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.

Trofimov Petr Sergeevich- student. The teacher of the little son of Ranevskaya, who tragically died. He failed to complete his studies, as he was expelled from the university several times. But this did not affect the breadth of outlook, intelligence and education of Peter Sergeevich. The senses young man touching and unselfish. He sincerely became attached to Anya, who was flattered by his attention. Eternally groomed, sick and hungry, but at the same time not losing his self-esteem, Trofimov denies the past and strives for a new life.

Characters and their role in the work

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Gaev Leonid Andreevich. To Lopakhin's proposal regarding the further "fate" cherry orchard 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 man, who lives only 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.
5. 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."
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.

Characteristics of heroes

1. 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 nervous and tragic way Ranevskaya expressed all the shortcomings of the nobility: his 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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 being that Ranevskaya entrusted to him.

How does Chekhov feel about his heroes?

A.P. Chekhov loved his heroes, but he could not trust 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. Them 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 alone, they have no friends, like-minded people, no real love. Most go with the flow without setting any serious goals. Besides, they are all unhappy. Ranevskaya is experiencing disappointment in love, life and her social supremacy, which seemed unshakable just yesterday. Gaev once again discovers that the aristocracy of manners is not a guarantee of power and financial well-being. In front of his eyes, yesterday's serf takes away his estate, becomes the owner there even without the nobility. Anna is left without a penny for her soul, 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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A.P. Chekhov turned to the genre of dramaturgy already in early work. But his real success as a playwright began with the play The Seagull. The play "The Cherry Orchard" is called Chekhov's swan song. She was completed creative way writer. In The Cherry Orchard, the author expressed his beliefs, thoughts, and hopes. Chekhov believes that the future of Russia belongs to people like Trofimov and Anya. In one of his letters, Chekhov wrote: “Students and female students are good and honest people. This is our hope, this is the future of Russia.” It is they, according to Chekhov, who are the true owners of the cherry orchard, which the author identified with his homeland. “The whole of Russia is our garden,” says Petya Trofimov.

The owners of the cherry orchard are the hereditary nobles Ranevskaya and Gaev. The estate and the garden have been the property of their family for many years, but they can no longer be in charge here. They are the personification of Russia's past, there is no future behind them. Why?
Gaev and Ranevskaya are helpless, idle people, incapable of any active actions. They admire the beauty of the blooming garden, it evokes nostalgic memories in these people, but that's all. Their estate is ruined, and these people cannot and do not try to do anything in order to somehow improve the situation. The price of such "love" is small. Although Ranevskaya says: “God knows, I love my homeland, I love dearly.” But the question arises, what kind of love is this if she left Russia five years ago and returned now only because she failed in her personal life. And in the finale of the play, Ranevskaya again leaves her homeland.
Of course, the heroine gives the impression of a person with an open soul, she is cordial, emotional, impressionable. But these qualities are combined with such traits of her character as carelessness, spoiledness, frivolity, bordering on callousness and indifference to others. We see that in fact Ranevskaya is indifferent towards people, even sometimes cruel. How else to explain the fact that she gives the last gold to a passerby, and the servants in the house are left to live from hand to mouth. She thanks Firs, asks about his health, and... leaves an old, sick man in a boarded up house, simply forgetting about him. It's monstrous to say the least!
Like Ranevskaya, Gaev has a sense of beauty. I would like to note that he, more than Ranevskaya, gives the impression of a gentleman. Although this character can be called exactly the same inactive, careless and frivolous as his sister. as if Small child, Gaev cannot give up his habit of sucking lollipops and counts on Firs even in small things. His mood changes very quickly, he is a fickle, windy person. Gaev is upset to tears because the estates are being sold, but as soon as he heard the sound of balls in the billiard room, he immediately cheered up, like a child.
Of course, Gaev and Ranevskaya are the embodiment of the past passing life. Their habit of living “in debt, at the expense of others” speaks of the idleness of the existence of these heroes. They are definitely not the masters of life, since even their material well-being depends on some kind of accident: either it will be an inheritance, or the Yaroslavl grandmother will send them money in order to pay off their debts, or Lopakhin will lend money. People like Gaev and Ranevskaya are being replaced by a completely different type of people: strong, enterprising, dexterous. One of these people is another character in the play, Lopakhin.
Lopakhin embodies the present of Russia. Lopakhin's parents were serfs, but after the abolition of serfdom, the fate of this man changed. He made his way into the people, got rich, and is now able to buy the estate of those who were once his masters. Lopakhin feels his superiority over Ranevskaya and Gaev, and even they treat him with respect, because they are aware of their dependence on this person. It is clear that Lopakhin and people like him will very soon oust the well-born nobles.
However, Lopakhin gives the impression of a person who is the "master of life" only in a given, short period of time. He is not the owner of the cherry orchard, but only its temporary owner. He is going to cut down the cherry orchard and sell the land. It seems that, having increased his capital from this enterprise that is beneficial to him, he still will not occupy a dominant place in the life of the state in the future. In the image of this character, Chekhov masterfully managed to portray a bizarre and contradictory combination of features of the past and the present. Lopakhin, although he is proud of his current position, does not forget for a second about his low origin, his resentment for life is too strong in him, which, as it seems to him, was unfair to him. Very soon the reader and viewer realizes that Lopakhin is just an intermediate step between the past and future generations.
In Czech's play, we also see characters opposed to destructive activity Lopakhin and the inaction of Ranevskaya and Gaev. This is Anya and Petya Trofimov. It is for such people, according to the author, the future of Russia. Trofimov is an ardent seeker of truth, who sincerely believes in the triumph of a just life in the near future. Student Petya Trofimov is poor, suffers hardships, but as an honest person he refuses to live at the expense of others. He talks a lot about the need for a reorganization of society, but he has not yet taken real actions. But he is a great propagandist. This is one of those who are followed by young people, who are trusted. Anya is carried away by Trofimov's call to change life, and at the end of the play we hear her words calling for "planting a new garden." The author does not give us the opportunity to see the fruits of the activities of the representatives of the new generation. He only leaves us hope that the words of Petya Trofimov and Anya will not diverge from deeds.
Chekhov depicted three generations of people in his play The Cherry Orchard, and each character personifies the life of Russia: Ranevkaya and Gaev - the past, Lopakhin - the present, Trofimov and Anya - the future. Time has shown that Chekhov was absolutely right - in the near future, the Russian people were expecting a revolution, and it was people like Trofimov who made history.

