Red

Red is the story’s first-person narrator and main character. Like all red oaks, it is both male and female and has a long life span. Red is more than 200 years old during the novel and draws on its centuries of experience to give advice and comfort in an act Bongo calls the Wise Old Tree. Red is an optimist, always looking for the positive side of or humor in a situation. Red is a caring character that believes in social responsibility. Since the rules of plant and animal life dictate that they cannot speak to humans, Red cares deeply about its role as the receptacle of human wishes and the symbol of the community’s hopes. Red also strongly believes in the importance of nature, and though Red does like people, it frequently points out the ways that humans are unobservant and uncaring about nature. When the...