THE ROLE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF SECONDARY CHARACTERS IN THE DRAMA OF A. N. OSTROVSKOY "THE THUNDER" 5.00 /5 (100.00%) 2 votes

A. N. Ostrovsky is rightfully considered a singer
the father of the merchant environment, the father of the Russian way of life
howling drama, Russian national theater.
He wrote about 60 plays, and one
of the most famous is "Thunderstorm".
A. N. Dobrolyubov called Ostrovsky's play
"Thunderstorm" the most decisive work,
since "mutual relations of tyranny
and silence brought in it to the tragic
some consequences ... In the "Thunderstorm" there is something
uplifting and uplifting. This something is
in our opinion, the background of the play.
The background of the play is made up of minor
characters. This is a constant companion of Kateri-
us, the main character of the play, Barbara, sister
Katerina's husband, Tikhon Kabanov ^ She -
Katherine's opposite. Her main
rule: “Do whatever you want, as long as everyone
then yes it was covered. Barbara can not be denied in the mind,
tricks, before marriage, she wants to use everywhere
sing, try everything, because she knows
that “girls walk themselves as they want, father and mother
Ryu and nothing. Only women are locked up.”
Lying is the norm for her. She directly
tells Katerina that it is impossible without deceit: “We have
the whole house is based on it. And I'm not a liar
was, but learned when it became necessary.
Barbara adapted to the "dark king"
stvo”, studied its laws and rules. In her
sense of authority, strength, readiness
and even the desire to deceive. She is, in fact,
future Boar, because the apple is from the apple tree
falls close. Barbara's friend, Curly,
suits her. He is the only one in Ka-
line can rebuff the Wild. "I'm rude-
yang considered; why is he holding me? Sta-
lo be, he needs me. Well, that means I don't
I’m afraid, but let him be afraid of me ... ”, - go-
steals Kudryash. He behaves cheekily, fight-
ko, boldly, boasts of his prowess, knowledge
"merchant establishment". Curly - second
Wild, but still young.
In the end, Varvara and Kudryash left
give a "dark kingdom", but their escape is not at all
means that they are completely free from
old traditions and laws and adopt new ones
laws of life and honest rules. Feeling-
if they are free, they are more likely to be
We try to become masters of life.
In the play there are also true victims of the "dark
kingdoms." This is the husband of Katerina Kabanova, Ti-
khon - a weak-willed, spineless creature.
He listens to his mother in everything and obeys
her, does not have a clear life position, mu-
gesture, courage. His image is fully consistent with
Corresponds to the name - Tikhon (quiet). Young
Kabanov not only does not respect himself, but also
tells his mother shamelessly to refer-
to his wife. This is especially pronounced
in the scene of farewell before leaving for the fair-
ku. Tikhon repeats word for word all the instructions
leniya and moralizing mother. Kabanov nor
in which he could not resist his mother, slowly
ku drank himself, becoming even more weak-willed
and quiet. Of course, Katerina cannot love
and respect such a husband, and her soul longs for
love. She falls in love with Wild's nephew,
Boris. But Katerina fell in love with him, aptly
to the expression of Dobrolyubov, "in the wilderness",
after all, in fact, Boris is not much different from Ti-
hone. Just a little more educated. Without-
will of Boris, his desire to get his
part of the grandmother's inheritance (and he will receive
her only if she is respectful
with uncle) turned out to be stronger than love ..
In the "dark kingdom" with great respect
and the wanderer Feklusha enjoys respect.
Feklusha's stories about the lands where people live
with dog heads are perceived as neo-
verifiable information about the world. But not everything in
it is so gloomy: there are also living, sympathetic
active souls. This is self-taught mechanic Cooley-
gin who invents the perpetual motion machine. He is kind
and active, literally obsessed with constant
desire to do something useful for people.
But all his good intentions come up against
thick wall of misunderstanding, indifference, non-
knowledge. So, in response to an attempt to put
at home steel lightning rods he gets
furious. rebuff of the Wild: “Thunderstorm is something we need
knowledge is sent so that we feel, and you
you want with poles and some kind of horns, about
Lord, defend yourself."
Kuligin is essentially a resonator in the play.
rum, a condemnation of the “dark
kingdom ":" Cruel, sir, mores in our
city, cruel ... Who has money, sir, he
trying to enslave the poor so that he
free labor to make even more money ... ".
But Kuligin, like Tikhon, Boris, Varvara,
Curly, adapted to the "dark kingdom"
woo", resigned to such a life.
Secondary characters, as it were,
lo said - this is the background on which the spread-
the tragedy of a desperate woman looms.
Every face in the play, every image was a
the stump of the stairs that led Kateri
Well, on the banks of the Volga, to death.

