The door to the billiard room is open; the sound of balls and the voice of Yasha are heard: “Seven and eighteen!” Gaev's expression changes, he no longer cries.
I'm terribly tired. Let me, Firs, change my clothes. (Goes away across the hall, followed by Firs.)
Pishchik. What's up for auction? Tell me!
Lyubov Andreevna. Sold cherry orchard?
Lopakhin. Sold.
Lyubov Andreevna. Who bought?
Lopakhin. I bought.
Pause.
Lyubov Andreevna is oppressed; she would have fallen if she had not been standing near the chair and table. Varya takes the keys from her belt, throws them on the floor, in the middle of the living room, and leaves.
I bought! Wait, gentlemen, do me a favor, my head is clouded, I can’t speak ... (Laughs.) We came to the auction, Deriganov was already there. Leonid Andreevich had only fifteen thousand, and Deriganov immediately gave thirty in excess of the debt. I see, it's like that, I grabbed him, hit forty. He is forty-five. I am fifty five. He, then, adds five, I ten ... Well, it's over. In excess of the debt, I slapped ninety, it was left for me. The cherry orchard is now mine! My! (Laughs.) My God, Lord, my cherry orchard! Tell me that I am drunk, out of my mind, that all this seems to me ... (Stomps feet.) Don't laugh at me! If my father and grandfather had risen from their graves and looked at the whole incident, like their Yermolai, beaten, illiterate Yermolai, who ran barefoot in winter, how this same Yermolai bought an estate, more beautiful than which there is nothing in the world. I bought an estate where my grandfather and father were slaves, where they were not even allowed into the kitchen. I'm dreaming, it only seems to me, it just seems... It's a figment of your imagination, covered in the darkness of the unknown... (Raises the keys, smiling affectionately.) She threw the keys, wants to show that she is no longer the mistress here ... (Jingling keys.) Well, it doesn't matter.
You can hear the orchestra tuning in.
Hey, musicians, play, I want to listen to you! Everyone come and watch how Yermolai Lopakhin will hit the cherry orchard with an ax, how the trees will fall to the ground! We will set up dachas, and our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will see a new life here ... Music, play!
Music is playing. Lyubov Andreyevna sank into a chair and wept bitterly.
(With reproach.) Why, why didn't you listen to me? My poor, good, you will not return now. (With tears.) Oh, that all this would soon pass, that our awkward, unhappy life would somehow change.
Pishchik(takes his arm in a low voice). She is crying. Let's go to the hall, let her be alone... Let's go... (Takes him by the arm and leads him into the hall.)
Lopakhin. What is it? Music, play it distinctly! Let everything as I wish! (With irony.) A new landowner is coming, the owner of a cherry orchard! (He accidentally pushed the table, almost knocked over the candelabra.) I can pay for everything! (Exits with PISCHIK.)
There is no one in the hall and drawing room except Lyubov Andreevna, who is sitting, shrinking all over and crying bitterly. Music plays softly. Anya and Trofimov quickly enter, Anya goes up to her mother and kneels in front of her, Trofimov remains at the entrance to the hall.
Anya. Mom!.. Mom, are you crying? My dear, kind, good mother, my beautiful, I love you ... I bless you. The cherry orchard has been sold, it’s gone, it’s true, it’s true, but don’t cry, mother, you have a life ahead of you, your good, pure soul remains ... Come with me, go, dear, from here, let’s go! .. We will plant a new garden , more luxurious than this, you will see him, you will understand, and joy, quiet, deep joy will descend on your soul, like the sun in the evening hour, and you will smile, mother! Let's go, honey! Let's go to!..
Curtain.
ACT FOUR
Scenery of the first act. There are no curtains on the windows, no paintings, there is a little furniture left, which is folded into one corner, as if for sale. Feels empty. Suitcases, road knots, etc. are stacked near the exit door and in the back of the stage. To the left, the door is open, and the voices of Varya and Anya can be heard from there. Lopakhin is standing, waiting. Yasha holds a tray with glasses filled with champagne. In the hall, Epikhodov is tying up a box. Behind the scenes in the depths of the rumble. The men came to say goodbye. Gaev's voice: "Thank you, brothers, thank you."
Yasha. The common people came to say goodbye. This is my opinion, Yermolai Alekseich: the people are kind, but understand little.
The hum subsides. LYUBOV ANDREYEVNA and GAYEV enter through the anteroom; she does not cry, but is pale, her face trembles, she cannot speak.
Gaev. You gave them your wallet, Lyuba. You can not do it this way! You can not do it this way!
Lyubov Andreevna. I could not! I could not!
Both leave.
Lopakhin(at the door, following them). Please, I beg you! A glass of goodbye. I didn’t think to bring it from the city, but at the station I found only one bottle. Please!
Pause.
Well, gentlemen! Don't you want to? (Moves away from the door.) Had I known, I wouldn't have bought it. Well, I won't drink.
Yasha carefully places the tray on a chair.
Drink, Yasha, at least you.
Yasha. With departing! Happy to stay? (Drinking.) This champagne is not real, I can assure you.
