Whats the significance of esthers vison of the fig tree?

Esther reads through an anthology of stories. There she reads about a Jewish man and a Catholic nun who meet under a fig tree. Esther thinks about her own relationship with Buddy. Like the Jewish man and the nun, Buddy and Esther have different outlooks and value systems. The fig tree becomes surrounded with the mysteries of Esther's own sexuality much like the tree in the Garden of Eden.