The Tree Bombal Analysis

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In Bombal’s short story, “The Tree” the author uses the symbol of a rubber tree all throughout the story. It may seem as if the tree is just a symbolization of the marriage of Luis and Brigida, but it actually is used to show how Brigida matures and develops as an independent woman with time in male dominant society. “How that huge rubber tree Chattered” (10). Brigida is living in a male dominant society where her husband controls her every move, but as the story progresses she develops into an independent woman taking control of her own destiny. As the main character Brigida is listening to music at the beginning of the story she begins to flash back into her past. When Brigida first talks about the tree, “It is the tree outside her dressing …show more content…

This is used to explain how Brigida is beginning to develop into an independent woman like the tree builds away from the soil of the ground and overcomes the stones, Brigida is able to overcome a suppressive marriage and start to think and act for herself as a woman. Throughout page 14, after the tree is cut down, the room that Brigida always admired the tree in is lit up like never before and the world is opened up from the windows point of view. This event in the story brings light into Brigida’s life getting a new opening and pursuing it even under the anti-feministic society that she lives in. “The tree, Luis the tree! They have cut down the rubber tree” (14). As the story begins to end, in an unforgiving manner Brigida tells Luis that it’s time for her to leave after the time that they had spent together was just miserable for her. The tree represents a yearning for a change that Brigida holds as a have to thing after this marriage is over. A new beginning for the street corner can come as a new tree is planted in the spot of the old tree. Just as a new beginning can come for Brigida with a new marriage or a new endeavor on her own. Brigida matures as a person because of how she realizes she doesn’t need someone to hide the world from her when she can be independent and inspire to see it

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