What is the significance of the image of Firs in the play “The Cherry Orchard”? The beginning of a new era in the play “The Cherry Orchard”

Lyubov Andreevna lived abroad for five years, I don’t know what she’s become now... She’s a good person. An easy, simple person. I remember when I was a boy of about fifteen, my late father - he was selling in a shop here in the village - hit me in the face with his fist, blood came out of my nose... Then we came together to the yard for some reason, and he was drunk. Lyubov Andreevna, as I remember now, still young, so thin, led me to the washstand, in this very room, in the nursery. “Don’t cry, he says, little man, he’ll heal before the wedding...”

A peasant... My father, it’s true, was a peasant, but here I am in a white vest and yellow shoes. With a pig's snout in a Kalash row... Just now he's rich, a lot of money, but if you think about it and figure it out, then the man is a man... (Flips through the book.) I read the book and didn’t understand anything. I read and fell asleep.

You can hear two carriages approaching the house. Lopakhin and Dunyasha quickly leave. The stage is empty. There is noise in the neighboring rooms. Firs, who had gone to meet Lyubov Andreevna, hurriedly passes across the stage, leaning on a stick; he is in an old livery and a tall hat; He says something to himself, but not a single word can be heard. The noise behind the stage is getting louder and louder. Voice: “Let’s go here...” Lyubov Andreevna, Anya and Charlotte Ivanovna with a dog on a chain, dressed for travel. Varya in a coat and scarf, Gaev, Simeonov-Pishchik, Lopakhin, Dunyasha with a bundle and an umbrella, a servant with things - everyone is walking through the room.

She looked back at him.

I will just bow to you and leave immediately. (Kisses his hand warmly.) I was ordered to wait until the morning, but I didn’t have enough patience...

If a lot of remedies are offered against a disease, this means that the disease is incurable. I think, I’m racking my brains, I have a lot of money, a lot, and that means, in essence, none. It would be nice to receive an inheritance from someone, it would be nice to marry our Anya to a very rich man, it would be nice to go to Yaroslavl and try his luck with the aunt countess. My aunt is very, very rich.

Anya appears at the door.

She married a non-nobleman and behaved in a manner that cannot be said to be very virtuous. She is good, kind, nice, I love her very much, but no matter how you come up with mitigating circumstances, I still have to admit that she is vicious. This is felt in her slightest movement.

Surprisingly, something got into my right eye... I couldn’t see well. And on Thursday, when I was in district court...

K. S. Stanislavsky, the idea for the play arose already during the rehearsal of “Three Sisters”, in 1901. Chekhov took a long time to write it, the copying of the manuscript also took place slowly, and much was subject to alteration. “I really don’t like some passages, I write them again and rewrite them again,” the writer told one of his friends.

By the time of the production of The Cherry Orchard, the Art Theater had developed on the material of Chekhov's lyrical dramas(“The Seagull”, “Uncle Vanya”, “Three Sisters”) his own stage production method. That is why Chekhov’s new play, conceived by the writer in different tones and executed in its predominant part in a comedic sense, was interpreted on stage by the leaders of the Art Theater largely in accordance with their previous principles.

The premiere took place on January 17, 1904. The play was prepared in the absence of the author and the production (judging by numerous comments) did not satisfy him. “Yesterday my play was on, so I’m not in a good mood,” he wrote to I. L. Shcheglov the day after the premiere. The acting seemed to him “confused and lackluster.” Stanislavsky recalled that the performance was difficult to put together. Nemirovich-Danchenko also noted that the play did not reach the audience right away. Subsequently, the power of tradition brought to our time precisely the original stage interpretation of “The Cherry Orchard,” which did not coincide with the author’s intention.

The problematic and ideological orientation of the play.

The play "" reflects the process of socio-historical development of Russia at the turn of the century and the changes taking place in society. The change of owners of the cherry orchard in the play symbolizes these changes: a huge era of Russian life is passing into the past along with the nobility, new times are coming in which other people feel like masters - prudent, businesslike, practical, but devoid of the former spirituality, the personification of which is the beautiful garden.

In the play there is no development of action in the usual sense. Chekhov is not interested in the clash between the old and new owners of the cherry orchard. In essence, he doesn’t exist. The writer wants to talk about the collision of the past and present of Russia, about the emergence of its future. The affirmation of the unviability of the noble way of life is the ideological core of the play.

Bourgeois masters modern Russia Those who are replacing the nobles are, without a doubt, more active and energetic and are currently capable of bringing practical benefit to society. But it was not with them that Chekhov connected the coming changes, the premonition of which was ripening in people, the expectation and feeling of which hovered in Russian society. Who will be a renewing force for Russia? Anticipating closeness and opportunity social change, Chekhov connected dreams of a bright future for Russia with the new, younger generation. With all the uncertainty of the future (“all of Russia is our garden”), it belongs to him. The play contains reflections writer about people and time.

