In "The Cherry Orchard," Chekhov creates very dramatic, yet often ironic, moods and uses a great deal of symbolism to get his points across through each act of the play. When the play opens Yermolay Lopahin is awaiting the arrival of Lubov Ranevskaya, the owner of the estate and orchard, after a five year absence from the estate. The cherry trees are in full bloom even though there is a wintry frost outside. From the moment that Ranevskaya arrives, the reader is well aware of the emotional significance that the cherry orchard has on Ms. Ranevskaya. She describes the "nursery" as being "heavenly" and making her feel as if she was "a little girl again.".
Ms. Ranevskaya left the estate shortly after the death of her husband and the drowning of her son because "it was too much for her." She has a reputation of being a "loose" spender, and has thus put her assets and family possessions in danger. The estate will be auctioned on August 22 to help cover the debts that she has accumulated. Mr. Lopahin suggests that the cherry orchard be removed, and replaced with cottages that can be leased to relieve her debts. She is highly offended by this suggestion, and does not even consider the option. It seems as if she is in denial about the current situation, and perhaps blind to the reality that she is going to potentially lose the estate all together. The cherry orchard symbolizes her childhood and young adulthood, a past of prosperity and wealth. The cherry orchard used to be managed by serfs owned by her family, and a huge source of income. She doesn't fear losing the orchard, but rather she fears losing the connection to her distant past.
The cherry orchard is also a reminder of Mr. Lopahin's past. However, his memories are quite different than those of Ms. Ranevskaya. He was the child of serfs owned by the Ranevskaya family, and therefore feels inferior to Lubov. The orchard reminds him Russia's oppressive past and of his peasant origins that he has struggled for so long to overcome.
