There's a lot of dissatisfaction going around in The Giving Tree, although, much like the love, it's pretty one-sided. The boy starts out as a pretty happy kid as far as we can tell, but as he ages, the Rolling Stones' famous ballad might as well be his theme song. No matter what he does—or what he takes from the tree—the boy never seems satisfied.
Questions About Dissatisfaction
- Does the boy seem happy—and satisfied—at the beginning of the book? How can you tell? At what point does this seem to change?
- Is being continually dissatisfied just part of growing up? Are we wired to always want more than what we have? Why or why not? Try to think of specific examples—from the book and from life—to support your theory.
- Each time the boy asks the tree for something, she gives it to him. What effect do you think this has on how satisfied or dissatisfied he is in his life? Would anything be different if she had chosen not to help him at any point? Why?
Chew on This
Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.
The boy is never satisfied because he's never learned to take care of himself.
Being dissatisfied is part of the human condition because we are wired to always want more than what we have.