The Cherry Orchard
The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov starts on a morning in Russia, where the cherry trees are blossoming. Yermolay Lopakhin, a friend of the family, and Dunyasha, a maid on the Ranevsky estate, wait for the estate's owner, Mrs. Ranevsky, at the estate's main house, in the nursery; Mrs. Ranevsky has been in Paris for the last five years. Lopakhin is a mid-thirties, local businessman, who feels gratitude and resentment towards Mrs. Ranevsky. Mrs. Ranevsky arrives with her daughter, Anya; a man-servant named Yasha; and Charlotte, Anya's governess, and Charlotte's dog. Firs, Mrs. Ranevsky's 87 year old man-servant; Leonid Gayev, her brother; and Varya, her adopted daughter greet her at the train station and accompany her back to the estate. Anya and Varya dicuss their mother's over-spending and that the estate will be sold soon. Mr. Lopakhin proposes that Mrs. Ranevsky build cottages on the land, behind the estate, and lease them out to travelers, but Mrs. Ranevsky and Mr. Gayev dismiss the idea, for it would destroyed their beloved cherry orchard. On the day of the auction, Mrs. Ranevsky and Mr. Gayev try to get their wealthy aunt to loan them money in order to keep the estate, but the plan falls through and the house is sold to another buyer. Soon, the cheery trees are cut down and each of the characters disperse; the servants to new estates and the family to different homes, a few in different countries.
The main characters in the book are Mrs. Ranevsky, Yermolay Lopakhin, Leonid Gayev, Anya, Varya, Charlotte, Firs, Dunyasha, and Yasha. Mrs. Ranevsky is a middle aged Russian woman, who owns a large estate, with a cherry orchard behind it. Her frequent spending causes the family to go into poverty and forced to sell their estate. Mr. Lopakhin is a local businessman, in his mid-thirties, proposes an idea to save the estate, which it later waved off. Mr. Gayev is the brother to Mrs. Ranevsky and middle aged as well; he waves off the idea presented by Lopakhin as well. Anya is the young girl and is the biological daughter of Mrs. Ranevsky and falls in love with a young man. Varya is a young girl who is the adoptive daughter of Mrs. Ranevsky and spends most of her time with Anya. Charlotte is the governess to Anya and is a middle aged woman, who jokes with the family. Firs is the old, man-servant to Mrs. Ranevsky and is the only servant left of the original staff of the estate. Dunyasha and Yasha are both servants in the estate and are not seen as often as the other characters.
The setting takes place in two distinct places; Paris and Russia. In the beginning of the book, Mrs. Ranevsky and her party are returning from their stay there. Later in the book it switches to the Ranevsky estate, in a small town, in Russia. The cherry orchard is described as a beautiful, colorful, and romantic place, espically when the trees are blossomed. In 19th century Russia, a law was passed saying that serfs, servants, were to stay at the estate, they were assigned and serve each new land owner.
The main conflicts in the book are man v. man and man v. society. The man v. man is seen when Mrs. Ranevsky and Mr. Gayev decide to not go with Mr. Lopakhin's idea and rather find a way to save the estate themselves. The man v. society is seen when Mrs. Ranevsky has to sell her family home, at an auction, for she is too poor to keep the estate herself.
The themes in the book vary and there are quite a few; three main themes in the book are Society and Class, Memory and Past, and Home. Society and Class play a major theme in the book, not only with the time it is set in, but also within the estate. Mrs. Ranevsky is the lady and master of the house and is seen with the highest rank; her brother and daughters below her, Mr. Lopakhin below them, and the servants below him. The next theme is Memory and Past, the estate has been around for many years and is apart of the Ranevsky family. Also, the time period in Russia is set between the older generation trying to preserve the traditional society and class and the newer generation trying to change Russia and it's ways. The last theme is Home; the Ranevsky estate is a home and is seen as much by Mrs. Ranevsky and her brother Mr. Gayev, Mrs. Ranevsky's daughters, the servants and even Mr. Lopakhin, who grew up there as a boy.