Gaev's place in the system of images of the work

To understand Chekhov's perception of the nobility, it is necessary to consider the characterization of Gaev in the play "The Cherry Orchard", brother main character, practically a twin of Ranevskaya, but less significant. Therefore, in the list actors he is designated "brother Ranevskaya", although he is older than her and has the same rights to the estate as her sister.

Gaev Leonid Andreevich is a landowner who "has eaten a fortune on candy", leading an idle lifestyle, but it is strange to him that the garden is being sold for debts. He is already 51 years old, but he has neither a wife nor children. He lives in an old estate, which is being destroyed before his eyes, under the care of the old footman Firs. However, it is Gaev who is always trying to borrow money from someone in order to cover at least the interest on his and his sister's debts. And his options for repaying all loans are more like pipe dreams: “It would be nice to receive an inheritance from someone, it would be nice to pass off our Anya as a very rich person, it would be nice to go to Yaroslavl and try your luck with the aunt-countess ...”

The image of Gaev in the play "The Cherry Orchard" became a caricature of the nobility in general. All negative sides Ranevskaya found a more ugly attitude in her brother, thereby further emphasizing the comedy of what is happening. Unlike Ranevskaya, Gaev's description is mainly in stage directions, which reveal his character through actions, while the characters say very little about him.

Gaev's character traits

Very little is told about Gaev's past. But it is clear that he is an educated person, able to expose his thoughts in beautiful, but empty speeches. All his life he lived on his estate, a frequenter of men's clubs, in which he indulged in his favorite pastime - playing billiards. It was from there that he brought all the news and there he received an offer to become a bank employee, with an annual salary of six thousand. However, for those around it was very surprising, the sister says: “Where are you! Sit down already ... ”, Lopakhin also expresses doubt:“ But he won’t sit, he’s very lazy ... ”. The only person who believes him is his niece Anya "I believe you uncle!". What caused such distrust and in some ways even a dismissive attitude on the part of others? After all, even the footman Yasha shows his disrespect for him.

