The main characters of Ostrovsky's The Thunderstorm. Characteristics of the heroes in the play "Thunderstorm Message about one of the heroes of the drama Thunderstorm
"Thunderstorm", as you know, presents us with the idyll of the "dark kingdom", which little by little illuminates Ostrovsky with his talent. The people you see here live in blessed places: the city stands on the banks of the Volga, all green; distant areas covered with villages and cornfields are visible from the steep banks; a blessed summer day just beckons to the shore, to the air, under the open sky, under this breeze that is refreshingly blowing from the Volga ... And the inhabitants, for sure, sometimes walk along the boulevard above the river, although they have already looked closely at the beauties of the Volga views; in the evening they sit on the heaps of the gate and engage in pious conversations; but they spend more time at home, doing housework, eating, sleeping - they go to bed very early, so it is difficult for an unaccustomed person to endure such a sleepy night as they ask themselves. But what can they do if not sleep when they are full? Their life flows smoothly and peacefully, no interests of the world disturb them, because they do not reach them; kingdoms can collapse, new countries open up, the face of the earth can change as he pleases, the world can begin new life on a new basis - the inhabitants of the town of Kalinova will continue to exist in complete ignorance of the rest of the world. From time to time an indefinite rumor will run to them that Napoleon with two or ten tongues rises again, or that the Antichrist was born; but they also take this more as a curious thing, like the news that there are countries where all people are with dogs' heads; shake their head, express surprise at the wonders of nature and go to eat ... ancient Russia the times of Daniel the Pilgrim *, only from the wanderers, and even those nowadays are few real ones; we have to be content with those who “themselves, due to their weakness, did not go far, but heard a lot,” like Feklusha in The Thunderstorm. From them only the inhabitants of Kalinov learn about what is happening in the world; otherwise they would think that the whole world is the same as their Kalinov, and that it is absolutely impossible to live differently than they do. But the information provided by the Feklushas is such that they are not able to inspire a great desire to exchange their life for another.
Feklusha belongs to a patriotic and highly conservative party; she feels good among the pious and naive Kalinovites: she is revered, and treated, and supplied with everything she needs; she can seriously assure that her very sins are due to the fact that she is higher than other mortals: “ ordinary people, - he says, - everyone is confused by one enemy, but to us, strange people, to whom six, to whom twelve are assigned, so we must overcome them all. " And they believe her. It is clear that a simple instinct for self-preservation should make her not say a good word about what is happening in other lands. And in fact, listen to the conversations of the merchants, the bourgeoisie, petty bureaucracy in the wilderness of the county - how many amazing information about the unfaithful and filthy kingdoms, how many stories about those times when people were burned and tortured, when robbers robbed the city, etc. , and how little information about European life, about the best way of life! Even in the so-called educated society, in the European people, in the many enthusiasts who admired the new Parisian streets and Mabilles, will you not find almost the same number of respectable connoisseurs who intimidate their listeners with the fact that nowhere, except Austria, in all of Europe there is no order and no justice can be found! .. All this leads to what Feklusha expresses so positively: “bla-ale-pie, dear, bla-alepie, wonderful beauty! But what can I say - you live in the promised land! " It undoubtedly comes out like that, how to figure out what is happening in other lands. Listen to Feklusha:
“They say there are such countries, dear girl, where there are no Orthodox kings, but the Saltans rule the earth. In one land the Turkish Saltan Makhnut sits on the throne, and in the other - the Persian Saltan Makhnut; and they do judgment, dear girl, over all people, and whatever they judge, everything is wrong. And they, dear girl, cannot judge a single case righteously - such a limit is set for them. Our law is righteous, and theirs, my dear, is unrighteous; that according to our law it turns out that way, but in their own way everything is the opposite. And all their judges, in their countries, are also all unrighteous; so to them, dear girl, and in their requests they write: "Judge me, unrighteous judge!" And then there is also the land, where all the people with dog heads.
