The Tree of War Written by Tanya Datta

"The Tree of War" Essay

Who does not love their parents? They do anything for you. They earn money so you can eat, live and enjoy your life while they work hard. For them it is even harder if they are a single parent and you would only care for that one parent because you do not know the other parent or cannot remember them. So what if you only had your mother and you have not seen your father in years how would you feel and react if he sudden shows up? This scenario can be seen in the short story "The Tree of War" written by Tanya Datta in 2012.

In the short story the main character Krishna does not have a good relationship with his father. Which can be seen in the end of the short story where he first thinks about his father and later talk to him. One of the key points is when is when he describes the similarity between him and his father. This can be seen from ll. 89-91. "So it was annoying to see that we were practically identical. My father has skin the colour of Jaffa cakes, exactly like me. He’s tall, too, the way I’m shaping up to be. [...]" You can see how Krishna is irritated that he looks like his father because he does not want to end up like him and in the lines right after  you can see that he was lying about his father and that is for most people a clear sign of that he does not want his father in his life. Krishna also makes similarities to his friends' fathers and how their fathers are invisible to them in contrast to how his own father is more invisible than most. ll. 99-103. When Krishna comes home he ends up talking to his father and most of the conversation is just his father talking while Krishna is standing and thinking. There is one part where Krishna is thinking of the Monkey Tree waiting for him on the other side of the fence. "I love that tree. No matter what, it’s always there for me, always within reach, and as I imagine myself clinging onto its branches, I feel something surge through me. [...]" ll.148-151. You can see how he loves the tree and not his father . You can see how the tree has taken a father figure and not his father. You can see how Krishna has chosen the tree over his father. Which leads to the end of the conversation where Krishna drops the big load on his father. “Why did you have to come, Dad? Mum and me were so happy before you appeared. You’ve spoiled everything. [...] No one wants you here. No one loves you anymore.” ll. 157-159. In this quote you can see how Krishna had a lot to say and at the end just dropping it all on his father like an A-bomb. You can see how Krishna says all the hard things a father never would want to hear. Right before the quote you can see a short sentence saying "That moment when you just want to kill" ll.151-152. This shows how Krishna just wants his father gone. You can see how his anger is building up and in the end of the short story after the quote you can see how Krishna describes how dropping nuclear bombs in his father's eyes looks like.

In the short story the narrator uses a classic narration technique in 1. person but it is not only a classic style of writing. The narrator gives the style a twist with different technique that are used in 3. person narrations.  This can for example be seen on line 39 "Once upon a time she used to be fun". This is the main character talking about his mother. It is in 1.person but the once upon a time is a technique used in fairytales in 3. person. It gives the reader a feeling of how old he is even though they know his age. Not only that but it also feels like he has a bird perspective like he is not a 1. person narrator but a 3. person narrator. Another great key point is from the quote from ll. 148-151 where the narration technique is making Krishna pep talk himself through a thinking process which is another great technique narrators use in their short stories. It takes the reader closer to the story and the main character. It is like you get an exclusive part where it is only you and the main character. The technique of thoughts is not too different from the technique of perspective. It is just a little more specific and close up than 1. person perspective is. Just like 1. person the thoughts only shows us one side. This means that we will get at specific opinion on something. You could call it mind control or just good narration. The important is the connection between all the techniques. Even though there is a lot of different techniques in this short story they all fit really good together. There is no irrelevant techniques. They all have a purpose and maybe to see these purposes you should read it a second time.

Well  enough of narrative techniques would you have reacted the same way as Krishna or would you have reacted different? Of course you do not know exactly how you would react unless you have tried it. Some of you may think that it was mean of Krishna and some may think that it wasn't. Maybe it was or maybe it wasn't. Try to think "What would I do if I were Krishna?" and you will have your answer.