The Giving Tree

Title: The Giving Tree
Author/Illustrator: Shel Silverstein
Publisher: HarperCollins; 35th anniversary edition (October 20, 1999)
Genre: Short Story
Readability Lexile: Ages 6 and above
Summary and Target Audience:
This heartwarming story will have you at the edge of your seat with the tale of the tree and the young boy.  What begins as a perfect relationship turns to a sad story of growing up and the search for happiness.  In the end the tree has given everything to the now old man and has nothing left but a stump.  Needless to say the young boy, now an old man, has nothing left in him other than to sit in the peaceful company of the tree.  This story is about giving of yourself and is a great story for anyone of all ages.  It reminds the young to enjoy their youth and helps the old to remember that sometimes life isn't about searching for happiness; it may be that happiness is found in quiet serenity.

Evaluation of the Text:

Main character overcome a problem- With this story there are the two main characters, the boy and the tree.  The tree has the nature of wanting to give the boy everything he desires so he will be happy but the only thing it wants in return is for the boy to be near.  In the end, after giving completely of itself, the tree is happy when the boy, now an old man, comes to spend time with the stump and they are happy together in peace.

Did I feel I was in the time and place- The author does an amazing job of using very little text to make you feel as though you are in the place of the tree.  The image of the lone tree in the pen illustration allows for the reader to use their imagination and put themselves in the forest with the tree and the little boy.

Transcends stereotypes- Although this story focuses on a person taking from a tree all that it has it transcends the idea of giving in that it shows the extent at which someone or something can give.  It allows for the reader to reflect on themselves without lecturing or boring the reader and without putting a culture or event in mind.

Literary Elements:

Resolution- The resolution to this story is kind of hard to handle, at least personally.  The idea of giving so much that all that is left is a stump which is then still shared is beyond me.  At the end, after the tree has given all of itself, the boy, now an old man, comes back to see the tree:
And after a long time
the boy came back again.
"I am sorry, Boy,"
said the tree," but I have nothing
left to give you -
My apples are gone."
"My teeth are too weak
for apples," said the boy.
"My branches are gone,"
said the tree. " You
cannot swing on them - "
"I am too old to swing
on branches," said the boy.
"My trunk is gone, " said the tree.
"You cannot climb - "
"I am too tired to climb" said the boy.
"I am sorry," sighed the tree.
"I wish that I could give you something....
but I have nothing left.
I am just an old stump.
I am sorry...."
"I don't need very much now," said the boy.
"just a quiet place to sit and rest.
I am very tired."
"Well," said the tree, straightening
herself up as much as she could,
"Well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting
Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."
And the boy did.
And the tree was happy.

Symbolism- Some may see this as a story of taking from the earth all that the earth has to offer and that we shouldn't be taking ungratefully in search of happiness that will never be obtained.  The idea that we should be happy in the peace of the forest can be seen as a symbol of Environmental groups.
"Cut down my trunk
and make a boat," said the tree.
"Then you can sail away...
and be happy."
And so the boy cut down her trunk
and made a boat and sailed away.
And the tree was happy
... but not really.

Tragic Dilemma- The dilemma in this story is how to feel about the events that are happening to the tree.  All the tree wanted to see was the young boy happy and it gave all of itself, and then some, to do so.  Even at the end, when it has nothing left, it still offers itself to the boy to make him happy, which then makes the tree happy.  The other dilemma is that the tree's happiness is seeing the boy happy.
"Well, an old stump is good for sitting and resting
Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest."
And the boy did.
And the tree was happy.

Illustrations:
Again, Shel Silverstein is a genius.  He is able to capture the story and the characters in amazing form with only pen illustrations.  This, as always, makes the characters relatable and easy to understand in that the reader can create their own tree and boy in their head which helps them remember the story in better form.

Mini-lesson:
Depending on the age of the students you are working with, there can be multiple activities you can do with this story.  One would be to create a giving tree of the classroom and discuss as a class what your students give to their teachers, their school and their family using descriptive language and then reflect on these givings in a short story form of how they can then return the giving by their actions and words.