"Why is this so with the dogs?" - Glasha asks. “For infidelity,” Feklusha responds shortly, considering any further explanations superfluous. But Glasha is glad for that too; in the languid monotony of her life and thoughts, she is pleased to hear something new and original. The thought is vaguely awakening in her soul, “that, nevertheless, people live differently than we do; it is certainly better with us, but who knows! After all, we are not good either; but about those lands, we still do not know very well; you just hear something from kind people "... And the desire to know more and more reasonably creeps into the soul. This is clear for us from the words of Glasha on the departure of the wanderer: “Here are some other lands! There are no miracles in the world! And we are sitting here, we do not know anything. It's still good that good people there is; no, no, yes, and you will hear what is happening in the white world; otherwise they would have died like fools. " As you can see, the unrighteousness and unfaithfulness of foreign lands does not arouse horror and indignation in Glash; she is only interested in new information, which seems to her to be something mysterious - “miracles,” as she puts it. You see that she is not content with Feklusha's explanations, which arouse in her only regret for her ignorance. She is obviously halfway to skepticism. But where can she keep her distrust when it is constantly undermined by stories like the Feklushins? How can she reach the correct concepts, even just reasonable questions, when her curiosity is locked in such a circle that is outlined around her in the city of Kalinov? Moreover, not only would she dare not to believe and to question when older and better people so positively calm down in the conviction that the concepts and way of life they have adopted are the best in the world and that everything new comes from evil spirits? It is terrible and difficult for every newcomer to try to go against the demands and convictions of this dark mass, terrible in its naivety and sincerity. After all, she will curse us, she will run like the plague — not out of malice, not out of calculations, but out of a deep conviction that we are akin to the Antichrist; it’s also good if only she considers it crazy and laughs ... She seeks knowledge, loves to reason, but only within certain limits prescribed to her by the basic concepts in which reason is confused.
You can inform the Kalinovsky inhabitants of some geographic knowledge; but do not touch the fact that the earth stands on three whales and that there is a navel of the earth in Jerusalem - they will not yield to you, although they have the same clear concept of the navel of the earth as they do about Lithuania in the "Thunderstorm". "This, my brother, what is it?" One civilian asks another, pointing to the picture. “And this is Lithuanian ruin,” he replies. - Battle! see! How ours fought with Lithuania. " - "What is this Lithuania?" “So she is Lithuania,” the explainer replies. “And they say, my brother, she fell on us from the sky,” the first continues; but his interlocutor is not so much in need: “well, p. from the sky so from the sky ", - he replies ... Then the woman intervenes in the conversation:" Interpret more! Everyone knows that from the sky; and where there was a fight with her, there were burial mounds for memory. " - “And what, my brother! It's so accurate! " - exclaims the questioner, quite satisfied. And then ask him what he thinks about Lithuania! All the questions asked here by natural curiosity have a similar outcome. And this is not at all because these people were stupider and more stupid than many others whom we meet in academies and scientific societies. No, the whole point is that by their position, by their life under the yoke of arbitrariness, they are all already accustomed to see the irresponsibility and meaninglessness and therefore find it awkward and even daring to persistently seek reasonable grounds for anything. Ask a question - there will be more of them for that; but if the answer is that "the gun is by itself, and the mortar is by itself," then they no longer dare to torture further and are humbly content with this explanation. The secret of such indifference to logic lies primarily in the absence of any logic in life relations. The key to this secret is given to us, for example, by the following remark of Dikiy in "The Thunderstorm". Kuligin, in response to his rudeness, says: "Why, sir Savel Prokofich, would you please to offend an honest man?" Dikoy answers this:
I’ll give you a report! I don’t give a report to anyone more important than you. I want to think so of you, and I think so! For others, you are an honest man, but I think that you are a robber - that's all. Would you like to hear it from me? So listen! I say that a robber, and the end. Why are you going to sue, or what, you will be with me? So know that you are a worm. If I want - I will have mercy, if I want - I will crush.
What theoretical reasoning can stand there. where life is based on such principles! The absence of any law, of any logic - this is the law and logic of this life ...
Inevitably, you will stop resonating here when, for any reason, the fist answers, and always in the end the fist remains right ...
Dobrolyubov N.A. "A ray of light in the dark kingdom"
Ostrovsky knowingly gave the name to his work "The Thunderstorm", because before people they feared the elements, associated it with the punishment of heaven. Thunder and lightning instilled superstitious fear and primal horror. The writer told in his play about the inhabitants of a provincial town, who are conditionally divided into two groups: “ dark kingdom"- rich merchants who exploit the poor, and" victims "- those who tolerate the tyranny of tyrants. The characteristics of the heroes will tell in more detail about the lives of people. The thunderstorm reveals the true feelings of the characters in the play.
Characteristic of the Wild
Savel Prokofich Dikoy is a typical tyrant. This is a wealthy merchant who has no government. He tortured his relatives, from his insults the household scattered in the attics and closets. The merchant is rude to the servants, it is impossible to please him, he will definitely find something to cling to. You cannot beg the Dykiy for a salary, since he is very greedy. Savel Prokofich is an ignorant person, a supporter of the patriarchal system, does not want to learn modern world... The stupidity of the merchant is evidenced by his conversation with Kuligin, from which it becomes clear that Dikoy does not know a thunderstorm. Unfortunately, the characterization of the heroes of the "dark kingdom" does not end there.