As already mentioned, Gaev is an empty talker, at the most inopportune moments he can indulge in ranting, so that everyone around is simply lost and asks him to be silent. Leonid Andreevich himself understands this, but this is part of his nature. He is also very infantile, unable to defend his point of view, and he cannot even formulate it properly. He so often has nothing to say on the merits that his favorite word "Kogo" constantly sounds and completely inappropriate billiard terms appear. Firs still follows his master like a small child, now shaking off the dust from his trousers, now bringing him a warm coat, and for a fifty-year-old man there is nothing shameful in such guardianship, he even goes to bed under the sensitive gaze of his lackey. Firs is sincerely attached to the owner, but even Gaev in the finale of the play "The Cherry Orchard" forgets about his devoted servant. He loves his nieces and his sister. It’s just that he couldn’t become the head of the family, in which he remained the only man, and he can’t help anyone, since it doesn’t even occur to him. All this shows how shallow the feelings of this hero are.

For Gaev, the cherry orchard means as much as for Ranevskaya, but, like her, she is not ready to accept Lopakhin's offer. After all, dividing the estate into plots and renting it out is "wonderful", largely because it will bring them closer to such businessmen as Lopakhin, and for Leonid Andreevich this is unacceptable, since he considers himself a true aristocrat, looking down on such merchants. Having returned in a depressed state from the auction where the estate was sold, Gaev has only tears in his eyes, and as soon as they hear the cue hitting the balls, they dry up, once again proving that deep feelings are simply not characteristic of him.

Gaev as the final step in the evolution of the nobility in the work of A.P. Chekhov

Gaev closed the chain, consisting of the images of the nobles created by Chekhov throughout creative life. He created "heroes of his time", aristocrats with excellent education, unable to defend their ideals, and it was this weakness that allowed such as Lopakhin to occupy a dominant position. In order to show how small the nobles were, Anton Pavlovich underestimated the image of Gaev as much as possible, bringing him to a caricature. Many representatives of the aristocracy were very critical of this depiction of their class, accusing the author of ignorance of their circle. But after all, Chekhov did not even want to create a comedy, but a farce, which he succeeded in doing.

Reasoning about the image of Gaev and a description of the features of his characters can be used by students in grade 10 while writing an essay on the topic “Characteristics of Gaev in the play “The Cherry Orchard””.

Artwork test

Chekhov's famous play "The Cherry Orchard" still does not leave the stage, although it was written in 1903. She became a classic of the genre, which at all times collected full houses in the halls. Someone sees a comedy in it, someone sees it as a drama, but it is really very interesting and unique in its own way, since it describes in all its glory the life of Russian aristocrats who are going through their hard times.

There are many characters in the play, by which one can understand the moral and moral foundations of the then upper class, what they thought about and what they aspired to in anticipation of the changes moving towards them. Getting down to the topic “Leonid Andreevich Gaev: Characteristics (“The Cherry Orchard”)”, it should be noted that this representative of the nobility has become his modern caricature. All the negative aspects of his sister Ranevskaya are even more ugly in him. These are the reasons for the whole comedy of the events taking place.

Gaev: "The Cherry Orchard", description (briefly)

To understand the attitude towards the upper class of the writer Chekhov himself, let us turn to the characteristics of one of the main characters - Gaev. In the play The Cherry Orchard, he is the brother of the main character Ranevskaya, a person less significant than her, but equally entitled to the inheritance, which is concluded in their impoverished estate with a cherry orchard, mortgaged for debts. Who is he and how does he live?

The play "The Cherry Orchard" is unique and interesting in its own way. Gaev, whose characterization suggests that he is an impoverished landowner and a weak-willed person, leads an idle and carefree lifestyle with his sister. He can't get used to the idea that their cherry orchard is up for auction for debt. Gaev is in his sixth decade, but he has no wife or children. He lives in his old estate, which is decrepit and destroyed right before his eyes. But the devoted footman Firs still takes care of his master with caress and care.

debts

It is a little surprising that it was Chekhov who presented The Cherry Orchard with a comedy, and not a drama. The characteristic of Gaev is worth something here, because he constantly borrows funds in order to somehow pay off the interest on the debts of both his sister and his own. In his head, he constantly scrolls through the options for repaying these numerous and constantly growing debts, and dreams of receiving some kind of inheritance or that some rich landowner would marry his niece Anya. And he is also thinking of going to his aunt-countess in Yaroslavl and trying her luck and begging for money.

