How we cite our quotes: (Act.Line)
Quote #1
Irina: Brother of course will be a scientist; he certainly can't go on living here. (1.10)
As the only brother in the family, Andrey carries the burden of all their hopes for family success. That was the way it broke down gender-wise in the late nineteenth century.
Quote #2
Irina: Why do I feel so happy today! I feel as if I had sails flying in the wind, and the sky over me was bright blue and full of white birds. (1.23)
With these images of freedom in her mind—sails, blue sky, birds (symbolism alert!)—Irina wakes up full of hope on her birthday. This is about as dreamy as dreams can get.
Quote #3
Vershinin: In two or three hundred years, life on earth will be unimaginably beautiful, astonishing. (1.143)
Vershinin doesn't have many illusions about happiness in his own life, but holds out hope for generations to come. In The Cherry Orchard, Trofimov has a very similar speech. What's Chekhov telling us about the present day if we've gotta wait 200 years for things to get better?