The Tree (short story)

"The Tree" is a short story by American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft, written in 1920 and first published in the October 1921.

Background

This story came early in Lovecraft's writing career, and is generally considered to be within his "Macabre" phase. Lovecraft's inspiration for the story likely came in part from the book The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen, published in 1890. Of particular note is Machen's depiction of Pan as a power of nature.

Publication history

"The Tree" was first published in "The Tryout", 7, No. 7 (October 1921), [3-10] . cite web | year = June 19 2005 | url = http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/sources/d.asp | title = Dagon and Other Macabre Tales | format = WWW | publisher = HP Lovecraft.com | accessmonthday = March 14 | accessyear = 2008]

Plot summary

"The Tree" is told in past tense, in third person objective. The location of the story is Mount Maenalus, in Arcadia, Greece, a mountain which was a "chosen haunt" for the Greek God Pan. The story opens with a vivid description of the olive grove, and a fearful, human-like olive tree within it.

The story then introspectively turns several years back, recalling the famous sculptors Kalos and Musides, whose works were praised throughout the known world. One day, the Tyrant of Syracuse invited Kalos and Musides to compete in the creation of "a wonder of nations and a goal of travelers". While working on their sculptures, Kalos fell ill, much to the dismay of Musides.

The visible conflict within the plot begins with a dying Kalos and an attendant Musides. Kalos preferred meditation in the olive grove, while Musides felt shunned by his dear friend. On his death bed, Musides insisted on erecting an elaborate marble tomb, while Kalos asked only for the planting of olive twigs near his head. After the death of Kalos, Musides buried the olive twigs, in addition to constructing a tomb.

Over time, Musides felt haunted by the gnarled olive tree that grew over Kalos' grave. The tree's roots grew as if nourished by the unfinished sculpture of Kalos, while above Musides' labors a large branch had grown overhead. The night before the statue was to be taken to the Tyrant of Syracuse, a tremendous storm came. With the singular fall of that one overhanging branch, both Musides and his statue were gone forever.

Characters in The Tree

* Kalos: A sculptor whose source of inspiration is derived from meditation and conversations with "spirits of the grove... for he patterned his work after no living model."
* Musides: A sculptor whose inspiration comes from socializing: "revel [ing] by night amidst the urban gaieties of Tegea".
* Kalos & Musides: Despite the unrivaled mastery for their craft and their very different natures, the two were like brothers, with no jealousy between them.
* Pan: The ultimate source of Kalos' inspiration, and the antagonist that ends the story.

Themes

The two primary themes of this story, drawing on Lovecraft's common themes, are:

* Forbidden knowledge: The mastery of sculpture is highly pronounced throughout the story. Particularly troubling is that while Kalos's abilities come from the Gods, Musides are entirely human. In Lovecraft's literature, it is an egregious sin for humanity to exceed or compete with ability reserved solely for the Gods.
* Nonhuman influences on humanity: The role of Pan, particularly in the end of the story, in destroying Musides.

References

*Cite book|first=Howard P.|last=Lovecraft|chapter=The Tree|origyear=1921|year=1986|title=Dagon and Other Macabre Tales|editor=S. T. Joshi (ed.)|edition=9th corrected printing|publisher=Arkham House|location=Sauk City, WI|id=ISBN 0-87054-039-4 Definitive version.