The play "The Thunderstorm" is set in the fictional town of Kalinov, which is collectively all provincial towns of that time.
There are not so many main characters in the play "The Thunderstorm", each must be mentioned separately.

Katerina is a young woman, married without love, “to the wrong side,” God-fearing and pious. V parental home Katerina grew up in love and care, prayed and enjoyed life. For her, marriage turned out to be a difficult test, which her meek soul opposes. But, despite the outward timidity and humility, passions boil in Katerina's soul when she falls in love with someone else's man.

Tikhon is Katerina's husband, a kind and gentle person, he loves his wife, pity her, but, like all household members, obeys his mother. He does not dare to go against the will of "mamma" for the whole play, as well as openly tell his wife about his love, since the mother forbids this, so as not to spoil his wife.

Kabanikha is the widow of the landowner Kabanov, mother of Tikhon, mother-in-law of Katerina. A despotic woman, in whose power the whole house is, no one dares to step without her knowledge, fearing a curse. According to one of the heroes of the play, Kudryash, Kabanikh - "a hypocrite, he gives to the poor, but eats at home." family life in the best traditions of Domostroi.

Varvara is Tikhon's sister, an unmarried girl. Unlike her brother, she obeys her mama only for show, while she herself secretly runs on dates at night, inciting Katerina to do this. Its principle is that you can sin if no one sees, otherwise you will sit around your mother all your life.

The landowner Dikoy is an episodic character, but personifies the image of a "tyrant", that is, a powerful person who is sure that money gives the right to do whatever his heart desires.

Boris, Dikiy's nephew, who came hoping to get his share of the inheritance, falls in love with Katerina, but faint-heartedly runs away, leaving the woman he seduced.

In addition, Kudryash, the Wild's clerk, is involved. Kuligin is a self-taught inventor, constantly trying to introduce something new into the life of a sleepy town, but he is forced to ask Dikiy for money for inventions. The same, in turn, being a representative of the "fathers", is convinced of the futility of Kuligin's undertakings.

All the names and surnames in the play are “speaking”, they tell about the character of their “masters” better than any actions.

Itself vividly shows the confrontation between the "old" and "young". The former actively resist all sorts of innovations, complaining that young people have forgotten the orders of their ancestors, do not want to live "as expected." The latter, in turn, try to free themselves from the oppression of parental orders, understand that life is moving forward, changing.

But not everyone dares to go against the parental will, someone - because of the fear of losing the inheritance. Someone - accustomed to obey their parents in everything.

The forbidden love of Katerina and Boris blossoms against the background of blooming petty tyranny and housebuilding precepts. Young people are drawn to each other, but Katerina is married, and Boris depends on his uncle in everything.

The heavy atmosphere of the city of Kalinov, the pressure of the evil mother-in-law, and the thunderstorm that has begun force Katerina, tormented by remorse for betraying her husband, to confess everything publicly. Kabanikha rejoices - she was right in advising Tikhon to keep his wife "strict." Tikhon is afraid of his mother, but her advice to beat his wife so that she knows is unthinkable for him.

The explanation of Boris and Katerina further aggravates the position of the unfortunate woman. Now she has to live away from her beloved, with her husband, who knows about her betrayal, with his mother, who will now definitely harass her daughter-in-law. Katerina's fear of God leads her to the idea that there is no more need to live, the woman throws herself off the cliff into the river.

Only after losing his beloved woman, Tikhon realizes how much she meant to him. Now he will have to live his whole life with the understanding that his callousness and obedience to the tyrant mother led to such an ending. With the last words plays become the words of Tikhon, spoken over the body of his deceased wife: “Good for you, Katya! And why in the world was I left to live and suffer! "

Federal Agency for Education of the Russian Federation

Gymnasium number 123

on literature

Speech characteristics of the characters in the drama of A.N. Ostrovsky

"Storm".

Work completed:

student of grade 10 "A"

Khomenko Evgeniya Sergeevna

………………………………

Teacher:

Olga Orekhova

……………………………..

Grade…………………….

Barnaul-2005

Introduction ………………………………………………………

Chapter 1. Biography of A. N. Ostrovsky …………………… ..

Chapter 2. The history of the creation of the drama "Thunderstorm" …………………

Chapter 3. Speech characteristics of Katerina ……………… ..

Chapter 4. Comparative speech characteristics of the Wild and Kabanikha ……………………………………………………

Conclusion……………………………………………………

List of used literature ……………………….

Introduction

Ostrovsky's drama "Thunderstorm" - the most significant work famous playwright. It was written during a period of social upsurge, when the foundations of serfdom were crumbling, and a thunderstorm was really gathering in the stifling atmosphere. Ostrovsky's play takes us to a merchant environment, where the Domostroy order was maintained most stubbornly. Residents of a provincial city live a closed life, alien to public interests, in ignorance of what is happening in the world, in ignorance and indifference.

We are still addressing this drama. The problems that the author touches upon in it are very important for us. Ostrovsky raises the problem of the turning point in public life that took place in the 50s, the change in social foundations.

After reading the novel, I set a goal for myself to see the features of the characters 'speech characteristics and find out how the characters' speech helps to understand their character. After all, the image of the hero is created with the help of a portrait, with the help artistic means, using the characteristics of actions, speech characteristics. Seeing a person for the first time, by his speech, intonation, behavior, we can understand him inner world, some vital interests and, most importantly, his character. The speech characteristic is very important for a dramatic work, because it is through it that you can see the essence of a particular hero.

In order to better understand the character of Katerina, Kabanikha and Dikiy, it is necessary to solve the following tasks.

I decided to start with the biography of Ostrovsky and the history of the creation of "Thunderstorms" in order to understand how the talent of the future master of the speech characteristics of the characters was honed, because the author very clearly shows the global difference between the positive and negative characters of his work. Then I will consider the speech characteristic of Katerina and make the same characteristic of Dikiy and Kabanikha. After all this, I will try to draw a certain conclusion about the speech characteristics of the characters and her role in the drama "The Thunderstorm"

While working on the topic, I got acquainted with the articles by I. A. Goncharov “Review of the drama“ The Thunderstorm ”by Ostrovsky” and N. A. Dobrolyubov “A ray of light in the dark kingdom”. Moreover, I studied the article by A.I. Revyakin "Features of Katerina's speech", where the main sources of Katerina's language are well shown. I found a variety of material about the biography of Ostrovsky and the history of the creation of the drama in the textbook Russian literature of the XIX century V. Yu. Lebedev.

To understand theoretical concepts (hero, characterization, speech, author), I was helped by an encyclopedic dictionary of terms published under the guidance of Yu. Boreev.

Despite the fact that many critical articles and responses of literary critics are devoted to Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm", the speech characteristics of the characters have not been fully studied, therefore, it is of interest for research.

Chapter 1. Biography of A. N. Ostrovsky

Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky was born on March 31, 1823 in Zamoskvorechye, in the very center of Moscow, in the glorious cradle Russian history, which everyone around was talking about, even the names of the streets of Zamoskvoretsky.

Ostrovsky graduated from the First Moscow Gymnasium and in 1840, at the request of his father, entered the law faculty of Moscow University. But he did not like studying at the university, there was a conflict with one of the professors, and at the end of the second year Ostrovsky resigned "for reasons of home."

In 1843, his father assigned him to serve in the Moscow conscientious court. For the future playwright, this was an unexpected gift of fate. The court considered complaints from fathers against unlucky sons, property and other domestic disputes. The judge delved deeply into the case, carefully listened to the disputing parties, and the scribe Ostrovsky kept records of the cases. During the investigation, the plaintiffs and defendants reprimanded things that are usually hidden and hidden from prying eyes. It was a real school of knowledge of the dramatic aspects of merchant life. In 1845, Ostrovsky moved to the Moscow Commercial Court as a clerical officer of the table "for cases of verbal reprisals." Here he came across peasants who hunted trade, urban bourgeoisie, merchants, and petty nobility. Brothers and sisters arguing over inheritance and insolvent debtors were judged "according to conscience". A whole world of dramatic conflicts was revealed before us, all the discordant wealth of the living Great Russian language sounded. I had to guess the character of a person by his speech makeup, by the peculiarities of intonation. The talent of the future "realist-rumor", as Ostrovsky called himself - a playwright, a master of the speech characteristics of characters in his plays, was brought up and honed.

Having worked for the Russian stage for nearly forty years, Ostrovsky created a whole repertoire - about fifty plays. Ostrovsky's works still remain on the stage. And after a hundred and fifty years, it is not difficult to see the heroes of his plays next to him.

Ostrovsky died in 1886 in his favorite Trans-Volga estate, Shchelykovo, in the Kostroma dense forests: on the hilly banks of small winding rivers. The life of the writer for the most part and proceeded in these core places of Russia: where from a young age he could observe the primordial, still little affected by contemporary urban civilization, customs and mores, hear the root Russian speech.

Chapter 2. The history of the creation of the drama "Thunderstorm"

The creation of "The Thunderstorm" was preceded by the playwright's expedition along the Upper Volga, undertaken on the instructions of the Moscow Ministry in 1856-1857. She revived and revived in the memory of youthful impressions, when in 1848 Ostrovsky for the first time went with his household on a fascinating journey to his father's homeland, to the Volga city of Kostroma and further, to the Shchelykovo estate acquired by his father. The result of this trip was Ostrovsky's diary, which reveals a lot in his perception of provincial Volga Russia.

For quite a long time, it was believed that Ostrovsky took the plot of "The Thunderstorm" from the life of the Kostroma merchants, which was based on the Klykovs' case, which was sensational in Kostroma at the end of 1859. Until the beginning of the twentieth century, the Kostroma residents pointed to the place of Katerina's murder - a gazebo at the end of a small boulevard, which in those years literally hung over the Volga. They also showed the house where she lived - next to the Church of the Assumption. And when "The Thunderstorm" was first staged on the stage of the Kostroma Theater, the artists made up "like the Klykovs".

Kostroma local historians later thoroughly examined the "Klykovskoe Delo" in the archives and, with documents in hand, came to the conclusion that this was the story that Ostrovsky used in his work on The Thunderstorm. The coincidences were almost literal. A.P. Klykova was issued at the age of sixteen into a gloomy, unsociable merchant family, consisting of old parents, a son and an unmarried daughter. The mistress of the house, stern and obstinate, depersonalized her husband and children with her despotism. She forced the young daughter-in-law to do any dirty work, provided her with requests to see her relatives.

At the time of the drama, Klykova was nineteen years old. In the past, she was brought up in love and in the hall of her soul, a doted grandmother, was cheerful, lively, cheerful. Now she found herself in an unkind and alien family. Her young husband, Klykov, a carefree man, could not protect his wife from the oppression of his mother-in-law and treated her indifferently. The Klykovs had no children. And then another man, Maryin, an employee in the post office, stood in the way of the young woman. Suspicions began, scenes of jealousy. It ended with the fact that on November 10, 1859, the body of A.P. Klykova was found in the Volga. A long trial began, which received wide publicity even outside the Kostroma province, and none of the Kostroma residents doubted that Ostrovsky had used the materials of this case in the "Thunderstorm".

Many decades passed before the researchers established for sure that The Thunderstorm was written before Klykova, the merchant from Kostroma, threw herself into the Volga. Working on "The Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky began in June-July 1859 and finished on October 9 of the same year. The play was first published in the January 1860 issue of the Library for Reading magazine. The first performance of The Thunderstorms took place on November 16, 1859 at the Maly Theater, at the benefit performance of S. V. Vasiliev with L. P. Nikulina-Kositskaya in the role of Katerina. The version about the Kostroma source of the "Groza" turned out to be far-fetched. However, the very fact of this amazing coincidence speaks volumes: it testifies to the perspicacity of the national playwright, who caught the growing conflict between the old and the new in merchant life, a conflict in which Dobrolyubov not without reason saw "what is refreshing and encouraging", and the famous theatrical figure S. A. Yuriev said: Ostrovsky did not write "Thunderstorm" ... Volga wrote "Thunderstorm". "

Chapter 3. Speech characteristics of Katerina

The main sources of Katerina's language are folk vernacular, folk oral poetry and church literature.

The deep connection of her language with popular vernacular is reflected in her vocabulary, imagery, and syntax.

Her speech is replete with verbal expressions, idioms of popular vernacular: "So that I do not see either my father or mother"; "I doted on the soul"; “Calm my soul”; "How long will it take to get into trouble"; "To be sin," in the sense of unhappiness. But these and similar phraseological units are generally understandable, common, clear. Only as an exception in her speech there are morphologically incorrect formations: "you do not know my character"; "After that, talk to something."

The imagery of her language is manifested in the abundance of verbal and pictorial means, in particular comparisons. So, in her speech there are more than twenty comparisons, and all the other characters in the play, taken together, have a little more than this amount. At the same time, her comparisons are widespread, popular in nature: "as if it was doing me a dove", "as if a dove was cooing," "as if a mountain had fallen off my shoulders," "my hands are burning like coal."

Katerina's speech often contains words and phrases, motives and echoes of folk poetry.

Addressing Varvara, Katerina says: “Why don't people fly like birds? ..” - and so on.

Longing for Boris, Katerina in her penultimate monologue says: “Why should I live now, well for what? I don't need anything, nothing is cute to me, and the light of God is not cute! "

There is phraseological turns folk vernacular and folk song character. So, for example, in a meeting folk songs published by Sobolevsky, we read:

No way, no way it is impossible to live without a dear friend ...

I remember, I remember about the dear, the white light is not nice to the girl,

Not nice, not nice white light ... I will go from the mountain to the dark forest ...

Going out on a date to Boris, Katerina exclaims: "Why did you come, my destroyer?" In a folk wedding ceremony, the bride meets the groom with the words: "Here comes my destroyer."

In the final monologue, Katerina says: “It's better in the grave ... Under the tree there is a grave ... how good ... The sun warms her up, wets her with rain ... in the spring the grass grows on it, so soft ... the birds will fly to the tree, they will sing, the children will be brought out, the flowers will bloom: yellow , red, blue ... ".

Here everything is from folk poetry: diminutive-suffix vocabulary, phraseological phrases, images.

For this part of the monologue in oral poetry, direct textile correspondences are abundant. For example:

... will be covered with an oak board

Yes, they will lower it into the grave

And damp earth will fall asleep.

You are a grass ant

More scarlet flowers!

Along with the popular vernacular and the arrangement of folk poetry in the language of Katerina, as already noted, church hagiographic literature exerted a great influence.

“We,” she says, “had a house full of pilgrims and praying moths. And we will come from church, sit down for some kind of work ... and the pilgrims will begin to tell where they were, what they saw, different lives, or they sing verses ”(d. 1, yav. 7).

Possessing a relatively rich vocabulary, Katerina speaks fluently, drawing on various and psychologically very deep comparisons. Her speech flows. So, she is not alien to such words and turns of the literary language as: a dream, thoughts, of course, as if all this was in one second, something so extraordinary in me.

In the first monologue, Katerina talks about her dreams: “What dreams I dreamed, Varenka, what dreams! Or golden temples, or some extraordinary gardens, and everyone is singing invisible voices, and the smell of cypress, and the mountains and trees, as if not the same as usual, but how they are written on the images "

These dreams, both in content and in the form of verbal expression, are undoubtedly inspired by spiritual verses.

Katerina's speech is unique not only in lexical and phraseological, but also syntactically. It consists mainly of simple and complex sentences, with predicates at the end of the phrase: “This is how time will pass before lunchtime. Here the old women will fall asleep, and I am walking in the garden ... It was so good ”(d. 1, yavl. 7).

Most often, as is typical for the syntax of folk speech, Katerina connects sentences through the conjunctions a and yes. "And we will come from the church ... and the wanderers will begin to tell ... Or else it was as if I were flying ... And what dreams did I have."

Katerina's floating speech sometimes takes on the character of a popular lament: “Oh, my trouble, trouble! (Crying) Where can I go, poor? Who can I grab hold of? "

Katerina's speech is deeply emotional, lyrically sincere, poetic. To give her speech emotional and poetic expressiveness, diminutive suffixes are also used, so inherent in folk speech (keys, water, children, grave, rain, grass), and amplifying particles ("How did he feel sorry for me? What words did he say?" ), and interjections ("Oh, how bored I am!").

The lyrical sincerity, poetry of Katerina's speech is given by the epithets that follow the defined words (golden temples, extraordinary gardens, with crafty thoughts), and repetitions, so characteristic of the oral poetry of the people.

Ostrovsky reveals in Katerina's speech not only her passionate, gentle-poetic nature, but also her strong-willed power. Strong-willed power, Katerina's decisiveness are set off by syntactic constructions of a sharply affirming or negative character.

Chapter 4. Comparative speech characteristics of the Wild and

Boar

In Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm" Dikoy and Kabanikha are representatives of the "Dark Kingdom". One gets the impression that Kalinov is fenced off from the rest of the world by the highest fence and lives some kind of special, closed life. Ostrovsky focused on the most important, showing the wretchedness, savagery of the customs of the Russian patriarchal life, because this whole life only stands on the usual, outdated laws, which, obviously, are completely ridiculous. The "dark kingdom" clings tenaciously to its old, established. This is standing in one place. And such a standing is possible if it is supported by people who have strength and power.

A more complete, in my opinion, idea of ​​a person can be given by his speech, that is, familiar and specific expressions inherent only to this hero. We see how Dikoy, as if nothing had happened, can just offend a person. He does not put in anything not only those around him, but even his relatives and friends. His household lives in constant fear of his anger. Dikoy mocks his nephew in every possible way. It is enough to remember his words: “Once I told you, I told you twice”; “Don't you dare come across to me”; you will hire everything! A little space for you, then? Everywhere you go, here you are. Ugh, damn you! Why are you standing like a pillar! They tell you al no? " Dikoy frankly shows that he does not respect his nephew at all. He puts himself above everyone else. And no one offers him the slightest resistance. He scolds everyone over whom he feels his strength, but if someone scolds him himself, he cannot answer, then all your household will hold on! On them, the Wild will take all his anger out.

Dikoy is a "significant person" in the city, a merchant. Here is how Shapkin says about him: “Look for such and such a scolder like Savel Prokofich here. He will not cut off a person for anything. "

“The view is unusual! The beauty! The soul rejoices! "- exclaims Kuligin, but against the background of this beautiful landscape, a bleak picture of life is drawn, which appears before us in" The Thunderstorm ". It is Kuligin who gives an accurate and clear description of the way of life, manners and customs that reign in the city of Kalinov.

So, like Dikoy, Kabanikha is distinguished by selfish inclinations, she thinks only of herself. Residents of the city of Kalinov talk about Dik and Kabanikh very often, and this makes it possible to get rich material about them. In conversations with Kudryash, Shapkin calls Dikiy a "swearing man", while Kudryash calls him a "piercing man." Kabanikha calls the Wild "warrior". All this speaks of the grumpiness and nervousness of his character. Reviews about Kabanikha are also not too flattering. Kuligin calls her a "prude" and says that she "clothe the beggars, but ate the household altogether." This characterizes the merchant's wife from the bad side.

