Janie is essentially "rootless" at the beginning of her life, never having known her mother or father and having been raised by her grandmother, Nanny. It also bestows wisdom and health. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, the pear tree symbolizes inner peace. First of all, the pear is shaped like many women's bodies, so it can symbolize a woman. Pear Tree. The pear is heart-shaped, and “the partridge is a famous aphrodisiac.” 12. In many Korean legends, the pear gives women fertility. The final gift—the partridge in a pear tree—is the ultimate lover’s offer, Phinney says. The pear tree also represents Janie's sexuality and femininity. The pear tree is a symbol of comfort. In some Christian contexts, the pear symbolizes the Virgin and Child, likely because of its sweetness. In ancient Chinese mythology, the pear tree symbolizes immortal life due to the longevity of the tree. Three months later the father sent the next eldest son out in the spring to evaluate the pear tree. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In many cultures spanning thousands of years, we can find references to the fruit of the Pear tree as a symbol of divine sustenance, abundance and longevity. Symbolism of pear tree in different cultures. Answer: Katherine Mansfield's short story "Bliss," in which Bertha is in a state of happiness that she can't explain, sees her blossoming tree in her garden and sees it as a "symbol of her own life. In Chapter 2 when Janie begins her narration, the narrator comments that she saw her life "like a great tree," with some leaves representing suffering and others joy. What does the pear tree symbolize and how does it relate to the main character Bertha Young i n Katherine Mansfield's short story "Bliss",?. One symbol which is especially poignant is that of the pear tree which is physically located in the protagonist, Bertha Young’s, garden. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge which feigns injury to … Katherine Mansfield’s short story “Bliss” is rife with symbolism. The journey to discover the cultural role of the pear tree in literature therefore has very ancient roots. Since ancient times, even before the written word, the Wild Pear tree has been honoured as a sacred tree which symbolises prosperity, good health and future happiness. The long-lived pear tree came to symbolize long life and good fortune. Because the word for pear means both "pear" and "separation" in Chinese, tradition dictates that a pear should not be separated between people to avoid the separation of lovers, friends and family. In Chinese literature, especially poetry, the destruction of a pear tree also came to symbolize premature or tragic death. The pear tree is mention repeatedly throughout “Bliss.” Bertha is particularly fixated on it as she sees it as “a symbol of her own… The partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on the first day of Christmas. The pear tree is not only a representation of Janie's life - blossoming, death, metamorphosis, and rebirth - but also the spark of curiosity that sets Janie on her quest for self-discovery. The blossoming pear tree is a symbol of change and growth. The pear tree becomes a symbol of Janie Crawford, and it enters the first and last chapter of the novel.