The storyline Varya - Lopakhin in the play "The Cherry Orchard. The image and characteristics of Vari (The Cherry Orchard) Characters and their role in the work


"Lopakhin. ... I forgot everything and I love you like my own ... more than my own.

“Firs (brushes Gaev, instructively). Again, they put on the wrong trousers. And what am I to do with you!”

These subjective confessions are one of many possible points of view. The polyphonic sound of the play is given by the statements of the characters about each other. Most often, they are built on the conjugation of two contrasting assessments and express the internal instability of the image:

In classical drama, characters do things, monologue, win or die. In accordance with their role in the development of action, they are divided into positive and negative, major and minor.

The "undercurrent" of Chekhov's play conceals the meanings hidden in it, reveals the duality and conflict inherent in the human soul from the very beginning.

"Trofimov. …You know, we probably won’t see each other again, so let me give you one piece of advice in parting: don’t wave your arms! Break the habit of waving. And also to build dachas, to expect that individual owners will eventually come out of dacha owners, to count in this way - this also means to wave ... After all, I still love you. You have thin, tender fingers, like an artist, you have a thin, tender soul ... "

Chekhov's characters are a significant deviation from these rules. Deprived of a heroic halo, they are paradoxical and unpredictable. The playwright is interested not so much in character or deed as in the manifestation of the character's mood. In Chekhov's play there are no main and secondary characters. Epikhodov is just as important to the author as Gaev, and Charlotte is no less interesting to Ranevskaya. Even the “accidental” Passer-by, who appears in the finale of the second act, is an episodic person, from the point of view of traditional drama, plays a certain semantic role in Chekhov's play.

Each character in Chekhov's play is individual. It is simple and at the same time complex, it is not set initially. The idea of ​​him arises at the intersection of different points of view, expressed in the characteristics of the characters and the stylistic diversity of their speech, in the assessments of the characters by other characters, in the author's comments contained in remarks.

Secondary characters in theatrical productions often become the backdrop for the main plot. They perform some one important task, complement a specific character, help to understand the main characters. The image and characterization of Varya in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is not just a description of a secondary role. Varya is a bright representative of the new Russia, practical and realistic.

Barbara and mother Lyubov Ranevskaya

Daughter and mother are completely different in character. They can be called completely opposite characters. What is their difference:

  • severity and softness;
  • balance and detachment;
  • clarity of speech and an abundance of complex turns;
  • rationality and impracticality.

But it cannot be said that Varya is a person without feelings. She sees what her loved ones do not want to notice. Lyubov Ranevskaya puts aside the problem of losing her garden. Barbara really understands what her extravagance leads to. The adopted daughter at the end of the play gives the money to her mother so that she can return to her life abroad. She is left practically penniless. Such generosity is akin to stupidity. She takes care of Ranevskaya, but she did nothing to help the orphan.

The girl is only 24 years old, but her behavior, appearance, lifestyle do not give the reader the opportunity to imagine Varya as young and energetic. She is more of a problem-weary woman than a girl in her prime. The adopted daughter is trying to calm herself, hoping that Ranevskaya will find a way out of the situation, fighting for every penny, but all in vain.

Varya and sister Anya

Varvara's attitude towards her sister is very kind. It is reminiscent of fairy tales. Step-sister finds special words for Anya:

  • Darling;
  • Gorgeous.

The girl is attached to her sister, she is afraid for Anya. Caring manifests spirituality and religiosity. Anna rushes into the future, not understanding it, hoping for a miracle. Barbara realizes how difficult and empty her life will be in the housekeepers of strangers. Anya is ready to argue, fight, defend her rights. Barbara resigned herself to the injustice around her. She does not resist, therefore her fate is a life of humility and suffering. Varya says out loud her dream - to go to the monastery, but even for this she has the means.

The reader may hope that working in someone else's house will give the girl the opportunity to save money for herself. The thrifty Varvara should be able to change her fate, but it's scary to think that her relatives will again ask her to work for them, taking away her earnings from her adopted child.

Varvara and Lopakhin

The girl does not hide her feelings. She likes the merchant Lopakhin. The sensuality of a woman is heard in the words of the heroine. She confesses to her mother that it is time for her to decide to talk with Lopakhin, but she is waiting for action from the man. Everyone is talking about their imminent engagement, wedding, but the idle conjectures of the residents of the house remain in the air. It is hard to see a man who does not stop such conversations, but does not take decisive action. He probably likes that kind of attention. An enterprising merchant will look for a more profitable party.

Varya is a proud girl. She does not impose herself as a wife, does not scream, does not make scenes. For the only time, the adopted daughter cannot contain her emotions. Having learned who became the new owner of the garden, she throws the keys on the floor, and does not hand them over to the "groom" discouraged by such behavior.

Varya and the estate

The girl loves her estate and the cherry orchard. She is the only one who works, taking care of all the residents of the house: the owners, servants, guests. Two women united in it: a peasant woman and a noblewoman. Where and who else? In different situations, each side of the character is manifested: the practicality of a peasant woman, the upbringing of noble girls. Barbara also speaks differently. She can swear with abusive expressions, she can convey the sensitivity of a caring sister.

The clever and learned Trofimov calls Varya limited and narrow-minded, but he does not hesitate to accept help from her, living on the estate.

The girl has a special relationship with the cherry orchard. She can't listen to the sound of the axes, so she asks the lumberjacks to delay the felling.

The author characterizes the image of Varya multifaceted. The role of the comic - "adoptive". Varvara in some letters is a "stupid nun", in others a "serious religious girl". Already in such characteristics, the complexity of the female character is felt.

In the three-part system of characters in Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard, Varya is one of the figures symbolizing the present. Unlike Ranevskaya, her foster mother, who cannot break with her past, and Anya's half-sister, who lives in the distant future, Varya is a person who is completely adequate to the times. This allows her to reasonably assess the situation. Strict and rational, Varya contrasts strongly with most of the characters, to some extent divorced from reality.

As is in principle characteristic of Chekhov's dramaturgy, the image of Varya in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is revealed in her speech. The heroine speaks simply, artlessly - unlike Ranevskaya, who often overloads her speech with complex turns and metaphors; so the author emphasizes Vari's rationality and pragmatism. The abundance of emotional exclamations and diminutive forms speak of sensitivity and naivety. But at the same time, Varya does not disdain colloquial and abusive expressions - and here we see folk rudeness, narrow-mindedness and some primitiveness, giving out in her much more a peasant woman than a noble pupil ... "Peasant" practicality, combined with intellectual limitations, can be called the leading characteristic of Varya from The Cherry Orchard by Chekhov.

However, she cannot be denied the ability to experience strong feelings. Varya is religious (her cherished dream is to go "to the desert", to become a nun); she is sincerely attached to Ranevskaya and Anya, and the way she experiences failure with Lopakhin clearly shows that she cares about her relationship with him. Behind the dramatic image we see a living and unique personality. The description of Varya in the play The Cherry Orchard cannot be reduced to a short set of epithets - like all Chekhov's characters, even minor ones, she is a complex and integral image.

A.P. Chekhov wrote his famous play "The Cherry Orchard" in 1903. In this play, the central place is occupied not so much by the personal experiences of the characters as by an allegorical vision of the fate of Russia. Some characters personify the past (Ranevskaya, Gaev, Firs, Varya), others - the future (Lopakhin, Trofimov, Anya). The heroes of Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" serve as a reflection of the society of that time.

Main characters

The heroes of Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" are lyrical characters with special features. For example, Epikhodov, who was constantly unlucky, or Trofimov, the "eternal student." Below will be presented all the heroes of the play "The Cherry Orchard":

  • Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna, mistress of the estate.
  • Anya, her daughter, 17 years old. Not indifferent to Trofimov.
  • Varya, her adopted daughter, 24 years old. In love with Lopakhin.
  • Gaev Leonid Andreevich, brother of Ranevskaya.
  • Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, a native of peasants, now a merchant. He likes Varya.
  • Trofimov Pyotr Sergeevich, eternal student. Sympathizes with Anya, but he is above love.
  • Simeonov-Pishchik Boris Borisovich, a landowner who constantly has no money, but he believes in the possibility of unexpected enrichment.
  • Charlotte Ivanovna, the maid, loves to perform tricks.
  • Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich, clerk, unlucky person. Wants to marry Dunyasha.
  • Dunyasha, the maid, considers herself like a lady. In love with Yasha.
  • Firs, an old footman, constantly takes care of Gaev.
  • Yasha, Ranevskaya's spoiled lackey.

The characters of the play

A.P. Chekhov always very accurately and subtly noticed in each character his features, whether it be appearance or character. This Chekhovian feature is also supported by the play "The Cherry Orchard" - the images of the characters here are lyrical and even a little touching. Each has its own unique features. Characteristics of the heroes of "The Cherry Orchard" can be divided into groups for convenience.

old generation

Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna appears as a very frivolous, but kind woman who cannot fully understand that all her money has run out. She's in love with some scoundrel who left her penniless. And then Ranevskaya returns with Anya to Russia. They can be compared with people who left Russia: no matter how good it is abroad, they still continue to yearn for their homeland. The image chosen by Chekhov for his homeland will be written below.

Ranevskaya and Gaev are the personification of the nobility, the wealth of past years, which at the time of the author began to decline. Both brother and sister may not be fully aware of this, but nevertheless they feel that something is happening. And by the way they begin to act, one can see the reaction of Chekhov's contemporaries - it was either a move abroad, or an attempt to adapt to new conditions.

Firs is the image of a servant who was always faithful to her masters and did not want any change in order, because they did not need it. If with the first main characters of The Cherry Orchard it is clear why they are considered in this group, then why can Varya be included here?

Because Varya occupies a passive position: she humbly accepts the emerging position, but her dream is the opportunity to go to holy places, and strong faith was characteristic of people of the older generation. And Varya, despite his seemingly stormy activity, does not take an active part in talking about the fate of the cherry orchard and does not offer any solutions, which shows the passivity of the rich class of that time.

