, one day in a thunderstorm, under the rumble of thunder, she publicly repents of her sins, giving vent to her indignant conscience. Life in Kabanova’s house after repentance becomes completely unbearable. Driven to despair, seeing that there is nowhere else to wait for salvation, Katerina rushes into the Volga and dies.

Katerina- the main character, Tikhon’s wife, Kabanikha’s daughter-in-law. The image of K. is Ostrovsky’s most important discovery - the discovery of a strong national character born of a patriarchal world with an awakening sense of personality. In the plot of the play, K. is the protagonist, Kabanikha is the antagonist in the tragic conflict. Their relationship in the play is not an everyday feud between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, their destinies expressed the collision of two historical eras, which determines the tragic nature of the conflict. It is important for the author to show the origins of the heroine’s character, for which purpose the exhibition, despite the specifics of the dramatic genre, gives K.’s lengthy story about life as a girl. Here is an ideal version of patriarchal relations and the patriarchal world in general. The main motive of her story is the motive of all-pervading mutual love: “I lived, did not worry about anything, like a bird in the wild, I did what I wanted.” But this was a “will” that did not at all conflict with the age-old way of a closed life, the entire circle of which is limited to household work, and since K. is a girl from a rich merchant family, this is needlework, gold embroidery on velvet; since she works together with the pilgrims, then most likely we are talking about embroideries for the temple. This is a story about a world in which it does not occur to a person to oppose himself to the general, since he does not yet separate himself from this community. That is why there is no violence or coercion here. The idyllic harmony of patriarchal family life (perhaps precisely the result of her childhood impressions that remain forever in her soul) for K. is an unconditional moral ideal. But she lives in an era when the very spirit of this morality - the harmony between the individual and the moral ideas of the environment - has disappeared and the ossified form rests on violence and coercion. Sensitive K. catches this in her family life in the Kabanovs' house. After listening to the story about her daughter-in-law’s life before marriage, Varvara (Tikhon’s sister) exclaims in surprise: “But it’s the same with us.” “Yes, everything here seems to be from under captivity,” K. drops, and this is the main drama for her.

For the entire concept of the play, it is very important that it is here, in the soul of a woman who is quite “Kalinovsky” in upbringing and moral ideas, that a new attitude to the world is born, a new feeling, still unclear to the heroine herself: “... Something bad is happening to me, some kind of miracle!.. There is something so extraordinary about me. I’m sure I’m starting to live again, or I don’t know.” This is a vague feeling, which K. cannot, of course, explain rationally - an awakening sense of personality. In the heroine’s soul, it, naturally in accordance with the whole set of concepts and sphere of life of a merchant’s wife, takes the form of individual, personal love. Passion is born and grows in K., but this passion is highly spiritualized, infinitely far from the thoughtless desire for hidden joys. K. perceives awakened love as a terrible, indelible sin, because love for a stranger for her, a married woman, is a violation of moral duty, the moral commandments of the patriarchal world for K. are full of primordial meaning. She wants with all her soul to be pure and impeccable; her moral demands on herself do not allow compromise. Having already realized her love for Boris, she resists it with all her might, but finds no support in this struggle: “It’s as if I’m standing over an abyss and someone is pushing me there, but I have nothing to hold on to.” And indeed, everything around her is already a dead form. For K., the form and ritual in themselves do not matter - she needs the very essence of human relations, which were once clothed in this ritual. That is why it is unpleasant for her to bow at the feet of the departing Tikhon and she refuses to howl on the porch, as the guardians of customs expect from her. Not only the external forms of household life, but even prayer becomes inaccessible to her as soon as she feels the power of sinful passion over herself. N.A. Dobrolyubov was wrong when he claimed that K.’s prayers had become boring. On the contrary, K.’s religious sentiments intensify as her mental storm increases. But it is precisely the discrepancy between her sinful inner state and what the religious commandments require of her that prevents her from praying as before: K. is too far from the sanctimonious gap between the external performance of rituals and everyday practice. Given her high morality, such a compromise is impossible. She feels fear of herself, of the desire for will that has grown in her, inseparably merging in her mind with love: “Of course, God forbid this to happen! 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 do this, even if you cut me!”

K. was married off young, her fate was decided by her family, and she accepts this as a completely natural, ordinary thing. She enters the Kabanov family, ready to love and honor her mother-in-law (“For me, mamma, it’s all the same, like my own mother, like you...” she says to Kabanikha in Act I, but she doesn’t know how to lie), expecting in advance that her husband will be her master, but also her support and protection. But Tikhon is not suitable for the role of the head of a patriarchal family, and K. speaks of his love for him: “I feel very sorry for him!” And in the fight against her illegal love for Boris K., despite her attempts, she cannot rely on Tikhon.

