Full characteristics of Tikhon the storm. Tikhon Kabanov: “What kind of unfortunate person am I?” (about the play “The Thunderstorm” by A

/ / / Comparative characteristics Tikhon and Boris (based on Ostrovsky’s play “The Thunderstorm”)

Tikhon and Boris became the men who predetermined the fate of the main character of Ostrovsky’s play “Katerina”.

For the first time we see him surrounded by his mother and sister. He was a husband. It should be noted that Tikhon was two-faced person. In the presence of his mother, he tries in every possible way to please her, listens to everything, even speaks like her. After Kabanikha left, Tikhon’s face changed, becoming calmer and even more relaxed. All this happened only because Kabanov was intimidated by his tyrant mother.

When he was alone with Katerina, we see him as a completely different person with his own feelings, experiences, dreams. Tikhon needed freedom from his mother's tyranny. Therefore, when the opportunity arises to leave for a while, he does not notice anyone or anything. He becomes rude and inattentive towards Katerina.

His character is most fully revealed at the moment when Katerina publicly admits to treason. We see how Tikhon loves his wife, he feels sorry for her, but he is very afraid of his mother and therefore scolds the girl. After this, Kabanov cannot find a place for himself; he regrets what happened.

Still, Tikhon decides to tell his mother everything, although this happens after Katerina’s death. He says that he drove his wife to suicide, that she is to blame for everything. Even despite the death of his beloved, Kabanov remains in this “ dark kingdom", he was unable to get rid of the tyranny of his mother, and now he is forced to suffer for the rest of his life. This is evidenced by his words: “Good for you, Katya! Why did I stay in the world and suffer!”

The second hero who played a fatal role in Katerina’s fate was Boris. It's the love for this young man forced main character betray your inner principles and God's commandments.

What we know about Boris is that he studied at the Moscow Commercial Academy. He returned to Kalinov to receive part of the inheritance after the death of his grandmother. Life circumstances forced him to indulge his uncle Wild in everything, because this was the only condition for receiving an inheritance. Boris considered himself a victim of circumstances, since his fate was in the hands of the Dikiy. Surprisingly, this situation completely suited the young man.

It must be said that the relationship with Katerina was like fun for him. From the beginning, he treated her with love, but as soon as he realized that the girl’s feelings were real, he turned away from her.

Boris can safely be called an egoist. He cared only about himself, enjoying Tikhon's departure. He didn't care about the consequences, he wasn't interested further fate Katerina.

Thus, we can say that these two heroes have a lot in common. They were both children of the “dark kingdom”. Maybe they were capable of pure feelings, but did not find the strength to resist the “system”. They are not capable of self-sacrifice for the sake of a loved one. Ultimately, this fear and powerlessness led to the dramatic finale of the work - the death of Katerina.

Tikhon Kabanov one of the main characters of this work. Lives in his mother's house with his young wife. The image and characterization of Tikhon in the play “The Thunderstorm” are full of contradictions. On the one hand, the man is completely subordinate to his mother, depending on her and not daring to disobey. On the other hand it has own opinion, thoughts, but cannot defend his point of view due to lack of character and submission to circumstances.

Tikhon Kabanov is the son of Kabanikha. Katerina's husband

Image and characteristics

The name Tikhon is exceptionally suitable for this person. Tikhon is quiet. Closed, indecisive, He is neither heard nor seen. An absolute amoeba, without words or opinions. Jonah. Unable to realize himself either as a husband or as a son.

The mother completely deprived her son of the opportunity to make decisions on his own, subordinating him to herself. A healthy, middle-aged man is afraid to open his mouth again. Suddenly mommy doesn’t approve and gets angry.

“How can I, Mama, disobey you!” “There’s nothing to break! I must do what my mother says."

Typical mama's boy.

Unhappy. Life in the house, sharing the roof with my mother, is daily agony.

“You can escape from whatever kind of captivity you want, a beauty! Just think about it: no matter what I am, I’m still a man, I’ll live like this all my life.”


Spineless. Unable to protect his wife from the attacks of his mother, who dreams of driving Katerina into a coffin. Tikhon loves his wife, but her suffering is incomprehensible to him. He doesn’t know how to help her cope with mental anguish or support his wife.

