"A beast of prey" and a man with " tender soul"in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is Ermolai Lopakhin. This is exactly how Petya Trofimov characterizes him. But are these words true in relation to Lopakhin?
Lopakhin can be compared to the “Beast of Prey” in the sense that he is fighting for his place in the sun. He is trying to increase his wealth. To do this, he actively buys land from people in difficult situations (this is how he bought the estate with the cherry orchard). He willingly lends money. But debts must be repaid, so he “ beast of prey" Another reason why one can give it such a characteristic is the fate of the cherry orchard. Lopakhin proposed cutting down the trees, dividing the garden into plots and renting them out.
« Tender soul“Lopakhin has it too. He sincerely rejoices at the return of Ranevskaya. He remembers all the kindness he received from her as a child. He considers her his second mother, who is closer to him than the first. He is experiencing sincere feelings to Varya. Her refusal hurts him. He also worries about the fate of the cherry orchard, or more precisely about how Ranevskaya will feel after its sale.
After Lopakhin bought the estate, he showed himself more like a predator. He had already forgotten about his gentle soul; a thirst for entrepreneurship awoke in him.
Composition
“Tender soul or predatory beast”?
In the play by A.P. Chekhov " The Cherry Orchard“We are talking about the sale of a cherry orchard. The cherry orchard is dying, the owners of which Ranevskaya and Gaev do nothing to save it, they are only moved: “Oh, my dear, my tender, beautiful cherry orchard!”, “... without the cherry orchard I don’t understand my life!” The whole point is that the nobility, accustomed to living idlely, spending, but not making money, failed to adapt to the new conditions. Lyubov Andreevna has long “lost” her entire fortune, her estate has been mortgaged and remortgaged, but, due to habit, she cannot change her wasteful lifestyle. Ranevskaya does not understand that the coming time requires from her constant efforts necessary for material survival. The merchant Ermolai Lopakhin really wants to help Ranvskaya and Gaev.His father was a serf of Ranevskaya’s father and grandfather, and traded in a shop in the village. Now Lopakhin has become rich, but he says with irony about himself that he remains “a man, a man”: “My dad was a man, an idiot, he didn’t understand anything, he didn’t teach me, he only beat me when he was drunk... In essence, I’m just such a fool and idiot. I haven’t studied anything, my handwriting is bad, I write in such a way that people are ashamed of me, like a pig.”
Lopakhin sincerely wants to help Ranevskaya and offers to divide the garden into plots and rent them out.Lopakhin's speech is clear and logical. “Here is my project. Attention please!" - he busily addresses Gaev and Ranevskaya and further develops his project for saving the cherry orchard. You can hear the confidence of a businessman in his tone: “Make up your mind! There is no other way, I swear to you. No and no!" This advice seems to Gaev “rudeness”, a lack of understanding of the beauty and significance of the cherry orchard.
Of course, Lopakhin, realizing that the cherry orchard was dying, that the estate would go under the hammer, found his own way of salvation, but this method is very pragmatic. I can't agree with him. Is this salvation? This is the death of beauty, charm, a place where the soul could enjoy beauty, especially during the flowering period of the garden. Yes, the carelessness and impracticality of the old owners of the cherry orchard are contrasted with Lopakhin’s energy and economic determination. And so Lopakhin becomes the owner of the estate created by the hands of his ancestors. He says triumphantly: “If only my father and grandfather would get up from their graves and look at the whole incident, like their Ermolai, the beaten, illiterate Ermolai, who ran barefoot in the winter, how this same Ermolai bought an estate, the most beautiful of which there is nothing in the world! I bought an estate where my grandfather and father were slaves, where they were not even allowed into the kitchen. I’m dreaming, it’s only imagining it, it’s only seeming...” That’s what Lopakhin is all about! It is a predatory beast that will stop at nothing for profit. A gentle soul with his love for loved ones, desire to help - all this fades into the background. He tries to read, falls asleep over a book. He is not deprived aesthetic feeling and admires the picture of poppies blooming in his fields. Trofimov notes that he has “thin, gentle fingers, like an artist... a subtle, gentle soul.” He is generally a kind and warm-hearted person, which most clearly follows from his attitude towards Ranevskaya. But all these features do not at all change or obscure Lopakhin’s acquisitive, predatory essence. True Role Lopakhin as a representative of capital in the play is clear. This role is characterized by the words of Trofimov: “Just as in the sense of metabolism a predatory beast is needed that eats everything that gets in its way, so you are needed.” The beast of prey wins in it. Just think what new life can it be built by destroying a beautiful cherry orchard and giving the land for dachas? Life and beauty are destroyed. The summer residents will complement what Lopakhin started.