“The Thunderstorm” is not a “tragedy of love,” but rather a “tragedy of conscience.” When the fall has taken place, K. no longer retreats, does not feel sorry for himself, does not want to hide anything, saying to Boris: “If I was not afraid of sin for you, will I be afraid of human judgment!” The consciousness of sin does not leave her at the moment of intoxication with happiness and takes possession of her with enormous power when the happiness ends. K. publicly repents without hope of forgiveness, and it is the complete lack of hope that pushes her to suicide, an even more serious sin: “Anyway, I ruined my soul.” It is not Boris’s refusal to take her with him to Kyakhta, but the complete impossibility of reconciling his love for him with the demands of his conscience and physical disgust for the home prison, for captivity, that kills K.

To explain K.’s character, what is important is not motivation (radical criticism condemned K. for his love for Boris), but free expression of will, the fact that she suddenly and inexplicably, contrary to her own ideas about morality and order, fell in love with Boris not for “function” (as this is supposed to happen in a patriarchal world, where she must love not the personality of a specific person, but precisely the “function”: father, husband, mother-in-law, etc.), but another person who is in no way connected with her. And the more inexplicable her attraction to Boris, the clearer it is that the issue is precisely this free, unpredictable self-will of individual feeling. And this is a sign of the awakening of the personal principle in this soul, all the moral foundations of which are determined by patriarchal morality. K.’s death is therefore predetermined and irreversible, no matter how the people on whom she depends behave: neither her self-awareness nor her entire way of life allows the personal feeling that has awakened in her to be embodied in everyday forms. K. is a victim not of anyone personally around her (no matter what she herself or other characters in the play think about it), but of the course of life. The world of patriarchal relations is dying, and the soul of this world leaves life in torment and suffering, crushed by the ossified, meaningless form of everyday connections, and passes a moral verdict on itself, because in it the patriarchal ideal lives in its primordial content.
In addition to its precise socio-historical character, “The Thunderstorm” also has a clearly expressed lyrical beginning and powerful symbolism. Both are primarily (if not exclusively) connected with the image of K. Ostrovsky consistently correlates the fate and speeches of K. with the plot and poetics of lyrical songs about women’s lot. In this tradition, K.’s story about his free life as a girl, a monologue before his last meeting with Boris, is carried out. The author consistently poeticizes the image of the heroine, using for this purpose even such an unconventional means for drama as the landscape, which is first described in the stage directions, then the beauty of the Trans-Volga region is discussed in Kuligin’s conversations, then in K.’s words addressed to Varvara, the motif of birds and flight appears (“Why don’t people fly?.. You know, sometimes it seems to me that I’m a bird. When you’re standing on a mountain, you feel the urge to fly. That’s how you’d run up, raise your arms and fly.”) In the finale, the motive of flight is tragically transformed into a fall from the Volga cliff, from the very mountain that beckoned to fly. And K. is saved from a painful life in captivity by the Volga, symbolizing distance and freedom (remember K.’s story about her childhood rebellion, when she, offended, got into a boat and sailed along the Volga - an episode from the biography of Ostrovsky’s close friend, actress L.P. Kositskaya , the first performer of the role of K.).

The lyricism of “The Thunderstorm” arises precisely because of the closeness of the world of the heroine and the author. The hopes for overcoming social discord, rampant individualistic passions, the cultural gap between the educated classes and the people on the basis of the resurrection of ideal patriarchal harmony, which Ostrovsky and his friends in the magazine “Moskvityanin” nurtured in the 1850s, did not stand the test of modernity. The “Thunderstorm” was their farewell, reflecting the state of the people’s consciousness at the turn of the era. The lyrical character of “The Thunderstorm” was deeply understood by A. A. Grigoriev, himself a former Muscovite, who said about the play: “... as if it was not a poet, but a whole people who created here.”

Using the example of the life of a single family from the fictional city of Kalinov, Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” shows the whole essence of the outdated patriarchal structure of Russia in the 19th century. Katerina is the main character of the work. She is contrasted with all the other characters in the tragedy, even from Kuligin, who also stands out among the residents of Kalinov, Katya is distinguished by her strength of protest. The description of Katerina from “The Thunderstorm”, the characteristics of other characters, the description of the life of the city - all this adds up to a revealing tragic picture, conveyed photographically accurately. The characterization of Katerina from the play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky is not limited to just the author’s commentary in the list of characters. The playwright does not evaluate the actions of the heroine, relieving himself of the responsibilities of an all-knowing author. Thanks to this position, each perceiving subject, be it a reader or a viewer, can himself evaluate the heroine based on his own moral convictions.

Katya was married to Tikhon Kabanov, the son of a merchant's wife. It was given out, because then, according to the domostroy, marriage was more likely the will of the parents than the decision of the young people. Katya's husband is a pitiful sight. The child's irresponsibility and immaturity, bordering on idiocy, led to the fact that Tikhon is incapable of anything other than drunkenness. In Marfa Kabanova, the ideas of tyranny and hypocrisy inherent in the entire “dark kingdom” were fully embodied.

Katya strives for freedom, comparing herself to a bird. It is difficult for her to survive in conditions of stagnation and slavish worship of false idols. Katerina is truly religious, every trip to church seems like a holiday for her, and as a child, Katya more than once fancied that she heard angels singing. It happened that Katya prayed in the garden because she believed that the Lord would hear her prayers anywhere, not just in church. But in Kalinov, the Christian faith was deprived of any internal content.

Katerina's dreams allow her to briefly escape from the real world. There she is free, like a bird, free to fly wherever she wants, not subject to any laws. “And what dreams I had, Varenka,” continues Katerina, “what dreams! Either the temples are golden, or the gardens are extraordinary, and everyone is singing invisible voices, and there is a smell of cypress, and the mountains and trees seem not to be the same as usual, but as if depicted in images. And it’s like I’m flying, and I’m flying through the air.” However, recently Katerina has become characterized by a certain mysticism. Everywhere she begins to see imminent death, and in her dreams she sees the evil one who warmly embraces her and then destroys her. These dreams were prophetic.

Katya is dreamy and tender, but along with her fragility, Katerina’s monologues from “The Thunderstorm” reveal perseverance and strength. For example, a girl decides to go out to meet Boris. She was overcome by doubts, she wanted to throw the key to the gate into the Volga, thought about the consequences, but still took an important step for herself: “Throw the key! No, not for anything in the world! He’s mine now... Whatever happens, I’ll see Boris!” Katya is disgusted with Kabanikha’s house; the girl doesn’t like Tikhon. She thought about leaving her husband and, having received a divorce, living honestly with Boris. But there was nowhere to hide from the tyranny of the mother-in-law. With her hysterics, Kabanikha turned the house into hell, stopping any opportunity for escape.

Katerina is surprisingly insightful towards herself. The girl knows about her character traits, about her decisive disposition: “I was born this way, hot! I was only 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! Such a person will not submit to tyranny, will not be subject to dirty manipulations by Kabanikha. It’s not Katerina’s fault that she was born at a time when a wife had to unquestioningly obey her husband and was an almost powerless addition whose function was childbearing. By the way, Katya herself says that children could be her joy. But Katya doesn’t have children.

The motif of freedom is repeated many times in the work. The parallel between Katerina and Varvara seems interesting. Sister Tikhon also strives to be free, but this freedom must be physical, freedom from despotism and mother’s prohibitions. At the end of the play, the girl runs away from home, finding what she dreamed of. Katerina understands freedom differently. For her, this is an opportunity to do as she wants, take responsibility for her life, and not obey stupid orders. This is freedom of the soul. Katerina, like Varvara, gains freedom. But such freedom is achievable only through suicide.

In Ostrovsky’s work “The Thunderstorm,” Katerina and the characteristics of her image were perceived differently by critics. If Dobrolyubov saw in the girl a symbol of the Russian soul, tormented by the patriarchal house-building, then Pisarev saw a weak girl who had driven herself into such a situation.

Work test

Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" was written a year before the abolition of serfdom, in 1859. This work stands out among the playwright's other plays due to the character of the main character. In “The Thunderstorm,” Katerina is the main character through whom the conflict of the play is shown. Katerina is not like other residents of Kalinov; she is distinguished by a special perception of life, strength of character and self-esteem. The image of Katerina from the play “The Thunderstorm” is formed due to a combination of many factors. For example, words, thoughts, environment, actions.

Childhood

Katya is about 19 years old, she was married off early. From Katerina's monologue in the first act, we learn about Katya's childhood. Mama “doted on her.” Together with her parents, the girl went to church, walked, and then did some work. Katerina Kabanova remembers all this with bright sadness. Varvara’s phrase that “we have the same thing” is interesting. But now Katya doesn’t have a feeling of ease, now “everything is done under duress.” In fact, life before marriage was practically no different from life after: the same actions, the same events. But now Katya treats everything differently. Then she felt supported, felt alive, and had amazing dreams about flying. “And now they dream,” but only much less often. Before her marriage, Katerina felt the movement of life, the presence of certain higher forces in this world, she was devout: “she loved going to church with passion!

“From early childhood, Katerina had everything she needed: her mother’s love and freedom. Now, by force of circumstances, she is torn away from her loved one and deprived of her freedom.

