Introduction
1. Problems of the play by A.P. Chekhov " Cherry Orchard»
2. The embodiment of the past - Ranevskaya and Gaev
3. Exponent of the ideas of the present - Lopakhin
4. Heroes of the future - Petya and Anya
Conclusion
List of used literature
Introduction
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - writer of the mighty creative talent and a kind of subtle skill, manifested with equal brilliance, both in his stories and in his stories and plays.
Chekhov's plays constituted an entire era in Russian drama and theater and had an immeasurable influence on all their subsequent development.
Continuing and deepening the best traditions of the dramaturgy of critical realism, Chekhov strove to ensure that his plays were dominated by the truth of life, unvarnished, in all its ordinariness, everyday life.
Showing natural progression everyday life ordinary people, Chekhov bases his plots not on one, but on several organically related, intertwined conflicts. At the same time, the leading and unifying conflict is predominantly the conflict of the characters not with each other, but with the entire social environment surrounding them.
Problems of the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard"
The play “The Cherry Orchard” occupies a special place in Chekhov’s work. Before her, he awakened the idea of the need to change reality, showing the hostility of people's living conditions, highlighting those features of his characters that doomed them to the position of a victim. In The Cherry Orchard, reality is depicted in its historical development. The topic of changing social structures is being widely developed. The noble estates with their parks and cherry orchards, with their unreasonable owners, are becoming a thing of the past. They are being replaced by business-like and practical people; they are the present of Russia, but not its future. Only the younger generation has the right to cleanse and change life. Hence the main idea of the play: the establishment of a new social force, opposing not only the nobility, but also the bourgeoisie and called upon to rebuild life on the principles of true humanity and justice.
Chekhov's play “The Cherry Orchard” was written during the period of social upsurge of the masses in 1903. It reveals to us another page of his multifaceted creativity, reflecting the complex phenomena of that time. The play amazes us with its poetic power and drama, and is perceived by us as a sharp exposure of the social ills of society, an exposure of those people whose thoughts and actions are far from moral standards of behavior. The writer clearly shows deep psychological conflicts, helps the reader to see the reflection of events in the souls of the heroes, makes us think about the meaning true love and true happiness. Chekhov easily takes us from our present to the distant past. Together with its heroes, we live next to the cherry orchard, see its beauty, clearly feel the problems of that time, together with the heroes we try to find answers to difficult questions. It seems to me that the play “The Cherry Orchard” is a play about the past, present and future not only of its characters, but also of the country as a whole. The author shows the clash between representatives of the past, the present and the future inherent in this present. I think that Chekhov managed to show the justice of the inevitable departure from the historical arena of such seemingly harmless persons as the owners of the cherry orchard. So who are they, the garden owners? What connects their lives with his existence? Why is the cherry orchard so dear to them? Answering these questions, Chekhov reveals an important problem - the problem of passing life, its worthlessness and conservatism.
The name itself Chekhov's play puts you in a lyrical mood. In our minds, a bright and unique image of a blooming garden appears, personifying beauty and the desire for a better life. The main plot of the comedy is related to the sale of this ancient noble estate. This event largely determines the fate of its owners and inhabitants. Thinking about the fate of the heroes, you involuntarily think about more, about the ways of development of Russia: its past, present and future.
The embodiment of the past - Ranevskaya and Gaev
Exponent of the ideas of the present - Lopakhin
Heroes of the future - Petya and Anya
All this involuntarily leads us to the idea that the country needs completely different people who will accomplish different great things. And these other people are Petya and Anya.
Trofimov is a democrat by origin, habits and beliefs. Creating images of Trofimov, Chekhov expresses in this image such leading features as devotion to public causes, desire for a better future and propaganda of the fight for it, patriotism, integrity, courage, and hard work. Trofimov, despite his 26 or 27 years, has a lot of difficult life experience behind him. He has already been expelled from the university twice. He has no confidence that he will not be expelled a third time and that he will not remain an “eternal student.”
