The Giving Tree

Analysis

The story starts out by mentioning that the tree is a she. At first thought this could be simply interpreted as the fact that the tree is simply mother nature. However the relationship between the boy and the tree is more than just nature. The boy in the story sees the tree as his own mother, and just like any caring mother the tree will do anything it can in order to please the little boy, even after the tree has given the boy every thing it had to offer the tree still did its best to provide. This is reflected in Silverstein's life in the sense that his mother was always present. Even after Silverstein had gone off and did his military service and then experienced life his mother was always present, passing away at the age of 94 she was always supportive of Silverstein. Silverstein passed away due to heart failure only 6 years after his mother.

Analysis

Silverstein being a shy person his entire life never was able to write about himself. He preferred that personal information about him not be spread, due to this very shy and cautious personality the only way he was able to spread details about himself was through books. Silverstein did not write The Giving Tree until he returned from his service in the Korean War. Even after this war he remained a bachelor and was still a lonely individual. The Giving Tree reflects this as the tree and boy get older nothing changes, the boy is still lonely even after a long time, and even though everything about them and everything around them is different they still have the same relationship.

The Giving Tree

by: Shel Silverstein

Analysis

Shel Silverstein never got along with his peers,

he always wanted to go out and play with the other

kids in the neighborhood, but due to a lack of athletic

ability he wasn't able participate. This as well as

the inability to get along with the other girls in his

neighborhood caused him to be a recluse and write

stories and poetry by himself, many times under

trees and in nature similar to the child in, The

Giving Tree.

Citation

Silverstein, Shel. The Giving Tree. N.p.: n.p., 1964. Print.

Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/

shel-silverstein-9483912?page=1>.

Synthesis

Writing. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. <http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/item_id/

1651944-Literary-Annalysis---The-Giving-Tree>.

http://faculty.weber.edu/chansen/humanweb/projects/MeghanUng/biography.htm

The reason this is a biographical criticism is because the little boy in the book is a reflection of Shel from boyhood all the way through old age. The characteristics and actions of this little boy that cause us to believe that he is lonely and has trouble getting along with other people, are the exact same characteristics that belonged to Shel Silverstein. Also this presence of a mother that gives everything she has in order to see a smile on her sons face is just another window into the real life of Shel.

Conclusion

Through the use of biographical criticism, the children's story, The Giving Tree, reflects many aspects of Shel Silverstein's life. The reason we should care is because

even though Shel Silverstein as a person was reserved and unable to express his true self, we can see through a simple children's book his real life. We can experience the relationships and struggles that Silverstein went through just through a story about a boy and a tree that just wanted to see a smile on his face.

Aspects of Biographical Criticism:

• Relationships that we have
• Personality type
• Parental love

Thesis:

Summary Of The Giving Tree

There was a little boy and a tree who loved each other very much. The little boy would climb on the tree and play in her leaves and they would play games together. As the little boy grew older he began to be interested in young ladies. The tree was very lonely and missed the boys company. So the tree asked the boy to climb her trunk and in return the boy said that her was too big and wanted money. The tree had no money but gave the boy her apples to sell to make him happy and he stayed away for a long time and he got older. The boy didn't have a home so the tree gave her branches so he could build his house and be happy. The boy got older and wanted to build a boat so the tree gave her trunk for him to build a boat and the boy was very old now and he was tired and the tree gave him her stump for him to rest.

Through the use of biographical criticism, the children's story, The Giving Tree, reflects many aspects of Shel Silverstein's life

Biographical Criticism

• Biographical criticism is a form of literary criticism which analyzes a writer's biography to show the relationship between the author's life and and their works of literature.

• Aspects of their life such as specific experiences, attitudes, places the author lived, or people he knew may all appear in and have an affect on their literature.

• The biographical approach allows one to better understand elements within a work, as well as to relate works to authorial intention and audience.

Shel Silverstein

Throughout his career, Silverstein remained a very private person. He seldom revealed details regarding his childhood and personal life. He was known in his time for being a traveling loner. He remained a bachelor for his entire life, but did have short lived relationships around the globe with different women.

Alex Adams, Aidan Allison, Nadir Islam, Chynna Fayne