The Gingko Tree

In addition to being highly symbolic, the gingko tree serves as an important setting. As the work opens, Marilyn seeks shelter and anonymity under the gingko tree. The tree with its "prodigious leaves" graces the yard of the Sorenson family home, handed down to Marilyn by her father. It is under this tree where Marilyn and David consummate their relationship. Toward the close of the work, David is tending to the ailing gingko when he suffers a heart attack and falls from a ladder. In addition to its symbolism, the tree serves as a pivotal point for majority of the characters as they come face-to-face with their patriarch's mortality.

On the last page of the novel, Marilyn and David steal away from the family's traditional "Second Thanksgiving" to share an intimate, quiet moment under the trees. The gingko tree from which David fell has been removed...