47 pages • 1 hour read
Joan BauerStand Tall
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2005A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Bradley
Bradley, the Benton family dog, is a symbol that represents loyalty and unconditional love. Knowing nothing of divorce, Bradley remains attached to each person in the family and shows his uncomplicated love to them. When Tree feels sad about his parents’ split, “Bradley padded over, put his paw in Tree’s hand. Bradley understood when people needed comfort” (12). Attuned to his family, Bradley offers support when someone needs it with no strings attached. This is also evident when Larry comes home drunk one night. After Larry yells at Grandpa and the dog, Bradley follows the boy into his room and “just sat there with his big trusting eyes waiting to help” (86). Despite being yelled at, the dog stays by Larry’s side because he senses the boy’s distress, showing that he still loves Larry no matter how angry he is. Later, when Tree’s mom introduces her date, she calls Bradley her “former dog.” Then, “Bradley’s cloudy eyes looked up in undying loyalty,” for “there is no such thing as a former dog” (166). Once Bradley forges a bond, he keeps it, evident in the notion that he cannot be a “former” pet. This, along with his “undying loyalty,” indicates that the dog loves his family wholeheartedly, no matter what happens.
White Oak Tree
The great white oak in the town park is a motif illustrating the theme of Resilience in the Face of Adversity. When Tree first describes the oak, he thinks, “Its fat green leaves had turned red in the fall, then shriveled up. The acorns had fallen off [...] It was winter in his life, too, and not just because it was December” (7). This literal description of what happens to the tree in cold weather also represents hardship. When Tree notes that it is “winter in his life” (7), he indicates that it is a tough time, for he is bereft with the loss of his family’s unity. The great white oak, like him, is experiencing difficult times. However, not long after the flood, the oak has buds on it and unlike other trees, it endures the storms unscathed. Tree notes, “It makes you appreciate a serious root system; roots planted so deep in the ground, holding steady against the storm” (161). The serious root system is the strength the tree needs to not just survive a terrible storm but to also hold it “steady.” This steadiness is akin to resilience needed in difficult times, for it is not enough to merely survive. To truly persevere through adversity, one becomes even stronger. This is true for True, his family, and the entire town of Ripley after the flood. Because of this, the great white oak is a manifestation of people’s resilience when misfortune hits.
Empty Walls
The empty walls in Tree’s dad’s house symbolize grief. Not long after his parents’ divorce, Tree “looked at the empty wall where the big hutch used to be. His mother had taken it when she moved out. The shadows of where it had been remained. His dad said they were going to get a new hutch, but they hadn’t yet” (10). The hutch is a large piece of furniture his mother took to her new house, so the item is connected to her. The shadow where the cabinet once stood is a constant reminder of what once was—not only is the furniture missing but his mom and an intact family unit are also gone. The description of a shadow implies darkness or melancholy representing Tree’s grief over the divorce. Furthermore, even though his dad promised to replace the hutch, he has not, which suggests that Tree is still mourning the loss of his parents’ marriage. This is reiterated later when his mom comes over for dinner and she, too, sees “the empty walls, the shadows of where the hutch had been” (127). Even though she possesses the piece of furniture, she feels the resulting pain as well. The empty walls represent the grief that comes not with death but with losing a unified family.
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By Joan Bauer