Experiencing hunger, poverty, and political persecution, he did not lose faith in new life, which will be based on fair, humane laws and creative creative work. Petya Trofimov sees the failure of the nobility, mired in idleness and inaction. He gives a largely correct assessment of the bourgeoisie, noting its progressive role in the economic development of the country, but denying it the role of creator and creator of new life. In general, his statements are distinguished by directness and sincerity. While treating Lopakhin with sympathy, he nevertheless compares him to a predatory beast, “which eats everything that gets in its way.” In his opinion, the Lopakhins are not capable of decisively changing life by building it on reasonable and fair principles. Petya causes deep thoughts in Lopakhin, who in his soul envies the conviction of this “shabby gentleman”, which he himself so lacks.
Trofimov's thoughts about the future are too vague and abstract. “We are heading uncontrollably towards the bright star that burns there in the distance!” - he says to Anya. Yes, his goal is wonderful. But how to achieve it? Where is the main force that can turn Russia into a blooming garden?
Some people treat Petya with slight irony, others with undisguised love. In his speeches one can hear a direct condemnation of a dying life, a call for a new one: “I’ll get there. I’ll get there or show others the way to get there.” And he points. He points it out to Anya, whom he loves dearly, although he skillfully hides it, realizing that he is destined for a different path. He tells her: “If you have the keys to the farm, then throw them into the well and leave. Be free like the wind."
The klutz and “shabby gentleman” (as Varya ironically calls Trofimova) lacks Lopakhin’s strength and business acumen. He submits to life, stoically enduring its blows, but is not able to master it and become the master of his destiny. True, he captivated Anya with his democratic ideas, who expresses her readiness to follow him, firmly believing in the beautiful dream of a new blooming garden. But this young seventeen-year-old girl, who gained information about life mainly from books, is pure, naive and spontaneous, has not yet encountered reality.
Anya is full of hope, vitality, but there is still so much inexperience and childhood in her. In terms of character, she is in many ways close to her mother: she has a love for beautiful word, to sensitive intonations. At the beginning of the play, Anya is carefree, quickly moving from concern to animation. She is practically helpless, she is used to living carefree, not thinking about her daily bread or tomorrow. But all this does not prevent Anya from breaking with her usual views and way of life. Its evolution is taking place before our eyes. Anya’s new views are still naive, but she says goodbye to the old home and the old world forever.
It is unknown whether she will have enough spiritual strength, perseverance and courage to complete the path of suffering, labor and hardship. Will she be able to maintain that ardent faith in the best, which makes her say goodbye to her old life without regret? Chekhov does not answer these questions. And this is natural. After all, we can only talk about the future speculatively.
Conclusion
The truth of life in all its consistency and completeness is what Chekhov was guided by when creating his images. That is why each character in his plays represents a living human character, attracting with great meaning and deep emotionality, convincing with its naturalness, the warmth of human feelings.
In terms of the strength of his direct emotional impact, Chekhov is perhaps the most outstanding playwright in art. critical realism.
Chekhov's dramaturgy, which responded to pressing issues of his time, addressed the everyday interests, experiences and worries of ordinary people, awakened the spirit of protest against inertia and routine, and called for social activity to improve life. Therefore, she has always had a huge influence on readers and viewers. The significance of Chekhov's drama has long gone beyond the borders of our homeland; it has become global. Chekhov's dramatic innovation is widely recognized outside the borders of our great homeland. I am proud that Anton Pavlovich is a Russian writer, and no matter how different the masters of culture are, they probably all agree that Chekhov, with his works, prepared the world for better life, more beautiful, more fair, more reasonable.
If Chekhov looked with hope into the 20th century, which was just beginning, then we live in the new 21st century, still dreaming of our cherry orchard and of those who will nurture it. Flowering trees cannot grow without roots. And the roots are the past and the present. Therefore, for a wonderful dream to come true, the younger generation must combine high culture, education with practical knowledge of reality, will, perseverance, hard work, humane goals, that is, embody the best features of Chekhov's heroes.
List of used literature
1. History of Russian literature second half of the 19th century century / ed. prof. N.I. Kravtsova. Publisher: Prosveshchenie - Moscow 1966.
