For WEM
project, I will only work on the first and second level inquiries for this
play. You can also check my Acts summaries to get a clearer picture of
what it’s about. This post is the first level, the grammar stage.
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What is the initial
question or tension?
From the
beginning of Act one the talks about the estate’s sale has been emerged, so I
think it’s no longer whether it’s going to be sold, but rather: What will happen (to everyone) if the cherry
orchard were sold in the auction?
Where is the point of
greatest tension?
The greatest
tension is in the party, when people are
waiting for Gaev to get the confirmation of the auction’s outcome; of who
finally gets the estate. There is a slight hope that Gaev—Lubov’s brother—might
be able to buy it because an aunt has granted him the money. The tension is so intense
here, because each of their faith will depend on the outcome.
Where does the play’s
action reach its climax?
When Lopakhin is stating that it’s he who
bought the estate. With this new fact, it is inevitable that Lubov and Gaev
will be cut off from their root of history (representing by the cherry
orchard), Varya’s life is ruined. She lost a job (she has been the estate’s
manager), and probably lost chance to get a marriage proposal (I don’t think
she would still want to marry Lopakhin—if he’d really propose—after he showed
arrogance about buying the estate). On the other hand, Anya would be free to
leave the cherry orchard which she did not love anymore, to marry Trofimov. So,
everybody’s future is changed by this fact.
Where is the
resolution?
In Act V, when the door is locked after everyone left
the house (everyone except Fiers). Locking the door is like locking their
previous life, and now they would emerge to a new future (still unknown to few
people).
What holds the play’s
action together?
Attachment with the past; how people
used to irrationally let themselves bound to their past and refuse to let it
go, to welcome a new era.
~~~~~~~
Just read the play.. I love your analysis Fanada. And as you said, there was a big surprise at the end, Hahaha.. What I appreciate particulary is the psychological aspect, and the realistic depiction of the characters. It shows how memories are not mere objective facts, but emotionally laden and they trigger emotions in us. Thanks for encouraging me to read it.. I intend to watch the movie too:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtrbZx6AOxQ
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