A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Final respnse to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

People hear the saying 'Life is never easy', but what they don't expect, is for that to be true. Nothing will come easily, if you don't work hard for something, it's not worth it. Life is different for everyone, and it is not hard for everyone at the same time.

The strength in life doesn’t always come from where we expect. It could come from someone who has loved you your whole life, or a complete stranger. All people have struggles in life, hurdles they need to jump over, but many people live without the money to provide simple necessities. They don’t have the most struggles, but they do get their fair share of them, just as Francie does in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. A life of difficulty is prominent among many people with a low income, but the love and strength demonstrated by many of them is contagious. Though some choose to show the courage inside them, many choose to wallow in self-pity by drinking. Life isn’t always worth the pain, but it’s the things in life that we love so much that gives us the strength to continue.

An agile, young girl growing up in a appalling city, Francie faces her struggles of life very often all by herself. Hate, poverty, and hunger, against a meek, innocent child. Francie tries each day to overcome them, though, sometimes it just isn’t possible. She learns the most important lessons in life that many learn after years of mistakes. Francie finds herself enjoying the simple things, while still longing for the items beyond her reach and budget, and she is forced to see the truth behind the meaning of poverty. At her age, Francie has learned more responsibility than either of her parents can or will. Her mother works cleaning during the day, and depending upon Francie in the night. Johnny, her father, is out drinking almost every night, losing himself sip after sip. Though he drinks most nights, you cannot say he doesn’t love Francie.

After her graduation from middle school, it is a custom for the girls to receive a bouquet of roses, but Francie knew she would not receive any due to financial issues. Johnny, though, knew of this and gave Francie’s aunt money for the roses, and to Francies surprise, there were roses on her desk. Though she is the oldest and the most responsible in her family, and she is still in middle school.

The love of someone else is not an object that can be priced or promised. It is like an animal with no control; you just have to let it roam free. If we start promising ourselves when we are young, we won’t have anything left of ourselves to continue the journey of innocence to experience. Love can promise the world, or it can hold you back, but it’s the choices we make in life that chooses.