Thank you Gaev

The first three acts of The Cherry Orchard are pretty much the same. There is a family with economical problems and they have to sell their cherry orchard. While this problem happens each character narrates to us their individual problems although they have no relation whatsoever to the other problem. The characters complicate themselves. Instead of looking for solutions they complain and complicate the selling of the orchard more than it is.

In act III the solution to the problem arrives but of course the characters don´t see it that way. Lyubov asks “is the cherry orchard sol?” and Lopahin, who had bought says “it is sold” (105). She was devastated since it only hit her in that moment that she had lost her orchard. The drama continues until Varya decides to look on the bright side and says, “A new life is beginning mamma”(112). Finally the character decide to leave the problem behind and forget about it. Chekhov makes this clear when Gaev says, yes, really, everything is all right now. Before the cherry orchard was sold, we were all worried and wretched, but afterwards, when once the question was settled conclusively, irrevocably, we all felt calm and even cheerful. I am a bank clerk now-I am financier-cannon off the red. And you Lyuba, after all, you are looking better, there´s no question of that” (112). The solution was the one they were avoiding all along.

Varya and Gaev experience anagnorisis. Like all the characters they were attached to the problem, but once it was sold and there was no other option they realized that was the key to pull them out id their depression. Since the play is absurd and monotonous, this is Chekhov making fun of us again. We often have problems and disagree with the solution that will be the best. Firs finishes the play with a line that I think is a little exaggerated but then again it´s Chekhov. He says, “life has slipped by as though I hadn’t lived”. That is anagnorisis again. And applies to the reality that Chekhov portrays. We often get to attached to our problems and we may end up like Firs “god for nothing”. (117)

So Random, So Funny

My favorite movies are full of clichés. Today for example I saw Valentine´s Day on the plane. The movie tells the story about different couples and how they are related with each other. I usually don´t enjoy those movies that are random and somewhat stupid that apparently are made to make people laugh. The only one that I enjoyed and laughed from the beginning till the end was the Hangover. That movie revolves around a plot. One guy is married and decides to go to Vegas for his bachelor party. He goes with four friends and they encounter obstacles through the trip. But those complications were not normal things like the airline lost my luggage, they were pointless and random. They were so drunk that one of the guys the responsible, got married to an prostitute and lost a tooth. That same morning when they woke up there was a baby waiting outside their hotel door and a tiger in bath room. Those things are not common you would not expect them to happen to you but you laugh when you see them.

I know that different people have different taste and what may be funny for you may not be funny for some one else but I have seen that absurd and random things usually make us laugh. The Cherry Orchard is a comedy that in my opinion reflects the reality of a family´s life. Reading it I did not find it funny, instead I though it was confusing. The play is full of characters and each of them narrate their own problems. When I got home, after I saw Valentine´s Day I saw act III of The Cherry Orchard and I laughed. Reading the play I was bored and then I found myself laughing at the same thing. I realized that what I was reading was meant to be watched, I am sure that if I read the script of the Hangover before watching the movie it would have been the same thing, the tiger in the bathroom would have just been absurd but when I saw the character’s face while looking at the tiger I could not control my laughter. The same thing happened with the play. When I read that Charlotta says “ Here´s a pack of cards. Think of any you like.” (96) it was ridiculous to me. They were all united waiting for the verdict of the auction and she decides to make magic tricks with cards. In the video it was different. Although it was still random it was funny because you see the way the characters reacted. All of sudden Lyubov enters the room with a worried face but when Charlotta takes out her deck of cards everyone forgets the worry and start laughing and enjoying themselves. Pishtchik also made me laugh, he was stressed out because he must pay “ the day after to-morrow 310 roubles” (95) but was enjoying himself very much laughing, clapping his hands and telling Charlotta he loved her. Things change again when Lyubov and Trimonov were discussing his relationship with Anya. They were frustrated and mad but all of sudden “Petya´s fallen downstairs” (100), the fall makes no sense but how random it was made it funny at least for me.

So there are different types of comedy and each approaches each viewer in a different way. And although The Cherry Orchard does not fall into my top five funniest movies, I do admit that I laughed at how random Chekov portrays his characters. He doesn´t make them do or say funny things but the story is funny. How a family is suffering because they have to sell their proudest possession but meanwhile each character has different problems that they share with everyone else even if they or are not interested in them. And how while those things happen random acts appear in the play that distract the character and makes the viewer (reader) laugh. It is those acts of randomness that makes The Cherry Orchard a comedy. It is reflecting our reality and we encounter random acts everyday that also makes us laugh even if we have problems like the people in the play.

P.S Here´s the tiger scene I have talking about.

Just Like My Family

It was an ordinary Sunday. Bertha was sitting in her big arm chair reading the paper while Joaquin walked from side to side across the room with his arms crossed at his back. They were waiting for the clock to strike twelve to go take a shower and wait until their children came to have lunch.

BERTHA: Joaquin go take a shower, you know you take forever shaving.

JOAQUIN: Later.

BERTHA: Now or they will get here and you won´t be ready.