2. Exam questions and answers. Literature. 9 and 11 graduating classes. Tutorial. – M.: AST – PRESS, 2000.
3. A. A. Egorova. How to write an essay with a "5". Study guide. Rostov-on-Don, "Phoenix", 2001.
4. Chekhov A.P. Stories. Plays. – M.: Olimp; LLC "Firm" Publishing house AST, 1998.
Features of Chekhov's dramaturgy
Before Anton Chekhov, Russian theater was going through a crisis; it was he who made an invaluable contribution to its development, breathing new life into it. The playwright snatched small sketches from the everyday life of his characters, bringing drama closer to reality. His plays made the viewer think, although they did not contain intrigues or open conflicts, but they reflected the internal anxiety of a turning point in history, when society froze in anticipation of imminent changes, and all social strata became heroes. The apparent simplicity of the plot introduced the stories of the characters before the events described, making it possible to speculate what would happen to them after. In this way, the past, present, and future were mixed in an amazing way in the play “The Cherry Orchard,” by connecting people not so much from different generations, but different eras. And one of the “undercurrents” characteristic of Chekhov’s plays was the author’s reflection on the fate of Russia, and the theme of the future took center stage in “The Cherry Orchard.”
Past, present and future on the pages of the play “The Cherry Orchard”
So how did the past, present and future meet on the pages of the play “The Cherry Orchard”? Chekhov seemed to divide all the heroes into these three categories, depicting them very vividly.
The past in the play “The Cherry Orchard” is represented by Ranevskaya, Gaev and Firs - the oldest character in the entire performance. They are the ones who talk most about what happened; for them, the past is a time in which everything was easy and wonderful. There were masters and servants, each had their own place and purpose. For Firs, the abolition of serfdom became greatest sorrow, he did not want freedom, remaining on the estate. He sincerely loved the family of Ranevskaya and Gaev, remaining devoted to them until the very end. For aristocrats Lyubov Andreevna and her brother, the past is a time when they did not need to think about such base things as money. They enjoyed life, doing what brings pleasure, knowing how to appreciate the beauty of intangible things - it is difficult for them to adapt to the new order, in which highly moral values are replaced by material values. For them, it is humiliating to talk about money, about ways to earn it, and Lopakhin’s real proposal to rent out land occupied by an essentially worthless garden is perceived as vulgarity. Unable to make decisions about the future of the cherry orchard, they succumb to the flow of life and simply float along it. Ranevskaya, with her aunt’s money sent for Anya, leaves for Paris, and Gaev goes to work in a bank. The death of Firs at the end of the play is very symbolic, as if to say that the aristocracy as a social class has outlived its usefulness, and there is no place for it, in the form in which it was before the abolition of serfdom.
Lopakhin became a representative of the present in the play “The Cherry Orchard”. “A man is a man,” as he says about himself, a thinking in a new way who knows how to make money using his mind and instincts. Petya Trofimov even compares him to a predator, but a predator with a subtle artistic nature. And this brings Lopakhin a lot of emotional experiences. He is perfectly aware of the beauty of the old cherry orchard, which will be cut down according to his will, but he cannot do otherwise. His ancestors were serfs, his father owned a shop, and he became a “white farmer”, amassing a considerable fortune. Chekhov placed special emphasis on the character of Lopakhin, because he was not a typical merchant, whom many treated with disdain. He made himself, paving the way with his work and desire to be better than his ancestors, not only in terms of financial independence, but also in education. In many ways, Chekhov identified himself with Lopakhin, because their pedigrees are similar.
