Vocabulary in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.