Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver Essay

Quote Responses 1. “I’ve been afraid of putting air in a tire ever since I saw a tractor tire blow up and throw newt Hardbine’s father over the top of the Standard Oil sign” (1). Indirect Characterization 1.This quote can show that Taylor is very cautious, and she takes all of her past events into consideration for her life. 2. “Before that exact moment I don’t believe I had given much thought to the future” (2).

In the book The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver, the main character, Taylor Greer, leaves her hometown of Pittman, Kentucky to start a new life with her new “daughter”, Turtle. Taylor first follows the American Dream by changing her name from Marietta to Taylor. Her new identity was a pivotal moment in moving forward from her old life when she passed the town, Taylorville and believed “there was enough destiny in it to satisfy me”(16). Taylor soon starts her life by meeting Lou Ann, a single mother to Dwayne Ray, and decides to live with her. This symbolizes Taylor settling down and officially staying in Tucson, Arizona (101). Other characters who define the American Dream are Esperanza and Estevan. They had to flee from Guatemala because they were apart of the Teachers Union and many people were after them trying to kill them. Esperanza’s brother and friends were killed and her daughter, Ismene, was taken from her and Estevan on

In this story “The Bean Trees” by Barbara Kingslover we meet Taylor Greer, an average teenager from Pittman, Kentucky. Even though Taylor has never been through anything truly horrific in her life how can she truly understand how unpleasant the world can be? Taylor’s personal growth in the “The Bean Trees” is a part of an uncertain journey because Taylor is thrown into motherhood and forced to see the bad experiences people go through in life.

Life is constantly changing, like clouds in the sky; always shifting and turning. People never really know which way life will turn next, bringing them fortune or failure. When you look at how things change it is best to compare it to something that you can relate it to. The changeable nature of life can be related to the novel 'The Bean Trees.' This is a book written almost entirely on dealing with changes in the characters lives.

“Scotty Richey … killed himself on his sixteenth birthday … nobody could understand about Scotty … But the way I see it is, he just didn’t have anybody. … It was like we were all the animals on Noah’s ark that came in pairs, except of his kind there was only one” (Kingsolver 132-4). In Barbara Kingsolver’s novel The Bean Trees, Taylor mentions to Estevan her classmate Scotty Richey’s suicide. She explains that although her school had a very distinct social hierarchy, people within a class had each other for company. Scotty, however, had nobody. As a result of the extreme isolation he faced, he committed suicide. Today, bullying is a developing issue in the world and exclusion, which Scotty faced, is just one of many forms of bullying. What Scotty experienced in the novel occurs in schools around the world, and the consequences are unimaginable and horrific. In light of the increasingly advanced technology developed in recent years, cyberbullying has become a more common form of bullying among students. Cyberbullying, or bullying that occurs through the internet or media, happens due to the courage that bullies acquire by not having to physically face their victims. The harassment the victims experience lead to mental as well as physical health issues, which often times leads to suicide. In order to prevent such grave repercussions, education systems and parents must teach kids how to behave properly on the

Epiphanies are central to the plots of many novels. In the novel The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingslover, the main character, Taylor Greer, has an epiphany that changes the course of her life. After Turtle is traumatized in the park, Taylor withdraws from her and the rest of the world, believing that no nothing she does truly matters. As Turtle improves, Taylor realizes that her positive actions do make the world a better place. When Turtle begins to talk again, Taylor has an epiphany and realizes that every small compassionate action is important and that even she can help make the world a better place. As a result of her epiphany, Taylor is more willing to help others. The positive results of Taylor’s epiphany are first shown when she decides to fight for custody of

Taylor is raised in a non-traditional setting; her mother, Alice Greer, is a single mother takes care of Taylor by herself. Alice had been married before, but her husband told her not to get pregnant and so when she did he left, and she tells Taylor that this was the best deal she ever made. She is extremely supportive of Taylor, in all that she does, but also expects the very best from her. Taylor knows this saying “then no matter what I did, whatever I came home with, she acted like it was the moon I had just hung up in the sky and plugged in all the stars. Like I was that good” (Kingsolver 10). Alice takes on both the

Author use many symbolism in the book The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. She uses symbolism because it makes it easier for readers to understand the deeper meaning or feeling of the character or the events that are happening. For example, author uses the symbolism of bean trees as transformation and Ismene as the abandoned children to show the deeper meaning of them.

All around the world people are moving to find a better life, over 3.3% of the world's population are international migrants. People are always going through a rebirth from when they get a job to becoming a family or when they move. Rebirth is not always a big change, but it always changes life some way or the other. The characters in The Bean Trees lives are constantly changing during the whole book. Throughout The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, there is a common theme of rebirth that the characters Taylor, Turtle, Estevan and Esperanza all experience.

Starting right now, you’ve only got one Ma in the whole world,” (Kingsolver 302). Taylor made a comeback to Turtle calling Esperanza by “Ma” by telling Turtle that she only has one “ma” in the world and that’s is Taylor. Taylor was a character that was acting as a mother figure only to Turtle. Even though she had a child, Taylor was still a child inside that tried to avoid pregnancy.

Girls in Taylor’s high school typically drop out to have children of their own. Many of the boys drop out to work on farms. Taylor sets morals for herself to stray away from getting pregnant or dropping out to work on a farm. Along with Taylor, “Mama always said barefoot and pregnant was not my style. She knew” (Kingsolver, 4). A neighbor of Taylor, Newt Hardbine had adhered to the typical act of their town. Newt dropped out to work on his father’s farm, and in the meantime got his girlfriend pregnant. Newt and Taylor could pass as brother and sister, so people within the town always wondered who was going to be the one to escape the small town life. This primarily affects Taylor in her decision to leave Pittman County. She does not want to conform to the social norm of her small town, so Taylor decides to work in their county hospital just to make enough money to buy a run-down Volkswagen. She makes a goal for herself, to drive until she is out of gas and rename herself after the town she ends up in. From there, she would continue until her car broke down and settle in the new town. It is ones choice to let themselves be affected by these morals so this example shows how the societal norms of a town are able to run one away to avoid

Throughout my years being by Taylor’s side, I learned several things about her. She was an outstanding mother to her son and daughter.

Throughout this portion of the book, Ty’s life is once again wrapped apart. he is realizing all of mistakes, all the almost, and all the fallen hopes and dreams he’s encountered. How out of control of something he feels so attached to he is.

The tree-lined country road narrowed into a winding track, and decelerating slightly, Booker carefully navigated the bumpy dirt trail. Horshack’s directions were vague at best, hurriedly whispered down the phone in a panicked voice, and Booker could not help but wonder what horrors the young freshman had experienced at the hands of his elders to leave him so terrified. But now was not the time to reflect on the abhorrent behavior of parental bullying; his focus was on Tom and giving him the peace of mind he so desperately sought. If he could achieve that one goal, his mission would be classified a success, and then he could concentrate on building a friendship with the man he adored.

Taylor was born to a film star. She acted more than 60 movies.Taylor left us but what she left