Ostrovsky's drama "Dowry" is built on the classical naturalness and simplicity of the images of the heroes, but at the same time on the complexity of their characters and actions. The drama is not like others, there are no tightly wound intrigues in it, the heroes are the same people, but with the difference that that they are simpler and easy to understand.
Goncharov, discussing the basis of Ostrovsky’s drama, said that the playwright “seems to not want to resort to plot - this artificiality is beneath him: he must sacrifice to it a part of truthfulness, integrity of character, precious touches of morals, details of everyday life - and he is more willing to lengthen the action, cool the viewer , just to carefully preserve what he sees and feels alive and true in nature."
Ostrovsky's work does not fit into any of the classical genre forms, this gave Dobrolyubov a reason to talk about it as a “play of life.” In "Dowry" Ostrovsky comes to reveal complex, subtle, psychologically polyphonic human characters. He shows us the conflict of life, the reader lives this short period of life, like a resident of the same city of Bryakhimov, or, what is even more interesting, like any hero of the drama.
Larisa Ogudalova is the main character of the drama, all the action is happening around her, intrigues are “wandering.”
Larisa is a girl who is even more fragile and unprotected than she seems at first glance. In my opinion, she can be compared to a noble white rose. The girl is just as gentle and beautiful, it’s not for nothing that they call her “the decoration of the city.” But on the other hand, they say about Larisa that she is “an expensive piece of jewelry that requires a good jeweler.” Maybe it would be nice, but here, in the play, these words sounded impudent and vulgar. After all, here Larisa is valued as a thing, in in this case, like a precious stone. Of course, precious is flattering, but a stone is something cold, lifeless, insensitive, not at all suitable for Larisa’s romantic nature.
Her soul is refined, bright, musical, sensitive and melodic. Larisa is like a light in this city, like the heroine of one of the Russian romances that she loves to sing. Having heard enough romances in own performance, she starts to dream about pure love, about a strong family, a loving spouse.
But everything doesn’t work out the way the girl wants it. The drama is based on a social theme. Larisa is poor, she is a girl without a material dowry, but at the same time she has a rich inner world, which we will not find anymore in any of the heroes of the drama. Larisa lives in a world where everything is bought and sold, even girlish beauty and love. But, lost in her dreams, in her rainbow world, she does not notice the most disgusting sides in people, does not notice the ugly attitude towards herself, Larisa sees only good everywhere and in everyone and believes that people are like that.
That's how Larisa made a mistake in Paratov. He leaves the girl in love for the sake of profit, destroys at his own request. Afterwards, Larisa is preparing to marry Karandyshev. The girl perceives him as a kind, poor man who is not understood by others. But the heroine does not understand and does not feel Karandyshev’s envious, proud nature. After all, in his attitude towards Larisa there is more complacency for owning such a precious stone as Larisa.
At the end of the drama, Larisa comes to realization. She understands with horror and bitterness that everyone around her perceives her as a thing or, even worse, wants to make her a kept woman, such as Knurov and Vozhevatov.
And then the heroine says the words: “A thing... yes a thing. They are right, I am a thing, not a person.” Larisa, in despair, tries to throw herself into the Volga, but cannot, she is afraid to part with her life, no matter how worthless and unhappy it may seem to her.
The upset girl finally understands that everything in this world is assessed by the “rustle of banknotes,” and then she decides: “If there is to be a thing, then there is only one consolation - to be expensive.”
Karandyshev's shot is salvation in Larisa's eyes, she is glad that she again belongs only to herself, they cannot sell or buy her, she is free. In Karandyshev’s thoughtless, random act, Larisa finds a shadow of nobility and living human feeling, and her emotional drama the end ends, for the first time the heroine feels for real happy and free.
A. N. Ostrovsky's drama "Dowry" is a wonderful play from the late period of the writer's work. It was conceived in 1874, completed in 1878 and staged in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the same year. M. Ermolova, M. Savina, and later V. Komissarzhevskaya - best actors capital theaters - took on the role of Larisa Ogudalova. What captivated them so much with this wonderful heroine?
