Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree

Trees represent her life because they aren’t simple. Trees are large and strong, their roots are in the ground and their leaves sway in the sky. At first, Melinda’s life was as solid as the tallest tree in the world. “This was the girl who suffered through Brownies with me, who taught me how

Surviving trees grow buds that turn into apples, that shows that they are alive. When it shows the tree you can see that is is noticeably different from the ones in the forest, I think that this shows how being adopted changed his life.

“’The next time you work on your trees, don’t think about trees. Think about love, or hate, or joy, or pain – whatever makes you feel something, makes your palms sweat, or your toes curl. Focus on that feeling.’”(122) In the book speak there are many examples of symbolism. The one that stands out the most is the tree as it is mentioned very frequently in almost every chapter of the book. It represents that growth that she goes through as a character from the beginning of the book to the end and her mental recovery after the traumatic event of being raped. The different representations we see of the tree correspond with the state she is in and the emotions she is feeling at that part in the book. When she is struggling with her life she

Walls suggested that they dig it up and plant it near the house so it would have the same outcome. Rosemary, their mother, was displeased with the idea, she said, “‘You’d be destroying what makes it special’ ... ‘It’s the Joshua tree’s struggle that gives it it’s beauty.’” (Walls, 38). Rosemary was essentially saying that the scraggly, permanently twisted, tortured position of symbolized the tree’s perseverance which was the tree’s beauty. One night while driving, Rosemary and their father got in an argument over how long Rosemary had been pregnant. Rosemary, exasperated, gets out of the car and runs off into the dessert, in which their father chases her, with the car. The bystanders, or the children, just readied themselves for the unforeseeable. Walls says, “Lori, Brain, and I braced one another with our arms, like we always did when Dad went on some wild chase that we knew would get bumpy.” (Wall, 42). To Walls her siblings represented a stronghold and force only achieved by being together. Something they did not experience much in their dysfunctional family. So, for persevering together the children were able to gain and benefit from a little bit of stability in their hectic life. This applies to a wide variety of reader that have sibling and can relate to the feeling of needing your siblings to be able to accomplish or get through a situation or

Everything seemed perfect in Gene and Finny’s relationship with each other; however Gene went above and beyond the limit by idolizing Finny. Competition arose between the two boys. A little competition between friends isn’t bad, but the element of competition was much stronger in Gene’s character. Eventually, this lead to Gene performing an act of jealousy to even out the competition. This is where the symbol of the tree comes into place. Gene’s act of jealousy was jouncing a tree limb causing Finny to

The tree would love to play with the boy. From page 5 through 10 it shows how much the boy and the tree would play together. It shows all the things they would do when the boy was younger. "...he would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest. He would climb up her trunk and swing from her branches and eat apples. And they would play hide-and-go-seek." It is like how a mother and son play a lot together when he is young. All the things the boy and the tree would do, the mother and son do also. A mother also takes care of her child.

The pear tree is her inspiration and her first true desire. She longs to bud and blossom, like the tree, and cannot wait to discover herself and all the wonders of the world.

The literal language used in the beginning of the free verse does not imply the tree having any symbolic meaning to the speaker and her mother. It is casually said- “My mother and I debate, we could sell the black walnut tree…[to] pay off the mortgage” - which defines that in these lines the tree has not yet been introduced with its symbolic purpose. Initially, the tree is viewed as a property they are willing to sell. They rationalize the idea by noting that there are “roots in the

The setting changes while Francie continues to mature into a woman. She becomes 16, and is beginning to lead a life of her own. The family leaves the grieving they had for Johnny behind. Not only does Francie start out with a clean slate, so does the rest of the Nolan family. After the two and ½ years of mourning for Johnny, Sergeant Mc Shane asks Katie to marry him. War rages through the country. While he and Katie make arrangements for the fall wedding and gifts of money and whatnot, Francie makes headway in her personal life.

The Giving Tree becomes so absorbed in her concerns for the Boy that she neglects to truly take care of herself. While Silverstein states in the poem that the Giving Tree loved the Boy, all of her subsequent actions benefited the Boy and harmed herself. She was only content when caring for the Boy; she never seemed to be complete by herself. Thus, when the little Boy wanted money, she gave her fruits to him to sell. She gifted her branches to him, so that he could build the house he wanted. Then she gifted her trunk, so that the Boy could sail away in his own boat. By the time the Boy had aged into seniority, he had already reduced the Tree to a stump. In relation to self care, it’s also vitally important to remove toxicity in your life. Somebody who drains you of energy is toxic. The Boy came back time and time again to ask for more, and then would leave her behind

The tree symbolizes personal growth and confidence. If you aspire to achieve personal growth you must speak your mind. Throughout the book, Melinda has troubles dealing with a situation that has been constantly bothering her. This incident happened during the summer before her freshman year in highschool at a party.

"Blessed is the mother who is able to help her child, at whatever age. This truth about parental happiness is surly known by any loving parents who has been compelled to watch impotently while his child is suffering." The example to prove this statement can be seen all through the story. "The forest is my house, but you may cut of my branches and build a house. Then you will be happy. And so the boy cut of her branches and carried them away to build his house. And the tree was happy." On the other hand, the boy still stays inconsiderate and selfish. He never even once mention to the tree how thankful he is or even a simply "thank you". "The love of the tree for the boy or the man is a selfless love, while the love of the boy for the tree is a selfish love. The boy never tries to help the tree (by pruning, feeding it, et cetera), while the entire being of the tree is devoted to helping the boy meet his most recent need, whether trivial or essential."

Within the text is the dialogue, “‘Come, Boy, climb up my trunk and swing from my branches and be happy’” (Silverstein 42-43). The tree constantly asks the boy whether he would like to play with her, and every time the boy refuses. This situation occurs three times and every single time the situation plays out in a similar way where boy refuses to play, but asks for something instead. This shows the love of the tree and the neglect of the boy.

This is an extremely difficult task for me to describe in phrases, for my family is chemically and physically bonded. Also, there are no words to say how much my parents shower their endless love on me. They have tenaciously supported me from the very start. My mother and father’s dedication, hard work, and selfless sacrifices remind me of the story “The Giving Tree.” Their efforts and guidance in molding me as a better person has been an incredible contraption in my journey of life. Next, the steps that they have taken to disciplining me has comfortably taken me through school, extra classes, and public places. The most inspirational people in my life are my parents; as they are the best role model I could ever get. Their intricate quality

The tree loved the boy and only wanted the boy to be as happy as possible. The tree insured the boy’s happiness and successfulness by giving the boy what he was in need of. The Giving