The role of secondary characters in the novel by I. S. Turgenev "Fathers and Sons" is multifaceted. The system of characters is built by the author in such a way that the relationship of the characters with Bazarov reveals the character of each of them and at the same time makes it possible to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the protagonist's worldview, understand his character, the reasons for his loneliness, shade certain traits of his personality. In addition, when describing secondary characters, the sympathies and antipathies of Turgenev himself, his ideological position, his tastes and ideals are clearly manifested. Finally, the images of Turgenev's minor heroes - the Kirsanov brothers, Arkady, Odintsova, Fenechka, Bazarov's parents - are of independent artistic value and, in their entirety, paint a picture of the era contemporary to the author.
Pavel Kirsanov acts as the main ideological opponent of Bazarov in the story. In disputes with him, such traits of the main character as mind and will, inner independence, hatred of nobility and slavery are revealed, but, on the other hand, his negative qualities are also revealed: rudeness, inability to listen to the opinion of another, a tendency to categorical judgments. Pavel Petrovich talks about the need to respect authorities - for Bazarov, authorities do not exist. Both of them are categorical in their assessments, confident in their rightness and incapable of a reasonable compromise. Both eventually remain lonely, leaving behind neither offspring nor the results of their labor.
The nihilistic theory of Bazarov is truly refuted in the novel by the quiet and modest Nikolai Kirsanov. Nikolai Petrovich, with his tact, intelligence, openness to everything beautiful, is opposed to Bazarov, who is hostile to the whole world, including poetry, love, philosophy, and the beauty of nature. Nikolai Kirsanov does not participate in the ideological duel between his brother and Bazarov - on the contrary, he tries to soften the sharpness of the conflict between them. Soft and cordial, this Turgenev hero evokes sympathy from both the reader and the author of the novel. If Bazarov dies alone, without having time to realize his outstanding abilities, without leaving an heir, then Nikolai Petrovich is given to know the warmth family life, to carry out the connection of generations, to be a true custodian of the spiritual and aesthetic experience of the past. No matter how hard the "nihilists" try to shake the foundations of life, no matter how they deny the eternal values ​​in it, people like Nikolai Petrovich will preserve the healthy foundations of human existence, instill in their children simple and wise life concepts.
Arkady first falls under the influence of the extraordinary and strong personality of his friend. In an effort to be like his mentor in everything, he behaves with excessive swagger, tries to look mature and independent: he drinks a lot of wine, unnecessarily draws out his speech, avoids the word "panache". The author notices numerous details showing that Arkady's beliefs are random, superficial and contradict his mental make-up and upbringing. Bazarov is a man of action who has gone through the school of labor and deprivation and despises laziness and nobility. Arkady - "sissy", "baric". “... We say goodbye forever ... you were not created for our bitter, tart, bean life,” Bazarov will tell Kirsanov Jr. in one of the last chapters of the novel.
Love for Odintsova becomes the main test of Bazarov's nihilistic views. Odintsova aristocrat. In her, as in Pavel Kirsanov, a sense of self-respect is developed, and therefore she adheres to the routine that she “has started in her house and in life.” Protecting and appreciating this routine, Anna does not dare to surrender to the feeling that Eugene first awakened in her. This love becomes the beginning of retribution to the arrogant Bazarov: it splits the soul of the hero into two halves. From now on, two people live and act in it: one is a staunch opponent of “romantic”, lofty feelings, the other is passionately and spiritually loving person faced with the true mystery of deep feelings.
The story ends not with the scene of Bazarov's death (the most artistically powerful), but with a kind of EPILOGUE, in which the writer tells about the further fate of the characters. Saying goodbye to them, the author once again expresses his attitude towards them, and in the last lines of the novel, a majestic hymn to nature sounds as a symbol of "the eternal beginnings of human life." The epilogue reveals the author's position in relation to the protagonist and other characters of the novel. Turgenev contrasts the tragic figure of the "nihilist" not with any heroes, but with "human life, in its broadest sense," "nature in all its beauty."

In the comedy, Gogol condemns not only bureaucracy, but also the non-serving nobility, represented by the city gossips and idlers Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, the merchant class, oppressed by the mayor, but also infected with dishonesty and self-interest; the police, which is outrageous, offending both the right and the guilty. The monstrous arbitrariness of civil servants is directed against the most disenfranchised sections of the Russian population. In Gogol's comedy, these are such episodic characters as the locksmith Poshlepkin, whose husband was illegally given to the soldiers, the sick, who are not treated, but are fed sauerkraut so that they die faster, the non-commissioned officer who was innocently flogged, prisoners who do not receive food, garrison troops without underwear. These images help to understand the extent of lawlessness, injustice, theft, negligence, which permeate the entire system of Russian state power.

