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Motifs
Definition of Paradox
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar Wilde's famous declaration that "Life is... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel... read full definition
Chapter 1
Explanation and Analysis—Tree of Heaven:
In the following example of paradox from Chapter 1, the narrator notes that some people in Williamsburg call the "green umbrella" tree a "Tree of Heaven":
The one tree in Francie's yard was neither a pine nor a hemlock. It had pointed leaves which grew along green switches which radiated from the bough and made a tree which looked like a lot of opened green umbrellas. Some people called it the Tree of Heaven. No matter where its seed fell, it made a tree which struggled to reach the sky. It grew in boarded-up lots and out of neglected rubbish heaps and it was the only tree that grew out of cement. It grew lushly, but only in the tenements districts.
This "Tree of Heaven"—contrary to its name—prefers to grow in the tenements, which no tenement-dweller would describe as heavenly. Like the tenement dwellers, however, this tree struggles to reach the sky no matter what obstacles stand in its way. Its leaves stretch heavenward, strong and determined to reach the remote light of God's blessings. This tree embodies many of impoverished Williamsburg's paradoxes. As a symbol, it represents the ability to find beauty in the midst of abject suffering. Francie finds kinship with both the tree and its philosophy, growing out of cement to reach the sky.
Related Themes:
