Characteristics of Ranevskaya and Gaev's cherry orchard. Characteristics and image of Gaev in the play The Cherry Orchard by Chekhov essay
Theme of prose by I.A. Bunin - laureate Nobel Prize 1933 – varied. Life of old noble estates reflected in the stories “Antonov Apples” and “The Grammar of Love”. Dramatic people's fates, the vicissitudes of their relationship, love and hatred are revealed in the works “Easy Breathing”, “The Last Date”, “Chang’s Dreams”. Philosophically revealing character common man in terms of it spiritual formation Bunin fits in the stories “The Thin Grass” and “ Clean Monday». Evils of bourgeois civilization exposed in "Mr. from San Francisco."
One of the most famous stories Bunin’s story “Antonov Apples” is considered to be a lyrical, poetic narrative about life noble estate. “Antonov apples” have a strong emotional impact on a person, so the story justifiably relates to lyrical prose. At the center of the work are the author’s sincere, confessional memories of the past: here is the incomparable smell of the garden and the apples themselves, here are the sounds that fill nature, and the colorful – bright and impressive – landscapes; and people - relatives and friends. The author's past is covered with a romantic halo, and the smell Antonov apples becomes a symbol of Russia itself.
Bunin also poeticizes the people themselves who belong to this “old”, passing time. Old man Averky from The Thin Grass, having experienced many tragedies and disappointments in life, has not lost his kindness, humility, and spiritual beauty. Before death, he rethinks what he has lived, thereby strengthening his agreement with the world. When he leaves, he does not harbor any grudge against his deceiving son-in-law; admiring his daughter; trying to absorb the beauty of nature and the harmony of the world.
Bunin also poses serious questions in the story “Easy Breathing”, central theme which is the theme of beauty. The story was written on the eve of the revolution and reflects the position of the author: Bunin did not accept the revolution as a bloodthirsty element that destroyed everything that was dear to the author - the patriarchal way of life, the old order, etc. The heroine of the story - Olya Meshcherskaya - becomes a victim of the new - adult - life, its ideals , to which she did not have time to adapt. Bunin asks himself and the reader a tragic question: “ Who will save beauty in this world?" Unfortunately, the story does not give a reassuring answer, so beautiful heroine, dying, leaves " easy breath", which dissolves in the Universe.
IN " Easy breathing", As in " Last date", Bunin shows the highest mastery of narrative style. Huge role in Bunin's stories plays detail. Remember, for example, the boss’s ball or the classy lady’s office, elements of Olya Meshcherskaya’s appearance.
Capitalist civilization was perceived by the author in 
hostile, which is clearly presented in the story “The Mister from San Francisco.” The hero is not named, hence the appeal not to one specific person, but to tragic destinies a world stricken by an epidemic of lack of spirituality.
Bunin had a special attitude towards the word: he did not experiment with it, on the contrary, he carefully “nurtured” and processed it. Bunin's word is living, musical; it does not thunder and does not shock. Bunin's word is a harmonious fusion of poetry and prose, giving rise to unforgettable images.
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The central character of A.P. Chekhov's play is Leonid Andreevich Gaev. He is one of the owners of a beautiful old garden.
The image and characterization of Gaev in the play “ The Cherry Orchard” were created by the author to penetrate the complex problem of changing the nobility. Representatives of the noble class do not keep up with the development of the country and are left without the property accumulated for them by their ancestors.
Character image
Leonid Gaev – brother Ranevskaya. The bankrupt landowner Gaev is not yet old. He is 51 years old, but the man does not have the acumen or entrepreneurial spirit. He, playing with a candy, admits that he ate “his entire fortune.” In fact, the man eats and drinks a lot. The landowner has a special love for children's candy. The landowner sucks them almost constantly. The author has the most frequent remark to describe behavior this character: “Puts a lollipop in his mouth.”The man is a talker
Gaev is a chatterbox and idle talker, he says nonsense so often that people stop perceiving his speech and often stop it at the beginning. Interlocutors and close people ask Leonid Andreevich to talk less, but he does not hear their requests. The nieces suggest that the uncle remain silent, but the man does not restrain his emotions and continues to praise him for no reason. Gaev can talk not only with living people, Leonid addresses furniture, food, trees. The landowner's speech has a howling character. She is solemn and sublime. His words are public appearances, vivid speeches that convey the feelings that fill the “being” of a man. He doesn’t try to hold back, he expresses all his thoughts to the listener. Why is it being cut off? The speeches have no meaning, no ideas, just a bunch of words. Leonid does not keep his promises. Words spoken out loud do not linger in the soul. Gaev’s oath to preserve the garden is proof of its impracticality. All the actions that he pronounces remain only words: we will pay interest, we will not allow an auction. The solemn oath is pathetic. What does the landowner swear by: honor, happiness, being. But nothing happens by itself. The auction for the sale of the estate took place, Gaev spends the money on expensive food.Another feature of the character’s speech is the use of billiards game terms. These phrases make you smile; they are awkward and incomprehensible to your interlocutors. Few of them represent the game, rules and attributes.
