The Changeable Nature of Life in The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

In the beginning Taylor was determined to have her freedom, but once Turtle comes into her life she recognizes the worth in caring about someone other than herself. Taylor is more compassionate and loving thanks to Turtle.

By fighting to save the most important part of her life, Taylor shows that she has realized what is truly important. When she decides not to discuss Turtle’s future in front of her, as though she simply property, Taylor’s renewed belief in small acts of kindness and the effect they can have on people, is shown. Once more, she knows that even small acts of compassion can have large impacts on the lives of others. The effects of Taylor’s epiphany are illustrated again when she agrees to drive Estevan and Esperanza to Oklahoma. Even though she does not want Estevan to leave, Taylor drives him and Esperanza to Oklahoma, risking fines and jail time in the process. When Mattie warns Taylor of the dangers of her plan, Taylor says, “Just stop it, okay? Estevan and Esperanza are my friends. And, even if they weren’t, I can’t see why I shouldn’t do this.” By saying this, Taylor’s belief in the importance of doing the right thing, even when it is dangerous, is displayed. Taylor’s morals have been transformed: bravery and integrity are now more important to her than safety and realism. She no longer withdraws from her friends and loved ones like she did after

What would life be like if people didn't undergo change? Many opportunities happen in life because of adjustments people make for themselves. In the short stories "Mirror Image" by Lena Coakley and "Saturday Climbing" by W.D. Valgardson the protagonists Alice and Barry both have struggles with the major changes happening in their life. Throughout their stories, they become less pessimistic, they adress their problems and they gain a newfound confidence and trust in others. Change can be extremely difficult, but its a necessary step towards a positive life.

Change is something you are probably familiar with. In “Beneath the Smooth Skin of America,” Scott R. Sanders talks about many changes in his life. The author starts the story looking throw the eyes of himself as a child. As a child he remembers that all that was in his sight was all he could see. The author’s best example of this is he says, ”Neighbors often appeared…where they came from I could not imagine” (27). As the author begins to see more by leaving the area he was around so often he starts to see more and more things. He started moving around to different places and started seeing the things that he had not see before. The author points out many things that he began to see like the stores

The death of Newt Hardbine brings Taylor to take a good look at her future and as a result, pushes Taylor to get out of Pittman County for good.

Lou Ann is a character that was introduced in the second chapter. Lou Ann is single and has a son whom she loves. Lou Ann met Taylor later on with the book and got in a huge mutual

She talks about how she has always feared mortality ever since childhood. She gets a box of presents and a letter from Angel. Angel asks Lou Ann to move to Montana with him because he misses her. Taylor comes to the sudden realization that she might her friends with Lou Ann moving away and Estevan and Esperanza being deported. 100 words Chapter

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.

Throughout The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver, Marietta ‘Missy’ Greer goes through many changes. From changing her name to adopting a child and many more life changing events. When she left Pittman County, she probably didn’t expect to have what she ran away from. Taylor left her home in Kentucky since she didn’t want to end up like all the other girls there. Most girls didn’t finish school, got married early, and had many kids. Taylor wanted a better life for herself so she left and made a new life in Tucson, Arizona. Some significant items that changed her life are Lou Ann’s ad in the newspaper, a photo of her and Estevan after Esperanza’s suicide attempt, and Turtle’s custody documents. Each of these items play an important role in Taylor’s

