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.
Plot
The Bean Trees is written from the first-person perspective of Marietta “Taylor” Greer, a young woman who decides to leave her rural home in Pittman County, Kentucky, using her beat-up Volkswagen. Determined to escape a life of limited opportunities, she heads west with two goals: taking a new name of Taylor, and staying wherever her car happens to breaks down.
Taylor's car fails in Oklahoma, in the Cherokee Nation, and she finds herself at a bar where a stranger abruptly leaves a baby girl in her care. With the child, whom she names Turtle, Taylor continues west, eventually landing in Tucson, Arizona with two blown tires. She begins working for the tire shop, Jesus is Lord Used Tires, owned by Mattie, a kind woman who also provides a haven for refugees. Taylor befriends Lou Ann Ruiz, a single mother of Dwayne Ray. She struggles with insecurities after the abandonment of her husband, Angel. Taylor moves into Lou Ann's house.
Through Mattie, Taylor encounters Estevan and Esperanza, a Guatemalan couple seeking asylum in the United States. She learns about the political turmoil in their country and the dangers they faced, including the kidnapping of their daughter, Ismene, whom they were forced to leave behind. The couple struggle with the loss of their child, especially Esperanza who makes a suicide attempt. Taylor learns of the struggles of undocumented refugees and the prejudices they encounter.
As Taylor navigates her new life, she faces challenges caring for Turtle, whose traumatic past manifests in silence and attachment issues. Taylor eventually discovers her real name is April, but continues to call her Turtle due to her tenacious nature. When Turtle is attacked by a stranger, Taylor realizes the depth of her commitment to the child. Pushing aside her doubts about being a good parent, she decides to formally adopt her. The Arizona Child Protective Services threaten to put Turtle in foster care, citing the need for written consent from Turtle's parents for Taylor to formally adopt her.
Mattie is involved in a network that helps refugees escape to safe houses. Taylor, Turtle, Estevan, and Esperanza, embark on a road trip to Oklahoma. Unable to find Turtle's real parents during the trip, Taylor, and the couple hatch a plan. In Oklahoma, Estevan and Esperanza, using assumed names, formally grant custody of Turtle to Taylor with a lawyer. Afterward, they disappear into the sanctuary of a church, their final act of friendship ensuring Turtle's safety and future with Taylor.
Taylor returns to Tucson with Turtle, knowing she is now a mother, not by blood, but by choice and circumstance. She shares her experiences with Lou Ann, who is finding new love and strength apart from Angel. Taylor reflects on the interconnectedness of lives and the power of love and resilience in the face of adversity.
The novel concludes with Taylor and Turtle embracing their future, filled with uncertainty but also hope, symbolized by the wisteria vines, also known as bean trees, that thrive in even the most unfavorable conditions.
Setting
The story takes place in real places in North America, including Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Arizona.[1] 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 landscapes and characters' passion towards the environment. The author uses history and biology to describe certain events or world issues related to nature.[2]
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.[3]
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 Kentucky and is Taylor's roommate.
Esperanza and Estevan are Guatemalan refugees that Taylor meets in Arizona.
Mattie is the owner of "Jesus is Lord Used Tires." She grows vegetables and beans in her garden, which is filled with tire parts. Her home is a place where undocumented immigrants stay.
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.
The novel shares negative traumatic experiences of the characters and people they meet, like Native Americans and Guatemalan refugees. While those scenes demonstrate qualities like sympathy and concern, they contribute to the overall spirit of the story being positive and uplifting.[4]
The protagonist is raised by a single mother, which helps to develop themes of motherhood and nontraditional family values throughout the story, as Taylor, herself becomes Turtle's parent.[3] The novel further explores nontraditional extended family through the relationships between the members of the community. It conveys the idea of interdependence and interaction, community's importance to each individual's life, and balance between independence and a sense of belonging.[3] It also addresses the issue of parenthood through adoption.[5] The novel makes reference to the issue of Native American parental rights as well.[5]
The Bean Trees also portrays the effects of child abuse.[3]
Themes of love and nurturing emerge from the violence and poverty that the characters face. The book conveys multiple symbolic meanings about shared motherhood, life and death, and beauty. The underlying themes not always recognized include those about mockery toward the judicial system, the flawed coping strategies of current-day issues, and the strength of friendship.
Style
Jack Butler wrote for the New York Times, "The Bean Trees is as richly connected as a fine poem, but reads like realism."[6]
Kingsolver employs irony in order to emphasize the changes to Taylor's lifestyle by the end of the novel.[3]
Symbolism is used at the beginning of the story when the main character, Taylor, changes her name while starting the journey of self-discovery. The author evokes Westward expansion through Taylor's symbolic move to the west.[3] Kingsolver's creation of the non-male dominant world, and focus on feminism and environmentalism, communicates the case of eco-feminism.[2]
Reception
The Bean Trees was received well by critics at release,[7] such as The Los Angeles Times stating it was the "work of a visionary".[8] It was featured on the New York Times 1988 Notable Books of the Year list.[9]
The novel has become a commonly assigned reading in high school literature classes since its publication.[10][11]
