It’s gotta be an easier read than whatever you’ve been assigned in English class, right? Hmm, maybe not…ġ-Bird, Elizabeth (May 18, 2012). And, while you’re at it, give it another read. Question the assumptions you may have had about it.

Think about the role it’s played in your life. Think about your interpretation of the book.

That last one is something else, right?! Basically, this writer means that the tree in The Giving Tree has pure motives in giving more and more to the boy (appearing “deontologically pristine”), yet the tree also “produced a spoiled little snot” (practicing very poor “utilitarian judgment”). Is it, as a feminist reading of the book argues, a story that teaches young boys that it’s okay to hurt girls? 3ĭoes it, as a rabbi writes, “remind ourselves of the very different judgments produced by utilitarian and deontological ethical systems?” 4 Is it, as one critic writes, “the most divisive book in children’s literature?” 1ĭoes it, as a professor of ethics writes, “hint at a possibility of love somewhat brighter than the actual human experience of it?” 2 The reception of The Giving Tree is just important and complex enough to have persuaded plenty of writers to come up with some very serious interpretations of the book. To be sure, literary criticism is about much more than just saying, “I liked this book” or “I didn’t like this book.” There’s a reason why some of the top universities in the world offer PhD programs in literary criticism and theory. Rather, it exists alongside every other book, just as it exists alongside every book of literary criticism that talks about books that exist alongside other books… A book’s reader has his own experiences that he brings to the reading experience. Richards writes in the preface of his book Principles of Literary Theory, “A book is a machine to think with…”Ī book’s author has goals when she writes a book. Welcome to the wonderful world of literary criticism! It’s a huge world, with a rich history stretching back to antiquity and no shortage of competing methods and schools of thought.Īt its most basic, you might say literary criticism means going beyond the assumption that a book simply is what it is. What in the world could there possibly be to reconsider about such a seemingly innocent book, especially one that’s so beloved by so many generations? The book is Shel Silverstein’s enduring classic of children’s literature, and we’re willing to bet you’ve read it.īoy plays with tree, boy grows up, boy takes from tree, tree gets reduced to stump, tree remains unconditionally happy throughout.

Even if there weren’t a picture of it above, you’d probably be able to give a pretty good description of the The Giving Tree‘s cover.

The giving tree book cover