Sentience and Pain

When humans and non-human animals are objectified and commodified, often their capacity for sensation is denied, and the same is true for plants. Fictional representations of trees experiencing (and expressing) pain serve as cultural critiques, with the tree monsters representing concerns about exploitation and imperialism. The two short stories analyzed—Charles Chesnutt’s “Po’ Sandy” (1888) and Robert Silverberg’s “The Fangs of Trees” (1968)—also invite us to consider trees as capable of feeling pain, thus demonstrating that they are sentient and deserving of ethical treatment.