The Education of Little Tree

“The bus driver told Granpa how much it was and while Granpa counted out the money real careful—for the light wasn’t good to count by—the bus driver turned around to the crowd in the bus and lifted his right hand and said ‘How!’ and laughed, and all the people laughed.”

At this moment, Little Tree does not understand that he and his grandparents are being ridiculed by a prejudiced crowd of unfriendly people. Instead, he perceives the laughter as coming from a place of friendship and fellowship. This early example of the protagonist’s naïve outlook provides a starting point for readers to build from as Little Tree grows from innocence to maturity through his Coming of Age story on the mountain. It also opens discussion early in the novel about the presentation and acceptance of stereotypes in society.

“It is The Way. Tal-con caught the slow, and so the slow will raise no children who are also slow.”

Granpa’s explanation of “The Way” reflects the same idea as Darwin’s signature concept of “survival of the fittest,” in which only those most capable of surviving can do so, for nature will eliminate those unable to cope with the realities of their environment. This concept becomes significant to Little Tree because he must learn to be among the strong in order to live a stable and successful life on the mountain.

“Granpa always believed that his cousin fretted himself into an early grave, worrying at voting time which was the way to vote, in order to clear up his ‘trouble.’”

Granpa’s biases against the very existence of politics exemplifies Asa Earl Carter’s belief that politics causes more problems than it solves. With this quote, it is clear that