Barbra Kingsolver wrote the book The Bean Trees and uses many symbols for life. ... Taylor grew up in a less-than glamorous town, called Pittman County where " there was nothing- (112). ... The doctor does his routine first check, and says that "she seems to be a healthy two-year-old" (122). ... They call that condition a failure to thrive. ... All Turtle needs is love to grow, and that is what she receives from Taylor. ...

• Word Count: 1076
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

Role of Women in The Bean Trees Women of today's world are starting to become so independent that one-day they will out number men in the working environment. In her novel, The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver develops the theme that women in community have the power of the world and the ability to survive on their own. ... Taylor at first didn't know what to do but she dealt with her problem by herself and throughout the story began to love this little girl as her own and eventually adopted her. ... She even began dropping Turtle off at the mall daycare just like Sandi did. ... ...

• Word Count: 1481
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

Similarly, in The Bean Trees, Kingsolver focuses on several characters who all experience different types of loss throughout their lives. ... When Taylor first accepts responsibility for Turtle, the child is underdeveloped, both physically and mentally. As the novel develops, Turtle becomes able to deal with her loss of a happy childhood, and does begin to develop as a normal child. Taylor tells of Turtle's recovery when she says, "Turtle turned out to be, as the social worker predicted, resilient. ... In The Sweet Hereafter, and The Bean Trees, the authors use characterization to dev...

• Word Count: 2556
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: High School