Symbolism in Cherry Orchard

Symbolism is the practice or art of using an object or a word to represent an

abstract idea. An action, person, place, word, or object can all have a symbolic
meaning.
Symbolism is often used by writers to enhance their writing. Symbolism can
give a literary work more richness and color and can make the meaning of the
work deeper.
In literature, symbolism can take many forms, including:
 A figure of speech where an object, person, or situation has another
meaning other than its literal meaning
 The actions of a character, word, action, or event that have a deeper
meaning in the context of the whole Symbolism in The Cherry Orchard
The play is rich with various symbols, images to intensify the meanings the
play is conveying. The Cherry Orchard is a microcosm which represents entire
Russian society. The orchard is very beautiful because each tree represents the
soul of a serf.
The major symbols used in the play "The Cherry Orchard" are" the cherry
orchard, the nursery, the bookcase, dropped purse, breaking string, Varya's
keys, and Fier's death etc
1. The Cherry Orchard
The central symbol of "The Cherry Orchard" as the title suggests, is the
cherry orchard. It symbolizes different things to different people. To Ranevsky
the orchard is a symbol of the pride of her family and reminds her of her youth,
her childhood, her innocence and her mother. Trofimov's is reminded of
slavery of cruelty and of suffering associated with serfdom and hence he views
it from the political and moral angle. Lopakhin's approach towards the cherry
orchard is largely utilitarian but at a crucial juncture he reveals that it is a
symbol of serfdom, of suppression, oppression and humiliation for him and the
fact that he has purchased it ensures that it will be destroyed so that the
generation that spring form him may live in comfort, prosperity and dignity.
2. The Nursery
The nursery room in the Ranevsky estate may be for an outstanding person
without any implicit significance, but for Lopakhin and Ranvesky it is a
symbol for their childhood, background and past. It reminds Lopakhin of his
origins. It makes him aware that he is "just a peasant"; no matter how rich he
has become or how elegant he might be dressed, his social background still
remains visible for other people. After all, one "can't make a silk purse out of a
sow's ear", and his origins will be for good a part of his identity. For Ranvesky
the nursery room symbolizes her "innocent childhood". Being in this room, in
which "she used to sleep when she was little" seems to bring back to feel a part
of that secure, carefree life and makes her feel "little again".
3. The Bookcase
Generally, a bookcase symbolizes the various levels of mind where ideas,
concepts, and memories are kept. However, in this play, Gayev's 'relationship'
to the bookcase does not associate a particular personal memory with it. He
considers it an object which has its own personality. The way he sees it is
reminiscent of a hero, as it has for already hundred years "devoted itself to the
highest ideals of goodness and justice" and has never deceived anyone. Being
true to its "principles", it was a source, from which "several generations of
their family" have drawn courage and hope "in a better future". In the course of
time a lot of things have changed: some people are dead, Gayev and Ranvesky
got adolescent, and the state is going to be sold. However, the bookcase not
being subject to any rules or changes thus becomes for Gayev a symbol of
consistency and security.
4. Dropped Purse
The dropped purse is a symbol of Madam Ranevsky's spendthrift ways,
drop in social status and irresponsible behaviour. In Act 2, while Ranevsky is
outside with her brother Gayev and the wealthy merchant Lopakhin, she drops
her purse. Gold coins scatter about. Yasha, a young servant, picks up the coins.
The frivolous Madam Ranevsky remarks about how she has spent too much
money on lunch in town. Her dropped purse clearly symbolizes her drop in
social status through her loss of money and also posits her servant Yasha who
picks up the money as a thief, or at least parasite, who takes advantage of her
for his own financial gain. The scene also serves to bring home the idea of how
Ranevsky cannot hold her money, is utterly scattered-brained and
irresponsible.
5. Breaking String
The sound of breaking string is an auditory symbol of forgetting, and a
reminder of the family's dependence on slavery. It first is heard in the play
after Gayev gives a soliloquy on the eternity of nature. Fiers tells us it was
heard before, around the time the serfs were freed - a seminal event in Russian
history. It is last heard just as Fiers, the old manservant who functions as the
play's human connection to the past, passes away, and is juxtaposed against the
sound of an axe striking a cherry tree. With its simple image of breaking line,
the sound serves to unify the play's social allegory with its examination of
memory, providing more graphic counterpart to the Cherry's Orchard's
hovering, off-stage presence.
6. Varya's Keys
Literary, a key is a device used to open or close a lock such as in a door.
Thus keys are symbols of control, opening and closing. Varya is Madame
Ranevsky's adopted daughter who manages the household of the estate, the
Cherry Orchard. She always keeps a bunch of keys on her belt. Varya's keys
symbolize the control and order typifying her management of the estate,
qualities lacking Ranevsky and Gayev. When Lopakhin announces that he has
bought the estate, Varya takes her keys off her belt, throws them on the floor,
into the middle of the room and goes out. Her act of throwing down the keys
symbolizes that she is no longer the mistress here. The play ends with the
sound of keys being turned in the locks of the Cheery Orchard.
7. Firs' Death
Death is an inevitable part of life. There's a good amount of death in the
play. It is mentioned over and over. The memory of a dead son and husband
haunt Ranevsky. The clown threatens to kill himself. Departing family
describes the house as "at the end of its life". And though Chekhov is not
explicit about it, we are pretty sure we witness the death of the loyal old
servant Fiers; he is locked inside the house as it is boarded up and, in the
freezing cold, he has no chance of surviving. Fiers' death at the end of the play
symbolizes the passing of the old class system, the passing of the aristocracy's
reign on the cherry orchard, and the passing of a phase in Russian history. In
short, his death symbolizes the death of the old Russia.
There are other minor symbols that support the theme of the play. The setting
sun, tombstone, long abandoned little chapel and sad sound of the guitar
symbolize the decadence of aristocracy, change of Russian class system. The
furnished room/ house of 1st act changes into an empty room, having no
curtain in the window and no painting on the wall in the last act (IV), cutting
down cherry orchard in the final act are also symbols of decline of aristocracy.
The play has symbolic ending. The family has left for Paris. Firs, 84 years old
man is lying on the sofa. His motionless symbolizes the death of the
aristocracy. The stage is empty. The sound of a door while being locked is
heard. The sound of cutting of trees is overheard. Similarly, we see the crying
of snap strings mournfully dying. All these sad notes symbolically stand for
the phasing out of aristocracy.
Conclusion
The symbols in the play are too numerous to count, but many of them hinge
on the idea of the changing social order or the specific circumstances of a
given character. These symbols are strictly adhered to the conventions of
realism. These are mere incidental appendages to an to an essentially realistic
body. Moreover, there is a union of naturalism and symbolism. No matter,
what types of symbols are used, Chekhov, through these symbols, clearly
conveys the willful neglect and subsequent ruinous decay that within a few
short years would soon bring revolution to the bourgeois of Russia. In short,
the whole play is symbolic of an older age that was on its way out.