What is the plot of the Bean Trees?
The Bean Trees begins when Taylor (whose real name is Marietta) decides that it's time to leave Pittman, Kentucky, where she lives with her mother, and make something of herself. She buys a 1955 Volkswagen and embarks on a personal journey of self-discovery, leaving everything behind, including her name.
What is a bean tree?
Bean tree is a name used in different parts of the world for various trees that carry their seeds in large pods. Examples include: Erythrina vespertilio (Bat's wing coral tree, grey corkwood)
How long does it take for a bean plant to grow?
On an average, it takes about 2-3 months for a bean to grow into a mature plant. The exact period varies with the bean variety as well as the weather and soil conditions. The various stages in the life cycle of a bean plant are described below. [Click on the images for an enlarged view]
What influenced the Bean Trees?
Two of the greatest influences in The Bean Trees are the Cherokee Trail of Tears, the geographical trek that the Cherokee Nation was forced to travel when it was moved to the Oklahoma territory from the southeastern United States, and the Sanctuary movement, designed to help Central Americans flee oppressive governmental regimes and relocate — ...
What is the setting of the novel Bean Trees?
setting (place) The novel opens in rural Kentucky. Taylor travels across the country to Tucson, Arizona, where she settles. At the end of the novel, she takes a trip to Oklahoma before returning to Tucson.
When was Bean Trees written?
1988The Bean Trees is a novel by Barbara Kingsolver that was first published in 1988.
How long is The Bean Trees?
The Bean TreesFirst editionAuthorBarbara KingsolverPublication date1988Media typePrint (hardback & paperback) and audio-CDPages2329 more rows
How old is Turtle in The Bean Trees?
three years oldThis silence, however, is due to Turtle's history: although she is only three years old, Turtle has already been physically and sexually abused. Although Taylor has spent her life avoiding pregnancy, she keeps Turtle with her.
What is the theme of The Bean Trees?
Major themes in The Bean Trees include the importance of family and the need for community as emotional support systems for individuals facing hardships. Kingsolver uses her feminist beliefs, her interest in political issues, and her background in biology as vehicles to relate her thematic messages.
What Is The Bean Trees summary?
The Bean Trees begins when Taylor (whose real name is Marietta) decides that it's time to leave Pittman, Kentucky, where she lives with her mother, and make something of herself. She buys a 1955 Volkswagen and embarks on a personal journey of self-discovery, leaving everything behind, including her name.
How old is Taylor in Bean Trees?
Taylor does not reveal her exact age in The Bean Trees. However, she does say that she left home five and a half years after graduating high school.... See full answer below.
Why is The Bean Trees called that?
Beans and Bean Trees “Bean,” Turtle's first word, symbolizes the promise that, like a dried-up seed that grows, a mistreated woman may thrive if given enough care. The bean trees, another name for the wisteria vine that Turtle spots in Dog Doo Park, symbolize transformation, a spot of life in the midst of barrenness.
How many chapters are in Bean Trees?
There are seventeen chapters in The Bean Trees. The book begins with Taylor recounting some key moments from her childhood and then heading out on the road. She meets Turtle, a young girl who is abruptly left in her care. In Tucson, she befriends two women named Mattie and Lou Ann.
Who is Virgie Mae?
Virgie Mae Valentine Parsons Taylor and Lou Ann's neighbor. She is an extremely formal, rude, and prejudiced elderly woman who lives with and cares for Edna.
What was Angel's rodeo name?
The Bean Trees: charactersABworked in a hospital for several yearsTaylorMarietta's nicknameMissyrodeo man; injured in accidentAngelhelps Mattie with her work and later works on a reservationDr. Terry29 more rows
Who is Taylor Greer?
Taylor A. Greer is an associate professor and teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in music theory and analysis. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, he received a bachelor of arts in music and philosophy from Yale College, a master of music from the University of Michigan, and a Ph.
Why is the book called Bean Trees?
