The Cherry Orchard is one of the most popular and famous works written by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. It reflects the many negative socio-historical phenomena of the state system of that time, such as the moral impoverishment and degradation of the nobility, the birth of capitalism, and with it the emergence of a new class - the bourgeoisie. And no matter how sad it sounds, the main theme of the work was the fate of all of Russia, which is associated with the cherry orchard. The reader gets up from the pages of the life story of the people of Tsarist Russia, which invariably went to degeneration.
Feature: Love Ranevskaya (The Cherry Orchard)
In this play, Ranevskaya and her brother Gaev are representatives of the past, Lopakhin - the present, Anya and Trofim - the future.
All the events of the work take place on the estate of Lyubov Andreevna Ranevskaya, where cherry orchards occupy large land. All this estate is for sale due to the numerous debts of the hostess. She returned home from abroad in time for spring, when the whole garden is in white, playfully starling, the sky is blue-blue. Nature is being renewed, and with it Ranevskaya is surrounded by hopes for a new and happy life. She admires admiringly: “All, all white! Oh my garden! ”
For the future owner, the merchant Lopakhin, this cherry orchard is not only an object of a bargain, but also something more. He says that he never met anything more beautiful than this estate, because his grandfather was a serf here.
Portrait characteristics of Ranevskaya from The Cherry Orchard
If we take up the description of the artistic portrait of the main character, then we are faced with an image that at first glance will seem very cute and attractive. Ranevskaya is really very sincerely and touchingly happy, having fun, and sometimes crying when she remembers her childhood or about her son who died.
What was Ranevskaya really like? The Cherry Orchard (including the characterization of the heroine) literally right away, only in a few strokes makes it possible to understand all the frivolity of her nature. She behaves too much played out, so you can immediately doubt the sincerity of her experiences.
She constantly jumps up and walks, very excited, says that she cannot survive this joy, while she kisses the closet and says: "Laugh at me, I'm stupid ...".
The characteristic of Ranevskaya (“The Cherry Orchard”) suggests that she is self-critical and reasonably smart, but used to living at the expense of others. She is no longer able to change anything in herself, so she became a slave to circumstances, to the vagaries and the dysfunctional person who had robbed her.
Ranevskaya herself understands that she is a spender who quickly and senselessly raises money, while her adopted daughter Varya feeds household members with milk soup, and they give one old peas in the kitchen.
Love
Further analyzing the topic that we touched upon, namely, “Ranevskaya (The Cherry Orchard): Characteristics of the Heroine,” we note that Lyubov Andreevna at first does not pay any attention to the telegrams from Paris from her boyfriend and even tears them until she finds out the name of the buyer of her estate . And then she leaves to the mercy of fate of all (and her girls, Anya and Varia too) and with the last money leaves for Paris. In this city, she was going to live for those funds that Ani's grandmother sent to buy the estate. Everyone understands that they are enough for her for a while.
Such behavior allegedly justifies the fact that her love for a dishonorable person is to blame for everything. But it is unlikely that this high feeling, on the contrary, there is something base, repulsive, even somewhere funny.
Lopakhin
Further, the characteristic of Ranevskaya (“The Cherry Orchard”) indicates that she is selfish and very impractical, and she says about herself that she is lower than love. However, there is something very feminine, light and attractive in her, she is sweet, kind and responsive. But gradually all this, together with a sense of beauty, fades away.
Lopakhin sincerely refers to Ranevskaya, he sympathizes with her and shares her passion for the extraordinary beauty of the cherry orchard, and all because he is a very sensitive and gentle person.
Irreparable loss
However, Ranevskaya was not destined to save the garden dear to her heart, since she did not have that commercial vein and she could not make it profitable again, as it had been almost half a century ago. This fact is emphasized by her remark: “... It used to be that dried cherry was transported by carts and sent to Moscow and Kharkov. There was money! ”
As a result, Ranevskaya sells the cherry orchard and that beauty that cannot protect itself. And therefore, everything should disappear, and at the same time something very important and secret will leave irrevocably.
Her brother Gaev also looks helpless, who only in his own eyes remained a highly aristocrat. He practically does not notice Lopakhin and considers him a boor, which must be put in place.
Conclusion
As you can see, the characteristic of Ranevskaya (“The Cherry Orchard”), like her brother Gaev, suggests that, having lost their family nest, the former owners did not learn anything. Maxim Gorky expressed himself very curiously about them: “Selfish as children, and flabby as old people, they were late to die in time and whine, not seeing anything around them, not understanding anything, parasites, deprived of the power to stick to life again."
However, whatever the characterization of Ranevskaya, Chekhov conceived the “Cherry Orchard” precisely as a comedy, and perhaps it was the theatrical and directorial staging too thickened. Who knows?! Or maybe you need to relate to life as carefree, easy and fun, as the main character did?