The only symbol throughout the book is the cherry orchard. The cherry orchard is seen as beloved by the family and means to everyone different things. Mr. Lopakhin wants to save it for the Ranevsky family, but wants to destroy it to save the estate and because it brings back bad childhood memories. Whereas it brings good, happy memories for Mrs. Ranevsky, Mr. Gayev, Anya, Varya, and the servants.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNoT5oMB1tA
Citations: Sites - Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Cherry Orchard Setting" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Cherry Orchard.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. n.d.. Web.
Picture - http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/sairaakhtar/files/2011/11/cherry-orchard-image.jpg
Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNoT5oMB1tA
The main characters in the book are Mrs. Ranevsky, Yermolay Lopakhin, Leonid Gayev, Anya, Varya, Charlotte, Firs, Dunyasha, and Yasha. Mrs. Ranevsky is a middle aged Russian woman, who owns a large estate, with a cherry orchard behind it. Her frequent spending causes the family to go into poverty and forced to sell their estate. Mr. Lopakhin is a local businessman, in his mid-thirties, proposes an idea to save the estate, which it later waved off. Mr. Gayev is the brother to Mrs. Ranevsky and middle aged as well; he waves off the idea presented by Lopakhin as well. Anya is the young girl and is the biological daughter of Mrs. Ranevsky and falls in love with a young man. Varya is a young girl who is the adoptive daughter of Mrs. Ranevsky and spends most of her time with Anya. Charlotte is the governess to Anya and is a middle aged woman, who jokes with the family. Firs is the old, man-servant to Mrs. Ranevsky and is the only servant left of the original staff of the estate. Dunyasha and Yasha are both servants in the estate and are not seen as often as the other characters.
The setting takes place in two distinct places; Paris and Russia. In the beginning of the book, Mrs. Ranevsky and her party are returning from their stay there. Later in the book it switches to the Ranevsky estate, in a small town, in Russia. The cherry orchard is described as a beautiful, colorful, and romantic place, espically when the trees are blossomed. In 19th century Russia, a law was passed saying that serfs, servants, were to stay at the estate, they were assigned and serve each new land owner.
The main conflicts in the book are man v. man and man v. society. The man v. man is seen when Mrs. Ranevsky and Mr. Gayev decide to not go with Mr. Lopakhin's idea and rather find a way to save the estate themselves. The man v. society is seen when Mrs. Ranevsky has to sell her family home, at an auction, for she is too poor to keep the estate herself.
The themes in the book vary and there are quite a few; three main themes in the book are Society and Class, Memory and Past, and Home. Society and Class play a major theme in the book, not only with the time it is set in, but also within the estate. Mrs. Ranevsky is the lady and master of the house and is seen with the highest rank; her brother and daughters below her, Mr. Lopakhin below them, and the servants below him. The next theme is Memory and Past, the estate has been around for many years and is apart of the Ranevsky family. Also, the time period in Russia is set between the older generation trying to preserve the traditional society and class and the newer generation trying to change Russia and it's ways. The last theme is Home; the Ranevsky estate is a home and is seen as much by Mrs. Ranevsky and her brother Mr. Gayev, Mrs. Ranevsky's daughters, the servants and even Mr. Lopakhin, who grew up there as a boy.
The only symbol throughout the book is the cherry orchard. The cherry orchard is seen as beloved by the family and means to everyone different things. Mr. Lopakhin wants to save it for the Ranevsky family, but wants to destroy it to save the estate and because it brings back bad childhood memories. Whereas it brings good, happy memories for Mrs. Ranevsky, Mr. Gayev, Anya, Varya, and the servants.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNoT5oMB1tA
Citations: Sites - Shmoop Editorial Team. "The Cherry Orchard Setting" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Cherry Orchard.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. n.d.. Web.
Picture - http://macaulay.cuny.edu/eportfolios/sairaakhtar/files/2011/11/cherry-orchard-image.jpg
Video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNoT5oMB1tA