Four Persevering Skinny Trees

In the short story, “Four Skinny Trees” through an extended metaphor the speaker compares themselves to trees that symbolize strength and perseverance. The speaker expresses the theme of perseverance despite adversity through her connection to the trees. Stating the strength of the trees amidst the adversity of city life such as concrete and lack of beauty, this extended metaphor shows that the speaker finds strength when thinking about the trees. The mere perseverance of the trees such as how they “…grew despite concrete”, “…do not forget to reach”, and “do not belong here but are still here” supports the statement that the theme of “Four Skinny Trees” is perseverance. The first example of perseverance that is shown through the extended metaphor connecting the speaker and the trees is when she states about how the trees “…reach and do not forget to reach”. This excerpt means that the trees are always progressing forward by reaching further towards the sky, just as the speaker reaches and yearns for something better. Another example of this extended metaphor showing perseverance is when the speaker states how the trees “…grew despite concrete”. Growing despite hindrances shows perseverance because despite adversity one can still continue onwards towards a goal; the speaker compares themselves to this act of constantly growing like the trees.  A final factor of the extended metaphor is how the speaker states that the trees “…do not belong here but are here”. This statement indicates that the four trees’ presence in the city is somewhat outlandish but they still continue to grow and survive despite their environment. Showing perseverance through surviving in a place where one does not belong exemplifies the emotion that the speaker denotes. The extended metaphor that the speaker uses shows a theme of perseverance due to the strength that the trees show and how the speaker mutually connects. –Shannon V. Robinson