The Pear Tree🍃

     Chapter Two immediately introduces parallelism between Janie’s life and a pear tree. Janie is particular about how the bee penetrates the tree when it pollinates—a beautiful mutual connection in her eyes. The bee symbolizes a man and a woman explicitly when Janie wonders, “Where were the singing bees for her?” (Hurtson 11) The symbol shows how she fantasizes a relationship where the man and woman share equal satisfaction.  It also unifies Janie with a tree, describing how they are both flowering and inviting to a partner.

     It is most fitting she shares a kiss with Johnny Taylor under the same tree that fascinates her idea of love and marriage. The tree is a place where her womanhood blossoms and an escape from the reality of arranged marriages as well as male-dominant relationships. The images Janie daydreams about offers insight to how she will handle future relationships. At this point, the audience can predict her marriage with Logan Killicks will be unsuccessful because she views marriage based on harmonious mutual love.

     The pear tree in this novel is a comparable symbol to the pomegranate tree in The Kite Runner. Both trees represent growing up and show how people can share a special bond in a single place. As both Amir and Janie grow older, they see the tree in a new perspective. For Amir, he sees the old, shriveled tree with he and Hassan’s engraving as a symbol to his dead home in Afghanistan, but everlasting friendship with Hassan. As children, the tree is the place where the boys develop their friendship/brotherhood. Similarly, Janie shares a connection with Johnny under the pear tree.