Younger generation

Here the representatives of the future of Russia will be considered - these are educated young people who put themselves above any feelings, which was fashionable in the early 1900s. At that time, public duty and the desire to develop science were put in the first place. But one should not assume that Anton Pavlovich portrayed revolutionary-minded youth - it is rather an image of most of the intelligentsia of that time, which was engaged only in talking on high topics, putting itself above human needs, but was not adapted to anything.

All this was embodied in Trofimov - "an eternal student" and "a shabby gentleman", who could not finish anything, had no profession. Throughout the play, he only talked about various matters and despised Lopakhin and Varia, who was able to admit the thought of his possible romance with Anya - he is "above love."

Anya is a kind, sweet, still quite inexperienced girl who admires Trofimov and listens carefully to everything he says. She personifies the youth, who have always been interested in the ideas of the intelligentsia.

But one of the most striking and characteristic images of that era turned out to be Lopakhin - a native of peasants who managed to make a fortune for himself. But, despite the wealth, remained essentially a simple man. This is an active person, a representative of the so-called class of "kulaks" - wealthy peasants. Yermolai Alekseevich respected work, and work was always in the first place for him, so he kept postponing the explanation with Varya.

It was during that period that the hero of Lopakhin could have appeared - then this "risen" peasantry, proud of the realization that they were no longer slaves, showed a higher adaptability to life than the nobles, which is proved by the fact that it was Lopakhin who bought Ranevskaya's estate.

Why was the characterization of the heroes of "The Cherry Orchard" chosen specifically for these characters? Because it is on the characteristics of the characters that their internal conflicts will be built.

Internal conflicts in the play

The play shows not only the personal experiences of the heroes, but also the confrontation between them, which makes it possible to make the images of the heroes of "The Cherry Orchard" brighter and deeper. Let's consider them in more detail.

Ranevskaya - Lopakhin

The main conflict is in the pair Ranevskaya - Lopakhin. And it is due to several reasons:

  • belonging to different generations;
  • opposition of characters.

Lopakhin is trying to help Ranevskaya save the estate by cutting down a cherry orchard and building dachas in its place. But for Raevskaya, this is impossible - after all, she grew up in this house, and "dachas - it's so common." And in the fact that it was Ermolai Alekseevich who bought the estate, she sees in this a betrayal on his part. For him, buying a cherry orchard is a solution to his personal conflict: he, a simple man whose ancestors could not go beyond the kitchen, has now become the owner. And therein lies its main triumph.

Lopakhin - Trofimov

The conflict in a pair of these people is due to the fact that they have opposing views. Trofimov considers Lopakhin an ordinary peasant, rude, limited, who is not interested in anything but work. The same one believes that Pyotr Sergeevich is simply wasting his mental abilities, does not understand how one can live without money, and does not accept the ideology that a person is above everything earthly.

Trofimov - Varya

The confrontation is built, most likely, on personal rejection. Varya despises Peter because he is not busy with anything, and fears that with the help of his smart speeches, Anya will fall in love with him. Therefore, Varya tries in every possible way to prevent them. Trofimov, on the other hand, teases the girl "Madame Lopakhina", knowing that everyone has been waiting for this event for a long time. But he despises her because she equated him and Anya with herself and Lopakhin, because they are above all earthly passions.

So, the above was briefly written about the characters of the heroes of "The Cherry Orchard" by Chekhov. We have described only the most significant characters. Now we can move on to the most interesting - the image of the protagonist of the play.

The protagonist of The Cherry Orchard

The attentive reader has already guessed (or guesses) that this is a cherry orchard. In the play, he personifies Russia itself: its past, present and future. Why is the garden itself the main character of The Cherry Orchard?

Because it is to this estate that Ranevskaya returns after all the misadventures abroad, because it is because of him that the heroine’s internal conflict escalates (fear of losing the garden, awareness of her helplessness, unwillingness to part with it), and a confrontation arises between Ranevskaya and Lopakhin.

The Cherry Orchard also helps to resolve Lopakhin's internal conflict: he reminded him that he was a peasant, an ordinary peasant who surprisingly managed to get rich. And the opportunity to cut down this garden, which appeared with the purchase of the estate, meant that now nothing else in those parts could remind him of his origin.

What did the garden mean for heroes

For convenience, you can write the ratio of the characters to the cherry orchard in the table.

RanevskayaGaevAnyaVaryaLopakhinTrofimov
The garden is a symbol of prosperity, well-being. The happiest childhood memories are associated with it. Characterizes her attachment to the past, so it is difficult for her to part with itSame attitude as sisterThe garden for her is an association with sometimes childhood, but due to her youth she is not so attached to it, and still there are hopes for a brighter futureThe same association with childhood as Anya. At the same time, she is not upset about his sale, as now she can live the way she wants.The garden reminds him of his peasant origins. Knocking him out, he says goodbye to the past, at the same time hoping for a happy futureCherry trees are for him a symbol of serfdom. And he believes that it would even be right to abandon them in order to free themselves from the old way of life.

The symbolism of the cherry orchard in the play

But how then is the image of the protagonist of "The Cherry Orchard" connected with the image of the Motherland? Through this garden, Anton Chekhov showed the past: when the country was rich, the estate of the nobility was in its prime, no one thought about the abolition of serfdom. In the present, a decline in society is already outlined: it is divided, landmarks are changing. Russia already then stood on the threshold of a new era, the nobility became smaller, and the peasants gained strength. And the future is shown in Lopakhin's dreams: the country will be ruled by those who are not afraid to work - only those people can lead the country to prosperity.

The sale of Ranevskaya's cherry orchard for debts and the purchase by Lopakhin is a symbolic transfer of the country from the wealthy class to ordinary workers. By debt here is meant a debt for how the owners treated them for a long time, how they exploited the common people. And the fact that power in the country passes to the common people is a natural result of the path that Russia has taken. And the nobility had to do what Ranevskaya and Gaev did - go abroad or go to work. And the younger generation will try to fulfill the dreams of a brighter future.

Conclusion

After such a small analysis of the work, one can understand that the play "The Cherry Orchard" is a deeper creation than it might seem at first glance. Anton Pavlovich was able to masterfully convey the mood of the society of that time, the position in which it was. And the writer did this very gracefully and subtly, which allows this play to remain loved by readers for a long time.

All characters in the play "The Cherry Orchard" are of great importance in the ideological and thematic context of the work. Even casually mentioned names carry a semantic load. 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 implement it.

  • Gaev Leonid Andreevich. On Lopakhin's proposal regarding the further "fate" of the cherry orchard, he reacts categorically negatively: "What nonsense." He is worried about old things, a closet, he addresses them with his monologues, but he is completely indifferent to the fate of people, so the servant left him. Gaev's speech testifies to the limitations of this person, who lives only for personal interests. If we talk about the situation in the house, then Leonid Andreevich sees a way out in receiving an inheritance or Ani's profitable marriage. Loving her sister, she accuses her of being vicious, she did not marry a nobleman. He talks a lot, not embarrassed by the fact that no one listens to him. Lopakhin calls him a "woman", who grinds only with her tongue, while doing nothing.
  • Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich. An aphorism can be “applied” to him: from rags to riches. Soberly evaluates himself. He understands that money in life does not change the social status of a person. “Ham, fist,” Gaev says about Lopakhin, but he doesn’t care what they think of him. He is not trained in good manners, cannot communicate normally with a girl, as evidenced by his attitude towards Vara. He constantly glances at his watch, communicating with Ranevskaya, he has no time to talk like a human being. The main thing is the upcoming deal. Knows how to "comfort" Ranevskaya: "The garden is sold, but you sleep peacefully."
  • Trofimov Petr Sergeevich. Dressed in a shabby student uniform, wearing glasses, his hair is not thick, in five years the “nice boy” has changed a lot, turned ugly. In his understanding, the goal of life is to be free and happy, and for this you need to work. He believes that those who seek the truth need help. There are many problems in Russia that need to be solved, not philosophized. Trofimov himself does nothing, he cannot graduate from the university. He utters beautiful and clever words that are not supported by actions. Petya sympathizes with Anya, speaks of her "my spring." He sees in her a grateful and enthusiastic listener of his speeches.
  • Simeonov - Pishchik Boris Borisovich. Landowner. Falls asleep on the go. All his thoughts are directed only to how to get money. Even Petya, who compared him to a horse, he replies that this is not bad, since a horse can always be sold.
  • Charlotte Ivanovna - governess. Knows nothing about himself. She has no relatives or friends. She grew up like a lonely stunted bush in the middle of a wasteland. She did not experience feelings of love in childhood, did not see care from adults. Charlotte has become a person who cannot find people who understand her. But she can't even understand herself. "Who am I? Why am I?" - this poor woman did not have a bright beacon in her life, a mentor, a loving person who would help find the right path and not turn off it.
  • Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich works in an office. He considers himself a developed person, but openly declares that he cannot decide in any way whether he should “live” or “shoot himself”. Jonah. Epikhodov is pursued by spiders and cockroaches, as if they are trying to make him turn around and look at the miserable existence that he has been leading for many years. Unrequitedly in love with Dunyasha.
  • Dunyasha - maid in Ranevskaya's house. Living with the masters, weaned from a simple life. Does not know peasant labor. Afraid of everything. He falls in love with Yasha, not noticing that he is simply not capable of sharing love with someone.
  • Firs. His whole life fits into the "one line" - to serve the masters. The abolition of serfdom for him is an evil. He is used to being a serf and can't imagine any other life.
  • Yasha. An uneducated young lackey dreaming of Paris. Dreaming of a rich life. Callousness is the main feature of his character; even tries not to meet his mother, ashamed of her peasant origin.
  • Characteristics of heroes

