The Bean Trees Transformation

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.

The Changeable nature of life affects us all somehow. Whether it be moving to a new city, having children, or losing people that we love, it can affect people in many different ways. For example, in the novel, the main character

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.

On her way to anywhere far from Kentucky, Taylor ends up with something she had been avoiding all her life: a child. Taylor stops to get coffee and leaves with a little Indian baby girl. A strange Indian woman appears from the middle of nowhere, "She opened up the blanket and took out something alive. It was a child. She wrapped her blanket around and around it until it became a round bundle with a head. Then she set this bundle down on the seat of my car. 'Take this baby,' she said" (17). Taylor is a strong and independent woman. But she did not know how to react in the occasion. Taylor uses dry, sarcastic, humor when she does not

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.

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.

A positive mind is what is needed the most for when you are trying to make a huge life decision. In The Bean Trees we see some characters that have the biggest hearts and open minds. This leads to them caring for other people, even if they are not related, even if they just met them. There is this article named “Brainology” that talks about the impact and the importance of having a open, or what they call a growth mindset. The idea is that with a growth mindset you are more likely not to give up on challenges right away. Whereas a fixed mindset as soon as you fail you feel as if you’re not going to get it and you give up. We see this in the book throughout the whole story. We see this esoechaily with the mother figures, even though Lou Anne has low self esteem and frightened of everything we see her build her confidence throughout the book. We see this mindset with Esmeralda, helping Taylor out in the end with a really big favor. We even see this with the social worker that questions Taylor. She sees that Taylor really cares for Turtle and goes out of her way to help her adopt her. This growth mindset runs through all the women in the story because they have to be driven in order to have a good life.

Perseverance is essential for anyone to overcome conflicts, and an important literacy element throughout both pieces of literature. In a scholastic article “Brief History Women’s Rights Movements it states, “The force of the Women’s Rights Movement, spearheaded by NOW, was brought to bear on the major issue of the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution.” Together women have been facing equal right issues, and have been persevering together to have those rights. This relates to the Bean Trees because Lou Ann pregnant finds out her husband Angel left, and she has to persevere through a difficult time. She overcomes her hatred towards her appearance, and finds a job!

In the novel, The Bean Trees, written by Barbara Kingsolver, Taylor was not at first successful. Success is when you accomplish something meaningful in your life. It is when you know you are doing something that will help others live a happier, and healthier lifestyle. Since Taylor did not have a family to influence her at this time, she couldn't be successful. She was traveling with a young child that she did not plan on having and she had no money. Once she arrived in Tucson, Arizona, Taylor was unhappy. Although she met new friendly faces in Tucson, she did not deem them to be her family. Taylor thought she could build a life of her own because her mother had always taught her to go

After Taylor comes home one day to Lou Ann calling out names to Turtle, Taylor says, “It’s not like we’re a family, for Christ’s sake. You’ve got your own life to live, and I’ve got mine. You don’t have to do all this stuff for me” (89). Taylor sees her life as herself against the world. She has never really had a real family, so at first, she is apprehensive when it comes to calling herself, Turtle, Lou Ann, and Dwayne Ray a family. Taylor lives her life on her own; she leaves Kentucky by herself and tries to care for Turtle by herself. However, by the end of the novel, Taylor finally accepts losing some of her independence and admits that she has formed a family with Lou Ann. Kingsolver demonstrates that it is right for someone to accept help when they need it. Yet, Lou Ann foils Taylor and goes through the opposite transformation: she gains more independence. She finally stops depending on Angel and gets a job. After receiving a package from Angel, Lou Ann talks about her new responsibilities, and Taylor says, “In just three week’s time, she had been promoted to floor manager, setting some kind of company record” (165). Once Lou Ann gets a job at Red Hot Mama’s salsa factory, she devotes herself to her job and excels at it. At work, she realizes that she does not need to constantly depend

Imagine trying to flee your country in the pursuit of freedom and a better life? The Bean Trees is about Americans who have different thoughts about immigrants coming to the United States. Barbara Kingsolver defines the immigrant experience in The Bean Trees through discrimination, making friends, and protecting those in need.

The first evidence behind this is thrown to the reader immediately. Taylor and her mother, Alice, had the type of bond which is rare to find in this day and age. Being a single mother, Alice raised Taylor to not

The subject of Barbara Kingsolver famous novel, The Bean Trees, showcases the real meaning of motherhood. The novel occurs in Kentucky and Arizona during the early 1980’s. The main character is Taylor Greer. Taylor receives a child, whom she later names Turtle. The child’s aunt can no longer care for the young child. She takes Turtle with her while job searching where she meets two women, Mattie and Lou Ann, both motherly figures, who help her gain a deeper understanding of what motherhood means. From the beginning, Taylor never wanted children but against her wishes she has taken on the responsibilities of taking care of a toddler.

The character Taylor, from The Bean Trees by Barbra Kingsolver, is a newly found foster parent to a little girl known as Turtle. Taylor takes the previously abused child in and cares for and loves her very much. The situations of parenthood can be difficult as is, and Taylor took it head on all at once. I believe her decision to take Turtle from a stranger the night when she was at a small bar on her way to her destiny was a good idea. The poor child could have otherwise been left stranded or abused even more than what she had been, sexually molested and physically. At this point, it could be believed that Taylor would do anything for Turtle because she loves the child with every part of her being, even if it means losing everything and having

Have you ever come across a time in your life that changed the way you are or has made you become aware of something? Most people have had this happen to them they have gone through rough times or happy times which changes them, not only mentally but emotionally. This has happened in books such as The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver and the book Gifted hands by Ben Carson. Barbara Kingsolver’s story The Bean Trees is a story about a young woman named Missy who after getting a job and earning enough money to buy a car decides to go off on her own and leaves her mother. In her travels she meets different people and is faced with different adversities and also a baby that will change her life. These events changes who she is and what she thought