Reflections on ‘The Giving Tree’: An Exploration of Sacrifice and Growth

I was deeply moved by a book I read recently:

“The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein

The story is about a boy and a tree. The boy starts by playing with the tree, but as he grows older, he slowly stops. The tree longs for the boy to return and play on its branches and climb its trunk. Time and time again, the boy returns, but only to ask for things. He asks for wealth, and the tree provides its fruit. He asks for shelter, and the tree gives its branches. He asks for passage, and the tree offers its trunk. Finally, the boy, now an old man, returns once more. The tree, though just a stump now, is happy to offer him a place to rest.

The story is simple and accompanied by beautiful illustrations.

For a book that is sixty years old, it remains simple yet effective, like all great children’s stories. There are many interpretations of the story that exist and a slew of controversy too. There are various interpretations that would take a lot of time to retell. I will only be expressing my own interpretation of the story.

A mother’s selfless love

The tree represents a mother providing a wondrous start to life for her child. The child enjoys the innocence of youth through play, shelter, and happiness found in the mother’s presence that protects and hides them from the world. The mother is the center of the child’s universe, a haven of peace sheltering them from life’s whirlwinds.

As the child grows, they begin to wonder and explore the world. Their aspirations soon materialize into action. The mother provides support through her gifts of life. Whether these gifts are material or skills, they facilitate the child’s opportunities. When the child leaves home, the mother longs for their success but also for a return to when they were small.

Time passes, robbing years from both the child and the mother. When the child, now an adult, returns, they still long for the safety and support of youth. The mother provides support again, through material possessions and resources that aid growth. She offers finances, housing materials, and other often overlooked but important things at the expense of herself.

The whirlwinds of life that the mother once protected the child from now hit hard. Uncertainty, sadness, and struggle take over as the child navigates the storm. Sometimes, the storm is just too much, and the child wants to return home. Ashamed by defeat, they seek a fresh start far from home. The mother is happy to see their son, if only for a moment and gives whatever strength is left to them.

Ultimately, the child returns one last time to the place that gave them the most peace in life. That peace is found where innocence lives and life’s whirlwinds are quiet. However, time has taken its toll, robbing them of youth.

The old man returns to his mother’s place, only to find that time has taken her too. All now is gone with only but a stump that remains. Yet even then the old boy finds that vestige of peace once more and awaits time to take them too.

The message

While reading the book, an old memory surfaced. I remembered playing sword-fighting games with sticks at my childhood friend’s home. He had a valley at the back of the house where we would play and pretend to be Lord of the Rings characters. His old Bernard accompanied would always accompany us, as our adventures stretched deep into the thick of the bushes that lay within the valley.

As I read, I think of that valley and see time transforming my youth into the man I am today. I can see the bushes and grass slowly turn from greenish orange to dark black. I can hear the whispers of my mother speaking to me in soft tones, wondering where I am as I try to find her in the dying valley. I see myself grey, searching for what in essence is a return to innocence, where peace and calm find a home.

I believe the story asks the reader to consider their own existence.

It asks the reader to take a step back and look at the grand picture of existence. It asks the reader to look at the relationships, pursuits and trajectory of their life. For those of us lucky to have loving parents, it asks us to look at what our parents have given us and how that shaped our path. It asks us to contemplate the sacrifices made by the Earth for human success. There are no grand commands or orders to follow, just a simple request for reflection and a brief pause to understand the fleeting nature of time.

Written by Anthony Avice Du Buisson (28/07/2024)