"It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty" (38).
When the Walls family moved out towards the Mojave Desert, they stopped near the Eagle Mountains. Jeannette's mother had noticed an old Joshua tree that had been so beaten down by the wind that it was stuck in a twisted, gnarled shape. Jeannette's first impression was that it was an ugly, sad-looking tree. Walls recalls the time when she suggested replanting a Joshua tree sapling near the house so that it could grow normally- tall and straight. Her mother was displeased with this idea and said the above quote to her daughter. She claimed that the tree is beautiful the way it is because the suffering makes it special. The trouble the tree went through to grow and survive was made it unique. To change this and try to fix it would be taking away the tree’s best trait. Growing tall and straight would make it like any other tree.
This quote has figurative meanings that relate back to the entire book. Firstly, it gives an indirect characterization of her mother. The short sentence allows readers to see that Jeannette’s mom had the ability to see beyond outward appearance. She can tell that the tree’s beauty does not come from the way it looks, but from the things it has endured in life. The Walls family has had to endure a lot in their lifetime as well. Those experiences are what make the children so unique and successful. Their individuality is pronounced by their unconventional background. The struggles that Jeannette and her siblings went through in their childhood ended up shaping them into more beautiful people on the inside. And that, to her mother, was more important than having the secure, average life that Jeannette wanted for herself.
