The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov: Forces of Change, Resistance to Change and Supremacy of Future Over the Past
The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov is all about forces of change, resistance to change and supremacy of future over the past. If studied carefully the play is more of a comedy than a tragedy since it deals with ridiculous beliefs of people that makes them remain stuck in the past. The cherry orchard tree represents the past and the bygones. It is a symbol of old values and traditions, which had to be replaced by more modern values as times changed. But the owner of the house, Lubov Andreyevna Ranevsky refuses to accept change and wants to stay with the house and its cherry orchard. The play opens with the jubilation that was generated by the news of Ranevsky's return from Paris where she had had a sordid affair with an abusive person. She is returning with her daughter Anya and the play progresses we notice that Ranevsky has lost a great deal of money in Paris and is good amount of debt.
Most the important scenes in the play take place off stage. If they had done what Lopakhin had suggested, they could hold on to their property. They fail to adopt new techniques of making money and instead are rigidly holding on to the past. These defining moments are not brought on stage to highlight the fact that it is some subtle moments that change everything. But since they were stuck in the past, they lost everything. Actually it is not the life right before us that matters; it is the moments, which have led to the creation of this life that count. Ranevskys were doomed to lose the estate not because of the debts but because of their stiffness and rigidity that doesn't allow them to open up to new ideas. While they may not be right before us all the time, they are always at the back of our minds, shaping our psyches and our lives. This is the point that the author has tried to put across. This is an effective technique that makes the audience sit up and take notice of the things that happened in the background but they are still highly significant. However Ranevsky is stuck in the past and she doesn't want to part with the estate even though Lopakhin's suggestion is clearly the only way out. Gaev who is Ranbevsky's beloved brother is equally clueless about how to resolve the problem of debts and foolishly wants to hold on to the cherry orchard and the estate. order to pay off the debts, Lopakhin, a businessman who had once been a serf suggests that the estate must be sold and some villas should be built in its place. While all this is going on, Ranevsky is in touch with her lover back in Paris. Lopakhin buys the property and the play ends with the sound of chopping down the trees in the background.
Common topics in this essay:
Gaev Ranbevsky's,
Andreyevna Ranevsky,
Anton Chekhov,
cherry orchard,
stuck past,
play stage,
deal money,
chopping trees,
background highly,
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