Themes and message

Fertility

One of the themes in the short story “The Cherry Tree” by Lisa Blower is fertility.

The conflict between Thea and Roxanne occurs because Thea cannot have children. Some of her dislike of Roxanne is caused by her being a mother while Thea is unable to have children of her own. As a result, Thea feels envious of Roxanne’s fertility, which reminds her of the injustice of her own inability to have children. Her sadness at not being able to have children also manifests as resentment against Toby, and makes her see him as a spoiled brat. 

The cherry tree is a symbol of fertility, and Thea tries to deny Roxanne and Toby access to it out of spite. She also somehow believes she is more entitled to the fruits of the cherry tree than Roxanne, precisely because she is infertile. By restricting Roxanne’s access to the cherry tree, she tries to tip the ...