Description and features of Gaev

Unlike his sister Ranevskaya, one can read about Gaev only in small remarks, where his character is revealed through his behavior, little is said about him in the play and acting characters. Almost nothing is said about his past. Nevertheless, it is clear that Gaev is an educated person and can beautifully operate with words, but basically they are empty and meaningless. This is what lies main characteristic hero. Gaev loves the cherry garden very much, like his sister Ranevskaya, he has become attached to it with all his heart, because it is the garden that fills the soul with warm memories of good times past.

Life without worries

Throughout his life, Gaev lived in this estate carefree as a moth and was a regular visitor to men's clubs, where he liked to play billiards. He brought all secular news and gossip into the house from there. And once he even received an offer to be an employee in a bank with a salary of six thousand per annum. And here the disapproving reaction of relatives is surprising, his sister doubts him, and Lopakhin believes that he is too restless and lazy. In this matter, he was supported only by his niece, the good-natured Anya, who said that she believed in her uncle. Why is he so distrusted by those around him, and yet even the footman Yasha shows him his disrespect?

The Cherry Orchard

It is surprising that when the cherry orchard was laid, Gaev, whose characteristics are not presented anyway in the best way, is behaving recklessly. When the capitalist of the new time, the merchant Lopakhin, offers him and his sister Ranevskaya a way out of the situation: to break up plots and rent them out as summer cottages, Gaev absolutely does not want to listen to his rational advice, but continues to live with his prejudices. Gaev considers himself an aristocrat and the habit of looking down on such businessmen from ordinary people is in his blood, and nothing can be done about it.

When Gaev returned from the auction at which the estate was sold, he was literally depressed by this event, and tears froze in his eyes. But as soon as he heard the sounds of cue blows on the balls, then all his sadness was taken away from him. And all because this hero is not capable of deep feelings.

Conclusion

And now we come to the final and rather sad moment in the play "The Cherry Orchard". Gaev (a characterization of the character according to Chekhov) presented the final stage of the evolution of the nobility. With it, he closed the chain of images of the nobles created by him throughout his entire literary life. These images of highly educated aristocrats proved incapable of defending their interests and ideals, they were the heroes of their time who had the weakness to allow the likes of Lopakhin to take over.

In the analysis of the theme "The Cherry Orchard". Gaev: Characteristics ”it should be noted that by bringing the image of Gaev to a caricature, Chekhov showed how much the nobles had become smaller. On this occasion, the writer had to listen to a lot of criticism of the aristocracy, which accused him of ignorance of their circle. But this is not enough for Chekhov, because he wanted to create not a comedy, but a farce, which, in principle, he did very well.

Well, in order to fully understand the meaning of this work, we note that in the play "The Cherry Orchard" distinguishing feature- this is Chekhov's symbolism, where the main and central character is not a human character, but the image of a cherry orchard, as a symbol of noble life. At the end of the play, the cherry orchard is cut down, so the noble nests, old Russia, where the Ranevskys and Gaevs lived, was outliving itself.

Chekhov seemed to foresee everything in advance, all subsequent events and upheavals that his country would soon have to go through, but which, alas, he did not have time to see. The Cherry Orchard was one of the last works of the great classic Anton Pavlovich Chekhov.

One of the main characters of the work is Gaev Leonid Andreevich, the brother of the main characters of the owner of the estate Ranevskaya.

The writer presents Gaev as a lonely fifty-year-old man, a landowner who does not have a family of his own, living in an old estate under the care of old Firs, who lowered his family fortune due to an idle lifestyle in the form of a favorite pastime - playing billiards.

Characteristic features of the hero are his aristocratic education, combined with a weak-willed nature, which is expressed in the inability and unwillingness to make important life decisions, to defend one's own position. But at the same time, Gaev is distinguished by artistry and sincerity in expressing his thoughts, as well as sentimentality and romanticism.

Participating in conversations, Leonid Andreevich is verbose, often rants not on the merits of the conversation, and sometimes he himself notices that he is talking off topic and inappropriately inserts expressions that are not entirely clear to his interlocutors.

Gaev is characterized by a loving attitude towards his household and relatives, he sincerely cares for the happiness of his sister and his nieces, hoping to successfully marry one of the girls, Anna, to a worthy and wealthy nobleman. Gaev is very attached to the old Firs, he cannot do without him even while preparing for bed, but at the end of the play he does not even remember the old man.

