Bean+Trees+Biography

[|Interview with Barbara Kingsolver] [|More on Barbara Kingsolver]

Opening Activity: We will go around and brainstorm some ideas about things we find stifling. How are these things in our own society similar to those in Taylor's small town? How have these limitations/obstacles changed since the setting of the story in the 1970's? Particularly, how does society respond to young mothers?

Discussion Questions for Chapters 1-4: 1. Why does Taylor feel that getting out of Kentucky is entirely dependent on not getting pregnant? Are there not other options for her to escape the town?

2. When the woman leaves Taylor with Turtle, why doesn't she respond in a logical way? Taylor seems more intelligent than the people in her hometown, but is she as worldly as she thinks she is? 3. Lou Ann recognizes the benefits of pregnancy while Taylor thinks it is only a disadvantage. What does this say about Kingsolver's intent? What do you think her views are on pregnancy/having children based on this? 4. Characters in the story so far accept things as they come, but they do not necessarily fight for their desires or ask questions. For example, Lou Ann does nothing to win her husband back when he leaves on Halloween night. Does Kingsolver truly believe that this is a satisfactory way to live or is she satirizing something about society? 5. We have already seen numerous feminine relationships that are very different from each other. How does Lou Ann's relationship with her mother and grandmother differ from that of Taylor and her mom or of Mrs. Hoge and her daughter-in-law? What makes them so different, but more importantly, how are they similar?

I can't figure out how to get my summary response linked, so here it is! Sorry about that... It is in response to the the Interview with Barbara Kingsolver link.

Rachel K. Mrs. Ackerman 3rd Hour American Literature Honors 29 April 2008 Summary Response for //The Bean Trees// Biography Donna Berry interviews Barbara Kingsolver, the author of //The Bean Trees//, in this article. She discovers through her questions that Kingsolver grew up in Kentucky but moved to Tucson, a comparison to Taylor Greer in the story. Kingsolver also came from a working class family, has Cherokee blood, and identifies more with Native American religions than with Christianity or other Western religions. By infusing herself into the characters in her stories, Kingsolver is able to write realistically about people often overlooked in literature. Kingsolver writes with the charming honesty of her native Southern roots, but she does not hold true to many ideals of Southern society. Berry states that Kingsolver “grounds her characters’ stories in a broader political context” and “her definition of community extends beyond the biological family” (Berry). Kingsolver supports Berry’s statement by saying that as she was growing up she was very dependent on her neighbors, as well as her family. This shines through in her writing as Taylor explains all of the gossip around town, especially in regards to the Hardbine family. Kingsolver’s own father was a doctor, though “not a very rich one” because “A lot of his patients paid in vegetables, and we grew a lot of our own food on the farm” (Berry). This is a possible connection to all of the vegetables grown, bought, and mentioned in the novel. Already after four chapters, vegetables have been mentioned growing in Mattie’s backyard and being sold to Lou Ann. Perhaps the vegetables are a symbol for something bigger, as Kingsolver’s interview focuses on her need to feel directly attached to everyone and everything. So far, the vegetables have allowed the characters to share about themselves and their neighbors, making them a means to bring the people together. By focusing on the importance of community, but not so much on the Southern ideal of a tight-knit biological family, Kingsolver crafts her novel and brings her own experiences into those of the characters. Works Cited Berry, Donna. "An interview with Barbara Kingsolver." __Backtalk: Women Writers Speak Out__. Rutgers University Press, 1993. 143-169. **Rpt. in** __Contemporary Literary Criticism Select__. Detroit: Gale, 143-169. __Literature Resource Center__. Gale. ARAPAHOE HIGH SCHOOL. 28 Apr. 2008 . Kingsolver, Barbara. //The Bean Trees//. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1988.

Rachel K.