Ending The Silent Tree Remembers

As a writer, I know that endings matter and getting them right is important. It was hard to decide the ending for The Silent Tree Remembers: Conversation From a Tree’s Perspective. In case you don’t know the story, it is about a man standing beside a beautiful, tall tree with a saw in his hand, considering cutting it down. The story, written from the tree’s perspective, progresses with the tree’s attempt to remind the man of the many lovely moments they shared over the years.

In the end, we don’t know if the man heard the tree or not. I didn’t have the heart to have the man cut down the tree in the last pages. How incredibly sad would that be? On the other hand, if I had the man somehow respond appreciatively to the tree, the ending would be less powerful. I wanted the ending to make an impact on readers. So, I left it up to them to consider what the man would do. And readers have responded differently.

One person, skimming over the story at a book fair, got to the final page and quickly closed the book, pushed it away, noting, “It’s too sad.” Another person, who also skimmed the book, got to the last page of text, then turned one more page and said, “Oh, the tree’s still there!” She was completely satisfied.

Since these reactions, I’ve gotten in the habit of noting that the ending is left open for readers to decide. I share that the tree still shows up in the final illustration and this can provide a positive ending if they so wish. I note that included in the back pages is a writing prompt to guide young readers to end the story in a way that pleases them.

To my displeasure, a few people have compared The Silent Tree Remembers to The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. I really dislike the kid who carelessly uses the tree. I know there are multiple lessons to learn from The Giving Tree, such as we should appreciate those who give without expecting anything in return and we should never take advantage of others. But I just mostly get mad at the boy. Even now I feel my blood pressure rising just thinking about him. In all fairness, I do see a resemblance between the boy and the man when we think the man doesn’t care about the tree.

However, I don’t want the man in The Silent Tree Remembers to be seen as one who carelessly cuts down the tree without any regard to all that it offered over the years. I do want readers to appreciate the many pleasures that trees give us. I want the man to somehow hear the tree and remember those moments.

So, for those who need a positive ending, but don’t want to write it or imagine it, here’s another option. Add the text shown in the photo to your copy. When you turn that final page, you can smile with satisfaction knowing the man stepped away, leaving the tree to be seen, heard, felt, noticed, and even loved for many years to come.

But what do you think? If you have The Silent Tree Remembers, what do you think of the ending? Are you satisfied with the open ending? Will you be adding “Oh . . . you do remember.” to your final page? Have you considered your own ending? Did you allow the man to cut down the tree for some good reason?

Shoot me an email and let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear from you!