Beans and Bean Trees “Bean,” Turtle's first word, symbolizes the promise that, like a dried-up seed that grows, a mistreated woman may thrive if given enough care. The bean trees, another name for the wisteria vine that Turtle spots in Dog Doo Park, symbolize transformation, a spot of life in the midst of barrenness.
What are the social issues in The Bean Trees?
The Bean Trees addresses the plight of refugees, illegal immigration, single mothers, poverty, and Native American rights.
What books has Barbara Kingsolver written?
The Poisonwood Bible1998The Bean Trees1988Flight Behavior2012Unsheltered2018Animal Dreams1990Animal, Vegetable, Miracle2007Barbara Kingsolver/Books
How old is Taylor in Bean Trees?
Taylor does not reveal her exact age in The Bean Trees. However, she does say that she left home five and a half years after graduating high school.... See full answer below.
When was the Bean Trees book released?
PS3561.I496 B44 1988. Followed by. Pigs in Heaven. The Bean Trees is the first novel by American writer Barbara Kingsolver. It was published in 1988 and reissued in 1998. The novel is followed by the sequel Pigs in Heaven.
What is the theme of the book The Bean Trees?
It portrays undocumented immigration from Latin America as some characters facilitate immigrants' escapes from persecution.
Who wrote the book The Bean Trees?
Book Summary. Barbara Kingsolver wrote The Bean Trees in shifting points of view. All but two chapters of the novel are written in the first person, revealing the thoughts and feelings of the feisty protagonist, Taylor Greer.
Where does Taylor live in The Bean Trees?
The Bean Trees begins when Taylor (whose real name is Marietta) decides that it's time to leave Pittman, Kentucky, where she lives with her mother, and make something of herself. She buys a 1955 Volkswagen and embarks on a personal journey of self-discovery, leaving everything behind, including her name.
Overview
Major Themes
The Bean Trees is a coming-of-age novel.
Barbara Kingsolver uses a nonstandard perspective to share the characters' adventures and the world they live in. The use of nonwhite mythology, anti-western sentiment, and not using the typical form of male adventure, allowed the author to explore the world where women were powerful and had a voice.
Plot
Taylor Greer sets out to leave home, Kentucky, and travel west, and finds herself in Oklahoma near Cherokee territory. As Taylor stops in the town, a woman suddenly approaches, deposits a small child, and leaves without explanation. Not knowing what else to do, Taylor decides to care for the child. The novel traces the experiences of Taylor and the child, who Taylor names Turtle.
Setting
The story takes place in real places in North America, including Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Arizona. It begins when the main character, Taylor, leaves her home in Pittman, Kentucky to find herself. First, her car breaks down in the middle of Oklahoma, later in Tucson, Arizona. She travels back to Oklahoma and again to Arizona because of the people she became close with throughout the novel.
Barbara Kingsolver's interest in nature is reflected in the Bean Trees, as it is full …
The story takes place in real places in North America, including Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Arizona. It begins when the main character, Taylor, leaves her home in Pittman, Kentucky to find herself. First, her car breaks down in the middle of Oklahoma, later in Tucson, Arizona. She travels back to Oklahoma and again to Arizona because of the people she became close with throughout the novel.
Barbara Kingsolver's interest in nature is reflected in the Bean Trees, as it is full of descriptive la…
Characters
Taylor Greer, a native of Kentucky, is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. She is also known by her given name Marietta and nickname Missy. Taylor's personality is described as tough, adventurous, and independent throughout the novel.
Turtle is the three-year-old child who is left with Taylor in Oklahoma.
Lou Ann lives in Tucson and has a baby named Dwayne Ray. She is also originally from Kentuck…
Style
Jack Butler wrote for the New York Times, "The Bean Trees is as richly connected as a fine poem, but reads like realism."
Kingsolver employs irony in order to emphasize the changes to Taylor's lifestyle by the end of the novel.
Symbolism is used at the beginning of the story when the main character, Taylor, changes her na…
Reception
The novel was well received by critics and has become commonly assigned reading in high school literature classes.