We are amazed at their callousness towards people who are dependent on them, their unwillingness to part with money in settlements with workers. Let us recall what Dikoy says: “I was fasting about fasting, about great things, but here it’s not easy and put a little peasant on, I came for money, brought firewood ... I did sin: I scolded, I scolded… I almost nailed it”. All relationships between people, in their opinion, are built on wealth.

The wild boar is richer than the Wild, and therefore she is the only person in the city with whom the Wild should be polite. “Well, don't let your throat go too far! Find something cheaper than me! And I am dear to you! "

Another feature that unites them is religiosity. But they perceive God, not as someone who forgives, but as someone who can punish them.

Kabanikha, like no one else, reflects all the commitment of this city to the old traditions. (She teaches Katerina and Tikhon how to live in general and how to behave in a particular case.) Kabanova tries to seem a kind, sincere, and most importantly unhappy woman, tries to justify her actions by age: “Mother is old, stupid; Well, you, young people, smart, should not exact from us fools. " But these statements are more like irony than a sincere confession. Kabanova considers herself the center of attention, she cannot imagine what will happen to the whole world after her death. The boar is, to the point of absurdity, blindly devoted to its old traditions, forcing all the household to dance to their tune. She makes Tikhon say goodbye to his wife in the old-fashioned way, causing laughter and a feeling of regret in those around him.

On the one hand, it seems that Dikoy is rougher, stronger and, therefore, scarier. But, looking closely, we see that Dikoy is only capable of screaming and raging. She managed to subjugate everyone, keeps everything under control, she even tries to manage relationships between people, which leads Katerina to death. The boar is cunning and clever, unlike the Wild one, and this makes her more scary. In the speech of Kabanikha, hypocrisy, duality of speech is very clearly manifested. She speaks very boldly and rudely with people, but at the same time, while communicating with him, she wants to seem a kind, sensitive, sincere, and most importantly, an unhappy woman.

We can say that Dikoy is completely illiterate. He says to Boris: “You have failed! I don’t want to talk to you with a Jesuit. ” Dikoy uses in his speech "with a Jesuit" instead of "with a Jesuit." So he also accompanies his speech with spitting, which finally shows his lack of culture. In general, throughout the entire drama, we see him interspersed with his speech with abuse. “What are you still here! What the hell is a waterman! ”, Which shows him as an extremely rude and ill-mannered person.

Dikoy is rude and straightforward in his aggressiveness, he commits actions that sometimes cause bewilderment and surprise among others. He is able to offend and beat a peasant without giving him money, and then, in front of everyone's eyes, stand in front of him in the mud, asking for forgiveness. He is a brawler, and in his riot he is able to throw thunder and lightning at his family, hiding from him in fear.

Therefore, we can conclude that the Wild and Kabanikh cannot be considered typical representatives merchant class. These characters in Ostrovsky's drama are very similar and differ in selfish inclinations, they think only of themselves. And even their own children seem to be a hindrance to some extent. Such an attitude cannot beautify people, which is why Dikoy and Kabanikha evoke persistent negative emotions in readers.

Conclusion

Speaking about Ostrovsky, in my opinion, we can rightfully call him an unsurpassed master of words, an artist. The characters in the play "The Thunderstorm" appear before us as living, with vivid relief characters. Each word spoken by the hero reveals some new facet of his character, shows him from the other side. The character of a person, his mood, attitude towards others, even if he does not want it, are manifested in speech, and Ostrovsky, true master speech characteristics, notices these lines. The way of speech, according to the author, can tell the reader a lot about the character. Thus, each character acquires its own individuality, unique flavor. This is especially important for drama.

In Ostrovsky's "Thunderstorm" we can clearly distinguish positive hero Katerina and two negative heroes Wild and Kabanikh. Of course, they are representatives of " dark kingdom". And Katerina is the only person who is trying to fight them. The image of Katerina is drawn brightly and vividly. The main character speaks beautifully, in a figurative folk language. Her speech is replete with subtle nuances of meaning. In Katerina's monologues, like a drop of water, her entire rich inner world is reflected. In the character's speech, the author's attitude towards him even appears. With what love, sympathy Ostrovsky treats Katerina, and how sharply he condemns the tyranny of Kabanikha and the Wild.

He portrays Kabanikha as a staunch defender of the foundations of the "dark kingdom". She strictly observes all the orders of patriarchal antiquity, does not tolerate the manifestation of personal will in anyone, has great power over others.

As for the Wild, Ostrovsky was able to convey all the anger and anger that boils in his soul. All household members are afraid of the Wild, including his nephew Boris. He is open, rude and unceremonious. But both powerful heroes are unhappy: they do not know what to do with their unrestrained character.

In Ostrovsky's drama "The Thunderstorm", with the help of artistic means, the writer was able to characterize the heroes and create a vivid picture of that time. "Thunderstorm" is very strong in its impact on the reader, viewer. The dramas of the heroes do not leave indifferent the hearts and minds of people, which not every writer succeeds in. Only a true artist can create such magnificent, eloquent images, only such a master of speech characteristics is able to tell the reader about the heroes only with the help of their own words, intonations, without resorting to any other additional characteristic.

List of used literature

1. A. N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm". Moscow "Moscow Worker", 1974.

2. Yu. V. Lebedev "Russian literature of the nineteenth century", part 2. Education ", 2000.

3. I. E. Kaplin, M. T. Pinaev "Russian Literature". Moscow "Education", 1993.

4. Yu. Borev. Aesthetics. Theory. Literature. Encyclopedic Dictionary of Terms, 2003.

The play "The Thunderstorm" is the most famous creation of Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky. Each hero of this work is a unique personality that takes its place in the character system. In this regard, the characteristic of Tikhon is noteworthy. The Thunderstorm, a play whose main conflict is based on the confrontation between the strong and the weak, is interesting for its oppressed heroes, including our character.

The play "Thunderstorm"

The play was written in 1859. The scene of the action is the fictional city of Kalinov, which stands on the banks of the Volga. Time of action - summer, the whole work covers 12 days.

In its genre, "The Thunderstorm" belongs to the social and everyday drama. Ostrovsky paid a lot of attention to the description of the everyday life of the city, the characters of the work come into conflict with the established orders, which have long outlived their usefulness, and the despotism of the older generation. Of course, the main protest is expressed by Katerina (the main character), but not last place her husband is also in the riot, which confirms the characterization of Tikhon.

The Thunderstorm is a work that tells about human freedom, about the desire to break free from the shackles of outdated dogmas and religious authoritarianism. And all this is depicted against the background of the failed love of the main character.

Image system

The system of images in the play is built on the opposition of tyrants who are used to commanding everyone (Kabanikha, Dikaya), and young people who want to finally find freedom and live their own minds. The second camp is headed by Katerina, only she has the courage to openly confront. However, other young characters are also striving to get rid of the yoke of decrepit and meaningless rules. But there are those who have resigned themselves, and Katerina's husband is not the last among them (below is presented detailed characteristic Tikhon).

"Thunderstorm" depicts the world of the "dark kingdom", only the heroes themselves can destroy it or die, like Katerina, misunderstood and rejected. It turns out that the tyrants who seized power and their laws are too strong, and any revolt against them leads to tragedy.

Tikhon: characteristics

"Thunderstorm" - a work where there are no strong male characters(with the exception of the Wild). So, Tikhon Kabanov appears only as a weak-willed, weak and intimidated man by his mother, unable to protect his beloved woman. The characterization of Tikhon from the play "The Thunderstorm" shows that this hero is a victim of the "dark kingdom", he lacks the determination to live by his own mind. Whatever he does and wherever he goes - everything happens according to the will of the mother.

Even as a child, Tikhon was used to following the orders of Kabanikha, and this habit persisted in him in his mature years. Moreover, this need to obey is so ingrained that even the thought of disobedience plunges him into horror. Here is what he himself says about this: “Yes, mamma, I don’t want to live by my own will”.

The characterization of Tikhon ("The Thunderstorm") speaks of this character as a person who is ready to endure all the mockery and rudeness of his mother. And the only thing he dares to is the desire to escape from the house to have fun. This is the only freedom and liberation available to him.

Katerina and Tikhon: characteristics

"The Thunderstorm" is a play where one of the main plot lines is love, but how close is it to our hero? Yes, Tikhon loves his wife, but in his own way, not the way Kabanikha would like. He is affectionate with her, does not want to dominate the girl, intimidate her. However, Tikhon does not at all understand Katerina and her mental suffering. His softness has a detrimental effect on the heroine. If Tikhon were a little more courageous and had at least some will and ability to fight, Katerina would not have needed to look for all this on the side - in Boris.

The characterization of Tikhon from the play "The Thunderstorm" puts him in a completely unattractive light. Despite the fact that he reacted calmly to his wife's betrayal, he is unable to protect her either from his mother or from other representatives of the "dark kingdom". He leaves Katerina alone, despite his love for her. The non-intervention of this character was largely the cause of the final tragedy. Only realizing that he had lost his beloved, Tikhon dares to openly rebel against his mother. He blames her for the death of the girl, no longer fearing her tyranny and power over him.

Images of Tikhon and Boris

The comparative characterization of Boris and Tikhon ("The Thunderstorm") allows us to conclude that they are in many ways similar, some literary scholars even call them hero-twins. So, what do they have in common, and how are they different?

Not finding the necessary support and understanding from Tikhon, Katerina turns to Boris. What was it about him that attracted the heroine so much? First of all, he differs from other residents of the city: he is educated, graduated from the academy, dresses in a European manner. But this is only the outside, and what is inside? In the course of the narrative, it turns out that he depends on the Wild in the same way as Tikhon on Kabanikha. Boris is weak-willed and spineless. He says that he only keeps his inheritance, losing which his sister will become a dowry. But all this seems to be an excuse: too humbly he endures all the humiliations of his uncle. Boris sincerely falls in love with Katerina, but he does not care that this love will destroy a married woman. He, like Tikhon, worries only about himself. In words, both of these heroes sympathize with the main character, but they do not have enough fortitude to help her, to protect her.

Short description

Boris Dikoy and Tikhon Kabanov are two characters that are most closely associated with the main character, Katerina: Tikhon is her husband, and Boris becomes her lover. They can be called antipodes, which stand out sharply against each other. And, in my opinion, preference in comparing them should be given to Boris, as a character of a more active, interesting and pleasant reader, while Tikhon evokes some compassion - raised by a strict mother, he, in fact, cannot make his own decisions and defend his opinion. In order to substantiate my point of view, below I will consider each character separately and try to analyze their characters and actions.

Attached files: 1 file

BORIS AND TIKHON
Boris Dikoy and Tikhon Kabanov are two characters who are most closely associated with the main character, Katerina: Tikhon is her husband, and Boris becomes her lover. They can be called antipodes, which stand out sharply against the background of each other. And, in my opinion, preference in comparing them should be given to Boris, as a character of a more active, interesting and pleasant reader, while Tikhon evokes some compassion - raised by a strict mother, he, in fact, cannot make his own decisions and defend his opinion. In order to substantiate my point of view, below I will consider each character separately and try to analyze their characters and actions.

To begin with, consider Boris Grigorievich Diky. Boris came to the city of Kalinov not on a whim - out of necessity. His grandmother, Anfisa Mikhailovna, took a dislike to his father after he married a noble woman, and after death left her entire inheritance to her second son, Savel Prokofievich Diky. And Boris would not have cared about this inheritance if his parents had not died of cholera, leaving him with his sister orphans. Savel Prokofievich Dikoy had to pay part of Anfisa Mikhailovna's inheritance to Boris and his sister, but on condition that they were respectful to him. Therefore, throughout the play, Boris tries in every possible way to serve his uncle, not paying attention to all the reproaches, discontent and swearing, and then leaves for Siberia to serve. From this we can conclude that Boris not only thinks about his future, but also cares about his sister, who is in an even less favorable position than himself. This is expressed in his words, which he once said to Kuligin: "If I were alone, it would be okay! I would have dropped everything and left. Otherwise, I'm sorry for my sister. (...) What life was like for her here - and it's scary to imagine."

Boris spent all his childhood in Moscow, where he received a good education and manners. This also adds positive features to his image. He is modest and, perhaps, even somewhat timid - if Katerina had not responded to his feelings, if not for the complicity of Varvara and Kudryash, he would never have crossed the boundaries of what was permitted. His actions are driven by love, perhaps the first, a feeling that even the most reasonable and judicious people are unable to resist. Some shyness, but sincerity, his tender words to Katerina make Boris a touching and romantic character, full of charm that cannot leave girlish hearts indifferent.

As a person from the capital's society, from secular Moscow, Boris has a hard time in Kalinov. He does not understand local customs, it seems to him that in this provincial city he is a stranger. Boris does not fit into the local community. The hero himself says the following words about this: "... it's hard for me here, without a habit! Everyone is looking at me wildly, as if I'm superfluous here, as if I'm interfering with them. I don't know the local customs. I understand that this is all ours. , Russian, native, but still I will not get used to it in any way. " Boris is overcome with difficult thoughts about his future fate. Youth, the desire to live desperately rebel against the prospect of staying in Kalinov: “And I, apparently, will ruin my youth in this slum.

So, we can say that Boris in Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" is a romantic, positive character, and his rash actions can be justified by falling in love, which makes young blood boil and do completely reckless things, forgetting how they look in the eyes of society.

Tikhon Ivanovich Kabanov can be considered as a more passive character, unable to make his own decisions. He is strongly influenced by his domineering mother, Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova, he is under her thumb. Tikhon strives for will, however, it seems to me, he himself does not know what exactly he wants from her. So, having escaped to freedom, the hero acts as follows: "... and as I left, I went on a spree. I'm very glad that I got free. And he drank all the way, and drank everything in Moscow, so a lot, so that you can take a walk for a whole year. I never remembered about the house. " In his desire to escape "from captivity," Tikhon closes his eyes to other people's feelings, including the feelings and experiences of his own wife, Katerina: "... and with such bondage from what beautiful wife you want you will run away! You think: no matter what it is, but I'm still a man; all your life to live like this, as you can see, you will run away from your wife. Is it my wife? " I believe that this is main mistake Tikhon - he did not listen to Katerina, did not take her with him, and did not even take a terrible oath from her, as she herself asked in anticipation of trouble. In the events that followed, there is a share of his fault.

Returning to the fact that Tikhon is not able to make his own decisions, we can give the following example. After Katerina confesses his sin, he cannot decide what to do - listen to his mother again, who calls her daughter-in-law cunning and tells everyone that no one should believe her, or show condescension to his beloved wife. Katerina herself says about it this way: "Now he is affectionate, now he is angry, but he drinks everything." Also, in my opinion, an attempt to get away from problems with the help of alcohol also indicates Tikhon's weak character.

We can say that Tikhon Kabanov is a weak character, like a person who evokes sympathy. It is difficult to say whether he really loved his wife, Katerina, but it is safe to assume that, with his character, another life partner, more like his mother, suited him better. Brought up in severity, without his own opinion, Tikhon needs external control, guidance and support.

So, on the one hand, we have Boris Grigorievich Dikiy, a romantic, young, self-confident hero. On the other hand, there is Kabanov Tikhon Ivanovich, a weak-tempered, soft-bodied, unhappy character. Both characters, of course, are clearly expressed - Ostrovsky in his play managed to convey the full depth of these images, to make them worry about each of them. But if you compare them with each other, Boris attracts more attention, he arouses sympathy and interest in the reader, while Kabanov wants to be pitied.

However, each reader himself chooses which of these characters to give their preference to. After all, as folk wisdom says, there are no comrades for taste and color.

Barbarian
Varvara Kabanova is Kabanikha's daughter, Tikhon's sister. We can say that life in Kabanikha's house morally crippled the girl. She also does not want to live according to the patriarchal laws that her mother preaches. But, despite his strong character, V. did not dare to openly protest against them. Its principle is “Do what you want, if only it is sewn and covered”.
This heroine easily adapts to the laws of the "dark kingdom", easily deceives everyone around her. It became familiar to her. V. claims that it is impossible to live otherwise: their whole house is based on deception. "And I was not a deceiver, but I learned when it became necessary."
V. was cunning while it was possible. When they began to lock her up, she fled from the house, inflicting a crushing blow on Kabanikha.
KULIGIN