Larisa Ogudalova is distinguished by her truthfulness, sincerity, and directness of character, thereby reminiscent of Katerina from “The Thunderstorm.” According to Vozhevaty, Larisa Dmitrievna “has no cunning.” What brings her closer to the heroine of “The Thunderstorm” is her high poetry. Larisa is attracted by the Trans-Volga distance, the forests beyond the river, beckoned by the beauty itself - the Volga with its spaciousness. “There is no earthly, this worldly thing,” notes Knurov. And in fact: she all seems to be raised above the dirt of reality, above the vulgarity and baseness of life. In the depths of her soul, like a bird that she herself resembles, beats the dream of a beautiful and noble, honest and quiet life, Translated from Greek, Larisa means “seagull”, and this is no coincidence.
Shouldn't I prefer my mother's lifestyle? Kharita Ignatievna, left a widow with three daughters, is constantly cunning and cunning, flattering and ingratiating, begging from the rich and accepting their handouts. She set up a real noisy “gypsy camp” in her house to create the appearance of beauty and splendor of life. And all this in order to trade in human goods under the cover of this tinsel. She has already ruined two daughters, now it’s her turn to sell the third. But Larisa cannot accept her mother’s lifestyle; it is alien to her. The mother tells her daughter to smile, but she wants to cry. And she asks her groom to tear her out of this “bazaar” surrounding her, where there is a lot of “all sorts of rabble,” and to take her further away, beyond the Volga.
However, Larisa is a dowryless, poor, moneyless bride. She has to put up with it. In addition, she herself managed to become infected with a craving for external brilliance. Larisa lacks integrity of character, her mental life quite controversial. Not only does she not want to see the vulgarity and cynicism of the people around her, but for quite a long time she cannot discern it. All this distinguishes her from Katerina. Refusing her mother's lifestyle, she exists among vulgar admirers.
Larisa Ogudalova had to experience the indifference and cruelty of those around her, to survive love drama, and as a result she dies, just like the heroine of "The Thunderstorm". But despite the apparent similarity, Larisa Ogudalova has a completely different character than Katerina Kabanova. The girl received an excellent education, she is smart, sophisticated, educated, dreams of beautiful love, but initially her life turns out completely differently. She is homeless. Larisa's mother is very selfish. She sells the beauty and youth of her daughters.
First, an old man with gout appeared in the house. Larisa clearly doesn't want this unequal marriage, but “you had to be nice: mummy orders.” Then the rich manager of some prince came running, always drunk. Larisa has no time for him, but in the house they accept him: “her position is unenviable.” Then a certain cashier “appeared”, showering Kharita Ignatievna with money. This one fought off everyone, but didn’t show off for long. Circumstances here helped the bride: he was arrested in their house with a scandal.
Larisa Ogudalova falls in love with the “brilliant master” Sergei Sergeevich Paratov. She sincerely considers him the ideal man. The master has a fortune, he fully corresponds to the idea of a noble and educated person. His inner essence is revealed later. Larisa is young and inexperienced, so she falls into Paratov’s trap and ruins herself. She doesn't have strong character and becomes a toy in the hands of others. It comes to the point where the girl is being played toss. Those around her consider her a thing, an expensive and beautiful amusement, but her sublime soul, beauty and talent turn out to be unimportant. Karandyshev tells Larisa: “They don’t look at you as a woman, as a person... they look at you as a thing.”
She herself agrees with this: “A thing... yes, a thing! They are right, I am a thing, I am not a person...”.
Larisa has a passionate heart, she is sincere and emotional. She generously gives her love, but what does she get in return? For her loved one, Larisa is just another form of entertainment and fun. Out of despair, she even agrees to accept Knurov’s conditions.
Death is a kind of salvation for Larisa, a spiritual salvation, of course. Such a tragic ending saves her from the difficult choice that she is trying to make, saves her from moral death and falling into the abyss called depravity.
The only way out that Larisa finds is leaving this world. Larisa first wanted to commit suicide herself. She approached the cliff and looked down, but unlike Katerina, she did not have enough determination and strength to accomplish her plan. However, Larisa's death is predetermined and prepared by the entire play. Suddenly a shot is heard from the pier (this is what Larisa is scared of). Then the ax in Karandyshev’s hands is mentioned. He calls certain death a fall from a cliff. Larisa talks about Paratov’s “indifferent shot” at the coin she was holding in her hands. She herself thinks that here on any branch “you can hang yourself,” but on the Volga “it’s easy to drown yourself everywhere.” Robinson has a premonition of a possible murder. Finally, Larisa dreams: “If only someone would kill me now?”
