David Clarkson Tree of Life

February 18, 2016

The Tree of Life was way different than I first expected. I did not expect to be as drawn in and interested as I was during the movie. During the film, we are taken on a journey that we as humans can relate to on multiple levels. The Texas family is a very relatable group of people through, where we can see a lot of similarities between our life and theirs. Through this family we can see the main theme that the director, Terrence Malik, presents- the conflict between nature and grace. Mrs. O'Brien is the representative of grace in the film. Her children love her deeply because she loves them unconditionally even when their father, the representative of nature, is disciplining them. No matter what the situation is, Mrs. O'Brien always finds a way to make her children happy. This was easily noticeable when the father went on a business trip, leaving her alone with the kids. While he was gone they could have fun, and enjoy themselves together without limits. The children's love for the mother seems to continually grow throughout the movie. The father on the other hand is always disciplining the children. They seem to love him because they have to, and because they fear his punishment instead of loving him because he is their father. There is no doubt that he is deeply in love with his children, however his love is hard to grasp for the younger children, especially at such a young age. His discipline is blatantly highlighted, as he makes his son Jack practice closing the door quietly 50 times, because he has closed it so loudly the first time. This makes me wonder what the correct balance of nature and grace is in the family setting for parents? I think both extremes can have the upsides and downsides, but the line seems to be unclear. Should parents act more like Mr. or Mrs. O'Brien when they are raising their children?

In the end, it seems if the director's answer to this question is revealed, as Mr. O'Brien loses his job, and the family is forced to move. Mr. O"Brien seems to regret his previous style of parenting. Grace triumphs, as the family is ultimately brought closer together through the tough time they are going through. Even Jack seems to come around and forgive his father by giving him a second chance. Grace brings the family back together, grace brings them back into love, but if they had not gone through the suffering and hardships they experienced would they have ever found this redeeming and transforming grace?