Kuligin is a character who partially fulfills the functions of an exponent of the author's point of view and therefore is sometimes referred to the type of a hero-reasoner, which, however, seems to be incorrect, since on the whole this hero is undoubtedly distant from the author, a rather detachment is depicted, as an unusual person, even somewhat outlandish. The list of characters says about him: "a tradesman, a self-taught watchmaker looking for a perpetuum mobile." The hero's surname transparently hints at a real person - I. P. Kulibina (1755-1818), whose biography was published in the journal of the historian M. P. Pogodin "Moskvityanin", where Ostrovsky collaborated.
Like Katerina, K. is a poetic and dreamy nature (for example, it is he who admires the beauty of the Trans-Volga landscape, complains that the Kalinovtsy are indifferent to him). He appears, singing "Among the flat valley ...", a folk song of literary origin (to the words of AF Merzlyakov). This immediately emphasizes the difference between K. and other characters associated with folk culture, he is also a bookish man, albeit a rather archaic bookishness: he tells Boris that he writes poetry “in the old-fashioned way ... The wise man was Lomonosov, a nature tester ... ". Even the characterization of Lomonosov testifies to K.'s well-readness in the old books: not a "scientist", but a "sage", a "tester of nature." “You are an antique chemist with us,” Kudryash tells him. "Self-taught mechanic" - corrects K. Technical ideas of K. are also an obvious anachronism. The sundial, which he dreams of installing on Kalinovsky Boulevard, came from antiquity. Lightning conductor - a technical discovery of the 18th century. If K. writes in the spirit of the classics of the 18th century, then his oral stories are sustained in even earlier stylistic traditions and resemble old moralizing stories and apocrypha (“and they will begin with judgment and business, and there is no end to torment. here, but they will go to the province, and there they are already expected, but they splash their hands with joy ”- the picture of judicial red tape, vividly described by K., recalls stories about the torment of sinners and the joy of demons). All these features of the hero, of course, were given by the author in order to show his deep connection with the world of Kalinov: he certainly differs from the Kalinovites, we can say that he is a "new" person, but only his novelty has developed here, inside this world , generating not only its own passionate and poetic dreamers, like Katerina, but also its own "rationalists" -dreamers, its own special, home-grown scientists and humanists. The main work of K.'s life is the dream of inventing a "perpetu-mobile" and receiving a million from the British for it. He intends to spend this million on the Kalinov society - "work must be given to the philistine." Listening to this story, Boris, who has received a modern education at the Commercial Academy, remarks: “It's a pity to disappoint him! What a good man! He dreams of himself and is happy. " However, he is hardly right. K. is really a good person: kind, disinterested, delicate and meek. But he is hardly happy: his dream constantly forces him to beg for money for his inventions, conceived for the benefit of society, and it does not even occur to society that there could be any benefit from them, for them K. - a harmless eccentric, something like a city holy fool. And the main of the possible "patrons" - Dikoy, even lashes out at the inventor with abuse, once again confirming both the general opinion and Kabanikhe's own admission that he is not able to part with the money. Kuligin's passion for creativity remains unsatisfied; he pity his fellow countrymen, seeing in their vices the result of ignorance and poverty, but he cannot help them in anything. So, the advice he gives (to forgive Katerina, but so as to never remember her sin) is obviously impracticable in the Kabanovs' house, and K. hardly understands this. The advice is good, humane, since it proceeds from humane considerations, but does not in any way take into account the real participants in the drama, their characters and beliefs. For all his hard work, creativity of his personality, K. is a contemplative nature, devoid of any pressure. Probably, this is the only reason why the Kalinovites put up with him, despite the fact that he is different from them in everything. It seems that for the same reason it turned out to be possible to entrust him with the author's assessment of Katerina's act. “Here's your Katerina. Do what you want with her! Her body is here, take it; but the soul is not yours now: it is now before the Judge, who is more merciful than you! "
KATERINA
But the most extensive subject for discussion is Katerina - "Russian strong character", for whom truth and a deep sense of duty are above all. First, let's turn to the main character's childhood, which we learn about from her monologues. As we can see, in this carefree time, Katerina was first of all surrounded by beauty and harmony, she "lived like a bird in the wild" among, maternal love and fragrant nature. A young girl went to wash with a key, listened to the stories of the wanderers, then sat down to do some work, and so passed the whole day. She did not yet know the bitter life in "confinement", but everything is ahead of her, ahead of her life in " dark kingdom ". From the words of Katerina, we learn about her childhood and adolescence. The girl did not receive a good education. She lived with her mother in the village. Katerina's childhood was joyful, cloudless. Mother did not like her in her, did not force her to work on the house. Katya lived freely: she got up early, washed herself with spring water, crawled flowers, went to church with her mother, then sat down to do some work and listened to the pilgrims and praying moths, which were many in their house. Katerina had magical dreams in which she flew under the clouds. And how strongly the act of a six-year-old girl contrasts with such a quiet, happy life when Katya, offended by something, ran away from her house to the Volga in the evening, got into a boat and pushed off the shore! We see that Katerina grew up a happy, romantic, but limited girl. She was very devout and passionately loving. She loved everything and everyone around her: nature, the sun, the church, her home with wanderers, the beggars whom she helped. But the most important thing about Katya is that she lived in her dreams, apart from the rest of the world. From all that exists, she chose only what did not contradict her nature, the rest she did not want to notice and did not notice. Therefore, the girl saw angels in the sky, and for her the church was not an oppressive and oppressive force, but a place where everything is light, where you can dream. We can say that Katerina was naive and kind, brought up in a completely religious spirit. But if she met on her way what. contradicted her ideals, then she turned into a rebellious and stubborn nature and defended herself from that stranger, stranger who boldly disturb her soul. This was the case with the boat. After marriage, Katya's life changed a lot. From a free, joyful, sublime world in which she felt her merger with nature, the girl found herself in a life full of deception, cruelty and omission. The point is not even that Katerina did not marry Tikhon of her own free will: she did not love anyone at all and she did not care who to marry. The fact is that the girl was robbed of her former life, which she had created for herself. Katerina no longer feels such delight from attending church, she cannot do her usual things. Sad, disturbing thoughts do not allow her to calmly admire nature. Katya is left to endure, while she is patient, and to dream, but she can no longer live with her thoughts, because the cruel reality brings her back to earth, where humiliation and suffering. Katerina is trying to find her happiness in her love for Tikhon: “I will love my husband. Tisha, my darling, I will not trade you for anyone. "But sincere manifestations of this love are suppressed by Kabanikha:" What are you hanging around your neck, shameless woman? You don't say goodbye to your lover. "Katerina has a strong sense of external obedience and duty, which is why she forces herself to love her unloved husband. Tikhon himself, due to the tyranny of his mother, cannot really love his wife, although he probably wants to. when he, leaving for a while, leaves Katya to walk freely, the girl (already a woman) becomes completely lonely. Why did Katerina fall in love with Boris? After all, he did not show his masculine qualities, like Paratov, did not even talk to her. Probably the reason is the fact that she lacked something pure in the stuffy atmosphere of Kabanikha's house. And love for Boris was this pure, did not let Katerina completely wither away, somehow supported her. She went on a date with Boris because she felt like a man with pride , elementary rights. It was a rebellion against obedience to fate, against lawlessness. Katerina knew that she was committing a sin, but she also knew that it was still impossible to live further. She sacrificed the purity of her conscience to freedom and Boris at. In my opinion, going to this step, Katya already felt the approaching end and, probably, thought: "Now or never." She wanted to be filled with love, knowing that there would be no other occasion. On the first date, Katerina said to Boris: "You ruined me." Boris is the reason for the discrediting of her soul, and for Katya it is tantamount to death. Sin hangs like a heavy stone on her heart. Katerina is terribly afraid of an impending thunderstorm, considering her a punishment for what she did. Katerina had been afraid of a thunderstorm ever since she began to think about Boris. For her pure soul, even the thought of loving a stranger is a sin. Katya cannot live on with her sin, and she considers repentance to be the only way to at least partially get rid of it. She confesses everything to her husband and Kabanikha. Such an act in our time seems very strange, naive. “I don’t know how to deceive; I can’t hide anything” - such is Katerina. Tikhon forgave his wife, but did she forgive herself? Being very religious. Katya is afraid of God, and her God lives in her, God is her conscience. The girl is tormented by two questions: how she will return home and look into the eyes of her husband, whom she cheated on, and how she will live with a stain on her conscience. The only way out of this situation, Katerina sees death: "No, I don't care if I go home or go to the grave. It's better to live in the grave again? No, no, don't be bad." Pursued by her sin, Katerina dies to save her soul. Dobrolyubov defined Katerina's character as "decisive, whole, Russian." Decisive, because she decided to take the last step, to die in order to save herself from shame and remorse. Whole, because in Katya's character everything is harmonious, one, nothing contradicts each other, because Katya is one with nature, with God. Russian, because whoever, no matter how Russian, is capable of loving so, is able to sacrifice so, so seemingly submissively endure all hardships, while remaining himself, free, not a slave. Although Katerina's life has changed, she has not lost her poetic nature: she is still fascinated by nature, she sees bliss in harmony with her. She wants to fly high, high, touch the heavenly blue and from there, from a height, send great greetings to everyone. The poetic nature of the heroine requires a different life than the one she has. Katerina strives for "freedom", but not for the freedom of her flesh, but the freedom of her soul. Therefore, she is building another world, in which there is no lie, lawlessness, injustice, cruelty. In this world, in contrast to reality, everything is perfect: angels live here, "innocent voices are singing, it smells of cypress, and the mountains and trees seem to be not the same as usual, but as they are written on images." But despite this, she still has to return to the real world, full of egoists and tyrants. And among them she is trying to find a kindred spirit. Katerina in the crowd of "empty" faces is looking for someone who could understand her, look into her soul and accept the way she is, and not the way they want to make her. The heroine is looking for and cannot find anyone. Her eyes are "cut" by the darkness and wretchedness of this "kingdom", the mind has to accept, but her heart believes and waits for the only one who will help her survive and fight for the truth in this world of lies and deceit. Katerina meets Boris, and her clouded heart says that this is the one she has been looking for for so long. But is it? No, Boris is far from ideal, he cannot give Katerina what she asks for, namely: understanding and protection. She cannot feel with Boris "like a stone wall." And the truth of this is confirmed by Boris's vile, full of cowardice and indecision: he leaves Katerina alone, throws her “to be eaten by the wolves”. These "wolves" are terrible, but they cannot frighten the "Russian soul" of Katerina. And her soul is truly Russian. And Katerina unites with the people not only communication, but also adherence to Christianity. Katerina believes in God so much that every evening she prays in her little room. She likes to go to church, look at the icons, listen to the ringing of the bell. She, like the Russian people, loves freedom. And it is precisely this love of freedom that does not allow her to come to terms with the current situation. Our heroine is not used to lying, and therefore she talks about her love for Boris to her husband. But instead of understanding, Katerina meets only a direct reproach. Now nothing keeps her in this world: Boris turned out not to be what Katerina "drew" him to herself, and life in Kabanikha's house became even more unbearable. The poor, innocent "bird imprisoned in a cage" could not withstand bondage - Katerina committed suicide. The girl still managed to "take off", she stepped from the high bank into the Volga, "spread her wings" and boldly went to the bottom. By her act, Katerina resists the "dark kingdom". But Dobrolyubov calls her a "ray" in him, not only because her tragic death revealed all the horror of the "dark kingdom" and showed the inevitability of death for those who cannot come to terms with oppression, but also because the death of Katerina will not pass and will not can pass without a trace for " cruel morals". After all, anger is already arising at these tyrants. Kuligin - and he reproached Kabanikha for the lack of mercy, even the uncomplaining performer of his mother's wishes, Tikhon, publicly dared to throw the accusation of Katerina's death in her face. Already, an ominous thunderstorm is brewing over all this "kingdom", capable of destroying it "to smithereens." And this bright ray, which awakened, even for one moment, the consciousness of disadvantaged, unrequited people who are materially dependent on the rich, convincingly showed that an end must come to the unrestrained robbery and self-righteousness of the Wild and the oppressive lust for power and hypocrisy of the Wild Boars. The importance of the image of Katerina is also important today. Yes, maybe many people consider Katerina an immoral, shameless cheater, but is she really to blame for this ?! Most likely, Tikhon is to blame, who did not pay due attention and affection to his wife, but only followed the advice of his "mama". Katerina is to blame only for the fact that she married such a weak-willed person. Her life was destroyed, but she tried to "build" a new one from the remains. Katerina boldly walked forward until she realized that there was nowhere else to go. But even then she took a brave step, the last step over the abyss leading to another world, perhaps the best, and perhaps the worst. And this courage, thirst for truth and freedom makes us bow before Katerina. Yes, she's probably not so perfect, she has her flaws, but courage makes the heroine a subject to follow, worthy of praise.