Lopakhin. Eight rubles a bottle.
Pause.
It's fucking cold in here.
Yasha. We didn’t heat today, we’re leaving anyway. (Laughs.)
Lopakhin. What you?
Yasha. From pleasure.
Lopakhin. It's October outside, but it's sunny and quiet like summer. Build well. (Looking at the clock, at the door.) Gentlemen, keep in mind, there are only forty-six minutes left before the train! So, in twenty minutes to go to the station. Hurry up.
Trofimov, in his overcoat, enters from the yard.
Trofimov. I think it's time to go. The horses are on. The devil knows where my galoshes are. Gone. (In the door.) Anya, my galoshes are gone! Not found!
Lopakhin. I need to go to Kharkov. I will travel with you on the same train. I will live in Kharkov all winter. I kept hanging out with you, I was exhausted with nothing to do. I can’t live without work, I don’t know what to do with my hands; dangle in a strange way, as if they were strangers.
Trofimov. Now we will leave, and you will again take up your useful work.
Lopakhin. Have a glass.
Trofimov. I won't.
Lopakhin. So, to Moscow now?
Trofimov. Yes, I'm taking them to the city, and tomorrow to Moscow.
Lopakhin. Yes... Well, professors don't give lectures, I suppose everyone is waiting for you to arrive!
Trofimov. None of your business.
Lopakhin. How many years have you been studying at the university?
Trofimov. Come up with something new. It's old and flat. (Looking for galoshes.) You know, we probably won't see each other again, so let me give you one piece of goodbye advice: don't wave your arms! Break the habit of waving. And also to build dachas, to expect that individual owners will come out of the dacha owners over time, to count in this way - this also means waving ... After all, I still love you. You have thin, tender fingers, like an artist, you have a thin, tender soul ...
Lopakhin(hugs him). Farewell, dove. Thanks for all. If necessary, take money from me for the journey.
The image of the garden in the play "The 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. This is not what Chekhov wrote about. The cherry orchard is an image-symbol. It means the beauty of Russian nature and the lives of the people who raised him and admired him. With the death of the garden, this life also perishes.
Center uniting characters
The image of the garden in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is the center around which all the characters unite. At first it may seem that these are only old acquaintances and relatives who have gathered by chance on the estate to solve everyday problems. However, it is not. It is no coincidence that Anton Pavlovich united characters representing various social groups and age categories. Their task is to decide the fate of not only the garden, but also their own.
Connection of Gaev and Ranevskaya with the estate
Ranevskaya and Gaev are Russian landowners who own a manor and a cherry orchard. They are brother and sister, they are sensitive, smart, educated people. They are able to appreciate beauty, they feel it very subtly. Therefore, the image of the cherry orchard is so dear to them. In the perception of the heroes of the play "The Cherry Orchard" he personifies beauty. However, these characters are inert, which is why they cannot 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 loved ones, but also of themselves. These heroes do not want to heed Lopakhin's advice and rent out their land, although this would bring them a decent income. They believe that dachas and summer residents are vulgar.
Why is the estate so dear to Gaev and Ranevskaya?
Gaev and Ranevskaya are unable to rent out the land because of the feelings that bind them to the estate. They have a special relationship with the garden, which is like a living person for them. Much connects these heroes with their estate. The Cherry Orchard appears to them as the personification of a bygone youth, a past life. Ranevskaya compared her life to "cold winter" and "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 Lopakhin's attitude towards it. This hero does not share the feelings of Ranevskaya and Gaev. He finds their behavior illogical and strange. This person wonders why they do not want to listen to seemingly obvious arguments that will help find a way out of a predicament. It should be noted that Lopakhin is also able to appreciate beauty. The Cherry Orchard delights this hero. He believes that there is nothing more beautiful than him in the world.
However, Lopakhin is a practical and active person. Unlike Ranevskaya and Gaev, he cannot just admire the cherry orchard and regret it. This hero seeks to do something to save him. Lopakhin sincerely wants to help Ranevskaya and Gaev. He never ceases to convince them that both the land and the cherry orchard should be leased. This must be done as soon as possible, as 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 won't 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 an estate for Lopakhin becomes a kind of symbol of his success. This is a well-deserved reward for years of hard 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
The Cherry Orchard for Lopakhin is just land. It can be bought, mortgaged 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 begins cutting 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 similar to 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 Firs, a servant who has these senses unusually developed.
Attitude towards the garden of Firs's servant
Revealing, it is necessary to say a few words about how Firs, the oldest of all in the house, treated him. For many years he faithfully served his masters. This man sincerely loves Gaev 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 who is endowed with such a quality as devotion. This is a very whole nature, which is manifested in its entirety in the relation of the servant to the garden. For Firs, the estate of Ranevskaya and Gaev is a family nest. He seeks to protect it, as well as its inhabitants.
Representatives of the new generation
The image of the cherry orchard 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 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 capable of experiencing serious feelings. Trofimov looks at everything too superficially. He does not know the real life, which 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, the garden is "the whole of Russia", and not a specific cherry orchard. But is it possible to love the whole world without loving your own home? Petya and Anya lose their roots in the pursuit of 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?
