Single Parenting In Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

“If women knew how hard it is to be a single parent on a low income, they might think twice about having children.“ - Ariane Sherine (“It’s a Tough Job, but I’ve Got to Do It”)

Single parenting can be considered a controversial topic expressed in a myriad of movies, TV shows, books, and magazines. A controversy because it has become something that is commonly seen as a social norm. Yet, it is still taboo to the point that those involved are often negatively judged for it. Statistically 41% of births are to single women (“The Single Mom Mess”). This social swing has awakened several dormant authors and screenwriters to use it as the basis of innumerable amounts of work. For example, in 1988 renowned author, Barbara Kingsolver published

a book titled, The Bean Trees.

It is set in rural Kentucky during the early 1980’s and follows a young woman named Marietta Greer (who later changes her name to Taylor). The novel juggles many different social issues through this character, but the most prominent one would be single parenting/lone motherhood. In The Bean Trees, author Barbara Kingsolver thoroughly expounds her opinion that single parenting is possible through the characters Taylor, Alice, and Lou Ann.

The suggested prominent reason that single parenting is such a controversial concept is due to its financial impact. While a mass of single parents rise above the poverty line, more than 40% of single parent families are poverty stricken. (“The Single Mom Mess”). In The Bean Trees, Taylor becomes saddled with a young child whom she names Turtle because of her grip. At this point in the story, Taylor had just departed from home and barely had enough funds to take care of herself, let alone a socially inept infant. While a number of single parents defend their situation by claiming the idea as a staple of independence, the facts still ring true. In ⅖ of the lower-quintile households, 83% of the families are

directed by single, low paid mothers (“The Single Mom Mess”). In Kingsolver’s book, The Bean Trees, this is demonstrated through the troubles of the character Alice and her daughter Taylor/Marietta. Alice is the first single parent that readers encounter in the novel, as she is Taylor’s mother. In the middle part of the book, Taylor recounts to Estevan about her past as a “nutter”. Usually they belonged to the poor families who needed to scrounge for extra money to afford school clothing. This further proves that single parenting families have more trouble making ends meet than married couple families. The Brookings Institute’s Isabel Sawhill concluded that all increase in single family poverty would vanish if the marriage rates of the 1970’s still exist. The increased financial strain on single parent families has the parent opting for increased work hours. Barbara Kingsolver addressed this in her novel The Bean Trees. She illustrated a situation where Taylor is pursuing a job in order to generate more income for her and Turtle, her daughter. This positioned the reader to realize the worst effects of all. They would be the psychological damage inflicted on the offspring; evidenced by the statistic that
children of single mother families are twice as likely to drop out of high school (“The Single Mom Mess”). Those who do graduate with a high school diploma are even less likely to continue on to college (“The Single Mom Mess”). Kingsolver emphasized this matter through Taylor in her last days in high school. Although Taylor did complete all of her courses, she did not advance to college. Although Taylor fit this statistic, she does not conform to all of them. For example, it has been researched and proven that the offspring of lone parent households show higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse, depression, behavior problems, and teen pregnancy. They also display academic achievement that is subordinate compared to their counterparts with both parents. One particularly perturbing effect on single parent family youth is not even related to academics or school at all. An investigation conducted by the Children’s Assessment Center of Houston, Texas has confirmed that a number of sexual perpetrators go after children that hail from single parent or broken families because of their stereotypically passive, quiet, and lonely nature. In this day and age, everything that befalls single parent children is not going to help them out in a generation where a diploma, training, and education are essential aspects of life.
At their dreadfully low moments, it could be said, many single parents feel as if struggling to provide for their children and providing the attention they need is akin to a special room in Hell with only their name on the door.

They attempt to drudge on; sadly and often, becoming overloaded, stressed and feeling the failure. This is enhanced by feelings of guilt and self condemning thoughts that further aid the overwhelmedness leaving them feeling disloyal and full of remorse and regret. If only they could push their stress aside, it would likely aid in the ability to see a much simpler way to endure and persevere in their situation. Barbara Kingsolver endeavored to make it known that single parenting is possible. Not just possible, rather a beacon, to lend hope to the suggestion that their endeavors are an absolutely achievable success. She effectively, did so through the interactions between her representation of a dynamic duo. Two women easily relatable to the reader, Taylor Greer and Lou Ann Ruiz. In Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees, Taylor encounters a young woman by the name of Lou Ann Ruiz. Lou Ann had been deserted by her husband. Shortly before his abandonment, Lou Ann birthed his baby, a son named Dwayne Ray. In an effort to make the house seem less vacant and in many ways lessen the overwhelming and stressful load, Lou Ann heavily contemplated and eventually opened her doors to possible tenants. Taylor, dealing with her own stressful and overwhelming,

life circumstances discovered Lou Ann’s ad in the newspaper. She met with Lou Ann and after a promising get together, she decided to move in. This is a critical union where Barbara Kingsolver truly worked her magic. It seemed as if all the overwhelming social stigmas and believed impossibilities encompassing the single parent melted away and evaporated. However, the author was careful to not suggest this revolution was magical. She emphasized the decision to make it happen. It was a choice made by the two women to Given that the two women decided to work together instead of duke things out on their own, their conditions immensely improved. Because there were very few finance difficulties, neither of them were required to work an excess amount and Turtle and Dwayne Ray were able to blossom promising abilities. Through The Bean Trees, Barbara Kingsolver proficiently expressed her notions on the issue of single parenting and revealed the reality that two lone parents working as one set can be a genuinely wonderful occurrence.