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"Half a mile from home, at the farther edge of the woods, where the
land was highest, a great pine-tree stood, the last of its generation.
Whether it was left for a boundary mark, or for what reason, no one
could say; the woodchoppers who had felled its mates were dead and gone
long ago, and a whole forest of sturdy trees, pines and oaks and
maples, had grown again" (pg 187). This quotation is the first time the
readers are introduced to the importance of the large pine tree in the
forest. This tree is a place that represents a symbol of life, a
concurrence of a child climbing a tree to a person prevailing over
obstacles in life.
From the beginning of this story, according to Brandi Jones, it
becomes apparent that Sylvia is falling in love with a lost hunter that
she had met at the beginning of the story. Despite the fact that love
is one of the human mind's most passionate emotions, Sylvia chooses to
preserve the forest's inhabitants over possibly having her amorous
emotions returned. The author writes about how the dangers of climbing
a tree present certain objects that hold her back from obtaining her
goals. Moonlight and dark branches are the objects used to lose Sylvia
while she makes the comparison of the large pine tree to that of a
ladder. A ladder, much like life, has many steps that are needed in
order to reach the top. Sylvia’s excitement is shown by the narrator’s
direct characterization as in, “tingling, eager” and the hyperbole of,
“reaching up, up, to the sky itself,” representing the spirit of
mankind in his or her willingness to live and accomplish something.
Another simile the author included compares Sylvia’s hands pinching
like bird’s claws. This shows her determined spirit raising the ladder
towards her opponent, the tree, which represents life itself. As the
story progresses, the passage suddenly changes into a difficult period,
using the repetition of the words taller and taller associated with the
tree while “sharp twigs caught and held her,” a personification
representing the toughness of the obstacles that are presented to us
throughout of life. Joanne Startrance also mentions that there is a
simile comparing twigs scratching her like angry talons, presenting the
challenge of coming through an obstacle, similar to how life can be
achieved by winning self. She further adds that there are repeating
personifications on the tree, such as, “dry twigs holding her,” and
“tree growing higher.” This is a rising action and a transition of
life. Sylvia reaching the top of the large pine tree shows the climax
of the story, while at the same time showing the success of life.
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