The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein

[Pandaren]

Any other avid fans of Shel Silverstein with thoughts to share about this book. I've noticed many comments about this book that shed all of it in a negative way. They all seem to focus on the child's taking as selfishness, going on to call him sexist, narcissist, and once again sexist. They make it seem like the whole poem revolved around woman making sacrifices for the children and men around them.

I view the trees selflessness in the same way a parent treats a child. They give what they have to their children and are joyful of their accomplishments. Many parents don't get a thanks for much of what they do for their children, does this mean their spoiled? Of course not. Did you thank your parents for everything from feeding you, clothing you, and providing shelter? Did you give them a thank you for taking care of you as a baby, making sure you got the education and anything else you required. If still "child"(1-18), do you thank your parents for making right choices for you, for making you go to school, for feeding you the right foods to help you in the future?

[Catskin]

I think it's a touching story. I think that it bothers some people because it doesn't have a clear moral. It isn't easy to interpret. They will feel the need to speak to their children about giving and receiving, about materiality, reciprocity, taking advantage of another's love, taking advantage of another's kindness, user mentalities, returning and not returning love. I think it also bothers them because, without providing a solution, the story questions the relationship between happiness and materiality. Also, the tree isn't quite a hero, in my reading. It needs to give as much as the man needs to get.

I haven't seen a criticism of the story as sexist. It's been a long while. At the risk of discrediting everything I just wrote--I don't remember the tree having a gender (or is the point that women are naturally givers?). If the tree is in fact female, I'd say that rather than sexist the story questions the typical hetero relationship and the nuclear family in general. It certainly doesn't just reproduce those values as universal and natural.