    1. Ranevskaya is a frivolous, spoiled and pampered woman, but people are drawn to her. The house seemed to open the time-bound doors again when she returned here after a five-year absence. She was able to warm him with her nostalgia. Coziness and warmth again "sounded" in every room, as solemn music sounds on holidays. This did not last long, as the days at home were numbered. In the nervous and tragic image of Ranevskaya, all the shortcomings of the nobility were expressed: its inability to be self-sufficient, lack of independence, spoiledness and a tendency to evaluate everyone according to class prejudices, but at the same time, subtlety of feelings and education, spiritual wealth and generosity.
    2. Anya. A heart beats in the chest of a young girl, which is waiting for sublime love and looking for certain life guidelines. She wants to trust someone, to test herself. Petya Trofimov becomes the embodiment of her ideals. She still cannot look at things critically and blindly believes Trofimov's "chatter", presenting reality in a rainbow light. Only she is alone. Anya is not yet aware of the versatility of this world, although she is trying. She also does not hear others, does not see the real problems that have befallen the family. Chekhov had a premonition that this girl was the future of Russia. But the question remained open: will she be able to change something or will she remain in her childhood dreams. After all, in order to change something, you need to act.
    3. Gaev Leonid Andreevich. Spiritual blindness is characteristic of this mature person. He lingered in childhood for the rest of his life. In a conversation, he constantly uses billiard terms out of place. His field of vision is narrow. The fate of the family nest, as it turned out, does not bother him at all, although at the beginning of the drama he beat his chest with his fist and publicly promised that the cherry orchard would live. But he is categorically incapable of doing things, like many nobles who are used to living while others work for them.
    4. Lopakhin buys Ranevskaya's family estate, which is not a "bone of contention" between them. They do not consider each other enemies; humanistic relations prevail between them. Lyubov Andreevna and Ermolai Alekseevich seem to want to get out of this situation as soon as possible. The merchant even offers his help, but is refused. When everything ends happily, Lopakhin rejoices that he can finally do the real thing. We must pay tribute to the hero, because it was he, the only one, who was worried about the "fate" of the cherry orchard and found a way out that suited everyone.
    5. Trofimov Petr Sergeevich. He is considered a young student, although he is already 27 years old. One gets the impression that the student life has become his profession, although outwardly he has turned into an old man. He is respected, but no one believes in noble and life-affirming appeals, except for Anya. It is a mistake to believe that the image of Petya Trofimov can be compared with the image of a revolutionary. Chekhov was never interested in politics, the revolutionary movement was not part of his circle of interests. Trofimov is too soft. The warehouse of his soul and intelligence will never allow him to cross the limits of what is permitted and jump into an unknown abyss. In addition, he is responsible for Anya, a young girl who does not know real life. She still has a pretty subtle psyche. Any emotional shock can push her in the wrong direction, from where you can’t return her. Therefore, Petya must think not only about himself and about the implementation of his ideas, but also about the fragile creature that Ranevskaya entrusted to him.

    How does Chekhov feel about his heroes?

    A.P. Chekhov loved his heroes, but he could not entrust the future of Russia to any of them, 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 life rights, they suffer or are silent. Ranevskaya and Gaev suffer because they understand that they cannot change anything in themselves. Their social status goes into oblivion, and they are forced to eke out a miserable existence on the last proceeds. Lopakhin suffers, as he realizes that he cannot help them in any way. He himself is not happy about buying a cherry orchard. No matter how hard he tries, he still will not become his rightful owner. That is why he decides to cut down the garden and sell the land, in order to later forget about it as a nightmare. But what about Petya and Anya? Doesn't the author place his hopes on them? Perhaps, but these hopes are very vague. Trofimov, by virtue of his nature, is not capable of taking any radical action. And without this, the situation cannot be changed. He is limited only to talk about a wonderful future and that's it. And Anya? This girl has a slightly stronger core than Petra. But due to her young age and uncertainty in life, changes should not be expected from her. Perhaps, in the distant future, when she sets all life priorities for herself, one can expect some action from her. In the meantime, she is limited to faith in the best and a sincere desire to plant a new garden.

    Which 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. In Lopakhin, he 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 forgets about it together, 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, as they are closed in the world of their own feelings, thoughts and experiences. However, everyone is lonely, they have no friends, like-minded people, there is no true love. Most go with the flow without setting any serious goals. Besides, they are all unhappy. Ranevskaya is disappointed in love, life and her social supremacy, which seemed unshakable yesterday. Gaev once again discovers that the aristocracy of manners is not a guarantee 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, she does not have a dowry for a profitable marriage. Her chosen one, although he does not require it, has not yet earned anything himself. Trofimov understands what needs to be changed, but does not know how, because he has neither connections, nor money, nor position to influence something. They are left with only the hopes of youth, which are short-lived. Lopakhin is unhappy because he is aware of his inferiority, belittles his dignity, seeing that he is no match for any masters, although he has more money.

    Interesting? Save it on your wall!

    It was this play that was the last that the writer could finish. In this work, he showed the reader the whole truth about the landowners, and what they really are. The main, one positive hero of the play is the Cherry Orchard, because only he tried to reason with all the inhabitants of this house. Unfortunately, nothing happened. One of the main characters in Chekhov's last work is Ranevskaya's adopted daughter, Varya.

    After her mother left, she took over all the housework, because no one else needed it. However, as the heroine did not try to correct the difficult situation of the family, it still did not work out. Soon the owners of the house had to decide the fate of their house, and even threatened that it could be put up for sale.

    At the beginning of the poem, readers are told that Varya would like to go to a monastery and be faithful to God. But due to the difficult situation of the family, she should abandon such an undertaking. Like all the residents of the house, they are waiting and hoping for Ranevskaya, because she has not been there for a long time and it is worth waiting for a miracle. Since the Cherry Orchard is very dear to them, they do not want to sell it to the last, especially it. It is he who reminds them of their past and childhood memories, especially Ranevskaya.

    After Varya's mother and her sister arrived, nothing changed for the better. After all, as it became known, abroad, all the money that they had, they spent on all sorts of entertainment. After the family borrowed money from Lopakhin, Varya's mother begins to spend, as before, and sees nothing wrong with that. Varya was also very worried about such a difficult situation, and asks her mother to think about what she is doing and what all this is for. After all, you can spend this money in favor of the whole family, save your estate, but Ranevskaya thinks only about what she wants.

    The most difficult thing in this situation is that Varya is trying to somehow prevent the loss, but none of her relatives listen to her and everyone hopes for a miracle. Unfortunately, as expected, nothing good happened without some effort.

    At the end of the story, it turns out that her mother is leaving and does not even leave money. I think that in the future it will be difficult for her in life, because without money she will have to work hard to achieve something in life. After all, she did not come across an easy path, but she already has the skills of a housekeeper. But it seems to me that everything will be very good for her, and she will be happy without her family, who did not support her in such a situation. It is this hero of the play who shows readers about a strong character and a difficult life.

    Composition The image and characteristics of Vari

    A play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" was completed by the author in 1903. Already in the next 1904, after the play was staged, it began to gain fame and wide popularity. The work is lyrical.

    One of the characters in the play is the adopted daughter of the landowner Ranevskaya L.A. A twenty-four-year-old girl left by her foster mother on the farm during her absence. While Ranevskaya was with her daughter Anna in France, Varya was in charge of all household affairs on the estate. The inability of her relatives to save money and live within their means leads to the fact that the Ranevskaya estate should be put up for sale for debts.

    Varvara Mikhailovna is a modest, reserved, believing girl. Among her desires is a cherished desire to visit holy places. She also reflects on the monastic life. All her efforts to bring Ranevskaya's financial affairs in order come to naught. Lyubov Andreevna, even on the verge of complete ruin, is not able to realize the scale of the loss. She is not able to lead a lifestyle that matches the size of her wallet.

    Even the money borrowed from the merchant Lopakhin flows out of Ranevskaya's hands like water into sand. Varya sees all this and cannot influence her foster mother in any way. Lyubov Andreevna does not know how and does not want to limit herself. She literally litters money right and left, completely unaware that the estate is up for sale. The Cherry Orchard, which is allegedly so dear to Ranevskaya, can go under cutting. But this fact does not stop a person who does not know how to do anything else in life, how to satisfy his desires.

    Varya worries about the fate of the estate and the cherry orchard. But she simply cannot change anything around her. The only one of all relatives, she was worried and applied all her strength to change the situation.

    The merchant Lopakhin had views of this estate. He wanted, after acquiring the estate, to cut down the garden and rent out plots to summer residents. There was sympathy between Lopakhin and Varya. But Lopakhin did not dare to propose to Varvara to marry him. And the heroine could not overcome her natural modesty and impose herself on a person dear to her heart.

    After the sale of the estate, Varya is waiting for another house, where she will have to work for the owners. But that doesn't scare her. Unlike the cherry orchard, her life goes on.

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    A.P. Chekhov wrote his famous play "The Cherry Orchard" in 1903. In this play, the central place is occupied not so much by the personal experiences of the characters as by an allegorical vision of the fate of Russia. Some characters personify the past (Ranevskaya, Gaev, Firs, Varya), others - the future (Lopakhin, Trofimov, Anya). The heroes of Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" serve as a reflection of the society of that time.

    Main characters

    The heroes of Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" are lyrical characters with special features. For example, Epikhodov, who was constantly unlucky, or Trofimov, the "eternal student." Below will be presented all the heroes of the play "The Cherry Orchard":

    • Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna, mistress of the estate.
    • Anya, her daughter, 17 years old. Not indifferent to Trofimov.
    • Varya, her adopted daughter, 24 years old. In love with Lopakhin.
    • Gaev Leonid Andreevich, brother of Ranevskaya.
    • Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich, a native of peasants, now a merchant. He likes Varya.
    • Trofimov Pyotr Sergeevich, eternal student. Sympathizes with Anya, but he is above love.
    • Simeonov-Pishchik Boris Borisovich, a landowner who constantly has no money, but he believes in the possibility of unexpected enrichment.
    • Charlotte Ivanovna, the maid, loves to perform tricks.
    • Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich, clerk, unlucky person. Wants to marry Dunyasha.
    • Dunyasha, the maid, considers herself like a lady. In love with Yasha.
    • Firs, an old footman, constantly takes care of Gaev.
    • Yasha, Ranevskaya's spoiled lackey.

