The Cherry Orchard (1903)
ACT Three (2)
GROUP REPORT Andrea Ellen Joyce Starry Evita
Designed and Complied by BUCK LEE
In this act, the theme is greatly different from the first act. At the beginning of this story, people were all excited and nervous waiting for the coming of Lyubov. Lopahin was so excited to persuade her to sell the cherry orchard. Because of Lopahin's amazing behavior, buying the cherry orchard, he didn't need to persuade Lyubov to sell it any more but became the owner of the orchard. All the people were going to leave the place that they had lived for long. They were leaving away for different directions. Some went to Paris with Lyubov, Gaev was going to be a bank clerk and Varya was a housekeeper. In the latter part, they were indulged in gloom of leaving, though they were trying to comfort each other by saying that they were going to have new lives. Especially, when Lyubov said " We are going and not a soul will be left here.(p.1372)" and "Oh, my orchard!-my sweet, beautiful orchard! My life, my youth, my happiness, good-bye! Good-bye!(1373)", it strongly showed that she was very reluctant to leave. The only happy person was Lopahin because he urged people to leave for many times and though he was also going to leave but he would soon came back to build his visit villas. Moreover, in the beginning of this act Lopahin had a conversation with Trofimov. Outwardly, Trofimov was giving Lopahin advice and Lopahin was kind-hearted to give money to help him but actually they were arguing with each other. In the conversation, it showed apparently that Lopahin was teasing on Tropahin that he was only a poor student and Tropahin scorned Lopahin for a rich peasant. In this act, everyone was not happy about Lopahin's buying the cherry orchard and it told that he was ready to earn a lot of money by that. There was also sound of cutting off the cherry trees. The author wrote it seemingly to express they had to leave as soon as possible or it would make them more uncomfortable. The last thing was that after they were all gone, then Firs appeared lonely. According the words that Firs said, maybe it showed that the cherry orchard like him was going to be forgotten. And the cherry orchard was destroyed to be a visit villas.
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1. audible (P.1366)
*Meaning: A sound that is loud enough to be heard.
*Origin: On the left the door is open, and from here the voices of VARYA and ANYA are audible.
2. fretting (P.1367)
*Meaning: It means that someone worry about something.
*Origin: I 've been wasting all my time gossiping with you and fretting with no work to do.
3. Profitable (P.1367)
*Meaning: An organization and practice makes a profit.
*Origin: You will take up your profitable labors again.
4. Stale (P.1367)
*Meaning: It has become boring because it is always the same.
*Origin: Do think of something newer than that-that's stale and flat.
5. nasty (P.1368)
*Meaning: If you described something as nasty, you mean it is unattractive, undesirable, or in bad taste.
*Origin: Take the nasty things!
6. bluntly (P.1368)
*Meaning: You will say something exactly what you think without trying to be polite.
*Origin: I am a peasant-I speak bluntly.
7. fluttering (P.1368)
*Meaning: If something thin or light, it moves up and down or from side to side with a lot of quick, light movements.
*Origin: It's like so much fluff fluttering in the air.
8. adjoining (P.1369)
*Meaning: If one room, place, or object adjoins another, they are next to each other.
*Origin: [From the adjoining room.]
9. irrevocably (P.1369)
*Meaning: Some decisions, actions or changes cannot be changed or reversed.
*Origin: When once the question was settled conclusively, irrevocably, we all felt calm and even cheerful.
10.estate (P.1369)
*Meaning: An estate is a large area of land in the country which is owned by a person, family, or organization.
*Origin: I can live there on the money your Yaroslavl auntie sent us to buy the estate with-hurrah for auntie.
11.freak (P.1370)
*Meaning: Someone is physically abnormal in some way.
*Origin: The freak of nature!
12.trotting (P.1370)
*Meaning: You move fairly fast at a speed between walking and running, taking small quick steps.
*Origin: I can't stay¡KI must be trotting on.
13.agitation (P.1370)
*Meaning: If someone is in a state of agitation, they are very worried or upset, and shoe this in their behavior, movements, or voice.
*Origin: What! [In agitation.] Why to the town?
14.anxiety (P.1371)
*Meaning: It is a feeling of nervousness or worry.
*Origin: My other anxiety is Varya. She is used to getting up early and working.
15.confess (P.1371)
*Meaning: You use expressions to apologize slightly for admitting something you are ashamed of or that you think might offend or annoy someone.
*Origin: I don't understand it myself, I confess.
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Setting
We can see at the beginning, the scene description that there are neither curtains on the windows nor pictures on the walls. The furniture is piled up in the corner. These show a sense of desolation, as the description says. They also give the audiences a feeling of loneliness that nothing is going to remain there. People who have been living in the house are leaving, and things they have used are also going with them. The atmosphere of home has disappeared, and the house is going to become empty. The packed trunks and traveling bags waiting outside seem to hurry people. At the end, the scene description shows that the stage is already empty and returns to silence. It seems that all people and things have gone, and there is only their story remaining in the audiences' minds. Sound effects
Sound Effect
On pages 1368 and 1373, we can hear the stroke of an ax on a tree, which shows that trees are being cut down. Things in Cherry orchard are being moved away, destroyed and replaced. The sound of the ax on the tree seems to be the clock counting backwards and reminds people to leave quickly. The changing of the scenery also reminds the audiences the changing of society. Upper class people has been cut down and been replaced by the newly middle class people risen in a short time. The social class has been kicked out and has been cut down like the tree. Finally, the stage returns to silence. These give the audiences an impression that all people and things are gone, and their memories are gone with them.
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Madame Ranevasky: As we know, she's the woman who spent her money senseless. She doesn't aware of his lack of money. Even it's needed to sell his villas to pay her debts, she still doesn't care. But actually, we think that she acknowledges her financial difficulties in her mind, but she pretends not to care about it because she doesn't want to face the cruel truth. According to what she says" it seems as though I have never seen before what the walls, what the ceilings in this house were like, and now I look at them with greediness, with such tender love."(p.1372) It reveals that she still has lots of memories of this Cherry Orchard, she doesn't want to sell, but she is forced to do so because of her debts. Besides, she says " We are going, and not a soul will be left here (p.1372) also shows her unwillingness to leave because she thought that the souls of the house will all gone with their left.
Lopahin: At the beginning, we think he is the man who always abases himself because of his family class. Through the whole play, he keeps on reminding his low social status, such as " why turn up your nose? I am peasant - I speak bluntly"(p.1368). It seems that he feels inferior to everyone in this play. Therefore, after he becomes rich, he is willing to give money to people who are considered to short of money by him, such as Trofimov:" Let me give you some money for the journey, if you need it.' We think it is kind of embarrassing for Trofimov and Madame Ranevasky's family because it seems that is is the only way which makes he become superior than the other people. He is the richest one among them. Somehow, we think it is his compensatory behavior toward them.
Firs: Although he doesn't appear for a long time in this act, but definitely, he plays an important role in this act-because he ends this ply. From what he says at the end of this play (p.1373), we think he's not only a responsible and loyal valet, but also a witness of history. He saw the family from strong to weak. This play ends with his feeling of his old ages, it also refers to the ending of this Cherry Orchard.
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We think there are two main contrasts in this play. The first one is the contrast of social status, the second one is the contrast between past and now. In our opinion, we think this play is somewhat like the competition between royal class and general class. Through the description of the royal family's becoming weaker and weaker, we can know some further details about realistic world at that time from the play. In fact, the noble class is becoming weaker and weaker, but they can't face this truth, they still think they are in the front ranks. Although it can't be denied that they belongs to the royal status, the truth is still obvious - they don't have money, all they have are fame and royal name. They don't have something concrete, something can support their live. Al they want is to enjoy the life as what they did in the past, but they don't consider their situation and social changes. Their thoughts are actually far behind the real world. Secondly, it is the contrast between past and now. Undoubtedly, this family has a happy old life in the Cherry Orchard. After the Cherry Orchard is sold, they have to face a new life. Just as what Anya says " Good-bye to the old life!"(p.1373) and Trofimov says " Welcome to the new life!". And the most obvious expression is at the end of this play, what the Firs says, "Life has slopped by as though I hadn't lived. There's no strength in you, nothing left you, all gone! I'm good for nothing"(p.1373). We think Firs stands for the old times, the same as the Cherry Orchard. When the young people leave to chase for a new life, he will be forgotten, just as the old day, as the Cherry Orchard.
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