The Bean Trees (Masterplots II: Women’s Literature Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Barbara Kingsolver
- First Published: 1988
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: The late 1980’s
- Setting: Tuscon, Arizona
- Principal Characters: Taylor Greer, Lou Ann Ruiz, Mattie, Estevan, Esperanza, Turtle Greer, Virgie Mae Parsons, Edna Poppy, Alice Jean Stamper Greer
- 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
Form and Content
The Bean Trees interweaves the stories of several women, all living in Tucson, Arizona, who create successful and fulfilling lives for themselves without male partners. Although these main characters are all white, working-class women, they interact with a larger, more diverse Tucson community of Hispanics, American Indians, Central American refugees, and Chinese immigrants. Political and social issues such as the treatment of illegal aliens and the struggles of single working mothers inform the novel’s plot and its characters’ actions, but the...
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