The death of the heroine becomes inevitable, and it comes. In a mad fit of ownership, performing a great deed for her, Karandyshev kills her. This is the last and involuntary choice of the homeless woman. This is how the tragedy of the main character of Ostrovsky’s play ends.
"Dowry" is a drama about the catastrophe of personality in an inhuman world. This work is about the tragedy of an ordinary Russian woman, a homeless woman with a warm, loving heart.
Ostrovsky's drama "Dowry" shows readers the tragedy of Larisa Ogudalova, who became a weak-willed toy in the hands of those around her. Larisa Ogudalova, like Katerina Kabanova, the main character of another Ostrovsky drama, also becomes a victim. However, Larisa initially has different qualities than Katerina, who grew up in a patriarchal environment. The drama "Dowry" was written in 1879. At this time, capitalist relations had already been established in Russia. This means that patriarchal foundations are gradually losing their relevance.
Larisa Ogudalova received a good education. She is refined in a European way. Larisa dreams of love. The girl has a warm heart. She cannot allow her life to be connected with an unloved person. But Larisa’s desire for love coincides with her dream and a beautiful life. Larisa is poor, but in order to become happy, she also needs wealth.
Larisa is surrounded by petty, ignoble people. The brilliant master Paratov perceives Larisa only as a beautiful thing. This imposing, narcissistic man seems to the girl the embodiment of the ideal. But in fact, Paratov has neither nobility nor kindness. He is selfish, petty, cruel, calculating.
However, Karandyshev, who is initially not perceived as a worthy match for Larisa, is not much different from him. Larisa is young and inexperienced. She does not have the strong character to withstand the circumstances. It’s as if she’s playing by someone else’s rules, becoming a toy in someone else’s hands. Even Larisa's mother perceives her daughter only as a commodity. She is ready to sacrifice Larisa’s beauty and youth, since this makes it possible to gain material benefits and strengthen social status Ogudalovs.
Everyone who surrounds Larisa thinks of her exclusively as a thing, an object of entertainment. It is no coincidence that she is being played toss. All best qualities Larisa, her soul, her feelings are of no interest to anyone. People only think about her external beauty. After all, this is what makes it such an attractive toy.
Karandyshev tells Larisa: “They don’t look at you as a woman, as a person... they look at you as a thing.” Ogudalova herself agrees with this: “A thing... yes, a thing! They are right, I am a thing, I am not a person...” In my opinion, major tragedy girls is precisely that Larisa has a warm heart. If she had been cold-blooded, calculating, cunning, Larisa, with her external data and ability to present herself, would have managed to get a very good job in life. However, the heroine’s ardor, emotionality, and openness make her suffer more from the role assigned to her. Larisa’s love and feelings are of no interest to anyone, she is needed solely for entertainment. At the end of the drama, the girl ends up crushed and destroyed. This leads to the fact that the desperate Larisa even agrees to accept Knurov’s conditions.
The tragic ending of "The Dowry" is a salvation for the heroine, a deliverance from humiliation. Now she belongs to no one. Death seems to be a blessing for Larisa. After all, humiliated, unhappy, she sees no point in later life. The act of Sergei Sergeevich Paratov makes the girl realize that scary fact that the ending of her life will inevitably be tragic. Yes, now someone besides Sergei Paratov still needs her, but years will pass, her youth will fade and Larisa will simply be thrown away by one of her rich owners, like a worn-out and unnecessary thing.
The drama "Dowry" again makes us think about the place of a woman in the world. If in the play “The Thunderstorm” Katerina became a victim of the Domostroevsky way of life, then Larisa is a victim of new, capitalist relations. It is noteworthy that the rules by which society lives are changing. And the woman still remains a powerless creature. Katerina Kabanova finds the strength to protest. After all, her suicide is a clear protest against the reality4 in which the heroine had to live. Larisa does not have the courage to even attempt to protest. She remains a toy in the hands of circumstances until the very end. Perhaps the reason for this is the upbringing that Larisa Ogudalova received. If we turn again to the image of Katerina from “The Thunderstorm,” we can recall that this girl grew up in an atmosphere parental love and guardianship. Therefore, she was very sensitive to her current powerless situation. As for the heroine of the drama "Dowry", here, apparently, Larisa was initially prepared by her mother specifically for the role of a commodity, a toy. Hence the girl’s passivity, lack of desire to fight, to defend her rights.