Description of Kabanikha
Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova is the embodiment of the patriarchal way of life. A wealthy merchant's wife, a widow, she constantly insists on observing all the traditions of her ancestors and she herself strictly follows them. The boar drove everyone to despair - this is exactly what the characteristics of the heroes show. The Thunderstorm is a play that reveals the mores of a patriarchal society. A woman gives alms to the poor, goes to church, but does not give life to her children and daughter-in-law. The heroine wanted to preserve the old way of life, so she kept the household in fear, taught her son, daughter, daughter-in-law.
Characteristics of Katerina
In a patriarchal world, humanity, faith in goodness can be preserved - this is also shown by the characteristics of the heroes. The Thunderstorm is a play in which there is a confrontation between the new and the old world, only the characters in the work defend their point of view in different ways. Katerina happily recalls her childhood, because she grew up in love and understanding. She belongs to patriarchal world and up to a certain point, everything suited her, even the fact that her parents themselves decided her fate and married her. But Katerina does not like the role of the humiliated daughter-in-law, she does not understand how it is possible to constantly live in fear and captivity.
The main character of the play is gradually changing, a strong personality wakes up in her, capable of making her choice, which is manifested in her love for Boris. Katerina was ruined by her entourage, the lack of hope pushed her to commit suicide, because she could not live in Kabanikha's home prison.
The attitude of the Kabanikha children to the patriarchal world
Barbara is one who does not want to live according to the laws of the patriarchal world, but she is not going to openly oppose the will of her mother either. She was crippled by Kabanikha's house, because it was here that the girl learned to lie, cheat, do what her heart desires, but carefully hide the traces of her misdeeds. To show the ability of some persons to adapt to different conditions, Ostrovsky wrote his play. The thunderstorm (the characterization of the heroes shows what blow Varvara inflicted on her mother, having escaped from the house) brought everyone to clean water, during the bad weather the inhabitants of the town showed their real appearance.
Tikhon is a weak person, the embodiment of the completion of the patriarchal order. He loves his wife, but cannot find the strength to protect her from the tyranny of her mother. It was Kabanikha who pushed him to drunkenness, destroyed with her moralizing. Tikhon does not support the old order, but he sees no reason to go against his mother, letting her words go deaf ears. Only after the death of his wife, the hero decides to rebel against Kabanikha, accusing her of the death of Katerina. To understand the worldview of each character and his attitude to the patriarchal world, the characterization of the heroes allows. The Thunderstorm is a play with a tragic ending, but faith in a better future.
Feklusha's wanderer is minor character, but at the same time very typical representative"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 various stories about overseas countries, telling about people with dog-heads and rulers who “whatever they judge, everything is wrong”. But the city of Kalinov Feklusha, on the contrary, praises, which is very pleasant to its inhabitants. Gossip Feklushi kind of encourages the dark
ignorance of the townspeople. Everything incomprehensible is criticized, and only superlatives are spoken about the provincial world of Kalinov.
In fact, at its core, Feklusha is just a pitiful parody of the ancient wanderers, with the help of which news and various legends were spread in ancient times. Feklusha's stories for Kabanova and Glasha, who, of course, do not know any books or newspapers are needed simply to satisfy curiosity, in addition, they help brighten up the dull provincial everyday life. Also for Kabanova, who is a fierce guardian of the patriarchal way of life, all these "fairy tales" serve as proof of the correctness of her life.
The image of Feklusha is farcical, and is often used to refer to an ignorant bigot who likes to spread various ridiculous gossip.
Other works on this topic:
- Kabanova (Kabanikha) Wealthy merchant 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 ...
- The wanderer Feklusha is a very significant character in the play. In general, wanderers, blessed and holy fools were a common feature of merchant houses. Ostrovsky quite often mentioned them in his ...
- Katerina Katerina is the wife of Tikhon Kabanov and daughter-in-law of Kabanikha. This central character play, with the help of which Ostrovsky shows the fate of a strong, extraordinary personality in a small ...
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The wanderer Feklusha is a very significant character in the play. In general, wanderers, blessed and holy fools were a common feature of merchant houses. Ostrovsky quite often mentioned them in his works, but these were always off-stage characters. Some of them wandered for religious reasons (they collected funds for the construction of temples, went to worship shrines, etc.)
others - used the generosity of the population who helped the wanderers and simply led an idle life, subsisting at someone else's expense. Faith for such people was just an excuse; with their stories about shrines and miracles, they paid for shelter and alms. Ostrovsky did not like such a sanctimonious manifestation of religiosity, so he always mentioned wanderers and blessed ones in ironic tones, characterizing with their help the environment or an individual character. Only in The Thunderstorm did the writer bring such a typical wanderer to the stage, making her an essential character, who later became one of the most famous in the Russian comedy repertoire.
