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Analysis Of The Black Walnut Tree By Mary Oliver

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In her poem, “The Black Walnut Tree”, Mary Oliver contrasts the practical needs of a family with the emotional bonds that are equally necessary to hold people together. In illustrating this conflict, Oliver develops two images of the relationship between the family and the tree, a literal relationship between two women and a valuable piece of property, and an allegorical relationship where the tree stands in as the critical thread tying together the family. Through use of imagery, simile, symbolism, and diction, Oliver shows that the relationship between the family and the tree transcends pragmatism, and truly represents the beautiful and infinite connections that hold together a family even against the trials of time.
As the poem begins, …show more content…

Oliver implies that their connection to the tree is almost loving when she notes that they had an “edge” that “moves in [their] blood.” The tree forges the family together against the continual rage of time, which Oliver describes as the metaphorical “whip-crack” of the mortgage as the family “swings through another year.” The tree, against adversity and practical concerns, has become a symbol of their family, which swings on through difficult seasons on the brink of bankruptcy. At a deeper level, the tree stands in for the principle of family, “something brighter than money,” but also for the women’s connection to the father. Just as the father exists in the natural realm of “blue fields” and “fresh and generous Ohio,” the tree is a small reminder of that world. As it digs its roots under their house, it is also a piece of their father, a replacement for the “emptiness” that would come if they were to throw out their memories. The tree, along with the “[bounds]” through the years based on strong family connections and a powerful

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