Page 2 - The Fir Tree Lesson Notes

Summary

The Fir Tree is a story about the life of a sad fir tree. The Fir Tree was never happy with what
he had. The young Fir Tree spent his days wishing he was taller instead of enjoying his life.
Nothing made him happy. During the winter, other trees were taken to homes. The Fir Tree
wanted to go to a home, too. Finally, one winter, a family cut him down for Christmas. Now
the Fir Tree was sad because he would not see his home or friends again. The people
decorated him and danced around him. Then, the children jumped at him and took their
presents from the tree. No one looked at the Fir Tree again. The next day, the Fir Tree was
put in a dark room. One day, a mouse came and talked to the tree. The mice liked to hear
his stories. One day, the man took the Fir Tree outside. The Fir Tree thought about his life.
He wished he had enjoyed himself when he was young. A boy put the Fir Tree in a fire. The
Fir Tree was gone.

Theme:

★ Regret: Appreciate everything you have, and try to live in such a way that you do not
have many regrets. The Fir Tree had many regrets. He did not enjoy his youth. He did not
appreciate the woods, his friends, his home, the Sunshine, or the Air until it was too late.

★ Jealousy: Do not wish for what other people have. Sometimes, looks can be deceiving,
and what others have may not be as good as you think. The Fir Tree always wanted what
others had. First, he wanted to be taller. But the bigger trees got cut down, which hurt. Then
he wanted to go to a home, like the other trees. But the happiness of going to a home was
short-lived. The Fir Tree only spent one day in the middle of the room covered in
decorations. After that, no one looked at him again. Then he was cut up and burned in a
fire. If he had stayed in the woods, he would have lived a lot longer.

★ The Environment: The environmental concerns of cutting down fir trees for Christmas
is also present in this story. Hans Christian Andersen personifies the tree, making it a person
with thoughts and feelings, instead of leaving it as an object of wood in the forest. The Fir
Tree describes his feelings and the pain he endures when being cut down. Trees in the
forest live a long time. But those cut down for Christmas have a very short life. Their lives
are ended, only so that they can be decorated for one day. It makes readers think twice
about getting a real Christmas tree.

★ Growing Up: Many children want to grow up quickly. They wish that they were older, so
they can do the things that adults get to do. The Fir Tree wanted to do that, too. However,
we are only young once. Children should enjoy being young. They will have the rest of their
lives to do adult things. If they try to grow up too fast, they will look back and wish that they
had enjoyed their youth—just like the Fir Tree.