Comments on: The Bean Trees-Illuminator, Dan Black, Pd.3

By: Brandon Greer

Brandon Greer — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 20:57:34 +0000

Jenny’s right. The entire story was cheerful and celebrating the triumphs of everyone, but when Esperanza tries to commit suicide, the mood does change a lot. This whole new side of the story is opened up. It offers a glimpse into a different part of the characters. Esperanza’s attempt on her life reveals the troubles that many people have to face to Taylor. I’m not sure that Esperanza’s troubles foreshadow any future troubles of Taylor and Turtle. It might just make the story more complex and add more depth to the characters.

The title is again coming into the story. It seems that Turtle’s discovery the tree turning into the bean tree is some natural instinct that she was born with. Perhaps it is because she is Indian. Taylor was also Indian. Maybe their life was part of a bigger picture, to get Taylor to become more in tune with her Native American heritage. I’m still unsure of what the Bean Trees actually symbolize. They obviously have some importance to Turtle. Maybe Turtle had seen those types of trees before when she was little, and it stuck with her.

There’s my blog.

-Brandon Greer

By: the_bean_trees

the_bean_trees — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 01:20:04 +0000

I think that Esperenza was really depressed over Ismene for trying to commit suicide. It shows that she feels that her life should be over by now and without Ismene it doesn’t have much meaning. Her actions made Estevan and her friends really upset, and cause Taylor to find out the truth about Esperenza’s past. Taylor sees that Esperenza used to be full of life but without Ismene she is like a soul that has no reason to live but is on Earth for Estevan. Like Jenni said this happening created a very negative mood for the story, it’s like it was a foreshadow of the things that are to happen in Taylor’s and Turtle’s life as well.

I think that Taylor is amazed by this because she wouldn’t have expected the tree to turn into a bean tree but Turtle did. This signifies something about Turtle’s past, I feel that the author is foreshadowing something about Turtle’s past involving bean trees…I think that Bean Tree stands for Turtle’s knowledge about them (other than the title) and how she can tell the difference between a bean tree and a regular tree while Taylor and LouAnn don’t notice. This definitely is a symbolic meaning of something and is being foreshadowed by the author hopefully we will find out as the read further.

Great In-depth questions Dan!

-Kianat Zamir

By: Jenni Kantor

Jenni Kantor — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 20:19:56 +0000

Though it was stupid, Esperanza did have a good reason to feel this depressed to try and kill herself. Her actions changed the atmosphere of the story, the very beginning of the negatives. As soon as this scene happens everything else seems to go into a depression that lasts until at least the end of the thirteenth chapter. Everone seems to be more cautious now that this turning event happened. It may have something to do with the fact that Taylor now knows both Esperanza’s and Estevan’s past and the mood changed due to Taylor and a newly renewed judgement.

The bean trees are definitly symbolic for something, but it is unsure of what. I feel that we are missing prior information. This is completly my opinion and I cannot find any acurrate opinions on what the bean trees significance belongs to. We may be missing prior knowledge, whether it is from Taylor’s past or Turtle’s. I do definitly agree that the trees stand for…well something.

There’s my blog.
-Jenni Kantor