Theme and Idea

The theme that will be expressed in the title of Ostrovsky's play "Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man" also characterizes the comedy "Inspector General"; the fundamental inefficiency of bureaucratic and social institutions is revealed, their original criminality is cumbersome and outwardly unshakable, they are destroyed from within by fear, and it is enough for a hint of a possible punishment to appear - the philistine psychology and insignificance of morals hidden behind the front facade of power are immediately revealed. The main idea of ​​"The Government Inspector" is the idea of ​​the inevitable spiritual retribution that every person should expect. Gogol, dissatisfied with the way The Inspector General is staged on stage and how the audience perceives it, tried to reveal this idea in The Examiner's Denouement. “Look closely at this city, which is shown in the play!” Gogol says through the mouth of the First comic actor. “Everyone agrees that there is no such city in all of Russia ... Well, what if this is our soulful city and does he sit with each of us?.. Whatever you say, but the inspector who is waiting for us at the door of the coffin is terrible. As if you don’t know who this inspector is? Why pretend? This inspector is our awakened conscience, which will make us suddenly and at once nothing will hide before this inspector, because by the Nominal Supreme command he was sent and announced about him when it will not be possible to take a step back. Suddenly, such a monster will open before you, in you, that a hair will rise from horror. It is better to make an audit of everything that is in us at the beginning of life, and not at the end of it.

This is about the Last Judgment. And now the final scene of The Inspector General becomes clear. It is a symbolic picture of the Last Judgment. The appearance of a gendarme, announcing the arrival from St. Petersburg "by personal order" of the already real auditor, produces a stunning effect on the heroes of the play. Gogol's remark: "The spoken words strike everyone like thunder. The sound of amazement unanimously emanates from the ladies' lips; the whole group, suddenly changing position, remains petrified." Gogol attached exceptional importance to this "silent scene". He defines its duration as one and a half minutes, and in "An Excerpt from a Letter ..." he even speaks of two or three minutes of "petrification" of the characters. Each of the characters with the whole figure, as it were, shows that he can no longer change anything in his fate, move at least a finger - he is in front of the Judge. According to Gogol's plan, at this moment, silence should come in the hall for general reflection. In Denouement, Gogol did not propose a new interpretation of The Government Inspector, as is sometimes thought, but only laid bare its main idea. On November 2 (N.S.) 1846, he wrote to Ivan Sosnitsky from Nice: “Pay your attention to the last scene of The Inspector General. Think it over, think it over again. scene and why it is so important to me that it has its full effect. I am sure that you yourself will look at the "Inspector General" with different eyes after this conclusion, which, for many reasons, it was impossible for me then to give out and only now is possible. "From these words it follows that the Denouement did not give a new meaning to the "silent scene", but only clarified its meaning. Indeed, at the time of the creation of the "Inspector" in the "Petersburg Notes of 1836", Gogol's lines appear that directly precede the "Decoupling": "Lent is calm and formidable. It seems that a voice is heard:" Stop, Christian; look back at your life." However, Gogol's interpretation of the county town as a "spiritual city", and its officials as the embodiment of passions rampant in it, made in the spirit of the patristic tradition, came as a surprise to contemporaries and caused rejection. Shchepkin, who was destined for the role of the First comic actor On May 22, 1847, he wrote to Gogol: "... so far I have studied all the heroes of The Inspector General as living people ... Do not give me any hints that these are not officials and our passions; no, I do not want such a change: these are people, real living people, among whom I have grown up and almost grown old. .. You have gathered several people from the whole world into one gathering place, into one group, with these people I became completely related at the age of ten, and you want to take them away from me. "Meanwhile, Gogol's intention did not at all imply that living people "- full-blooded artistic images - a kind of allegory. The author only exposed the main idea of ​​the comedy, without which it looks like a simple denunciation of morals. "Inspector" - "Inspector", - Gogol answered Shchepkin around July 10 (n. St.) 1847 , - and application to oneself is an indispensable thing that every viewer must do from everything, not even The Inspector General, but which is more fitting for him to do about the Inspector General. In the second edition of the end of Denouement, Gogol explains his idea. Here The first comic actor (Mikhal Mikhalch), in response to the doubt of one of the characters that the interpretation of the play he proposed corresponds to the author's intention, says: "The author, even if he had this thought, would have acted badly if he had clearly revealed it. Comedy would then have strayed into allegory, some kind of pale moralizing sermon could have come out of it. No, his job was to portray simply the horror of material unrest, not in an ideal city, but in the one on earth ... His job was to portray this dark so strongly that they felt everything that needed to be fought with it, to throw the viewer into awe - and the horror of the riots would have penetrated him through everything. That's what he had to do. And it's our job to bring morality. We, thank God, are not children. I thought about what kind of moralizing I can bring out for myself, and attacked the one that I have now told you. "And further, to the questions of others why he alone brought out such a moralizing, according to their concepts, Michal Michalch answers:" Firstly , why do you know that this moralizing was deduced by me alone? And secondly, why do you consider it distant? I think, on the contrary, our own soul is closest to us. I then had my soul in mind, I thought about myself, and therefore I brought out this moralizing. If others had thought of themselves first, they would probably have drawn the same moralizing that I have. But does each of us approach the writer's work, like a bee to a flower, in order to extract from it what we need? No, we are looking for morality in everything for others, and not for ourselves. We are ready to advocate and defend the whole society, cherishing the morality of others and forgetting about our own. After all, we love to laugh at others, and not at ourselves ... "It is impossible not to notice that these reflections of the main character of the Denouement not only do not contradict the content of The Inspector General, but exactly correspond to it. Moreover, the thoughts expressed here are organic for all of Gogol's work.

