In “The Black Walnut Tree,” Mary Oliver utilizes various literary elements such as figurative language and diction to communicate an underlying connection between the family and the tree. This connection is what leaves them to preserve the tree, for the aforementioned connection is strong enough that the family would feel a loss of identity if the tree were removed. The first portion of the poem takes the form of a conversation between a mother and daughter regarding whether or not the tree in their yard should be cut down to help them pay off their mortgage. Diction plays a role in this part of the passage. By utilizing casual, informal diction, Mary Oliver leads readers to the conclusion that the family is used to the presence of the tree, perhaps because the tree has been nearby the family home for a long period of time. The audience can then infer that the family may be attached to the tree given that this is true.
After the opening sequence establishes a possible attachment between the family and the tree, the two women begin to list reasons why the tree should be removed. The daughter mentions there are “roots in the cellar drains,” and the mother points out that the fruit is “harder to gather” every year. Both of these listed reasons are physiognomies that can be interpreted as allegorical depictions of family life; the roots burrowing deep in the cellar signify the family’s ties to the home itself. The difficulty of gathering fruit points toward the complications that all families face over time. As such, the family is able to personally identify with the tree.
Mary Oliver uses this figurative language to express the importance of connections. The tree is so valuable to the family that something “brighter than money moves in [their] blood” and convinces them to keep it. Therefore, Mary Oliver conveys the relationship between the tree and the family through the use of diction and figurative language.
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