Long-distance business trips and sharing alcoholic beverages with a neighbor are his outlet. Good way take your mind off family problems, tense relationships in the house. During his drinking bout, Tikhon forgot about his mother and wife.

“As soon as I left, I went on a spree. I’m very glad that I broke free. And he drank all the way, and he drank all the time in Moscow...”

Infantile. His own mother gave up on him as a man and a son. He is akin to a silent puppet, constantly nodding his head in agreement. Afraid to defend his point of view, to go against his mother.

Spineless. Can't carry on a conversation like a man. He doesn’t understand why he should use force and authority over his wife.

“Why should she be afraid? It’s enough for me that she loves me.”

It was the gentleness of his character that played a cruel joke on him. He could not stop and reason with Katerina, seeing that she was carried away by another man. After her repentance, Tikhon was unable to protect his wife from human reproaches. Even betrayal could not shake the man. He forgave Katerina in his heart and would have continued to live with her, but fate decreed otherwise.

Weakling. Manifestation of weakness is visible in final scene near Katerina's body.

“Good for you, Katya! Why did I stay in the world and suffer!”

In this exclamation one hears a clear protest against the old foundations and orders, against violence against people and restrictions on freedom. He would have left after his wife, but to decide on such a desperate step will never be able to, it’s too scary to change anything in life. It’s easier for him to suffer by blaming his mother for everything.

Courage. For the first time in his life, Tikhon was able to throw it in his mother’s face that she had played the final chord in Katerina’s fate. He publicly expressed everything he thought about her. It was brave. The blow reached its target. Kabanikha never expected such an attack from her son. Apparently the death of his wife was able to awaken hidden thoughts in him. mental strength for open protest.

Silly. Tikhon knows that he is not very smart. He repeatedly admitted this to others. Why use your brain once again when there is a mother.

“It’s time for you, sir, to live by your own mind.” “No, they say, it’s just his own mind. And, therefore, live a century as someone else’s...”

Whiny. He likes to complain about his miserable life. Ready to start nagging in conversation, as if Small child, wanting to be reassured and caressed.

“Why are you making a fuss? Well, what kind of husband are you? Look at you! Will your wife be afraid of you after this?”


Tikhon's character was shaped by the despotic influence of his mother. Kind in character, pliable, he could have been happy in marriage if they had lived separately from his mother-in-law. The boar's wife oppressed her son, depriving him of the right to speak, turning the man into a spineless creature incapable of anything.

All the characters in the play "The Thunderstorm", bright and ambiguous, cause a lot of controversy and disagreement. Here we will give a characterization of Tikhon from the play “The Thunderstorm,” a merchant’s son who is completely subordinate to his oppressive mother and does not have his own convictions and rights to an independent life.

Tikhon Kabanov is a young man from a wealthy merchant family, married to a beautiful and flexible woman, lives in contentment and prosperity, but is he happy?

Of course not. Katerina and Tikhon - married couple, living with her mother, who, in fact, is the head of the family and requires complete submission on the part of her son and daughter-in-law.

Tikhon is a completely spineless person, as they say, “a mama’s boy.” He does nothing without the direct permission of the imperious Kabanikha. In his mother’s house he feels like he’s in prison. Speech characteristics the hero of the play confirms his diminished role in the house. Tikhon constantly agrees with his mother, repeating that he will not leave her will, he cannot and does not want to live by his own mind.

Kabanikha does not mince words with her only son, scolds him and teaches traditions to him and her unloved daughter-in-law Katerina.

Relationship with wife

The image of Tikhon in the play “The Thunderstorm” shows a whiny, narrow-minded man who has no right to be called a man. Does he love his wife? This question cannot be answered unambiguously, although is it possible to experience true love clogged and weak person.

Tikhon married at the behest of his mother, maybe he treats his wife well, but such a husband is not a protector. He dreams of freedom, but hardly knows what to do with it. He thinks first of all about himself, and not about the unhappy woman living next to him.

The hero of the play wants freedom, but does not take any steps to gain the desired independence. Having left home for two weeks for Moscow, he goes on a spree, drinks and has fun all the way. He is glad that there will be no “thunderstorm” over him during these few days, and spends his time as his conscience and upbringing tell him.

