How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Act.Line). Every time a character talks counts as one line, even if what they say turns into a long monologue. We used Julius West's translation.
Quote #7
TROFIMOV. Who knows? And what does it mean--you'll die? Perhaps a man has a hundred senses, and when he dies only the five known to us are destroyed and the remaining ninety-five are left alive. (2.102)
Trofimov presents an alternate version of life after death. His ideas are inspired by science, not religion.
Quote #8
GAEV [Not loudly, as if declaiming] O Nature, thou art wonderful, thou shinest with eternal radiance! Oh, beautiful and indifferent one, thou whom we call mother, thou containest in thyself existence and death, thou livest and destroyest. (2.111)
Again, Gaev gives a ridiculous, inappropriate speech that nonetheless provides context. Despite Gaev's personal attachment to the cherry orchard and the estate, in this moment he recognizes his own minuteness. In the vastness of time and nature, his desires don't matter.