(Without saying a word and walking very slowly Joaquin leaves the room and goes to the bathroom. Bertha finishes the paper and goes to her bathroom. She comes out before Joaquin showered and ready, sits in her arm chair and reads another paper.)

(The doorbell rings. Myriam opens the door)

CLAUDIA: Hi mother. (kiss on the cheek)

BERTHA: (with a frowned face) Ahh I told your father he would not be ready. That indolent old man. Did my granddaughters come?

CLAUDIA: yes, they must be in the kitchen. (sits down on the couch, looks closely at some reading glasses on the table) I remember when my grandfather first bought those, it was such along time ago. Do you remember mother?

(Bertha was not there she had gone to the kitchen) (doorbell rings)

LUCIA: lulii lulii! Where are you? (with her Joaco, Marcela, Carmen, and Emilia also arrive)

JOACO: Hey Claudia. Do you know what medicine to take for a bad knee ache?

CLAUDIA: Why what happened?

JOACO: Oh nothing I was jogging and it started hurting. Just like last year while running the marathon and I had to stop when I was missing just a mile, probably I won´t be able to run it this year.

(doorbell rings) (Enters Paula, John, Matilde, Thomas, and Juliana)

(Matilde goes to play with Emilia while Thomas turns on the T.V and watches the football game)

PAULA: Does anyone know at what time does Jorge come?

BERTHA (Lifting her head from the paper) he told me he would be here at 1: 30.

JOHN: well its already 2:00 he probably got caught up playing golf. Tommy don´t sit to close to the T.V.

(Thomas ignores his fathers order.)

(Myriam walks to the living room)

MYRIAM: Señora Bertha what should I do for lunch?

BERTHA: I don’t know Myriamsita. Isa what do you want for lunch?

ISABELLA: Luli I ate pasta yesterday so…

MYRIAM(laughs and interrupts Isabella) Ayy Señora Bertha I forget to tell you, my sister say thank you for the money you sent her over Christmas.

BERTHA: Oh ok I am glad.

ISABELLA: you should do fish for lunch with French fries but do it fast please because I am starving.

BERTHA: Isa do you want to have lunch with me on Wednesday? We can to this new Peruvian restaurant, and tell your boyfriend to come.

ISABELLA: yes Luli I would love to!

BERTHA: when will your sister get a boyfriend huh? I remember my first boyfriend (smiles) she was called Felipe and used to give me roses every Tuesday.

CARMEN: Isa I have to go the bathroom.

(Isabella gets up from the couch leaves Bertha speaking alone and takes Carmen to the bathroom)

MYRIAM: (yells from the kitchen) Go to the dining room! Lunch is ready.

(they all stop what they are doing and go have lunch) (while all are sitting down at the table the doorbell rings 4 times)

(Myriam opens the door and enters Jorge)

JORGE: Hello everybody! Ok I have a proposition (almost screaming and very excited)

JOAQUIN: (entered the dining room after Jorge) Kuibo Jorge.

ANDREA: what´s the proposition tell us!

JORGE: we should all, the 4 us buy a house in Colorado, that way we can go in the summer and ski every winter.

( all start talking at the time) (Juan laughs really hard)

JUAN: are you serious?

CLAUDIA: think about honey, the girls would love it.

JORGE: it would be great! Just like when I was college me and my friends we would go skiing every weekend.

JOHN: I think its a great idea I am in.

MARCELA: Joaco say yes. We can make amazing trips and invite all our friends plus the girls love it.

JOACO: Marcelita you come from Palmira, please let me decide.

JORGE: I already looked it up it´s very expensive if we divide the cost in four and we rent it the times that were are not using it.

ISABELLA: yes! Jorgie buy it.

JUAN: considering we all have the other two farms it would be a waste of money.

(everyone ignores Juan´s comment)

JOAQUIN: I will you half the money and you four divide the rest.

(everyone stays quiet and keep eating their lunch)

BERTHA: don´t be stupid if your father will give you half the money buy it now!

The Cherry Orchard is different to compared to the other plays I have read. In his writing he incorporates lots of detail while the characters narrate different aspects of their life. As I read act ii I could not help but think of my family. Of course my dialogue above is quite different from Chekhov´s but it shares one thing, not all the events that occur lead to the end of the story. We were deciding weather to buy a house or not and while that decision was taking place each person on my family did something. In Chekhov´s play they have to convince Lyubov to sell the cherry orchard. But meanwhile that takes place Charlotta tells us her past life while she “(takes a cucumber out of her pocket and eats)” (81). By doing those types of things Chekhov manages to portray reality to the point that I identified my family with his play. Each character represents an important part of the plot although he does not say much. For example in my family Carmen only speaks one time but it happens so its real, we should not hide just because its insignificant. At some point Epihodov says “ I´m a cultivated man, I read remarkable books of all sorts, but never make out the tendency I am myself precisely inclined for, weather to live or t shoot myself, speaking precisely, but nevertheless I always carry a revolver” (82). That has nothing to do with what the other characters are talking about. But if random comments do appear in real conversations then why not include it? Chekhov adds these sorts of details and absurd comments to support the reality he tries to portray.