What does the tree in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn symbolize?
It symbolizes perseverance and hope amidst hardship. The tree is a recurring symbol throughout the novel; when Francie is born, Katie explicitly likens her life to the tree’s. Katie knows she will keep living, no matter how sick she becomes.
How A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a 1943 semi-autobiographical novel written by Betty Smith. The story focuses on an impoverished but aspirational adolescent girl and her family living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City, during the first two decades of the 20th century. The book was an immense success.
What kind of tree is described in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
The tree in question was an Ailanthus glandulosa, the tree of heaven, a Chinese sumac common to every Brooklyn tenement yard metaphorically indestructible even when you chopped it down and the point was that things live and things die and yet life goes on somehow, as it must, and this was precisely the kind of …
What is the main idea of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
Perseverance through hardship This theme relates closely to the American dream motif and the symbol of the tree. The strength of the Rommely women suggests that they can withstand any hardship. When Francie is born sickly, she perseveres like the tree; her mother never doubts her strength.
What is the mood of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
The tone of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is ambivalent. Betty Smith provides visual imagery for the audience with the details of Katie’s hands. The description she gives of them is “beautifully shaped with lovely, curved, oval nails” (Smith 1).
Why was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn banned?
No, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is not banned now. It was banned in the past for having strong themes (e.g., alcoholism, sex, child abuse).
Should I read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN is a called a classic for a reason: It’s beautifully written, insightful, and Francie’s story is timeless. While the unfolding plot has ups, downs, twists, and turns, Francie’s introspective, wise perspective makes this work the honest novel that it is.
What age should read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
I’d recommend it for ages 12 and up, although the audiobook will hook younger readers who are ready for the content.
What grade level is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Word Count |
|---|---|---|
| Grades 9 – 12 | Grades 3 – 12 | 145092 |
Is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn banned?
What age to read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
What happens in the end of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn?
The end of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn ties things up nicely and slaps a pretty bow on top. Seriously—things come together pretty neatly. Francie is off to college at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. This resolves the main conflict in Francie’s life, and her dreams of education are pretty much fulfilled.
