Chekhov's famous play "The Cherry Orchard" and still does not leave the theatrical stage, although it was written in 1903. She became a classic of the genre, which at all times collected sold out in the halls. Someone sees comedy in it, someone drama, but it is really very interesting and unique in its own way, since it describes in all its glory the life of Russian aristocrats who are going through their hard times.
There are many characters in the play by which one can understand the moral and ethical foundations of the then upper class, what it was thinking about and what it was striving for in anticipation of the changes moving on them. Coming to the topic “Leonid Andreyevich Gaev: Description (The Cherry Orchard)”, it should be noted that this representative of the nobility has become his modern caricature. All the negative aspects of his sister Ranevskaya are even more ugly in him. These are caused by the whole comic of the events taking place.
Gaev: “The Cherry Orchard”, characteristic (briefly)
To understand the attitude to the upper class of the writer Chekhov himself, we turn to the characteristics of one of the main characters - Gaev. In the play “The Cherry Orchard,” he is the brother of the main character Ranevskaya, a person less significant than her, but equally entitled to the inheritance, which is concluded in their impoverished estate with a cherry orchard pledged for debt. Who is he and what does he live with?
The play “Cherry Orchard” is unique and interesting in its own way. Gaev, whose characterization indicates that he is an impoverished landowner and weak-willed man, leads an idle and carefree lifestyle with his sister. He could not get used to the idea that their cherry orchard was auctioned for debts. Sixty dozen have already gone to Gaev, but he has no wife or children. He lives in his old estate, which is decrepit and collapsing right before his eyes. But the faithful footman Firs still caresses his master with affection and care.
Debts
It’s a little surprising that Chekhov “The Cherry Orchard” introduced Chekhov precisely as a comedy and not as a drama. The characterization of Gaev is just what is worth it, because he is constantly borrowing funds in order to somehow pay off the interest on debts of both his sisters and his own. In his head, he constantly scrolls through options for paying off these many and constantly growing debts, and dreams of getting some kind of inheritance or for some wealthy landowner to marry Anya's niece. And he is considering going to the aunt-decanter in Yaroslavl and trying her luck and asking for money from her.
Description and features of Gaev
Unlike his sister Ranevskaya, one can read about Gaev only in small remarks, where through his behavior his character is revealed, the acting characters speak little about him in the play. Almost nothing is told about his past. Nevertheless, it is clear that Gaev is an educated man and can beautifully operate with words, but basically they are empty and meaningless. This is the main characteristic of the hero. Gaev loves the cherry garden very much, like his sister Ranevskaya, he stuck to it with all his heart, because it is the garden that fills the soul with warm memories of past good times.
Life without worries
Gaev lived all his life in this estate as carefree as a moth and was a regular visitor to men's clubs, where he liked to play billiards. He brought all the secular news and gossip to the house from there. And once I even received an offer to be an employee in a bank with a salary of six thousand per annum. And then the disapproving reaction of relatives is amazing, the sister doubts him, and Lopakhin believes that he is too restless and lazy. In this matter, he was supported only by his niece, the good-natured Anya, who said she believed in her uncle. Why are others so distrusting him, and even even the footman Yasha shows him his disrespect?
The Cherry Orchard
It is amazing that when the cherry orchard was laid, Gaev, whose characterization is not presented in the best way, behaves completely recklessly. When the capitalist of the new era, the merchant Lopakhin, offers him and his sister Ranevskaya a way out of the situation: to break up the plots and rent them out for summer cottages, Gaev absolutely does not want to listen to his rational advice, but continues to live with his prejudices. Gaev considers himself an aristocrat and the habit of looking down upon such businessmen from the common people in his blood, and there is nothing to be done about it.
When Gaev returned from the auction at which the estate was sold, he was literally crushed by this event, and tears froze in his eyes. But as soon as he heard the sounds of blows of a cue to the balls, all his sadness disappeared as if by hand. And all because this hero is not capable of deep feelings.
Conclusion
And now we come to the final and rather sad moment in the play “The Cherry Orchard”. Gaev (characterization of the character according to Chekhov) presented the final degree of evolution of the nobility. To him, he closed the chain of images of nobles created by him throughout his entire literary life. These images of aristocrats with a magnificent education were not able to defend their interests and ideals, they were heroes of their time who had the weakness of allowing people like Lopakhin to take a dominant place.
In the analysis of the theme "Cherry Orchard". Gaev: characteristic ”it should be noted that having brought the image of Gaev to a caricature, Chekhov showed how much the nobles were shredded. On this occasion, the writer had to listen to a lot of criticism of the aristocracy, which accused him of not knowing their circle. But Chekhov couldn’t make it, he really wanted to create not a comedy, but a farce, which, in principle, he did very well.
Well, in order to fully understand the meaning of this work, we note that in the play “The Cherry Orchard” the distinguishing feature is Chekhov’s symbolism, where the main and central hero is not a human character, but the image of the cherry garden, as a symbol of noble life. At the end of the play, the cherry orchard is cut down, so the noble nests fell apart, the old Russia, where the Ranevskys and Gaevs lived, was obsolete.
It was as if Chekhov had foreseen everything in advance, all subsequent events and upheavals that his country would have to experience soon, but which, alas, he did not manage to see. The Cherry Orchard was one of the last works of the great classic Anton Pavlovich Chekhov.