The image of the garden in the play Cherry Orchard is ambiguous and complex. This is not just a part of the estate of Ranevskaya and Gaev, as it might seem at first glance. Not about this Chekhov wrote. Cherry Orchard - a symbol-image. It means the beauty of Russian nature and the life of the people who nurtured and admired him. Along with the death of the garden, this life also perishes.
Center uniting characters
The image of the garden in the play "Cherry Orchard" is the center around which all the heroes unite. At first, it may seem that these are only old friends and relatives who, by chance, gathered at the estate to solve everyday problems. However, it is not. It is no coincidence that Anton Pavlovich combined characters from various social groups and age categories. Their task is to decide the fate of not only the garden, but also their own.
The connection between Gaev and Ranevskaya with the estate
Ranevskaya and Gaev - Russian landowners who own the estate and cherry orchard. This is a brother and sister, they are sensitive, intelligent, educated people. They are able to appreciate beauty, they feel it very subtly. Therefore, they are so dear to the image of the cherry orchard. In the perception of the heroes of the play "Cherry Orchard" he personifies beauty. However, these characters are inert, which is why they can not do anything to save what is dear to them. Ranevskaya and Gaev, with all their spiritual wealth and development, are deprived of responsibility, practicality and a sense of reality. Therefore, they cannot take care not only of close people, but also of themselves. These heroes do not want to heed the advice of Lopakhin and lease their land, although this would bring them a decent income. They believe that cottages and summer residents - it went.
Why is the estate so dear to Gaev and Ranevskaya?
Gaev and Ranevskaya cannot lease land because of the feelings that connect them with the estate. They have a special relationship with the garden, which for them is like a living person. Much connects these heroes with their estate. The cherry orchard seems to them the personification of a bygone youth, a past life. Ranevskaya compared her life with the "cold winter" and the "dark rainy autumn." When the landowner returned to the estate, she again felt happy and young.
Lopakhin's attitude to the cherry orchard
The image of the garden in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is also revealed in relation to Lopakhin. This hero does not share the feelings of Ranevskaya and Gaev. He considers their behavior illogical and strange. This man is surprised at why they do not want to heed the obvious, it would seem, arguments that will help find a way out of the predicament. It should be noted that Lopakhin is also able to appreciate the beauty. The cherry garden delights this hero. He believes that nothing is more beautiful than him in the world.
However, Lopakhin is a practical and active person. Unlike Ranevskaya and Gaev, he cannot only admire and regret the cherry orchard. This hero seeks to do something to save him. Lopakhin sincerely wants to help Ranevskaya and Gaev. He does not cease to convince them that both land and the cherry orchard should be leased. This must be done as soon as possible, since the auction will be soon. However, the landowners do not want to listen to him. Leonid Andreevich can only swear that the estate will never be sold. He says he will not allow the auction.
New garden owner
Nevertheless, the auction still took place. The owner of the estate was Lopakhin, who cannot believe his own happiness. After all, his father and grandfather worked here, "were slaves," they were not even allowed into the kitchen. Buying a property for Lopakhin becomes a kind of symbol of his success. This is a well-deserved reward for many years of work. The hero would like his grandfather and father to rise from the grave and be able to rejoice with him, to see how their descendant succeeded in life.
Negative qualities of Lopakhin
For Lopakhin, the cherry orchard is just land. It can be bought, mortgaged or sold. This hero in his joy did not consider himself obligated to show a sense of tact in relation to the former owners of the purchased estate. Lopakhin immediately begins to cut down the garden. He did not want to wait for the departure of the former owners of the estate. The soulless footman Yasha is something like him. It completely lacks such qualities as attachment to the place in which he was born and raised, love for his mother, kindness. In this respect, Yasha is the exact opposite of Firsu, a servant who has extraordinarily developed feelings.
Attitude to the garden of the servant Firs
Revealing the image of the garden in the play "Cherry Orchard", it is necessary to say a few words about how Firs, the oldest of all in the house, treated him. For many years he devotedly served his masters. This man sincerely loves Gayev and Ranevskaya. He is ready to protect these heroes from all troubles. We can say that Firs is the only one of all the characters in The Cherry Orchard endowed with such quality as devotion. This is a very whole nature, which is manifested in its entirety in relation to the servant to the garden. For Firs, the estate of Ranevskaya and Gaev is a family nest. He seeks to protect him, as well as its inhabitants.
New generation
The image of the cherry orchard in the play Cherry Orchard is dear only to those heroes who have important memories associated with it. The representative of the new generation in Chekhov's play is Petya Trofimov. The fate of the garden does not interest him at all. Petya declares: "We are above love." Thus, he admits that he is not able to experience serious feelings. Trofimov looks at everything too superficially. He does not know the real life that he is trying to remake based on far-fetched ideas. Anya and Petya are outwardly happy. They crave a new life, for which they seek to break with the past. For these heroes, a garden is “all of Russia,” not a specific cherry orchard. But is it possible to love the whole world without loving your own home? Petya and Anya are losing their roots in striving for new horizons. Mutual understanding between Trofimov and Ranevskaya is impossible. For Petya, there are no memories, no past, and Ranevskaya is deeply worried about the loss of the estate, since she was born here, her ancestors also lived here, and she sincerely loves the estate.
Who will save the garden?
The image of the cherry garden in the play Cherry Orchard, as we have already noted, is a symbol of beauty. Only people who can not only appreciate her, but also fight for her can save her. Active and energetic people who are replacing the nobility, treat beauty only as a source of profit. What will happen to her, who will save her?
The image of the cherry garden in Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" is a symbol of the hearth and the past, dear to the heart. Is it possible to safely go forward if there is an ax knocking behind your back that destroys everything that was previously holy? It should be noted that the cherry orchard is also a symbol of good. After all, it is no coincidence that such expressions as “hit with an ax on a tree”, “trample a flower” and “cut roots” sound inhuman and blasphemous.
So, we briefly examined the image of the cherry garden in the understanding of the characters in the play "The Cherry Orchard". Reflecting on the actions and characters of the characters of Chekhov's work, we also think about the fate of Russia. After all, it is for all of us a "cherry orchard."