"A mother is a mother from the moment her baby is first placed in her arms until eternity. It did not matter if her child were three, thirteen, or thirty" (www.goodreads.com). Being a mom is more than just a relationship; it is a responsibility and obligation. However, the advantages outweigh any and all disadvantages. Part of that relationship is the unbreakable bond between a mother and child; a mother is a protector and provider, who would sacrifice everything so that their child can be successful. Each of the mothers in this novel leaves their priorities behind as they begin to put their children's needs before their own, showing their unbelievably deep love for them. In "The Bean Trees" by Barbara Kingsolver, the women Taylor, Esperanza, and Lou Ann all share the monumental task of being a mother, each coming from very unique backgrounds. Taylor is handed a baby as she is trying to escape pregnancy, Esperanza is forced to leave her child behind in Guatemala, and her husband leaves Lou Ann with complete custody of her child. In all of these women, the journey of motherhood creates a lasting tie that is carried on forever between mother and child, showing that you do not have to be someone's biological parent to be considered his or her mother- you simply need to love and protect them as if they are your own (Adamson). Throughout The Bean Trees, Taylor, Esperanza, and Lou Ann each experience the struggles and rewards of the difficult task of motherhood. .
Although Taylor thought she had avoided the burden of being a mother when she left Kentucky, she unintentionally placed herself right into her worst nightmare. As Taylor arrives in the Cherokee nation of Oklahoma, she is blindsided as an Indian woman sets a baby in the passenger seat of her '55 Volkswagen bug. The woman leaves Taylor no information besides that the baby had belonged to the woman's dead sister and that "there isn't nobody knows it's alive, or cares" (Kingsolver, 18).
