Arguably Firs is the character that suffers the most
tragic ending out of all of the characters in this excellent play. Let us remember that
Firs is presented as a faithful servant to the Ranevsky family, so faithful in fact that
even after the emancipation of the serfs he willingly opts to stay with them and work
for them. However, in spite of his loyalty and dedication, at the end of the play, after
all the other characters have left the estate to meet their new futures, Firs enters and
realises that he has been forgotten and left behind. His lines as he contemplates his
fate are incredibly poignant and severely question the purpose of his
life:
Life has
slipped away as if I haven't
lived.
The play ends as he
lies down on a sofa, dejected at his fate. He, like the Cherry Orchard itself, has come
to represent an outdated anachronism that has no place in the modern Russia, and is left
with no future.
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