Anya and Petya Trofimov personify the future. They are young, full of strength and energy. And most importantly, they have a desire to change their lives. But, it’s just that Petya is a master at talking and reasoning about a wonderful and fair future, but he doesn’t know how to turn his speeches into action. This is what prevents him from graduating from university or at least somehow organizing his life. Petya denies all attachments - be it to a place or another person. He captivates the naive Anya with his ideas, but she already has a plan for how to arrange her life. She is inspired and ready to “plant new garden, even more beautiful than before.” However, the future in Chekhov's play “The Cherry Orchard” is very uncertain and vague. In addition to the educated Anya and Petya, there are also Yasha and Dunyasha, and they, too, are the future. Moreover, if Dunyasha is just a stupid peasant girl, then Yasha is a completely different type. The Gaevs and Ranevskys are being replaced by the Lopakhins, but someone will also have to replace the Lopakhins. If you remember history, then 13 years after this play was written, it was precisely these Yashas who came to power - unprincipled, empty and cruel, not attached to anyone or anything.
In the play “The Cherry Orchard,” the heroes of the past, present and future were gathered in one place, but they were not united by an internal desire to be together and exchange their dreams, desires, and experiences. The old garden and house hold them together, and as soon as they disappear, the connection between the characters and the time they reflect is severed.
Connection of times today
Only the greatest creations are able to reflect reality even many years after their creation. This happened with the play “The Cherry Orchard”. History is cyclical, society develops and changes, moral and ethical standards are also subject to rethinking. Human life is not possible without memory of the past, inaction in the present, and without faith in the future. One generation is replaced by another, some build, others destroy. This is how it was in Chekhov’s time, and this is how it is now. The playwright was right when he said that “All of Russia is our garden,” and it depends only on us whether it will bloom and bear fruit, or whether it will be cut down at the very root.
The author's discussions about the past, present and future in comedy, about people and generations, about Russia make us think even today. These thoughts will be useful for 10th graders when writing an essay on the topic “Past, present, future in the play “The Cherry Orchard”.”
Work test
The external plot of the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" is the sale of Ranevskaya's estate for debts, the end of the established way of life of a noble family. The beautiful garden, against the backdrop of which characters are shown who do not understand the things that are happening or understand them very incorrectly, is associated with the destinies of several generations - the past, present and future of Russia.
Philosophical content The play lies in the farewell of the new, young, tomorrow's country to the past, obsolete one. We can say that the entire play “The Cherry Orchard” is directed towards the future of the homeland.
The past, present and future in the play are personified by the characters in The Cherry Orchard. Each of them lives in the present, but for some this is the final stage life path(the path Russia is following). These are Ranevskaya, her brother Gaev, and their devoted old servant Firs. For these heroes, the best is in the past. For others (Anya, Petya Trofimov) this is just the beginning of a wonderful future, a new life, with new goals, new happiness, a new country.
In the play, the return from the present to the past is associated not only with some characters, but also with many details of the work. We are reminded of hoary antiquity by old stones, a hundred-year-old cabinet, cherry, which now they don’t know what to do with, but forty to fifty years ago it brought a lot of income... In addition, the play mentions that six years ago the husband died and Ranevskaya's son drowned, blind Firs has been muttering for three years, etc.
From the present to the future in The Cherry Orchard the road opens only for Anya, Varya, Petya and Lopakhin. "Yes, time goes by“, notes Lopakhin himself.
So, “The Cherry Orchard” is a play about the past, present and future of Russia. The future appears before us in the form of a beautiful garden. “All of Russia is our garden,” Trofimov says in the second act, and in the final act Anya says: “We will plant a new garden, more luxurious than this...”
In general, the image of the cherry orchard plays a large, multifaceted role in the play. First of all, it is a symbol of the passing old life, the dead noble culture. “To own living souls - after all, this has reborn all of you, who lived before and are now living, so that your mother, you, uncle, no longer notice that you are living in debt, at the expense of others, at the expense of those people whom you do not allow further front... It’s so clear, in order to start living in the present, we must first redeem our past, put an end to it...” Petya Trofimov says in his monologue.
It seems to me that these words are the idea of the play. The end of the past is its main meaning. Connected with this in “The Cherry Orchard” is the motif of the proximity of happiness. Addressing Anya, Trofimov calls her to the beauty of the future: “I have a presentiment of happiness, Anya, I already see it... Here it is, happiness, here it comes, coming closer, I can already hear its steps. And if we don’t see him, don’t recognize him, then what’s the harm? Others will see him!”
