It is a short story-within-the-story about a man coming across an abandoned bike on the side of the road who steals it and the four apples which apparently spilled from the bike's basket. The PrologueĪ short prologue prefaces the commencement of the narrative and is notable for being essentially unrelated to that narrative. Tennis is a robust symbol, of course, but is primarily represented here by virtue of it not being a team sport and thus the competitive effort is narcissistic, self-centered, and ultimately destructive to the losing player. The entire dynamic of the family at the center of the story is based upon a talent and obsession with tennis. Within the narrative itself, tennis is actually a more significant symbol than falling apples. And, indeed, the story is an exploration of this idea as a major theme. The title of the book is a reference to the adage "the apple never falls far from the tree." The meaning of this proverbial wisdom is related to the genetics of inherited character traits, suggesting that offspring can usually be counted upon to act not terribly different from their parents. We are thankful for their contributions and encourage you to make your own. These notes were contributed by members of the GradeSaver community.
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