91 pages • 3 hours read
Richard PowersThe Overstory
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Symbols & Motifs
The Chestnut Tree
One of the foremost symbols in the novel is the fate of the chestnut tree. The story begins with a foreshadowing of the devastation that will sweep the planet: naïve East Coast Americans are shocked that the formerly prevalent chestnut tree is struck by a sudden blight. It sweeps through the country, and all efforts to stop the tree-based genocide only serve to make the issue worse. The chestnut trees are the symbolic forefather of all the forests, and the failure to treat the blight foreshadows humanity’s failed response to deforestation and other ecological issues.
But tucked away on a family farm is a surviving chestnut tree. The Hoel tree grows alongside the Hoel family. It comes to define the life of separate generations, representing the growth of the family as it becomes more successful. The Hoel chestnut is an oddity and a hold out. It remains free of blight, cared for and treasured even if its owners do not know exactly why. It forms one of the final bastions of hope for the species, in the same way Patty’s seed bank will hopefully preserve endangered species.
But the family’s fortunes do not endure. Just as the family itself begins to falter, their farming business constantly losing ground to the huge agriculture businesses around them, the tree itself begins to suffer. After his family’s deaths, Nick lives alone on the farm. He is the lasting scion of his family, a hold out without direction or hope. At the same time, the blight finally takes hold of the tree. The family and the tree are bound together, doomed to fail. Nick obsesses over the tree: his art is an attempt to process the spectacle of the dying giant, representing a simultaneous battle to make sense of the deaths of his entire family. But Nick never overcomes this struggle. The tree dies and is cut down, its seedlings infected with the same blight. Nick, too, has his shoots of hope diminished. Olivia represents renewal and hope in his life, but she dies. The Hoel family chestnut and the Hoel family itself are victims of (and symbols of) the destruction that sweeps the nation.
Names
Names have an important symbolic role within the text. Many characters, plants, and objects operate under different names. These are self-ascribed or given by others. The actual content of the name is not always as important as the act of name giving itself. In giving something a name (or renaming something), characters in the book can set their own terms and definitions. It is a way of re-sculpting the world and trying to alter perspectives.
One of the most important naming systems in the text is the scientific classifications given to plants. Written in Latin, these words often have little actual meaning to the characters. Douggie or Nick do not speak Latin, but they learn about the scientific names for plants and how these differ from the more common names used. The scientific names are academic and, to some degree, pretentious. They are signifiers of a different relationship to trees: scientists study trees but do not necessarily have a bond with them. Nick, for instance, knows the scientific name for redwoods, and he knows the specific name for the tree in which he lives with Olivia. To him, the scientific name means nothing, while the name “Mimas” represents a close personal bond. The different naming systems help symbolize the different relationships characters have with the natural world.
Likewise, characters change their own names to redefine their relationships and purpose. They provide an opportunity for characters to be reborn in a new and purposeful image, one which evokes the themes of the novel and their new goals and objectives. When taking part in the protest, Nick, Olivia, and the others take on different names. Nick names Olivia “Maidenhair” while she names him “Watchman.” These names are not selected at random; they allow the characters to define their relationship to nature on their own terms. Nick views Olivia as an ethereal being, an innocent and fascinating person who is of the natural world. Hence, he names her after a plant he finds beautiful. Olivia sees Nick as a fellow guardian and a person who, by her side, can help watch over and protect the forests. Thus, she names him “Watchman,” emphasizing his protective bond with the natural world.
Video Games
Neelay’s video games become an essential symbol of humanity’s failures. As a virtual world, grown from a humble beginning into a multi-million-dollar empire, the games function as a mirror to the actual world. They are important because, as manmade creations, they demonstrate humanity’s inability to understand and master the complexities of life. They also reveal the priorities of most people through the way they play the game.
Neelay constantly pushes for a more complex, authentic version of the real world. Inspired by nature, he wants to capture in virtual form the sense of wonder he found in his college’s garden. Regardless of how much time, energy, or computing power he throws at the creation of these virtual worlds, however, he can never truly recreate the complexities of the real world. The video games are only simulations, and, for Neelay, this always ensures that attempts to remake the world in virtual form will always fail. Not only is this a testament to the natural world’s wonder and complexity, it is also symbolic of Neelay’s own personal drives and motivations. Confined to his chair, the virtual worlds become places to which he can escape. In the game, he can walk through deserts and jungles in a way that is not possible in the real world. He can travel with his father and form bonds and relationships with people outside of his office. Neelay is desperate for the virtual world to be real, not only as a tribute to his inspirations but as an opportunity to live the life that he was denied due to his injury.
But while Neelay’s interest in the game drives him toward ever-increasing accuracy, others do not play the game in the same way. For most people, the game is a form of escapism. It is an idealized version of the real world, allowing them to escape the problems that plague reality (such as climate change and deforestation). Most people do not want authenticity; they want to ignore reality while they enjoy themselves. This reflects the novel’s premise that humanity has failed to act on environmental issues. That Neelay’s board vetoes his attempts to introduce these factors into the game is further evidence that the unreality of the game is the appeal for most people. Ultimately, the video games symbolize humanity’s passive response to vital issues.
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