The Trees

I refer to some old notes on a book I read a long time ago. The plot is vague in my mind but basically the novel, “The Trees,” by Conrad Richter was about the Luckett family that migrated to Ohio from Pennsylvania, in the late 1700’s. This was before anyone else dared to take the trip. In the first chapter, “The Vision,” the journey through an ‘illimitable expanse of darkness’ is viewed through the eyes of the female character, Sayward. A sea of solid tree tops “this lonely forest rolled on and on til its faint blue billows broke against an incredibly distant horizon.” Richter’s language and style aptly described the harsh conditions and solitude. As the family ‘bobbed in single file… the forest had swallowed them up.’ Once they found a place to build their cabin the boundary of the forest still encroached upon them on all sides. At the end of the story the protagonist reflected upon how her mother and father became so independent at such a young age, and how they left home and never saw their siblings again. This is a story that repeats itself often in modern times as people move frequently. At least today we have FaceTime, whereas in “The Trees’ they didn’t even have a clock. Time was counted by the movement of the setting sun when it was visible, and by the daily chores that constantly consumed the energy of these pioneers. I recommend you read this book if you like stories about pioneers and Early American history. Richter wrote with a poetic and descriptive prose, and with acute sensitivity to his characters and setting.