The plot of the play. The nature of the conflict and the originality of the stage action.

The plot of The Cherry Orchard is simple. The landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya arrives from Paris to her estate (the beginning of the first act) and after some time returns to France (the end of the fourth act). Between these events there are episodes of ordinary home life in the mortgaged estate of Gaev and Ranevskaya. The characters in the play gathered on the estate unwillingly, in some vain, illusory hope of saving the old garden, the old family estate, preserving their past, which now seems so beautiful to them, themselves.

Meanwhile, the event for which they came together is happening behind the scenes, and on the stage itself there is no action in the traditional sense of the word: everyone is in a state of anticipation. There are ordinary, meaningless conversations. But the personal experiences of the characters, their feelings and aspirations make it possible to understand the spiritual processes of the time. That's why it's so important to feel it.

depict the changing internal states of the characters from the initial to the last scene.

Behind everyday scenes and the details hide the continuously moving “internal”, emotional plot - the “undercurrent” of the play. This lyrical plot is formed not by a sequence of events and not by the relationships of the characters (all this only determines it), but by “cross-cutting” themes, echoes, poetic associations and symbols. What is important here is not the external plot, but the atmosphere that determines the meaning of the play. It is in The Cherry Orchard that this feature dramaturgy Chekhov manifests himself especially clearly.

Each action in the play has its own direction and structure. Chekhov abandons the traditional dramatic division into phenomena and scenes; the events taking place are delimited only by actions. The play begins with a kind of exposition - an introduction, from which we learn about the main characters.

IN first action one feels a very strange, exciting interweaving of refined, bright emotions (tender meetings, lyrical memories, words of love, hopes for salvation) with a feeling of some kind of internal instability, uncertainty of relationships.
The characters seem to feel the impossibility of returning to their former life and anticipate the upcoming parting with the garden, each other, and their past.

Second act gives a new direction to the internal development of the play. Sobering and nervousness arise, Ranevskaya’s story about her infatuation with an unworthy person sounds, words Lopakhin, reminding that the cherry orchard will be sold. Both Lopakhin and Trofimov, to whom Anya is drawn in a romantic impulse, outline their path in life.

The plot development reaches its climax in third act . It contains the completion of the fate of the cherry orchard and the fulfillment moral choice all the characters in the play. The estate is being auctioned behind the scenes, and a ball is being held on the estate itself. Everything that happens is absurd and strange. Inappropriate entertainment on the day of sale outwardly hides the excitement of the owners and at the same time increases the feeling of internal anxiety. Everyone is waiting for news from the city. And when Gaev and Lopakhin arrive, who announces that he is now the owner of the garden, silence falls. And only the ringing of the keys thrown by Varya can be heard.

But the action doesn't end there. It is unlikely that the ending, showing only Lopakhin uncontrollably rejoicing in connection with the acquisition of the estate, would have satisfied Chekhov. In the last, fourth act - the parting of all the heroes with the past, departure, farewell. It is important for the author not to show the results, not to give specific answers to the questions posed, but to capture the process of life and make the reader think about it. Each character has their own perspective. For Petya and Anya, it is connected with the future Russia, for Lopakhin - with today’s practical activities on the estate or in some other place, but for the former owners of the cherry orchard, everything is in the past, they just have to come to terms with what is happening. There is a roll call between those leaving and those moving forward.

The fate of the estate organizes the plot of the play. In constructing the dramatic plot, Chekhov departs from the clear forms of beginning and ending; the action develops slowly, without significant events or external disasters. At first, it’s as if nothing is happening on stage; a feeling of “eventlessness” is created. The formal impetus for the development of the action is the conflict between Gaev and Ranevskaya with Lopakhin over the sale of the cherry orchard, but as the action progresses it becomes obvious that this clash is imaginary. The sale of the cherry orchard, although outwardly the culmination, essentially does not change anything either in the alignment of the current forces or in the future destinies of the heroes. Each hero lives his own inner life, little dependent on plot twists.

Associated with the uniqueness of the stage action is the difficulty of determining the conflict of the play. It would be wrong to define it as a confrontation of social forces. Lopakhin tries for a long time and very persistently to save the estate for Ranevskaya and buys it only when he realizes that the owners of the estate will not save it. They simply hand him over to Lopakhin without doing anything. Thus, there is no open clash between the outgoing generation and the one coming to replace it. How is the conflict expressed in Chekhov's play?