A cruel mother is jealous of her only son and his wife, so she often offends her for no reason. The submissive Tikhon tries to calm his mother down, but is in no hurry to stand up for his unrequited wife.

According to the “household structure” that existed at that time, the husband was the complete master of the life and destiny of his wife. However, the characterization of Tikhon in this work is completely different. This character is not tyrannical, power traits character.

He does not want to punish his wife, but on his mother’s orders he still beats her and scolds her, although he himself feels sorry for her. When the question arises of who is responsible for the death of sinful Katerina, the weak Tikhon directly blames his mother.

Quote characteristic, created based on the lines of the hero of the play, emphasize his characteristic features:

  • moral weakness;
  • moral imbalance;
  • complete subordination to the power of Kabanikha.

Contrasting the images of Tikhon and Varvara

In “The Thunderstorm,” the cruel Kabanikha, in addition to her son, also has a daughter, Varvara. These two characters serve as antipodes. As much as Tikhon is weak, soft and pliable, that even in his thoughts he cannot contradict his mother, Varvara is so cunning and resourceful.

The brother and sister do not have any closeness, perhaps due to the age difference. This is probably the norm for the “dark kingdom”: not to have kindred feelings for close people, but to obey only power and self-interest. Varvara lives by the principle “as long as everything is hidden and no one finds out anything.”

The girl walks at night with Kudryash, because she will soon be married off to an unloved old man, simply sold, and her maiden will will come to an end. She does not suffer from this, she does not verbally contradict her mother, although, at times, she tries to protect herself from unfair reproaches, and then tries to do everything her own way. Varvara teaches the same to the straightforward and pure Katerina.

This is interesting! Most likely, over time, the daughter will turn into a second Kabanikha. Tikhon, the eldest in age and the only man in the family, but already completely broken by his mother, will increasingly turn into a “rag.” If he is left without guidance, he will sink and drink himself to death, because he cannot live without a firm hand guiding his entire path.

What does criticism say about the character?

IN critical articles The 19th century characterization of Tikhon from the play “The Thunderstorm” is given in detail, as an example of a man completely subordinate to the power of a formidable and oppressive mother.

In the “dark kingdom,” only the one who has money is always right; he subjugates everyone to himself, making obedient slaves of his will. Such are Kabanikha and Dikoy, who experience a certain semblance of respect only for their own kind.

Critics' opinion about the hero of the play:

  • at his core, Katerina’s husband is not a bad person, kind and gentle;
  • he sympathizes with his wife and sympathizes with her, understanding how hard life is for her under the heel of her mother-in-law;
  • tries to stop his wife when she, experiencing pangs of conscience for a sin committed, begins to repent in the presence of strangers;
  • has no will to resist, has been accustomed since childhood to complete submission, crushed by heavy maternal oppression;
  • cannot think independently, much less take decisive action;
  • allows insults to his wife, obeying his mother’s orders, he himself insults and beats her, although he later admits that he feels sorry for the unfortunate woman and of his own free will he would not lay a finger on her.

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Let's sum it up

Only after the tragic death of Katerina, the son finds the strength to protest and throw accusations at his mother. And his last words that Katerina is now free in her death, and he remains to live and suffer, sound like an indictment of the entire “dark kingdom” and its inhabitants.

image of Tikhon based on the play "The Thunderstorm"

  1. Just a downtrodden man, henpecked! Sad!
  2. Tikhon is quiet (flesh from the flesh of his ancestors and entirely in the power of the dark kingdom). Tikhon has been accustomed to unquestioning obedience since childhood; he obeys her in everything, meekly does everything she orders him. and happily runs away from home at the first opportunity, throwing off the yoke from his neck at least a little. he loves his wife in his own way, but fear of his mother does not allow the feeling to develop; he shows his character only after Katerina, blaming his mother for his wife’s death. But most likely this is a temporary phenomenon, upbringing will take its toll and he will again turn into an uncomplaining son groveling before his mother
  3. This image is full of contradictions. On the one hand, he appears to be an obedient and respectful son, completely lost in his mother's personality and morality. On the other hand, he also has his own thoughts, opinions, desires. He would even be ready to forgive his unfaithful wife, since he is kind and generous. But the habit of submission was so deeply ingrained in him that he, trying to be kind and condescending to his “lost” wife, did not notice her state of mind in time and was unable to help her. He tries to escape into alcohol from the tyranny of his mother, and rejoices. when he has to leave home on business, he rejoices because for some time “there will be no thunderstorm” over him. He loves his wife, but somehow too apathetically and calmly, which is why he is not able to either fully understand her, or protect her from harm, or at least emotionally support her. He even perceives her betrayal not from the point of view of betrayal of a loved one, but from the point of view of maternal morality (as a disgrace to family honor). Tikhon is a weak man, not independent, but in the most extreme cases, capable of a short-term rebellion.
  4. rag
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Kabanov Tikhon Ivanovich - character description

Kabanov Tikhon Ivanovich is one of the main characters, Kabanikha’s son, Katerina’s husband. On the list characters follows directly after Kabanova, and is said about him - “her son”. This is T.’s actual position in the city of Kalinov and in the family. Belonging, like a number of other characters in the play (Varvara, Kudryash, Shapkin), to younger generation Kalinovtsev, T, in its own way marks the end of the patriarchal way of life. The youth of Kalinova no longer want to adhere to the old ways in everyday life. However, T., Varvara, and Kudryash are alien to Katerina’s maximalism, and unlike central heroines plays, Katerina and Kabanikha, all these characters stand in the position of everyday compromises. Of course, the oppression of their elders is hard for them, but they have learned to get around it, each in accordance with their character. Formally recognizing the power of their elders and the power of customs over themselves, they constantly go against them. But it is precisely against the background of their unconscious and compromising position that Katerina looks significant and morally high.

T. in no way corresponds to the role of the husband in a patriarchal family: to be a ruler, but also to support and protect his wife. A gentle and weak person, he rushes between the harsh demands of his mother and compassion for his wife. He loves Katerina, but not in the way that, according to the norms of patriarchal morality, a husband should love, and Katerina’s feeling for him is not the same as she should have for him according to her own ideas: “No, how can you not love! I feel sorry for him very much!” - she says to Varvara. “If you feel sorry, it’s not love. And no, you have to tell the truth,” Varvara replies. For T., breaking free from his mother’s care means going on a binge and drinking. “Yes, Mama, I don’t want to live by my own will. Where can I live by my own will!” - he responds to Kabanikha’s endless reproaches and instructions. Humiliated by his mother’s reproaches, he is ready to take out his frustration on Katerina, and only the intercession of his sister Varvara, who lets him go out for a drink in secret from his mother, stops the scene.

At the same time, T. loves Katerina, tries to teach her to live in his own way (“Why listen to her! After all, she needs to say something! Well, let her talk, and you turn a deaf ear!” he consoles his wife , upset by her mother-in-law’s attacks). And yet, he doesn’t want to sacrifice two weeks “without a thunderstorm” and take Katerina on the trip. He doesn't understand very clearly what's happening to her at all. When his mother forces him to pronounce a ritual order to his wife, how to live without him, how to behave in the absence of her husband, neither Kaba-niha nor he, saying: “Don’t look at the guys,” do not suspect how close all this is to the situation in their family. And yet T.’s attitude towards his wife is humane, it has a personal connotation. After all, it is he who objects to his mother: “Why should she be afraid? It’s enough for me that she loves me.” Finally, when Katerina asks her to take terrible vows as a farewell, T. fearfully replies: “What are you talking about! What you! What a sin! I don’t even want to listen!” But, paradoxically, it is T.’s gentleness that in Katerina’s eyes is not so much an advantage as a disadvantage. He cannot help her either when she is struggling with sinful passion, or after her public repentance. And his reaction to betrayal is not at all the same as what patriarchal morality dictates in such a situation: “Mama says that she must be buried alive in the ground so that she can be executed! But I love her, I would be sorry to lay a finger on her.” He cannot carry out Kuligin’s advice, cannot protect Katerina from her mother’s anger, from the ridicule of her household. He is “sometimes affectionate, sometimes angry, and drinks everything.” And only over the body of his dead wife does T. decide to rebel against his mother, publicly blaming her for the death of Katerina and it is with this publicity that he deals Kabanikha the most terrible blow.