In Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard and Gabriel García Márquez's Death Foretold, both protagonists face difficult circumstances, if not deadly. Liubóv Andréyevna Ranyévskaya, a self-indulgent member of The Cherry Orchard's declining Russian landed gentry, is facing the auction of her house. Santiago Nasar, a womanizer member of the Colombian upper class in Chronicle of a Death Foretold, is accused of having slept with Angela Vicario and risks being killed by her brothers. In an attempt to escape their circumstances, the two characters retreat to their homes for safety, but their homes end up being the place where they face and succumb to their problems. Chekhov and García Márquez's use of their protagonists' homes as the setting for their downfall calls into question whether or not the home is a safe haven from individual conflicts. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Chekhov uses stage directions in Act III to describe Liubóv's house as a lively, welcoming place and then a lonely, empty room to juxtapose his family's loss of their fortune due to their poor financial situation. At the beginning of the act, Liubóv organizes a ball to buy back his property. The drawing room in which Act III takes place is described as “separated from the rear ballroom by an arch. The chandeliers are lit. From the hall comes the sound of an orchestra” (Chekhov 362). The chandeliers at that time would have been lit by candles, which gave off a warm glow into the room so by describing the chandeliers as lit, Chekhov creates a welcoming atmosphere in the room for his audience. Chekhov writes in a playing orchestra so that the audience hears lively music, continuing the jubilant atmosphere. It would seem that no harm can penetrate this celebration and that Liubóv is protected from her problems. However, at the end of the act, Liubóv was told that his property was being auctioned. Chekhov then describes the scene as “The drawing room…empty except Liubóv…The orchestra [plays] softly” (Chekhov 374). A few minutes earlier, the room was filled with joy due to the party that was taking place. The room is now empty, parallel to the void that invades Liubóv. Chekhov has the orchestra switch to "soft" music to reflect Liubóv's depressed state due to losing everything. Liubóv tried to use her house as a mental escape from the knowledge that the orchard would be sold but failed, and her hardships came upon her instead. Similarly, García Márquez establishes that the Nasar house is an unsafe place for Santiago to go to protect himself, despite the general belief that a person's home is the safest place to be. García Márquez initially describes the Nasar house as “a former warehouse, with… rough clapboard walls and a peaked tin roof where buzzards kept watch over the garbage on the dock” (Márquez 10). García Márquez's use of diction with “rough boards” and “tin roof” creates the feeling of instability and insecurity in the house. Instead of using words that have a strong connotation, García Márquez actually uses words that describe Santiago's house as not very safe from the beginning. Furthermore, the description of the buzzards resting on the house gives the sense that they are waiting to witness his death. García Márquez goes on to say that “The front door, except on festive occasions, remained closed and barred” (Márquez 12). The words “locked” and “barricaded” create a sense of security that the rest of the house does not provide. García Márquez also does this to locate the goal.