The play "Thunderstorm" and its characters. The main characters of the play by A.N. Ostrovsky "Thunderstorm". Characteristics of Tikhon ("Thunderstorm") Characteristics of the images of the drama Thunderstorm

The action of the play "Thunderstorm" takes place in the fictional town of Kalinov, which is a collective image of all the provincial towns of that time.
There are not so many main characters in the play "Thunderstorm", each must be said separately.

Katerina is a young woman married without love, "in a strange direction", God-fearing and pious. In the parental home, Katerina grew up in love and care, prayed and enjoyed life. Marriage for her turned out to be a difficult test, which her meek soul opposes. But, despite outward timidity and humility, passions boil in Katerina's soul when she falls in love with a strange man.

Tikhon - Katerina's husband, a kind and gentle person, loves his wife, pities her, but, like all households, obeys his mother. He does not dare to go against the will of the "mother" throughout the play, as well as openly tell his wife about his love, since the mother forbids this, so as not to spoil his wife.

Kabanikha - 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 take a step without her knowledge, fearing a curse. According to one of the heroes of the play, Kudryash, Kabanikh - “a hypocrite, gives to the poor, but eats homemade food.” It is she who tells Tikhon and Katerina how to build their family life in the best traditions of Domostroy.

Varvara is Tikhon's sister, an unmarried girl. Unlike her brother, she obeys her mother only for the sake of appearances, while she herself secretly runs on dates at night, inciting Katerina to do so. Its principle is that you can sin if no one sees, otherwise you will spend your whole life next to your mother.

The landowner Dikoy is an episodic character, but personifying the image of a “tyrant”, i.e. those in power who are sure that money gives the right to do whatever your heart desires.

Boris, Diky's nephew, who arrived in the hope of receiving his share of the inheritance, falls in love with Katerina, but cowardly runs away, leaving the woman he seduced.

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

She herself 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 and do not want to live "as expected." The latter, in turn, are trying to free themselves from the yoke of parental orders, they understand that life is moving forward, changing.

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

Against the backdrop of flourishing tyranny and precepts of Domostroy, the forbidden love of Katerina and Boris blossoms. Young people are drawn to each other, but Katerina is married, and Boris depends on his uncle for everything.

The heavy atmosphere of the city of Kalinov, the pressure of the evil mother-in-law, the thunderstorm that has begun, force Katerina, tormented by remorse because of her betrayal of her husband, to confess everything in public. The boar rejoices - she turned out to be 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 situation 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 exhaust her daughter-in-law. Katerina's piety leads her to think that there is no more reason to live, the woman throws herself off a cliff into the river.

Only after losing the woman he loves does Tikhon realize how much she meant to him. Now he will have to live all his life with the understanding that his callousness and obedience to his tyrant mother led to such an ending. The last words of the play are the words of Tikhon, pronounced over the body of his dead wife: “Good for you, Katya! And why in the world did I stay to live and suffer!

The play "Thunderstorm" is the most famous creation of Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky. Each hero of this work is a unique personality that takes its place in the system of characters. Noteworthy in this regard is the characteristic of Tikhon. 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 is the fictional city of Kalinov, which stands on the banks of the Volga. Time of action - summer, the whole work covers 12 days.

According to its genre, "Thunderstorm" refers to the social drama. Ostrovsky paid much 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 become obsolete, and the despotism of the older generation. Of course, Katerina (the main character) expresses the main protest, but her husband also occupies not the last place in the rebellion, which is confirmed by Tikhon's characterization.

"Thunderstorm" is a work that tells about human freedom, about the desire to break out of the shackles of outdated dogmas, religious authoritarianism. And all this is depicted against the backdrop 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, Dikoy), and young people who want to finally find freedom and live by their own mind. Katerina leads the second camp, only she has the courage to open confrontation. However, other young characters also strive to get rid of the yoke of dilapidated and meaningless rules. But there are those who reconciled, and not the last among them is Katerina's husband (below is a detailed description of Tikhon).

"The Thunderstorm" draws 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 petty tyrants who seized power and their laws are too strong, and any rebellion against them leads to tragedy.

Tikhon: characteristic

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

As a child, Tikhon was accustomed to follow the orders of the Kabanikh, and this habit remained 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, mama, I don’t want to live by my own will.”

The characteristic of Tikhon ("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 do is the desire to break out of the house to have a spree. This is the only freedom and liberation available to him.

Katerina and Tikhon: characteristics

"Thunderstorm" is a play where one of the main storylines is love, but how close is it to our hero? Yes, Tikhon loves his wife, but in his own way, not in the way that Kabanikha would like. He is affectionate with her, does not want to dominate the girl, intimidate her. However, Tikhon does not understand Katerina and her mental suffering at all. His softness has a detrimental effect on the heroine. If Tikhon had been a little more courageous and possessed 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 "Thunderstorm" exposes him in a completely unattractive light. Despite the fact that he reacted calmly to his wife's betrayal, he was 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 lost his beloved, Tikhon ventures into an open rebellion against his mother. He accuses her of the death of the girl, no longer fearing her tyranny and power over him.

Images of Tikhon and Boris

A comparative description of Boris and Tikhon ("Thunderstorm") allows us to conclude that they are similar in many respects, some literary critics even call them twin heroes. 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 that's just the outside, what's on the inside? In the course of the story, it turns out that he depends on the Wild in the same way as Tikhon depends on the Boar. Boris is weak-willed and spineless. He says that he keeps only his inheritance, having lost it, his sister will become a dowry. But all this seems like an excuse: he endures all the humiliations of his uncle too humbly. 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, protect her.