So This Is War

The fig tree, or Ficus plant, that Levi Posey and Wylie Wood buy for Levi’s apartment is symbolic of love. Levi is initially disappointed when Wylie brings the plant home in Chapter 6 because it’s “the Charlie Brown version of a fiddle leaf fig tree, not the monstrous, girthy log of a tree [he] expected” (121). However, the small plant “with three leaves” reflects the start of Levi and Wylie’s romance (120). They are just starting to get to know one another, so this tree symbolizes the first burgeoning blooms of love and romance between them. Later in the novel, the characters move the plant onto Wylie’s new side table, giving it pride of place. They have thus built “a connection with [the] plant at […] a young stage in its journey and watch[ed] it flourish throughout its life” and throughout their evolving relationship (121). Indeed, the fig tree grows and becomes an integral part of Levi and Wylie’s living space and thus their life together. Its development captures the development of Levi and Wylie’s romance and mirrors the maturation of their connection.