But the Gaevs and Ranevskys do not seem to think about life, the passing life and the future. Even the terrible drama that plays out in connection with the sale of their native estate does not turn out to be a disaster for them. It seems to me that all this happens for the reason that such heroes as Ranevskaya and Gaev cannot have anything serious, anything dramatic in their lives. That is why, in my opinion, the comedic, satirical basis of The Cherry Orchard is connected with Ranevskaya and, of course, Gaev.
And therefore, these representatives of the past do not deserve the beauty of the future that Petya Trofimov talks about. Ranevskaya and Gaev can only be called representatives with a stretch. They are just ghosts who cannot leave behind even a lasting memory.
Because the characters in “The Cherry Orchard” are clearly divided into two groups, they seem to not hear each other, they cannot find common language. It’s not surprising: after all, some of them are left in the past, others are moving into the future. Inexorable time separates them...
In fact, time is another character, perhaps the most important thing in the play. It is invisible, but the greater its significance. Time does not stand in one place; it is characterized by movement. Movement is also characteristic historical process, life. This means that Russia will move forward. In any case, this belief is evident in the play. Obvious, since A.P. himself Chekhov realized that “everything has long since become old, outdated” and is only waiting for “the beginning of something young, fresh.” And the writer happily said goodbye to the past he hated. "Goodbye old life!" – rings in the finale of “The Cherry Orchard” Anya’s young voice, the voice new Russia, Chekhov's voice.
Past, present and future in the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard"
Play by A.P. Chekhov's “The Cherry Orchard” was written in 1903, at the turn of two eras. The motive for waiting for a new one, bright life permeates all of Chekhov's work in these years. The writer believes that life will change not spontaneously, but thanks to the intelligent activity of man. Chekhov implies that this life is already emerging. And the motive of this new life is embodied in the pages of the play “The Cherry Orchard.”
Chekhov shows the past of the cherry orchard, the past of life through the images of Ranevskaya and Gaev. These are representatives of the noble class, already outdated and leaving. The author makes you feel the idleness, idleness of these heroes, their habit of living “in debt, at someone else’s expense.” Ranevskaya is wasteful not because she is kind, but because money comes easily to her. Like Gaev, she relies not on her own labors and strength, but on random help: either Lopakhin will give a loan, or the Yaroslavl grandmother will send to pay the debt. Therefore, it is hard to believe that these heroes will be able to live somewhere outside the family estate.
The noble class is being replaced by new “masters of life”: enterprising, strong, active people like Lopakhin. This is a man of work. He gets up “at five o’clock in the morning” and works “from morning until evening.” In one of his monologues, he says: “We will set up dachas, and our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will see a new life here.” But Chekhov does not accept such a new life, because Lopakhin cuts down the cherry orchard and destroys the most beautiful thing in the area. He's like the one beast of prey, which eats everything that comes in its way. In his activities, he is guided only by personal benefits and considerations. And let him dream of heroic creative scope, saying that with huge forests, vast fields and the deepest horizons, people must also be giants. But instead of on a gigantic scale, he himself is engaged in the acquisition and cutting down of a cherry orchard.
Chekhov emphasizes that Lopakhin is only a temporary owner of the cherry orchard, a temporary owner of life.
The writer's dream of a new life is symbolized by other heroes. This is Petya Trofimov and Anya Ranevskaya. Democratic student Petya Trofimov is looking for the truth and fervently believes in the triumph of a just life in the near future. However, the author has an ambivalent attitude towards this hero. On the one hand, he shows Petya as a man of exceptional honesty and selflessness. Petya is poor, suffers hardships, but categorically refuses to “live at someone else’s expense” or borrow money. His observations of life are insightful and correct; it is he who points out the real sin of the nobility that destroyed this class. However, both the author and the reader are confused by one thing: Petya talks a lot, but does little.
With his calls for a free, fair life, Petya attracts the selfless girl Anya Ranevskaya. She is ready to leave the past behind, ready to act to turn all of Russia into a blooming garden. At the end of the play we hear her cheerful call to “plant a new garden.”
