The characterization of the Wild One from the play “The Thunderstorm” by Ostrovsky is important for revealing ideological meaning works. The image of this character must be analyzed to understand what the author wanted to show. Was this person invented or did he have a prototype? Why did Ostrovsky call him that? What traits did you give the hero? All this will be discussed in the essay.

Brief description of the Wild One from the play “The Thunderstorm”

Savel Prokofich Dikoy is a resident of the town of Kalinov, where the action of “The Thunderstorm” takes place. A merchant with a very large income. Money loves him, and it is extremely difficult for him to part with it. In his city Wild - Respected man. He is considered an authority and is feared. The main reason for this is wealth. In Kalinov, Dikoy is the wealthiest resident.

Ostrovsky gives a rather meager description of the Wild. There is practically no description of this character's appearance. The reader can get an idea of ​​the hero only by “observing” his behavior during the course of the plot.

Features of the image of the Wild

The image of the Wild One can be called complete. He is not characterized by any hesitation, doubt, or hesitation. He is not busy searching for the meaning of life, does not strive for any heights, and is not tormented by remorse. This is a bulldog man. He is confident in himself and in everything he does. He goes through life like a tank, not caring that he might crush someone along the way.

At the same time, Dikoy is completely uneducated and ignorant. Art, science, political and social processes are very far from him and are not interesting. Moreover, Dikoy considers all this empty, ridiculous, unworthy of respect, and even harmful. A rich man lives guided by prejudices or superstitions.
This is clearly manifested when Kuligin turns to the merchant for help in constructing a lightning rod. Residents of Kalinov are very afraid of thunderstorms, which is why this idea arises. However, Diko ridicules the idea of ​​Kuligin and himself. He claims that a thunderstorm with thunder and lightning is a sign God's people. A reminder that you need to live correctly. And it's stupid to try to fight higher power with the help of some “poles and rods”. The rich man does not accept any other opinion.

The only thing that matters to the Wild is money. If they got into his pocket, then Savel Prokofich would never part with them. Even Dikiy’s workers have to beg for wages. However, this does not always work out, and if it does, you will have to listen to a lot of abuse from the rich man.
The main trait of the Wild is rudeness. It can be traced throughout the entire work. Swear words constantly pour out of Savel Prokofich's mouth. He is absolutely not shy in his expressions, does not restrain himself, without any twinge of conscience he humiliates and insults his interlocutor. Calls everyone around him “parasites” and “asps”.

The merchant manifests himself everywhere as a rude and tyrant. However, his family gets the most. Boris Dikoy’s nephew was simply hunted down. And all because he depends on him financially. The moneybag's wife, driven to despair, ashamed of her husband's behavior, trembling in front of him, with tears in her eyes asks all her friends and relatives not to anger Savel Prokofich. However, it is difficult to fulfill her request even if desired. The Wild's aggressiveness is often unjustified. He may not like it appearance a person, one of his words, a look - and abuse begins.

The meaning of the image of the merchant in the work

For what purpose did the author introduce this character into his works? To understand the meaning of the image of the Wild in “The Thunderstorm”, you need to remember one more feature of this person. The richest and most respected man, Kalinov, is in fact an ordinary coward. Dikoy behaves boorishly only with those who cannot “fight back”, who are morally weaker.

If on the way you meet a person who is ready to fight back, the brawler and tyrant “puts his tail between his legs.” For example, the relationship between Dikiy and his clerk Kudryash. He is not at all afraid of his boss and can answer him with rudeness. For this reason, the merchant prefers not to contact the employee. The moneybags also treat the powerful and cruel Kabanikha with respect. Next to such people, the merchant’s aggressiveness disappears.

In the play “The Thunderstorm,” Dikoy is a representative of the “dark kingdom.” Moreover, its zealous guardian. Wild is the opposite of the “kingdom of light.” It wins, if a person does not bow his head, he can fight back.
The image of the Wild One, to whom the author even gave an eloquent surname, suggests such thoughts. Perhaps the character's flaws are somewhat exaggerated - there is hyperbole here.

“The Thunderstorm” by A. N. Ostrovsky made a strong and deep impression on his contemporaries. Many critics were inspired by this work. However, even in our time it has not ceased to be interesting and topical. Elevated to the category of classical drama, it still arouses interest.

The tyranny of the “older” generation lasts for many years, but some event must occur that could break the patriarchal tyranny. Such an event turns out to be the protest and death of Katerina, which awakened other representatives of the younger generation.

Let's take a closer look at the characteristics of the main characters.

