Structure

Title

The title of the short story “Old Growth” by Lisa Alward is both literal and symbolic. In the literal sense, the title refers to the old growth forest on the property that Ray is interested in: “Wait till you see all the old growth.” (l. 63)

The nature of Ray and Gwyneth’s relationship - ex-spouses who are no longer close but somehow still depend emotionally on each other – suggests that the title is also a metaphor for their marriage.

The meaning of the title is hinted at particularly through Fern’s explanation of the fallen tree and the information that can be worked out from its rings:

Fern has stopped beside an enormous fallen tree. Someone has chain-sawed it into chunks, the largest spanning almost four feet. She nudges Ray’s elbow, beckons Gwyneth.
‘See the rings,’ she says, pointing at the largest chunk. ‘You can tell how old it is by counting them. […] The rings look pretty much the same until you get right up close. Then you can see that some are wider, meaning an easy winter and long growing season, and some thinner, usually a hard winter and shorter growing season.’
‘Just like relationships,’ Ray quips, ‘except the best ones are usually the shortest.’ (ll. 104-115)

This clearly symbolically connects the ‘old growth’ of a tree with human relationships. One interpretation of the metaphor is that, despite having a broken relationship, Ray and Gwyneth still have a connection from their shared history – both good and bad times which they have stored away in their minds like the tree’s rings. This is suggested, for example, by the fact that Ray still relies on Gwyneth – “C’mon, Gwyn. You can tell me if I’m crazy or not.” (l. 38) – and by Gwyneth’s happy memories about their relationship (ll. 135-141). Gwyneth also seems to feel connected...