The play “The Cherry Orchard” was conceived by Chekhov not as a call for revolution (after all, Chekhov was never a revolutionary), but as a call for moral cleansing, for a renewal of life, for a rational and useful activity in the name of a wonderful future.
Past, present and future in A. Chekhov’s play “The Cherry Orchard”
The play “The Cherry Orchard” was written by A.P. Chekhov in 1904. For Russia, this time is associated with emerging global changes. Therefore, the main topics of this work became the death of the noble nest, embodied in the victory of an enterprising merchant-industrialist over the moribund Ranevskys and Gaevs, and the theme of the future of Russia, associated with the images of Petya Trofimov and Anya. The entire content of the play lies in the farewell of young, new Russia to the past, to an outdated way of life and in the country’s aspiration towards tomorrow, towards unknown distances.
Russia of the outdated past is represented in the play by the images of Ranevskaya and Gaev. The cherry orchard is dear to these heroes as a memory, as memories of childhood, youth, prosperity, of their easy and graceful life. Noble nest for A.P. Chekhov it is inextricably linked with the center of culture. And therefore, in the noble estate presented by the author, we first of all see a cultural nest. Ranevskaya is the soul of a beautiful house, its mistress. That is why people are constantly drawn to her despite all her vices and frivolity. The hostess returns, and the house immediately comes to life, even those who seem to have left its walls forever come to see it. Ranevskaya and Gaev are very upset about the loss of their beloved garden, but it was they who, with their lack of understanding of life, ruined it and put it under the ax. With her inability to adapt to the present, her frivolity and lack of will, the mistress brought the estate to complete ruin, to the point of selling the estate at auction. In order to somehow save the estate, Lopakhin, an enterprising merchant-industrialist, offers a real way out of the current situation - to set up a cherry orchard for dachas. And although the owner sheds rivers of tears over her deplorable situation, exclaiming that she cannot live without him, she still refuses Lopakhin’s offer to save the estate. She hopes for the unlikely help of a rich Yaroslavl aunt, thereby rejecting a real plan to save her situation. Ranevskaya finds the options for selling or renting out garden plots offensive and unacceptable. For the owners of the house, such an exit means betrayal of themselves, their habits, life values, and ideals. And therefore they silently reject Lopakhin’s proposal and go towards their social and life collapse. The suffering of Ranevskaya and Gaev is completely sincere, although it takes on a certain farcical form. Ranevskaya's life is not without drama: her husband dies, her little son tragically dies, her lover leaves her. Lyubov Andreevna admits that she is unable to fight her feelings even when she understands that she has been deceived by her beloved. She is completely focused on her own experiences, detached from others’ experiences and suffering. She talks about the death of her old nanny simply over a cup of coffee. And her brother, Leonid Andreevich Gaev, is much smaller than his sister. He is a pathetic aristocrat who has squandered his entire fortune.
The estate is put up for auction, and Lopakhin himself turns out to be the buyer. The estate was sold, the former owners of the house suffered an irreparable loss. But, as it turned out, there is no trouble for the owner of the cherry orchard. Ranevskaya is not experiencing any drama about this. She returns to Paris to her absurd love, to which, apparently, she would have returned anyway, despite all her loud words about the impossibility of living far from her homeland. Ranevskaya does not experience any serious worries; she can easily move from a state of anxiety, preoccupation to cheerful and carefree animation. This happened this time too. She quickly calmed down about the loss that befell her and even made a confession: “My nerves are better, it’s true.” For former owners estates and their surroundings - Ranevskaya, Varya, Gaev, Pischik, Charlotte, Dunyasha, Firs - with the death of the cherry orchard, the usual life ends, and what will happen next is very uncertain. And although they continue to pretend that nothing has changed, such behavior seems ridiculous, and in light of the current situation, even stupid and unreasonable. The tragedy of these people is not that they lost their cherry orchard or went bankrupt, but that their feelings became very shredded.