As we have already noted, it 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 replace the nobility treat 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 boldly go forward if the sound of an ax is heard behind your back, which destroys everything that used to be sacred? It should be noted that the cherry orchard is, after all, it is no coincidence that such expressions as "hit a tree with an ax", "trample a flower" and "cut roots" sound inhuman and blasphemous.
So, we briefly examined the image of the cherry orchard in the understanding of the heroes of the play "The Cherry Orchard". Reflecting on the actions and characters of the characters in Chekhov's work, we also think about the fate of Russia. After all, it is for all of us a "cherry orchard".
The Cherry Orchard is the pinnacle of Russian drama at the beginning of the 20th century, a lyrical comedy, a play that marked the beginning of a new era in the development of the Russian theater.
The main theme of the play is autobiographical - a bankrupt family of noblemen is selling their family estate at auction. The author, as a person who has gone through a similar life situation, describes with subtle psychologism the state of mind of people who are forced to leave their homes soon. The novelty of the play is the lack of division of heroes into positive and negative, into main and secondary. All of them fall into three categories:
- people of the past - aristocratic nobles (Ranevskaya, Gaev and their footman Firs);
- people of the present - their bright representative merchant-entrepreneur Lopakhin;
- the people of the future are the progressive youth of that time (Pyotr Trofimov and Anya).
History of creation
Chekhov began work on the play in 1901. Due to serious health problems, the writing process was rather difficult, but nevertheless, in 1903 the work was completed. The first theatrical production of the play took place a year later on the stage of the Moscow Art Theater, becoming the pinnacle of Chekhov's work as a playwright and a textbook classic of the theatrical repertoire.
Play analysis
Description of the artwork
The action takes place in the family estate of the landowner Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, who returned from France with her young daughter Anya. They are met at the railway station by Gaev (Ranevskaya's brother) and Varya (her adopted daughter).
The financial situation of the Ranevsky family is nearing complete collapse. Entrepreneur Lopakhin offers his own version of the solution to the problem - to divide the land into shares and give them for use to summer residents for a certain fee. The lady is weighed down by this proposal, because for this she will have to say goodbye to her beloved cherry orchard, with which many warm memories of her youth are associated. Adding to the tragedy is the fact that her beloved son Grisha died in this garden. Gaev, imbued with the experiences of his sister, reassures her with a promise that their family estate will not be put up for sale.
The action of the second part takes place on the street, in the courtyard of the estate. Lopakhin, with his characteristic pragmatism, continues to insist on his plan to save the estate, but no one pays attention to him. Everyone switches to the appeared teacher Peter Trofimov. He gives an excited speech dedicated to the fate of Russia, its future and touches on the topic of happiness in a philosophical context. The materialist Lopakhin is skeptical about the young teacher, and it turns out that only Anya is able to imbue his lofty ideas.
The third act begins with the fact that Ranevskaya invites an orchestra with the last money and arranges a dance evening. Gaev and Lopakhin are absent at the same time - they left for the city for auction, where the Ranevsky estate should go under the hammer. After a long wait, Lyubov Andreevna finds out that her estate was bought at the auction by Lopakhin, who does not hide his joy from his acquisition. The Ranevsky family is in despair.
The finale is entirely devoted to the departure of the Ranevsky family from their home. The parting scene is shown with all the deep psychologism inherent in Chekhov. The play ends with a remarkably profound monologue by Firs, which the hosts hastily forgot on the estate. The final chord is the sound of an axe. They cut down the cherry orchard.
main characters
Sentimental person, owner of the estate. Having lived abroad for several years, she has become accustomed to a luxurious life and, by inertia, continues to allow herself a lot that, in the deplorable state of her finances, according to the logic of common sense, should be inaccessible to her. Being a frivolous person, very helpless in everyday matters, Ranevskaya does not want to change anything in herself, while she is fully aware of her weaknesses and shortcomings.
A successful merchant, he owes a lot to the Ranevsky family. His image is ambiguous - it combines industriousness, prudence, enterprise and rudeness, a "muzhik" beginning. In the finale of the play, Lopakhin does not share the feelings of Ranevskaya, he is happy that, despite his peasant origin, he was able to afford to buy the estate of the owners of his late father.
Like his sister, he is very sensitive and sentimental. Being an idealist and a romantic, to console Ranevskaya, he comes up with fantastic plans to save the family estate. He is emotional, verbose, but completely inactive.
Petya Trofimov
Eternal student, nihilist, eloquent representative of the Russian intelligentsia, advocating for the development of Russia only in words. In pursuit of the "higher truth", he denies love, considering it a petty and illusory feeling, which greatly upsets his daughter Ranevskaya Anya, who is in love with him.
A romantic 17-year-old young lady who fell under the influence of the populist Peter Trofimov. Recklessly believing in a better life after the sale of her parental estate, Anya is ready for any difficulties for the sake of joint happiness next to her lover.