Feklusha does not directly participate in the action of the play, but this does not diminish the significance of her image. Firstly, she is the most important character, with the help of which the author characterizes the situation in general, and in particular, the image of Kabanikha. Secondly, the dialogue between Feklushi and Kabanikha plays a very important role in understanding the life philosophy of Kabanikha, her tragic feeling of the collapse of the patriarchal world.
For the first time, Feklusha appears on the stage immediately after Kuligin's statement about “ cruel morals»Of the city and before the appearance of Kabanikha, who mercilessly sawed off her children. At the same time, Feklusha wholeheartedly praises the Kabanovs' house for its generosity, confirming the words of Kuligin that Kabanikha is good only to the poor, and the family is completely consumed.
The next time the reader meets Feklusha in the Kabanovs' house. She advises the girl Glasha to look after the wretched one so that she does not pull anything. Glasha gets annoyed, because all the beggars slander each other, and she understands people well and sees herself who can be trusted. At the same time, listening to Feklusha's stories about other countries, where people “for infidelity” walk with dog-headed heads, Glasha innocently perceives everything as the truth. This proves the fact that Kalinov is a closed world that knows nothing about other lands. Then Feklusha begins to tell Kabanikha about Moscow and the railway. The Wanderer assures that by all signs "the last times" are coming. People are scurrying around, in a hurry somewhere, and even time has started to go faster, which means that the end of the world is not far off. Kabanikha sympathetically listens to these speeches and from her remarks one can judge that she is also aware of the impending collapse of her world.
Thanks to Ostrovsky's play, the name Feklusha has long become a household name and denotes a person who spreads all sorts of ridiculous tales under the guise of pious reasoning.
Feklusha- a wanderer. Wanderers, holy fools, blessed - an indispensable feature of merchant houses - are mentioned by Ostrovsky quite often, but always as off-stage characters. Along with those who wandered for religious motives (they went on a vow to worship shrines, collected money for the construction and maintenance of temples, etc.), there were also quite a few idle people who lived at the expense of the bounty of the population who always helped the wanderers. These were people for whom faith was only an excuse, and discussions and stories about shrines and miracles were an object of trade, a kind of commodity with which they paid for alms and shelter. Ostrovsky, who did not like superstitions and sanctimonious manifestations of religiosity, always mentions the wanderers and the blessed in ironic tones, usually to characterize the environment or one of the characters (see especially “Every wise man has enough simplicity,” scenes in Turusina's house).
Ostrovsky brought such a typical wanderer to the stage once - in "The Thunderstorm", and the role of Feklush, which is small in terms of text. became one of the most famous in the Russian comedy repertoire, and some of F.'s remarks entered everyday speech.
Feklusha does not participate in the action, is not directly related to the plot, but the significance of this image in the play is very significant.
Firstly (and this is traditional for Ostrovsky), she is the most important character for characterizing the environment in general and Kabanikha in particular, in general for creating the image of Kalinov.
Secondly, her dialogue with Kabanikha is very important for understanding Kabanikha's attitude to the world, for clarifying her inherent tragic feeling of the collapse of her world.
Appearing on the stage for the first time immediately after Kuligin's story about the "cruel manners" of the city of Kalinov and immediately before the exit of Kabanikha, mercilessly sawing the accompanying children, with the words "Bla-a-lepie, dear, bla-a-lepie!", F. especially praises for the generosity of the Kabanovs' house. Thus, the characterization given to Kabanikha by Kuligin is reinforced (“Prudish, sir, he closes the beggars, but ate the household altogether”).
The next time we see F. is already in the Kabanovs' house. In a conversation with the girl Glasha, she advises to look after the wretched one, “I wouldn’t pull anything,” and hears an irritated reply in response: “Who can take you apart, you are all riveting at each other.” Glasha, repeatedly expressing a clear understanding, is good for her famous people and circumstances, innocently believes F.'s stories about countries where people with dogs' heads are "for infidelity." This reinforces the impression that Kalinov is a closed world that knows nothing about other lands. This impression is further enhanced when F. begins to tell Kabanova about Moscow and the railway. The conversation begins with F.'s assertion that "the end times" are coming. A sign of this is the ubiquitous vanity, haste, pursuit of speed. F. calls the locomotive a "fiery serpent", which they began to harness for speed: "others see nothing from the hustle and bustle, so it is shown to them by a machine, they call it a machine, and I saw him doing something like that (spreading his fingers out) with his paws. ... Well, and the groan that people of a good life hear like that. " Finally, she says that “the time has begun to come into belittling” and for our sins “everything is getting shorter and shorter”. The apocalyptic reasoning of the wanderer sympathetically listens to Kabanova, from whose remarks that conclude the scene it becomes clear that she is aware of the impending doom of her world.
The name F. has become a household name for a dark bigot, under the guise of pious reasoning spreading all sorts of ridiculous fables.