Neither the tree nor the boy is named, and the story is not located in any particular place. The Giving Tree begins by introducing the tree and the little boy she loves. In this reading, the boy represents the destructive selfishness of humanity towards the natural world. It has also been criticized on environmental grounds as being anthropocentric: the little boy never hesitates to demand more and more from the tree, which he sees only in terms of the material goods she can give him. It was, for instance, banned from one public library in Colorado on the grounds that it was sexist: the tree in the story is described as “she,” and the child to which she selflessly and unthinkingly gives herself, as a “he.” Thus, it was argued that the story portrayed female exploitation. Besides being one of the best known and loved of Silverstein's stories, The Giving Tree is also one of the most controversial. The book is quite spare of text, and as with many children's books, its (equally minimal) illustrations are essential to the progression of the story. The Giving Tree is a famous children's story written and illustrated by Shel Silverstein.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |