The cherry orchard analysis - Essay Example

The play does criticize the way people may take for granted what they have only for it to be taken away from them (Chekhov and Carnicke). Through themes such as cultural futility, social change and identity the play’s author critics how society acts so that it creates obstacles on the way to a full and satisfying human experience. The play does suggest that a fuller and more satisfying human experience is possible if only people would not look for ways to create obstacles to such an experience.

In the play the aristocratic family never really gets used to the idea of a changing society. They are still held onto their old way of thinking when serfdom flourished in Russia. The family identifies itself as an upper class society and they observe those norms set by society for such people. This lack of foresight causes the family to miss out on so many opportunities, and they end losing the one thing that would have made their lives better (6). If Madame Ranevky’s family had looked beyond their pride and societal class, they would have enjoyed a more fulfilling human experience.

The same thing applies to the freed serf Lopakhin who still could not shake off his past and this causes him to have a less fulfilling life than he would have had, considering his immense wealth. The issue of social change has been well articulated in the play. Chekhov delves into the theme of social change and how people deal with tensions that accompany changing times. When the pay was written, there were major changes happening within the Russian society as a whole. Serfdom had just been abolished and the rich aristocrats were now getting used to living a life without slaves and servants.

The wealthy aristocratic family featured in this play find themselves incapable of keeping up with this change, instead they hang onto what they have been used to as a serf owning family. Little do they realize that the longer they refuse to accept that society has changed, the more likely they are to suffer in future. Eventually, after neglecting their estate, which also had a cherry orchard, they are forced to move out and sell the property to a former servant (10). Had the family swallowed their pride and accepted their responsibility in the changing environment, they could have saved their property and lived a better and happier life.

Identity is another important theme that plays a central role in presenting how different members of society try to find satisfaction in their everyday lives. Identity in the society presented in the play can be categorized into two distinct groups: the upper class and the lower class, whose members are also seen as the lowly servant class. The members of each of these distinct groups try to create their own identity depending on their social status. The way in which the different characters identify themselves also has an impact on how happy and content they are.

For instance, Madame Ranevsky has enough wealth to give her a comfortable life, but she cannot reconcile herself to the fact that she now has to work hard to maintain her wealth. Although she is of the free, rich class, she lives a life of slavery; she is a slave to her own poor decisions and passions. Trophimof on the other hand, has created a unique identity for himself as a free man who is beholden to no one. He had established his own personal concept of morality and no one can take that away from