The narrator, a 69-year-old man who teaches astronomy and biology at the local high school, is telling the story of how he learned to embrace life, even after death. This is shown through the conflict between him and Mr. Pike, his neighbor over their elm trees. The narrator’s elm tree is infested with bugs that could possibly kill the tree. Fearing for the life of his young elm trees, Mr. Pike wants the narrator’s elm tree to be chopped down, despite the fact that it is 250 years old. The narrator does not want this to happen as it has lived longer than the Liberty Bell. It holds a special place in his memory as he used to climb the tree when his parents were not looking. After trying to get rid of the invasive insects in the elm tree unsuccessfully, he is delivered a letter in his mailbox that says if he does not cut down his tree, the authorities will do it themselves to protect the young elm trees in Mr. Pike’s yard. In an attempt to change Mr. Pike’s mind, the narrator dresses up as a burglar and takes some of the insects with the purpose of letting them invade the young elm trees on the basis that they might not die if they were infested with the insects.
After hiding in the bomb shelter in Mr. Pike’s backyard and watching how affectionate Mr. Pike is with his wife and son, he decides against it. He and the elm tree have lived a long life. Even after they both are gone, there will always be life as life is constantly renewing itself. It ends with him staring at the elm tree and stopping the paperboy to look at the stars with him. This is a coming of age story not in the sense of growing up but of getting older and realizing that while life is precious, it eventually dies out and is replaced with new life. It happens all the time, especially with all the stars in the sky.
I, too, noticed the element of time in this story. From the narrator to the elm tree, there is a sense of passage, of passing things down to the next generation, of wanting to leave something more important than a tree behind. There are little moments throughout the story that show young v. old, and the narrator does accept his realization of love. I didn’t think of this as a coming-of-age story, but I understand your perspective.