Ernest Hemingway's The Bean Trees

In the beginning of the story, Bradbury uses foreshadowing in the exchange between the husband and wife where the wife asks the husband to look at the nursery. The wife states, “I just want you to look at it, is all, or call a psychologist to look at it.” It is from this passage that you realize something has changed in the household that the family may need outside help to resolve it. Ray Bradbury also uses foreshadowing in the constant screams coming from the nursery to emphasize that there is a consequences that comes with over valuing material possessions. The family’s lifestyle is based around the house and the nursery and when the parents begin so see it as a negative thing, it starts to impact the family. The children believe its okay to disobey their parents and not respect what they have to say. The author also quotes “blood and death in the nursery”, this hints that the situation in the nursery is going to get out of control and eventually lead to an extreme case, being death. The author also uses “chewed wallets” and shows that because the material possessions meant so much to them they began to value them more then each other. The wallet represents all the costs that came with building the room and the fact that they were chewed shows how it negatively impacted the family. Because of the parent’s idea to

“The reality is that if you are poor in a fast, cold city like this, they don't care how you live so long as you are not out on the streets worrying people,? 83 year old Maria Pagan told The Times. Mrs. Pagan lived for a decade in a Bushwick building that was crumbling around her ?the landlord, the City of New York, only began making improvements when her bathroom ceiling collapsed. In comparison, Riis’s description of his photograph of Baxter Street in The New York Sun, “At 59 Baxter Street . . . is an alley. . . with tenements on either side ?so close as to almost shut out the light of day.?

The book The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver, is a coming of age story about a young girl, Taylor, that is thrust into motherhood when a baby is left in her car. Taylor however, is not the only example of a mother in the story. There is Lou Ann and Esperanza, both literal mothers, but only one of them has their child to take care of. There is Mattie, one of the first people that Taylor meet in Tucson, and who becomes almost a surrogate-mother for both her, and also the refugees that she shelters. In all of the both literal and figurative examples of motherhood in the story, none of them really fit into the idea of a traditional family setting. Kingsolver is expressing to the reader that being a successful mother does not rely on whether the family is “normal”, but rather being able to do the best for your children.

“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

Birds are a personal symbol for Turtle’s development. Throughout the novel, birds are tied to Turtle and major events in her life. Turtle makes her first sound when the car stops suddenly to avoid a family of quail. “I slammed on the brakes and we all pitched forward… ‘I think that sound was a laugh’...In the road up ahead there was a quail, the type that has one big feather spronging out the front of its head like a forties-model ladies' hat. We could just make out that she was dithering back and forth in the road, and then we gradually could see that there were a couple dozen babies running around her every which way” (Kingsolver 106-107). Turtle and Taylor have become comfortable as a family and Turtle has recovered from her previous trauma to the point that she makes audible noises and expresses herself. Just as the family of Taylor and Turtle has brought joy to the lives of Lou Ann, Mattie, Esperanza and Estevan, this disruptive family of birds bring joy and laughter to Taylor and Turtle. When Taylor takes Turtle to the doctor and learns the extent of Turtle’s abuse, she sees a bird that has made its nest inside a cactus. “I looked through the bones to the garden on the other side. There was a cactus with bushy arms and a coat of yellow spines as thick as fur. A bird had built her nest in it. In and out she flew among the horrible spiny branches, never once hesitating. You just couldn't imagine how she'd made a home in there” (Kingsolver 137-138). Just as the bird has

Anaïs Nin dared to question the norm of society; she asked “how wrong is it for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself?” The two main characters in the novel, The Bean Trees, written by Barbara Kingsolver, are two young women who share a common struggle, Taylor Greer and Lou Anne Ruiz. The book changes protagonist between Taylor and Lou Anne whom are complete opposites. However they both deal with their hardships together in Tucson, Arizona. Most women end up pregnant and dependent on their spouse just like Lou Anne. Both of these protagonists learn from each other to improve their lifestyles. Women are not dependent on men; life is what you decide to do not society’s trends.

Within the novel Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver, the reader is introduced to a young women named Marietta, Missy, and she later on renames herself Taylor. Taylor story is much like a coming of age story, and she many new lessons along the roads of life. She learns how to deal with unforeseen troubles, phobias, and the many forms of love, and because these inner actions she learned to see a new outlook on life.>>>>

In the book The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, the wisteria vine functions as a symbol of Turtle’s growth throughout her journey, as well as the people that have helped her along the way. When Turtle is first given to Taylor, she is agonized and timid, without a clue of whom she can look to as a motherly figure. Taylor remarks how “the most amazing thing was the way the child held on... to [her]… it’s little hands like roots sucking on dry dirt.” (22) Turtle’s horrible past has mentally scarred her. She views Taylor as safety and is relying on her for care. Turtle’s need for Taylor is similar to a plant’s need for water. Neither can survive without the other. As time progresses the duo bonds more closely, and Turtle begins to open up. One

When people plant seeds into the ground, the seeds usually bloom into a beautiful plant. However, with growth comes obstacles. Weather and roadblocks cause delays or disruptions in growth. It takes strength and courage to move past these obstacles, just as Taylor has throughout Kingsolver’s novel, The Bean Trees. In this novel, Kingsolver plants certain tones and social issues as a way to make it her own.

In The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, three characters in particular undergo a catharsis, each in their own way: Esperanza, Turtle, and Taylor. This paper will focus on the change on the development of the character Esperanza, showing the suffering and difficulties, she has undergone and how through a catharsis, this suffering was ameliorated.

The plot of The Bean Trees moves along at a slow, step by step process, which allows the reader to grasp the critical points of the novel. The novel uses both dialogue and narrative. The difference between the two varies tremendously and assists in the development not only of the plot but the characters are well. Dialogue is basically the conversation that stems from the interaction among the characters. While narrative provides the information needed to proceed and gain understanding of the events that the dialogue is leading up to.

The City of God is not what it sounds like, most of the residence there are homeless and without power, the children become power hungry and are forced to commit crimes.

In the essay “ Learning Responsibility on City Sidewalks”, the author Jane Jacobs shows us that it is important to let children interact with city sidewalks because they can learn lots of things there. On the other hand, the author also argues that it is necessary to select appropriate public areas because not all the public areas can give children advantage lessons. Based on author’s observations, some parents will allow their children play in parks so they are convenient to take care of children and save money for hiring daycare. However, it is not useful for children to learn in this environment. For example, children will not learn independent under parent’s supervision. Combing all the factors,

“She sits in the park. Her clothes are out of date” this line gives us a negative connotation of a woman, who is alone and empty who still lives in the past with the clothes she wears. But as well this line also suggest the passing of time, she is no longer up to date with everything around her due to the children and how much time and effort they take and this is suggested in the very next lines where the children are being needy and monstrous. The words whine, bicker and tug are extremely harsh which is opposing to what we expect to hear when the children are in the park, where happiness and joy is normally created. The children are lost without directions or a goal and are aimless in what they do as the situation portrays the mother to bored and care no longer about what is happening around her.

Another situation in the story that splits adulthood and childhood into two separate worlds is when the Burnell children want to show their friends the new doll house, but they are told by their mother that they can set up the doll house in the courtyard but not allow their friends to come inside for tea or wander throughout the house. Usually children are open hearted and when they have a friend over they want to show them around their house, offer them a snack make them feel at home. But in this story the mother of the Burnell children wants the children to stay outside and not expect to be fed or be allowed in the house. The reason that the mother doesn't want children to come inside is because they may mess up the house or break something, and if she gives one child tea, she has to give others as well which may turn out a bit expensive.