Katerina and Larisa Ogudalova are the main characters of two famous plays by A. N. Ostrovsky, “Thunderstorm” (1859) and “Dowry” (1878). The works are separated for nineteen years, but in these dramas you can find a lot in common.
Two heroines - a similar fate
The action takes place in a small provincial town, in a merchant-petty-bourgeois environment, secondary characters - representatives of the so-called third estate. The reconstruction of everyday life is central to the plot, serving as a backdrop for concretizing and developing the characters' images, as well as creating a sharp contrast between Larisa Ogudalova and Katerina on the one hand and the environment on the other. The characterization of Larisa Ogudalova and the comparison of the heroine with Katerina Kabanova are the subject of this review.
Common traits in the characters of Larisa and Katerina
The images of the heroines have much in common. Girls do not fit into the merchant-petty-bourgeois world, despite the fact that they were born, grew and raised in it. Both dream of freedom and happy love and in every possible way resist the norms, rules and attitudes that their families, friends and, finally, the townsfolk adhere to. Both are unhappy in love: Katerina suffered in the family of Tikhon Kabanov, and the grinding of Larisa with Karandyshev ended in tragedy. The girl did not have a relationship with Paratov: the latter, although he was not indifferent to her, found it more profitable for him to marry a rich bride. Both were experiencing these shocks hard: for their sensitive, gentle and soft natures, it was too hard a blow.
Protest of heroines against the patriarchal system
Each in its own way protests against the patriarchal way of life: Larisa Ogudalova, with all her might, is trying to resist the efforts of her mother, Harita Ignatyevna, it is profitable to marry her to a rich and influential groom. Katerina expressly declares her rejection of the lifestyle that she leads in the house of her mother-in-law Kabanova. It should be noted that Katerina expresses her position more resolutely and boldly than Larisa: in principle, she cannot get along in the new environment in which she found herself after marriage. In her husband’s family, everything seems strange to her, and even before her fateful meeting with Boris, she bluntly declares to Barbara that nothing is nice to her in her husband’s family. The protest of Larisa appeared only when she was seriously carried away by Sergey Sergeyevich Paratov: the girl unexpectedly shows such character traits that, it seemed, could not be suspected of this educated young lady. However, from the very first remarks of the heroine, the reader can judge her decisive disposition: she speaks rather sharply about her fiancé Karandyshev and directly tells him that he loses in comparison with Paratov.
Larisa's character
Larisa Ogudalova, a dweller, is very proud: for example, she is ashamed of herself and her mother, of the beggarly way of life that they have to lead, pleasing the rich guests who are crowds in their house to look at the beautiful, but poor bride. Nevertheless, Larisa suffers these parties, despite the repeated scandals in the house, which immediately becomes known to the whole city. However, when her feelings were affected, the heroine despised all conventions and fled after Paratov on the day of his departure from Bryakhimov (which, by the way, like Kalinov, is located on the banks of the Volga). After returning home, the heroine continues to live a familiar life and even agrees to marry Karandyshev - the marriage is unequal in all respects. And if it were not for Paratov’s reappearance on stage, then most likely Larisa would become Madame Karandysheva, leave with her husband in the village and, perhaps, after some time in the bosom of nature would find the strength in herself to continue to lead a familiar existence.
Katerina's character
However, such a scenario is difficult to imagine in relation to Katerina: it is unlikely that the latter would have come to terms with such an existence. It should be added to the characterization of Larisa Ogudalova that the heroine is extremely enclosed in herself: when she first appears on the stage, she is limited to only a few remarks, while Katerina from the very beginning confesses with her husband’s sister Barbara. She willingly shares with her childhood memories, admits how difficult it is for her in the new environment. In light of the foregoing, it makes sense to compare the images of the heroines with Tatyana Larina, with whom, at first glance, they can find a lot in common: all three are distinguished by their impulsiveness and immediacy of perception of the world around them. However, both Katerina and Larisa are too divorced from reality: both live exactly in a dream, and, it seems, are constantly in their own inner world.
Comparison of Larisa and Katerina
Knurov, for good reason, said that in Larisa "there is nothing worldly," that she is like "ether." Perhaps this is the best characteristic of Larisa Ogudalova: the girl is really constantly distracted and remains surprisingly indifferent to everything around her, and only occasionally she breaks down individual remarks that betray her dislike for the philistine life. Surprisingly, she does not at all express her love or even at least some kind of affection for her mother. Of course, from a moral point of view, the portrait of Kharita Ignatievna is far from ideal, but this woman, after all, cares about her daughter, is concerned about her fate and, of course, deserves some respect. Larisa gives the impression of a young lady estranged from life: her image, so to speak, is incorporeal and divorced from historical and social soil. In this respect, Katerina is more realistic: she reacts vividly and sharply to what is happening around; she lives a full-blooded, eventful, albeit more tragic, life. However, the image of Katerina is somewhat idealized, despite quite recognizable features.
Matching heroines with Tatyana Larina
This is not Tatyana Larina - she is firmly attached to her native corner in the village, which is what Eugene says in the final of the novel. The Pushkin heroine stands firmly on her soil, which gives her moral strength to withstand the trials that fell to her lot. That is why she inspires respect, and Larisa and Katerina - compassion and pity. Undoubtedly, the composition “Larisa Ogudalova” should draw a parallel between her drama, the tragedy of Katerina Kabanova and the story of Tatyana Larina.