The Tree Is a She
Right from the very beginning, the tree is situated through pronoun use as a female. The tree is variously described using “she” and “her.” This feminine imagery is essential to interpretations in which the tree becomes a metaphor for a mother or just women in general.
The Man Remains a Boy
When the boy is first introduced, he is just that: a boy. As the story progresses, he transforms into a young adult and then into middle age before ending up an elderly man. Despite his aging, the tree remains consistent in her mode of address: she always calls him “boy.” This imagery of the man remaining always a boy is essential for an interpretation in which the tree is a metaphor for the boy’s mother since many mothers always view their sons through the lens of boyhood. The arrested development of the male character through a repetitive reference to him as a boy also applies, however, to readings of a more expansive gender-based relationship in which men exploit and take advantage of females regardless of their age.
Gender Roles
Consistent with the metaphorical interpretation based on underlying gender inequality is the way that the story specifically identifies the expectations of gender roles. The tree never leaves the forest, which it explicitly identifies as her “home.” Meanwhile, the boy stars out by imagining himself a king before growing up to sell things, build a home and enjoy leisure activities like boating. The maternal aspect of the tree remains always in place whereas the boy is offered opportunities that the tree (she) will never be given.
Personification
The single most important overriding example of imagery in the story is the personification of the tree. Were the story limited merely to a fantasy within the boy’s head that the tree is alive and capable of loving him, the myriad interpretations would be limited. By endowing the tree with the power of speech and giving it specifically maternal aspects, the relationship between the two is made more tangible and open to interpretation beyond merely what the boy may think is real. In addition, by personifying the tree instead of making the story about the relationship between a boy and his mother, the story can be opened to interpretation beyond the most obvious metaphor of the tree as a symbol of motherhood.
