The Giving Tree: A synopsis
There exist numerous misconceptions about this book. Many perceive it merely as a narrative about a tree that gives and underscores the significance of generosity. That’s not entirely inaccurate, but it’s more than this simple interpretation.
In my view, the book delves into the human tendency to take without restraint until nothing remains.
A distant memory from a movie comes to mind, where one person sought a favour, promising recompense if granted. However, the benefactor responded, “If I help you, there will be no repayment. It won’t be a one-time thing but a continuous cycle of entitlement until I decide not to help you anymore, after which I’ll be the enemy.”
Such is the reality today.
In “The Giving Tree,” the boy incessantly took from the tree until it was depleted. The boy transitioned from a young taker to a teenage taker, a middle-aged taker, and finally an elderly taker, consistently drawing from the tree. Despite the chronological progression, the tree persistently addresses him as “Boy” throughout his life. This, I believe, symbolises the boy’s failure to mature into a giver, retaining his childlike nature for perpetual taking.
The crux of the narrative, in my opinion, centres around exploitation — specifically, exploiting the kindness of others. The boy exploited the tree, aware of its love for him. The story reflects an absence of genuine love in certain relationships. If the boy genuinely loved the tree, he’d have given her room to recover whenever he took something.
However, the boy consistently used the tree for his selfish needs. Whether playing, consuming apples, obtaining money, constructing a house from branches, or fashioning a boat from the trunk, each act reflected self-serving motives. The tree incessantly gave, and the boy relentlessly took, offering nothing in return. Eventually, the boy seemingly reciprocated, being with the tree in the end, but even then, it was for himself. After exhausting the tree’s resources and taking everything she had to give, he sought the only thing she had left, disregarding the consequences.
However, the gullible tree naively believed in the boy’s love and gave him what was left of her. With each gift, the tree found happiness.
This narrative resonates with Christ’s words: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Which is why the story isn’t written about the collecting boy; rather, it’s about the giving tree.
For a comprehensive understanding, read Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree.”
While belated, I wish you a joyful new month. As Christmas approaches — a season synonymous with giving — let us emulate the giving tree, not the selfish, collecting boy.
Merry Christmas in advance.
P.S: As someone said once,
“This story should be about people becoming less like the collecting boy. Because if we keep having the collecting boys, it wouldn’t matter how many giving trees we have, they’d exhaust them and those trees will never reach their true potentials or achieve what they were actually intended for.”
“So as much as we need more giving trees, we need less collecting boys. In fact, the less collecting boys we have, the more giving trees will spring up.”
