Anne Moody’s memoir, Coming of Age in Mississippi, documents life growing up in Mississippi during the 1960s. The book outlines her life through her childhood, high school days, college life, and while she was a part of the civil rights movement. In the memoir, Moody serves as a direct voice for herself and her fellow African American neighbors, whom were enduring continued unequal treatment, despite the rights they had won after the Civil War. Part one of, Coming of Age in Mississippi, begins on Mr. Carter’s plantation in Anne’s childhood.
The Bean Trees tackles such huge issues as divorce, child abuse, and illegal immigration through Taylor Greer, a girl from rural Kentucky who, while trying to start a new life for herself outside of her home town of Pittman County, ends up with an abandoned child who was molested in her previous home, and thus is reluctant to speak. Taylor names the baby girl Turtle, and when her car breaks down in Tucson, and she can’t afford to fix it, she decides to live there, renting from a recently divorced mom named Lou Ann. The Bean Trees is beautiful book about Taylor trying her best to raise Turtle despite the challenges presented. The book goes on to criticizes the United States’ immigration policies through the story of Esperanza and Estevan. Esperanza
In the 20th century novel, “The Bean Trees” by Barbara Kingsolver, the two protagonists are Taylor Greer and Lou Ann Ruiz. These two have very opposing character traits. In chapter four, to introduce each character, Kingsolver changes the narrators voice from Taylor’s first person narrative, to an unknown third-person narrative. This shows Taylor’s upbeat personality versus Lou Ann’s more fearful and pessimistic views.
(AGG) Going through the phase of loss makes someone a new person, Najmah’s story is based off of this experience in her life. (BS-1) As a result of Najmah’s father and brother being kidnapped, Najmah changed her way of living for the rest of her journey. (BS-2) After the death of Mada-jan and Habib, Najmah’s view of her family was changed. (BS-3) Najmah becomes courageous towards the end of the book, and knows what she will do in order to survive.
In the novel, The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver, symbolic actions taken by the characters illustrates how anyone could be a person’s family through emotional support through hardships and life even if they are not related. Taylor ends up with Turtle and they form a family together, and when they move in with Lou Ann and her son, their family grows even bigger and stronger together. Even though Taylor and Lou Ann are no where near related, they still think of each other as family. Lou Ann talks about how Taylor and Turtle is her family and said, “I meant you all. Mainly I guess because we’ve been through hell and high water together” (309).
How The Bean Trees is a coming of age themed novel In The Bean Trees Taylor and Lou Ann struggle to come of age, or mature, with these two being very important characters I believe a major theme of the book is coming of age. There are many pieces of evidence to support this claim, therefore I will provide them. Our first example would have to be Taylor’s journey throughout the book.
Have you ever read the most interesting, life-relatable, fiction book before? One of the most interesting book I’ve read is the Marigolds. The Marigolds is a fiction book by Eugenia Collier. The Marigolds is about a girl named Lizabeth as going through her adolescent years, she realizing the importance of the flowers.
The definition of motherhood is “the state of being a mother.” Throughout the novel, The Bean Trees, written by Barbara Kingsolver, Taylor Greer learns the simple things about motherhood when a toddler, Turtle, is thrown in her car. Learning to raise the child brings up many tough decisions and obstacles, letting Tayor experience what love really is. Readers get to see everything Taylor does, reading through her eyes and getting to watch her mature into a young, independent individual. In the book, the storyline revolves around Taylor Greer’s growth, as she explores motherhood through love, maturity, and sacrifice.
Anne Moody wrote the autobiography Coming of Age in Mississippi where it begins in 1944 highlighting the struggles of her childhood as it progresses to her adult life in 1964. Moody sought a different path than the rest of her family which led her to be apart of the civil right movement that occurred. Coming of age in Mississippi starts by introducing the narrator of the story, Essie Mae. She discusses her childhood where her father left their family for another woman, and her mother struggles providing for her family. Essie Mae had a traumatic experience in her time on the plantation to where in her adult life she was “still haunted by dreams of the time we lived on Mr.Carter’s plantation.”
Society is no better than it comes to gender equality that would show how Sexism is highly connected to The Bean Trees including Barbara Kingsolver’s life, including other issues, but it is seen as that women are stronger than men as well in many ways. Showing how life was for women as supposed to men within society. Going back to the beginning, is it possible that sexism will be going on for the rest of the years to come!
Societal expectations are a part of everyone’s life, male or female. From the day people are born, there are roles they are expected to assume-- wife, homemaker, father, provider, mother and many others. While these aren’t necessarily negative, the stigma of not fulfilling these roles can be unpleasant. While the roles we are supposed to choose aren’t always clearly defined, the judgement that comes from choosing to take certain actions in life, like settling down or becoming a mother is palpable. Throughout The House on Mango Street, Esperanza’s view of the world is largely shaped by the people around her, which are her neighbors, family, and friends.
“The Bean Trees,” by Barbara Kingsolver, is a novel surrounding the life of Taylor Greer as she travels west while discovering the hardships of motherhood due to raising a three-year-old American Indian child named Turtle. Although Taylor grew up in Kentucky, she travels west to Tucson, Arizona, in which she moves in with Lou Ann and finally embarks on the journey that is her life. It is evident that feminism and womanhood is a central theme throughout this novel, as both Lou Ann and Taylor have to raise children on their own. Another crucial theme seen throughout this novel is transformation which is seen in most, if not, all, of the characters. The relationship between Taylor and Turtle exemplifies the glorious bond between a mother and her daughter, showing how Taylor transformed from once being appalled at the idea of raising Turtle
Revolutionary Mothers by Carol Berkin is about woman in the time of the Revolutionary War that were affected by this event. When writing this monograph, Berkin focuses on the Patriot and Loyalist, American and British, and Indian and African American women. When Berkin writes in this way she makes the war seem more diverse to different groups of women and families. Although, there was a mixture of women they had similar qualities about them the author made clear she appreciates. All the women were tough, physically and emotionally along with being brave.
She is a mother based on the birth of her children, but she does not possess the nurturing qualities of a mother. However, she exemplifies a masculine role through ruling by fear and dominance and not
Individuals have different views of the world and to be fair this world has many flaws that individuals can’t see because they’re not willing to see those flaws. These flaws are seen by Barbara Kingsolver, the author of The Bean Trees. In the society, there are many social justice issues that people think it is normal for it to be happening, those social justice issues can be child abuse, racism, over-sexualization of women and poverty. Barbara Kingsolver is an author of the book called The Bean Trees which is a story about the journey of Taylor from Kentucky to Arizona. This journey of hers brings out a purpose to show these social justice issues within the society we had and we still have.
