The Cherry Orchard

     Throughout The Cherry Orchard, Anton Chekhov continues to bring up the characters urge to return to the past. The character that expresses this need the most is Liubov, who continually brings up the past. Liubov feels guilt and sorrow for the tragic events that have occurred, such as the death of her son and her former love running away with all of her earnings. Liubov also brings up numerous times how wasteful she is with money and feels guilt that she is now losing the cherry orchard which is “a landmark!” (352). After returning to her childhood home, Liubov becomes overcome with emotions and says “If only I could shake off this weight I've been carrying so long. If only I could forget my past!” (355).

     Other characters also deal with feelings of wanting to return to the past. The play ends with Firs sitting alone in the Liubov's former house. While reflecting on what has happened he says “it's all over now, and I never even had a life to live” (385). Unlike Liubov who lived her life only worrying about her needs and not the well being of anyone, not even herself, Firs realizes that he has spent his entire life dedicating himself to others.

     Just as the characters of The Cherry Orchard, there is still the desire to return to the past. Everyone wishes that they could go back to their past and fix their mistakes. This is an aspect of life that will never change, as everyone makes mistakes and is regretful of something that has occurred in their past.