How we cite our quotes: (Act.Line)
Quote #7
VOYNITSKY:
[...] Here he is in retirement, and now one can see the sum total of his life: not a single page of his labours will survive him, he's completely unknown, he's nothing! A soap bubble! I was deceived… I see it—deeply deceived… (2.202-05)
He's talking about his favorite subject here: Serebryakov loves to hate, but Vanya's also revealing a lot about himself here. What should he care if Serebryakov is "nothing"? Well, because he has been riding on Serebryakov's coattails all these years, living vicariously through him and thinking that it would bring him some kind of satisfaction. Now Vanya must face the hard reality that everyone must find their own satisfaction.
Quote #8
VOYNITSKY: Age is neither here nor there. When one has no real life, one lives by mirages. It's still better than nothing. (2.258-59)
Hm. We're not sure about Vanya's idea here. He thinks that it's better to just go through life believing in false hopes than to face the fact that those hopes are false. He thought he'd be repaid for his loyalty to Serebryakov, but he was wrong. Maybe he should have faced reality a little sooner.
Quote #9
ASTROV: [...] Like your Uncle Vanya I'm dissatisfied with life, and we're both becoming grouches. (2.308-09)
What a lovely pair. Poor Sonya is growing up with an elderly, possibly nutty grandma, her grouchy uncle, and she's chasing after Astrov, equally grouchy, and his love. The two men know that their unsociable dispositions come from their dissatisfaction but might not realize that they're passing it on to the next generation, to Sonya.