But suppose I'm ..... I cried so much. | The Cherry Orchard By Anton Chekhov | Eureka Study Aids

But suppose I'm dreaming! God knows I love my own country, I love it deeply; I couldn't look out of the railway carriage, I cried so much. 

But suppose I'm ......... I cried so much.

Reference

(i) Drama: The Cherry Orchard

(ii) Dramatist: Anton Chekhov

Context

(i) Occurrence: Act 1

(ii) Content: Madam Ranvesky returns from Paris, along with her daughter Anya to her family estate in Russia. Varya, Ranevsky's adopted daughter, reveals that the family's estate, a cherry orchard, is to be sold at auction in order to pay their debts. Lopakhin, a businessman, proposes solutions to save the estate. Auction day arrives, however, the family essentially does nothing and the play ends with the sale of the estate to Lopakhin. The family leaves to the sound of the cherry orchard being cut down.

Explanation

     In these lines Madame Ranevsky expresses her deep love for her homeland, Russia. After the deaths of her husband and young son, Ranevsky had fled to France. After spending five years in Paris, she returns her motherland. She is so excited that she could no believe she has really arrived her ancestral home. She says, "Is it really I who am sitting here?" She thinks it might be a dream. Either it be a dream or reality, one thing is sure; she loves her country very much because she was born in it. In these lines there are two manifestations of her love for her native land. Firstly, when she was returning from Paris in a train, "she couldn't look out of the railway carriage". It was because she was feeling embarrassment and guilty of her country. She was hesitant to face the reality. Secondly, she wept bitterly in the train for her country. He lowdown on tears is an obvious sign of her love for her country. In short, these lines show her sense of patriotism, her nostalgic nature, and her relief to be home again.