Summary
Over the summer, St. Francis High School juniors were required to read Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees. The novel is about the protagonist, Marietta Greer, otherwise known as Missy who starts out in her hometown in Kentucky. Her only goal is to leave the town after graduation without getting pregnant. Once she does leave, she starts on a road trip by herself. She ends up changing her name to Taylor after Taylorville, the first town she landed in. At Taylor's next stop in Oklahoma at a bar, she is given a Cherokee child who she names Turtle, due to the toddler's habit of grasping onto things with the grip of a mud turtle. Taylor's car tires go flat in Tucson, Arizona. They park the car at Jesus Is Lord Tires where they meet Mattie, …show more content…
Taylor chooses the name Turtle because, as she tells the little girl when she first gets her,"You're like a mud turtle. If a mud turtle bites you, it won't let go till it thunders" (23). Little does she know yet what Turtle had to endure and how she needs to cling to something for support. Taylor comes home one day to find Lou Ann reading names to Turtle out of a baby book. Lou Ann is hoping to get a reaction out of Turtle and find out what her real name is. She worries that Turtle "doesn't have too much personality" (86). Lou Ann believes that if she finds Turtle's official name, it will help Turtle develop more of a personality and "come out of her shell". Turtle's name also reflects back on her terrible and abusive past. At first, she shies away and is skeptical, but with the help of Taylor, she comes out and shows her real personality. Later on, Taylor finds out that Turtle's real name is April. April is another word for spring and represents renewal or rebirth. April is the month when the flowers start to appear and begin to grow. Just like this month of regrowth, Turtle begins to sprout and bloom, opening up to new possibilities and a better environment which is a necessity for her
Over the summer, St. Francis High School juniors were required to read Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees. The novel is about the protagonist, Marietta Greer, otherwise known as Missy who starts out in her hometown in Kentucky. Her only goal is to leave the town after graduation without getting pregnant. Once she does leave, she starts on a road trip by herself. She ends up changing her name to Taylor after Taylorville, the first town she landed in. At Taylor's next stop in Oklahoma at a bar, she is given a Cherokee child who she names Turtle, due to the toddler's habit of grasping onto things with the grip of a mud turtle. Taylor's car tires go flat in Tucson, Arizona. They park the car at Jesus Is Lord Tires where they meet Mattie, …show more content…
Taylor chooses the name Turtle because, as she tells the little girl when she first gets her,"You're like a mud turtle. If a mud turtle bites you, it won't let go till it thunders" (23). Little does she know yet what Turtle had to endure and how she needs to cling to something for support. Taylor comes home one day to find Lou Ann reading names to Turtle out of a baby book. Lou Ann is hoping to get a reaction out of Turtle and find out what her real name is. She worries that Turtle "doesn't have too much personality" (86). Lou Ann believes that if she finds Turtle's official name, it will help Turtle develop more of a personality and "come out of her shell". Turtle's name also reflects back on her terrible and abusive past. At first, she shies away and is skeptical, but with the help of Taylor, she comes out and shows her real personality. Later on, Taylor finds out that Turtle's real name is April. April is another word for spring and represents renewal or rebirth. April is the month when the flowers start to appear and begin to grow. Just like this month of regrowth, Turtle begins to sprout and bloom, opening up to new possibilities and a better environment which is a necessity for her