The Giving Tree: A Detailed Literary Analysis and Interpretation

This essay provides a detailed analysis of Shel Silverstein's 'The Giving Tree,' examining the complex relationship between the tree and the boy, and the themes of suffering and hope. The essay explores the poem's symbolism, including the tree's representation of unconditional love and the boy's selfishness. It delves into the poem's allegorical meanings, touching upon the environmental consequences of human actions and the mother-child relationship. The analysis also considers the poem's relevance in modern society and its reflection of societal expectations. The essay references key critical interpretations and scholarly sources to support its arguments, ultimately offering a nuanced understanding of the poem's enduring impact and multifaceted themes. The essay also explores the boy's evolving needs and the societal pressures that influence them, while also considering the tree's perspective and the cyclical nature of giving and receiving. The conclusion highlights the importance of companionship and fellowship in overcoming human suffering, emphasizing the poem's message of hope for the future.

Running Head: BETWEEN SUFFERING AND HOPE- SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Between Suffering and Hope- Shel Silverstein
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

1BETWEEN SUFFERING AND HOPE- SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Introduction
Shel Silverstein’ “The Giving Tree” is the tale depicting the different aspects of the
nature which we intentionally and unintentionally utilize and the human being’s characteristic
feature of taking without thinking. The selfishness of the boy shows the longing character which
stretches to being an overreaching trait in his life where even after growing up fails, he fails to
understand. The poem was first published in the year 1964 in a children’s picture book, which
reflected the concept of Mother Nature.
Discussion
The poem looks very simple and sound to be depicting an elementary theme of the giving
and loving character of nature but a more profound meaning shows a condensed topic when
placed in recent times. Though the boy has been criticized in most of the narratives and
discourses since the reception of the work but the theme of the play depicts the motherly nature
of the female apple tree and the complete life cycle in which both of them reaches the time of
their life when they are both tired and simply wants to stay put in a place which feels like home.
The female apple tree depicts the unconditional love which the female counterpart in the
parenting stands for and is taken as the image of the unconditional love of God (Silverstein,
Freeman & Kennedy, 1964). The boy cannot be seen at fault ultimately as the life cycle depends
on the giving and receiving nature of individuals and moreover; the process makes it possible for
the progress of the life cycle.
The child, irrespective of the age is called as the ‘the Boy’ by the tree reflecting the
perspective of the tree where she sees him as a prodigy who is supposed to grow under her care
(Silverstein, 2019). The hospitality showed by the tree, every time the boy returns after living

2BETWEEN SUFFERING AND HOPE- SHEL SILVERSTEIN
and completing a stage of his life in spite of the suffering which she deals with due to her
separation with the boy show the image of a mother who provides for all the unreasonable
demands of her child. This does not make the child wrong or the love of the mother in a
question. This is the fundamental aspect of the mother-child relationship whose passion for the
child does not perish with age, demand and even negligence in the part of the child.
Seeing, from the modern point of view, the interpretation of the relationship shows the
image of suffering and pain and the extent to which the human race can go. This interpretation
explains the link in a negative light. The hospitality of the tree is taken advantage of by the boy
who only remembers the tree when he is struggling to meet his ends meet and the tree
unquestioningly provides without questioning the intentions of the boy. The depth of the boy’s
needs is shown to be clearly changing with his age which also draws the image of the never-
ending quest for achievements which the boy feels is the need of the stage of the life he is in and
has to reach (Moser, 2017). This is partially the fault of the society we live in who has
demarcated the different stages one is expected to achieve in their life at every junction of life.
The poem if taken according to the deterioration of nature which the human whims have
pushed and the sufferings which we are bearing due to the same irresponsible traits of the boy in
the poem is the perfect allegory which imparts the lesson of the consequences we are facing
today. Hence, the meaning of the poem changes with the change of the perspective on which
place our narrative. If seen from nature’s view of the giving and receiving, it depicts the selfless
and loving Mother Nature catering to the needs of her children (Berman, 2014). The boy is also
right to run towards maternal love when he faces a crisis in his life to find refuge. The fact that
he runs towards the tree every single time there is a hurdle in his life also shows the image of the
mother’s love which can provide with a better and safer way to move ahead.

3BETWEEN SUFFERING AND HOPE- SHEL SILVERSTEIN
Conclusion
The suffering of the tree is often misinterpreted as the loss of her parts that is the leaves
during the childhood, apples (fruits) during the adolescence, and branches in the young age for
the construction of his house and the trunk for the ship. But, the theme of suffering is more
meaningful during the times the boy is away from her and especially at last when she has nothing
to offer to the boy. The hope remains in the fact that though the tree herself is not left with
anything but a stump, she provides the best trait and the most significant gift of her
companionship when the boy is seen to be resting at peace sitting on the stump. The hope of the
future that the humane feature of fellowship is not lost in the life process. Every character trait of
the tree is the direct reflection of the giving and loving nature we are surrounded with which
makes the human sufferings easier to bear with and in overcoming it we win the motive of the
environment to see us thriving.

4BETWEEN SUFFERING AND HOPE- SHEL SILVERSTEIN
References
Berman, E. (2014). The Happy Prince, The Giving Tree: The Fantasy of Parenthood as Self-
Annihilation and Its Relevance to Psychoanalytic Treatment 1. In Relational
Psychoanalysis, Volume 4 (pp. 159-175). Routledge.
Silverstein, S., Freeman, N., & Kennedy, A. P. (1964). The giving tree. New York:
HarperCollins.
Moser, K. (2017). The Problematic Quest for Happiness in the Modern World: A Serresian
Reading of Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. The Looking Glass: New Perspectives on
Children's Literature, 20(1).
Silverstein, S. (2019). The Giving Tree. Retrieved 13 December 2019, from
http://www.thebestclass.org/uploads/5/6/2/4/56249715/the_giving_tree.pdf