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Tree Grows In Brooklyn Setting

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Growing Through Concrete: The Influence of Setting on A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
People often view the setting of a story as just another trivial detail. Setting is not always exclusively used for the purpose of being a backdrop for the story. In some cases, it can largely influence the characters, their actions, the plot, and themes of the novel. The type of setting that influences these parts of a novel is called an integral setting (Watson 638). Betty Smith’s novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, contains an integral setting because the time period and location of the story affect the plot, characters, and themes of the novel. The influence of the time and location where the novel, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, takes place can be seen through the themes …show more content…

Brooklyn, the city where the Nolan’s lived, was home to immigrants from all over. Francie and Neeley interacted with people from different cultures, throughout Williamsburg, on a daily basis (Jocher). Some of the immigrants that lived in Williamsburg were of German ancestry. In the novel, Smith wrote, “One by one, the neighbors joined in. And they all sang. But as they sang something disquieting came among them. A group of Germans were singing a round” (394). These German immigrants were just another ethnic group that made up the diverse population of Francie’s neighborhood. She was also exposed to Chinese culture as a result of her encounters with the Chinese store owner. Betty Smith said, “The Chinaman wore his pigtail wound around his head. That was so he could go back to China if he wanted to, mama said” (135). The encounters that she had with the Chinese store owner inspired her to want to be Chinese too. Smith stated on page 192 that Francie even dressed up as a Chinese man for Thanksgiving. Although some groups were able to coexist, conflicts occasionally arose between characters when they used ethnic terms that were more commonly said in the early 1900s. Many of these terms are now considered antiquated and politically incorrect. One of these conflicts occurred on New Year’s Eve. According to Betty Smith, “Someone shouted: ‘Shut up, you lousy heines!’ In answer, the German song swelled mightily and drowned out ‘Auld Lang Syne’” (395). In modern-day America, it is less likely that the word “heines” would be used to address a person of German descent. Another conflict occurred when Neeley screamed, “Happy New Year, you dirty Irish mick!” at one of his neighbors. Although the conflict occurred within the family, it was still due to the use of an ethnic term that is now used sparingly (Smith 395-396). As with gender roles, the presentation of

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