Original artwork, not a still
The Giving Tree • 1964
Once there was a tree, and she loved a little boy.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
This opening line introduces a tree as a character capable of love, and gives that love a young human object. The simple storybook phrasing sets up a tender relationship between two very different beings, and the word 'once' places it in fairy-tale time.
Context reviewed