The state of anxious anticipation does not leave Ranevskaya and Gaev throughout the entire action. Their mental discord is connected not only with the loss of property - it is deeper: people have lost their sense of time. They have lagged behind him, and therefore everything happens somehow absurdly and awkwardly in their lives. The heroes are passive, their ideals and high dreams collapse in the face of life's obstacles. These are not changing people, each holding on to their own against the backdrop of time moving forward. Confused and not understanding the course of life. The crisis state of the old estate owners is associated with the loss of their faith in life, the loss of ground under their feet. But there are no culprits in this. Time moves forward, and something goes into the past. The conflict of the play reflects the discrepancy between the characters’ inner sense of life laws and the dictates of the time.

Heroes of The Cherry Orchard.

It is important for the reader and viewer of “The Cherry Orchard” to feel that in his play Chekhov not only created images of people whose lives occurred at a turning point, but captured time itself in its movement. The course of history is the main nerve comedy, its plot and content. The system of images in the play is represented by different social forces that connect their lives with a certain time: the local nobles Ranevskaya and Gaev live in memories of the past, the merchant Lopakhin is a man of the present, and the dreams of the commoner Petya Trofimov and Ranevskaya's daughter Anya are directed to the future.

Characters Chekhov's heroes complex and ambiguous; By drawing them, the writer shows the contradictory, changing spiritual appearance of man. Even after the final curtain, something unsaid remains in the images of the main characters, which makes readers and viewers think and argue.

Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya is the owner of the estate. The very first remarks suggest a subtle and sensitive nature in the heroine. She is sweet and attractive, expresses her feelings sincerely and directly, is friendly and welcoming. According to others, she has a wonderful character.

There is no noble arrogance or swagger in her: in her youth she did not disdain to bring 15-year-old Lopakhin, beaten by his drunken father, into the house and tell him words of consolation. Ranevskaya is smart and capable of truthfully judging herself and life.

But as the action develops, details emerge that indicate the ambiguity and contradictoriness of Ranevskaya’s character. She easily gives money to men and random passers-by, while her family is in poverty. She returns to Paris to the man who robbed her, using the money sent by her Yaroslavl grandmother for Anya. Always soft, she can shower Petya Trofimov with insults in response to the truth about her lover. Well-mannered, she can ask unceremonious questions. Throughout the entire action, Ranevskaya admires the cherry orchard, without which she “couldn’t understand her life,” but does nothing to save the estate. Living at the expense of others made her helpless, weak-willed, dependent on circumstances, confused in the face of time. She is unable to change anything. The heroine's mismanagement and frivolity lead her beautiful estate to complete ruin and to being sold for debts.

Much less significant is Ranevskaya’s brother Leonid Andreevich Gaev. His sister's shortcomings - impracticality, frivolity, lack of will - reached extraordinary proportions in him. But, besides this, he is also petty, vulgar, and sometimes even stupid. This is an old, capricious child who spent his fortune on candy. Symbolic details - sucking lollipops, playing billiards, as well as the nature of the relationship between 51-year-old Gaev and his old servant Firs - emphasize the lack of independence and infantilism of his nature. Gaev is arrogant and arrogant; he considers Lopakhin a “boor” and a peasant. His speeches addressed to the closet, “billiard” remarks, inappropriate in conversation, empty phrases emphasize worthlessness, indicate the spiritual impoverishment of the hero.

Throughout the play, Ranevskaya and Gaev experience the dramatic events taking place in their lives, the collapse of their hopes, but they find themselves unable to influence the circumstances or understand the essence of what is happening. They, willingly or unwillingly, betray everything that is dear to them: relatives, garden, old servant. People who have lost themselves in time, who have collapsed not only materially, but also spiritually - these are the representatives of the Russian way of life that is fading into the past.

Ermolai Lopakhin is the central character in the play, according to Chekhov. In his letters from Yalta to Moscow, the author insisted that Lopakhin be played by K. S. Stanislavsky, he believed that this role should be played by a first-class actor, but that someone simply talented could not do it. “After all, this is not a merchant in the vulgar sense of the word, we must understand this.” Chekhov warned against a simplified understanding of this image, which was so important to him.

Lopakhin's personality is significant and unusual. He is a successful merchant in his business, energetic, hardworking, intelligent, knowing what he wants from life, firmly and confidently realizing the goal set for him. But at the same time, he is a person with the soul of an artist who knows how to appreciate beauty. Petya Trofimov, who looks at life completely differently than Lopakhin, tells him: “After all, I still love you. You have thin, delicate fingers, like an artist, you have a subtle, gentle soul...”

Lopakhin's arguments about Russia are reminiscent of Gogol's lyrical digressions from " Dead souls“: “Lord, you gave us huge forests, vast fields, the deepest horizons, and living here, we ourselves should truly be giants...” The most heartfelt words about the cherry orchard belong to him. Lopakhin treats Ranevskaya with tenderness; he is ready, despite his own interests, to help her.

