Alex Ram
Mr. Sneed/Ms. Wood
English II Period 3
10/22/10
A Better Future
There have always been people and events that have displayed the true nature of the world. In
Barbra Kingsolver’s novel, The Bean Trees, there is always someone, or something that isn’t as it should
be, and a whole chain of events takes place. These events are described through the use of symbolism
and character development. These symbols and changes the characters go through are to symbolize the
theme of a better future. In The Bean Trees, Kingsolver, through the extensive use of symbolism and
character development, illustrates how humans combat the hopeless and cruel nature of the world, all
in joyful hope of a more enhanced life.
Through the extensive use of symbolism, Kingsolver shows how the simplest of objects can
portray the one greater theme of a better future. One of the many symbols used in the book is the
cactus outside of the doctor’s office. Even though the cactus has thorns on its branches, the bird has still
found a way to make a home in the cactus’s spiky arms. Every time the bird flies through the cactus, the
needles impale the bird repeatedly until it reaches its nest. The nest is a sanctuary for the bird where is
no longer feels pain. After all the pain and suffering the bird goes through to get home, once it arrives,
all the pain is gone. “I just couldn’t imagine how she’d made a home in there” (Kingsolver 124) is just a
small statement used by Kingsolver that represents the world, and all who inhabit it.
In the book, The Bean Trees, there is never one moment where a character is not going through
some sort of change, or an epiphany of themselves. Taylor started out as just a normal girl growing up in
a poor, unknown town. Although, once she got a car and started to drive away, she never turned back,
and learned the truth about life’s keen sting. She thought she was going to run away, start a new life and
live it the way she wanted to. She was like the brown fish in the pond. “Once it slipped under the water,
they never saw it again” (Kingsolver). Once the lady at the bar put Turtle in the car, she knew right there
that her life was no longer going to be about fun and games, and that she was going to have to mature
in order to keep this child alive. Turtle is another character who has gone through major changes during
the short time she has been alive. She was born into a poor abusive family. Her father constantly hit and
raped her, ever when she was a few months old. The mother just stood there and watched as this
atrocity took place in her own home. When Turtle was given to the mother’s sister for protection, the
sister saw it as to much responsibility and neglected her. When Taylor drove up to the bar, the sister
saw this as an opportunity to give Turtle a new beginning, and a clean slate for Turtle to start her new
life. People are always changing, no matter how catastrophic or small the change is, they are different in
some way. The change might not always be for the better, but whether they are becoming the next
dictator, or the next world peace representative, they are making their impact on the world, the people
around them, and their selves.
Change is a big thing for someone to go through. Whether the change is how they live, or how
they are as a person, it is a difficult transition to go through alone. When Taylor began to realize she
needed to change for Turtle, she wasn’t sure how to do so. Turtle began to open herself up to Taylor,
which showed she wasn’t afraid, and felt protected and safe. In The Bean Trees, Kingsolver, shows how
humans are on a hopeless in life, and without people to guide you, you will only see the evil in the
world.