Megan E Kuhle
3/06/05
Pigs in Heaven Essay
A very famous quote by Virgil states “Love conquers all”. Although this statement is probably said a lot, to fully understand it one must think of every kind of love, whether it is romantic, filial, or love of heritage. Barbara Kingsolver covers all three of these aspects of love in her novel Pigs in Heaven. There are many examples of each of these kinds of love, but three of them are most prominent: the romantic love between Taylor and Jax, the filial love of Taylor and Turtle, and Annawake Fourkiller’s love of her cultural heritage.
Romantic love has a continual occurrence throughout Pigs in Heaven, one example being Taylor and her boyfriend Jax. Taylor and Jax are in a romantic relationship before the novel begins, but during the book their love is tested and proven true. Taylor, of course, knows that she likes Jax, but her inherited independence and stubbornness side often comes out in their talks. Even through all of the drama in their relationship at the end of the book Taylor realizes she loves and needs Jax. At one point in the story when Taylor is busy out of town caring for her daughter Turtle, she begins to notice how much she has missed Jax lately. He has been a part of her life for a while, but her absence from him only brought her closer to him in her mind. While away from him, she admits to herself that Jax is the man that can support both her and Turtle, not only financially, but also emotionally. At this time, Jax does something that is least expected, considering his love for Taylor; he cheats on her. His analogy to his relationship with Taylor at this point is explained here: “ ‘I’ve got this robin’s egg in my hand…Do I give it to her, or do I not? …Every day when I talk to Taylor and when I lie in bed with
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Taylor, it’s here in my hand, and I’m thinking, If I forget for one minute then we’ll roll over on this thing... Until that happens, I’m holding it and I can feel the shell of it as thin as the shell on your teeth. I’m choosing what Taylor knows and what she doesn’t. I have the power. I will be the nervous yet powerful guy in the know, and she will be the fool. And if she’s a fool, then how can I worship the ground she walks on?’ ” (Kingsolver, 163). Not until Jax explains this out loud to Gundi (the woman he cheated on Taylor with), does he fully grasp and understand his love for Taylor. Because neither of them can forget about each other, it is inevitable that they were meant to be together.
The majority of people would be nowhere without the love and affection they received from their family throughout their maturing years. This is true with Turtle, and the filial love she receives from her mother, Taylor. Taylor first finds Turtle, an abandoned Cherokee Indian baby, in the backseat of her car one night, and decides to adopt her. Turtle has obviously been abused physically and emotionally, and Taylor generously takes Turtle in and cares for her, showing a rare kind of love for her from the beginning. Throughout Turtle’s childhood, Taylor goes through a lot of hardships financially. Taylor always wants what is best for Turtle’s future, and strives to make her life as normal as possible. While on the phone with her mother Alice, Taylor explains her financial struggles: “ ‘You bought school clothes for Turtle instead of paying the electric bill?’ ‘Mama, I had to. I didn’t want kids making fun of her. She looked like something off the streets’ ” (Kinsolver 216). Although it may seem that Turtle is only dependant on Taylor, Taylor is also dependant on Turtle in other ways. While Turtle depends on Taylor for survival and safety, Taylor depends on Turtle for love and companionship. Taylor willingly takes care of Turtle and shows as much familial love to her as if she was her own.
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For some people heritage is just a quick story about where they are from. For Annawake Fourkiller, it defines her life and determines her actions. Annawake is part of the Cherokee Nation and has lived with the tribe her whole life, so she naturally has a deep respect for her elders and ancestors, and has learned as much about the Cherokee lifestyle as possible. This is why it is no surprise that she comes off as stern and determined when the case of Turtle comes about. When Annawake first sees Turtle on television, she knows immediately that she is Cherokee. She obtains permission from her boss to do some research to see if Turtle was adopted legally, and once she starts she does not stop. Annawake is persistent in pursuing this case because she knows what it is like for a Cherokee child living in the American world. When she asks her sister-in-law, Millie, what she would do if she found out somebody was trying to take a Cherokee kid out of the nation, Millie replies “ ‘It can’t happen now. That’s what we’ve got people like you for, isn’t it? To watch out for the kids’ ” (Kingsolver 57). The book then says that “Annawake feels the weight of this confidence exactly as if Millie had lovingly sat down upon her chest” (Kingsolver 57). Annawake knows that it is her responsibility to secure that Turtle is in good hands, whether they are Cherokee or not. With her stubbornness and willpower, she is able to do just that, making everyone satisfied in the end.
Kingsolver cleverly covers the three most known types of love in Pigs in Heaven. Each of the outcomes are perfectly thought out and relative to every day life problems that people go through. Although these loves (filial, romantic, and cultural) may seem basic, the individual and unique ways that Kingsolver approaches them give new meaning to the timeless phrase “love conquers all”.