Bluebird // Phan

Chapter 23: Afterword

BLUEBIRD: AFTERWORD

"Let us remember all the moments that were and were not, like the point is something we can get and what we can get is what we got."

THE BOOK REFERENCES

THE GIVING TREE is, when in reference to this story, more about the links between morals than about the links between characters. Despite this, there are certain attributes of both the TREE and the BOY that are shown in Dan and Phil. The TREE is selfless. She is content with the fact that she can 'give' and it doesn't seem to matter what she loses of herself. She loves the boy from childhood through to adulthood and this-amongst the many other things-is what she ultimately gives the BOY. In this sense, she is a lot like Phil. The BOY, on the other hand, completes the same action (taking) and achieves different outcomes (someone to talk to, something real, somewhere to rest) but can never seem to be content with them. Or, rather, with himself. In this sense, he is a lot like Dan.
"And everyday the boy would come and he would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest."

Essentially, what is being said here is that the BOY begins by collecting what the tree no longer needs. Yes, he is immediately 'taking' but only what falls from her and will grow back. At the beginning of this story, Dan and Phil have an obvious distance between them that is driven by the fact they are strangers and know nothing about one another. They are shy but nevertheless interested and they collect what they can of each other without coming into too much unnecessary, direct contact. In Phil's case, he sees and feels the mystery surrounding Dan but knows not to push him too far.

Dan asks him on multiple occasions to "figure him out" and Phil spends their time together as children trying, picking up pieces of him that he lets out because they signify he is ready for Phil to see them. The idea of him wearing "crowns" made of the "leaves" emphasises how he's showing Dan he can make something of his pain, but he only thinks this because he sees the pain in these little fragments. In Dan's case, he clings onto the pieces he can of Phil and tries to make them a part of himself. Phil makes him feel more confident, hence the idea of playing "king" whilst wearing a crown made of his favourite parts of his new friend.

"But time went by and the boy grew older and the tree was often alone. Then one day, the boy came to the tree and the tree said, "Come, boy, come and climb up my trunk and swing my branches and eat my apples and play in my shade and be happy."

"I am too big to climb and play," said the boy.

"I am too busy to climb trees," said the boy.

"I am too old and too sad to play," said the boy.

As time passes in THE GIVING TREE, the TREE is alone for long periods of time and the BOY returns when he wants to ask something of her. I have highlighted these lines above because I feel they're really important to the story. Phil is there to watch over Dan as he grows and he suffers when they're not together because he misses him. Whenever the BOY comes to ask for something, the TREE always offers what she thinks is 'good enough' as it was 'good enough' once. As Dan matures, so does his pain and Phil being beside him is no longer enough to soothe the suffering as it is growing more intense. The TREE always sees the BOY she fell in love with in the broken man, and Phil always sees the boy he fell in love with in his broken man.

Both the TREE and Phil are at fault here as they seem to continually have to be reminded that what once was is no longer. In the end, the BOY is old and sad and nothing the TREE has ever given him has been able to change that. Phil gave Dan everything he could, but it didn't change the depth of sadness in him. In both stories, there is the idea that the one character is happy simply in the company of the other whilst the other can never be, but they are as 'happy' as possible when together.