The Bean Trees - Essay Example

The layers of allegorical interpretation interwoven and lying beneath the sweet and light plot is commendable enough to be dealt at par with any other serious novels of the time. The contemporary serious social issues like Native American parental rights and issues related to a psychological realm often operated within the context of myriad literary ages concerned with the coming of age are handled uniquely and brilliantly in the novel.

The Central Theme: Coming of an Age

Coming of an age that is quite interlinked with the themes of transition, metamorphosis, and advancement of growing time or approach of old age is the central theme of many texts. The plot of “The Bean Trees” demands a unique representation of the theme. The “Bildungsroman” or coming of age is typical of a genre that focuses on the psychological development of the protagonist that comes with the maturity of his or her growing chronological age too. The genre of the novel also speaks about the quest for an answer or experience quite evident through the life of the protagonist of “The Bean Trees”. The genre also presents a conflict between the sensitive person and the society in which he lives and this conflict gives oxygen to the development of the plot. In “The Bean Trees”, Taylor with her trajectory in her old bug learns a new phase of life with weird experiences of getting a baby child to meeting Mattie, who is an ocean of wisdom in terms of perceiving life.
The unique way of representation of ‘Bildungsroman’ in the novel includes the psychological development of other characters through the exuberant and colorful plot of the novel.

The Bean Trees and the Literary Devices

The plot, character portrayal, theme, setting, and language of the novel from the outset represent the sound and hue of Kentucky life. The trajectory of Taylor, the protagonist of the novel, and her meeting with the baby girl whom she names Turtle builds not only the plot of the novel but at every stage, her encounter with new people and their lifestyle displays a set of colorful characters. The syntax and the language of the novel are quite lucid and full of colloquial terminologies launching the novel almost into a paradigm of folklore. The discovery of motherhood is almost like encountering an accident by a carefree, independent, young girl named Taylor and her story of love, friendship, abandonment, and sudden revelation of resources that are surprising in an area that seems empty is the crux of the novel builds on a language that is free of all superfluities. The difference in life and the contrast in Tucson, Arizona, and the poor Kentucky where Taylor grew up provides the essential elements of difference of setting and thereby also acclaims the tremendous expertise of the author over language with which she can portray these small pieces of difference through language itself.

Conclusion

The novel “The Bean Trees” display the exuberant expertise of Kingsolver and it never seems from the plot development, syntax, and language of the novel that it has come out from a novice hand in the cannon. Read More