Tree of Life

Tree of Life is a film that is very philosophically rich. Director, Terrence Malick, explores many questions about our world and about human nature. The theme that Malick explores in most detail is the affect that the clash of nature and grace has on human life. The film follows the life of a family in the 1950s. the mother serves as the provider of grace, while the father embodies the idea of nature. 

The eldest son, Jack, is harshly disciplined by his father, while his mother serves as a source of comfort. He is an incredibly complex and dynamic character. He is stuck in between this battle of nature versus grace. A good chunk of the film is Jack dealing with the quintessential difficulties of boyhood. He begins to disobey his mother and runs off doing destructive things with the neighborhood boys. This is Jack following the path of nature. He does these things to be accepted by his friends rather than doing what is right. When Jack steals the night gown, he is overwhelmed with guilt and feels compelled to rid himself of the stolen gown. This serves as a reminder to the audience that despite all of the destructive behavior that Jack has engaged in recently, he still is a good kid with a good heart. It is easy to stray away from the path of grace and Jack has certainly experienced this, but we are led to believe that Jack has decided to pursue a path of grace. He is shown providing love and compassion to his younger brother who is very upset. Additionally, Jack’s father also expresses glimpses of compassion. He apologizes for being so harsh on his son and asks for his forgiveness. 

I think Terrence Malick was trying to make a statement about humans and free will. Because humans have free will, it is incredibly hard to choose to live a life of grace. We are constantly being influenced by different forces of nature. Unfortunately most of these forces are negative, and this makes it difficult to be virtuous. The path of nature preceded the existence of humans and it is deep rooted within all of us, making us inherently self- interested and covetous. However, when an individual chooses grace and acts compassionately or selflessly, it is especially powerful. It is as if once a seed of compassion is planted, it has the power to grow into something beautiful.