Literature: The Cherry Orchard, The Heart of Darkness, and The American

There are a variety of themes and conflicts in Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, Conrad's The Heart of Darkness, and James' The American. In Chekhov's drama, we find conflicts of class, economics, and relationships. In Conrad's tale of Africa we are provided with the eternal conflicts between white and black, good and evil, and light and dark. In James' novel of an American traveling in Europe, we also see class and culture conflict, conflicts of economics, and relationship conflict. This analysis will explore the major characters in each of these works while focusing on a conflict that is central in each. A conclusion will focus on exploring one theme that is central to all three works, the notion that culturally imposed values generate conflict.

In Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard, the main characters include Madame Ranevsky, owner of the cherry orchard; Yermolai Lopakhin, her neighbor; Leonid Gayef, her brother, Ranevsky's two daughters Barbara and Anya; and Peter Trophimof. The play unfolds against the backdrop of the liberation of the serfs. Madame Ranevsky returns home to her cherry orchard estate. She is returning from France where her abusive lover stole from her and left her. She has enormous debts and is threatened with losing the cherry orchard. Lopakhin is a former serf who has become successful and wealthy. Gayef is Ranevsky's brother who refuses to accept the dire situation they are in, living off of his family's fortune. Wh

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hen the pressing need arose, could not be found under his magnificent eloquence," (Conrad 1928, 131). Marlow is certain that the wilderness had allowed Kurtz to discover things about himself that he did not know until his prolonged solitude. Whatever it is that he has learned makes him compelled to join the tribe based on his animal instincts. Because his soul did not know restraint Kurtz was driven irresistibly to the darkness. Until Marlow discovers what Kurtz is all about, he believes Kurtz' lofty eloquence may be able to take away some of the mystery regarding darkness. However, Marlow only finds a man with a weak soul who allowed absolute power and control of the masses to corrupt him. For all his lofty speeches and reversion to instinct, Kurtz does not talk with Marlow about profound mysteries. Instead Marlow is contemptuous of Kurtz because much of the time he talks about dreams of fame and fortune. Marlow realizes, that for all of Kurtz' virtuous platitudes, he is no more virtuous or lofty than any other explorer whose exploitative adventures have material motives, "Sometimes he was contemptibly childish. He desired to have kings meet him at railway-stations on his return from some ghastly nowhere, where he intende

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