Larisa's fate is regrettable. But at the same time, you can’t help but wonder why the heroine, who has an ardent heart and passionately desires to love, does not find another outlet for her passions. After all, she, who received a Europeanized upbringing, could have guessed that her lover sees in her only entertainment. However, Larisa was raised in such an atmosphere that the opportunity to profitably sell herself, her beauty and talent, seemed quite acceptable. It is no coincidence that Larisa’s mother is depicted as very selfish. It’s sad that from all of Larisa’s circle there is no one who would not be so indifferent and cruel to the fate of the young girl.
A. N. Ostrovsky's drama "Dowry" is a wonderful play from the late period of the writer's work. It was conceived in 1874, completed in 1878 and staged in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the same year. M. Ermolova, M. Savina, and later V. Komissarzhevskaya - the best actors of the capital's theaters - took on the role of Larisa Ogudalova. What captivated them so much with this wonderful heroine?
Larisa Ogudalova is distinguished by her truthfulness, sincerity, and directness of character, thereby reminiscent of Katerina from “The Thunderstorm.” According to Vozhevaty, Larisa Dmitrievna “has no cunning.” What brings her closer to the heroine of “The Thunderstorm” is her high poetry. Larisa is attracted by the Trans-Volga distance, the forests beyond the river, beckoned by the beauty itself - the Volga with its spaciousness. “There is no earthly, this worldly thing,” notes Knurov. And in fact: she all seems to be raised above the dirt of reality, above the vulgarity and baseness of life. In the depths of her soul, like a bird, which she herself resembles, beats the dream of a beautiful and noble, honest and quiet life. Translated from Greek, Larisa means “seagull,” and this is no coincidence.
Shouldn't I prefer my mother's lifestyle? Kharita Ignatievna, left a widow with three daughters, is constantly cunning and cunning, flattering and ingratiating, begging from the rich and accepting their handouts. She set up a real noisy “gypsy camp” in her house to create the appearance of beauty and splendor of life. And all this in order to trade in human goods under the cover of this tinsel. She has already ruined two daughters, now it’s her turn to sell the third. But Larisa cannot accept her mother’s lifestyle; it is alien to her. The mother tells her daughter to smile, but she wants to cry. And she asks her groom to tear her out of this “bazaar” surrounding her, where there is a lot of “all sorts of rabble,” and to take her further away, beyond the Volga.
However, Larisa is a dowryless, poor, cash-strapped bride. She has to put up with it. In addition, she herself managed to become infected with a craving for external brilliance. Larisa lacks integrity of character, her mental life is quite contradictory. Not only does she not want to see the vulgarity and cynicism of the people around her, but for quite a long time she cannot discern it. All this distinguishes her from Katerina. Refusing her mother's lifestyle, she exists among vulgar admirers.
Larisa Ogudalova had to experience the indifference and cruelty of those around her, survive a love drama, and as a result she dies, just like the heroine of “The Thunderstorm”. But despite the apparent similarity, Larisa Ogudalova has a completely different character than Katerina Kabanova. The girl received an excellent education, she is smart, sophisticated, educated, dreams of beautiful love, but initially her life turns out completely differently. She is homeless. Larisa's mother is very selfish. She sells the beauty and youth of her daughters.
First, an old man with gout appeared in the house. Larisa clearly does not want this unequal marriage, but “I had to be nice: mummy orders.” Then the rich manager of some prince came running, always drunk. Larisa has no time for him, but in the house they accept him: “her position is unenviable.” Then a certain cashier “appeared”, showering Kharita Ignatievna with money. This one fought off everyone, but didn’t show off for long. Circumstances here helped the bride: he was arrested in their house with a scandal.
Larisa Ogudalova falls in love with the “brilliant master” Sergei Sergeevich Paratov. She sincerely considers him the ideal man. The master has a fortune, he fully corresponds to the idea of a noble and educated person. His inner essence is revealed later. Larisa is young and inexperienced, so she falls into Paratov’s trap and ruins herself. She does not have a strong character and becomes a toy in the hands of others. It comes to the point where the girl is being played toss. Those around her consider her a thing, an expensive and beautiful amusement, but her sublime soul, beauty and talent turn out to be unimportant. Karandyshev tells Larisa: “They don’t look at you as a woman, as a person... they look at you as a thing.”
