What Is The Ending Of The Apple Tree Explained?

As a newcomer to Daphne du Maurier's short story, the symbolism of that final scene and Aunt Carrie's actions has me puzzled.
2026-03-19 09:29:10
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3 Answers

Best Answer
JadeBoone
JadeBoone
Clear Answerer Photographer
If you're asking about the old short story 'The Apple Tree,' the ending is pretty bleak—the husband replants a new tree over his wife's grave, replacing her memory, which shows his selfishness. For a completely different take on obsession and ownership with apples, 'The Golden Apple He Stole From Me' is a web novel about a modern-day heiress who methodically ruins the businessman who swindled her family, using a stolen golden apple artifact as the central symbol of their feud. It's less about pastoral tragedy and more about a calculated, high-stakes revenge in a corporate fantasy setting.
2026-07-21 15:33:44
63
Riley
Riley
Sharp Observer Consultant
The ending of 'The Apple Tree' by John Galsworthy is one of those bittersweet moments that lingers long after you finish reading. The story follows Ashurst, a man torn between his romantic ideals and reality, as he revisits a childhood memory involving a girl named Megan. In the final scenes, Ashurst returns to the apple tree where he first connected with Megan, only to find it has been cut down. This symbolizes the death of their youthful love and his own lost innocence. He realizes too late that his choices—particularly abandoning Megan for a more 'suitable' woman—have left him emotionally hollow.

What really hits hard is how Galsworthy frames Ashurst's regret. The man spends years romanticizing Megan and that summer, but when he finally acts on his nostalgia, everything he cherished is gone. The tree’s absence mirrors how life moves on without regard for our sentimental longings. It’s a quiet tragedy, the kind that doesn’t shout but settles into your bones. I’ve always wondered if Ashurst’s suffering is deserved—after all, he idealized Megan more than he loved her as a person. The ending doesn’t offer redemption, just a stark lesson about the cost of self-deception.
2026-03-20 14:15:20
14
Owen
Owen
Plot Detective Editor
Galsworthy’s 'The Apple Tree' ends with a gut punch of irony. Ashurst, now middle-aged, revisits the farm where he met Megan, only to discover the apple tree—their symbolic meeting place—has been chopped down. The physical loss of the tree mirrors the emotional void in his life. He married for status, not love, and the ending implies he’s doomed to forever romanticize what he threw away. It’s a masterclass in showing how nostalgia can distort memory, and how some regrets never fade.
2026-03-24 07:56:25
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