Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a bildungsroman novel vis-à-vis a young girl Francie Nolan. At the beginning of the novel, Francie is a naïve young girl living in the slum districts of Williamsburg Brooklyn around the time 1912. When she is still young, she does not understand the world around her. She thinks that the world is all above suspicion. However, as the novel progresses, she soon realizes that she is wrong. Betty Smith allows Francie to slowly develop one of the themes of the book; "the fall of innocence."

As Francie matures, she realizes the harsh environment of the Brooklyn slums, becomes more aware of class poverty, and becomes interested in sex. The first event developing this theme is Francie's "blackboard incident." Francie was very interested in blackboard erasers, which explains her "pensive" nature. She saw another girl clap erasers, and when Francie...