The Cherry Orchard Reality, Illusion, and Foolish Pride

The Cherry Orchard: Reality, Illusion, and Foolish Pride Chandler Friedman English 231 Dr. Clark Lemons In the plays The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov, A Dolls House by Henrik Ibsen, and Galileo by Bertolt Brecht, the protagonists mental beliefs combine reality and illusion that both shape the plot of each respective story. The ability of the characters to reject or accept an illusion, along with the foolish pride that motivated their decision, leads to their personal downfall. In The Cherry Orchard, by Anton Chekhov, Gayev and Miss Ranevsky, along with the majority of their family, refuse to believe that their estate is close to bankruptcy. Instead of accepting the reality of their problem, they†¦show more content†¦The illusion is twisted. At the beginning of the play, Nora leads a life under the illusion that everything was perfect. She lives for eight years with the knowledge that she has broken the law, and betrayed her husband. Though it was necessary, the psychological toll it took on her and the family was hardly worthwhile. Along with Noras flaws, her husband was also at fault. He couldnt accept what Nora had done, and wouldnt have been able to deal with the extreme changes which she had undergone. His pride wouldnt let him accept that he needed a woman to help him; that he couldnt handle everything alone without the help of another person (This ÂÅ'stoic male ideal has lead to the downfall of many men). His self-confidence would not have been strong enough to take that kind of blow to his ego. If she had forced her husband into handling the situation, by having him borrow money himself, everything would have turned out fine. She, instead, took out the loan on her own, and didnt even clue in her husband. She tried to avoid having his pride injured by forcing him to borrow money, even though it was necessary to save his life. From this experience she grew. She learned about human nature, and about the value of money, and had even learned a lesson of practicality. Instead of clueing in her husband about what she had done, (the final step in the maturation process she had undergone -- being able to accept blame) she