    The characters of the play

    A.P. Chekhov always very accurately and subtly noticed in each character his features, whether it be appearance or character. This Chekhovian feature is also supported by the play "The Cherry Orchard" - the images of the characters here are lyrical and even a little touching. Each has its own unique features. Characteristics of the heroes of "The Cherry Orchard" can be divided into groups for convenience.

    old generation

    Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna appears as a very frivolous, but kind woman who cannot fully understand that all her money has run out. She's in love with some scoundrel who left her penniless. And then Ranevskaya returns with Anya to Russia. They can be compared with people who left Russia: no matter how good it is abroad, they still continue to yearn for their homeland. The image chosen by Chekhov for his homeland will be written below.

    Ranevskaya and Gaev are the personification of the nobility, the wealth of past years, which at the time of the author began to decline. Both brother and sister may not be fully aware of this, but nevertheless they feel that something is happening. And by the way they begin to act, one can see the reaction of Chekhov's contemporaries - it was either a move abroad, or an attempt to adapt to new conditions.

    Firs is the image of a servant who was always faithful to her masters and did not want any change in order, because they did not need it. If with the first main characters of The Cherry Orchard it is clear why they are considered in this group, then why can Varya be included here?

    Because Varya occupies a passive position: she humbly accepts the emerging position, but her dream is the opportunity to go to holy places, and strong faith was characteristic of people of the older generation. And Varya, despite his seemingly stormy activity, does not take an active part in talking about the fate of the cherry orchard and does not offer any solutions, which shows the passivity of the rich class of that time.

    Younger generation

    Here the representatives of the future of Russia will be considered - these are educated young people who put themselves above any feelings, which was fashionable in the early 1900s. At that time, public duty and the desire to develop science were put in the first place. But one should not assume that Anton Pavlovich portrayed revolutionary-minded youth - it is rather an image of most of the intelligentsia of that time, which was engaged only in talking on high topics, putting itself above human needs, but was not adapted to anything.

    All this was embodied in Trofimov - "an eternal student" and "a shabby gentleman", who could not finish anything, had no profession. Throughout the play, he only talked about various matters and despised Lopakhin and Varia, who was able to admit the thought of his possible romance with Anya - he is "above love."

    Anya is a kind, sweet, still quite inexperienced girl who admires Trofimov and listens carefully to everything he says. She personifies the youth, who have always been interested in the ideas of the intelligentsia.

    But one of the most striking and characteristic images of that era turned out to be Lopakhin - a native of peasants who managed to make a fortune for himself. But, despite the wealth, remained essentially a simple man. This is an active person, a representative of the so-called class of "kulaks" - wealthy peasants. Yermolai Alekseevich respected work, and work was always in the first place for him, so he kept postponing the explanation with Varya.

    It was during that period that the hero of Lopakhin could have appeared - then this "risen" peasantry, proud of the realization that they were no longer slaves, showed a higher adaptability to life than the nobles, which is proved by the fact that it was Lopakhin who bought Ranevskaya's estate.

    Why was the characterization of the heroes of "The Cherry Orchard" chosen specifically for these characters? Because it is on the characteristics of the characters that their internal conflicts will be built.

    Internal conflicts in the play

    The play shows not only the personal experiences of the heroes, but also the confrontation between them, which makes it possible to make the images of the heroes of "The Cherry Orchard" brighter and deeper. Let's consider them in more detail.

    Ranevskaya - Lopakhin

    The main conflict is in the pair Ranevskaya - Lopakhin. And it is due to several reasons:

    • belonging to different generations;
    • opposition of characters.

    Lopakhin is trying to help Ranevskaya save the estate by cutting down a cherry orchard and building dachas in its place. But for Raevskaya, this is impossible - after all, she grew up in this house, and "dachas - it's so common." And in the fact that it was Ermolai Alekseevich who bought the estate, she sees in this a betrayal on his part. For him, buying a cherry orchard is a solution to his personal conflict: he, a simple man whose ancestors could not go beyond the kitchen, has now become the owner. And therein lies its main triumph.

    Lopakhin - Trofimov

    The conflict in a pair of these people is due to the fact that they have opposing views. Trofimov considers Lopakhin an ordinary peasant, rude, limited, who is not interested in anything but work. The same one believes that Pyotr Sergeevich is simply wasting his mental abilities, does not understand how one can live without money, and does not accept the ideology that a person is above everything earthly.

    Trofimov - Varya

    The confrontation is built, most likely, on personal rejection. Varya despises Peter because he is not busy with anything, and fears that with the help of his smart speeches, Anya will fall in love with him. Therefore, Varya tries in every possible way to prevent them. Trofimov, on the other hand, teases the girl "Madame Lopakhina", knowing that everyone has been waiting for this event for a long time. But he despises her because she equated him and Anya with herself and Lopakhin, because they are above all earthly passions.

    So, the above was briefly written about the characters of the heroes of "The Cherry Orchard" by Chekhov. We have described only the most significant characters. Now we can move on to the most interesting - the image of the protagonist of the play.

    The protagonist of The Cherry Orchard

    The attentive reader has already guessed (or guesses) that this is a cherry orchard. In the play, he personifies Russia itself: its past, present and future. Why is the garden itself the main character of The Cherry Orchard?

    Because it is to this estate that Ranevskaya returns after all the misadventures abroad, because it is because of him that the heroine’s internal conflict escalates (fear of losing the garden, awareness of her helplessness, unwillingness to part with it), and a confrontation arises between Ranevskaya and Lopakhin.

    The Cherry Orchard also helps to resolve Lopakhin's internal conflict: he reminded him that he was a peasant, an ordinary peasant who surprisingly managed to get rich. And the opportunity to cut down this garden, which appeared with the purchase of the estate, meant that now nothing else in those parts could remind him of his origin.

    What did the garden mean for heroes

    For convenience, you can write the ratio of the characters to the cherry orchard in the table.

    RanevskayaGaevAnyaVaryaLopakhinTrofimov
    The garden is a symbol of prosperity, well-being. The happiest childhood memories are associated with it. Characterizes her attachment to the past, so it is difficult for her to part with itSame attitude as sisterThe garden for her is an association with sometimes childhood, but due to her youth she is not so attached to it, and still there are hopes for a brighter futureThe same association with childhood as Anya. At the same time, she is not upset about his sale, as now she can live the way she wants.The garden reminds him of his peasant origins. Knocking him out, he says goodbye to the past, at the same time hoping for a happy futureCherry trees are for him a symbol of serfdom. And he believes that it would even be right to abandon them in order to free themselves from the old way of life.

    The symbolism of the cherry orchard in the play

    But how then is the image of the protagonist of "The Cherry Orchard" connected with the image of the Motherland? Through this garden, Anton Chekhov showed the past: when the country was rich, the estate of the nobility was in its prime, no one thought about the abolition of serfdom. In the present, a decline in society is already outlined: it is divided, landmarks are changing. Russia already then stood on the threshold of a new era, the nobility became smaller, and the peasants gained strength. And the future is shown in Lopakhin's dreams: the country will be ruled by those who are not afraid to work - only those people can lead the country to prosperity.

    The sale of Ranevskaya's cherry orchard for debts and the purchase by Lopakhin is a symbolic transfer of the country from the wealthy class to ordinary workers. By debt here is meant a debt for how the owners treated them for a long time, how they exploited the common people. And the fact that power in the country passes to the common people is a natural result of the path that Russia has taken. And the nobility had to do what Ranevskaya and Gaev did - go abroad or go to work. And the younger generation will try to fulfill the dreams of a brighter future.

    Conclusion

    After such a small analysis of the work, one can understand that the play "The Cherry Orchard" is a deeper creation than it might seem at first glance. Anton Pavlovich was able to masterfully convey the mood of the society of that time, the position in which it was. And the writer did this very gracefully and subtly, which allows this play to remain loved by readers for a long time.

    The play "The Cherry Orchard" became the swan song of A.P. Chekhov, occupying the stage of world theaters for many years. The success of this work was due not only to its subject matter, which is controversial to this day, but also to the images that Chekhov created. For him, the presence of women in the works was very important: “Without a woman, a story is like a machine without steam,” he wrote to one of his acquaintances. At the beginning of the 20th century, the role of women in society began to change. The image of Ranevskaya in the play "The Cherry Orchard" became a vivid caricature of the emancipated contemporaries of Anton Pavlovich, whom he observed in large numbers in Monte Carlo.

    Chekhov carefully worked out each female image: facial expressions, gestures, mannerisms, speech, because through them he conveyed an idea of ​​the character and feelings that possess the heroines. Appearance and name also contributed to this.

    The image of Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna has become one of the most controversial, and this is largely due to the actresses playing this role. Chekhov himself wrote that: “It is not difficult to play Ranevskaya, you just need to take the right tone from the very beginning ...”. Her image is complex, but there are no contradictions in it, since she is true to her internal logic of behavior.

    Ranevskaya's life story

    The description and characterization of Ranevskaya in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is given through her story about herself, from the words of other characters and the author's remarks. Acquaintance with the central female character begins literally from the first lines, and the story of Ranevskaya's life is revealed in the very first act. Lyubov Andreevna returned from Paris, where she had lived for five years, and this return was caused by the urgent need to resolve the issue of the fate of the estate put up for auction for debts.

    Lyubov Andreevna married "a barrister, a non-nobleman ...", "who made only debts", and also "drank terribly" and "died from champagne." Was she happy in this marriage? Unlikely. After the death of her husband, Ranevskaya "unfortunately" fell in love with another. But her passionate romance did not last long. Her young son died tragically, and feeling guilty, Lyubov Andreevna leaves forever abroad. However, her lover went after her “ruthlessly, rudely”, and after several years of painful passions “he robbed ... abandoned, got together with another”, and she, in turn, tries to poison herself. Seventeen-year-old daughter Anya comes to Paris for her mother. Oddly enough, but this young girl partly understands her mother and pities her. Throughout the play, the sincere love and affection of the daughter are visible. Having stayed in Russia for only five months, Ranevskaya immediately after the sale of the estate, taking the money intended for Anya, returns to Paris to her lover.

