Significance of Olive Trees and Olive Oil

The olive trees and olive oil represent Gerald’s timeless connection to his land and way of life, though they also represent his loneliness. Gerald literally made his roots on the land, in close proximity to Lulu, but also away from the water he so loved. He tends them with care and makes his own olive oil, which he offers to people as a precious gift throughout the novel. When Aegina’s husband Fergus offers to buy a parcel of Gerald’s land and bulldozes the olive trees, the profound sadness Gerald feels represents a turning point in his life. From this point on, Gerald is truly alone, having lost his second wife and a piece of his precious property. Fergus’s building enterprise fails, and Gerald is cut out of the eventual sale of the land. He is left to look daily upon the torn-up trees and land.