The beginning of book, Lou Ann is very dependent, paranoid, and insecure. Lou Ann is very dependent on her husband, Angel. She took care of him after his accident with his truck, even when he did not want her too and always put Angel first. When Angel left Lou Ann, she is left very confused and sad, Lou Ann would always talked about him. She looks at marriage as “(People are) suppose to love the same person (they’re) whole life long till death do (them) part” (117). In the beginning, Lou Ann believes she has to love Angel all her life, but in the end, Angel tries to take her back Lou Ann does not know what to do. Lou Ann is extremely paranoid when it comes to motherhood. Everything she reads she believes, and because of this she is very protective over Dwayne Ray. When Taylor meets Lou Ann for the first time, Taylor thinks she is a little irrational, but grows to love Lou Ann. Also, Lou Ann would go through periods of insecurity. For example, she would go “through a phase of cutting her own hair every other day” (132). In addition to obsessing over her hair, she torments over her weight and goes on unusual diets. In the end of the book, Lou Ann is a completely different character. She finally lets go of Angel and is “seeing this guy from Red Hot Mama’s by the name of Cameron John” (308). She is less protective over Dwayne Ray, and is not insecure any more. Lou Ann got a new job, a new man, and a fresh new

This change mainly comes from Estevan, as Taylor learns that some people’s lives are much worse than her own. In the beginning of the book, Taylor has potential, she is a strong and courageous person. However, she is still sheltered from some of the horrors of the world. The first instance of when she starts to learn this is when Newt Hardbine arrives injured at the hospital where she works. She is given a very large responsibility when she is left to take care of Turtle, a responsibility that she tried to get away from by leaving Pittman County. This really limits the different forms that her identity can take from this point in the story on, since she has to step up to a mother figure role. For example, if she had ended up in Arizona without Turtle, she may have become more relaxed, however now that she has this child she needs to constantly care for her. Estevan changes Taylor’s identity the most by explaining his and his wife’s history in Guatemala. After this experience with Estevan, Taylor says that she now knows “life can be hard in ways I never knew about” and that there are awful things that people can do to each

Now, that Taylor is a mother, she begins to take on the motherly role as to know what is good and bad for Turtle. Thankfully, Taylor has the help of Lou Ann and together they form a family. “Independent women with children scratch out a meager existence. They are able to do so because of their mutual independence, and that’s a lesson in living” (Kelly and Kelly 2). The fact that Lou Ann and Taylor can support each other in ways that they do makes them great mothers and role models to their children. Thanks to each other Lou Ann and Taylor can properly support their children in ways they could not do alone. There is many ways that Lou Ann and Taylor support each other, but one that sticks out best is when Taylor works and Lou Ann stays home to watch the kids, and they each split the cleaning to be equal with each other. The role that Taylor’s mother plays is quite admirable, because Taylor remembers whatever her mother says throughout the novel. This shows how great of an impact Taylor’s mother made in her life. “Mama, you were always so good to me. I’ve been meaning to tell you that. You acted like I’d hung up on the moon. Sometimes I couldn’t believe you thought I

Taylor took her car and promised herself that she would drive as far west until her car broke down and this is where she would stay. Taylor set out on her journey as an immature young girl who had never experienced hardships, had never worried about the well-being of others, and had never experienced life outside of the walls of Kentucky. As Taylor was driving west a woman came to her and told Taylor to take this baby with her. Taylor reluctantly agreed and brought the baby, whom she named Turtle, on her journey with her. From that point on Taylor realizes that it was not just her anymore, she was now responsible for another human life.

Life experiences can change a person’s character. Those experiences can make a person better than they used to be, the characters will unlock a new mentality that they thought they never had. Also they better at conquering fears and obstacles. Characters in my novels go through lots of change as the stories progress. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, events change the character’s views and behavior throughout the novels. In the novels The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Treasure Island, the main characters in the stories go through a change of personality from their adventures and journeys, encounters with obstacles and antagonists, and the completion of their trials.

This book, by Spencer Johnson, reveals the truths about how we deal with change that happens in our lives which effects us in so many ways, either positively or negatively. The book takes an amusing approach to what happens when you don’t adapt to change and what happens when you do. In the book, cheese is used as a metaphor for what you want to have in life. All my life I wanted the nice house, the beautiful wife, the kids, money, the dog, the nice tuck to pull the nice boat, the great career, and so on , and so on. To me, it’s human nature to want those things and I eventually got all of those things and then some….. More on that later. There was another metaphor in the book, which was the maze.