Flashcards for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Aunt Evy

Aunt Evy Rommely is one of Katie Nolan's sisters and a familiar comic figure in Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

character

Aunt Sissy

Aunt Sissy Rommely stands out as one of the most vibrant and life-affirming characters in Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

character

Ben Blake

Ben Blake is a secondary yet significant character in Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, appearing during Francie Nolan's teenage years as her first serious love interest.

character

Cornelius 'Neeley' Nolan

Cornelius "Neeley" Nolan is Francie's younger brother and the second child of Johnny and Katie Nolan.

character

Flossie Gaddis

Flossie Gaddis is a minor yet thematically significant character in Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

character

Francie Nolan

Francie Nolan is the main character and voice of the novel, a sensitive and imaginative girl growing up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, during the early 1900s. With a father who works as a singing waiter and a mother who cleans tenements, she faces the harsh realities of poverty while hungering for knowledge.

character

Johnny Nolan

Johnny Nolan is the charming and dreamy father at the center of Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but his story is ultimately tragic.

character

Katie Nolan

Katie Nolan (née Rommely) is the moral and practical backbone of the Nolan family in Betty Smith's semi-autobiographical novel set in early twentieth-century Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

character

Lee Rhynor

Lee Rhynor is a young soldier whom Francie Nolan meets and falls for during World War I, playing a crucial role in her coming-of-age journey.

character

Mary Rommely

Mary Rommely is Katie Nolan's immigrant mother and the quiet moral and spiritual anchor for the Nolan family in Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

character

Miss Gardner

Miss Gardner is Francie Nolan's teacher at the Williamsburg school and stands as a sharp symbol of institutional cruelty and class prejudice in the novel.

character

Officer McShane

Officer McShane is a reliable and dignified beat cop from Brooklyn whose role in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn goes far beyond just enforcing the law.

character

“She was made up of more, she was the books she had read, the songs she had sung, the things she had believed in.”

This reflective passage comes from Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943) and is told by a third-person omniscient narrator regarding Katie Nolan, Francie's mother.

Narrator (third-person omniscient)

“I know that's the way it is with the poor. They have to be strong. They can't afford to be weak.”

This line is spoken by Katie Nolan, the tough matriarch of the Nolan family, in Betty Smith's semi-autobiographical novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943).

Katie Nolan

“Dear God, let me be something every minute of every hour of my life.”

This heartfelt prayer is voiced by Francie Nolan, the young protagonist of Betty Smith's semi-autobiographical novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943).

Francie Nolan · Early chapters (Part 1)

“He was a kind man — weak, but kind. And that was better than being a strong man who was unkind.”

This reflection comes from Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943) and relates to Katie Nolan's view of her husband Johnny after his death.

Katie Nolan (narrative reflection)

“Look at everything always as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time: Thus is your time on earth filled with glory.”

This line is from Betty Smith's semi-autobiographical novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943), spoken by Mary Rommely, the immigrant grandmother of the main character, Francie Nolan.

Mary Rommely

“It was good to have things to look forward to.”

This reflective line from Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943) resonates with Francie Nolan, the young protagonist navigating poverty in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, during the early twentieth century.

Francie Nolan (narrative voice)

“From that time on, the world was hers for the reading.”

This line comes from Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943) and highlights young Francie Nolan as she discovers the life-changing impact of reading.

Narrator (third-person) · Early chapters establishing Francie's childhood, approximately Chapter 9–12

“The difference between rich and poor is that the poor do everything with their own hands and the rich hire hands to do things.”

This quote is from Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943), a semi-autobiographical novel that tells the story of the Nolan family’s struggles in early 20th-century Brooklyn.

Mary Rommely

“Who wants to die? Everything struggles to live.”

This line is delivered by Katie Nolan, the practical and fiercely determined mother of the Nolan family, during a reflective moment in Betty Smith's semi-autobiographical novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943).

Katie Nolan

Library Books

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, library books symbolize how education, imagination, and the chance for a better life can change the lives of those born into poverty.

The Christmas Tree

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, the Christmas tree represents resilience, joy snatched from poverty, and the fierce pride of the Nolan family.

The Nolan Tenement Home

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, the Nolan family's apartment on Bogart Street in Williamsburg symbolizes both the heavy burden of poverty and the powerful, uplifting nature of home.

The Tin-Can Bank

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, the tin-can bank hidden in the Nolan family's closet represents hope, discipline, and the immigrant aspiration for a better life.

The Tree of Heaven (Ailanthus Tree)

In Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the Ailanthus tree, often called the Tree of Heaven, represents resilience and the unyielding spirit of the poor to thrive against overwhelming challenges.

Foreshadowing

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith subtly uses foreshadowing through quiet, accumulating pressure, setting the stage for themes of loss and survival without explicitly stating them.

Stream of Consciousness

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith employs stream-of-consciousness not as an overwhelming Joycean torrent but as a selective, intimate exploration of Francie Nolan's unfiltered perception.

Irony

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith uses irony to highlight the contrast between the Nolan family's struggles with poverty and their unwavering commitment to dignity and ambition.

Flashback

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith employs flashbacks as the backbone of her coming-of-age story, skillfully intertwining the Nolan family's past with Francie's present.

