Mr_Shank

Taylor volunteers to drive Esperenza and Estevan to Oklahoma because she had a hint of hope that she’ll find one of Turtle’s relatives there. It’s dangerous for Esperenza and Estevan to get past the New Mexico immigration because they could’ve easily gotten caught. But they managed to get past because it was night time and Estevan answered the officer in his English accent. Taylor goes back to the pub to search for the woman that gave her Turtle. When she gets there she sees that the pub is under new management but and she learns that the Cherokee Nation is full of mountains, lakes and is better than she anticipated. There is a new desire aroused in her to go there but she doesn’t articulate the reason why, all the while Esperenza and Estevan stick along with her.  

All the while Taylor is driving with Esperenza and Estevan through the Cherokee Nation, Turtle starts to become really attached to Esperenza she called her “Mama” Turtle had never referred to anyone as mama as far as Taylor knew.  Not to mention Turtle starts to whine when Esperenza goes to the restrooms by herself. They stay the night at a cottage, where Taylor sees that Esperenza has a happy time with Turtle and she seems so joyful. The next day everyone goes to the Lake of the Cherokees where Estevan and Taylor make a wish. Soon afterwards, everyone has a picnic, where Turtle buries her doll in a mound of dirt and says “Mama” again. When Taylor asks her if she saw her mother get buried like that she replies “Yes”. Before the end of the chapter Taylor asks Esperenza and Estevan if they will do her a favor she doesn’t explain what the favor is, but she does tell them that it will be very risky for them, and without hesitation they agree to help her.  

The favor that Taylor has in mind is a plan about getting Turtle to stay with her. She tells Estevan and Esperenza to pretend to be Turtle’s birth parents, so they go to an adoption agency, where they make up stories about Esperenza and Estevan not having a birth certificate issued for Turtle because she was born in a Plymouth on Tribal Lands. So they tell the agent that they want a birth certificate created along with an adoption certificate, so Turtle can be adopted by Taylor. When Turtle is adopted by Taylor, Taylor sees Esperenza crying but Esperenza seems happy about Taylor getting Turtle once and for all, she seems renewed and there seems to be a will in her to live.

Taylor takes Esperenza and Estevan to the church where she drops them off and waves goodbye hoping to still keep in contact. Then she talks to her mother and Lou Ann. She heads home to Lou Ann who isn’t going to move in with Angle and promises to tell her how she got Turtle adopted.

Some words that I didn’t know and found interesting were:

Transient:  lasting for only a short time and quickly coming to an end, disappearing, or changing.

Ageratums: a low-growing garden plant. Flowers: blue, white, or purplish, in thick clusters

Parsonage: the house, usually provided by the parish or congregation, where a parson lives

Catharsis: an experience or feeling of spiritual release and purification brought about by an intense emotional experience.

Tempest-tossed: a severe commotion or disturbance, especially an emotional upheaval.

Horticultural: the science, skill, or occupation of cultivating plants, especially flowers, fruit, and vegetables, in gardens or greenhouses

Legumes: plant that has pods as fruits and roots that bear nodules containing nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Peas and beans are legumes.

The word Legumes is a type of bean tree plant that has roots connecting to it that keep going on, how do you think that the word Legumes related to Taylor’s and Turtle’s lives? Consider that the title is “The Bean Trees”, is it named mainly after this? Did you expect the story to end this way, or did you think that Taylor would be successful in finding Turtle’s relatives?

-Hey, sorry for posting at 2:00 AM, I just got home a little while ago!

Kianat Zamir

Taylor gets a job at Burger Derby and leaves Turtle at a free day care. Taylor is then fired several days later. Taylor starts looking for a new job and a new place to live. She eventually meets LouAnn. Taylor moves in with LouAnn. They are both from Kentucky so they understand each other’s culture and dialect. As time goes on, there is evidence that Turtle has been a victim of abuse.

Taylor eventually gets a job at Jesus is Lord Used Tires with Mattie, even though she has a fear of exploding tires. Mattie helps Taylor get over her fear. Taylor later finds out that Jesus is Lord Used Tires is a shelter for many people. Taylor and LouAnn have become a family. Taylor goes to work and LouAnn does things around the house.

Some time passes and Turtle says her first word: “bean”. Taylor calls Turtle the smartest kid in the world. Taylor and LouAnn find out that Turtle’s real name is April. When Taylor takes Turtle to a doctor, she finds out that Turtle is actually 3 years old, not 2, and that Turtle suffered from broken bones. The doctor also says that Turtle is growing physically, but not mentally. Taylor meets Edna and Virgie, 2 older women who babysit for Taylor and LouAnn. Virgie is a mean and predjudiced lady. Edna is kind and caring.

