The Education of Little Tree

The mountain that Little Tree lives on with his grandparents becomes home to him. He is comfortable exploring its wilderness, and he learns to trust and respect the plants and animals of the mountain. However, the mountain is not always directly present or mentioned. The only times when the writing acknowledges the mountain are in moments when Little Tree either has an opportunity to learn and grow or has an opportunity to apply earlier lessons to a new situation. At the end of the novel, Little Tree leaves his grandparents’ mountain in search of his own.

This transition shifts the symbolism of the mountain itself, for it comes to represent Little Tree’s character development and need to grow. While he is young and must learn how to function as a mountain person, he lives with his grandparents in the sheltering safety of their mountain. When he is taken away from the mountain, he proves that he is not ready to face the world because he does not yet know how to handle being away from his family or the mountain. He still needs the mountain because he still has a lot to learn.