The Question of Choice: Character Paths in Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven Anonymous College

At the beginning of Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven, Ruth says to Andrew, "There's a choice…You know that every time you head out like you do... With that boy” (5). Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven, written by Karen Salyer McElmurray, takes place in Inez, Kentucky, following the three narrators, all belonging to the Wallen family: Ruth Blue Wallen, her husband, Earl Wallen, and their son, Andrew Wallen. Readers follow the wants of each character, learning about their entire lives. Ruth Blue Wallen longs for a connection with a God, the one escape in a world where she's found spiritual, emotional, and sensual defeat. Earl works as a coal miner, but he longs for his past of song writing, singing, guitar playing. Andrew Wallen longs to be with his childhood friend, Henry Ward, being in a love forbidden in Kentucky, especially in the 1980’s. Andrew faces choices that mean life or death, and he must choose between uncertain love or nothing at all (UGA Press). Strange Birds in the Tree of Heaven explores the question of choice. Each narrator faces different choices, and they are shown the consequences, whether good or bad, of each choice.

Ruth spends a dozen years alone with her father, Tobias, during her younger years after...