Character Analysis: The Bean Trees

Lindsey Matthiesen November 23, 2015

Throughout Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees and Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Interpreter of Maladies examples are shown of people who have never struggled with moving to a different country, try and make the lives worse of those who have. First, Esperanza and Stephan are not accepted because of their origin. Second, Boori Ma is blamed for a robbery that took place while she was wandering the streets and finally, Eliot’s mom questions Mrs. Sen’s credibility because she is from a different country. In these two books ignorance is shown as believing in stereotypes of a culture. that are not true. The characters in Kingsolver’s and Lahiri’s novels ignore the culture that immigrants can bring into their

When they are in The United States they stay with those of one culture, people from the same country. When Taylor, who is not of that culture, ventures into an area “reserved” for, Taylor claims it “felt it was off limits” (kingsolver 153) to her because people not related to that particular culture never dared to venture in because of the stereotype that they hold. This makes the people who are different culturally think they will not fit in unless they either stick with people of the same cultural or manage to blend in with the Americans. Esperanza had to start speaking English more to blend in (Kingsolver 221). This was because she had just travelled to the Cherokee reservation and needed to create a false identity and “the life history [she] had invented for [herself].(kingsolver 209). This didn’t just include backstories but all names which in Stephan and Esperanza’s case, were changed to Stevan and Hope. This is the second time their names were changed. Their “true names are Indian names.” (kingsolver 204). Even though they tried and successfully succeeded in blending in, if people knew their true identities and names, they would be sent back to their originally country despite the life of death threats they would have to face there. Their villages were being destroyed

First, Stephan and Esperanza are not accepted because of their origin. Second, Boori Ma is blamed for something she had little control over and finally, Mrs. Sen’s culture is not appreciated by Eliot’s mom. In these two books, ignorance is identified as judging a person because of the stereotypes connected with his culture. The characters in Kingsolver’s and Lahiri's Novels ignore the culture that immigrants can bring into their lives and influence them with but they choose to stick with their current