Lopakhin, it is true, is a merchant, but a decent one
human in every sense.
A.P. Chekhov. From letters
"The Cherry Orchard" by A.P. Chekhov - a play about a bankrupt noble nest. The owners of the cherry orchard, Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya and Leonid Andreevich Gaev, are bankrupt landowners, they are forced to sell the estate in order to pay off their debts. Memories of the past, today's life and worries about the future are inevitably connected by the heroes with the fate of the cherry orchard. The cherry orchard in the play symbolizes the poetry of old life. The fate of the owners seems to be repeated in the fate of their garden. The estate with the cherry orchard is being sold at auction. By the will of fate, Lopakhin becomes the new owner.
Who is he - Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin? Lopakhin himself says this about himself: “... rich, a lot of money, but if you think about it and figure it out, then he’s a man.” Lopakhin, who had never studied anywhere, is a gifted person; he managed to get out into the world and become a merchant. Unlike other residents and guests of the house, he works a lot and sees the meaning of his life in this. True, Gaev calls him a “fist,” but for some reason he is not ashamed to ask him for a loan. Lopakhin readily gives money to both Gaev and Ranevskaya and, it seems, amuses his vanity with this. It is no coincidence that he repeatedly proudly emphasizes that his grandfather and father were serfs “slaves” in a house where “they were not even allowed into the kitchen,” and he is now in this house on equal terms with the owners. At the end of the play, he buys this estate, “which is not more beautiful in the world!” Thus, he seemed to take revenge on the former owners of the house and garden for the humiliation of his childhood, when he, “the beaten, illiterate Ermolai, ran here barefoot in the winter.” His desire to “take an ax to the cherry orchard” is a desire to part with the humiliating past (cut it down at the root) and start a new life.
And he is capable of great things, on a large scale. Lopakhin feels the beauty of the land and believes that “living here, we ourselves should truly be giants.” But instead of heroic scope, Lopakhin has to deal with not very beautiful things, like purchasing a garden from its bankrupt owners. And they are ugly because he twice admitted to Ranevskaya (and seemingly sincerely) that he is grateful to her and loves her “like his own... more than his own”; gave her advice on how to save the house and garden so as not to sell, even offered to loan her fifty thousand, and in the end he bought the entire estate himself. Of course, it would have been sold anyway, but Lopakhin, " subtle soul", he himself feels some awkwardness because of what happened. He wanted to save, but he himself seemed to have ruined. Therefore, with tears he says: “Oh, if only this would all pass, if only our awkwardness would somehow change, unhappy life"In other words, we see the inconsistency of Lopakhin’s character and actions.
“Eternal student” Petya Trofimov gives Lopakhin two mutually exclusive characteristics: “a predatory beast” and “a subtle, gentle soul.” And, it seems to me, you cannot put an “or” conjunction between them. Trofimov defines Lopakhin’s role as a necessary link in the natural development of society, in which people like Ranevskaya and Gaev should become a thing of the past, and people like Lopakhin, active, energetic, will come (and are already coming) to replace them. Can we say that Lopakhin is a “beast of prey” in relation to Ranevskaya? Don't think. After all, he did everything in his power to avoid bringing the matter to auction. But the “klutzes” Ranevskaya and Gaev didn’t lift a finger to help themselves.
