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Literary Devices
Definition of Allegory
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The Tortoise and The Hare" is... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and... read full definition
Chapter 10
Explanation and Analysis—Struggle to Survive:
Throughout A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, trees emerge as a prominent allegory for not only Francie's life, but the lives of all those around her living in Williamsburg's tenements. The story of the tree is one of strife and struggle, growing in an inhospitable land. Francie, too, must grow under inhospitable circumstances, as Katie emphasizes in the following excerpt from Chapter 10:
It's not better to die. Who wants to die? Everything struggles to live. Look at that tree growing up there out of that grating. It gets no sun, and water only when it rains. It's growing out of sour earth. And it's strong because its hard struggle to live is making it strong. My children will be strong that way.
Related Themes:
