These are people who could not adjust to the new, repressive form of life. Chekhov's reputation rests on his realism. His realism derives from his portraits of his characters' lives in all their daily minutia. The bustling arrivals provide a perfect dramatic means for bringing all the characters together and filling in the details of their lives. The Cherry Orchard , for example, begins with the gaiety surrounding Ranevskaya's arrival ends with a melancholy thud at her departure.
Chekhovian dialogue is similar to counterpoint in music.
Characters talk from within the shell of their own miseries. Chekhov was a great sound effects artist, though the most typically symbolic sounds are off-stage. Nature and Time's passing are also strong symbolic presences in Chekhov territory. Blooming trees bring a synchronous blossoming of childhood memories. Announcements relating to the passing of time are everywhere.