At Mattie’s place, Taylor meets Esperanza and Estevan, who are from Guatemala. There is also a doctor named Terry who comes and treats the people at Mattie’s place, who are fugitives. Taylor, LouAnn, Edna, and Virgie watch Mattie on TV. Mattie talks about human rights. Virgie reveals her predjudice to everyone when she says that foreign people shouldn’t be allowed in the U.S. Esperanza and Estevan are shocked. Taylor finds out her mom is getting married. While Taylor and LouAnn are in the park, Angel, LouAnn’s husband comes and asks for a divorce. The chapter ends with Taylor and LouAnn going home.

I found the following words interesting:

Beach Blanket Bingo: 1965 movie, helps reveal the style of that time period

sarong: long strip of cloth

foisting: forcing someone to do something

discombobble: sad or confused

picayune: not important

Respond and tell me what you think

The Bean Trees begins with the main character, Taylor, who lives in Kentucky. She stresses that she wants to avoid pregnancy, and get out of the town. One thing that scares her are tires because of what happened to a classmate of her’s. She begins to work at a hospital, a job that her science teacher offered. Another classmate of her’s was Jolene, who she saw in the hospital with a bullet wound. This affected her, but she said to herself, “this is the worst I’m going to see, so I won’t quit my job.” She then buys herself a Volkswagen “bug” and leaves Pittman for good. She was searching for a new life. She decided whatever town she ran out of gas in would be her new name. The town was called Taylorville, thus making her name Taylor. When her car breaks down in the Cherokee Nation or Oklahoma, a women gives her a baby and tells her to keep it. She doesn’t, and takes the baby to a motel, convinces the lady to let them stay there, and gives her a bath. She saw that the child had been sexually abused and feels for her. The next chapter goes to a new character’s perspective. Her name is LouAnn, and she is a similar character to Taylor in the fact that she is a single mother. Her husband Angel has just left her. After his leg was amputated he accused her of wanting to sleep with other men. She goes to the doctor and wants to make sure that her baby would not be born on Christmas. The doctor informs her that she needs to lose weight.She stops at a Market to get food, and someone says that she will have a baby girl. They say that she is rasing a child that will go into someone else’s family. She is offended and left. She goes home very sad and realizes who Angel really was with the items he took with him. Her feet hurt a lot and she cries as the chapter ends. Taylor stays at the motel through Christmas, and names her child Turtle, due to her firm grip. They reach Arizona, and she likes the view so much, she decides to stay. Taylor and her baby go into the tire store and have something to eat. Taylor does not like the bad pictures and mug that she drinks out of. An Indian priest comes in, seems nervous, and leaves pretty fast. Taylor admires the owner Mattie, who owns her own store, and runs a business. They see the garden she has out back, and like it. Tucson seems like a distant country to Taylor. She stays at a cheep hotel and looks at a museum. Taylor was interested in a job at the hospital, but was turned down. A women named Sandi loves the Kentucky Derby and was fascinated by Taylor being from Kentucky. In chapter four, LouAnn is narrating again. Her mom and grandma have come to visit her. Angle moves back in as a cover up to make it appear that they are still together. Her grandmother takes out water that she was baptized with and tells her to use it to baptize Dwayne Ray. The two women leave, and she imagines herself going back to Kentucky with them. She is agitated by the fact that she kept a lie the whole week to her mother and grandmother. She nurses Dwayne Ray when she gets home. Angle walks in, smelling like beer, and when he asked what was in the bottle, LouAnn tells him it is water to baptize Dwayne Ray. After hearing it was from Kentucky, he pours it down the drain. Key terms:

Taylorville- I think this is important to the story because it is the name of the town she ran out of gas in. It is also the name that she chose, and I thought it was a unique way of doing this.

Turtle- Once again, she named something that had meaning, and her child was named Turtle. Instead of picking a common name, she chose one that related to the baby. This reveals a lot about Taylor.Moony- This was used by Taylor to describe what she felt about her teacher. I thought it was interesting because I’ve never heard that before. It means that they are crazy about him.

Rocker arm- Taylor said this when the man “straightened out my rocker arm.” This was after her car broke down and it means her broken car. Once again, I had not heard this before.

Doohickey- Taylor said this about the thing that the air goes in on the tire. I found it funny because that is how they talk, and we sometimes make fun of that.

Some questions I have are how does the plot affect how the book is understood? There are two different points of view, in two different stories. Why would the author do this? Do you think that they will overlap; the characters seem very much alike. What are some predictions that will happen next to either LouAnn, Taylor, or even Turtle?

-Dan