4) And the tree was happy. How sad, I used to think. I flipped back through the worn out pages, and noticed the faded black ink and the cranberry juice stain on page fifteen where there was a big white space next to the illustration of the tree. The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein has been a short story I have been reading since I was in the third grade. I have grown up with this book, and every time I read it, as I grew older, there were things I didn't understand. I felt ambivalent towards the boy and the tree each time I opened the lime colored book. Sympathizing for the tree, but admiring it. And disappointment towards the boy, but understanding him. It just seemed natural for a while. However, I gained a new perspective of each character at the end that felt right. Moreover, the tree influenced me.
The little boy in the story starts as an innocent character. His desires are simple, but he had many. My innocence and child-likeness was paralleled with the little boy as a child. There are always many requests little kids can have. The first thought I had about the book was, "I wish I had a tree like that." If I had a giving tree, it would have given me everything it had: apples, shade, branches, leaves and even its stump to sit on.
But as time went on and I turned to the book again, a new thought came about the boy. A basic outline of his whole life was organized in one place, and it was easy for me to analyze aspects of his life. The second perspective came into my head, "the boy is selfish." It seemed like the boy only turned to the tree when he needed something and not just because he loves the tree for being the tree. I was annoyed with the little boy. It was interesting because throughout the book, even as the little boy grew older he was still referred to as the boy. He was not the teenager, young adult, grown-up or old man. The tree lived in its own timeless world while the boy grew older and older. There is a danger of narrow-mindedness the boy had. He remained needy as the years passed and there seemed to never be enough of something. But I concluded that I didn't like him.
More time passed, where I was in high school and probably to the time the boy had a girlfriend. And when I read it, a third perspective came in mind, "I want to grow up to be like the giving tree." The tree is a self-less character that is exceptionally patient and gives unconditional love. Unable to move from its lonesome spot, the tree succumbs to people who come to it. It is unable to move. I felt bad for the tree, but I was still attracted to it. I was influenced to become a more compassionate person. While listening to Barack Obama speak while he was still a candidate, he stated, "... we should talk more about our empathy deficit... when you choose to broaden your ambit of concern and empathize with the plight of others...it becomes harder not to act; harder not to help." His statement about the country's empathy deficit, made me think about The Giving Tree. The quote opened my mind; I realized the dangers of being narrow-minded like the boy. The tree became my model.
The little boy in the story starts as an innocent character. His desires are simple, but he had many. My innocence and child-likeness was paralleled with the little boy as a child. There are always many requests little kids can have. The first thought I had about the book was, "I wish I had a tree like that." If I had a giving tree, it would have given me everything it had: apples, shade, branches, leaves and even its stump to sit on.
But as time went on and I turned to the book again, a new thought came about the boy. A basic outline of his whole life was organized in one place, and it was easy for me to analyze aspects of his life. The second perspective came into my head, "the boy is selfish." It seemed like the boy only turned to the tree when he needed something and not just because he loves the tree for being the tree. I was annoyed with the little boy. It was interesting because throughout the book, even as the little boy grew older he was still referred to as the boy. He was not the teenager, young adult, grown-up or old man. The tree lived in its own timeless world while the boy grew older and older. There is a danger of narrow-mindedness the boy had. He remained needy as the years passed and there seemed to never be enough of something. But I concluded that I didn't like him.
More time passed, where I was in high school and probably to the time the boy had a girlfriend. And when I read it, a third perspective came in mind, "I want to grow up to be like the giving tree." The tree is a self-less character that is exceptionally patient and gives unconditional love. Unable to move from its lonesome spot, the tree succumbs to people who come to it. It is unable to move. I felt bad for the tree, but I was still attracted to it. I was influenced to become a more compassionate person. While listening to Barack Obama speak while he was still a candidate, he stated, "... we should talk more about our empathy deficit... when you choose to broaden your ambit of concern and empathize with the plight of others...it becomes harder not to act; harder not to help." His statement about the country's empathy deficit, made me think about The Giving Tree. The quote opened my mind; I realized the dangers of being narrow-minded like the boy. The tree became my model.
