Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Planting Trees" by John Updike is a poignant meditation on growth, memory, and the passage of time, articulated through the planting and nurturing of trees. The poem explores how trees serve as living monuments to personal histories and milestones, linking human life intimately with the natural world and creating a legacy that outlasts the individuals who planted them.

Updike begins with a personal anecdote from his mother's childhood, where she recalls jumping over a small spruce tree. This spruce has since grown to tower over the sandstone house where she still resides. The tree stands as a testament to the span of her life, translating her temporal existence into something enduring and majestic, "so tall, into so mighty a peer of the birds and the wind." This opening sets the tone for the poem, emphasizing trees as symbols of continuity and the transformation of human experience into natural majesty.

The poem then shifts to another vignette, this time of an "old farmer" who walks through an orchard he planted long ago. The trees here have aged alongside the farmer, some becoming "hollow-trunked" and "much-lopped," yet they endure as the remnants of his younger days. These trees embody the farmer's past labors and life, standing as the surviving participants of his life story.

Updike personalizes the theme further with the mention of a dogwood planted to mark his own birth, which "flowers each April, a soundless explosion." This tree is celebrated with a recurring family story, rooted in collective memory. It marks the continuity of life, blossoming annually as a reaffirmation of his entrance into the world.

Transitioning to his own experience, Updike recounts planting two hemlocks with his wife at their new home, symbolizing the beginning of their life together. The mixed fate of these hemlocks—with one dying and the other thriving—reflects the unpredictable nature of life and relationships. The surviving tree, anticipated to one day "dominate this view no longer mine," suggests a future in which the tree will continue to grow and exist beyond Updike's own life, bearing witness to the early days of his shared life with his wife.

The closing vision of the poem is both reflective and forward-looking. Updike imagines returning as an "old man, a trespasser" to see the mature hemlock, marveling at how their "small deed, that hurried day," has grown into something grand and enduring. This image captures the essence of the poem—the way personal moments and actions, seemingly small and fleeting, can grow into lasting legacies that narrate our stories long after we are gone.

"Planting Trees" thus beautifully encapsulates the human desire to connect with and through nature, to leave behind something that grows and flourishes, telling our stories and holding our memories in the rings of their trunks and the spread of their branches. Updike uses the simple, relatable act of planting trees as a powerful metaphor for life, legacy, and the enduring human spirit.

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