Motherhood In Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

Words: 1295
Pages: 6
Open Document
Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Bean Trees, states that “being a mother has enriched [her] understanding of the world, of character, [her] sense of the future and [her] attachment to it. Instead of staying in her hometown like most girls do, Taylor leaves Pittman County to avoid becoming a mother, however; ironically, the fate of motherhood appears once again in Taylor’s life when a little girl named Turtle enters her life. Taylor must navigate her newfound life of motherhood with the assistance of her friends and family, helping her find her place in life. When women face the challenges of motherhood, forming communities and stepping out of their comfort zones are crucial in the development of these women and their children.
When people …show more content…
After a long day of work, Lou Ann and Taylor eat junk food and gossip, and Lou Ann admits her change in perception by saying “I can’t believe I actually went out with this guy. I’ve gotten so brave hanging around you. Six months ago it would have scared the living daylights out of me just to walk by him on the street” (309). Though Lou Ann and Taylor share similar backgrounds, they view life differently. With the help of Taylor, Lou Ann, a chronic worrier, goes out with a guy that she would normally avoid, proving that the support from Taylor broadens her view on other people. Without the support from Taylor, Lou Ann could have been uninspired in life, constantly thinking about the pros and cons of everything, but Taylor teaches her to live in the moment. The success of the little family between Taylor and Lou Ann comes from their trust and support, and the fact that they change each other for the better. Lastly, Taylor and Esperanza bond over their traumatic experiences in motherhood. Esperanza, a married woman from Guatemala, illegally enters America to try to rebuild her …show more content…
Lou Ann Ruiz, an anxious woman whose worries take over now that she is a single mother, lacks self-confidence, therefore she needs other people to reaffirm her. Instead of continuing her job at the preschool, Lou Ann quits her job to take care of her sick husband, yet when he leaves her, she does not resume her work. Even with her lack of self-esteem, Lou Ann understands her job as a mother means that she needs to work hard and she “is seriously job-hunting now” (194) even though it scares her to return to work. Lou Ann observes the best qualities about Taylor, specifically her drive, and forces herself to do better to prove to herself that she can parent on her own. Lou Ann’s job at Red Hot Mama’s empowers her because it represents how she thrives without a man in her life. Before Taylor calls herself a mother, she was just a girl moving out of her hometown to achieve her dreams. Taylor never imagines her life including kids, and in fact, when a woman asks Taylor to keep a small child, she says “If I wanted a baby I would have stayed in Kentucky (24).” When motherhood forces its way into Taylor’s life, she rejects it at first, but after some time she grows to love being a mother, saying to Turtle “I’m your Ma, and that means I love you the most. Forever (302).” Taylor steps out of her comfort zone every day
Show More

Related Documents: Motherhood In Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

Theme Of Motherhood In Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

In Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees, motherhood is a theme that is constant in the book. All of the situations are different and similar. The main character Taylor daughter of a single mother becomes an unlikely mother to turtle a child whose mom died. Lou Ann comes from a traditional family in Kentucky. She becomes a single mother to Dewayne Ray after her husband Angel leaves her. Esperanza is an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. She had a child she had to leave behind in Guatemala to save…

Words 282 - Pages 2

Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

Prompt 1: Analysis on how Motherhood contributes to the theme of “The Bean Trees” Throughout Barbara Kingsolver's famous novel, “The Bean Trees,” the major theme of community and family love has been circling around, but the recurring motif of motherhood stands out. Kingsolver portrays many types of mothers, birth, adoptive and surrogate: Taylor and her mother, Taylor and Turtle, Lou Ann and Dwayne, Esperanza and Ismene, and Mattie and her house full of refugees. While the theme of community and…

Words 364 - Pages 2

The Loving Support In Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

The Loving Support in The Bean Trees Vivian Greene once said that, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain” (“Goodreads.com”). In Barbara Kingsolver’s novel, The Bean Trees, she brings together a group of dysfunctional people at their most desperate times. She emphasizes the importance of a community and loyalty. Every character has strengths however, they still need someone by their side that they can count on. Kingsolver reveals how someone…

Words 1906 - Pages 8

Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

Barbara Kingsolver’s book, The Bean Trees sounds almost like a gender activist exposé of some sort. Unlike other books that have been read in this class, this book overtly and covertly puts into mainstream social, and gender issue through the likable flawed and imperfect characters used in the novel. She pushes to the society social problems that women face, which the society has refused to acknowledge existed or simply ignored. The novel encapsulates societal burden – single motherhood, molestation…

Words 513 - Pages 3