Still Life

In this novel, trees are symbolic of the beauty of nature and the possibility of human communion with nature. Cress first experiences the sublimity of trees in his communion with the cherry blossom tree in London. Cherry blossoms are not native to London, and the beauty of the tree represents hope in an otherwise gritty and grey city torn by World War II. Cress treats the tree as a confidant; he trusts it with questions that he can’t express to people. The tree teaches him how to extend his love for nature to his life with other people. In Italy, Cress finds another tree to commune with: the citrus tree at the pensione. When Cress dies, his loved ones bring his ashes into nature so he can grow into a tree, fulfilling his bond with nature. Trees in this novel are specifically connected to Cress’s character development, but they are also a testament to natural beauty and cyclic nature of life. Unlike war, cities, and art, natural beauty was not created by humans and, therefore, cannot be completely destroyed by humans. It’s not a juxtaposition to the beauty of art, which is also symbolic in this novel, but it’s a counterpoint, another source of beauty that requires openness instead of analysis.