The main storyline of the play is connected with Lopakhin. The son of a serf, he is obsessed with the idea of ​​buying the estate on which his father and grandfather were serfs. The hero, who initially tried to save the garden for Ranevskaya, at the end of the play becomes its owner and destroyer. But in the triumph of Lopakhin, who achieved his goal, in his unbridled, unbridled joy, inability to wait to cut down the garden until the previous owners leave, there is something that involuntarily removes him from the reader.

IN last scenes Lopakhin does not look like a winner, which is confirmed by his words about “awkward, unhappy life", in which he and others like him will be the main force.

In the image of Lopakhin, the good personal qualities of a person, his good intentions and the results of his conflict come into conflict. practical activities. “As a person, Lopakhin is subtler and more humane than the role imposed on him by history” (G. Byaly). Chekhov created an unexpected image that did not fit into the usual literary and theatrical canons, into which he introduced features characteristic of some Russian entrepreneurs who left a noticeable mark on the history of Russian culture at the turn of the century - Stanislavsky (the owner of the Alekseev factory), Savva Morozov, who gave money for construction of the Art Theater, creators art galleries Tretyakov, Shchukin, etc.

Chekhov associated his dreams of a bright future with the younger generation: Petya Trofimov and Anya, although Varya and even Yasha can be classified among them by age.

From the first moment Anya appears on stage, we immediately succumb to her charm. The remark that opens the first act correlates with the image of the girl. "My sun! My spring,” Petya says about her. Regarding the question stage embodiment This image, Chekhov emphasized the need to take into account Anya’s age. She is very young - she is 17 years old: “a child... not knowledgeable of life", according to the author himself.

Anya wants to study and then work. She rejoices at saying goodbye to the past: “A new life begins, mom!” Anya understands her mother, feels sorry for her and protects her, but does not want to live like her. Sincerity, naivety, directness, goodwill, a joyful perception of life, faith in the future determine the appearance of the heroine.

Petya Trofimov, former teacher little son Ranevskaya, spiritually close to Anya. He is a commoner by birth (the son of a doctor), poor, deprived of the education available to nobles, expelled from the university several times (“eternal student”), and earns his livelihood by translations. A little eccentric, funny, awkward and awkward (“shabby gentleman”). A detail that allows us to judge his financial situation is the old and dirty galoshes, the disappearance of which he is so worried about.

Petya is a man of democratic convictions, he proclaims democratic ideas, he is outraged by the situation of the workers, the difficult conditions of their life; He sees the reason for the spiritual degeneration of the nobility in serfdom. Petya understands what is happening well and accurately judges people. Ranevskaya admits: “You are bolder, more honest, deeper than us...”

But for Petya, like each of the characters in the play, his words do not always correspond to his deeds. He often says that he needs to work, but cannot finish university; he speaks pompously about the road to a bright future, and he himself regrets the loss of his galoshes. Petya knows little about life, but he sincerely wants to see a different Russia and is ready to devote his destiny to a cause that will transform the world around him. Petya’s words: “All of Russia is our garden” are gaining symbolic meaning.

New principles of construction dramatic work also determined Chekhov’s different vision of his characters, different from the traditional theater rules. The usual division of heroes into main and secondary ones becomes more relative. It is difficult to say who is more important for understanding the author's intention: Gaev or Fries? The playwright is not so much interested in characters or actions as in the manifestation of the mood of the characters, each of whom participates in creating the overall atmosphere of the play.

In the development of the plot, it is necessary to take into account off-stage characters. Many plot lines of the play are drawn to them, and they all participate in the development of the action: Ranevskaya’s “Parisian lover”, Ani’s Yaroslavl grandmother, etc.

However, the play contains central image, around which the main action is built, is the image of a cherry orchard.

The role of images and symbols in the play. The meaning of the name.

Symbolism is an important element of Chekhov's dramaturgy. Symbol is an object image that replaces in artistic text several semantic meanings. Individual motifs and images in Chekhov's plays often receive symbolic meaning. Thus, the image of a cherry orchard takes on a symbolic meaning.

The Cherry Orchard- a beautiful creation of nature and human hands. This is not just the background against which the action develops, but the personification of the value and meaning of life on earth. Chekhov's word garden means long peaceful life, going from great-grandfathers to great-grandchildren, tireless creative work. The symbolic content of the image of the garden is multifaceted: beauty, past, culture, and finally, all of Russia.

The Cherry Orchard becomes a kind of touchstone in the play, allowing one to discover the essential properties of the characters. It highlights the spiritual capabilities of each of the characters. The Cherry Orchard is the sad past of Ranevskaya and Gaev, and the sad present of Lopakhin, and the joyful and at the same time uncertain future of Petya and Anya. But the garden is also the economic basis of the estate, inextricably linked with serfdom. Thus, thoughts about the social structure of Russian life are connected with the image of the cherry orchard.