An 87-year-old man, a footman in the Ranevskys' house. Type of servant of the old time, surrounds with paternal care of his masters. He remained to serve his masters even after the abolition of serfdom.
A young footman, with contempt for Russia, dreaming of going abroad. A cynical and cruel person, rude to old Firs, disrespectful even to his own mother.
The structure of the work
The structure of the play is quite simple - 4 acts without division into separate scenes. The duration of action is several months, from late spring to mid-autumn. In the first act there is an exposition and a plot, in the second - an increase in tension, in the third - a climax (sale of the estate), in the fourth - a denouement. A characteristic feature of the play is the absence of genuine external conflict, dynamism, and unpredictable twists in the storyline. The author's remarks, monologues, pauses and some understatement give the play a unique atmosphere of exquisite lyricism. The artistic realism of the play is achieved through the alternation of dramatic and comic scenes.
(Scene from a contemporary production)
The play is dominated by the development of the emotional and psychological plan, the main engine of action is the inner experiences of the characters. The author expands the artistic space of the work by introducing a large number of characters who never appear on stage. Also, the effect of expanding the spatial boundaries is given by the symmetrically emerging theme of France, which gives arched form to the play.
Final conclusion
Chekhov's last play can be said to be his "swan song". The novelty of her dramatic language is a direct expression of Chekhov's special life concept, which is characterized by extraordinary attention to small, at first glance, insignificant details, focusing on the inner experiences of the characters.
In the play The Cherry Orchard, the author captured the state of critical disunity of the Russian society of his time, this sad factor is often present in scenes where the characters hear only themselves, creating only the appearance of interaction.
Applying the DCF (discounted cash flow) method to a Chekhov play can change the way we look at the classics. After 110 years, "Money" finally figured out why and how much Lyubov Ranevskaya cheapened by selling the estate.
ELENA CHIRKOVA
Income and approaches
“If a man shakes, there is still some sense in his extravagance; but there is no measure for woman’s stupidity. You need to give your lover a dressing gown - she sells bread at the wrong time for a pittance; a lover needs a yarmulke with a brush - she sells wood, drill, protected , the first rogue," says a wealthy neighbor to the landowner Gurmyzhskaya in Ostrovsky's play "The Forest". A 50-year-old widow is threatened with ruin, but she nevertheless gives away a forest plot for a pittance in order to spend money on a suitor who is suitable for her sons.
The same impulses drive Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya from The Cherry Orchard. Her unwillingness to turn her estate near Moscow into dachas is usually explained by the bitterness of parting with the garden: "If there is anything interesting, even wonderful, in the whole province, it is only our cherry orchard." Deal, of course same, not in love to beauty. Just the same, the option chosen by her leads to cutting down - the sale of the estate at a mortgage auction, where assets received by the bank as security for a loan are put up in case the debtors cannot pay off it. But there were other options.
Yermolai Alekseevich Lopakhin's option is to divide the estate into plots and rent it out: you can take 25 rubles per tithe (1.09 hectares) and receive 25 thousand a year. The old servant Firs recalls something else: “In the old days, forty or fifty years ago, cherries were dried, soaked, pickled, jam was cooked, and it used to be ... dried cherries were sent by cartloads to Moscow and Kharkov. There was money! And then dried cherries it was soft, juicy, sweet, fragrant... They knew the way then..." Surely, these opportunities exist even now: there is a large city nearby, not everyone has gardens and orchards. The estate is very large: since 25 rubles per tithe would bring 25 thousand, there are at least 1 thousand of them. The estate consists of a cherry orchard and "lands along the river", the area under the garden is unknown, but this is a large part of the estate, otherwise cherry trees it would be cut down for the construction of dachas, especially since plots overlooking the river are valued higher.
According to my estimates, at the end of the 19th century, cherries cost about 30 kopecks per kilogram in the market (it is known that tomatoes went for 45 kopecks, and potatoes - 10 kopecks). Let's say, on the estate, the wholesale dealer would give 10 kopecks, the costs were half of this amount, then the profit could reach 5 kopecks per kilogram, or 50 rubles per ton. It is known from gardening reference books that 400 cherry trees are planted on one tithe, the yield of 10 kg per tree is modest. It turns out that it was possible to collect 4 tons of cherries from the tithe and get 200 rubles for them. Taking into account the fact that the garden bore fruit every two years, in order to earn 25 thousand rubles, which Ranevskaya could receive by cutting down the garden and renting out plots, it is necessary that there be 22% of the area of \u200b\u200bthe estate under cherries. The garden was clearly much larger.
Both options assume, however, that Ranevskaya will continue to service the loan - the estate is pledged. How much would it take? From the play it is known that the "Yaroslavl grandmother" sent 15 thousand rubles, but this is not enough to pay interest. When Lopakhin buys the garden at auction, he gives 90,000 more debt. Suppose the collateral value of the estate in the bank was 70% of the market value: the State Noble Land Bank, founded in 1885, issued loans secured by estates in the amount of 60-75% of their market value. It is reasonable to assume that Lopakhin gave the market price, because there was some kind of competition at the auction. Then 90 thousand is 30% of the value of the estate, it costs 300 thousand rubles, and the mortgage debt is 210 thousand. The interest rate is 5.75%. The bank gradually lowered it from this level to 3%, but Ranevskaya's loan is old. So, the annual interest is 12 thousand rubles.
