Posted on 09/19/2020 7:42:05 AM PDT by Kaslin
More than 70 years ago, Betty Smith wrote A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The novel follows the life of Francie Nolan as she grows up in a poor immigrant family during the early 1900s. Published in 1943, it particularly spotlights the struggles and strengths of women, from ostracizingunmarried pregnancy women to musings of future voting rights.
Both the men and women of the novel have moral shortcomings, but the author depicts them as utterly human with beautiful aspirations. Brooklyn itself is also a character. The reader sees it through the eyes of young Francie, a place filled with wonderful diversity of people, cultures, sights, and smells. In this setting, Betty Smith truly expressed the raw emotions and struggles of life. Perhaps that is why the events in the novel seem timeless and still resonate today. For example:
School Choice
More than one character realizes the importance of free education to reach the American dream. Francie, too young at first to understand, is still an inquisitive little girl. All she wants is the opportunity to enter elementary school. But when she finally gets to start, disillusionment shatters her. Large masses of children are herded into overcrowded classrooms where bullying is common. Most teachers are overwhelmed, underqualified, and uninterested. At one point, Francie even wets her pants in shame because so many children went to the bathroom ahead of her. All in all, every day is ‘brutalizing.’ One day, while walking in a more middle-class neighborhood, Francie sees a red brick schoolhouse. It’s the one of her dreams. She quietly tells her father, Johnny. He spots a nice-looking house near the school and uses the address to request a transfer. The ploy works. Francie ends up in a better class more suited for her.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
Thanks so much for the post. It was uplifting and inspiring as well as a welcome relief from the constant depressing events of the day.
Thanks for this post about one of my all-time favorite books.
I first saw the movie when I was about 12 (back in the ‘60s) and have since read the book probably about 10 times. A wonderful story. I just thought about the book in the last week or two - I can’t remember what triggered the memory of it though. Sometimes it’s a small detail like Francie’s father putting butter in his coffee when they were out of cream (he was so ahead of his time, LOL).
Thanks for this article. One of my favorite books.
Isn’t that the book that Bugs Bunny uses to save him self from the Bulldog gang?
Huh????????????
Thank you for the reminder of a book I loved as a girl.
Found the episode in question:
A Hare Grows in Manhattan
The book was way before my time, but it must have been quite popular to make it into a Bugs Bunny Cartoon!
My older sister’s favorite book...
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