“Just Like a Tree” by Ernest Gaines

　　All the relatives come to Aunt Fe, one of the oldest women in the kin, to say good-bye to her when she is going to leave home. Seventeen people gather at her house. They all love Aunt Fe. Especially two women remember the days they spent with her. One is Leola, who says, “Poor old thing; how many times I done come here and washed clothes for her when she couldn’t do it herself. How many times I done hoed in that garden, ironed her clothes….” The other is Louise. She says, “How many times have I eaten in your kitchen, Aunt Fe? A thousand times? How many times have I eaten tea cakes and drank milk on the back steps, Aunt Fe? A thousand times?” At the end of the story, Aunt Fe dies as she was talking to Aunt Lou. The ending is moving, because Aunt Fe actually leaves her house not for the north but for heaven. The last scene is somewhat predictable because in the course of reading, I realized that the writer was using “leave” for “die.” 　　The story begins with a poem, “I shall not / I shall not be moved / I shall not; / I shall not be moved. / Just like a tree that’s / planted ‘side the water….” The tree is a metaphor for Aunt Fe. The poem is realized when Aunt Fe, a big old tree, finally “moves.” The story is unique because the plot does not develop in the continuous narrative way. Instead, it consists of ten narratives given by ten characters. Each character talks about what she or he sees, hears, and thinks. The arrangement of the story is good because the reader can get a deep insight into each individual. 　　However, the reader must build the plot based on the narratives given by the characters. Because each narrative is independent from others, grasping the whole picture of the story is not so easy as are most stories told in a chronological order. Moreover, since as many as seventeen characters appear in just a 20-page story without clear description about the relationship among them, it is difficult to grasp their relationship well enough to continue reading the story. 　　A reader may find difficulty in the language they use. All the characters except the white woman, Anne-Marie-Duvall, speak black English. It does not conform to school English (“Pa hit him on the back and he jeck in them chains like he pulling, but ever’body in the wagon know he ain’t), and uses a lot of abbreviated forms (“yo’ tractor / ‘gainst you / ‘cause she part o’ the elements”) 　　This is the first time for me to read a story which consists of narratives presented by the characters. I would like to use the technique in my next short story.