At first glance, this contradicts the fact that 15,000 "Yaroslavl grandmother" is not enough to pay off interest, but the Noble Bank had a preferential installment system for interest payments, and debts from previous years could accumulate. Without taking into account this debt, if Ranevskaya had rented the estate for summer cottages, she would have had a net thirteen thousand (25 thousand minus 12 thousand) a year, if she had sold cherries, she would have earned no less.
Lyubov Andreevna chooses to sell the estate. As a result, she receives the very 90 thousand that Lopakhin gave at the auction in excess of the debt. You can put this money in the bank at 4% - this brings 3.6 thousand a year, but now you do not need to pay interest on the mortgage. All the same, this is almost four times less than the income from renting the estate for the construction of summer cottages. Plus, the sale of the estate carried a big risk, it was possible not to bail out even 90 thousand. There were only three participants at the auction: Ranevskaya's brother Gaev with 15 thousand "Yaroslavl grandmother" - a ridiculous amount, the merchant Deriganov, who "immediately slapped in excess of the debt thirty" thousand, and Ermolai Lopakhin. If not for him, Ranevskaya would have received a maximum of 30 thousand rubles - put at interest, they would bring only 1200 rubles a year. It is quite possible that this would not have happened: Deriganov could give such money only by seeing Lopakhin.
Rublyovka for free
Did Ranevskaya get the market price for her estate? Doubtful. Lopakhinskaya price - 300 rubles per tithe. There are some financial conditions for such transactions in Anna Karenina. The novel is set in the early 1870s, the first version of The Cherry Orchard was written in 1898, but there was no major inflation between those years. In Karenina, Levin gloomily states that Stiva Oblonsky gave the forest to the merchant Ryabinin for nothing - 200 rubles per tithe, and even in installments, while it cost at least 500 "clean money". But we are not talking about a ship, but just a "wood" forest, and even at a decent distance from Moscow - in the Tula province.
At the same time, Levin explains to Oblonsky why no one else gave money: “... not a single merchant will buy ... if they don’t give him a gift, like you ... He won’t go into business where he has ten, fifteen percent, and he is waiting to buy a ruble for twenty kopecks. To make things work out, Ryabinin gave compensation to other merchants. Most likely, this happened at the auction, where the estate of Ranevskaya went under the hammer. The second indicator of the value of land is the price of water meadows for mowing, which Levin rented out to peasants, in the same place, in the Tula province. At first Levin asked for 20 rubles per tithe, then he found that the land was more expensive, began to demand 25, the local peasants did not give this price and beat off other tenants, then Levin began to clean the meadows himself and helped out "almost twice." We capitalize the rental rate of 25 rubles per tithe at 5%, we get the same 500 rubles as for the "wood" forest. You can also estimate the price in modern terms. The conversion factor for pre-revolutionary rubles is 1050, for a tithe Ranevskaya received, therefore, 315 thousand rubles, and for a hundred square meters - 2863 rubles, or less than 100 dollars.
We will find the estate of Ranevskaya according to signs: 1) 20 versts (about 20 km) from the then Moscow; 2) the railway has just been laid; 3) through the efforts of merchants, a holiday village arose in its place; 4) a large cherry orchard was cut down under it; 5) there is a river next to the estate. In the last quarter of the 19th century, in the Moscow region, the villages now called starodachny settlements arose near Malakhovka, the Moscow-Ryazan railway station, and around the Odintsovo station of the Moscow-Smolensk road - these are Peredelkino, Barvikha, Nemchinovka, Zhukovka and Nikolina Gora - in a word, Rublyovka.
A garden, similar to the one that Lyubov Ranevskaya and her brother Leonid Gaev did not want to part with, brought about 200 rubles in Chekhov's times. from tithe
Photo: TASS Newsreel/Photo by ITAR-TASS
In the region of Malakhovka, merchants-developers bought up land from bankrupt landowners, and both merchants and enterprising landowners themselves, owners of the land, acted on Rublyovka. So, the Nemchinov brothers leased 1,100 acres from the state near the 16th verst of the Brest road, received permission to build a railway platform and erected both the platform and the village of the same name - Nemchinovka, either named after themselves, or the nearby village of Nemchinovo. The village of Barvikha owes its appearance to General A. B. Kazakov, who decided to increase the profitability of his estate near Moscow by building dachas, that is, in fact, the general implemented the Lopakhinsky version, adding to it a brick factory that worked on local clays.
The Cherry Orchard, apparently, was invented by Chekhov. Ivan Bunin wrote in "Autobiographical Notes": "... contrary to Chekhov, there were no gardens entirely of cherry trees anywhere in Russia: in the landowner's gardens there were only parts of gardens ... and there was nothing miraculous and there is nothing in cherry trees, completely ugly, like known, clumsy, with small foliage, with small flowers at the time of flowering ... Chekhov did not know the estates, there were no such gardens. In Peredelkino, however, a large apple orchard was cut down as a holiday village. Perhaps he is the prototype of the Ranevskaya garden.
