Past, present and future in A. Chekhov's play " The Cherry Orchard»
The play “The Cherry Orchard” was written by A.P. Chekhov in 1904. For Russia, this time is associated with emerging global changes. Therefore, the main topics of this work became the death of the noble nest, embodied in the victory of an enterprising merchant-industrialist over the moribund Ranevskys and Gaevs, and the theme of the future of Russia, associated with the images of Petya Trofimov and Anya. The whole content of the play lies in the young woman's farewell, new Russia with the past, with an outdated way of life and in the country’s aspirations for tomorrow, for unknown distances.
Russia of the outdated past is represented in the play by the images of Ranevskaya and Gaev. The cherry orchard is dear to these heroes as a memory, as memories of childhood, youth, prosperity, of their easy and graceful life. Noble Nest for A.P. Chekhov it is inextricably linked with the center of culture. And therefore, in the noble estate presented by the author, we first of all see a cultural nest. Ranevskaya is the soul of a beautiful house, its mistress. That is why people are constantly drawn to her despite all her vices and frivolity. The hostess returns, and the house immediately comes to life, even those who seem to have left its walls forever come to see it. Ranevskaya and Gaev are very upset about the loss of their beloved garden, but it was they who, with their lack of understanding of life, ruined it and put it under the ax. With her inability to adapt to the present, her frivolity and lack of will, the mistress brought the estate to complete ruin, to the point of selling the estate at auction. In order to somehow save the estate, Lopakhin, an enterprising merchant-industrialist, offers a real way out of the current situation - to set up a cherry orchard for dachas. And although the owner sheds rivers of tears over her deplorable situation, exclaiming that she cannot live without him, she still refuses Lopakhin’s offer to save the estate. She hopes for the unlikely help of a rich Yaroslavl aunt, thereby rejecting a real plan to save her situation. Ranevskaya finds the options for selling or renting out garden plots offensive and unacceptable. For the owners of the house, such an exit means betraying themselves, their habits, life values, ideals. And therefore they silently reject Lopakhin’s proposal and go towards their social and life collapse. The suffering of Ranevskaya and Gaev is completely sincere, although it takes on a certain farcical form. Ranevskaya's life is not without drama: her husband dies, her little son tragically dies, her lover leaves her. Lyubov Andreevna admits that she is unable to fight her feelings even when she understands that she has been deceived by her beloved. She is completely focused on her own experiences, detached from the experiences and suffering of others. She talks about the death of her old nanny simply over a cup of coffee. And her brother, Leonid Andreevich Gaev, is much smaller than his sister. He is a pathetic aristocrat who has squandered his entire fortune.
The estate is put up for auction, and Lopakhin himself turns out to be the buyer. The estate was sold, the former owners of the house suffered an irreparable loss. But, as it turned out, there is no trouble for the owner of the cherry orchard. Ranevskaya is not experiencing any drama about this. She returns to Paris to her absurd love, to which, apparently, she would have returned anyway, despite all her loud words about the impossibility of living far from home. Ranevskaya does not experience any serious worries; she can easily move from a state of anxiety, preoccupation to cheerful and carefree animation. That's what happened this time too. She quickly calmed down about the loss that befell her and even made a confession: “My nerves are better, it’s true.” For former owners estates and their surroundings - Ranevskaya, Varya, Gaev, Pischik, Charlotte, Dunyasha, Firs - with the death of the cherry orchard, the usual life ends, and what will happen next is very uncertain. And although they continue to pretend that nothing has changed, such behavior seems ridiculous, and in light of the current situation, even stupid and unreasonable. The tragedy of these people is not that they lost their cherry orchard or went bankrupt, but that their feelings became very shredded.
The present in the play is represented by the image of the successful merchant-industrialist Lopakhin. Among the Russian merchants of the late nineteenth century, people appeared who clearly did not correspond to the traditional concept of merchants. The duality, inconsistency, and internal instability of these people were vividly conveyed by A.P. Chekhov precisely in the image of Lopakhin. This man is quite strange and unusual. The inconsistency of this image is especially acute because the situation in his society is extremely ambiguous.
Ermolai Lopakhin is the son and grandson of a serf peasant. Ranevskaya’s words, spoken to a boy beaten by his father, are forever etched in his memory: “Don’t cry, little man, he’ll heal before the wedding...” He feels like an indelible mark on himself from these words: “Little man... My father, it’s true, was a man, and here I am in a white vest, yellow shoes... and if you think about it and figure it out, a man is a man...” Lopakhin suffers deeply from this duality. He cuts down a cherry orchard, and it may seem that a rude, uneducated merchant is destroying beauty, without thinking about what he is doing, just for the sake of his profit. But in fact, he does this not only for profit and not for its sake. There is another reason, much more important than one’s own enrichment - revenge for the past. He cuts down the garden, fully aware that this is “an estate better than which there is nothing in the world.” But with such an act he hopes to kill the memory, which, against his will, constantly reminds him that he is a “man”, and the bankrupt owners of the cherry orchard are “gentlemen”. By any means, with all his might, he wants to erase this line separating him from the “masters.” He is the only character who appears on stage with a book, although he admits that he still didn’t understand anything about it. In Lopakhin one can see the features of a predatory beast. Money and the power acquired with it cripple his soul. “I can pay for everything!” , he declares. At the auction, Lopakhin finds himself at the mercy of the merchant's passion, and it is here that the predator awakens in him. It is in excitement that he becomes the owner of the cherry orchard. And, despite the requests of Anya and Ranevskaya herself, she cuts down the garden even before the departure of its former owners.
Lopakhin's tragedy is that between his thoughts and actions there is an impassable gap. Two people live and fight in it: one - “with subtle, tender soul", the other is a "beast of prey". The author's remarks help us take a closer look at the ambiguity of Lopakhin's character. At first he conducts a calm business conversation about the progress of the auction, he is happy with his purchase, even proud of it, and then suddenly he himself is embarrassed and treats himself with bitter irony. It is characterized by ups and downs, constant changes. His speech can be emotional and amazing: “Lord, you gave us huge forests, vast fields, the deepest horizons, and living here, we ourselves must be truly giants...” He has aspirations, he cannot live only in a world of profit and cash, but he doesn’t know how he can live differently. He exclaims: “Oh, if only all this would pass, if only our awkward, unhappy life would somehow change...”. And then we hear, as it were, the words of a completely different person: “ There's a new one coming landowner, owner of the cherry orchard! I can pay for everything!” In Lopakhin, completely contradictory qualities coexist at the same time, a strange combination of softness and rudeness, intelligence and bad manners, hence his deepest tragedy.
The youth are presented as deeply unhappy in the play. Twenty-seven-year-old Petya Trofimov considers himself “above love,” although it is precisely this feeling that he lacks. He is an idealist and a dreamer, the reason for his unsettled life is precisely determined by Ranevskaya: “You are not above love, but simply, as our Firs says, you are a klutz.” Only Anya believes his beautiful calls, but her youth excuses her. She, due to the same youth, has the most uncertain and rosy idea of the future. She agrees to go with Petya to Moscow and completely follow his advice. The other characters in the play simply laugh and make fun of him. Trofimov and Anya are even to some extent happy about the sale of the garden; in their opinion, this gives them a chance to start new life and grow your garden. We do not know from the play what future awaits these youth. A.P. Chekhov was always far from politics. But for us, who know about subsequent events in Russia, Petya’s words, his dreams of a completely new life, and Anya’s fiery desire to plant another garden, all this leads us to more serious conclusions about the essence of Petya Trofimov’s image. This passive dreamer and idealist may in the future turn out to be a person who makes dreams of equality, brotherhood and justice come true. These young people are full of hope, experience an unprecedented surge of strength and are filled with an uncontrollable desire to work for the benefit of others.
The play “The Cherry Orchard” became the final work in the work of A.P. Chekhov. This is the past, present and future of Russia.
Introduction
1. Problems of the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard"
2. The embodiment of the past - Ranevskaya and Gaev
3. Exponent of the ideas of the present - Lopakhin
4. Heroes of the future - Petya and Anya
Conclusion
List of used literature
Introduction
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov is a writer of powerful creative talent and unique subtle skill, manifested with equal brilliance both in his stories and in his novels and plays.
Chekhov's plays constituted an entire era in Russian drama and theater and had an immeasurable influence on all their subsequent development.
Continuing and deepening the best traditions dramaturgy of critical realism, Chekhov strove to ensure that in his plays the truth of life, unvarnished, in all its commonness and everyday life, would dominate.
Showing natural progression Everyday life ordinary people, Chekhov bases his plots not on one, but on several organically related, intertwined conflicts. At the same time, conflict is predominantly leading and unifying. characters
not with each other, but with the entire social environment around them.
Problems of the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" The play “The Cherry Orchard” occupies a special place in Chekhov’s work. Before her, he awakened the idea of the need to change reality, showing the hostility of man's living conditions, highlighting those features of his characters that doomed them to the position of a victim. In The Cherry Orchard, reality is depicted in its
Chekhov's play “The Cherry Orchard” was written during the period of social upsurge of the masses in 1903. It reveals to us another page of his multifaceted creativity, reflecting the complex phenomena of that time. The play amazes us with its poetic power and drama, and is perceived by us as a sharp exposure of the social ills of society, an exposure of those people whose thoughts and actions are far from moral standards of behavior. The writer clearly shows the deep psychological conflicts, helps the reader see the reflection of events in the souls of the heroes, makes us think about the meaning true love and true happiness. Chekhov easily takes us from our present to the distant past. Together with its heroes, we live next to the cherry orchard, see its beauty, clearly feel the problems of that time, together with the heroes we try to find answers to difficult questions. It seems to me that the play “The Cherry Orchard” is a play about the past, present and future not only of its characters, but also of the country as a whole. The author shows the clash between representatives of the past, the present and the future inherent in this present.
I think that Chekhov managed to show the justice of the inevitable departure from the historical arena of such seemingly harmless persons as the owners of the cherry orchard. So who are they, the garden owners? What connects their lives with his existence? Why is the cherry orchard so dear to them? Answering these questions, Chekhov reveals an important problem - the problem of passing life, its worthlessness and conservatism. The name itself Chekhov's play
puts you in a lyrical mood.
In our minds, a bright and unique image of a blooming garden appears, personifying beauty and the desire for a better life. The main plot of the comedy is related to the sale of this ancient noble estate. This event largely determines the fate of its owners and inhabitants. Thinking about the fate of the heroes, you involuntarily think about more, about the ways of development of Russia: its past, present and future.
The embodiment of the past - Ranevskaya and Gaev
Exponent of the ideas of the present - Lopakhin
Trofimov is a democrat by origin, habits and beliefs.
Creating images of Trofimov, Chekhov expresses in this image such leading features as devotion to public causes, desire for a better future and propaganda of the fight for it, patriotism, integrity, courage, and hard work. Trofimov, despite his 26 or 27 years, has a lot of difficult life experience behind him. He has already been expelled from the university twice. He has no confidence that he will not be expelled a third time and that he will not remain an “eternal student.”
Experiencing hunger, poverty, and political persecution, he did not lose faith in a new life, which would be based on fair, humane laws and creative constructive work. Petya Trofimov sees the failure of the nobility, mired in idleness and inaction. He gives a largely correct assessment of the bourgeoisie, noting its progressive role in the economic development of the country, but denying it the role of creator and creator of new life. In general, his statements are distinguished by directness and sincerity. While treating Lopakhin with sympathy, he nevertheless compares him to a predatory beast, “which eats everything that comes in its way.” In his opinion, the Lopakhins are not capable of decisively changing life by building it on reasonable and fair principles. Petya causes deep thoughts in Lopakhin, who in his soul envies the conviction of this “shabby gentleman”, which he himself so lacks.?
Trofimov's thoughts about the future are too vague and abstract. “We are heading uncontrollably towards the bright star that burns there in the distance!” - he says to Anya. Yes, his goal is wonderful. But how to achieve it? Where is the main force that is capable of turning Russia into
The klutz and “shabby gentleman” (as Varya ironically calls Trofimova) lacks Lopakhin’s strength and business acumen. He submits to life, stoically enduring its blows, but is not able to master it and become the master of his destiny. True, he captivated Anya with his democratic ideas, who expresses her readiness to follow him, firmly believing in the wonderful dream of a new blooming garden. But this young seventeen-year-old girl, who gained information about life mainly from books, is pure, naive and spontaneous, has not yet encountered reality.
Anya is full of hope and vitality, but she still has so much inexperience and childhood. In terms of character, she is in many ways close to her mother: she has a love for beautiful words and sensitive intonations. At the beginning of the play, Anya is carefree, quickly moving from concern to animation. She is practically helpless, she is used to living carefree, not thinking about her daily bread or tomorrow. But all this does not prevent Anya from breaking with her usual views and way of life. Its evolution is taking place before our eyes.
Anya’s new views are still naive, but she says goodbye to the old home and the old world forever. It is unknown whether she will have enough spiritual strength, perseverance and courage to complete the path of suffering, labor and hardship. Will she be able to maintain that ardent faith in the best, which makes her say goodbye to her without regret? old life
? Chekhov does not answer these questions. And this is natural. After all, we can only talk about the future speculatively.
