Symbolism in The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov

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Recommended: the Cherry Orchard as a modern tragedy.

Symbolism in The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov

Mamma! Are you crying, mamma? My dear, good, sweet mamma! Darling, I love you! I bless you! The Cherry orchard is sold; it?s gone; its quite true, it?s quite true. But don?t cry, mamma, you?ve still got life before you, you?ve still got your pure and lovely soul. Come with me, darling, and come away from here. We?ll plant a new garden, still lovelier than this. You will see it and understand, and happiness, deep, tranquil happiness will sink down on your soul, like the sun at eventide, and you?ll smile, mamma. Come, darling, come with me!

The Cherry Orchard has been acclaimed as one of the greatest theatrical experiences of all time. It is clearly seen through the use of the more subtle, submerged, and persuasive techniques that he uses in writing this, his most famous play. The Cherry Orchard is important for three reasons: First, for its intrinsic textual richness, linguistic power and subtlety as a piece of dramatic prose; second, because of its crucial position in Russian cultural history as the culmination of all ?realist? nineteenth-century fiction and as the first classic of a new, arguably ?symbolist? or ?absurd? literature; third, because of its seminal role in the evolution of Twentieth-Century theater.

The plot structure in The Cherry Orchard is not as meaningful as the impact of events on the inner sensibilities of the characters. Chekhov divides his characters in The Cherry Orchard in a variety of ways so that the orchard and its sale take on different meaning for each of them. It is necessary then to examine the loss of the cherry through some of the major character; Yermolai Alexeyitch Lopakhin, Peter Trophimot, and Madame Ranevsky. When writing TCO he us...

... middle of paper ...

...and repression; by Lopakhin, the business man and spokesman for hard economic facts, the one who thinks of it primarily as a means to a wiser investment, and by Madame Ranvesky, who sees in it her childhood happiness; it is seen from these characters that are woven by their brilliant selection.

Thus, The Cherry Orchard is simplistic, yet complicated at the same time. It has poetic strength and is naturalistically composed, which makes it all the more controversial. The interweaving in the play, the relationships between one generation and another, between the sexes, and ranking of different social classes add to The Cherry Orchard?s interesting balance. It is not hard for one to see why The Cherry Orchard is considered to be Anton Chekhov?s greatest work, and why it shall remain a classic for many years to come.

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