So, most likely, the estate of Ranevskaya was located on Rublevka - in the most prestigious and at that time place of the nearest Moscow region: the Setun River is nearby, and the Nemchinovka platform is no further than 3 km away.
Such lands were obviously worth more than the meadows and forests of the Tula province. Lopakhin, although he turned out to be the winner of the auction, bought it at a profit. On the other hand, even at such a low price, he took a big risk, since his investment project was, at best, long-term, and at worst, it was impossible to sell the summer cottages completely.
The average size of a summer cottage near Moscow was one tithe, the estate of Ranevskaya could be turned into a thousand plots, and by no means one estate near Moscow was sold by the owners for summer cottages or went under the hammer. Meanwhile, the demand of a serious scale has not yet formed. 1895 is an upswing both in the economy and in the stock market, a stratum of those who have grown rich on it appears, but in Malakhovka before the revolution, in total, only 300 dachas arose. The Nemchinovs started the project when they collected 30 applications, Kazakov also started with "piece" construction: the railway was laid in 1872, and by 1890 only 93 people lived in Barvikha.
However, the developer, in addition to the low price of acquiring land, had another source of savings - construction. As Bunin testifies, even then the dachas were handed over with imperfections. The hero of his story "Muse" (from the collection "Dark Alleys"), which takes place at the beginning of the 20th century, "in May moved to an old estate near Moscow, where small dachas were set up and rented out." His log dacha was "not quite completed - unpaved walls, unplaned floors, stoves without shutters, almost no furniture." His boots, lying under the bed, from the constant dampness, "overgrown with velvet mold."
Love and passion
Let's return to Ranevskaya and try to imagine what life is like for 3.6 thousand a year (300 rubles a month) and 13 thousand a year (1100 a month) at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1900, a doctor in a zemstvo hospital received 80 rubles a month, a teacher - 80-100, the head of a postal station - 150-300, a colonel - 320, a general - 500-750, a minister - 1500. Ranevskaya would live like a colonel on 300 rubles, and by 1100 - better than a general and worse than a minister. 300 pre-revolutionary rubles is 315 thousand current, and 1100 is 1 million 155 thousand. Ranevskaya could not scroll through 300 rubles a month - she lived in a big way, she had to support two daughters, and 1100, perhaps, would be enough if she tempered her prodigality.
Lyubov Andreevna chooses the option "to quickly sell everything," because "she needs to go to Paris on business." She has a lover there. Ranevskaya had to part with the "cottage near Menton", a resort town on the French Riviera, just south of Monaco, bought for the sake of living with him. The dacha was sold for debts, and the couple moved to Paris, where her lover completely "robbed" her, and when the money ran out, he got together with another. Ranevskaya, on the other hand, was "suddenly drawn to Russia, to her homeland." But before she had time to arrive, she received a telegram from Paris, where he "asks forgiveness and begs to return ...". Rush heading there, and, of course, 15 thousand "Yaroslavl grandmother", which were never returned to her, will not be enough for a long time.
Did Ranevskaya understand what she was doing? Yes! Lopakhin "taught" her every day for months, every day "repeated the same thing." Now she will lose the last funds, and with them her French boyfriend, but this is her decision, just a trumpet call is stronger than economic interest.
According to Bunin, who did not like The Cherry Orchard, what was completely unbelievable in this play was that “Lopakhin ordered to cut down ... profitable trees with such stupid impatience, without even letting their former owner leave the house: it was necessary to cut down so hastily ... it is only obvious that Chekhov wanted to give the audience of the Art Theater the opportunity to hear the sound of axes. No. Lopakhin chopped so hastily that the sound of the ax was heard by the departing Ranevskaya.
All characters in the play "The Cherry Orchard" are of great importance in the ideological and thematic context of the work. Even casually mentioned names carry a semantic load. For example, there are off-stage heroes (the Parisian lover, the Yaroslavl aunt), the very fact of whose existence already sheds light on the character and lifestyle of the hero, symbolizing an entire era. Therefore, in order to understand the author's idea, it is necessary to analyze in detail those images that implement it.
Characters and their role in the work
- Ranevskaya Lyubov Andreevna — a sensitive, emotional woman, but completely unadapted to life and unable to find her core in it. Everyone takes advantage of her kindness, even the footman Yasha and Charlotte. Lyubov Andreevna childishly expresses emotions of joy and tenderness. She is characterized by affectionate appeals to the people around her. So, Anya - "my child", Firs - "my old man." But such an appeal to furniture is striking: “my locker”, “my table”. Without noticing it herself, she gives the same assessment to a person and things! This is where her concern for the old and faithful servant ends. At the end of the play, the landowner calmly forgets about Firs, leaving him alone to die in the house. She does not react to the news of the death of the nanny who raised her. Just keeps drinking coffee. Lyubov Andreevna is a nominal mistress of the house, since in essence she is not. All the characters in the play are drawn to her, highlighting the image of the landowner from different angles, so it seems ambiguous. On the one hand, she has her own state of mind in the foreground. She went to Paris, leaving the children behind. On the other hand, Ranevskaya gives the impression of a kind, generous and trusting woman. She is ready to selflessly help a passerby and even forgive the betrayal of a loved one.