Naively believing that it is possible to save the estate from sale and preserve the cherry orchard, which is of great importance to him, however, as well as to all family members, Gaev dreams of receiving an unrealistic inheritance. In fact, Leonid Andreevich does not want to realize the fait accompli of the loss of the family estate, although he says goodbye to the garden with tears in his eyes, but deep feelings and suffering are not characteristic this hero. Therefore, he enters the service with a small annual salary in the men's club, although, according to his relatives and the merchant Lopakhin, Gaev's work will not last long, since Leonid Andreevich is not disciplined for work and is lazy.

Describing the image of Gaev in the play, the writer caricaturely reveals the essence of the devastation of the noble class of that time, the spinelessness and lack of initiative of the aristocracy, idealizing the ongoing events, which are already being actively replaced by representatives of commerce and business merchants in the form of Lopakhin, striving for a dominant position in society.

Option 2

Gaev Leonid Alekseevich is one of the heroes of the play by the great Russian writer and playwright Anton Pavlovich Chekhov "The Cherry Orchard". In his image, as in Ranevskaya, the author depicted the past of Russia. He is a representative of the nobility, an aristocrat, while, wanting to show that their time is over, the author purposefully makes Gaev a ruined landowner.

Gaev is already 51 years old, but at the same time he is absolutely not independent. The old servant Firs still dresses and undresses him like a little child, carefully watching that the master does not catch a cold. Gaev is infinitely lazy. When the question arises of selling the Cherry Orchard at auction, he only makes long pompous solemn speeches, swearing that under no circumstances will he allow the sale ... But that's all. In practice, no action was taken, and even a feeble attempt to do something. Gaev is an example of pure selfishness. Caring only for himself, he doesn't really care what happens to the Cherry Orchard. At the end of the play, he forgets about the old devoted servant Firs.

Gaev's hobby is playing billiards, besides he likes to eat candy. Passion for the game and sweet emphasizes the infantilism of the character. After the sale of the garden, Leonid Alekseevich will get a job in a bank, but no one believes that this will be for a long time. Everyone knows his inconstancy and laziness.

Chekhov contrasts Gaev with Lopakhin, who is a typical representative merchants of that time. Leonid Alekseevich speaks badly of Lopakhin, considers him a boor and a rude man. Rejects his business proposal to rent the Cherry Orchard for dachas, which in reality could save the garden, referring to the mythical vulgarity of such a deal. At the same time, Gaev does not consider it shameful to beg for money from others. In the play, he says that it would be good to go to the aunt-countess - to ask for money to cover debts or to receive an inheritance, or to marry a rich man Anya - his niece

The purpose of creating The Cherry Orchard was to reflect the division of society of that time into the past (Ranevskaya, Gaev), the present (Lopakhin) and the future of Russia (Petya Trofimov, Anya). Gaev is an image of the obsolete noble past of Russia. He is helpless and absolutely not adapted to modern life.

Composition The image and characteristics of Gaev

The play The Cherry Orchard is still relevant, many characters are written incredibly textured and represent collective images various human types. One of the main characters in action is Leonid Andreevich Gaev, who throughout his existence was a landowner and was always ready for anything. When it's time for a new time and there is a need, Gaev does not know what to do.

In fact, you need to consider this hero as the antithesis of Lopakhin and vice versa. Gaev from birth was in bliss, he was constantly taken care of and accustomed to prosperity and habits of people of the upper class. In turn, Lopakhin is a man, as they say in America, "who made himself." He is somewhat similar, for example, to Stolz from Goncharov's novel, he is also active, mostly a materialist who strives to achieve everything.

Gaev is a spacious and mostly dreamy, inactive nature. He literally cannot take care of his property himself, but can only think about how good it would be to receive some kind of indulgence, some kind of contentment from other people. Having lived like this until the age of 50, he can no longer choose anything else, and only at the end of the play do we learn about how Leonid Andreevich gets a job as an employee in a bank.

As Lopakhin says, Gaev will not be able to hold out at this job, as he is very lazy and this really makes sense. Lopakhin, of course, in many ways treats the landowner contemptuously and does not miss the opportunity to hook him, but he gives very clear definitions that correspond to reality.

It seems to me that in the image of Gaev, Chekhov portrayed the crisis of the aristocratic class and the crisis among the landowners.

As you know, in order to maintain power, one should have clear and firm convictions, as well as the ability to defend these convictions in fact. Leonid Andreevich, in turn, is an aristocrat only nominally, he is a landowner by inheritance, but in fact he could not achieve the privileges that he possesses.

In my opinion, the figure of Gaev is sad and even tragic to some extent, although he does not arouse sympathy.

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