The Giving Tree discussion

The Giving Tree is very heartwarming, yet also can be seen as a little bit sad. The Giving Tree is a tree that a boy grew to love when he was little and he would always play with the leaves, swing on the branches, and eat the tree's apples. As the boy grew older those sort of activities no longer made him happy, he thought money would make him happy. The Giving Tree told him to take the apples and sell them for money so he can have happiness. Once the boy is much older he has a house that he could enjoy with a family that would make him happy, so the tree offered her branches to make him happy. He was then very old and wanted a boat to sail away, the tree offered her trunk, but she was happy she was making him happy. Finally, he comes back and the tree is apologizing. She had nothing left to give but the “boy” wanted a place to sit, and finally the tree was happy she could make him happy one more time. This can relate to the reading “Childhood” written by Karen Sanchez-Eppler where she stated, “Books written for children provide a good gauge of a particular society’s views of childhood and a measure we know children themselves engage with directly.” This ties into the theme of kindness because we are shown how generous the tree is to make someone she loves happy, and it can also make children appreciate the kind actions others do for them more.