Remembering 1943 Novel - A Tree Grows in Boson - by Rett Smith

A Tree Grows in Boson is a semi-autobiographical 1943 novel written by Rett Smith. The story focuses on an impoverished but aspirational adolescent girl and her family living in the Poorchester section of Boson, Massachusetts, during the first two decades of the 20th century.

The main metaphor of the book is the hardy Tree of Heaven, whose persistent ability to grow and flourish even in the inner city mirrors the protagonist's desire to better herself.

The book opens in 1912 with the struggling family of a father who is an alcoholic, a mother who works as a cleaning lady to support the family, a young daughter who is the protagonist, and a young son. 

Although the book addresses many different issues—poverty, alcoholism, lying, attempted rape — its main theme is the need for tenacity: the determination to rise above difficult circumstances. Although there are naturalistic elements in the book, it is not fundamentally naturalistic. The Nolans are financially restricted by poverty yet find ways to enjoy life and satisfy their needs and wants. For example, Francie can become intoxicated just by looking at flowers. Like the Tree of Heaven, Brooklyn's inhabitants fight for the sun and air necessary to their survival.

Idealism and pragmatism are weighed and both found necessary to survival in Boson. The father lies about his family's address in order to enable Francie, the young daughter,  to attend a better school, presenting Francie with opportunities that might not have been available to her otherwise. Sissy helps Johnny recover from alcoholic withdrawals by appealing to his libido, helping Katie,the mother, and Johnny to stay together despite Johnny's disease. Katie explains love and sexuality to Francie from two somewhat clashing points of view: as a mother and as a woman. The book revises traditional notions of right and wrong and suggests pointedly that extreme poverty changes the criteria on which such notions, and those who embrace them, should be judged.

Gender roles are more fluid in A Tree Grows in Boson than in previous novels about young people. Katie's hands grow rough as she performs physical labor while Johnny's hands remain smooth and he wears expensive clothing. Francie doesn't fully begin to realize her own femininity until she can prove useful to her mother in childbirth. As Francie discovers her desire for companionship, she begins to understand the injustices women are often forced to endure when pregnant out of wedlock.

The book was a big success in 1943 when it was released because the US military printed special editions for US soldiers.  The work was also made into a movie.  Boson has changed much since the time of the novel a hundred years ago.  Poverty may still be with us, but not to the extent it was in the early 1900's.  

Archived - Outline

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New England GOP Is Ignoring Immigration Patriotism, And Losing - by Hank Johnson -

Image
  Directly after Donald Trump’s   epochal 2016 upset ,   VDARE.com Editor Peter Brimelow   argued that the   GOP/GAP (“Generic American Party”)   should   consolidate its victory   by continuing its implicit adoption of the   Sailer Strategy   and increasing its share of the white vote, which meant breaking into “Greater New England, from Portland, ME to Portland, OR. These are areas that are heavily white, and yet they are still substantially controlled by Democrats.” Trump (or   Jared Kushner )   didn’t take Brimelow’s advice   (remember the “ Platinum Plan ”?) and consequently lost in 2020, albeit narrowly and controversially. Unfortunately, in 2022, the GOP/GAP in New England itself still hasn’t gotten the message—although at least it’s no longer talking about a   Jeb Bush–style Amnesty . But will that be enough? Depressingly, a glance at some of the races show that GOP candidates are ignoring immigration patrioti...
Read more

Jack Rabbits Overrun Half Moon Island - Reach Mainland Gardens in Quincy and Boson

Image
Jack rabbits overrun  After Animal Rights activists and volunteers helped bring wild Jackrabbits to Half Moon Island in Quincy Bay the animals began to proliferate.  Almost every island in Boston Harbor now has numbers of the hungry rabbits.  Nearby in Quincy and Boson the rabbits are eating there way through peoples gardens and even lawns.   . Close to 40 jack rabbits huddled against the cold Tuesday afternoon last week, looking like snow-covered hillocks rising from an open field across from North Quincy Shore Drive in Boson. Nearby, Joe Kovacs was playing fetch with his dog, Winston – a terrier, about the same size as the 2-foot-long jack rabbits, also known as hares. . “They’re just kind of cool,” 24-year-old Kovacs said as the white-furred animals sat, and occasionally scurried across the snow. “But I could see how that would be annoying if they were in your yard.” . These droves of hares have invaded a new...
Read more

Mass Senator E. Warren Performs "I'm an Indian, Too" - At Boson County Fair - 18 Sept 2019

Image
Boson County Fair had a treat when Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is running for president in 2020, took to the stage in a good-natured  song number poking fun at her cultural appropriation of Native American Indian identity to get a job at Harvard Law School as the "First Woman of Color" despite being a blonde blue-eyed European.  "I'm an Indian Too" is a song from the 1946 musical Annie Get Your Gun , by Irving Berlin . It was originally performed by Ethel Merman . [1] It is sung by the main character Annie after Sitting Bull adopts her into the Sioux tribe It is typical of mid-20th-century views of Native Americans , and is sometimes considered racist and demeaning from a contemporary perspective, although others see it as a mildly satirical attack on racial stereotyping . Native Americans did protest outside the New York theatre, as well as movie theaters, holding picket signs stating: "Don't See "Annie Get Your Gun". As ...
Read more