- Anya - kind, gentle, compassionate. She has a big loving heart. Arriving in Paris and seeing the situation in which his mother lives, he does not condemn her, but regrets. Why? Because she is lonely, there is no close person next to her who would surround her with care, protect her from everyday hardships, understand her tender soul. The disorder of life does not upset Anya. She can quickly switch to pleasant memories. Subtly feels nature, enjoys the singing of birds.
- Varya- adopted daughter of Ranevskaya. Good hostess, constantly at work. The whole house rests on it. Girl of strict views. Having taken on the heavy burden of caring for the household, she became a little hardened. She lacks subtle mental organization. Apparently, for this reason, Lopakhin never made her a marriage proposal. Varvara dreams of visiting holy places. He does nothing to somehow change his fate. Relying only on God's will. At twenty-four, he becomes a "bore," so many people don't like it.
- Gaev Leonid Andreevich. On Lopakhin's proposal regarding the further "fate" of the cherry orchard, he reacts categorically negatively: "What nonsense." He is worried about old things, a closet, he addresses them with his monologues, but he is completely indifferent to the fate of people, so the servant left him. Gaev's speech testifies to the limitations of this person, who lives only for personal interests. If we talk about the situation in the house, then Leonid Andreevich sees a way out in receiving an inheritance or Ani's profitable marriage. Loving her sister, she accuses her of being vicious, she did not marry a nobleman. He talks a lot, not embarrassed by the fact that no one listens to him. Lopakhin calls him a "woman", who grinds only with her tongue, while doing nothing.
- Lopakhin Ermolai Alekseevich. An aphorism can be “applied” to him: from rags to riches. Soberly evaluates himself. He understands that money in life does not change the social status of a person. “Ham, kulak,” Gaev says about Lopakhin, but he doesn’t care what they think of him. He is not trained in good manners, cannot communicate normally with a girl, as evidenced by his attitude towards Vara. He constantly glances at his watch, communicating with Ranevskaya, he has no time to talk like a human being. The main thing is the upcoming deal. Knows how to "comfort" Ranevskaya: "The garden is sold, but you sleep peacefully."
- Trofimov Petr Sergeevich. Dressed in a shabby student uniform, wearing glasses, his hair is not thick, in five years the “nice boy” has changed a lot, turned ugly. In his understanding, the goal of life is to be free and happy, and for this you need to work. He believes that those who seek the truth need help. There are many problems in Russia that need to be solved, not philosophized. Trofimov himself does nothing, he cannot graduate from the university. He utters beautiful and clever words that are not supported by actions. Petya sympathizes with Anya, speaks of her "my spring." He sees in her a grateful and enthusiastic listener of his speeches.
- Simeonov - Pishchik Boris Borisovich. Landowner. Falls asleep on the go. All his thoughts are directed only to how to get money. Even Petya, who compared him to a horse, he replies that this is not bad, since a horse can always be sold.
- Charlotte Ivanovna - governess. Knows nothing about himself. She has no relatives or friends. She grew up like a lonely stunted bush in the middle of a wasteland. She did not experience feelings of love in childhood, did not see care from adults. Charlotte has become a person who cannot find people who understand her. But she can't even understand herself. "Who am I? Why am I?" - this poor woman did not have a bright beacon in her life, a mentor, a loving person who would help find the right path and not turn off it.
- Epikhodov Semyon Panteleevich works in an office. He considers himself a developed person, but openly declares that he cannot decide in any way whether he should “live” or “shoot himself”. Jonah. Epikhodov is pursued by spiders and cockroaches, as if they are trying to make him turn around and look at the miserable existence that he has been leading for many years. Unrequitedly in love with Dunyasha.
- Dunyasha - maid in Ranevskaya's house. Living with the masters, weaned from a simple life. Does not know peasant labor. Afraid of everything. He falls in love with Yasha, not noticing that he is simply not capable of sharing love with someone.
- Firs. His whole life fits into the "one line" - to serve the masters. The abolition of serfdom for him is an evil. He is used to being a serf and can't imagine any other life.
- Yasha. An uneducated young lackey dreaming of Paris. Dreaming of a rich life. Callousness is the main feature of his character; even tries not to meet his mother, ashamed of her peasant origin.
- Ranevskaya is a frivolous, spoiled and pampered woman, but people are drawn to her. The house seemed to open the time-bound doors again when she returned here after a five-year absence. She was able to warm him with her nostalgia. Coziness and warmth again "sounded" in every room, as solemn music sounds on holidays. This did not last long, as the days at home were numbered. In the nervous and tragic image of Ranevskaya, all the shortcomings of the nobility were expressed: its inability to be self-sufficient, lack of independence, spoiledness and a tendency to evaluate everyone according to class prejudices, but at the same time, subtlety of feelings and education, spiritual wealth and generosity.
