In 1859, the premiere took place on the stage of one of the capital's theaters. Viewers saw a drama created by a young writer - Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich. This work is considered unique in its own way. The drama does not repeat many laws of the genre.
Thunderstorm was written in the era of realism. And this means that the work is filled with symbols and images. Therefore, in our article you will learn about the meaning of the name and the figurative symbolism of the drama "Thunderstorm" Ostrovsky.
The first image of a thunderstorm
The image of a thunderstorm in this work is multifaceted. This natural phenomenon is both an idea and the protagonist of a drama. Why do you think Ostrovsky used the image of a thunderstorm? Let's talk about this.
Pay attention to the fact that this natural phenomenon in the work appears before the reader in several ways. Firstly, the meaning of the name and the figurative symbolism of the drama "Thunderstorm" is that initially the reader sees a natural phenomenon. The city of Kalinov, described in the work, as well as its residents live in anticipation and expectation of a thunderstorm. Everything that happens in the play lasts about two weeks. Every now and then on the streets of the town, conversations are heard that a storm is approaching.
In compositional terms, a thunderstorm is also the culmination! It is the powerful thunderclap that forces Katerina to confess to deceit and treason. Attentive readers will notice that action 4 is accompanied by peals. One gets the impression that the writer was preparing the reader and viewer to their apogee. But that is not all. Secondly, the meaning of the name and the figurative symbolism of the drama “Thunderstorm” has one more core. Let's look at it too.
The second image of a thunderstorm
It turns out that each character in the work understands the storm in different ways, that is, in its own way:
- The inventor Kuligin is not afraid of her, because he does not see anything mystical in this natural phenomenon.
- Wild as a punishment perceives Wild, he considers it an occasion to recall the Almighty.
- Unhappy Catherine saw in a thunderstorm the symbolism of fate and fate. So, after the worst thunderclap, the young lady admitted her feelings for Boris. She fears a thunderstorm because she considers her God's judgment. On this, the search for the meaning of the title of the play “Thunderstorm” by A.N. Ostrovsky does not end there. This natural phenomenon helps Katerina to take a desperate step. Thanks to her, she admits to herself, she becomes honest.
- Kabanov, her husband, sees a different meaning in a thunderstorm. The reader will know this at the very beginning of the play. He needs to leave for a short time, thanks to this he will get rid of excessive maternal control, as well as from her intolerable orders. He says that there will be no thunderstorm and no shackles above him. In these words is a comparison of natural disaster with the endless tantrums of Kabanikh.
Author's interpretation of the meaning of the name and figurative symbolism of the drama "Thunderstorm"
We have already said above that the image of a thunderstorm is symbolic, multifaceted, and also ambiguous. This suggests that the title of the play contains many meanings that complement and combine with each other. All this allows the reader to understand the problem comprehensively.
It is worth noting that the reader has a huge number of associations with the name. It is noteworthy that the author’s interpretation of the work does not limit the reader, so we don’t know how to decipher the image-symbol of interest to us.
Nevertheless, the author understands the meaning of the name and the figurative symbolism of the drama “Thunderstorm” as a natural phenomenon, the beginning of which the reader observes in the first act. And in the fourth, a thunderstorm is impulsively gaining strength.
The city lives in fear of the coming of a thunderstorm. Only Kuligin is not afraid of her. After all, he alone leads a righteous life - earns a living by honest labor and so on. He does not understand the primitive fear of the townspeople.
One gets the impression that the image of a thunderstorm carries a negative symbolism. However, it is not. The role of this natural phenomenon in the play is to stir up and refresh public life and people. It is not for nothing that the literary critic Dobrolyubov wrote that the city of Kalinov is a deaf kingdom in which the spirit of vice and stagnation dwells. Man has become a fool because he does not know and does not understand his own culture, which means that he does not know how to be a Man.
The thunderstorm phenomenon is trying to destroy the trap and enter the city. But such a thunderstorm alone will not be enough, as will Katerina’s death. The death of the young lady led to the fact that the indecisive spouse for the first time does what his conscience tells him to.
Image of the river
As you may have guessed, the image of a thunderstorm in this work is end-to-end. That is, he incarnates and appears before the reader in various guises. However, there is another equally important image in the drama, which also contains the figurative symbolism of the drama “Thunderstorm”.
We will proceed to consider the image of the Volga River. Ostrovsky depicted it in the form of a border that divides opposing worlds - the cruel kingdom of the city of Kalinov and the ideal world, invented by each hero of the work. The lady repeated several times that the river captures any beauty, since it is a whirlpool. The alleged symbol of freedom in the mind of Kabanikhi turns out to be a symbol of death.
Conclusion
We have examined the work of Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky - “Thunderstorm”. The drama was written in the era of realism, which means it is filled with many meanings and images.
We saw that the meaning of the name and the figurative symbolism of the drama "Thunderstorm" is relevant even today. The author’s skill lies in the fact that he was able to portray the image of a thunderstorm in various phenomena. Using a natural phenomenon, he showed all aspects of Russian society at the beginning of the 19th century, from wild morals to the personal drama of each of the heroes.