Student Question
Does Taylor Greer leave Kentucky to avoid pregnancy and escape in The Bean Trees?
Quick answer:
Taylor Greer leaves Kentucky not specifically to avoid pregnancy but to fulfill her dream of independence. Having successfully avoided teen pregnancy and graduated high school, she works for over five years to save money for her journey. Her departure from Kentucky is more about pursuing personal freedom and adventure rather than escaping a specific circumstance. This decision is explored in Chapter 1 of The Bean Trees.
In The Bean Trees, Marietta (Missy) has succeeded in graduating high school by avoiding getting pregnant and dropping out of school as a teen. She has successfully applied for a laboratory assistant position at the local hospital and has worked there for five and half years conducting tests on patient samples.
Missy has always held a dream of leaving Kentucky independent of her determination to avoid teen pregnancy and graduated from high school--both being goals that she accomplished. Once she has saved enough money, from working for five and a half years, to travel and buy an antiquated Volkswagen car, she then leaves Kentucky and gets as far as Oklahoma before her trip is called for car repairs. This information is all in Chapter 1.
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