Lopakhin wanted to be the savior of the cherry orchard, but he did it in accordance with his merchant understanding. This is salvation in a new way. The value of the cherry orchard for Ranevskaya and for Lopakhin was different: for her it is a beautiful family nest, with which many dear memories are associated, for him it is property that can give money.
But at the same time, Lopakhin is no stranger to experiences, some sentimentality, which manifested itself in memories of childhood, in sincere gratitude Ranevskaya for her attention to him in the past. With his advice, reminders, and offer to give part of the money, he is trying to soften the inevitable blow due to bankruptcy. And although Lopakhin is triumphant, unable to hide his joy from the purchase, he still sympathizes with the bankrupt bars. Yes, Lopakhin does not have enough tact not to start work in the garden before the departure of the former owners, but where can he (tact) come from an illiterate person who has never been taught good manners anywhere?..
The image of Lopakhin is ambiguous, and therefore interesting. The contradictions of Lopakhin's character precisely make up the drama of the image.
Lopakhin, it is true, is a merchant, but a decent person in every sense.
A. P. Chekhov
“The Cherry Orchard” by A.P. Chekhov is a play about a ruined noble nest. The owners of the cherry orchard, Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya and Leonid Andreevich Gaev, are bankrupt landowners, they are forced to sell the estate at auction in order to pay off their debts. By the will of fate, Lopakhin becomes the new owner.
Who is he - Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin?
Lopakhin himself says this about himself: “... rich, a lot of money, but if you think about it and figure it out, then a man is a man.”
Lopakhin, who had never studied anywhere, is a gifted person; he managed to get out into the world and become a merchant. Unlike other residents and guests of the house, he works a lot and sees the meaning of his life in this. True, Gaev calls him a “fist,” but for some reason he is not ashamed to ask him for a loan. Lopakhin readily gives money to both Gaev and Ranevskaya and, it seems, amuses his pride with this. It is no coincidence that he repeatedly proudly emphasizes that his grandfather and father were serf “slaves” in a house where “they were not even allowed into the kitchen,” and he is now in this house on equal terms with the owners. At the end of the play, he buys this estate, “there is nothing more beautiful in the world!” Thus, he seemed to take revenge on the former owners of the house and Garden for the humiliation of his childhood, when he, “the beaten, illiterate Ermolai, ran here barefoot in the winter.” His desire to “take an ax to the cherry orchard” is a desire to part with the humiliating past (cut it down at the root) and start a new life.
And Lopakhin is capable of great things, on a large scale. He feels the beauty of the land and believes that “living here, we ourselves should truly be giants.” But instead of heroic scope, Lopakhin has to deal with such not very beautiful things as acquiring a garden from its bankrupt owners. And they are ugly because he twice admitted to Ranevskaya (and seemingly sincerely) that he is grateful to her and loves her “like his own... more than his own”; gave her advice on how to save the house and garden so as not to sell, even offered to loan her fifty thousand, and ultimately he bought the entire estate himself. Of course, it would have been sold anyway, but Lopakhin, a “subtle soul,” himself feels some awkwardness of what happened. I wanted to save, but it was as if I destroyed it. Therefore, he says with tears: “Oh, if only this would all pass, if only our awkward, unhappy life would somehow change.” We see the inconsistency of Lopakhin's character and actions.
“Eternal student” Petya Trofimov gives Lopakhin two mutually exclusive characteristics: “a predatory beast” and “a subtle, gentle soul.” And, it seems to me, it is impossible to put the conjunction “or” between them. Can we say that Lopakhin is a “beast of prey” in relation to Ranevskaya? Don't think. After all, he is trying as best he can so as not to bring the matter to auction. But Ranevskaya and Gaev didn’t lift a finger to help themselves. Lopakhin wanted to be the savior of the cherry orchard, but he did it in accordance with his merchant understanding. This is salvation in a new way. The value of the cherry orchard is different for Ranevskaya and for Lopakhin: for her it is a family nest, with which many dear memories are associated, for him it is property that can generate income.