She herself agrees with this: “A thing... yes, a thing! They are right, I am a thing, I am not a person...”.
Larisa has a passionate heart, she is sincere and emotional. She generously gives her love, but what does she get in return? For her loved one, Larisa is just another form of entertainment and fun. Out of despair, she even agrees to accept Knurov’s conditions.
Death is a kind of salvation for Larisa, a spiritual salvation, of course. Such a tragic ending saves her from the difficult choice that she is trying to make, saves her from moral death and falling into the abyss called depravity.
The only way out that Larisa finds is leaving this world. Larisa first wanted to commit suicide herself. She approached the cliff and looked down, but unlike Katerina, she did not have enough determination and strength to accomplish her plan. However, Larisa's death is predetermined and prepared by the entire play. Suddenly a shot is heard from the pier (this is what Larisa is scared of). Then the ax in Karandyshev’s hands is mentioned. He calls certain death a fall from a cliff. Larisa talks about Paratov’s “indifferent shot” at the coin she was holding in her hands. She herself thinks that here on any branch “you can hang yourself,” but on the Volga “it’s easy to drown yourself everywhere.” Robinson has a premonition of a possible murder. Finally, Larisa dreams: “If only someone would kill me now?”
The death of the heroine becomes inevitable, and it comes. In a mad fit of ownership, performing a great deed for her, Karandyshev kills her. This is the last and involuntary choice of the homeless woman. This is how the tragedy of the main character of Ostrovsky’s play ends.
"Dowry" is a drama about the catastrophe of personality in an inhuman world. This work is about the tragedy of an ordinary Russian woman, a homeless woman with a warm, loving heart.
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky is a brilliant Russian playwright. His famous play The Dowry was written in 1878. The author worked long and hard on the work for four years. “The Dowry” raised many questions and contradictions among critics and spectators who were the very first to see the play staged on stage.
As often happens, people’s recognition of “Dowry” came only a few years after the death of the author himself. The first performances staged in the St. Petersburg and Moscow theaters, unfortunately, were very disastrous, critics gave bad ratings and wrote conflicting reviews. However, the play quickly and easily passed censorship and was immediately published in the journal Otechestvennye zapiski in 1879.
It is believed that Ostrovsky wrote the drama based on real events, which he had to observe during his life, being a magistrate in Kineshma district.
The idea of this work was conceived by the author in the fall of 1874, but the work on it took a long time and painstakingly. During the time of its writing, the author released several more works, and finished “Dowry” only in January 1879. The play, which was not accepted and recognized at the time, has now become a classic and has gained true respect and immortality.
The essence of the work
First, it’s worth deciding who the dowry is? This is how in the old days they called girls who were poor and had no dowry, which was supposed to go into the capital of her future family. A woman in those days did not work, therefore, the man took her as his dependent, and, apart from the money received from his parents, he had nothing to hope for, his wife could not help him in any way in financial matters, and her children were automatically left without an inheritance with one of the parties. As a rule, such girls diligently tried to win the attention of suitors with their beauty, pedigree and inner virtues.
Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky in his play describes the real internal state of an ordinary dowry woman who persistently searches for a real, sincere love on earth, but realizes that it does not exist. No one dared to look into her soul and show sincere interest in her, so the girl becomes an ordinary thing for a rich man, she simply has no other choice or even a chance to receive decent treatment. Another option to arrange your life is to marry the pathetic, selfish and unassuming Karandyshev, a petty clerk who again marries Larisa for the sake of self-affirmation. But she rejects this option too. The author demonstrates all the contradictions in life that surround us, using the example of the destinies of the heroes. The essence of the play "Dowry" is to show the reader how mercilessly and vilely people change true love and friendship for an ordinary deal, from which one can only draw one’s own benefit.
