Bean Trees Barbara Kingsolver Have you ever been put into I situation in which you can stay and never prosper or leave, with nothing but mere material possessions? This is the dilemma that is brought forth to Marietta (Taylor) in the novel The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. Marietta grew up in Pitman, a small rural town in Kentucky. A town in which families “had kids just about as fast as they could fall down the well and drown” needless to say not a town where many people would want to live. Marietta was one of these people not wanting to be one of the families mentioned above. So she decided to leave, sounds like a simple solution, but the trials and tribulations along the way created an opportunity for education that far exceeds anything that can be learned in school. Not what is the square root of sixty-four but problems that can cause a person to think that they are not capable of overcoming the roadblocks of life. Strength in a time of suffering is a vital part of surviving through out the many rough times of life. The suffering is a lot easier to deal with when you have people around you that can relate to your troubles and help teach you how to overcome them. Money, money is a problem that many people can relate to. Everybody has had those times where they need every penny that they have, except for those luckily enough to be born into money. Marietta, now officially known, as Taylor had to suffer threw the dilemma of being broke, flat out broke. There is no way to educate yourself into having money, but you can learn how to deal with the cards you are dealt. That is what Taylor does, ” ‘wash your windows lady. dollar for the whole car.’ ‘I got no windows.. lucky me, because I got no dollar either.'” Taylor is broke, beyond broke not even with a dollar to her name she strives to complete her destiny. She wants to get as far as her car will take her, no matter how hard it is to continue she will. Taylor has learned a lesson that most people have not nor ever will learn. She has learned that money isn’t everything to be happy and content pushes money and material objects down to third or even fourth place. Well it is safe to say that Taylor is struggling but at least she only has to provide for herself. In what takes any other woman nine months to do, Taylor has one day. She had an instant birth, her role in life took a hundred and eighty degree turn, she is no longer the student of life she is now the teacher of a child, a teacher of life. To be able to take on the responsibility of a child shows how willing to learn Taylor is, most people given the same situation would not accept the child. “jumped in and popped the clutch, jumped out and pushed some more. I could see the child’s big eyes watching me in the dark.” After much contemplation she takes the baby that she later names Turtle. Taylor has gone from living with her mother to being on the road by her self and now is on the road with a child, it seems that the road is containing many more bumps than it did when she started. After Taylor finally gets settled and is off the road, she has learned that the troubles caused by having an unexpected child end up being worth it as she has someone to share her love. Being able to share your problems and your love with those that you are closely knitted with is a vital part of life. When Taylor was on the road she was for the most part alone. Once she got settled in one place and was in constant contact with Lou Anne and Mattie her problems began to become less and less. This is not a coincidence when you are with people who you share feelings with the same problems you faced before don’t get amplified to the level they once did. Over her journey the most important lesson that Taylor did learn was how to love and how to use love as a pad and a blanket from all the things that alone would be so hard. When Taylor is on the brink of getting Turtle taken away by the child services there is no doubt that she is facing a great problem, but with the help of her friends the problem is dispersed and the weight of the problem is on a group not an individual. In the end she keeps turtle but with out the help of Estevan and Esperanza, Turtle might have had to go through another transfer of parents. Life is all about what you learn, but there is a point where you can learn too much too fast. This is what Taylor had to go through the problems expressed in the book where enough for a lifetime, but Taylor has much more of a life to live. Once you have learned what she has learned the rest of your life is a breeze, just sit back relax and let life come to you. The book makes the reader think what would Taylor be like if she had never left her rural town in Kentucky? Although it makes you wonder there is also an assurance that her life is better now than it ever could have been in a place she disliked so much.
Skin Color in Black Like Me
Black Like Me Skin Color
What is the value of skin color? In the biological point of view, it is worth nothing. In the social point of view, it represents community standings, dignity, confidence or something people have never imagined. In the story Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin, a white Southern reporter, who is the author and the main character, experienced an unforgettable journey in the Deep South. Mr. Griffin has a heart, which is filled with curiosity; he therefore undertook a significant project. He took several medical treatments to change his skin pigments from white to black in order to write a report. To create a successful project, Griffin had to leave his wife to be a temporary African American. Being an African American brought him many unfair encounters. However, after he changed back to a Caucasian, the attitude of everyone had immediately turned, and they treated him well. Mr. Griffin felt bad, and he told everyone about his experiences by writing books and attending press interviews. Throughout these hard times, one can read this book and find out the characteristics of the author, how he saw the light bulb, and the truth that he wanted people to understand.
Mr. Griffin was a middle age white man who lived with his wife and children. He was not oriented to his family. He decided to pass his own society to the black society. Although this decision might help most of the African Americans, he had to sacrifice his gathering time with his family. “She offered, as her part of the project, her willingness to lead, with our three children, the unsatisfactory family life of a household deprived of husband and father” (Griffin 9). Leaving Mrs. Griffin and his children would deprive them of the care they needed. Even though he was not oriented to his family, he was full of courage. He was willing to discuss topics that people hesitated to talk about, trying new ideas that people were afraid to do. After turning back to his own skin color, he attended most media conferences and also wrote books about what he had gone through. During those interviews, Griffin was very considerate. He requested Wallace, a reporter, to report carefully so that he would not hurt his African American friends. “Please… Don’t mention those names on the air.
