Faith in a Tree by Grace Paley
"Faith in a Tree" by Grace Paley is a poignant short story that captures a moment in the life of Faith, a woman reflecting on her past while perched in a tree at a New York playground. Surrounded by her children and other neighborhood kids, she grapples with feelings of stagnation and uncertainty about her future, having recently navigated the complexities of her marriage to Ricardo, who is now away with another woman. The story explores themes of motherhood, personal fulfillment, and the struggle to find moral direction in a world filled with chaos.
As Faith interacts with various characters, including her sons and a former lover, Phillip, she contemplates her identity and the societal expectations placed upon her. The narrative shifts dramatically when antiwar protesters enter the playground, provoking strong reactions from the children and highlighting the tension between passive observation and active engagement. Richard, Faith's son, expresses his anger at the apathy surrounding them, prompting a transformative moment for Faith. The story culminates in her decision to re-engage with the world, marking a significant shift in her understanding of purpose and responsibility. Overall, "Faith in a Tree" encapsulates the complexities of modern motherhood and the quest for personal agency amid societal challenges.
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Faith in a Tree by Grace Paley
First published: 1967
Type of plot: Satire
Time of work: The late 1960's, during the Vietnam War
Locale: A neighborhood playground in New York
Principal Characters:
Faith Asbury , the protagonist, who is up in a tree in a playgroundRichard , andAnthony (Tonto) , her sons, aged nine and six years, respectivelyMrs. Junius Finn , her neighborKitty Skazka , her closest friend, an unmarried woman with several childrenAnna Kraat , another friend, a beautiful woman with a bad characterAlex O. Steele , formerly an organizer of tenant strikes, now a businesspersonRicardo , Faith's former husband, an explorer and writerPhillip Mazzano , an attractive man, formerly Kitty's loverDouglas , a police officer
The Story
Faith Asbury is perched in a tree in a neighborhood playground in New York although she would prefer to be out in the "man-wide" world or with a "brainy companion" who could speak to her "of undying carnal love." Below her, under the tree, are her children, Richard and Anthony. Scores of other neighborhood children, "terrible seedlings," watched over by their mothers, swarm about the playground: "Among the trees, in the arms of statues, toes in the grass, they hopped in and out of dog shit and dug tunnels into mole holes." There are also men in the park, "young Saturday fathers," and older fathers, holding the hands of the young children of "a third intelligent marriage." Several characters stop under Faith's tree to chat with her.
As Faith mulls over her past and tries to think about her future, and as passing characters stop to speak with her, the reader learns that Faith had been married to Ricardo, who is now in an unspecified exotic country, presumably living with a younger woman who "acts on her principles" the way Faith had once done. The reader also learns that Faith was reared in a Jewish, socially conscious family, that she has an unfulfilling job by which she supports her children, and that she really does not know what to do next in her life. Faith is also "up a tree" concerning her beliefs. She notes that
My vocabulary is adequate for writing notes and keeping journals but absolutely useless for an active moral life. If I really knew this language, there would surely be in my head, as there is in Webster's or the Dictionary of American Slang, that unreducible verb designed to tell a person like me what to do next.
Faith leaves her perch briefly to flirt with Phillip Mazzano, an attractive man who was once the lover of Kitty Skazka, Faith's best friend. Formerly a teacher and later with the State Department, he now wants to become a comedian. He forms an instant rapport with Richard, Faith's elder son. Faith, however, returns to her tree limb when Phillip appears to be more interested in beautiful Anna Kraat, another friend who is "not interested in anything."
Up to this point in the story, there has been little or no action: Faith, static in her tree, the others playing or lounging below it. A new group now enters the park, a group composed of men, women, and children together. The children are banging pots and pans, and the adults carry three posters. The first poster, showing a picture of a man and a child, poses the question, "WOULD YOU BURN A CHILD?" The next poster depicts the man putting a burning cigarette to the child's arm and gives the answer, "WHEN NECESSARY." The third poster, carrying no words, shows a napalmed Vietnamese baby "seared, scarred, with twisted hands." The group seems to impose an automatic silence on the others in the playground.
Douglas, a police officer, tries to remove the antiwar protesters, who stop, regroup, and continue their march more sedately, discarding the wooden poster handles to which Douglas has objected. When Anthony, Faith's younger child, protests against Douglas's interference with the antiwar group, the police officer answers, "Listen Tonto, there's a war on. You'll be a soldier too someday. I know you're no sissy like some kids around here. You'll fight for your country." Richard angrily rebels against Douglas, as well as against Faith and the other passive onlookers: "I hate you. I hate your stupid friends. Why didn't they just stand up to that stupid cop." He then writes the question and answer on the sidewalk, using bright red chalk: "WOULD YOU BURN A CHILD? WHEN NECESSARY." Richard's pain and anger over such apathy in the face of cruelty bring Faith to a sudden realization of her place and purpose in life. From this point onward, she moves "out of that sexy playground" and into the world again.
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