Main characters
- The characters in the play are:
Larisa Ogudalova - young beautiful girl having no dowry. She feels extremely humiliated in this world because of her difficult position in society. Such girls, unfortunately, were of little interest to anyone during the writer’s life. The heroine loves to dream, so she falls in love with a rich nobleman and hopes for happiness next to him. With Karandyshev, the girl feels like a thing, her personality becomes insignificant, she directly tells him that she cannot love him the way she loves another. She is gifted with musical and choreographic talents. Her disposition is meek and calm, but deep down she is... passionate nature wanting mutual love. The hidden strength of will is revealed in her character when she runs away from her engagement to face the risk of being disgraced and misunderstood by her environment. But for the sake of sincere feeling, she is ready to sacrifice her life, shouting a farewell ultimatum to her mother: either she will become Paratov’s wife, or she should be looked for in the Volga. As you can see, the desperate woman is not without passion; she puts both her honor and herself on the line. we analyzed it in the essay. - Kharita Ignatievna - Mrs. Ogudalova, mother of Larisa Ogudalova, a poor noblewoman, a widow who was particularly dexterous in economic affairs, but could not give a dowry to her three daughters, since her fortune was not great. She herself barely makes ends meet, but manages to throw away lunches and evenings in order to find a match for her latest young lady of marriageable age.
- Yuri Karandyshev, a poor official, the fiancé of Larisa Ogudalova, was distinguished by excessive narcissism and obsession. A selfish weirdo who was often jealous and looked a bit stupid. Larisa was a toy for him that he could show off to others. He feels all the contempt of the Ogudalovs’ entourage, but, nevertheless, he does not give up the idea of proving to them that he is an equal to everyone. His ostentatious arrogance, attempts to please and gain honor irritate society and the heroine herself, in comparison with the dignity and strength of Paratov this little man hopelessly losing. He finally falls in the eyes of his bride when he gets drunk at the engagement dinner. Then she understands that it is better to go to the Volga than to marry him.
- Sergei Paratov is a respected nobleman, a rich man who often threw money away for his own pleasure. He lived, caroused and courted women beautifully, so after gradual ruin he managed to capture the heart of a rich heiress. It is obvious that he is the same soulless egoist as Karandyshev, he simply lives in grand style and knows how to make an impression. The soul of the party and joker, above all he loves to have fun and throw dust into the eyes, which is why he chooses a marriage of convenience rather than sincere feelings.
- Vasily Vozhevatov is a friend of Larisa Ogudalova, a very rich, but immoral and vile person. The hero has never been in love and does not know what it is. He was distinguished by his wit and cunning. Vasily is not going to marry the girl, although he claims to take her into custody. He loses it in the lot, but consoles himself with the fact that he saved, which makes him an immoral and empty person. He is a merchant, a descendant of serfs, who achieved everything on his own. For him, the most important thing is not to lose the position he has achieved, so he refuses to help the young woman, not wanting to break the merchant’s word given to Knurov.
- Mokiy Knurov is a rich man of advanced age. He shows sympathy for Larisa, although he is married. A very concrete and thorough person, instead of everything and immediately promises the girl whom he wants to make his kept woman, material benefits, making the reservation: “For me, the impossible is not enough.”
- Arkady Schastlivtsev (Robinson) is an acquaintance of Paratov, a failed actor who often liked to drink, but did not know how to control his condition.
- Gavrilo is a bartender and runs a coffee shop on the boulevard.
- Ivan is a servant in a coffee shop.
- The main issues in the work are moral problems: Larisa commits dishonest act in the eyes of society, but the backstory completely justifies it. The real immoral act is to deceive Karandyshev and get married without love. It is not better to become a kept woman among merchants. That's why Larisa has to thank her jealous fiancé for her death.
- The author raises the problems of duty and honor, the purchase of the human soul. Morality in society is ostentatious, for it it is enough to simply maintain the appearance of decency, but the dishonest bargaining of its elected members remains without condemnation and without attention.
- We also see in the work the problem of finding the meaning of life. The girl despaired and lost the meaning in everything, Vozhevatov and Knurov use her like a bright toy that they are not afraid to even bet. Paratov reports that he will soon marry another girl for material wealth, he betrays her and exchanges love for comfort. Larisa cannot understand and bear complete absence the souls and indifference of those who surround her all her life. All the men who were next to her disappointed the heroine; she did not feel the respect and attitude that she deserved. For her, the meaning of life was love, and when it was gone, as was respect, Larisa chose death.
Main theme
Drama human soul in an immoral society - this is the main essence of the main tragic theme in Ostrovsky's play "Dowry", which the author widely reveals through the heroine Larisa Ogudalova. She did not receive dowry from her mother, so she will have to suffer in this inhumane world. Suitors who are fighting for a girl do not take her seriously; she becomes either an object for them to brag about, or just a toy and thing.