Character character
The complexity of the hero's character is confirmed by the remarks of other characters. On the one hand, Anya claims that everyone loves and respects him. The niece believes in her uncle, hopes that he will find a way out difficult situation with the estate. On the other hand, the landowner is lazy. Lopakhin believes that Gaev will not be able to work in a bank for 6 thousand a year. Perseverance is not his trait, but it is what is required in banking work. Lopakhin calls Leonid a woman, what is hidden behind this word: weakness, lack of desire to act, fear or laziness? There is no efficiency or practicality in the man’s character. He is frivolous and short-sighted. When the new merchant offers a way out: to cut down the cherry trees and sell the land to summer residents, Gaev moves on to the moral characterization of the act: vulgarity. He does not calculate the benefits, does not look for opportunities to preserve the estate and part of the garden. Leonid does not try to take action on his own. The landowner calculates where or from whom he can borrow.Character Role
In the play, Gaev plays one of the main roles. The author calls the character an aristocrat. There is a sense of negativity and hidden irony in this characteristic. Leonid may only be externally similar to the aristocracy. In fact, he has none positive trait of this class. But this is a striking difference between the Russian aristocracy, people who are not able to work. For them, even thinking is work. Gaev is all in dreams, cut off from life, unable to solve simple everyday problems. The servant, old Firs, takes care of him as if he were small child. Gaev cannot do basic things without help: undress, sit in a chair, choose clothes according to the weather. A kind attitude towards the owner does not find an answer. Ungrateful landowners forget the old man in the house, again only in words they think of help for him, deciding his fate outside the estate: we will send him to the hospital. Frivolity and meaninglessness shine through in all actions. It's not hard to imagine the future of the "trashy person." I have to agree with Lopakhin. Gaev will leave the service and try his luck with a rich aunt-countess, settling in her service. If she doesn’t let him in, then poverty awaits him. / / / The attitude of the play's heroes to the cherry orchard (Ranevskaya, Gaev, Firs, Anya, Lopakhin, Petya Trofimov)Each character in Chekhov's play had an individual attitude towards the estate and the cherry orchard in particular. And if, sometimes, this feeling could hardly be called love, then it certainly was not indifference.
Each character in the play had his own story related to the garden. It was associated with childhood, serenity, purity, and an intoxicating aroma. For her, the garden is the meaning of life. The woman cannot imagine her life without him, and in the event of an auction, she says that the garden should be sold along with her.
But after the auction, the woman quickly comes to her senses and calmly accepts the loss. The author notes that in some way, she is even glad that everything is finally over. Perhaps this happens because she has money again, she has something to live on, and quite comfortably.
Just like his sister, he loves the garden very much. For a man, losing him means losing something dear and accepting complete defeat. He promises Lyubov that he will do everything to buy back the estate. The man is confident to the last that it is within his power. After the auction, Gaev is upset, does not comment on the “loss” and almost does not talk to anyone. The inspired Ermolai tells everything for him.
Buys the garden at auction. He literally “steals it from under the nose” of another merchant, throwing in ten thousand each time throughout the auction. As a result, the amount was very significant, which led to the unconditional victory of Ermolai. The man is rejoicing. His interest in the garden is significant. The business plan he drew up will bring him a lot of profit and the garden will more than pay for itself. However, the cherries will no longer please the eye; they are all immediately sent under the ax. This shows that Ermolai did not perceive the garden as something beautiful and unearthly. This place interests him only from the point of view of profit. The man believes that admiring the garden is a relic of the past. Moreover, it does not bring money, which means it is a waste of time for a pragmatic person.
For the old footman, the garden evokes memories of the former wealth of the masters. When the harvested cherries were dried according to a special recipe, they were exported for sale. It was not for nothing that he remembered this, since he believes that cherry trees should not only please the eye, but also generate income.
At first, for Ranevskaya’s daughter, like her mother, the garden initially evokes a storm of emotions. The girl is happy to be at home again and admire the beautiful flowers. However, after communicating with Peter, she radically changes her attitude towards the estate. The girl thinks about the utopia of serf life, about the remnants of the past.
When the cherry orchard is finally sold, Anya reassures her mother, promising to plant her new garden, which will be many times better. The girl leaves with undisguised happiness the places where she spent her childhood.
A similar situation occurs with. He talks about the garden with undisguised contempt, boldly looks into the future and calmly leaves the estate, and this despite the fact that he remains practically homeless.
Each character in the story is shown through the image of a cherry orchard - their attitude to life itself. Some cling to the past, others worry about the future, and still others simply live in the present.
The image of Gaev in the play “The Cherry Orchard” is very important to understand correctly. This is necessary to understand how Chekhov treated representatives of the nobility. Our article describes in detail the image of Gaev in the play "The Cherry Orchard".
Gaev is a brother main character works by Ranevskaya are practically her double. His image, however, is less significant than the image of this woman. That is why the hero we are interested in is presented as “Ranevskaya’s brother” in the list characters, although he is older than his sister and has the same rights to the estate.