That is why Kabanova is so sad, and that is why Dikoy is so furious: until the last moment they did not want to curtail their broad ambitions and are now in the position of a rich merchant on the eve of bankruptcy. Everything is the same with him, and he sets a holiday today, and he decided on a million-dollar turnover in the morning, and the credit has not yet been undermined; but there are already some dark rumors circulating that he has no cash capital, that his scams are unreliable, and tomorrow several creditors intend to present their demands; there is no money, there will be no reprieve, and the entire edifice of the charlatan phantom of wealth will be overturned tomorrow. The situation is bad... Of course, in such cases, the merchant directs all his concern to deceive his creditors and make them believe in his wealth: just like the Kabanovs and Dikiye are now trying to ensure that the belief in their strength continues. They don’t even expect to improve their affairs; but they know that their willfulness will still have plenty of scope as long as everyone is timid in front of them; and that is why they are so stubborn, so arrogant, so formidable even in last minutes, of which there are already few left for them, as they themselves feel. The less they feel real strength, the more they are struck by the influence of free, common sense, which proves to them that they are deprived of any rational support, the more impudently and crazily they deny all demands of reason, putting themselves and their arbitrariness in their place. The naivety with which Dikoy says to Kuligin: “I want to consider you a swindler, and I think so; and I don’t care that you are an honest person, and I don’t give an account to anyone why I think so,” this naivety could not have expressed itself in all its tyranny absurdity if Kuligin had not called it out with a modest request: “why?” Are you offending an honest man?..”

Dikoy, you see, wants to cut off any attempt to demand an account from him the very first time, he wants to show that he is above not only accountability, but also ordinary human logic. It seems to him that if he recognizes over himself the laws of common sense, common to all people, then his importance will greatly suffer from this. And in most cases, this is indeed what happens, because his claims are contrary to common sense. This is where eternal dissatisfaction and irritability develops in him. He himself explains his situation when he talks about how difficult it is for him to give out money. “What do you tell me to do when my heart is like this! After all, I already know what I have to give, but I can’t do everything with goodness. You are my friend, and I have to give it to you, but if you come and ask me, I will scold you. I’ll give it, I’ll give it, but I’ll scold you. Therefore, as soon as you mention money to me, it will start to ignite everything inside me; It kindles everything inside, and that’s all... Well, even in those times I would never scold a person for anything.” The giving of money, as a material and visual fact, even in the consciousness of the Wild One awakens some reflection: he realizes how absurd he is, and blames it on “what his heart is like”! In other cases, he is not even fully aware of his absurdity; but by the essence of his character, he must certainly feel the same irritation at any triumph of common sense as when he has to give out money. It’s hard for him to pay for this reason: out of natural egoism, he wants to feel good; everything around him convinces him that this good thing comes from money; hence the direct attachment to money. But here his development stops, his egoism remains within the boundaries of the individual and does not want to know its relationship to society, to its neighbors. He needs more money, - he knows this, and therefore he would only like to receive them, and not give them. When, in the natural course of things, it comes to giving back, he gets angry and curses: he takes it as a misfortune, a punishment, like a fire, a flood, a fine, and not as a proper, legal payment for what others do for him. It’s the same in everything: if he desires good for himself, he wants space, independence; but he does not want to know the law that determines the acquisition and use of all rights in society. He only wants more, as many rights as possible for himself; when it is necessary to recognize them for others, he considers this an attack on his personal dignity, and gets angry, and tries in every possible way to delay the matter and prevent it. Even when he knows that he absolutely must give in, and will give in later, he will still try to cause mischief first. “I’ll give it, I’ll give it, but I’ll scold you!” And one must assume that the more significant the issuance of money and the more urgent the need for it, the more strongly Dikoy swears... From this it follows that, firstly, the swearing and all his rage, although unpleasant, are not particularly terrible, and who, being afraid if he gave up the money and thought that it was impossible to get it, he would have acted very stupidly; secondly, that it would be in vain to hope for the correction of the Wild through some kind of admonition: the habit of fooling around is so strong in him that he obeys it even despite the voice of his own common sense. It is clear that no reasonable convictions will stop him until an external force that is tangible to him is connected to them: he scolds Kuligin, not heeding any reason; and when he was once scolded by a hussar on a ferry, on the Volga, he did not dare contact the hussar, but again took out his insult at home: for two weeks after that, everyone hid from him in attics and closets...

Dobrolyubov N.A. "A ray of light in a dark kingdom"

Read also other topics of analysis of the drama "The Thunderstorm":

Dobrolyubov N.A. "A ray of light in a dark kingdom"

• Wild. Characteristic

The action of Ostrovsky's drama takes place in the fictitious city of Kalinov on the banks of the Volga, where a traditional way of life reigns. The city has beautiful nature, but callousness and ignorance, anger, drunkenness and debauchery reign among the inhabitants of this area. And the worst thing is that people are used to it. They had such a way of life, and if someone came to them normal person, then he could not stay there for long. As in every literary work, in Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm” there are positive and negative heroes. The negative ones primarily include the mother-in-law main character Katerina - Marfa Ignatievna Kabanova and uncle Boris, Katerina’s beloved man, Savel Prokofievich Dikoy.

In the play, these characters are rarely called by their patronymic names; they are more often called and. What these characters have in common is that they are both cruel and heartless people, but they are united by their love of money. People's relationships, according to their worldview, are based only on wealth. They abuse their family as they please, forcing them to live in constant fear.

Dikoy has put himself above everyone around him, but they are afraid of him and do not even try to resist this. He shows permissiveness because there is no one in Kalinin who could resist him. Dikoy is convinced of his impunity and considers himself the master of life.

Kabanikha covers up her disrespectful behavior with a mask of virtue. She is a strong and powerful person, she has little interest in emotions and feelings. As a person of the old formation, Kabanova is interested in earthly affairs and interests. Its requirements are unquestioning adherence to order and rank.

Dikiy, like Kabanova, can be considered representatives of a certain part of the merchant class who behaved inappropriately. Such people cannot be called pious. But it cannot be said that the Russian merchants of the 19th century were the prototype of Kabanikha and Dikiy. In the same drama, Ostrovsky shows that Boris's father was Dikiy's brother, but being brought up in the same family, he was different from the merchant Dikiy. Boris's father was married to a girl noble origin, and he had a completely different life than his tyrannical brother.

Kabanova is also shown as a typical representative of the merchant class. Being the head of the family, the mother of Tikhon, Varvara and mother-in-law of Katerina, she constantly torments her closest people with her behavior. She may have loved her children in her own way, but can a normal mother behave like that? Probably not. The drama contains a description of Katerina's story about her childhood. Katerina's parents were also from the merchant class, but Katerina's mother was a sensitive, kind and sympathetic woman. She loved and cared for her daughter very much.

Ostrovsky took the plot for his play from real life, but the city was given the fictitious name Kalinov. Many Volga cities believed that the play “The Thunderstorm” was written based on events that happened in their city. Now for some reason they believe that this is the city of Kostroma.

Such and such a scolder like ours
Savel Prokofich, look again!
A. N. Ostrovsky
The drama “The Thunderstorm” by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky became a textbook work for many years, depicting “ dark kingdom", which suppresses the best human feelings and aspirations, trying to force everyone to live by his rough laws. No free-thinking - unconditional and complete submission to elders. The bearers of this “ideology” are Dikoy and Kabanikha. Internally they are very similar, but there is some external difference in their characters.
The boar is a prude and a hypocrite. Under the guise of piety, she, “like rusting iron,” eats her household members, completely suppressing their will. Kabanikha raised a weak-willed son and wants to control his every step. She hates the very idea that Tikhon can make his own decisions without looking back at his mother. “I would believe you, my friend,” she says to Tikhon, “if I had not seen with my own eyes and heard with my own ears what kind of respect for parents from children has now become! If only they remembered how many illnesses mothers suffer from their children.”
Kabanikha not only humiliates the children herself, she teaches Tikhon this too, forcing him to torture his wife. This old woman is suspicious of everything. If she had not been so fierce, Katerina would not have rushed first into the arms of Boris, and then into the Volga. The wild one just pounces on everyone like a chain. Kudryash, however, is sure that “...we don’t have many guys like me, otherwise we would have taught him not to be naughty.” This is absolutely true. Dikoy does not meet adequate resistance, and therefore suppresses everyone. The capital behind him is the basis of his outrages, which is why he behaves this way. For the Wild there is one law - money. With them he determines the “value” of a person. Swearing is a normal state for him. They say about him: “We should look for another scolder like our Savel Prokofich. There’s no way he’ll cut someone off.”
Kabanikha and Dikoy are “pillars of society”, spiritual mentors in the city of Kalinov. They have established unbearable orders, from which one rushes into the Volga, others run wherever they want, and still others become drunkards.
Kabanikha is quite confident that she is right; she alone knows the ultimate truth. That is why he behaves so unceremoniously. She is the enemy of everything new, young, fresh. “That’s how the old man comes out. I don’t even want to go to another house. And if you get up, you’ll spit, but get out quickly. What will happen, how the old people will die, how the light will remain, I don’t know. Well, at least it’s good that I won’t see anything.”
Dikiy has a pathological love of money. In them he sees the basis of his unlimited power over people. Moreover, for him, all means are good in making money: he cheats the townspeople, “he won’t cheat a single one,” he makes up “thousands” from unpaid kopecks, and quite calmly appropriates the inheritance of his nephews. Dikoy is not scrupulous in his choice of funds.
Under the yoke of the Wild and Boars, not only their households groan, but the entire city. “Fat is powerful” opens up for them the unlimited possibility of arbitrariness and tyranny. “The absence of any law, any logic - this is the law and logic of this life,” writes Dobrolyubov about the life of the city of Kalinov, and, consequently, of any other city in Tsarist Russia.
In the play “The Thunderstorm,” Ostrovsky gives a true picture of the musty atmosphere of the provincial city. The reader and viewer get a terrifying impression, but why is the drama still relevant 140 years after its creation? Little has changed in human psychology. Whoever is rich and in power is right, unfortunately, to this day.