A Tree Grows in
Brooklyn
By Betty Smith
Presentation by Abby Sharp
HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
1900-1919
The Progressive Era
 Presidents:
 Theodore
Roosevelt
(1901-1909) P.
 William Taft
(1909-1913) R.
 Woodrow
Wilson (19131921) D.
Controversies of Era
 Legal:
Women’s
suffrage was a
major issue in
the early 1900s
(Jennings 26).
Controversies of Era
 Medical:
“In 1918, a
pandemic of
influenza hit the
world, causing
more deaths than
in WWI”
(Poindexter).
Economics of the Era
 In the late 1800s
and early 1900s,
America
became a more
urban
industrialized
nation
(Issacson 56).
Lifestyles of the Era
 Work:
Spring of 1911- A
fire broke out in the
Triangle Shirtwaist
factory; 146
teenage women
(workers) perished
(“Tables”).
Lifestyles of the Era
 Family:
Many children had
to quit school to
work in order to
help support their
families (Jennings
21).
Lifestyles of the Era
 Education:
“In 1900, the
average
American only
had five years
of schooling”
(Jennings 16).
Gender Roles of the Era
 Education:
The number of
women who were
choosing higher
education instead of
marriage increased
(DuBose 79).
PLOT BLURB
Nolan family: Katie, Johnny,
Francie, Neeley and Annie
 They live in poverty
 Johnny is an
alcoholic and often
shames the family
 Francie likes
learning and she is
a good student
 Johnny dies on
Christmas, before
Annie is born
 Francie and Neeley
must work (finished
8th grade)
 Neeley (mom’s
favorite) gets to go
to high school
 Katie marries a
wealthy man and
Francie is finally
able to go to
college
CHARACTER
LIFE DECISIONS
Francie decides to leave her town
Katie decides to send Neeley to school
and Francie to work
Johnny decides to put alcohol ahead of
his family’s welfare
Francie decides to leave
town to start a better life
 Francie realizes that
she has to leave or
“suddenly she
would be a
disgusting old
woman without
teeth” (Smith 15).
Historical Connection
 The number of
women who were
choosing higher
education instead
of marriage
increased
(DuBose 79).
Katie’s decision to send
Neeley back to school
 Katie wants Francie
to work because
Francie “will find
her way back to
education, while
Neeley does not
want to go to
school” (Smith 250).
Historical Connection
 Many children
had to quit
school to work
in order to help
support their
families
(Jennings 21).
Johnny decides to put
alcohol ahead of his family
 On his twenty- first
birthday, “Johnny’s
drinking problem
brings shame on
the family and
forces the family to
move (Smith 302).
Historical Connection
 “One of the major
factors leading to the
prohibition of
alcohol… was the
increase in men
spending their
salaries on liquor…”
(“Tables”).
MOTIFS
Life and Growth
Love
Life and Growth
 Francie sees that “a new
tree had grown from the
stump and its trunk had
grown along the ground
until it reached a place
where there were no
wash lines above it. Then
it started to grown toward
the sky” (Smith 483).
Love
 With regards to
Johnny,
“Francie
kissed his
cheek softly
and said that
she loved her
papa so much”
(Smith 34).
INTERPRETIVE
QUESTION
Do you think that American children
today are more or less likely to
suffer from abuse and poverty than
Francie?
 Children today
are less likely to
suffer from
poverty and
abuse
 There are more
laws in place to
protect children
 Nonexistent in
the early 1900s,
labor laws,
truancy laws, and
child protective
services now
lessen the
exploitation of
children
Textual Support #1
 One example of
Francie’s
exploitation is when
“Francie needed to
go back to work in
order for her to help
her mother pay the
bills” (Smith 249).
Textual Support #2
 In the case of a
potential abduction,
Smith writes, “The man
came up to Francie and
was about to take her
away with him until her
mother came to her
rescue” (Smith 170).
Textual Support #3
 In addition to
Francie working to
help support her
family, “…kids
collected money
for the family by
trading in old junk”
(Smith 15).
AUTHOR FOCUS &
ORB CONNECTION
Author Focus
 White wrote 70 plays
before writing a novel
 She wrote 4 novels
 Born in 1896 to Austrian
immigrants
 As a child, she was
“bookish” and had a close
relationship with her
father
 After father died, White
had to work (8th grade)
 When old enough, she
left NY and enrolled in
Univ. of Michigan
 Met her 1st husband
there
 She had 2 daughters…
went back to school
when they were older
 Became famous in
1945 (movie of novel)
 Died at 72- best known
for her 1st novel
ORB Connection #1
 “She [Elizabeth] was a
bookish child and
developed an early
love for the theater,
influenced by her actor
father….the Wehners
led a marginal
existence, especially
after the death of the
father” (Jones).
 Francie also
enjoyed school
and reading
 Francie also had a
close relationship
with her father
 Nolans also
devastated by
fathers’ death
ORB Connection#2
 After her father’s
death, “Elizabeth,
later known as
Betty, had to quit
school after the
eighth grade and
find work”
(Dawson 422).
 Francie was
unable to continue
school
 She also had to
work to support
the family
 Francie fought to
return to school,
like White
LITERARY
CRITICISM
Criticism #1
 “A Tree Grows in
Brooklyn is a
profoundly
moving novel, an
honest and true
one. It cuts right
to the heart of
life” (“Tree”).
 I disagree
(somewhat):
Moving
story
Outdated
issues
Criticism #2
 “This is the
first novel of
uncommon
skill and
almost
uncontrollable
vitality and
zest for life”
(Prescott 423).
 I agree:
 Novel wellwritten
 Reader cares
about
characters
 Francie = tree
(strength and
growth)
Transcendence of Themes
 “The journey of the
protagonist is heroic. Francie
clearly identifies with the
Tree of Heaven in her urge to
continue to develop into a
young woman that she can
be proud of. Smith’s use of
the tree as a symbol of
Francie’s growth is effective
and powerful” (Prescott).
This concludes my
presentation…
THANK YOU!