- Anya. A heart beats in the chest of a young girl, which is waiting for sublime love and looking for certain life guidelines. She wants to trust someone, to test herself. Petya Trofimov becomes the embodiment of her ideals. She still cannot look at things critically and blindly believes Trofimov's "chatter", presenting reality in a rainbow light. Only she is alone. Anya is not yet aware of the versatility of this world, although she is trying. She also does not hear others, does not see the real problems that have befallen the family. Chekhov had a premonition that this girl was the future of Russia. But the question remained open: will she be able to change something or will she remain in her childhood dreams. After all, in order to change something, you need to act.
- Gaev Leonid Andreevich. Spiritual blindness is characteristic of this mature person. He lingered in childhood for the rest of his life. In a conversation, he constantly uses billiard terms out of place. His field of vision is narrow. The fate of the family nest, as it turned out, does not bother him at all, although at the beginning of the drama he beat his chest with his fist and publicly promised that the cherry orchard would live. But he is categorically incapable of doing things, like many nobles who are used to living while others work for them.
- Lopakhin buys Ranevskaya's family estate, which is not a "bone of contention" between them. They do not consider each other enemies; humanistic relations prevail between them. Lyubov Andreevna and Ermolai Alekseevich seem to want to get out of this situation as soon as possible. The merchant even offers his help, but is refused. When everything ends happily, Lopakhin rejoices that he can finally do the real thing. We must pay tribute to the hero, because it was he, the only one, who was worried about the "fate" of the cherry orchard and found a way out that suited everyone.
- Trofimov Petr Sergeevich. He is considered a young student, although he is already 27 years old. One gets the impression that the student life has become his profession, although outwardly he has turned into an old man. He is respected, but no one believes in noble and life-affirming appeals, except for Anya. It is a mistake to believe that the image of Petya Trofimov can be compared with the image of a revolutionary. Chekhov was never interested in politics, the revolutionary movement was not part of his circle of interests. Trofimov is too soft. The warehouse of his soul and intelligence will never allow him to cross the limits of what is permitted and jump into an unknown abyss. In addition, he is responsible for Anya, a young girl who does not know real life. She still has a pretty subtle psyche. Any emotional shock can push her in the wrong direction, from where you can’t return her. Therefore, Petya must think not only about himself and about the implementation of his ideas, but also about the fragile creature that Ranevskaya entrusted to him.
Characteristics of heroes
How does Chekhov feel about his heroes?
A.P. Chekhov loved his heroes, but he could not entrust the future of Russia to any of them, even Petya Trofimov and Anya, the progressive youth of that time.
The heroes of the play, sympathetic to the author, do not know how to defend their life rights, they suffer or are silent. Ranevskaya and Gaev suffer because they understand that they cannot change anything in themselves. Their social status goes into oblivion, and they are forced to eke out a miserable existence on the last proceeds. Lopakhin suffers, as he realizes that he cannot help them in any way. He himself is not happy about buying a cherry orchard. No matter how hard he tries, he still will not become his rightful owner. That is why he decides to cut down the garden and sell the land, in order to later forget about it as a nightmare. But what about Petya and Anya? Doesn't the author place his hopes on them? Perhaps, but these hopes are very vague. Trofimov, by virtue of his nature, is not capable of taking any radical action. And without this, the situation cannot be changed. He is limited only to talk about a wonderful future and that's it. And Anya? This girl has a slightly stronger core than Petra. But due to her young age and uncertainty in life, changes should not be expected from her. Perhaps, in the distant future, when she sets all life priorities for herself, one can expect some action from her. In the meantime, she is limited to faith in the best and a sincere desire to plant a new garden.
Which side is Chekhov on? He supports each side, but in his own way. In Ranevskaya, he appreciates genuine female kindness and naivety, albeit seasoned with spiritual emptiness. In Lopakhin, he appreciates the desire for compromise and poetic beauty, although he is not able to appreciate the real charm of the cherry orchard. The Cherry Orchard is a member of the family, but everyone forgets about it together, while Lopakhin is not able to understand this at all.
The heroes of the play are separated by a huge abyss. They are not able to understand each other, as they are closed in the world of their own feelings, thoughts and experiences. However, everyone is lonely, they have no friends, like-minded people, there is no true love. Most go with the flow without setting any serious goals. Besides, they are all unhappy. Ranevskaya is disappointed in love, life and her social supremacy, which seemed unshakable yesterday. Gaev once again discovers that the aristocracy of manners is not a guarantee of power and financial well-being. Before his eyes, yesterday's serf takes away his estate, becomes the owner there even without the nobility. Anna is left penniless, she does not have a dowry for a profitable marriage. Her chosen one, although he does not require it, has not yet earned anything himself. Trofimov understands what needs to be changed, but does not know how, because he has neither connections, nor money, nor position to influence something. They are left with only the hopes of youth, which are short-lived. Lopakhin is unhappy because he is aware of his inferiority, belittles his dignity, seeing that he is no match for any masters, although he has more money.
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