till stays inconsiderate and selfish. He never even once mention to the tree how thankful he is or even a simply “thank you”. “The love of the tree for the boy or the man is a selfless love, while the love of the boy for the tree is a selfish love. The boy never tries to help the tree (by pruning, feeding it, et cetera), while the entire being of the tree is devoted to helping the boy meet his most recent need, whether trivial or essential.” Due to the popularity of the book, many people commented on it and so there are many different ideas, which can be view differently according to the readers’ own judgement. “ The boy is after all doing what is required of human being to do: he is growing up, going away, making himself a living, cleaving unto a wife, and later, in his declining years, finding a life for himself and finally, growing old and in need of a place to rest.” Surly, a person needs to get older and to move on but I do not think that this is the massage that the author is trying to emphasis since it will make the children become more selfish and considerate. The Giving Tree might portray the theme of selflessness versus selfishness but for the children to realize it and learn to give and take, not for the children to get use to it. “Well, said the tree, straightening herself up as much as she could, well, and old stump is good for sitting and resting. Come, Boy, sit down. Sit down and rest. And the boy did. And the tree was happy.” In the end, the boy comes back to the tree and finds the pure and willing unconditional love that the tree always provides. All through the story, the author beautifully portrays the love and scarifies of the parents and how inconsiderate a child can be in response within the theme of selflessness and selfishness. Fortunately, a child will read The Giving Tree and be able to interpret the story correctly. Anyhow, it still due to the child’s...