At the same time, Lopakhin is no stranger to experiences, some sentimentality, which manifested itself in memories of childhood, in sincere gratitude to Ranevskaya for her attention to him in the past. With his advice, reminders, and offer to give part of the money, he tries to soften the inevitable blow that awaits the owners of the estate. And although Lopakhin is triumphant, unable to hide his joy from the purchase, he still sympathizes with the bankrupt bars. Yes, Lopakhin does not have enough tact not to start work in the garden until the former owners leave, but where does tact come from from an illiterate person who has never been taught good manners anywhere?..
The image of Lopakhin is ambiguous, and therefore interesting. The contradictions of Lopakhin’s character precisely make up the drama of the image.
Lopakhin - “tender soul” or “beast of prey”
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(The image of Lopakhin in A.P. Chekhov’s play “The Cherry Orchard”)
After all, this is not a merchant in the vulgar sense of the word. We need to understand this.
A. P. Chekhov
When creating the play “The Cherry Orchard” A. P. Chekhov great attention paid attention to the image of Lopakhin as one of central images comedies. In revealing the author's intention, in resolving the main conflict, it is Lopakhin who plays a very important role.
Lopakhin is unusual and strange; he caused and continues to cause bewilderment among many literary critics. Indeed, Chekhov's character does not fit into the usual scheme: a rude, uneducated merchant destroys beauty without thinking about what he is doing, caring only about his profits. The situation for that time was typical not only in literature, but also in life. However, if you imagine Lopakhin as such even for a moment, the entire carefully thought-out system of Chekhov’s images collapses. Life is more complex than any scheme, and therefore the proposed situation cannot at all be Chekhovian.
Among the Russian merchants there appeared people who clearly did not correspond to traditional concept about merchants. The duality, inconsistency, and internal instability of these people are vividly conveyed by Chekhov in the image of Lopakhin. Lopakhin's inconsistency is especially acute because the situation is extremely dual.
Ermolai Lopakhin is the son and grandson of a serf. For the rest of his life, the phrase Ranevskaya said to a boy beaten by his father was probably etched in his memory: “Don’t cry, little man, he’ll heal before the wedding. . . “He feels like an indelible mark on himself from these words: “Man. . . My father, it’s true, was a man, but here I am in a white vest and yellow shoes. . . but if you think about it and figure it out, the man is a man. . . “Lopakhin suffers deeply from this duality. He destroys the cherry orchard not only for the sake of profit, and not so much for its sake. There was another reason, much more important than the first - revenge for the past. He destroys the garden, fully aware that it is “an estate better than which there is nothing in the world.” And yet Lopakhin hopes to kill the memory, which, against his will, always shows him that he, Ermolai Lopakhin, is a “man”, and the bankrupt owners of the cherry orchard are “gentlemen”.
With all his might, Lopakhin strives to erase the line separating him from the “gentlemen.” He is the only one who appears on stage with a book. Although he later admits that he didn’t understand anything about it.
Lopakhin has his own social utopia. He views summer residents very seriously as enormous power V historical process, designed to erase this very line between “men” and “gentlemen”. It seems to Lopakhin that by destroying the cherry orchard, he is bringing a better future closer.
Lopakhin has the features of a predatory beast. But money and the power acquired with it (“I can pay for everything!”) crippled not only people like Lopakhin. At the auction, the predator in him awakens, and Lopakhin finds himself at the mercy of the merchant's passion. And it is precisely in the excitement that he finds himself the owner of a cherry orchard. And he cuts down this garden even before the departure of its former owners, not paying attention to the persistent requests of Anya and Ranevskaya herself.
But Lopakhin’s tragedy is that he is not aware of his own “bestial” nature. Between his thoughts and actual actions lies the deepest abyss. Two people live and fight in it: one - “with a subtle, gentle soul”; the other is a “beast of prey.”