Tree Grows in Brooklyn
... In the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith, the theme is perseverance through hardship. The theme of this novel relates closely to the tree in the Nolens yard. For example, at the end of the story, "But this tree in the yard - this tree that men chopped down. ... this tree that they built a bonfire around, trying to burn up its stump - this tree had lived!