Traditional And Non-Traditional Families In Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

Sometimes the best family members are not joined by blood, but rather joined by similarities. In Barbara Kingsolver’s “The Bean Trees”, there are many types different forms of families. The Traditional families live together and are related to each other by blood or in some way. However, some of the best families in the story happen to be non-traditional, for example the motherhood of Taylor, the main character, to Turtle, a child who had been abused by her biological family. There is also several forms of families that are a blend of traditional and non-traditional. Traditional families and non-traditional families, as well as a mix of part traditional and part non-traditional is prevalent throughout the book.

First, some of the character’s

development is affected by having a non-traditional family rather than having a traditional one. Taylor's family lacks a father, however, the mother plays the role of the father by always expecting, “The best out of [Taylor]”(Kingsolver 10 ). It is typical for the father to expect the best out his children, but in this case the mother plays the father figure and is a role model who instills self-confidence into her daughter. Taylor and another woman named Lou Ann begin living together and take care of their two children, Dwayne Ray and Turtle, together without the help of a husband. The women help each other understand things that would not understand on their own. Lou Ann is distraught that her husband Angel is leaving to join a rodeo and has not invited her and Dwayne Ray to go along, Taylor explains to Lou Ann, “Well, maybe it’s not that he doesn’t want you, Lou Ann. Maybe he’s just got better sense than to ask you and a four-month-old baby to come along on the Montana-Colorado Circuit” (Kingsolver 133). Taylor understands how Lou Ann feels due to the fact that she is a woman, however if it was just another man in her life they would not be able to comprehend why Lou Ann is upset. Taylor and Lou Ann benefit from a non-traditional family, however having a traditional family can help people benefit from a healthy environment.
On the contrary, having a traditional family does not mean that life will be perfect.

The Hardbrine family, a family that lives in Taylor’s hometown, is considered a traditional family. Newt and his father ending up getting into a fight, which results in Newt being killed and his wife is left to care for their child by herself. Newt grew up in a family that had a mother and a father, but in the end Newt was the one who ended dying and turning his wife into a single mother. Lou Ann and her husband and there baby Dwayne Ray are considered a traditional family, however tensions boil over all the time as Angel has been scarred for life due to the loss of his leg in a terrible accident. Angel leaves Lou Ann feeling distraught claiming that him leaving, “Revealed more to her about his personality, she thought, than she had learned during their whole marriage” (Kingsolver 33). On the outside everything seemed like the family was doing great, but now Lou Ann was left with a baby and no way to support him by herself. Angel is reassuring the fact that not all families have a perfect life and there may be some complications to them, while some families appear to be part traditional and part

non-traditional.
At the same time, there is a mix of families being part traditional and part non-traditional that result in better development for characters than one over the other.

The giant mix of family between Estevan and Esperanza, illegal immigrants from Guautamela, Taylor, Lou Ann, Dwayne Ray, and Turtle really helps the development of the children as they have all of these people around them to care for them and teach them the ways of life. Estevan talks about the tables of hell being full of people who can only use long spoons to feed themselves, so they go hungry, while in heaven they have the same spoons and same tables, however everyone in heaven is happy and fat. Estevan is teaching a lesson to Turtle and the people around him that it is important to share and treat everyone equal to live a better life. Likewise, Mattie, the owner of Jesus Is Lords Used Tires, is a second mother to Taylor, as she teaches Taylor how to survive in the world and to raise a child on her own. Mattie is on a show talking about how illegal immigrants are mistreated, Taylor is listening, “Signatory to the United Nations something-something on human rights, Mattie was saying, and that means we have a legal obligation to take in people whose lives are in danger” (Kingsolver 108). Mattie may not be speaking to Taylor directly and Taylor may not understand the legal aspect of Mattie’s speech, but she understands the importance of taking in people who are in danger. Taylor received Turtle when Turtle was

in danger and she was optimistic about keeping him, but now she understands from Mattie it is her duty to take care of and protect Turtle. The mixes of two types of families really benefits the people involved in them, as they have the best opportunity to grow and learn. To sum it all up, the use of traditional and non-traditional families and a mix of both is extremely prevalent. Many of the families contain no father or mother and have to raise a child all on their own, this is considered a non-traditional family. On the other hand, some of the characters have a traditional family, but they are still not developing into a perfect life. Lastly, the mix of both families helps the characters learn from each other and have a mother or father figure that they did not have in their childhood. Family is important for the growth, no matter if it is a traditional or non-traditional family.