The image of the garden in the play "The Cherry Orchard" by Chekhov

The image of the garden in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is ambiguous and complex. This is not just part of the estate of Ranevskaya and Gayev, as it may seem at first glance. Not about this wrote Chekhov. The cherry orchard is an image-symbol. It means the beauty of Russian nature and the lives of people who raised it and admired it. Together with the death of the garden, this life perishes.

The center uniting the characters

The image of the garden in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is the center around which all the heroes come together. At first it may seem that these are only old acquaintances and relatives who gathered at the chance of the estate to solve everyday problems. However, it is not. Anton Pavlovich has casually united the characters representing various social groups and age categories. Their task is to decide the destiny of not only the garden, but also their own.

The connection between Gaeva and Ranevskaya with the estate

Ranevskaya and Gayev are Russian landowners who own a manor and a cherry orchard. They are 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 "The Cherry Orchard" he personifies beauty. However, these characters are inert, because of what they can not do anything to save what is dear to them. Ranevskaya and Gayev, with all their spiritual wealth and development, are deprived of responsibility, practicality and a sense of reality. Therefore, they can not take care of not only their loved ones, but also themselves. These heroes do not want to listen to Lopakhin's advice and rent out their land, although this would bring them a decent income. They think that summer cottages and summer residents - it's gone.

Why is the manor so dear to Gayev and Ranevskaya?

Gaev and Ranevskaya can not rent the land because of the feelings that connect them with the estate. They have a special attitude to the garden, which for them as a living person. Much connects these heroes with their mansion. The cherry garden is represented to them as the embodiment of a deceased youth, a past life. Ranevskaya compared her life with the "cold winter" and "dark rainy autumn." When the landowner returned to the mansion, she again felt happy and young.

Lopakhin's attitude to the cherry orchard

The image of the garden in the play "The Cherry Orchard" reveals and in relation to him Lopakhin. This hero does not share the feelings of Ranevskaya and Gaeva. He considers their behavior to be illogical and strange. This person is surprised why they do not want to listen to obvious, seemingly, arguments that will help find a way out of the predicament. It should be noted that Lopakhin is also able to appreciate beauty. The cherry garden admires this hero. He thinks that there is nothing more beautiful in the world.

However, Lopakhin is a practical and active person. Unlike Ranevskaya and Gayev, he can not only admire the cherry orchard and regret it. This hero seeks to do something to save him. Lopakhin sincerely wishes to help Ranevskaya and Gayev. He does not cease to convince them that it is necessary to rent both the land and the cherry orchard. This should be done as soon as possible, as the auction will be soon. However, the landlords 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.

The new owner of the garden

Nevertheless, the auction still took place. The owner of the estate was Lopakhin, who can not believe his own happiness. After all, his father and grandfather worked here, "were slaves," even in the kitchen they were not allowed. Buying an estate for Lopakhin becomes a kind of symbol of its 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 offspring succeeded in life.

Negative qualities of Lopakhin

The cherry garden for Lopakhin is just a land. It can be bought, pledged or sold. This hero, in his joy, did not consider himself obliged to show a sense of tact in relation to the former owners of the purchased estate. Lopakhin immediately decided 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 somewhat like him. It completely lacks such qualities as attachment to the place in which he was born and raised, the love of the mother, kindness. In this respect, Yasha is the complete opposite of Firs, a servant whose feelings are extremely developed.

Relation to the garden of Firs's servant

Opening the image of the garden in the play "Cherry Orchard", it is necessary to say a few words and how Firs treated him, the oldest of all in the house. For many years he faithfully served his masters. This person sincerely loves Gaeva and Ranevskaya. He is ready to protect these heroes from all troubles. We can say that Firs is the only one of the characters in the "Cherry Orchard", endowed with such qualities as devotion. This is a very solid nature, which is manifested in its entirety in relation to the servant to the garden. For Firs, the estate of Ranevskaya and Gayev is a family nest. He seeks to protect him, as well as his inhabitants.

Representatives of the new generation

The image of the cherry garden in the play "The 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 his garden does not interest him at all. Petya says: "We are above love." Thus, he confesses that he is not capable of experiencing serious feelings. Trofimov looks at everything superficially. He does not know the real life, which he tries to remake, based on far-fetched ideas. Anya and Petya are outwardly happy. They are hungry for a new life, for which they seek to break with the past. For these heroes, the garden is "all Russia", and not a specific cherry orchard. But can you love the whole world without loving your home? Petya and Anya lose their roots in their striving for new horizons. Mutual understanding between Trofimov and Ranevskaya is impossible. For Petya there are no memories, there is no past, and Ranevskaya deeply experiences the loss of the estate, because she was born here, her ancestors also lived here, and she genuinely loves the estate.

Who will save the garden?

The image of the cherry garden in the play "The Cherry Orchard", as we have already noted, is a symbol of beauty. It can only be saved by people who are able not only to appreciate it, but also to fight for it. Active and energetic people who come to replace the nobility, refer to beauty only as a source of profit. What will happen to her, who will save her?

The image of the cherry orchard in Chekhov's play "The Cherry Orchard" is a symbol of the native hearth and the past, dear to the heart. Is it possible to go forward boldly if behind the back is the knock of an ax 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 not accidental that such expressions as "to strike an ax in a tree", "to trample a flower" and "to root off roots", sound inhuman and blasphemous.

So, we briefly examined the image of the cherry garden in the understanding of the heroes of the play "The Cherry Orchard". Reflecting on the actions and characters of the characters of the work of Chekhov, we also think about the fate of Russia. After all, it is a "cherry orchard" for all of us.