Little Tree is the protagonist and the first-person narrator of the novel. All the events are presented through his limited understanding of the world and the situations to which he is exposed. The Education of Little Tree therefore serves as his Coming of Age story, and he acts as a dynamic character who grows from a frightened, shy, uncertain child to a confident mountain man at the end of the book. As the novel progresses, he learns valuable lessons from his grandparents about life, people, and the natural world and applies those lessons to his life to improve himself.

As an archetype, Little Tree is a explorer who is constantly curious about the world around him and wants to experience it all. This tendency aids his growth but also makes his character development more challenging, for although he is a willing learner who always tries to improve upon his mistakes, he is never fully satisfied with what he has already achieved. At an early age, he makes it his goal to match the skill and wisdom of his grandparents as quickly as possible; essentially, he wishes to have the wisdom of a sage even in the midst of his childhood and is therefore in a bit of a rush to grow up.