    Characteristics of Ranevskaya

    On the one hand, Ranevskaya is a beautiful woman, educated, with a subtle sense of beauty, kind and generous, who is loved by others, but her shortcomings border on vice and therefore are so noticeable. “She is a good person. Light, simple,” says Lopakhin. He sincerely loves her, but his love is so unobtrusive that no one knows about it. Almost the same thing is said by her brother: “She is good, kind, glorious ...” but she is “vicious. It is felt in her slightest movement. Absolutely all the characters speak of her inability to manage money, and she herself understands this very well: “I have always overspent money without restraint, like crazy ...”; “... she has nothing left. And my mother doesn’t understand! ”says Anya,“ My sister has not yet lost the habit of overspending money, ”Gaev echoes her. Ranevskaya is used to living without denying herself pleasures, and if her relatives try to cut down on their expenses, then Lyubov Andreevna simply does not succeed, she is ready to give her last money to a random passerby, although Varya has nothing to feed her household.

    At first glance, Ranevskaya's feelings are very deep, but if you pay attention to the author's remarks, it becomes clear that this is only an appearance. For example, while waiting in excitement for her brother from the auction, she sings a lezginka. And this is a vivid example of her whole being. She, as it were, distances herself from unpleasant moments, trying to fill them with actions that can bring positive emotions. The phrase that characterizes Ranevskaya from The Cherry Orchard: “You don’t have to deceive yourself, you need to look the truth straight in the eye at least once in your life,” says that Lyubov Andreevna is out of touch with reality, stuck in her world.

    “Oh, my garden! After a dark, rainy autumn and a cold winter, you are young again, full of happiness, the angels of heaven have not left you ... ”- with these words Ranevskaya greets the garden after a long separation, a garden without which she“ does not understand her life ”, with which it is inextricably linked her childhood and youth. And it seems that Lyubov Andreevna loves her estate, and cannot live without it, but she does not try to make any attempts to save it, thereby betraying it. For most of the play, Ranevskaya hopes that the issue with the estate will be resolved by itself, without her participation, although it is her decision that is the main one. Although Lopakhin's proposal is the most realistic way to save him. The merchant foresees the future, saying that it is quite possible that "the summer resident ... will take care of the household, and then your cherry orchard will become happy, rich, luxurious", because at the moment the garden is in a state of disrepair, and does not bring any benefit, nor has it been nailed to its owners .

    For Ranevskaya, the cherry orchard meant her inseparable connection with the past and her ancestral attachment to the Motherland. She is part of him, just as he is part of her. She realizes that the sale of the garden is an inevitable payment for a past life, and this can be seen in her monologue about sins, in which she realizes them and takes them upon herself, asking the Lord not to send big trials, and the sale of the estate becomes their kind of atonement: “My nerves better… I sleep well.”

    Ranevskaya is an echo of the cultural past, thinning literally before our eyes and disappearing from the present. Perfectly aware of the perniciousness of her passion, realizing that this love is pulling her to the bottom, she returns to Paris, knowing that "this money will not last long."

    Against this background, love for daughters looks very strange. The adopted daughter, who dreams of going to a monastery, gets a job as a housekeeper with her neighbors, since she does not have at least a hundred rubles to donate, and her mother simply does not attach any importance to this. The native daughter Anya, left at the age of twelve in the care of a careless uncle, in the old estate is very worried about the future of her mother, and is saddened by the imminent parting. "... I will work, help you..." - says a young girl who is not yet familiar with life.

    The further fate of Ranevskaya is very unclear, although Chekhov himself said that: "Only death can calm down such a woman."

    To understand Chekhov's perception of the nobility, it is necessary to consider the characterization of Gaev in the play The Cherry Orchard, the brother of the main character, practically a double of Ranevskaya, but less significant. Therefore, in the list of characters, he is designated "brother Ranevskaya", although he is older than her and has the same rights to the estate as her sister.

    Gaev Leonid Andreevich is a landowner who "has eaten a fortune on candy", leading an idle lifestyle, but it is strange to him that the garden is being sold for debts. He is already 51 years old, but he has neither a wife nor children. He lives in an old estate, which is being destroyed before his eyes, under the care of the old footman Firs. However, it is Gaev who is always trying to borrow money from someone in order to cover at least the interest on his and his sister's debts. And his options for repaying all loans are more like pipe dreams: “It would be nice to receive an inheritance from someone, it would be nice to marry our Anya to a very rich person, it would be nice to go to Yaroslavl and try your luck with the aunt-countess ...”

    The image of Gaev in the play "The Cherry Orchard" became a caricature of the nobility in general. All the negative aspects of Ranevskaya found a more ugly attitude in her brother, thereby further emphasizing the comedy of what is happening. Unlike Ranevskaya, Gaev's description is mainly in stage directions, which reveal his character through actions, while the characters say very little about him.

    Very little is told about Gaev's past. But it is clear that he is an educated person, able to expose his thoughts in beautiful, but empty speeches. All his life he lived on his estate, a frequenter of men's clubs, in which he indulged in his favorite pastime - playing billiards. It was from there that he brought all the news and there he received an offer to become a bank employee, with an annual salary of six thousand. However, for those around it was very surprising, the sister says: “Where are you! Sit down already ... ”, Lopakhin also expresses doubt:“ But he won’t sit, he’s very lazy ... ”. The only person who believes him is his niece Anya "I believe you uncle!". What caused such distrust and in some ways even a dismissive attitude on the part of others? After all, even the footman Yasha shows his disrespect for him.

    As already mentioned, Gaev is an empty talker, at the most inopportune moments he can indulge in ranting, so that everyone around is simply lost and asks him to be silent. Leonid Andreevich himself understands this, but this is part of his nature. He is also very infantile, unable to defend his point of view, and he cannot even formulate it properly. He so often has nothing to say on the merits that his favorite word "Kogo" constantly sounds and completely inappropriate billiard terms appear. Firs still follows his master like a small child, now shaking off the dust from his trousers, now bringing him a warm coat, and for a fifty-year-old man there is nothing shameful in such guardianship, he even goes to bed under the sensitive gaze of his footman. Firs is sincerely attached to the owner, but even Gaev in the finale of the play "The Cherry Orchard" forgets about his devoted servant. He loves his nieces and his sister. It’s just that he couldn’t become the head of the family, in which he remained the only man, and he can’t help anyone, since it doesn’t even occur to him. All this shows how shallow the feelings of this hero are.

    For Gaev, the cherry orchard means as much as for Ranevskaya, but, like her, she is not ready to accept Lopakhin's offer. After all, dividing the estate into plots and renting it out is “wonderful”, largely because it will bring them closer to such businessmen as Lopakhin, and for Leonid Andreevich this is unacceptable, since he considers himself a true aristocrat, looking down on such merchants. Having returned in a depressed state from the auction where the estate was sold, Gaev has only tears in his eyes, and as soon as they hear the cue hitting the balls, they dry up, once again proving that deep feelings are simply not characteristic of him.

    Gaev closed the chain, consisting of the images of the nobles, created by Chekhov throughout his creative life. He created "heroes of his time", aristocrats with excellent education, unable to defend their ideals, and it was this weakness that allowed such as Lopakhin to occupy a dominant position. In order to show how small the nobles were, Anton Pavlovich underestimated the image of Gaev as much as possible, bringing him to a caricature. Many representatives of the aristocracy were very critical of this depiction of their class, accusing the author of ignorance of their circle. But after all, Chekhov did not even want to create a comedy, but a farce, which he succeeded in doing.

    The fate of Lopakhin, Ermolai Alekseevich from the very beginning is closely intertwined with the fate of the Ranevskaya family. His father was a serf with Ranevskaya's father, he traded "in the village in a shop." Once, - Lopakhin recalls in the first act - his father drank and smashed his face. Then the young Ranevskaya took him to her, washed him and consoled him: “Don’t cry, little man, he will heal before the wedding.” Lopakhin still remembers these words, and they echo in him in two ways. On the one hand, Ranevskaya's affection pleases him, on the other hand, the word "man" hurts his pride. It was his father who was a peasant, protests Lopakhin, and he himself “made it into the people”, became a merchant. He has a lot of money, "a white waistcoat and yellow shoes" - and he achieved all this himself. His parents did not teach him anything, his father only beat him when he was drunk. Remembering this, the hero admits that, in essence, he remained a peasant a peasant: his handwriting is bad, and he does not understand anything in books - “he read a book and fell asleep.”

    Undoubted respect deserves the vigor and diligence of Lopakhin. From five o'clock he is already on his feet, he works from morning to evening and cannot imagine his life without work. An interesting detail - because of his activities, he always does not have enough time, some business trips he goes on are constantly mentioned. This character in the play looks at his watch more often than others. In contrast to the amazingly impractical Ranevskaya family, he knows the bill of both time and money.

    At the same time, Lopakhin cannot be called a money-grubber or an unprincipled "merchant-grabber", like those merchants whose images Ostrovsky loved to draw so much. This can be evidenced at least by the ease with which he parted with his money. In the course of the play, Lopakhin more than once lends or offers to lend money (recall the dialogue with Petya Trofimov and the eternal debtor Simeonov-Pishchik). And most importantly, Lopakhin is sincerely worried about the fate of Ranevskaya and her estate. Merchants from Ostrovsky's plays would never do what comes to Lopakhin's mind - he himself offers Ranevskaya a way out of the situation. But the profit that can be obtained by renting a cherry orchard for summer cottages is not at all small (Lopakhin himself calculates it). And it would be much more profitable to wait for the day of the auction and secretly buy a profitable estate. But no, the hero is not like that, he will more than once offer Ranevskaya to think about his fate. Lopakhin does not seek to buy a cherry orchard. “I teach you every day,” he says with desperation to Ranevskaya shortly before the auction. And it’s not his fault that in response he will hear the following: dachas are “that’s how it went”, Ranevskaya will never go for it. But he, Lopakhin, let him not leave, with him “it’s still more fun” ...

