False Trees and Missing Teeth

Abstract

Introduction:  "Daddy, if I don't get new teeth, couldn't we just plant a few, like you plant a little tree?  Wouldn't they take root like a tree, Daddy?" (Pixie, 16/25-17/4)  In the passage above, Pixie is trying to set her mind at rest about whether her teeth which are coming out will be replaced by new ones.  And, if they aren't, can they be replaced by others planted in their place.  She asks about this in the form of an analogy in which the two terms are teeth and trees.  It is clear from her analogy that the process of the growing of teeth is a mystery to her, whereas the growing of trees is not.  She makes the hypothetical relationship between the two terms in an effort to understand the unknown or mysterious term.