Bean Trees By Barbara Kingsolver

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Bean Trees by Barbra Kingsolver follows the journey of Taylor, a young adolescent who relentlessly desires to leave her hometown of Pittman, Kentucky. Longing for a change, Taylor embarks on her journey away from home, dodging her ongoing fear of pregnancy, more specifically motherhood, as well as failure. As she advances toward Tucson, Arizona, she comes across an older woman along with a young Cherokee girl. Feeling obligated to take in the two-year-old, Taylor finds herself caring for a formerly molested child without any motherly experience. Going from a tiresome nurse to a protective mother, Taylor experiences love, determination, sacrifice, and friendship. While caring and working to provide for herself and Turtle, her new-found daughter, …show more content…

As Taylor abandoned her previous life, she commenced her newfound journey of motherhood, fostering a formerly abused child. Grieving the loss of her daughter, Esperanza manages to escape her perilous country of Guatemala and takes refuge in Mattie’s safe house, hoping for a new beginning. Taylor’s first encounter with Esperanza shows the notable trauma she endured in the past. Kingsolver introduced Taylor to Esperanza to convey the importance of friendship and love, helping Esperanza to find meaning and joy within her life. Suffering from PTSD, Esperanza struggles to find comfort and belonging in her life. After constantly living with guilt and dejection, Esperanza attempted to end her life by taking children's aspirin. She was rushed to a nearby hospital that does not require legal documents, leaving Estavan and Taylor to talk, during which Taylor said, “I asked him if he meant that Ismene was their daughter, and Estevan said yes, that she was. She was taken in a raid on their neighborhood in which Esperanza’s brother and two friends were killed.”(Kingsolver

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