We all know that any story is based on its characters. The question is, how many and what kind of characters do you need to introduce into the work?

Some authors believe that a protagonist (whose eyes we see what is happening) and an antagonist or antagonistic force (whose goals and desires contradict the goals and desires of the protagonist) are enough to create a good plot.

Such simplicity of the plot is often clearly seen in the example of short stories, where the selection of characters is based on the principle "less is more". However, when it comes to larger forms like a novel, the introduction of secondary characters will add depth to the story, helping you bring the plot to its logical conclusion.

The development of secondary characters, like any other aspect of the writer's work, is fraught with unlimited possibilities for the full implementation of the plot idea. Here are a few common supporting roles that will come in handy in any story. Of course, this list is far from exhaustive, but we hope it is worthy of your attention.

Buddy
This character is a true friend who is always next to the protagonist. A few famous examples are Sancho Panza from Don Quixote, Sam from The Lord of the Rings, or Ron Weasley from Harry Potter.

Tempter
The right hand of the antagonist. This secondary character will help you branch out from the main plot by adding obstacles that the protagonist will have to face as the story progresses.
Returning to the Harry Potter series, Peter Pettigrew (nicknamed Tail) is an example of a tempter who obeyed Voldemort's orders.

Skeptic
A minor character that makes it difficult for the hero to achieve his goals. Most often, this role goes to the tempter, but other options are possible. Sometimes in the story there are characters who stand in the way of the protagonist and thereby help the antagonist, but at the same time have nothing to do with the latter.
In Harry Potter, such a minor role is represented by Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, as well as Harry's cousin Dudley. Although they have nothing to do with Voldemort, they also try to interfere with the progress of the protagonist.

Driving force
This role is one of my favorites, I often refer to it as "the role of Obi-Wan" because Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of my favorite characters in the saga" star Wars(I mean old movies, of course).
The role of the driving force is to force the protagonist to act and thereby move the plot towards the denouement. When the protagonist can't choose which path to take (like Luke Skywalker at the beginning of episode 5) or is stuck and can't make a decision, it's time for the driving force to put in their two cents.
Be that as it may, it is not at all necessary that this minor character solve all the doubts of the protagonist. It will be much more interesting if the hero receives only hints from him that lead him to the conclusion which path to choose. This is just a small push; the final decision remains with the protagonist (otherwise, he will not gain experience and will not draw proper conclusions).
In many cases, the role of the driving force is assigned to the archetype of the old wise man (or wise old woman), an adult character with experience and knowledge that is the key to solving the protagonist's problems. However, things don't have to be that way. Sometimes an innocent comment by a silly side character can hold the information needed to solve a dilemma or make a decision.

Mentor
This minor character deserves special attention, because he not only helps to resolve the conflict of the protagonist (this function is also performed by the driving force), but also shows the main character the way (for a longer period than the driving force) and shares his knowledge with him in a critical situation to get him back on the right track. An example of such a character is Abbe Faria from The Count of Monte Cristo.

mixed character
Not everything in this world is divided into white and black, so the secondary characters that we mentioned do not have to play only one role. Sometimes you have to mix different types of characters to create new roles and add depth to the story.
The role of the pseudo-villain is a prime example of how such a mixed character works: the tempter (the antagonist's assistant) towards the end of the story atones for his sins and becomes the driving force or loyal comrade who helps the protagonist achieve his goal.
Of course, the above are only the most common types of secondary characters, while many more can be created. And the characters themselves should be chosen solely on the basis of what kind of story you would like to create.

