Loss Of Innocence Analysis

In the beginning of the second third of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Francie discovers a beautiful school in the middle of a nice neighborhood that she wishes she had the ability to attend. She tells Johnny this and he figures out a way for the young girl to transfer to the new school. At this school, students are treated as equals and even though Francie does not make many friends, she enjoys school much more. At this point in the novel, the flashback ends and the storyline returns to the point where the book begins. This is where France starts to experience many events that lead to a loss of innocence. One of these many experiences is the throwing of the Christmas trees. Francie and Neeley decided to participate in this tradition, where they

The first instance of this is found in Francie and Neeley’s experience with the Christmas tree tradition. The man who is throwing the trees considers giving the tree to the children rather than throwing it at them, but then decides that it would be better for the children to learn to live in this world and get used to giving and taking punishment. This is a loss of innocence because Francie begins to learn about the cruelties and brutalities of the world. Another experience that causes a loss of innocence in a way is Joanna’s story. As Francie watches the women through stones at Joanna and her baby, she realizes that the women are hypocrites and decides that she hates them because “they stuck together for only one thing: to trample on some other woman...whether it was by throwing stones or by mean gossip.” One of the most crucial events in Francie’s loss of innocence was her experience with the sex offender. This is the first time she has had any experience with sex of any kind and it is a very emotionally scarring event for her to have to deal with. The final event that shows a loss of innocence in this section of the story is the death of Johnny. Francie has to watch as her father’s health declines. His death causes her belief in God to diminish and she begins to see the world in a different