Lopakhin's period begins, the cherry orchard is cracking under his ax, it is doomed, it is being cut down for summer cottages. There is a certain historical pattern in Lopakhin’s victory, but at the same time his triumph will not bring decisive changes: the general structure of life will remain the same.

Petya and Anya live for the future. They understand the beauty of the cherry orchard. Petya feels that the garden is not only disgraced by the serfdom past, but also doomed by the present, in which there is no place for beauty. The future is depicted to him as a triumph not only of justice, but also of beauty. Anya and Petya want all of Russia to be like a beautiful blooming garden.

The image of the cherry orchard is covered in lyricism and at the same time is able to highlight the meaning of what is happening with the light of irony. By expressing their attitude towards him in word and, most importantly, in deed, each character more clearly reveals his moral basis. In a complex interweaving of diverse images, the problem of personality and its ideals is solved.

Reflections and debates about the cherry orchard, its past, near and distant future all the time result in judgments and discussions about the present, past and future of Russia. The entire emotional atmosphere that is associated in the play with the image of the cherry orchard serves to affirm its enduring aesthetic value, the loss of which cannot but impoverish the spiritual life of people. If the existing life dooms the garden to destruction, then it is natural to deny this life and strive for a new one, which will allow all of Russia to be turned into a blooming garden.

Such are the deep philosophical foundations Chekhov's thoughts about the cherry orchard and its fate. They lead to the main thing in the play - to the thought of people, their lives in the past and present, about their future.

In addition to the cherry orchard, there are other symbolic images and motifs in the play. The image and fate of Gaev’s old servant, Firs, are symbolic. At the end of the play, all the characters leave, leaving him in a locked house to fend for himself. They leave their past in this house, embodied by the old servant. The word klutz uttered by Firs can be applied to each of the heroes. The problem of humanism is also connected with this image. Almost no one remembered the faithful servant, who even at such a moment thinks not about himself, but about his master, who did not put on a warm fur coat. The blame for the dramatic outcome of Firs' life is placed on all the main characters of The Cherry Orchard.

The traditional symbol of time - the clock - becomes key to the play. Lopakhin is the only hero who looks at his watch all the time; the rest have lost their sense of time. The movement of the clock hand is symbolic, correlating with the life of the heroes: the action begins in the spring and ends in late autumn, the May flowering time is replaced by the October cold.

The gesture of Varya, who threw the keys to the house on the floor after the news that the estate now has a new owner, is symbolic. Keys are perceived as a sign of affection for the household, a symbol of power.

Money appears in the play as a symbol of wasted wealth and Ranevskaya’s weakened will. Gaev's lollipops and billiards are like a symbol of an absurdly, empty life lived.

The sound background of the play is symbolic: the ringing of keys, the sound of an ax on wood, the sound of a broken string, music - helping to create a certain atmosphere of what is happening on stage.

Genre originality of the play.

Shortly after the premiere of The Cherry Orchard, on April 10, 1904, Chekhov, in a letter to O. L. Knipper, in an unusually harsh tone, remarked: “Why is my play so persistently called a drama on posters and in newspaper advertisements? Nemirovich and Alekseev (Stanislavsky - Author) see in my play something that is not what I wrote, and I am ready to give any word that both of them have never read my play carefully.” Repeatedly in letters and conversations with different people Chekhov stubbornly repeated: “The Cherry Orchard” is a comedy, sometimes even a farce.” Later, the genre of the work was defined by literary scholars in greater accordance with the author's intention: “The Cherry Orchard” was called a lyrical comedy.

Researchers note the optimistic tone of the play as a whole. The impression of tragedy characteristic of the previous ones Chekhov's plays, turns out to be different in The Cherry Orchard. The play organically combined the laughter that sounded in Chekhov's stories and the sad thoughts of his dramas, giving rise to laughter through tears, but tears that were not taken seriously.

The image of the garden in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is ambiguous and complex. This is not just part of the estate of Ranevskaya and Gaev, as it might seem at first glance. This is not what Chekhov wrote about. The Cherry Orchard is a symbolic image. It signifies the beauty of Russian nature and the life of the people who raised it and admired it. Together with the death of the garden, this life also perishes.

A center that unites characters

The image of the garden in the play “The Cherry Orchard” is the center around which all the characters unite. At first it may seem that these are just old acquaintances and relatives who, by chance, gathered at the estate to solve everyday problems. However, it is not. It is no coincidence that Anton Pavlovich united characters representing different social groups and age categories. Their task is to decide the fate of not only the garden, but also their own.

Gaev and Ranevskaya’s connection with the estate

Ranevskaya and Gaev are Russian landowners who own an estate and a cherry orchard. This is brother and sister, they are sensitive, smart, educated people. They are able to appreciate beauty and feel it very subtly. That’s why the image of the cherry orchard is so dear to them. In the perception of the heroes of the play “The Cherry Orchard”, he personifies beauty. However, these characters are inert, which is why they cannot do anything to save what is dear to them. Ranevskaya and Gaev, for all their spiritual wealth and development, are devoid of responsibility, practicality and a sense of reality. Therefore, they cannot take care not only of loved ones, but also of themselves. These heroes do not want to listen to Lopakhin’s advice and rent out the land they own, although this would bring them a decent income. They think that dachas and summer residents are vulgar.

Why is the estate so dear to Gaev and Ranevskaya?

Gaev and Ranevskaya cannot rent out the land because of the feelings connecting them with the estate. They have a special relationship with the garden, which is like a living person to them. Much connects these heroes with their estate. The Cherry Orchard seems to them to be the personification of bygone youth, a past life. Ranevskaya compared her life with " cold winter" and "dark stormy autumn." When the landowner returned to the estate, she again felt happy and young.

Lopakhin's attitude to the cherry orchard

The image of the garden in the play “The Cherry Orchard” is also revealed in Lopakhin’s attitude towards it. This hero does not share the feelings of Ranevskaya and Gaev. He finds their behavior illogical and strange. This person is surprised why they do not want to listen to seemingly obvious arguments that will help find a way out of a difficult situation. It should be noted that Lopakhin is also capable of appreciating beauty. The cherry orchard delights this hero. He believes that there is nothing more beautiful in the world than him.

However, Lopakhin is a practical and active person. Unlike Ranevskaya and Gaev, he cannot just admire the cherry orchard and regret it. This hero strives to do something to save him. Lopakhin sincerely wants to help Ranevskaya and Gaev. He never ceases to convince them that they should rent out both the land and the cherry orchard. This must be done as soon as possible, since the auction will be soon. However, the landowners do not want to listen to him. Leonid Andreevich can only swear that the estate will never be sold. He says he won't allow the auction.

New owner of the garden

Nevertheless, the auction still took place. The owner of the estate is Lopakhin, who cannot believe his own happiness. After all, his father and grandfather worked here, “were slaves”, they were not even allowed into the kitchen. The purchase of an estate for Lopakhin becomes a kind of symbol of his success. This is a well-deserved reward for many years of work. The hero would like his grandfather and father to rise from the grave and be able to rejoice with him, to see how much their descendant has succeeded in life.

Negative qualities of Lopakhin

The cherry orchard for Lopakhin is just land. It can be bought, mortgaged or sold. This hero, in his joy, did not consider himself obliged to show a sense of tact towards former owners purchased estate. Lopakhin immediately begins to cut down the garden. He did not want to wait for the former owners of the estate to leave. The soulless lackey Yasha is somewhat similar to him. He completely lacks such qualities as attachment to the place in which he was born and raised, love for his mother, and kindness. In this respect, Yasha is the complete opposite of Firs, a servant who has unusually developed these feelings.

Relation to the garden of the servant Firs

In revealing it, it is necessary to say a few words about how Firs, the oldest of everyone in the house, treated him. Long years he served his masters faithfully. This man sincerely loves Gaev and Ranevskaya. He is ready to protect these heroes from all troubles. We can say that Firs is the only one of all the characters in The Cherry Orchard endowed with such a quality as devotion. This is a very integral nature, which is fully manifested in the servant’s attitude towards the garden. For Firs, the estate of Ranevskaya and Gaev is a family nest. He strives to protect it, as well as its inhabitants.

Representatives of the new generation

The image of the cherry orchard in the play “The Cherry Orchard” is dear only to those characters who have important memories associated with it. The representative of the new generation is Petya Trofimov. The fate of the garden does not interest him at all. Petya declares: “We are above love.” Thus, he admits that he is not capable of experiencing serious feelings. Trofimov looks at everything too superficially. He does not know real life, which he is trying to remake based on far-fetched ideas. Anya and Petya are outwardly happy. They thirst for a new life, for which they strive to break with the past. For these heroes, the garden is “all of Russia,” and not a specific cherry orchard. But is it possible to love the whole world without loving your home? Petya and Anya are losing their roots in their quest for new horizons. Mutual understanding between Trofimov and Ranevskaya is impossible. For Petya there are no memories, no past, and Ranevskaya deeply experiences the loss of the estate, since she was born here, her ancestors also lived here, and she sincerely loves the estate.

Who will save the garden?

As we have already noted, it is a symbol of beauty. Only people who can not only appreciate it, but also fight for it can save it. Active and energetic people who replace the nobility treat beauty only as a source of profit. What will happen to her, who will save her?

