The Learning Tree: Analysis of Major Characters
"The Learning Tree" is a novel that explores the coming-of-age experiences of a young African American boy named Newton Buchanan Winger, set against the backdrop of 1920s America. At the heart of the story is Newt's journey through loss, love, and personal growth, as he navigates complex relationships with his family and peers. His mother, Sarah Winger, plays a pivotal role as the family matriarch, embodying strength and resilience despite her declining health. Newt's father, Jack, is a hardworking farmer who strives to provide for his family but struggles to understand Newt's aspirations and talents.
The narrative also examines Newt's first love, Arcella Jefferson, whose life takes a tragic turn, illustrating the harsh realities of societal expectations and racial dynamics. Another key character is Jefferson Cavanaugh, a white judge who, while part of the established order, offers a more nuanced understanding of race relations due to his upbringing with the Winger family. Lastly, Marcus Savage serves as a foil to Newt; his violent tendencies and tragic fate highlight the impact of family dysfunction and societal pressures. Through these characters, "The Learning Tree" delves into themes of identity, belonging, and the complexities of human relationships within a racially stratified society.
The Learning Tree: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Gordon Parks, Sr.
First published: 1963
Genre: Novel
Locale: A small town in Kansas
Plot: Domestic realism
Time: The mid-1920's
Newton Buchanan Winger, the protagonist, a boy of twelve. He experiences momentous encounters of life, including death, violent and otherwise, and love, both sexual and familial. The youngest in a large, close-knit family, Newt grows both physically and emotionally. At the end, when he leaves the Midwest town of his birth for a new home in Minnesota, his mother's dream of him going on to better things seemingly is fulfilled.
Sarah Winger, Newt's mother, a housekeeper for a white judge. She is the keystone of the Winger family. Although increasingly suffering from the heart condition that eventually kills her, Sarah leads her family and is, for an African American in the 1920s, a respected person in town. Sarah's hopes crystallize around Newt, who shows both intellectual ability and artistic promise.
Jack Winger, Sarah's husband and Newt's father. He is hardworking and well-intentioned but does not always understand or sympathize with Newt's interests or Sarah's ambitions for Newt. A struggling farmer willing to do whatever work is necessary to keep his family together, Jack is an honorable figure in Cherokee Flats. He is well aware that Sarah is the dominant figure of their household.
Arcella Jefferson, Newt's first love. Newt and Arcella fall in love, sit together in the segregated movie house, exchange presents, and talk about their future life together. Arcella abandons Newt and becomes pregnant by a young white man, Chauncey Cavanaugh. Her family is forced to leave town in disgrace.
Jefferson Cavanaugh, a judge and the pillar of the community in Cherokee Flats. Cavanaugh, a white man, is the employer of Sarah Winger and the father of Chauncey. A figure of both power and responsibility, the judge epitomizes the social and political establishment. Cavanaugh does not merely represent the white forces in town. After his mother deserted him, he was reared in the Winger home and thus shows less bigotry and prejudice than did many whites in America during the 1920s.
Marcus Savage, a slightly older contemporary of Newt. His violent nature leads him first to a reformatory, then to a series of confrontations with Newt, and finally to his death. Marcus, whose father, Booker, commits the murder that is one of the centerpieces of the novel, is a victim both of his own nature and of the environment created by his broken home and the wider white-dominated society. Although Marcus attempts to murder Newt, the latter sympathizes with Marcus as a victim in a world in which racial prejudice is a reality.