Motif

The Tree of Heaven in the Nolan family's Brooklyn courtyard serves as the main symbol of the novel, weaving through the story to explore themes of survival, resilience, and the potential for beauty amid poverty.

Tone

Betty Smith maintains a tone of gentle, unsentimental realism throughout A Tree Grows in Brooklyn — a blend that could easily turn bleak or overly sentimental in less skilled hands.

Simile

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith employs simile to convey the texture of poverty and childhood wonder as lived experience.

Imagery

In A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith employs vivid imagery as the novel's heartbeat, anchoring Francie Nolan's impoverished childhood in Williamsburg with rich sensory details that turn hardship into something bright.

Symbolism

In Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, the ailanthus tree in the Nolan family's Williamsburg tenement yard serves as a powerful symbol of resilient, unadorned survival.

ailanthus

A fast-growing, weedy tree that thrives in poor urban soil and neglected lots; in this novel it symbolizes the stubborn survival of the poor in Brooklyn's tenement neighborhoods.

noun · Chapter 2

dumbwaiter

A small shaft or pulley-operated box built into the wall of a tenement building, used to haul garbage, deliveries, or goods between floors without using the main staircase.

noun · Chapter 1

tenement

A crowded, cheaply built apartment building in a poor urban neighborhood, typically lacking basic comforts and housing many immigrant or working-class families.

noun · Chapter 1

pennant

A long triangular flag, often representing a sports team or school; here used as a small decorative or aspirational object in a poor household.

noun · Chapter 2

rummage

To search through a disorganized pile of objects, turning things over and moving them around; in this text associated with picking through junk or salvage for sellable scraps.

verb · Chapter 3

tintype

An old-fashioned photograph made on a thin sheet of iron coated with a dark lacquer; common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as an inexpensive portrait format.

noun · Chapter 4

waiter's union

A labor organization for waiters and singing waiters that controlled who could get work in restaurants and halls; membership or lack of it directly affected Johnny's ability to find steady employment.

noun · Chapter 7

singing waiter

A waiter in a saloon or banquet hall who was also hired to entertain guests by singing; this was Johnny Nolan's occupation and the source of both his charm and his irregular income.

noun · Chapter 4

janitor

The caretaker of a tenement building responsible for cleaning, maintenance, and collecting rent; in this novel Katie Nolan takes on this role to keep the family housed.

noun · Chapter 5

consumptive

Suffering from tuberculosis (then called consumption), a wasting lung disease widespread among the urban poor; used here to describe the physical decline of characters weakened by poverty and hard living.

adjective · Chapter 10

pawn

To leave a personal possession with a pawnbroker as security for a small cash loan, with the right to reclaim it later by repaying the money; a common survival strategy for the Nolans in hard times.

verb · Chapter 5

Tammany

The Democratic Party political machine that controlled New York City politics through patronage, favors, and ward bosses; characters in the novel navigate its influence when seeking jobs or assistance.

noun · Chapter 4

ward heeler

A low-level political operative who does errands and favors for a party machine boss in exchange for votes; a figure of petty local power in the Brooklyn neighborhoods of the novel.

noun · Chapter 4

lace-curtain

A phrase describing Irish-Americans who had risen slightly above poverty and were anxious to appear respectable; used in the novel to mark social distinctions within the immigrant community.

adjective · Chapter 4

greenhorn

A newly arrived immigrant who is unfamiliar with American customs and is easily cheated or mocked; used in the novel to describe the vulnerability of recent arrivals to Brooklyn.

noun · Chapter 4

excelsior

Fine, curly wood shavings used as packing material around fragile goods; Francie and Neeley collect it along with other salvageable scraps to sell to the junk dealer.

noun · Chapter 3

valedictorian

The student who graduates with the highest academic rank in a class and traditionally delivers the farewell address at the graduation ceremony.

noun · Chapter 13

floozy

A derogatory slang term for a woman considered to be of loose morals or low social standing; used in the novel to reflect the harsh judgments neighbors and family members pass on women.

noun · Chapter 8

diphtheria

A serious and often fatal bacterial throat infection that was a major killer of children in early 20th-century urban slums before widespread vaccination.

noun · Chapter 5

novena

A Catholic devotional practice of prayers said on nine consecutive days, often asking for a specific favor or blessing; reflects the Catholic religious life woven through the Nolan family's daily existence.

noun · Chapter 6

indulgence

In Catholic practice, a remission of the punishment still owed for sins already forgiven; characters in the novel collect and trade indulgences as part of their everyday religious observance.

noun · Chapter 6

spittoon

A bowl-shaped container placed on the floor of saloons and public spaces for men to spit tobacco juice into; a recurring detail that marks the rough, masculine world of the bars Johnny frequents.

noun · Chapter 7

kibitzer

A Yiddish-derived word for a bystander who offers unwanted advice or commentary, especially during a card game; reflects the mixed immigrant street culture of Williamsburg.

noun · Chapter 2

elocution

The formal art of clear, expressive public speaking and recitation, taught as a school subject; Francie's ambitions and her father's performing talent both connect to this skill.

noun · Chapter 6

munitions

Military weapons, ammunition, and war supplies; Francie and Neeley take factory jobs producing these during World War I, marking the family's shift into wartime industrial work.

noun · Chapter 13