The image of the cherry orchard in Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" is a symbol of the home and the past, dear to the heart. Is it possible to boldly move forward if the sound of an ax is heard behind you, destroying everything that was previously sacred? It should be noted that the cherry orchard is and it is no coincidence that such expressions as “hitting a tree with an ax”, “trampling a flower” and “cutting off the roots” sound inhumane and blasphemous.

So, we briefly examined the image of the cherry orchard as understood by the characters in the play “The Cherry Orchard.” Reflecting on the actions and characters of the characters in Chekhov’s work, we also think about the fate of Russia. After all, it is a “cherry orchard” for all of us.

“The Cherry Orchard” is the pinnacle of Russian drama of the early 20th century, lyrical comedy, the play that marked the beginning new era development of Russian theater.

The main theme of the play is autobiographical - a bankrupt family of nobles sells their family estate at auction. The author, as a person who went through such life situation, describes with subtle psychologism state of mind people who will soon be forced to leave their homes. The innovation of the play is the absence of division of heroes into positive and negative, into main and secondary ones. They are all divided into three categories:

• people of the past - noble aristocrats (Ranevskaya, Gaev and their lackey Firs);
• people of the present - their bright representative, the merchant-entrepreneur Lopakhin;
• people of the future - progressive youth of that time (Petr Trofimov and Anya).

History of creation

Chekhov began work on the play in 1901. Due to serious health problems, the writing process was quite difficult, but nevertheless, in 1903 the work was completed. The first theatrical production of the play took place a year later on the stage of the Moscow art theater, becoming the pinnacle of Chekhov's work as a playwright and a textbook classic of the theatrical repertoire.

Analysis of the play

Description of the work

The action takes place on the family estate of landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, who returned from France with her young daughter Anya. On railway station they are met by Gaev (Ranevskaya's brother) and Varya (her adopted daughter).

The financial situation of the Ranevsky family is nearing complete collapse. Entrepreneur Lopakhin offers his own version of a solution to the problem - to divide the land into shares and give them to summer residents for use for a certain fee. The lady is burdened by this proposal, because for this she will have to say goodbye to her beloved cherry orchard, with which many warm memories of her youth are associated. Adding to the tragedy is the fact that her beloved son Grisha died in this garden. Gaev, imbued with his sister’s feelings, reassures her with a promise that their family estate will not be put up for sale.

The action of the second part takes place on the street, in the courtyard of the estate. Lopakhin, with his characteristic pragmatism, continues to insist on his plan to save the estate, but no one pays attention to him. Everyone turns to the teacher Pyotr Trofimov who has appeared. He delivers an excited speech dedicated to the fate of Russia, its future and touches on the topic of happiness in a philosophical context. The materialist Lopakhin is skeptical about the young teacher, and it turns out that only Anya is capable of being imbued with his lofty ideas.

The third act begins with Ranevskaya using her last money to invite an orchestra and organize a dance evening. Gaev and Lopakhin are absent at the same time - they went to the city for an auction, where the Ranevsky estate should go under the hammer. After a tedious wait, Lyubov Andreevna learns that her estate was bought at auction by Lopakhin, who does not hide his joy at his acquisition. The Ranevsky family is in despair.

The finale is entirely dedicated to the departure of the Ranevsky family from their home. The parting scene is shown with all the deep psychologism inherent in Chekhov. The play ends with a surprisingly deep monologue by Firs, whom the owners in a hurry forgot on the estate. The final chord is the sound of an axe. The cherry orchard is being cut down.

Main characters

A sentimental person, the owner of the estate. Having lived abroad for several years, she got used to a luxurious life and, by inertia, continues to allow herself many things that, given the deplorable state of her finances, according to the logic of common sense, should be inaccessible to her. Being a frivolous person, very helpless in everyday matters, Ranevskaya does not want to change anything about herself, while she is fully aware of her weaknesses and shortcomings.

A successful merchant, he owes a lot to the Ranevsky family. His image is ambiguous - he combines hard work, prudence, enterprise and rudeness, a “peasant” beginning. At the end of the play, Lopakhin does not share Ranevskaya’s feelings; he is happy that, despite his peasant origins, he was able to afford to buy the estate of his late father’s owners.

Like his sister, he is very sensitive and sentimental. Being an idealist and romantic, to console Ranevskaya, he comes up with fantastic plans to save the family estate. He is emotional, verbose, but at the same time completely inactive.

Petya Trofimov

An eternal student, a nihilist, an eloquent representative of the Russian intelligentsia, advocating for the development of Russia only in words. In pursuit of " the highest truth“He denies love, considering it a petty and illusory feeling, which immensely upsets Ranevskaya’s daughter Anya, who is in love with him.

A romantic 17-year-old young lady who fell under the influence of the populist Peter Trofimov. Recklessly believing in a better life after the sale of her parents' estate, Anya is ready for any difficulties for the sake of shared happiness next to her lover.

An 87-year-old man, a footman in the Ranevskys' house. The type of servant of old times, surrounds his masters with fatherly care. He remained to serve his masters even after the abolition of serfdom.

A young lackey who treats Russia with contempt and dreams of going abroad. A cynical and cruel man, he is rude to old Firs and even treats his own mother with disrespect.

Structure of the work

The structure of the play is quite simple - 4 acts without dividing into separate scenes. The duration of action is several months, from late spring to mid-autumn. In the first act there is exposition and plotting, in the second there is an increase in tension, in the third there is a climax (the sale of the estate), in the fourth there is a denouement. Characteristic feature the play is the absence of genuine external conflict, dynamism, unpredictable turns storyline. The author's remarks, monologues, pauses and some understatement give the play a unique atmosphere of exquisite lyricism. The artistic realism of the play is achieved through the alternation of dramatic and comic scenes.

(Scene from a modern production)

The development of the emotional and psychological plane dominates in the play; the main driver of the action is the internal experiences of the characters. The author expands art space works by introducing a large number of characters who never appear on stage. Also, the effect of expanding spatial boundaries is given by the symmetrically emerging theme of France, giving an arched form to the play.

Final conclusion

Chekhov's last play, one might say, is his “swan song.” The novelty of her dramatic language is a direct expression of Chekhov’s special concept of life, which is characterized by extraordinary attention to small, seemingly insignificant details, and a focus on the inner experiences of the characters.

In the play “The Cherry Orchard,” the author captured the state of critical disunity of Russian society of his time; this sad factor is often present in scenes where the characters hear only themselves, creating only the appearance of interaction.

All characters in the play “The Cherry Orchard” have great importance in the ideological and thematic context of the work. Even casually mentioned names carry meaning. For example, there are off-stage heroes (the Parisian lover, the Yaroslavl aunt), the very fact of whose existence already sheds light on the character and lifestyle of the hero, symbolizing an entire era. Therefore, in order to understand the author’s idea, it is necessary to analyze in detail those images that realize it.

A.P. Chekhov loved his heroes, but he could not trust any of them with the future of Russia, not even Petya Trofimov and Anya, the progressive youth of that time.

The heroes of the play, sympathetic to the author, do not know how to defend their rights in life, they suffer or remain silent. Ranevskaya and Gaev suffer because they understand that they cannot change anything about themselves. Their social status goes into oblivion, and they are forced to eke out a miserable existence on the last proceeds. Lopakhin suffers because he realizes that he cannot help them. He himself is not happy about buying a cherry orchard. No matter how hard he tries, he still will not become its full owner. That is why he decides to cut down the garden and sell the land, so that he can later forget about it as a bad dream. What about Petya and Anya? Isn't it the author's hope in them? Perhaps, but these hopes are very vague. Trofimov, due to his character, is not capable of taking any radical actions. And without this the situation cannot be changed. He is limited to talking about a wonderful future and that’s all. And Anya? This girl has a slightly stronger core than Petra. But due to her young age and the uncertainty of life, changes should not be expected from her. Perhaps in the distant future, when she has arranged everything for herself life priorities, some action can be expected from her. In the meantime, she limits herself to faith in the best and a sincere desire to plant a new garden.

Whose side is Chekhov on? He supports each side, but in his own way. In Ranevskaya, he appreciates genuine female kindness and naivety, albeit seasoned with spiritual emptiness. Lopakhin appreciates the desire for compromise and poetic beauty, although he is not able to appreciate the real charm of the cherry orchard. The Cherry Orchard is a member of the family, but everyone unanimously forgets about this, while Lopakhin is not able to understand this at all.

The heroes of the play are separated by a huge abyss. They are not able to understand each other, since they are closed in the world of their own feelings, thoughts and experiences. However, everyone is lonely, they have no friends, like-minded people, no real love. Most people go with the flow, without setting any serious goals for themselves. Besides, they are all unhappy. Ranevskaya experiences disappointment in love, life and her social supremacy, which seemed unshakable just yesterday. Gaev once again discovers that aristocratic manners are not a guarantor of power and financial well-being. Before his eyes, yesterday's serf takes away his estate, becomes the owner there, even without the nobility. Anna is left penniless and has no dowry for a profitable marriage. Although her chosen one does not demand it, he has not yet earned anything. Trofimov understands that he needs to change, but does not know how, because he has neither connections, nor money, nor position to influence anything. They are left with only the hopes of youth, which are short-lived. Lopakhin is unhappy because he realizes his inferiority, belittles his dignity, seeing that he is no match for any gentlemen, even though he has more money.