The Storm (Ostrovsky)/Act 1
Short Summary
In a small town on the Volga River, presumably in the 1860s, a group of townspeople gathered in a public garden. Among them was a young woman trapped in an oppressive household.
Kabanikha constantly berated her son and daughter-in-law, insisting on absolute obedience and traditional values. When her son prepared to leave on a business trip, she lectured him about proper behavior and respect for elders.
Some sin is bound to happen! I'm so afraid, so terribly afraid! It's as if I'm standing over an abyss and someone is pushing me in, and I have nothing to hold onto.
Left alone with her sister-in-law Varvara, Katerina confessed her inner turmoil and attraction to another man. As a thunderstorm approached, she became increasingly distressed, viewing the weather as a sign of divine judgment for her sinful thoughts.
Detailed Summary by Scenes
Setting and Initial Conflicts
The action took place in a public garden on a high bank of the Volga River. In Scene 1, Kuligin sat on a bench admiring the view while Kudryash and Shapkin walked nearby. Kuligin expressed his endless admiration for the river's beauty, but Kudryash dismissed it. They noticed Dikoy berating his nephew in the distance.
In Scene 2, Dikoy verbally abused Boris, his nephew, for daring to appear in his path. After Dikoy left, Boris explained to the others that he and his sister were dependent on their uncle's goodwill to receive their inheritance. Their grandmother's will stipulated they would only get their share if they showed proper respect to Dikoy.
The customs are cruel in our town, sir, cruel! Among the petty bourgeoisie, sir, you'll see nothing but rudeness and naked poverty. And we'll never break free from this shell, sir, never!
Family Dynamics and Hidden Passions
In Scene 3, Kuligin and others discussed the oppressive atmosphere of their town. Boris revealed that he was educated in Moscow but was now forced to live under his uncle's tyranny. Kuligin described the merchants' cruel treatment of their workers and their endless legal disputes driven by envy rather than profit.
Scene 4 showed Boris alone, lamenting his fate and confessing his secret love for a married woman whom he could never even speak to. In Scene 5, the Kabanov family appeared - Kabanova (nicknamed Kabanikha), her son Tikhon, his wife Katerina, and her daughter Varvara.
Parents are strict with you out of love, they scold you out of love, always thinking to teach you what's good. But nowadays that's not liked. And children go around telling tales.
Kabanikha berated her son for not properly controlling his wife and valuing her above his mother. She constantly criticized both Tikhon and Katerina, while Tikhon proved unable to stand up to his mother's domineering behavior.
Inner Turmoil and Approaching Storm
In Scene 6, after Kabanikha left, Tikhon complained about always being scolded because of Katerina. Varvara defended Katerina and criticized her brother's weakness. Tikhon then left to drink with Savyol Prokofyich.
Scene 7 revealed an intimate conversation between Katerina and Varvara. Katerina shared memories of her carefree youth, describing her peaceful life filled with prayer and religious contemplation.
How different I was! I lived without a care in the world, like a free bird. Mother adored me, dressed me like a doll, never forced me to work; whatever I wanted to do, I did.
Then Katerina confessed her inner turmoil to Varvara, describing strange thoughts and feelings that tormented her.
Something wrong is happening to me, some kind of miracle! This has never happened to me before. Something extraordinary is inside me. It's as if I'm beginning to live again, or... I don't even know.
Finally, Katerina admitted to Varvara that she was in love with another man, though she recognized it as a terrible sin. She expressed her fear of being unable to resist these feelings.
I can't escape this sin. There's nowhere to escape to. It's wrong, isn't it, it's a terrible sin, Varenka, that I love another? What should I do! I don't have the strength.
In Scene 8, a half-mad old woman appeared, prophesying doom and damnation for the young women's beauty. Her words deeply frightened Katerina, who was already afraid of thunderstorms and divine punishment.
The final scene showed Katerina's mounting anxiety as a storm approached. Despite Varvara's attempts to calm her, she became increasingly agitated, expressing her terror of dying in sin.
I feel so suffocated, so suffocated at home that I could run away. And such thoughts come to me that if I had my way, I would be riding on the Volga now, in a boat, with songs.
The act concluded with Katerina's emotional turmoil reaching its peak as the storm approached, symbolizing the tempest of passion and guilt that threatened to overwhelm her carefully ordered life.