Conclusion
The truth of life in all its consistency and completeness is what Chekhov was guided by when creating his images. That is why each character in his plays represents a living human character, attracting with great meaning and deep emotionality, convincing with its naturalness, the warmth of human feelings. In terms of the strength of his direct emotional impact, Chekhov is perhaps the most outstanding playwright in art..
critical realism Chekhov's dramaturgy, responding to of their time, appealing to the everyday interests, experiences and worries of ordinary people, awakened the spirit of protest against inertia and routine, and called for social activity to improve life. Therefore, she has always had a huge influence on readers and viewers. The significance of Chekhov's drama has long gone beyond the borders of our homeland; it has become global. Chekhov's dramatic innovation is widely recognized outside the borders of our great homeland. I am proud that Anton Pavlovich is a Russian writer, and no matter how different the masters of culture may be, they probably all agree that Chekhov, with his works, prepared the world for better life
, more beautiful, more fair, more reasonable. If Chekhov looked with hope into the 20th century, which was just beginning, then we live in the new 21st century, still dreaming of our cherry orchard and of those who will nurture it. Flowering trees cannot grow without roots. And the roots are the past and the present. Therefore, for a wonderful dream to come true, the young generation must combine within themselves high culture , education with practical knowledge of reality, will, perseverance, hard work, humane goals, that is, to embody best features
Chekhov's heroes.
Bibliography 1. History of Russian literature second half of the 19th century
2. century / ed. prof. N.I. Kravtsova. Publisher: Prosveshchenie - Moscow 1966. Exam questions and answers. Literature. 9th and 11th grades. Tutorial
. – M.: AST – PRESS, 2000.
3. A. A. Egorova. How to write an essay with a "5". Tutorial. Rostov-on-Don, “Phoenix”, 2001.
4. Chekhov A.P. Stories. Plays. – M.: Olimp; LLC "Firm" Publishing house AST, 1998.
Past, present and future in A. P. Chekhov’s play “The Cherry Orchard.”
“The Cherry Orchard” by A.P. Chekhov is a unique work in which all three periods of life are connected: past, present and future.
They often reminisce about the old days when there was no need to worry about anything, especially money. These people value something more sublime than material. For Ranevskaya, the cherry orchard is memories and her whole life; she will not allow the thought of selling it, cutting it down, or destroying it. For Gaev, even such things as a hundred-year-old wardrobe matter, to which he addresses with tears in his eyes: “Dear, respected wardrobe!” And what about the old footman Firs? He did not need the abolition of serfdom, because he devoted his whole life and all of himself to the family of Ranevskaya and Gaev, whom he sincerely loved. “The men are with the gentlemen, the gentlemen are with the peasants, and now everything is fragmented, you won’t understand anything,” this is how Firs spoke about the state of things after the abolition of serfdom in Russia.
He, like all representatives of the old time, was satisfied with the previously existing order.
The nobility and antiquity are being replaced by something new - the merchants, the personification of the present. The representative of this generation is Ermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin. He comes from a simple family, his father traded in a shop in the village, but thanks to his own efforts, Lopakhin was able to achieve a lot and make a fortune. Money mattered to him; he saw the cherry orchard only as a source of profit. Yermolai was smart enough to develop a whole project and help Ranevskaya in her deplorable situation. It is the ingenuity and craving for material benefits were characteristic of the present generation.
But sooner or later the present must also be replaced by something. Any future is changeable and vague, this is exactly how A.P. Chekhov shows it. The future generation is quite diverse, it includes Anya and Varya, student Petya Trofimov, maid Dunyasha and young footman Yasha. If the representatives of the old days are similar in almost everything, then the young ones are completely different. They are full of new ideas, strength and energy. However, among them there are those who are only capable of beautiful speeches, but do not really change anything. This is Petya Trofimov. “We are at least two hundred years behind, we have absolutely nothing, no certain attitude to the past, we only philosophize, complain about melancholy and drink vodka,” he says to Anya, while doing nothing to make life better, and remaining “an eternal student.” Although Anya is fascinated by Petya’s ideas, she goes her own way, intending to get settled in life. “We will plant new garden, more luxurious than this,” she says, ready to change the future in better side. But there is another type of youth, which includes the young lackey Yasha. A completely unprincipled, empty person, capable of only grins and not attached to anything. What will happen if the future is built by people like Yasha?
“All of Russia is our garden,” notes Trofimov. That’s right, the cherry orchard personifies the whole of Russia, where there is a connection between times and generations. It was the garden that connected all representatives of the past, present and future into one whole, just as Russia unites all generations.
Updated: 2018-06-15
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Essay “The past, present, future of Russia in A. P. Chekhov’s play “The Cherry Orchard.”
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov's play “The Cherry Orchard” was written in 1904. This is one of his latest works. The play is distinguished by its multi-conflict and diversity. The author used the images of Ranevskaya, Gaev, Lopakhin, Anya and Petya to show the past, present and future of Russia.
Throughout the entire play, Ranevskaya and Gaev suffer ruin and collapse, not only materially, but also spiritually. Willingly or unwittingly, they betray everything that seems to be dear to them.
In his play, Chekhov makes it clear that life must change, become better.
In the image of Lopakhin, Chekhov presented us with the present of Russia. Lopakhin is the complete opposite of the old owners cherry orchard. He is energetic and calculating and, at the same time, kind and poetic. He looks at the cherry orchard as a source of income and, without any regret, cuts it down without waiting for the old owners to leave. But this does not mean that Lopakhin is devoid of a sense of beauty. Let us remember how delighted he was when he saw a blooming poppy field. Lopakhin is an entrepreneur who grows rich at the expense of his hands and head, but he is not devoid of heartfelt kindness. He advises Ranevskaya to sell the garden for dachas, thus paying off all debts, but no one listens to him.
It is easy to see that Chekhov’s sympathies are not on the side of Lopakhin, but on the side of the new generation. This new generation - the future of Russia - is personified by Anya and Petya. They treat the cherry orchard as a symbol of a bygone life. Anya is a sincere, natural, naive girl. Petya loves her. Their relationship is guided by friendship, a sense of mutual understanding. Despite his youth, Petya understands what is happening more clearly than anyone else and judges people more accurately. Petya and Anya also feel sorry for the cherry orchard, but with the ease inherent in youth, they leave their home and garden. Young people are making plans for the future.
And yet, although Chekhov pins his hopes for the future of Russia on the younger generation, he more than once emphasizes their failure, inexperience, and immaturity. Thus, I believe that the author in the play does not answer the question of what kind of people Russia needs at this historical moment.
Past, present and future in the play by A.P. Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard"
Play by A.P. Chekhov's “The Cherry Orchard” was written in 1903, at the turn of two eras. The motive of expectation of a new, bright life permeates all of Chekhov’s work during these years. The writer believes that life will change not spontaneously, but thanks to the intelligent activity of man. Chekhov implies that this life is already emerging. And the motive of this new life is embodied in the pages of the play “The Cherry Orchard.”
Chekhov shows the past of the cherry orchard, the past of life through the images of Ranevskaya and Gaev. These are representatives of the noble class, already outdated and leaving. The author makes you feel the idleness, idleness of these heroes, their habit of living “in debt, at someone else’s expense.” Ranevskaya is wasteful not because she is kind, but because money comes easily to her. Like Gaev, she relies not on her own labors and strength, but on random help: either Lopakhin will give a loan, or the Yaroslavl grandmother will send to pay the debt. Therefore, it is hard to believe that these heroes will be able to live somewhere outside the family estate.
The noble class is being replaced by new “masters of life”: enterprising, strong, active people like Lopakhin. This is a man of work. He gets up “at five o’clock in the morning” and works “from morning until evening.” In one of his monologues, he says: “We will set up dachas, and our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will see a new life here.” But Chekhov does not accept such a new life, because Lopakhin cuts down the cherry orchard and destroys the most beautiful thing in the area. He is like that same predatory beast that eats everything that comes in its way. In his activities, he is guided only by personal benefits and considerations. And let him dream of heroic creative scope, saying that with huge forests, vast fields and the deepest horizons, people must also be giants. But instead of on a gigantic scale, he himself is engaged in the acquisition and cutting down of a cherry orchard.
Chekhov emphasizes that Lopakhin is only a temporary owner of the cherry orchard, a temporary owner of life.
The writer's dream of a new life is symbolized by other heroes. This is Petya Trofimov and Anya Ranevskaya. Democratic student Petya Trofimov is looking for the truth and fervently believes in the triumph of a just life in the near future. However, the author has an ambivalent attitude towards this hero. On the one hand, he shows Petya as a man of exceptional honesty and selflessness. Petya is poor, suffers hardships, but categorically refuses to “live at someone else’s expense” or borrow money. His observations of life are insightful and correct; it is he who points out the real sin of the nobility that destroyed this class. However, both the author and the reader are confused by one thing: Petya talks a lot, but does little.
With his calls for a free, fair life, Petya attracts the selfless girl Anya Ranevskaya. She is ready to leave the past behind, ready to act to turn all of Russia into a blooming garden. At the end of the play we hear her cheerful call to “plant a new garden.”
The play “The Cherry Orchard” was conceived by Chekhov not as a call for revolution (after all, Chekhov was never a revolutionary), but as a call for moral purification, for the renewal of life, for reasonable and useful activity in the name of a wonderful future.
