Themes

The themes Tanya Datta explores in the short story “The Tree of War” are the theme of decisions and the theme of faulty family relationship…

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Decisions

This theme is illustrated by Krishna, who is forced to make important decisions and to take sides in different aspects of his life. At first, he needs to take sides in the Nuclear War game he plays with his friends. He is the one who makes up the rules and who convinces his friends that they must not hesitate when making a decision, as it might – symbolically – affect their lives:

You have five seconds to get out of that country, otherwise your brains boil and your insides melt into baked beans! Nothing can survive. If you’re caught out at sea, you die too. Basically, you only get to live if you escape to a far-off country because, if you end up nearby, then the radiation’s going to get you. If that happens, expect your skin to drop off! (ll. 64-68)

Krishna also has to make an important decision when it comes to the conflict b…

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Faulty family relationships

This theme is illustrated by the conflict between spouses and by the way in which their problems have alienated their child.

As the story shows, Krishna’s parents have separated six years previously, when the woman decided to move to England and when her husband remained in India. Although he does not fully understand the “deadly silence that exploded between (his) parents” (ll. 104-105), Krishna remembers his father being v…