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theardentone 's review for:
The Giving Tree
by Shel Silverstein
This was really sad. Like, really effing sad. I even cried a little. With barely even two pages of text if you'd pull it together, that's quite an achievement. And I don't know what to think about this book from a moral point of view, but I have to refer to Patrick Rothfuss' Goodreads review for a much more eloquent elaboration on that.
For similar reasons as his I give this book a good rating, because it invoked so much emotion and so many thoughts and questions in my head about right and wrong and dependence and love and sacrifice. Like, isn't a love where one completely gives themselves up for the other and the other takes but never gives back sort of a ruse? Yet the tree is happy, but at one time it says "but not really", so is the tree only trying to convince herself that she's happy? Yet the giving tree never makes the boy happy, he is always dissatisfied, she wants him to be happy but really she gives herself up for his unhappiness. Is this not what an abusive relationship looks like, or does it only seem that way because of my modern western upbringing that encourages and highly supports the idea of the Self and the worth of the individual rather than altruism and sacrifice. How would I see this relationship if I weren't me, weren't brought up to think so highly of the importance of individual happiness? So many questions. Something that makes me think this much deserves all of the stars.
For similar reasons as his I give this book a good rating, because it invoked so much emotion and so many thoughts and questions in my head about right and wrong and dependence and love and sacrifice. Like, isn't a love where one completely gives themselves up for the other and the other takes but never gives back sort of a ruse? Yet the tree is happy, but at one time it says "but not really", so is the tree only trying to convince herself that she's happy? Yet the giving tree never makes the boy happy, he is always dissatisfied, she wants him to be happy but really she gives herself up for his unhappiness. Is this not what an abusive relationship looks like, or does it only seem that way because of my modern western upbringing that encourages and highly supports the idea of the Self and the worth of the individual rather than altruism and sacrifice. How would I see this relationship if I weren't me, weren't brought up to think so highly of the importance of individual happiness? So many questions. Something that makes me think this much deserves all of the stars.