    Characterization of Lopakhin through the eyes of other characters

    So, we are presented with an outstanding character, in which business acumen and practical mind are combined with sincere affection for the Ranevsky family, and this affection, in turn, contradicts his desire to cash in on their estate. To get a more accurate idea of ​​the image of Lopakhin in the play "The Cherry Orchard" by Chekhov, let's look at how other characters speak of him. The range of these reviews will be wide - from "the enormous mind of man" (Simeonov-Pishchik) to "a predatory beast that eats everything in its path" (Petya).

    A vivid negative characterization belongs to Ranevskaya's brother, Gaev: "boor, fist." Lopakhin is somewhat embellished in the eyes of Gaev by the fact that he is "Varin's fiance", and yet this does not prevent Gaev from considering the merchant a limited person. However, let's see, from whose lips such a description of Lopakhin sounds in the play? Lopakhin himself repeats it, and repeats it without malice: "Let him talk." For him, in his own words, one thing is important - that Ranevskaya's "amazing, touching eyes" look at him "as before."

    Ranevskaya herself treats Lopakhin with cordial warmth. For her, he is "a good, interesting person." And yet, from every phrase of Ranevskaya it is clear that she and Lopakhin are people of a different circle. Lopakhin sees in Ranevskaya something more than just an old acquaintance ...

    love test

    Throughout the play, the conversation about the marriage of Lopakhin and Varya comes up every now and then, this is referred to as a matter already decided. In response to Ranevskaya's direct offer to marry Varya, the hero replies: "I don't mind ... She's a good girl." And yet the wedding never took place. But why?

    Of course, this can be explained by the practicality of Lopakhin the merchant, who does not want to take a dowry for himself. In addition, Varya has certain rights to the cherry orchard, rooting for him with all his heart. The clearing of the garden comes between them. Varya explains her love failure to herself even more simply: in her opinion, Lopakhin simply does not have time for feelings, he is a businessman, unable to love. On the other hand, Varya herself does not suit Lopakhin. Her world is limited by household chores, she is dry and "looks like a nun." Lopakhin, on the other hand, more than once shows the breadth of his soul (recall his statement about the giants, who are so lacking in Russia). From the incoherent dialogues between Varya and Lopakhin, it becomes clear: they absolutely do not understand each other. And Lopakhin, solving for himself the Hamlet question “To be or not to be?”, Acts honestly. Realizing that he will not find happiness with Varya, he, like a county Hamlet, says: “Okhmeliya, go to the monastery” ...

    The point, however, is not only in the incompatibility of Lopakhin and Varya, but in the fact that the hero has another, unspoken love. This is Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, whom he loves "more than his own." Throughout the play, Lopakhin's bright, reverent attitude towards Ranevskaya is the leitmotif. He decides to make an offer to Varya after a request from Ranevskaya, but here he cannot overpower himself.

    The tragedy of Lopakhin lies in the fact that he remained for Ranevskaya the same peasant whom she once carefully washed. And at the moment when he finally understands that the “dear” that he kept in his soul will not be understood, a fracture occurs. All the heroes of The Cherry Orchard lose something of their own, cherished - Lopakhin is no exception. Only in the image of Lopakhin does his feeling for Ranevskaya act like a cherry orchard.

    Triumph of Lopakhin

    And so it happened - Lopakhin acquires the estate of Ranevskaya at the auction. Lopakhin is the new owner of the cherry orchard! Now, in his character, the predatory beginning really comes through: “I can pay for everything!”. The understanding that he bought the estate, where once, "poor and illiterate", did not dare to go beyond the kitchen, intoxicates him. But there is irony in his voice, a mockery of himself. Apparently, Lopakhin already understands that his triumph will not last long - he can buy a cherry orchard, "more beautiful than which there is in the world," but it is not in his power to buy a dream, it will vanish like smoke. Ranevskaya can still console herself, because she, in the end, leaves for Paris. And Lopakhin remains alone, realizing this very well. "Goodbye" - that's all he can say to Ranevskaya, and this ridiculous word raises Lopakhin to the level of a tragic hero.

    Characteristics of Anya and Petya Trofimov

    In Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard, Anya and Petya are not the main characters. They are not directly connected with the garden, like other characters, for them it does not play such a significant role, which is why they somehow fall out of the general system of characters. However, in the work of a playwright of Chekhov's level there is no place for accidents; therefore, the isolation of Petya and Anya is not accidental either. Let's take a closer look at these two characters.

    Among critics, the interpretation of the images of Anya and Petya, depicted in the play The Cherry Orchard, as a symbol of the young generation of Russia at the beginning of the twentieth century, is widespread; generation, which is replacing the long-obsolete "Ranev" and "Gaev", as well as the creations of the turning point of the era "Lopakhin". In Soviet criticism, this statement was considered undeniable, since the play itself was usually considered in a strictly defined vein - based on the year of writing (1903), critics associated its creation with social changes and the impending revolution of 1905. Accordingly, the understanding of the cherry orchard as a symbol of the "old", pre-revolutionary Russia, Ranevskaya and Gaev as images of the "dying off" noble class, Lopakhin - the emerging bourgeoisie, Trofimov - the raznochintsy intelligentsia was affirmed. From this point of view, the play was seen as a work about the search for a "savior" for Russia, in which inevitable changes are brewing. Lopakhin, as the bourgeois master of the country, should be replaced by the commoner Petya, full of transformative ideas and aimed at a brighter future; the bourgeoisie must be replaced by the intelligentsia, which, in turn, will carry out the social revolution. Anya here symbolizes the "repentant" nobility, which takes an active part in these transformations.

    Such a "class approach", inherited from ancient times, reveals its failure already in the fact that many characters do not fit into this scheme: Varya, Charlotte, Epikhodov. In their images, we do not find a "class" overtones. In addition, Chekhov was never known as a propagandist, and, most likely, he would not have written such an unambiguously deciphered play. Do not forget that the author himself defined the genre of The Cherry Orchard as a comedy and even a farce - not the most successful form for demonstrating high ideals ...

    Based on the foregoing, it is impossible to consider Anya and Petya in the play The Cherry Orchard solely as an image of the younger generation. Such an interpretation would be too superficial. Who are they for the author? What role do they play in his design?

    It can be assumed that the author deliberately brought out two characters who are not directly related to the main conflict as "outside observers". They have no vital interest in the auction and the garden, there is no clear symbolism associated with it. For Anya and Petya Trofimov, the cherry orchard is not a painful attachment. It is the lack of affection that helps them survive in the general atmosphere of devastation, emptiness and meaninglessness, so subtly conveyed in the play.

    The general characterization of Anya and Petya in The Cherry Orchard inevitably includes a love line between the two characters. The author designated it implicitly, half-hint, and it is difficult to say for what purposes he needed this move. Perhaps this is a way to show a clash in the same situation of two qualitatively different characters. We see a young, naive, enthusiastic Anya, who has not yet seen life and at the same time full of strength and readiness for any transformations. And we see Petya, full of bold, revolutionary ideas, an inspired speaker, a sincere and enthusiastic person, moreover, absolutely inactive, full of internal contradictions, therefore absurd and sometimes funny. We can say that the love line brings two extremes together: Anya - a force without a vector, and Petya - a vector without a force. Anya's energy and determination are useless without guidance; Petya's passion and ideology are dead without inner strength.

    In conclusion, it can be noted that the images of these two heroes in the play today, unfortunately, are still considered in the traditional "Soviet" vein. There is reason to believe that a fundamentally different approach to the system of characters and Chekhov's play as a whole will allow us to see much more shades of meaning and reveal many interesting moments. In the meantime, the images of Anya and Petya are waiting for their unbiased critic.

    Characteristics of the image of Petya Trofimov

    Pyotr Sergeevich Trofimov, or, as everyone calls him, Petya, first appears in the play in a "worn student uniform and glasses." And already from the first appearance of the hero on stage in the characterization of Trofimov from The Cherry Orchard, two main features become visible. The first is student life, because Petya is the so-called eternal student, who has already been expelled from the university several times. And the second feature is his amazing ability to enter inopportunely and get into trouble: everyone rejoices at Petya's arrival, fearing, however, that the sight of him would awaken painful memories from Ranevskaya. Once Trofimov was the teacher of her little son, who soon drowned. Since then, Petya has taken root in the estate.

    Common Hero

    The image of Petya Trofimov in the play "The Cherry Orchard" was conceived as the image of a positive hero. Raznochinets, the son of a pharmacist, he is not bound by worries about the estate or his business and is not attached to anything. Unlike the impractical Ranevskaya and Lopakhin, who is always busy with business, Petya has a unique chance to look at all events from the outside, evaluating them with an open mind. According to Chekhov's original plan, it was Petya and Anya, inspired by his ideas, who were supposed to point to the resolution of the play's conflict. Redemption of the past (in particular, the sin of possessing living souls, which Trofimov condemns especially severely) by “extraordinary, continuous work” and faith in a bright future in which all of Russia will turn into a blooming cherry orchard. This is Trofimov's life credo. But Chekhov would not be Chekhov if he allowed himself to introduce such an unambiguously “correct” character into the narrative. No, life is much more complicated than any templates, and the image of Trofimov in the play "The Cherry Orchard" once again testifies to this.

