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. She portrays this through character. Taylor was raised by her mother alone in a community where men were primarily in power. Taylor then left her home without any male influence and decided to travel to where fate brought her. When she reached he final destination which was Tucson, Arizona she met a lady named Lou Ann who had recently separated from her husband and was living on her own with a new baby boy named Dwayne Ray. Upon arrival she also met a lady by the name of Mattie who by herself ran a safe-house for immigrants and ran a business of her own called "Jesus Is Lord Used Tires". She also met many other women throughout the story that portrayed this independence. All of these people are women who have survived on their own, their stories will justify a woman's ability to survive without male influence. However the human race would not be able to survive without male influence due to their part in keeping the human race alive and some of the roles they play in our world.
Taylor Greer was raised by her mother without any male influence other than the neighbors in Pittman County. Taylor's name at birth was Marietta Greer, which eventually changed to Missy due to an incident one day that she demanded her mother call her Miss Marietta, shortened to Missy at an older age. " when I was three supposedly I stamped my foot and told my mother not to call me Marietta but Miss Marietta-.
Her mother raised her by giving her all the confidence in the world that she could eventually leave Pittman and not end up like all the other females, pregnant by the age of 16. This turned out to be one of Missy's goals in life which she reached when she graduated with very few females.