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. He dramatized what he saw, without making any judgments or expecting to effect any social changes.