Introduction
The play's entirety is amassed and centred around the title it posses both figuratively and in literal sense. The title of the play is significant in a sense because it helps a reader to get a slight idea of what the play is all about. The Cherry Orchard in the play holds its importance differently among different characters that we'll discuss in detail below. But first, let's make it clear how is the Cherry Orchard in the play.
A Brief Overview of the Cherry Orchard
As the name of this play suggests, the setting of this play mostly revolves around The Cherry Orchard that is vaguely present in the play. In fact, it does not even take place in the said orchard. As for its size, Lopakhin gives us the hint that it might be 2,500 acres long. A railway line runs by it. It boasts a large cluster of Cherry trees. Due to its massive size, it serves as a defining factor for the Lyobov family in Russia. Despite its notable importance, it does not exist concretely in the play. Yet its integrity is asserted by many characters.
Importance of The Cherry Orchard for Lyubov Family
The Cherry Garden is of great significance for the Lyobov family in particular. It is regarded as a symbol of their memories of the past. Lyubov recalls her days of the past as thus,
Oh, my childhood, days of my innocence! In this nursery I used to sleep; I used to look out from here into the orchard.
But the Cherry Orchard could also serve as financial support to clear out their debts as advised by Lopakhin but Lyubov could not see the permanent financial value of it.
The Cherry Orchard for the Serf Class
The symbol of the Cherry Orchard is also a symbol of memory for the working class. It is a cold recollection of their slavery. In fact, the orchard grew its trees through the continuous hard work of the serfs who could not go against the will of their masters. Trofimov shows his disdain for the Orchard as below,
Think, Anya, your grandfather, your great-grandfather, and all your ancestors were serf-owners, they owned living souls; and now, doesn’t something human look at you from every cherry in the orchard, every leaf and every stalk? Don’t you hear voices...? Oh, it’s awful, your orchard is terrible.
Trofimov, the teacher claims that the whole Russia is their orchard. Thus proclaiming the financial independence of the serfs from the hands of their ruling class. The cutting of the Cherry trees also denotes a farewell to the old system of slavery and a new begining of opportunities.
Conclusion
The Cherry Orchard can be a symbol of oppression or of sweet memories. But it is a striking symbol and an agent of change which does not side with its owner but with the flow of time. The Cherry Orchard is not limited to the estate once Lyubov and then Lopakhin owned, but as Trofimov puts it, "The whole Russia is our Orchard". Thus signalling at the socialist growth of humanity.
Sources and Suggested Readings
https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/literature/cherry-orchard/analysis/title
