Major themes The Trees (novel)

1 major themes

1.1 man vs. nature
1.2 family
1.3 woodsies vs. settlement dwellers

major themes
man vs. nature

the characters in awakening land deal human condition in setting of great natural challenges carve out lives on frontier. there high mortality rate due disease, warfare, natural disasters, severe weather, , accidents, dangerous animals. worked cut down trees , clear land, cultivate crops, care livestock, , raise , process food. had deal hostilities native indians resisting european-american encroachment. @ times face famine, , natural disasters such floods.

family

sayward values family above else. expresses strong loyalty ties of kinship, if loyalty not returned. several members of birth family, such father worth, brother wyitt, , sister ascha abandon or otherwise leave family home, no attempt maintain communication. younger sister, sulie, lost forest, , becomes assimilated lenape indian tribe. sayward remembers these absent family members , holds them in thoughts. when sayward has problems in marriage or own children, whether due husband s infidelity or generational differences, tries defuse tensions , forgives wrongs committed.

woodsies vs. settlement dwellers

sayward distinguishes between woodsies father, worth, , brother, wyitt (itinerant hunters follow wild game wherever found), , people , mother, prefer live in settlements near other people.

tried not read father s mind hard, hate think had reasons of own wanting married. year , half mighty long time, knew, 1 worth fixed , settled in 1 place. . . if had man, might change that. go off , forget come home , right. never starve or go naked, married sister take them in. free bird wander. see far places told deer had strange black tails.

enough, felt, know had humans closer around them. . . weren t set out more in these woods god almighty knew how far. . . might living in settlement now. wished jary have hung on long enough see it.

she attributes father s preference woodsy life being part delaware indian ( monsey , spelled munsee, in dialect of group).