Living in a place with no hope or faith and afraid of what could be next, a single tree manages to grow through it all. The tree that grows in Brooklyn is just a metaphor to Francie. As the tree grows evil surrounds it but it dodges the evil avoiding the people attempting to cut it down and as Francie goes from innocence to experience also dodging evil even though it surrounds her.
Francie is an innocent girl living in Brooklyn trying to make the best of everything. She was treated unfairly by her own mother. Her father, the only person who understands her usually wasn't there for her much. Francie has always had a dream of going to school through college but she has to work to support her family because she makes the most in the household. She can't go to high school but she finds ways around her not being able to attend high school. So again she dodges evil that is attempting to keep her from getting a degree. The fact of her keeping an optimistic attitude keeps her going and she ends up going to college. Even though evil tried to stop her she grows becoming a little more experienced.
Francie witnessed her mother shoot a man, her father die, and live in poverty while going a year with out Christmas or just not being able to pay the rent. This is the evil attempting to numb her mind and show her the world is a cruel hearbreaking place. France was of course stunned but she snapped out of it and went back to doing her best at being successful. Francie notices how her mother treats her brother Neeley so differently. That is the evil showing her the world is unfair and to just give up. Knowing Francie she keeps going to make it through her life.
To Fracie this world we live in is an unforgiving horrible place because she has witnessed so much evil. The evil though may look as if it shocks her and frightens her. The problem with the evil is that Francie, the optimistic, unstoppable girl feeds off of it growing from being an innocent girl living in Brooklyn to the tree that grows magnificently.
