What had survived - maybe all that had survived of Trism - was Liir's sense of him. A catalog of impressions that arose from time to time, unbidden and often upsetting. From the sandy smell of his sandy hair to the locked grip of his muscles as they had wrestled in sensuous aggression - unwelcome nostalgia. Trism lived in Liir's heart like a full suit of clothes in a wardrobe, dress habillards maybe, hollow and real at once. The involuntary memory of the best of Trism's glinting virtues sometimes kicked up unquietable spasms of longing. Gregory Maguire
About This Quote

One of the themes of "The onion tree" was memory and the power of memory to shape our lives. The novel begins with a description of a tree and how it grows and changes. The tree is a symbol for the human spirit and each branch represents a different aspect of the human experience. One such branch is love, which is represented by the onion that grows out of the tree.

As Liir grows older he comes to realize that he lost Trism when he was only three years old (and it's not until later in life that he learns that Trism must have been his father). Trism's memory lingers in Liir's heart and plays a key part in shaping his future.

Source: Out Of Oz

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