Environment

Katerina lives in the same house with her husband, her husband's sister and mother-in-law. This circumstance alone is no longer conducive to a happy family life. However, the situation is worsened by the fact that Kabanikha, Katya’s mother-in-law, is a cruel and greedy person. Greed here should be understood as a passionate desire for something, bordering on madness. Kabanikha wants to subjugate everyone and everything to her will. One experience with Tikhon was successful, the next victim is Katerina. Despite the fact that Marfa Ignatievna was looking forward to her son’s wedding, she is unhappy with her daughter-in-law. Kabanikha did not expect that Katerina would be so strong in character that she could silently resist her influence. The old woman understands that Katya can turn Tikhon against her mother, she is afraid of this, so she tries in every possible way to break Katya in order to avoid such a development of events. Kabanikha says that his wife has long become dearer to Tikhon than his mother.

“Kabanikha: Or maybe your wife is taking you away from me, I don’t know.
Kabanov: No, mama!

What are you saying, have mercy!
Katerina: For me, Mama, everything is the same as my own mother, as you, and Tikhon loves you too.
Kabanova: It seems like you could have kept quiet if they didn’t ask you. Why did you jump out in front of your eyes to make jokes! So that they can see how much you love your husband? So we know, we know, in your eyes you prove it to everyone.
Katerina: You are in vain saying this about me, Mama. Whether in front of people or without people, I’m still alone, I don’t prove anything of myself.”

Katerina's answer is quite interesting for several reasons. She, unlike Tikhon, addresses Marfa Ignatievna on a personal level, as if putting herself on an equal footing with her. Katya draws Kabanikha’s attention to the fact that she is not pretending or trying to seem like someone she is not. Despite the fact that Katya fulfills the humiliating request to kneel before Tikhon, this does not indicate her humility. Katerina is insulted by false words: “Who likes to endure falsehoods?” - with this answer Katya not only defends herself, but also reproaches Kabanikha for lying and slander.

Katerina’s husband in “The Thunderstorm” appears to be a gray man. Tikhon looks like an over-aged child who is tired of his mother’s care, but at the same time does not try to change the situation, but only complains about life. Even his sister, Varvara, reproaches Tikhon for the fact that he cannot protect Katya from the attacks of Marfa Ignatievna. Varvara is the only person who is at least a little interested in Katya, but still she persuades the girl that she will have to lie and squirm in order to survive in this family.

Relationship with Boris

In “The Thunderstorm,” the image of Katerina is also revealed through a love line. Boris came from Moscow on business related to receiving an inheritance. Feelings for Katya flare up suddenly, as do the girl’s reciprocal feelings. It's love at first sight. Boris is worried that Katya is married, but he continues to look for meetings with her. Katya, realizing her feelings, tries to abandon them. Treason is contrary to the laws of Christian morality and society. Varvara helps the lovers meet. For ten whole days, Katya secretly meets with Boris (while Tikhon was away). Having learned about Tikhon's arrival, Boris refuses to meet with Katya; he asks Varvara to persuade Katya to remain silent about their secret meetings. But Katerina is not that kind of person: she needs to be honest with others and herself. She is afraid of God's punishment for her sin, so she regards the raging thunderstorm as a sign from above and talks about betrayal. After this, Katya decides to talk to Boris. It turns out that he is going to go to Siberia for a few days, but cannot take the girl with him. It is obvious that Boris does not really need Katya, that he did not love her. But Katya didn’t love Boris either. More precisely, she loved, but not Boris. In “The Thunderstorm,” Ostrovsky’s image of Katerina endowed her with the ability to see the good in everything, and endowed the girl with a surprisingly strong imagination. Katya came up with the image of Boris, she saw in him one of his features - non-acceptance of Kalinov's reality - and made it the main one, refusing to see other sides. After all, Boris came to ask Dikiy for money, just as other Kalinovites did. Boris was for Katya a man from another world, from the world of freedom, the one that the girl dreamed of. Therefore, Boris himself becomes a kind of embodiment of freedom for Katya. She falls in love not with him, but with her ideas about him.

The drama "The Thunderstorm" ends tragically. Katya rushes into the Volga, realizing that she cannot live in such a world. And there is no other world. The girl, despite her religiosity, commits one of the most terrible sins of the Christian paradigm. To decide to do such an act requires enormous willpower. Unfortunately, the girl had no other choice in those circumstances. Surprisingly, Katya maintains inner purity even after committing suicide.

A detailed disclosure of the image of the main character and a description of her relationships with other characters in the play will be useful for 10th graders when preparing for an essay on the topic “The Image of Katerina in the play “The Thunderstorm”.”

Work test