Between the two works, the play "The Thunderstorm" anddrama "Duty Free", is worth twenty years. The country during this time has changed a lot, and the writer himself has changed. All this can be traced by analyzing these works. In this article we will carry out a comparative description of Catherine and Larissa, the main characters of the two plays.
Features of the merchants in two works
In Thunderstorm, merchants only become bourgeois.It can be seen from the fact that traditional patriarchal relations are obsolete for them, hypocrisy and deception (Barbara, Kabaniha) are affirmed, which are disgusting to Katerina.
In "Dowryless", later creationOstrovsky, merchants are no longer self-made and ignorant representatives of the so-called "dark kingdom", but people who claim to be educated, dressed in a European way, read foreign newspapers.
This should be taken into account when the comparative characteristics of Katerina and Larisa are made. After all, the merchant environment largely influenced the development of the characters and destinies of these girls.
The social status of heroines
Our comparative characteristic of Katerina andLarisa begins with determining the social status of girls. In the two plays, the main characters differ significantly according to this criterion, but they are very similar in their tragic fate. In The Thunderstorm, Katerina is the wife of a weak-willed but rich merchant who is entirely under the influence of her despotic mother.
In "The Dowryless" Larisa - unmarried beautifula girl who lost her father early and is raised by a mother, a very energetic, rather poor woman, not prone to tyranny. Kabaniha in his own way cares about the happiness of Tikhon, his son. Ogudalova Kharita Ignatyevna as jealously takes care of the welfare of Larisa, her daughter, in her own way understanding him. As a result, Katerina rushes to the Volga, and Larisa dies at the hands of her fiance. Heroes in both cases are destined to die, despite the fact that relatives and relatives seem to want them only good.
What unites these girls?
Comparative characteristics of Katerina and Larisareveals other common features. Both of these girls sought freedom, but they did not find it in our world; both are bright and pure natures and love the unworthy. They show with their whole essence a protest against the so-called dark kingdom (the society of the “Dowry-free” fits this definition in the same way as its representatives in the “Thunderstorm”).
Time and place of the two plays
Katerina Kabanova lives in a small Volgaa town in which life is in many ways still patriarchal. The action itself "Thunderstorms" occurs before the reform that occurred in 1861, which had a great impact on the life of the province. Larisa Ogudalova lives in a large city, which is also located on the Volga, which has long lost its patriarchality in various spheres, including family relations. The Volga River unites such girls as Katerina and Larisa. The comparative characterization of the heroines shows that for both she symbolizes death and freedom: both Larisa and Katerina are overtaken by death on the river. It should be noted, and differences: Bryakhimov open - come here and leave here. In the Thunderstorm, the Volga River is perceived primarily as a border, and in the play The Dumpless becomes a kind of means of communication with the outside world.
In the drama "Duty Free" the action takes placearound the end of the 1870s, when the second decade after the abolition of serfdom ended a decade. At this time, capitalism is developing rapidly. Former merchants, as we have already noted, become millionaire entrepreneurs.
Differences in education and character
We continue the comparison of Katerina and Larisa in “Thunderstorm”and "Dowry". The Ogudalov family is not rich, but Larissa’s mother’s perseverance helps to make acquaintance with wealthy and influential people. She inspires her daughter that she should certainly marry a rich chosen one. The choice for Katerina was made a long time ago, giving out a limp, unloved, but secured Tikhon. The heroine of "Dowryless" is accustomed to the relaxed life of the "light" - dancing, music, parties. She herself has the abilities - the girl sings well. In such a situation it is impossible to imagine Katerina. It is connected much more with folk beliefs, with nature, is religious. In a difficult moment, Larisa also remembers God and dreams, agreeing to tie her fate with Karandyshev, a minor official, to go to the village with him, away from wealthy acquaintances and urban temptations. In general, she is, however, a man of a different environment and epoch than the main character of The Thunderstorm. Katerina and Larisa, the comparative characteristics of which we carry out, are different in character. Larisa is inherent in a more subtle psychological warehouse; she feels the beauty more subtly than Katerina. This makes her more vulnerable to unfavorable circumstances.
Larisa is also a victim of hypocrisy and deception,but her life values are different, which are unthinkable for another heroine. Their source lies, above all, in education. The heroine of "Duty Free" received a Europeanized education. She yearns to find a beautiful, sublime love and the same life. She needs for this, ultimately, wealth. But the integrity of nature, the strength of character in this girl is not. Cultural and educated Larisa, it would seem, should express, unlike Katerina, at least some kind of protest. But this girl is weak nature. And it helps us to understand how different they are, Katerina and Larisa, the comparative characteristics of girls.
Different conflicts in the works
В драмах суть конфликта также разная.The clash in the "Thunderstorm" occurs between the victims of tyrants and the tyrants themselves. The motifs of space closure, repression, stuffiness, lack of freedom are very strong in the play. Katerina cannot subordinate herself to the laws of the world in which she finds herself after marriage. Her position is tragic: the love for Boris is in contradiction with the religiosity of the heroine, the inability of this girl to live in sin. The culmination of the work is the recognition of Katerina. Finale - the death of the main character.
At first glance, in the "Dowryless" is the opposite.Larisa is idolized, admired, she is not opposed to the heroes around her. There can be no talk of despotism and repression. However, the motive in the play is very strong, which was not in the “Thunderstorm” - the motive of money. Conflict drama forms it. Larissa is a no-mercy, which is what her position is defined in the drama. All around speak only about money, purchase and sale, profit, benefit. The feeling of a person in this world is also being traded. The clash of material, monetary interests with the personal feelings of the heroine leads to the tragic finale.
Katerina and Larisa: two women - one fate."Thunderstorm" (Ostrovsky) and "Dowryless" (by the same author) show that the fate of the girls is tragic both before the abolition of serfdom and after it. Ostrovsky invites us to reflect on the many eternal and pressing issues of our time.