    "Klut": the comic image of Petya Trofimov

    It is difficult not to notice a somewhat ironic attitude towards Trofimov, both on the part of the author and on the part of the heroes of the play. “Klutty” is what Ranevskaya, who is usually condescending towards people, calls Petya, and Lopakhin mockingly adds: “Passion, how smart!”. Other definitions applied to this hero further aggravate the picture: “funny freak”, “clean”, “shabby gentleman” ... Petya is clumsy, ugly (and, according to his own statement, does not want to seem like that at all), he has “sparse hair ”, in addition, he is absent-minded. Such a description contrasts sharply with the romantic image that arises after reading his speeches. But these speeches, upon careful analysis, begin to confuse with their categoricalness, moralizing and, at the same time, with an absolute misunderstanding of the current life situation.

    Let us pay attention to the fact that Trofimov's pathetic speeches are interrupted all the time in the course of the play. Either they will knock with an ax, then Epikhodov will play the guitar, then he will call out Anya Varya, who has overheard (this, by the way, will cause genuine indignation in Petya: “This Varya again!”) ... So Chekhov gradually conveys his attitude to what Petya says: these are unviable things afraid of manifestations of ordinary life.

    Another unpleasant feature in Trofimov is his ability to see "only dirt, vulgarity, Asianism" in everything. Surprisingly, the admiration for Russia, its “immense fields and deepest horizons” comes from the lips of the seemingly limited merchant Lopakhin. But Petya talks about “moral impurity”, about bedbugs and only dreams of a brighter future, not wanting to see the present. The beauty of the main image-symbol in the play leaves him indifferent. Trofimov does not like the cherry orchard. Moreover, he does not allow young Anya to love him, whose soul still responds very reverently to beauty. But for Petya, the garden is exclusively the embodiment of serfdom, which is worth getting rid of as soon as possible. It never occurs to him that Anya’s childhood passed in this garden, that it might hurt her to lose him - no, Petya is completely captured by his ideas and, as often happens with such dreamers, he does not see living people behind them.

    And what about Petya's contemptuous statement that he is "above love." This phrase, with which he wanted to show his superiority, perfectly reveals the opposite - the moral, spiritual underdevelopment of the hero. If he were an internally holistic, formed personality, his awkwardness and awkwardness would be forgiven him, as illiteracy is forgiven Lopakhin with a "broad soul". But Petya's dryness betrays his moral failure. “You are not above love, but simply, as our Firs says, you are a klutz,” Ranevskaya tells him, who, due to her sensitivity, immediately guessed Petya. It is curious that Petya, who protests against the old way of life and any form of ownership, does not hesitate, however, to live with Ranevskaya in the estate and partly at her expense. He will leave the estate only with its sale, although at the beginning of the play he suggests that Anya throw the keys to the farm into the well and leave. It turns out that even on his own example, Trofimov is not yet ready to confirm his ideas.

    "Show others the way"...

    Of course, there are cute features in Petya. He himself bitterly says about himself: “I am not yet thirty, I am young, I am still a student, but I have already endured so much! And yet ... I foresee happiness, Anya, I already see it ... ”. And at this moment, through the mask of the builder of a bright future, a real person peeps through, who wants a better life, who knows how to believe and dream. His undoubted diligence also deserves respect: Petya works, receives money for transfers and consistently refuses the favor offered by Lopakhin: “I am a free man! And everything that you all, rich and poor, value so highly and dearly, has not the slightest power over me, just like fluff that rushes through the air. However, the pathos of this statement is somewhat disturbed by the galoshes thrown onto the stage by Varya: Trofimov lost them and worried a lot about them ... The characteristic of Petya from The Cherry Orchard, in fact, is all concentrated in these galoshes - all the pettiness and absurdity of the hero is clearly manifested here.

    Trofimov is rather a comical character. He himself understands that he was not created for happiness and will not reach it. But it is he who is entrusted with the important role of showing others "how to get there", and this makes him indispensable - both in the play and in life.

    Characteristic Vari

    In the three-part system of characters in Chekhov's play The Cherry Orchard, Varya is one of the figures symbolizing the present. Unlike Ranevskaya, her foster mother, who cannot break with her past, and Anya's half-sister, who lives in the distant future, Varya is a person who is completely adequate to the times. This allows her to reasonably assess the situation. Strict and rational, Varya contrasts strongly with most of the characters, to some extent divorced from reality.

    As is in principle characteristic of Chekhov's dramaturgy, the image of Varya in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is revealed in her speech. The heroine speaks simply, artlessly - unlike Ranevskaya, who often overloads her speech with complex turns and metaphors; so the author emphasizes Vari's rationality and pragmatism. The abundance of emotional exclamations and diminutive forms speak of sensitivity and naivety. But at the same time, Varya does not disdain colloquial and abusive expressions - and here we see folk rudeness, narrow-mindedness and some primitiveness, giving out in her much more a peasant woman than a noble pupil ... "Peasant" practicality, combined with intellectual limitations, can be called the leading characteristic of Varya from The Cherry Orchard by Chekhov.

    However, she cannot be denied the ability to experience strong feelings. Varya is religious (her cherished dream is to go "to the desert", to become a nun); she is sincerely attached to Ranevskaya and Anya, and the way she experiences failure with Lopakhin clearly shows that she cares about her relationship with him. Behind the dramatic image we see a living and unique personality. The description of Varya in the play The Cherry Orchard cannot be reduced to a short set of epithets - like all Chekhov's characters, even minor ones, she is a complex and integral image.

    Characteristics of Simeonov-Pishchik

    At first glance, it seems that the characterization of Simeonov-Pishchik in Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" is quite unambiguous: "stupid", a comic character inside and out. His money troubles, fussiness, almost peasant rusticity make it possible to see in him the “reduced double” of Lopakhin. The clownish nature of the image of Simeonov-Pishchik is also confirmed by the fact that he often appears at a tense, dramatic moment, and his ridiculous phrase or trick immediately takes the edge off the situation (see the scene of swallowing all Ranevskaya’s pills at once and Firs’s subsequent phrase: “They were at they ate us half a bucket of cucumbers…”, emphasizing the comedy of the situation).

    However, it is easy to notice another characteristic feature of this hero: his mobility. He is always on the move, in direct (travels around acquaintances, lending money) and figurative (hitting various adventures in order to get money) senses. This movement is largely chaotic and irrational, and the optimism of the hero in his position seems surprising: “I never lose hope. Now, I think, everything is gone, he died, and lo and behold, the railway passed through my land, and ... they paid me. And there, look, something else will happen not today or tomorrow. It can be said that the fussy and purposeful Simeonov-Pishchik in The Cherry Orchard is needed precisely for movement, revitalizing the scenes played out by the motionless and deeply confused main characters.

    Characteristics of Dunyasha

    The characterization of Dunyasha in the play "The Cherry Orchard" can be defined as a mirror image of Ranevskaya, the "reduced double" of the main character - a naive rustic maid, yesterday's peasant woman, while speaking, dressing and behaving "like a young lady", with a claim to sophistication. “She became tender, so delicate, noble,” she says about herself. With her behavior and remarks, she creates a comic effect based on the inconsistency of her actions with the prescribed role ("I'm about to fall ... Oh, I'll fall!"). And although this moment is also important, the image of Dunyasha in the play "The Cherry Orchard" by Chekhov is not reduced solely to the comic component.

    In the three-part system of characters, Dunyasha's work refers to heroes who are in a speculative future. However, her future is not as specific as that of Anya or Trofimov; this is not the chronotope of the "new garden", the monastery or Paris. The "future" of Dunyasha lies in her dreams; like many young ladies, among whom she considers herself, these are love dreams. Dunyasha lives in anticipation of the "prince", and this expectation becomes almost an end in itself. When Epikhodov proposes to her, Dunyasha, despite the fact that she “seems to like him,” is in no hurry to agree. Much more important to her is the speculative space of “ideal”, fabulous love, a distant hint of which she finds in her “relationship” with the footman Yasha. Attempts to realize these dreams will lead to their simplification, vulgarization, will tear Dunyasha out of the sphere of dreams, in which it is most convenient for her to be. Like almost all the heroes of the play, she not only does not live in the present, but also desperately does not want to have anything in common with it - and in this she is also Ranevskaya's "mirror". Deriving the image of Dunyasha in The Cherry Orchard, the author even more clearly emphasized the typical painful gap between the worldviews of the heroes of the play and the reality in which they are forced to act.

    Characteristics of Charlotte Ivanovna

    “This is the best role, I don’t like the rest” - such a characterization of Charlotte in the play “The Cherry Orchard” by Chekhov was given by the author in his letter. Why was this episodic heroine so important for Chekhov? It's not hard to say.

    According to the text of the play, Charlotte has no social markers: neither her age, nor her nationality, nor her origin is known to either the viewer or herself: “I don’t have a real passport, I don’t know how old I am…”; “Who are my parents, maybe they didn’t get married ... I don’t know.” She is practically not included in the system of social ties, as well as in the situation that causes the main conflict - the sale of the estate. In the same way, she is not included in any speculative chronotope of the play - the past in the estate, the present in the dachas, the future in the "new beautiful garden." It is outside the space of the play and at the same time parallel to it. The position of an outsider also determines two fundamentally important features of Charlotte Ivanovna in The Cherry Orchard. - firstly, absolute loneliness (“So I want to talk, but not with anyone ... I don’t have anyone”), and secondly, absolute freedom. Looking closely, you can see that Charlotte's actions are not subject to any external conditions, but only to her own internal impulses:

    "Lopakhin. Charlotte Ivanovna, show me the trick!
    Lyubov Andreevna. Charlotte, show me the trick!
    Charlotte. No need. I wish to sleep. (leaves)."

    The importance of the image of Charlotte in the play "The Cherry Orchard" lies, firstly, in her role as a free third-party observer with the right of an unbiased judgment (Charlotte's sudden and illogical at first glance, not related to the immediate context) and disobedience to conventions. Secondly - in the image of a person whose behavior is not determined by the environment - the "essence" of the human essence. And from this point of view, we cannot underestimate this, at first glance, episodic image in the play.