The theme of disappointment in the world is also present in the work. The main character A terrible end awaits: devastation, despair, dishonor and death. The girl believed in the best and new life, believed in love and kindness, but everything that surrounded her could prove to her that there was simply no love or a hint of enlightenment. All storylines The work touches on social issues. Larisa lives in a world where everything can be found for money, even love.
Issues
Of course, a tragedy cannot be avoided without ambiguous and complex issues. The issues in the play by Alexander Nikolaevich Ostrovsky are quite extensive and multifaceted.
What is the meaning of the play?
Ostrovsky wrote a very emotional drama that will not disappoint with its ideological and thematic content even an experienced and fastidious reader. Main idea Ostrovsky's drama "Dowry" is to condemn too high value wealth and money in society. Material goods play the most important role in life, a person who does not have them can only be a toy in the hands of a rich man, not entitled to sincere feelings. Poor people become the subject of sale to heartless barbarians who languish over their fortune. Everything around Larisa Ogudalova is saturated with crude cynicism and cunning, which destroy her pure, bright soul. These qualities determined the price of a woman’s life, reselling it among themselves as a faceless and soulless thing. And this price is low.
Using the example of the heroine, the writer shows how the heart of a homeless woman suffers, who is only to blame for the fact that she does not have a fortune behind her. Fate is so dishonest and unjust towards the poor, but very bright and smart people. The girl loses faith in humanity, in her ideals, experiencing numerous betrayals and humiliations. What is the cause of the tragedy of the homeless woman? She could not come to terms with the collapse of her dream, with the destruction of her beliefs, and decided to get reality to arrange itself the way it needed to, as it should have happened in natural conditions. The heroine knows from the very beginning that she is taking a mortal risk, as evidenced by her farewell remark to her mother. She set conditions for the whole world: either her dream comes true, or she leaves this life without humiliating herself to marriage and cohabitation of convenience. Even if Karandyshev had not killed her, she would have followed her own warning and drowned herself in the Volga. Thus, the young woman became a victim of her illusions, her pride and her intransigence with the vulgarity of the environment.
Before us is a classic clash of romantic dreams and harsh, vulgar reality. In this battle, the latter always wins, but the author does not lose hope that at least some people will come to their senses and stop creating and maintaining unfair conditions of social relationships. He places emphasis on true virtue and genuine values, which one must learn to distinguish from the vain squabbles of empty and petty scoundrels. The heroine's rebellion inspires courage to fight for her beliefs to the end.
Genre
Drama, as a genre, presents to the reader the fate of the hero in a contradictory and cruel world, an acute conflict between the soul of a person and the society in which he lives. The purpose of psychological drama is to show the dramatic position of an individual in a hostile environment. As a rule, drama characters expect tragic fate, spiritual suffering, internal contradictions. In a work of this type you can find many living emotions and experiences that are inherent in many of us.
Thus, Ostrovsky’s play vividly describes the internal state of Larisa Ogudalova, who rebels against the inhumane order in society, sacrifices herself in order not to sacrifice her principles. The heroine has difficulty accepting the circumstances that overtake her; she endures with horror all the trials that fate has prepared for her. This is Larisa’s personal tragedy, which she cannot survive. The psychological drama ends with her death, which is typical for works in this genre.
Life and customs of the province
Ostrovsky's play highlights the life and customs of the Russian province, nobles and merchants. They are all very similar and, at the same time, different from each other. The heroes behave quite relaxed and are not at all afraid to show others their true colors; it doesn’t matter to them that sometimes they look rather stupid. They are not afraid not because of their courage or openness of character. They just don't realize that they look ignorant, stingy, suspicious or insignificant.
Men do not shy away from open communication with women; for them, betrayal is not considered shameful. For them, this is an element of status: a mistress becomes a reflection of wealth. One of the heroes of the work, Mr. Knurov, invited Larisa to become his kept woman, although he himself had been married for a long time, he did not care what the heroine felt, only his own benefit and lust came first.
A girl in the provinces of that time, as we have already found out, must be in good condition in order to successfully marry and live well. In such a world it is very difficult to find true love and respect, in a world where everything is saturated with the power of money and the nasty customs of greedy people, an honest and intelligent woman simply could not find her rightful place. Larisa was literally destroyed by the cruel and dishonest morals of her contemporaries.
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