Sample SCQuIRT Paragraph –
The Bean Trees
Lou Ann’s display of support for Taylor in a time of hardship
shows how Taylor is dependent on Lou Ann for survival. At
one point, Turtle is being looked after by Edna, who is blind,
when a strange man walks up to Turtle and assaults her.
When Taylor learns of the assault, she feels ashamed for
having let something like this happen to Turtle. She vents to
Lou Ann by saying, “What I’m saying is nobody feels sorry for
anybody anymore, nobody even pretends they do…I’m just
not up to the job, Lou Ann” (Kingsolver 171). In response, Lou
Ann says, “Well, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger, nobody is”
(171). Lou Ann tries to comfort Taylor by saying no one is the
“Lone Ranger,” meaning that no one leads a solitary existence
and that everyone experiences hardship. Lou Ann offers her
advice to Taylor just like Taylor offers her optimism to Lou
Ann. The relationship between these two characters further
supports the novel’s theme that women are dependent on
each other for survival.