Tikhon Kabanov's wife and Kabanikha's daughter-in-law. it central character a play by which Ostrovsky shows the fate of a strong, extraordinary personality in a small patriarchal town. Since childhood, Katerina has a very strong desire for happiness, which, as she grows up, develops into a desire for mutual love.

The rich merchant woman Kabanova Marfa Ignatievna is one of the main pillars of the "dark kingdom". This is a domineering, cruel, superstitious woman who treats with deep distrust and even contempt for everything new. In the progressive phenomena of her time, she sees only evil, therefore Kabanikha with such jealousy protects her little world from their invasion.

Katerina's husband and Kabanikha's son. This is a downtrodden person suffering from constant reproaches and orders from Kabanikha. In this character, the crippling, destructive power of the "dark kingdom" is most fully revealed, which turns people only into the shadow of themselves. Tikhon is not capable of repulsing - he constantly makes excuses, pleasing his mother in every possible way, he is afraid to disobey her.

One of the central characters is the nephew of the Wild merchant. Boris stands out among the provincial public of the city of Kalinova for his upbringing and education. Indeed, from the stories of Boris it becomes clear that he came here from Moscow, where he was born, grew up and lived until his parents died from a cholera epidemic.

One of the most respected representatives of Kalinov is the enterprising and domineering merchant Savel Prokofievich Dikoy. At the same time, this figure, along with Kabanikha, is considered the personification of the "dark kingdom". At its core, Dikoy is a tyrant who, in the first place, puts only his desires and whims. Therefore, his relationship with others can be characterized by only one word - arbitrariness.

Vanya Kudryash is a carrier folk character Is a whole person, brave and cheerful, who can always stand up for himself and for his feelings. This hero appears in the very initial scene, acquainting readers, along with Kuligin, with the orders and customs of Kalinov and his inhabitants.

Kabanikha's daughter and Tikhon's sister. She is confident in herself, not afraid of mystical omens, knows what she wants from life. But at the same time, the personality of Varvara has some moral flaws, the cause of which is life in the Kabanov family. She does not at all like the cruel order of this provincial city, but Varvara does not find anything better than to come to terms with the established order.

The play shows a character who, throughout the work, makes a certain effort to protect progress and public interests. And even his surname - Kuligin - is very similar to the surname of the famous Russian mechanic-inventor Ivan Kulibin. Despite his philistine origin, Kuligin strives for knowledge, but not for selfish goals. His main concern is development hometown, therefore, all his efforts are directed towards the "public benefit".

Feklusha's wanderer is minor character, but at the same time a very characteristic representative of the "dark kingdom". Wanderers and blessed at all times have been regular guests of merchant houses. For example, Feklusha entertains representatives of the House of Kabanovs with a variety of stories about overseas countries, telling about people with dogs' heads and rulers who "whatever they judge, everything is wrong."