A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: Chapter 2 Summary & Analysis

The library is “a little old shabby place.” Francie thinks that all of the world’s books are in the library and she plans to read all of the world’s books. Francie enters and closes the door quietly behind her, as one should in the library. She looks at the little brown bowl at the end of the librarian’s desk. It is holding multi-colored nasturtiums. Francie decides that, when she gets her own home, she’ll have a desk like the librarian’s. It’ll hold pencils, “always sharpened for writing,” a brown bowl “with a flower or some leaves or berries always in it,” and plenty of books.

Francie is working her way through the alphabet and is in the B’s. She takes a book to the librarian and asks her if she can recommend a book for an eleven-year-old girl. Francie asks the librarian the same question each week and the librarian never looks up. All of the names on the library cards are the same to her. A smile or a friendly comment from this woman would mean a lot to Francie. The librarian only recommends two books each time Francie asks the question: If I Were King by McCarthy and Beverly of Graustark. Francie takes her books and goes home.

Francie reads and feels at peace with the world, alone in the apartment with a small bowl of candy to eat. By 4:00 PM, tenements across from Francie’s yard come to life with women returning from their shopping, children returning home, and young women preparing for dates. Francie focuses on the young women, watching them wash at their kitchen sinks because none of the tenement flats have bathrooms.

Francie stops reading when Fraber’s horse and wagon return with their driver, Frank. The horse is beautiful and its stable is finer than any house in Brooklyn. Fraber is a local dentist. Frank dons an apron while he washies the horse, Bob. Bob makes her think of Uncle Willie Flittman’s horse, Drummer, who pulls a milk wagon. However, Willie and Drummer have a hostile relationship, whereas Bob and Frank are friends. To hear Uncle Willie describe it, the horse stays awake at nights thinking of ways to torment Willie.

On the street, half a dozen boys loiter and cling to the stable’s iron gate, watching Frank wash the horse. They make up stories about the gentle animal being a fearsome creature. One of them picks up a stone and throws it at Bob. The boys wait for the horse to lose its temper. Instead, Frank speaks to them gently, warning them not to do it again; otherwise, he’ll “break a couple of [their] asses.” Frank then scoops down and picks up a cobblestone as though to throw it. The larger boys leave, but the smaller ones remain because they want to see Frank feed Bob his oats.

After Frank hangs Bob’s feed bag on his neck, he gets to work washing the wagon. He whistles “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” while he works, which draws the attention of Flossie Gaddis. She sticks her head out the window and greets Frank, who is indifferent to her presence. She invites him to the Shamrock Club, but he makes a lazy excuse to get out of the date. Flossie tells him to “go to hell” and slams the window shut. Francie feels sorry for Flossie because she is always running after men. Aunt Sissy runs after men, too, but the men run “to meet her halfway.” Flossie is starved for men, while Sissy has a healthy appetite, and this makes a big difference.