In addition to the main characters, it also includes minor ones who play an equally important role in the play.

With replicas of minor characters, Ostrovsky draws a background that speaks about the state of the main characters, draws the reality surrounding them. From their words, you can learn a lot about the customs of Kalinov, his past and aggressive rejection of everything new, about the requirements that apply to the inhabitants of Kalinov, their way of life, dramas and characters.

In the remarks leading us to the image of Katerina and her monologue-characteristic, a modest young beautiful woman about which no one can say anything bad. Only the attentive Varvara saw her reaction to Boris and pushes her to betrayal, not seeing anything wrong in it and not at all tormented by a sense of guilt towards her brother. Most likely, Katerina would never dare to change, but the daughter-in-law simply hands her the key, knowing that she will not be able to resist. In the person of Varvara, we have proof that there is no love in the house of Kabanikh between relatives, and everyone is only interested in his personal life, his benefits.

Her lover, Ivan Kudryash, also does not feel love. He can cheat on Varvara simply out of a desire to harm the Wild, and would do this if his daughters were older. For Varvara and Kudryash, their meeting is an opportunity to satisfy bodily needs, to mutual pleasure. Animal lust is the obvious norm of the night Kalinov. The example of their couple shows the bulk of Kalinov's youth, the same generation that is not interested in anything other than their personal needs.

The younger generation also includes the married Tikhon and the unmarried Boris, but they are different. This is rather an exception to the general rule.

Tikhon represents that part of the youth that is suppressed by the elders and is completely dependent on them. He hardly ever behaved like his sister, he is more decent - and therefore unhappy. He cannot pretend to be submissive, like his sister - he is really submissive, his mother broke him. It is a pleasure for him to get drunk to death when there is no constant control in the face of his mother.

Boris is different, because he did not grow up in Kalinovo, and his late mother is a noblewoman. His father left Kalinov and was happy until he died, leaving the children orphans. Boris saw a different life. However, because of his younger sister, he is ready for self-sacrifice - he is in the service of his uncle, dreaming that someday Dikoy will separate them from part of the inheritance left by his grandmother. In Kalinov there are no entertainments, outlets - and he fell in love. This is really falling in love, not animal lust. His example shows the poor relatives of Kalinov, forced to live with rich merchants.

The example of Kuligin, a self-taught mechanic trying to create a mobile perpetuum, shows the inventors of small towns who are forced to constantly ask for money to develop inventions, and receive insults and humiliating refusals, and even abuse. He's trying to bring progress to the city, but he's the only one doing it. The rest are satisfied with everything, or they have resigned themselves to fate. This is the only positive secondary hero of the play, but he resigned himself to fate. He can't fight Wild. The desire to create and create for the people is not even paid. But it is with the help of him that Ostrovsky condemns the "dark kingdom". He sees the beauty of the Volga, Kalinov, nature, approaching thunderstorms - which no one else sees except him. And it is he who, giving the corpse of Katerina, utters the words of censure to the “dark kingdom”.

In contrast to him, the "professional" wanderer Feklusha settled well. She does not bring anything new, but she knows very well what those from whom she expects to eat deliciously want to hear. Change is from the devil, who hunts in big cities, confusing people. All new creations are also from the devil - exactly what is fully consistent with the personal opinion of Kabanikh. In Kalinov, assenting to Kabanikh, Feklusha will always be full, and food and comfort are the only things she is not indifferent to.

Not the last role is played by the half-crazy lady, about whom it was known that she sinned a lot in her youth, and in her old age she became obsessed with this topic. “Sin” and “beauty” are two inseparable concepts for her. Beauty is gone - and the meaning of life is gone, this, of course, becomes God's punishment for sins. On this basis, the lady goes crazy, and immediately begins to denounce, seeing a beautiful face. But on the impressionable Katerina, she gives the impression of an angel of retribution, although he himself invented most of God's terrible punishment for his act.

Without the secondary characters, The Thunderstorm could not have been so emotionally and meaningfully rich. With thoughtful remarks, like strokes, the author creates a complete picture of the hopeless life of the dark, patriarchal Kalinov, which can lead to death any soul that dreams of flying. That's why people don't fly there. Or they fly, but in a matter of seconds, in free fall.