The Tree of Man: Analysis of Setting
"The Tree of Man: Analysis of Setting" explores the complex interplay between the characters and their environments within the Australian landscape. The narrative begins with the protagonist, Stan Parker, who enters the virgin bushland, a space that evokes feelings of awe and spirituality, likened to a cathedral. This bush, a symbol of both fear and reverence, serves as a backdrop for the characters' journeys and reveals the harsh realities of Australian weather, including the devastating storms and floods that play a pivotal role in Stan's quest for understanding. The Parker family's farm represents the evolution of rural life, transitioning from a simple hut to an expansive homestead, mirroring the establishment of a typical Australian settlement. In contrast, Glastonbury, a grand country house built by a wealthy family, highlights the tensions between urban aspirations and rural authenticity, ultimately leading to disillusionment when a bush fire destroys it. The nearby village of Duralgai reflects the growth of community life, while Sydney, the cosmopolitan city, symbolizes the spiritual emptiness seen by White, impacting the lives of the Parker children as they navigate the disconnect between urban and rural values. This rich tapestry of settings invites readers to contemplate the profound relationship between individuals and their natural and social environments in Australia.
The Tree of Man: Analysis of Setting
First published: 1955
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Parable
Time of work: Twentieth century
Asterisk denotes entries on real places.
Places Discussed
Bush
Bush. Australian term for wilderness area that also has connotations that make the bush a fearful place on one hand and a spiritual place on the other. As the novel opens, the central character, Stan Parker, walks into the virgin bushland awed by the “simplicity of true grandeur” where the silence was “immense.” From the novel’s beginning, then, the bush assumes religious dimensions comparable to a cathedral. It continues to be treated in this way throughout the work, and at its end, Stan’s grandson undergoes a similar revelation as he walks through the bush.
A crucial passage of The Tree of Man describes a powerful storm that strikes the area and the flood that follows. Such unpredictable weather characterizes Australia, where bush regions suffer drought for years then heavy rains flood the parched earth. The raging water heightens the drab landscape and figures as a pivotal experience in Parker’s quest for understanding. Like so many elements in the novel, the deluge carries religious significance and brings to mind the biblical flood.
Parker farm
Parker farm. Farm that Stan and his wife, Amy, build for half a century. It begins with Stan’s clearing of a space in the bush and building a simple hut. Soon, he marries Amy, with whom he has two children. Over the years, their farm expands as more of the scrub and trees are cleared away. The crude hut evolves into a rambling house, typical of those in the Australian countryside, and serviceable farm buildings appear. Paths become roads, and more settlers arrive to develop similar properties. As the years pass, the Parkers create a most ordinary settlement, of a type that White himself knew well. On his return to Australia after serving in World War II, he lived in an area called Castle Hill on a farm closely resembling the Parkers’ place.
Glastonbury
Glastonbury. Grand country house that a wealthy Sydney family builds on land near the Parker farm. There, they and their society friends from the city spend holidays imitating the ways of British aristocracy. Amy, who works in the kitchen at the great house, finds the place fascinating, a welcome release from her humdrum farming life. However, when a bush fire destroys Glastonbury, Amy realizes that it was all merely a fantasy and no real part of her life. The country estate had violated the sanctity of the bush.
During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries successful Australians developed a fondness for country houses patterned after the stately homes that dot the English countryside. In fact, White, who came from a wealthy family, spent part of his childhood in such a house in the New England region of Australia.
Duralgai
Duralgai. Village that arises near the Parker farm. It consists first of a general store and a post office, but gradually grows into a typical Australian country town, with dusty streets and buildings with verandas to protect people from the torrid sun.
*Sydney
*Sydney. Australia’s most cosmopolitan city, which lies not far from the Parker farm, plays a minor but significant role in the narrative. It represents the spiritual vacuum that White saw in Australian society. To develop this theme, White moves the Parkers’ two children into Sydney. The daughter, Thelma, marries a lawyer and devotes herself to middle-class pretensions, while the son, Ray, turns to gambling and crime. When Stan and Amy venture into the city, they are never comfortable in what they consider an artificial and destructive environment.
Bibliography
Bliss, Carolyn. “The Tree of Man.” In Patrick White’s Fiction. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1986. Provides a clear analysis of the novel. Places this early novel within the White canon, which is seen as concerned with “the paradox of fortunate failure.”
Colmer, John. Patrick White. New York: Methuen, 1984. Examines the continuity of vision in White’s fiction. Discusses and places The Tree of Man within that context as an important early work.
Hope, A. D. “The Bunyip Stages a Comeback—The Tree of Man.” In Critical Essays on Patrick White. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1990. A noted review of the novel, written in 1956 by a leading Australian poet. Praises the way White represents “a sense of the mystery of all living,” but criticizes his prose style, calling it “pretentious and illiterate verbal sludge.”
Kramer, Leonie. “The Tree of Man: An Essay in Skepticism.” In Critical Essays on Patrick White, edited by Peter Wolfe. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1990. Traces Stan Parker’s “journey towards enlightenment” by analyzing the formal structure of the novel. Argues that Stan’s supposed spiritual illumination has been overestimated by critics, and sees the novel instead as expressing a skeptical “attitude towards metaphysical speculation.”
Weigel, John A. Patrick White. Boston: Twayne, 1983. A comprehensive introduction to all aspects of White’s work and life, including a well-defined discussion of The Tree of Man. An excellent starting point for a study of White’s fiction.