The Bean Trees (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: Barbara Kingsolver
- First Published: 1988
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: Late 1980’s
- Setting: Tucson, Arizona
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Bildungsroman, Family literature
- Subjects: Family or family life, Self-discovery, Mothers, Parents and children, Friendship, Abandoned children, 1980’s, Child abuse, Native Americans or American Indians, Ethnic relations, Women’s issues, Women, Adoption or adopted children, Working class, Southwest, Central America or Central Americans, Aliens, illegal, Refugees
- Locales: Tucson, AZ
Characters Discussed
Taylor Greer, the protagonist and narrator. Born and reared in rural Pittman, Kentucky, she vows not to get pregnant and live the rest of her life in Pittman. After graduating from high school and working for five years in a hospital lab, she buys an old Volkswagen and drives west. She acquires an abandoned Native American child, whom she names Turtle, in Oklahoma. Taylor and Turtle end up in Tucson, Arizona, where Taylor struggles to rear a child by herself and earn a living. She becomes involved in the sanctuary movement for Central American refugees....
[The entire page is 950 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
