The Cherry Tree Myth

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the significance of the George Washington and the Cherry Tree myth. The story was first presented in 1806 and since then it has become an important part of the American culture but in recent times this myth has gained popularity for another reason. It now helps America understand what the age of realism has done to its society and cultural traditions. With the loss of innocence, people now view everything with skepticism and therefore even the most highly celebrated figures of American history are often doubted. The paper therefore addresses the symbolism present in the story and studies it from a different perspective.

From the Paper:

"The Myth or fable of George Washington and the Cherry Tree? is more about adding an element of romance to the old figures of American history and is less about teaching honesty or moral values. While the story is clearly the type of fable that one would want to tell his children so that they would understand how important it is to stay away from lies and deception. But the actual moral of this story was a rather different one. We need to understand the symbolism present in the story. The child tells the truth to his father not because George Washington himself was a truthful person who as the story says told his father. "I can't tell a lie, you know I can't tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet." But the story is more about the father's tolerant attitude towards his children."

More papers on The Cherry Tree Myth:

• Analytical Essay # 23332 : "The Cherry Orchard" by Anton Chekhov"
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• Book Review # 91616 : "The Cherry Orchard"

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