The present in the play is represented by the image of the successful merchant-industrialist Lopakhin. Among the Russian merchants of the late nineteenth century, people appeared who clearly did not correspond to the traditional concept of merchants. The duality, inconsistency, and internal instability of these people are vividly conveyed by A.P. Chekhov precisely in the image of Lopakhin. This man is quite strange and unusual. The inconsistency of this image is especially acute because the situation in his society is extremely ambiguous.
Ermolai Lopakhin is the son and grandson of a serf peasant. Ranevskaya’s words, spoken to a boy beaten by his father, are forever 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: “Little man... My father, it’s true, was a man, and here I am in a white vest, yellow shoes... and if you think about it and figure it out, a man is a man...” Lopakhin suffers deeply from this duality. He cuts down a cherry orchard, and it may seem that a rude, uneducated merchant is destroying beauty, without thinking about what he is doing, just for the sake of his profit. But in fact, he does this not only for profit and not for its sake. There is another reason, much more important than one’s own enrichment - revenge for the past. He cuts down the garden, fully aware that this is “an estate better than which there is nothing in the world.” But with such an act he hopes to kill the memory, which, against his will, constantly reminds him that he is a “man”, and the bankrupt owners of the cherry orchard are “gentlemen”. By any means, with all his strength, he wants to erase this line separating him from the “masters.” He is the only character who appears on stage with a book, although he admits that he still didn’t understand anything about it. In Lopakhin one can see the features of a predatory beast. Money and the power acquired with it cripple his soul. “I can pay for everything!” , he declares. At the auction, Lopakhin finds himself at the mercy of the merchant's passion, and it is here that the predator awakens in him. It is in excitement that he becomes the owner of the cherry orchard. And, despite the requests of Anya and Ranevskaya herself, she cuts down the garden even before the departure of its former owners.
Lopakhin's tragedy is that between his thoughts and actions lies an impassable abyss. Two people live and fight in it: one is “with a subtle, gentle soul”, the other is a “predatory beast”. The author's remarks help us take a closer look at the ambiguity of Lopakhin's character. At first he conducts a calm business conversation about the progress of the auction, he is happy with his purchase, even proud of it, and then suddenly he himself is embarrassed and treats himself with bitter irony. It is characterized by ups and downs, constant changes. His speech can be emotional and amazing: “Lord, you gave us huge forests, vast fields, the deepest horizons, and living here, we ourselves must be truly giants...” He has aspirations, he cannot live only in a world of profit and cash, but he doesn’t know how he can live differently. He exclaims: “Oh, if only all this would pass, if only our awkward, unhappy life...". And then we hear, as it were, the words of a completely different person: “There is a new landowner, the owner of the cherry orchard! I can pay for everything!” In Lopakhin, completely contradictory qualities coexist at the same time, a strange combination of softness and rudeness, intelligence and bad manners, hence his deepest tragedy.
The youth are presented as deeply unhappy in the play. Twenty-seven-year-old Petya Trofimov considers himself “above love,” although it is precisely this feeling that he lacks. He is an idealist and a dreamer, the reason for his unsettled life is precisely determined by Ranevskaya: “You are not above love, but simply, as our Firs says, you are a klutz.” Only Anya believes his beautiful calls, but her youth excuses her. She, due to the same youth, has the most uncertain and rosy idea of the future. She agrees to go with Petya to Moscow and completely follow his advice. The other characters in the play simply laugh and make fun of him. Trofimov and Anya are even to some extent happy about the sale of the garden; in their opinion, this gives them a chance to start a new life and grow their own garden. We do not know from the play what future awaits these youth. A.P. Chekhov was always far from politics. But for us, who know about subsequent events in Russia, Petya’s words, his dreams of a completely new life, and Anya’s fiery desire to plant another garden, all this leads us to more serious conclusions about the essence of Petya Trofimov’s image. This passive dreamer and idealist may in the future turn out to be a person who makes dreams of equality, brotherhood and justice come true. These young people are full of hope, experience an unprecedented surge of strength and are filled with an uncontrollable desire to work for the benefit of others.
The play “The Cherry Orchard” became the final work in the work of A.P. Chekhov. This is the past, present and future of Russia.