Trees Symbol Analysis

Trees represent freedom. As a young girl, Addie associates trees with Estele and the free life that Estele lives—and which Addie longs to have for herself. Estele practices an unspecified polytheistic religion that emphasizes the power of nature. As such, she doesn’t hold herself to the same expectations as people like Addie’s parents and other villagers in Villon, who are mostly Catholic and worship “the new God.”  Estele doesn’t believe in Heaven or Hell, and she isn’t bound to conventional Christian morality. “Heaven is a nice spot in the shade, a broad tree over my bones,” Estele tells Addie. The Catholicism that most of Villon practices and the social norms the religion inspires have only constricted Addie and stifled her freedom. In contrast, Estele’s nonconventional lifestyle has afforded Estele a life of freedom: she’s not beholden to the moral codes of Christianity, nor the demands of a husband or the tedium of domestic labor. Thus, when Estele suggests that heaven, to her, is “a broad tree over my bones,” it suggests to Addie an implicit connection between Estele’s freedom and trees.

Addie comes to associate Estele and the freedom her way of life affords her with trees and nature. When, years after her deal with Luc, Addie returns to Villon and finds that the villagers have disregarded Estele’s wishes and buried her in a Christian cemetery, Addie plants a sapling over Estele’s bones to pay homage to the independent woman she so admired. Over the course of decades, the sapling grows into a strong, thriving tree. Addie’s memorial tree pays homage to the independent spirit and desire for freedom that Estele inspired in Addie so many years ago. Addie’s memorial tree is also important because it, like art, illustrates Addie’s ability to override the invisibility and meaninglessness Luc’s curse has forced upon her. Luc tries to ensure that nobody remembers Addie and that Addie is incapable of leaving any trace of her existence behind. And yet, with this tree, Addie succeeds in leaving behind a trace of her devotion to Estele and the ideas that Estele valued. Thus, the tree symbolizes freedom in another way: Addie’s power to circumvent and free herself from the constraints the Luc’s deal (or curse) have imposed on her.