    Characteristics of Yasha

    In the play The Cherry Orchard, Chekhov depicts the traditional life of a noble estate. Along with the landowners, servants were introduced there - a governess, a maid, a valet and a footman. Conventionally, they can be divided into two groups. Fiers and Charlotte are more connected with the estate and are truly devoted to the owners. The meaning of their life is lost when the cherry orchard is cut down. But Dunyasha and Yasha represent the younger generation, whose life is just beginning. Especially vividly the thirst for a new life comes through in the image of Yasha in the play "The Cherry Orchard".

    Yasha is a young lackey brought by Ranevskaya from Paris. The time spent abroad changed him. Now he dresses differently, knows how to speak “delicately” and present himself as a person who has seen a lot. “You are educated, you can talk about everything,” Dunyasha, who fell in love with him, speaks so enthusiastically about Yasha.

    But behind the external gloss in the footman Yasha in the play "The Cherry Orchard" many vices are hidden. Already from the first pages, his ignorance and blind admiration for everything foreign is noticeable (for example, he asks Ranevskaya to take him to Paris again, arguing that it is impossible to stay in Russia - "an uneducated country, an immoral people, moreover, boredom").

    There is another, much more unpleasant feature in Yasha - spiritual callousness. He does not miss the opportunity to offend a person - he taunts Gaev, declares to Firs: “You are tired, grandfather. If only you would die soon, ”and when his mother comes from the village, she does not want to go out to her. Yasha does not hesitate to steal money from her mistress and drink champagne at her expense, although she knows perfectly well that the estate is ruined. Yasha even uses Dunyasha’s love in her own interests, and in response to the girl’s sincere confession, she tells her: “If a girl loves anyone, then she is immoral.”

    "Immoral, ignorant" - this is Yashino's favorite saying, which he applies to everyone. And it is these words that can serve as the most accurate description of Yasha from Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard.

    Characteristics of Epikhodov

    The clerk who is “offended by fate” is the main characteristic of Epikhodov in the play “The Cherry Orchard” by Chekhov. Most often in the work he is defined as an awkward, unfortunate person, "twenty-two misfortunes." Already in his first appearance, he shows this notorious clumsiness: “Epikhodov enters with a bouquet; ... entering, he drops the bouquet.

    At the same time, Epikhodov considers himself a "developed" person who reads "various wonderful books." But the expression of his thoughts is still given to him with difficulty. Even the maid Dunyasha notices this: “... sometimes, when you start talking, you won’t understand anything.” The answer is simple - in an effort to express himself “in a bookish way”, Epikhodov builds his statements from “smart” introductory words: “Of course, if you look from the point of view, then you, let me put it this way, excuse my frankness, completely led me to a state of feeling” .

    The image of Epikhodov in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is comical. But the comic is not in the fact that absurd incidents happen to Epikhodov all the time. The main trouble of the hero is that he constantly complains about fate, sincerely believing himself to be a loser and a victim. So, he even envies Firs, despite the fact that it is "time for him to go to the forefathers." He resigned himself to the order of things, subsuming under this the philosophy of Bockl about the predestination of life. And once again breaking something, he sighs: “Well, of course,” justifying himself. It turns out that Epikhodov in The Cherry Orchard, like all other characters, does nothing to change his life. So in the play, once again, with the help of grotesque and symbolism, the main storyline is emphasized.

    Firs characteristic

    The characterization of Firs in the play The Cherry Orchard by Chekhov is not at all as unambiguous as it might seem. According to the three-part scheme, he undoubtedly belongs to the heroes of the "past", both in age (Firs is the oldest among the characters, he is eighty-seven years old), and in his views and worldview - he is a staunch supporter of serfdom, and this situation really fact is not as paradoxical as it seems at first glance. For Firs, serfdom, with its close connection between a peasant and a gentleman, embodies an ideal, harmonious system of social organization, bound by mutual obligations and responsibility. Firs sees in her the embodiment of reliability and stability. Therefore, the abolition of serfdom becomes a “misfortune” for him: everything that held together “his” world, made it harmonious and integral, is destroyed, and Firs himself, having fallen out of this system, becomes an “extra” element in the new world, a living anachronism. “...everything is scattered, you won’t understand anything” - with these words he describes the chaos he feels and the meaninglessness of what is happening around.

    This is also closely related to the peculiar role of Firs in The Cherry Orchard - at the same time the "spirit of the estate", the keeper of traditions that have not been observed for a long time, the manager-manager and the "nanny" for the "master's children" that never grew up - Ranevskaya and Gaev. Housekeeping and “adulthood” are emphasized by the very speech of the old servant: “Without me, who will give, who will dispose?” he says with full awareness of the importance of his place in the house. “They put on the wrong trousers again,” he turns to the fifty-year-old “child” Gaev. For all his remoteness from real life with cultural and social circumstances that have changed a long time ago, Firs, nevertheless, gives the impression of one of the few characters in the play who are able to think rationally.

    The servant characters in the system of images of the play The Cherry Orchard, in addition to their own characteristic functions, are also the "mirrors" of the masters. However, Firs in this case is rather an “anti-mirror”: if in the image of Dunyasha one can see an indirect parallel with Ranevskaya, and Yasha is a reflection of the nobility as a whole as a class, then in the image of Firs in the play “The Cherry Orchard” the author emphasizes those features with which, as once Gaev and Ranevskaya are deprived: thoroughness, thriftiness, emotional "adulthood". Firs appears in the play as the personification of these qualities, which are lacking to varying degrees in almost all the characters.

    Everyone in the play is connected in one way or another with the main object around which the conflict unfolds - with the cherry orchard. What is a cherry orchard for Firs? For him, this is the same imaginary chronotope as for everyone else, but for an old servant, he personifies the “old” life, the “old order” - synonymous with stability, orderliness, a “correctly” functioning world. As an integral part of this world, Firs in his memory continues to live there; with the destruction of the old system, the death of the old order, he himself dies - the "spirit of the estate" dies along with it itself.

    The image of a devoted servant in the play The Cherry Orchard differs from those in other works of Russian classics. We can see similar characters, for example, in Pushkin - this is Savelich, an ingenuous, kind and devoted "uncle", or in Nekrasov - Ipat, "a sensitive slave." However, the hero of Chekhov's play is more symbolic and multifaceted, and therefore cannot be characterized solely as a "serf" satisfied with his position. In the play, he is a symbol of time, the guardian of the passing era with all its shortcomings, but also virtues. As the “spirit of the estate”, he occupies a very important place in the work, which should not be underestimated.

    Sources

    http://all-biography.ru/books/chehov/vishnyovyj-sad

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

    The main theme of the play is autobiographical - a bankrupt family of noblemen is selling their family estate at auction. The author, as a person who has gone through a similar life situation, describes with subtle psychologism the state of mind of people who are forced to leave their homes soon. The novelty of the play is the lack of division of heroes into positive and negative, into main and secondary. All of them fall into three categories:

    • people of the past - aristocratic nobles (Ranevskaya, Gaev and their footman Firs);
    • people of the present - their bright representative merchant-entrepreneur Lopakhin;
    • the people of the future are the progressive youth of that time (Pyotr Trofimov and Anya).

    History of creation

    Chekhov began work on the play in 1901. Due to serious health problems, the writing process was rather 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.

    Play analysis

    Description of the work

    The action takes place in the family estate of the landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, who returned from France with her young daughter Anya. They are met at the railway station 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 the solution to the problem - to divide the land into shares and give them for use to summer residents 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 the experiences of his sister, 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 switches to the appeared teacher Peter Trofimov. He gives 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 of the young teacher, and it turns out that only Anya is able to imbue his lofty ideas.

    The third act begins with the fact that Ranevskaya invites an orchestra with the last money and arranges a dance evening. Gaev and Lopakhin are absent at the same time - they left for the city for auction, where the Ranevsky estate should go under the hammer. After a long wait, Lyubov Andreevna finds out that her estate was bought at the auction by Lopakhin, who does not hide his joy from his acquisition. The Ranevsky family is in despair.

    The finale is entirely devoted 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 remarkably profound monologue by Firs, which the hosts hastily forgot on the estate. The final chord is the sound of an axe. They cut down the cherry orchard.

    main characters

    Sentimental person, owner of the estate. Having lived abroad for several years, she has become accustomed to a luxurious life and, by inertia, continues to allow herself a lot that, in 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 in 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 - it combines industriousness, prudence, enterprise and rudeness, a "muzhik" beginning. In the finale of the play, Lopakhin does not share the feelings of Ranevskaya, he is happy that, despite his peasant origin, he was able to afford to buy the estate of the owners of his late father.

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

    Petya Trofimov

    Eternal student, nihilist, eloquent representative of the Russian intelligentsia, advocating for the development of Russia only in words. In pursuit of the "higher truth", he denies love, considering it a petty and illusory feeling, which immensely upsets his daughter Ranevskaya 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 parental estate, Anya is ready for any difficulties for the sake of joint happiness next to her lover.

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

    A young footman, with contempt for Russia, dreaming of going abroad. A cynical and cruel person, rude to old Firs, disrespectful even to his own mother.

    The structure of the work

    The structure of the play is quite simple - 4 acts without division into separate scenes. The duration of action is several months, from late spring to mid-autumn. In the first act there is an exposition and a plot, in the second - an increase in tension, in the third - a climax (sale of the estate), in the fourth - a denouement. A characteristic feature of the play is the absence of genuine external conflict, dynamism, and unpredictable twists in the 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 contemporary production)

    The play is dominated by the development of the emotional and psychological plan, the main engine of action is the inner experiences of the characters. The author expands the artistic space of the work by introducing a large number of characters who never appear on stage. Also, the effect of expanding the spatial boundaries is given by the symmetrically emerging theme of France, which gives arched form to the play.

    Final conclusion

    Chekhov's last play can be said to be his "swan song". The novelty of her dramatic language is a direct expression of Chekhov's special life concept, which is characterized by extraordinary attention to small, at first glance, insignificant details, focusing on the inner experiences of the characters.

    In the play The Cherry Orchard, the author captured the state of critical disunity of the 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.

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