Historical Fiction, Family Drama, Coming of Age
Historical Fiction
If we use the broadest lens, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the story of a very specific time and place. Because Betty Smith has good instincts for including details from the time, we are easily transported back to the early 1900s in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, New York.
While Francie and the other characters may be fictional, the setting is very real. Reading this novel is like taking a peek into the day-to-day life of a child growing up in Brooklyn about a century ago.
Francie takes us through the tenement buildings, and the experience is far richer than if you just read about poverty in a textbook. We meet the shops and the shopkeepers, and hear the street musicians.
Simply put, you could easily write an essay for you history teacher about this time and place after finishing this novel, which makes it historical fiction.
Family Drama
If we zoom in a bit, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn becomes a moving story about a family and, in this way, falls into the category of family drama.
It is the story of the Nolans and all their relatives who all live close together. There’s a lot to learn about their backgrounds, their ups and downs, and their sorrows and joys. Like most families, the Nolans are not perfect; there are complex character relationships, but also strong love that sees them through the hardships.
A good example of this is when Katie forgives her sister for the whole condom incident after Katie learns of her sister’s tenth stillborn child. Also, Papa’s brief periods of sobriety are met with happiness and hope rather than resentment and anger. We understand Francie’s conflicted feelings when she is financial supporter for the family. She puts the family’s needs over her own personal wants, and that can be tough.
Most readers want to see this family make it through the difficult times and overcome adversities stronger than ever before.
Coming of Age
At the heart of the Nolan family is our Francie.
When we first meet Francie, she is young and full of idealism. The world is shiny, sparkling, and new—everything is full of potential and beauty. For instance, she believes it is totally possible to read all of the books in the world (and that all of the books in the world are housed in her shabby little community library). The scales in the coffee and tea shop knock her out, and the Williamsburg Bridge is a wondrous thing that must lead to a similarly wondrous land.
But soon Francie starts to grow up and, as she does, she begins recognizing the flaws in things. She is able to critically judge a play that has a cheesy ending, and she realizes that the game Mama plays with them is really just a way to take their minds off their hunger.
Along with these disappointments, she comes face-to-face with obstacles that stand in her way. A girl with erasers shows her that some people are just mean for no real reason; a doctor and her first teacher shame her for being poor and dirty; and she learns about the dangers of being a woman when she is attacked by the sexual predator in her building. Plus, she sees how Sissy and an unwed mother are judged harshly and unfairly for their sexual behavior.
On top of all of this, her father, the parent who most loves her, dies from his alcoholism. Francie just can’t seem to catch a break.
Throughout the string of disappointments life throws her way, Francie doesn’t give up on everything. She fights for her chance at a quality education, and she is open to love, even after getting her heart smashed by her first love, Lee.
By the end of the novel, our girl Francie has grown into a confident, realistic, and hardworking woman who is still open to adventure. We're pretty proud of how far she's come, and watching her grow and change from childhood on makes this a coming of age novel.