Gaev's social status
The photo above shows Stanislavsky in the role of Gaev. Leonid Andreevich Gaev is a landowner who ate his fortune “on candy.” He leads a rather idle lifestyle. Nevertheless, he is surprised that the garden needs to be sold for debts. This man is already 51 years old, but he does not have his own family. Gaev lives in an old estate that is being destroyed right before his eyes. He is under the care of Firs, an old footman. Gaev’s characterization should also be supplemented by the fact that he is constantly trying to borrow money from someone in order to at least cover the interest on his debts and the debts of his sister. for him is to repay all loans. This landowner hopes to receive an inheritance from someone, marry Anna off to a wealthy person, and go to Yaroslavl, where he can try his luck with the Countess Aunt.
Caricature of the nobility
The image of Gaev in the play "The Cherry Orchard" is a caricature of the nobility. Negative qualities the landowner Ranevskaya is even more uglier in the character of her brother, which emphasizes the comedy of everything that happens. Gaev's description, unlike Ranevskaya's, is placed mainly in stage directions. His character is revealed mainly through actions, and the other characters in the play say very little about him.
The attitude of others towards Gaev
The author tells us very little about Gaev's past. However, we understand that this person is educated, that he knows how to clothe his thoughts in beautiful speeches, although empty. The hero we are interested in lived his entire life on the estate. He was a regular at men's clubs, where he indulged in playing billiards, his favorite pastime. It was from there that Gaev brought all the news. Here he was offered the position of an employee in a bank with a good annual salary of 6 thousand. Those around him were very surprised by this proposal. Sister Gaeva directly says to Leonid Andreevich: “Where are you! Sit down.” Lopakhin also expresses his doubts about this, believing that Gaev will not be able to hold on to the proposed position, since he is “very lazy.” Only Anya, the hero’s niece, believes in him.
What caused this distrust towards Gaev? Those around him even show some disdain for this hero. Even the lackey Yasha treats him with disrespect. Let's resolve this issue, which will help us better understand the image of Gaev in the play "The Cherry Orchard".
Leonid Andreevich
Gaev is a man who can be called an empty talker. He sometimes starts ranting at the most inopportune moments. Because of this, his interlocutors are confused and often ask him to shut up. Gaev Leonid Andreevich himself realizes this, but cannot cope with the unpleasant trait of his character. In addition, the characterization of Gaev’s image should be supplemented by the fact that he is very infantile. Leonid Andreevich cannot defend his opinion, he is not even able to properly formulate his point of view. This hero often cannot say anything of substance. Instead he says his favorite word"whom". Inappropriate billiard terms also constantly appear in the speech of the hero we are interested in.
Relationships with Firs, sister and nieces
The servant Firs still follows his master as if he were a small child. He either shakes off the dust from his trousers, or brings Gaev a warm coat. Meanwhile, Leonid Andreevich is an adult fifty-year-old man. However, he does not consider such guardianship on the part of his servant shameful. The hero even goes to bed under the supervision of his lackey, who is sincerely attached to him. Despite such devotion to Firs, at the end of the work Gaev forgets about him.
He loves his sister and his nieces. In his family, Gaev is the only man. However, he was unable to become the head of the family. The hero is unable to help anyone, since it doesn’t even occur to him. This indicates that Gaev’s feelings are very shallow.
Is the cherry orchard dear to Gaev?
The image of Leonid Gaev is also revealed in his attitude to the cherry orchard. He means a lot to our hero, as well as to his sister. Gaev does not want to accept Lopakhin’s offer, just like Ranevskaya. He thinks that it would be “nice” to divide his estate into plots and rent them out. After all, this will bring his family closer to businessmen like Lopakhin. This would be unacceptable for Leonid Andreevich, since he considers himself a true aristocrat and looks down on merchants like Ermolai Alekseevich. When Gaev returns from the auction where his estate was sold, he is depressed, tears are visible in his eyes. However, when he hears the cue hitting the balls, his mood immediately improves. This fact tells us that the hero is not characterized by deep experiences. This is an important feature that complements the image of Gaev in the play “The Cherry Orchard” by Chekhov.
The meaning of Gaev's image
The character we are interested in closes the chain, which consists of images of nobles depicted by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. The author introduced us to the “heroes of their time” - well-educated aristocrats who cannot defend their ideals. Because of this weakness of the nobles, people like Lopakhin have the opportunity to occupy a dominant position in society. Anton Pavlovich deliberately understated the image of Gaev in the comedy “The Cherry Orchard” as much as possible, making him a caricature. This was necessary in order to show the degree of reduction of the nobles.
Was the author of The Cherry Orchard a success?
His work is presented above) caused great stir. Many of his contemporaries belonging to the aristocracy were very critical of this play. They accused Anton Pavlovich of ignorance of their circle and of incorrectly portraying his class. Chekhov can hardly be blamed for this. After all, he sought to create not just a comedy, but a real farce, which he did very well. Of course, he succeeded in the image of Gaev. Many of our contemporaries are familiar with quotes from the comedy “The Cherry Orchard,” and the play itself is included in the obligatory school curriculum on literature. This work is still very popular in theaters in our country. All this speaks of the undoubted value of "The Cherry Orchard" with artistic point vision.
