June 2022
Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees and the Sanctuary Movement
Discussion: June 19th, 6-7:30pm
This month we are reading Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees. You can read a brief excerpt from an interview with Barbara Kingsolver in order to get an idea of what she might have in common with the main character of her novel, as well as her take on family, community, storytelling and social consciousness. To learn more about the Sanctuary movement, both when it began in the 1980s and today, watch Safe Haven: The Sanctuary Movement. To learn more about the forced removal of the Cherokee people watch The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears.
Here are some questions for you to think about as you read the novel.
What influence does the environment Taylor has grown up in have on her? How does her mother influence her?
What is Taylor trying to escape by leaving Kentucky? What do you think she hopes to find? How does her definition of “home” change?
Taylor says she hates flat land because “it felt like you were always having to look too far to see the horizon.” How does this apply to her view of life?
In what way is Lou Ann similar to Taylor and in what way is she different? How do they support one another?
There are a lot of highly symbolic references to plants and animals in the novel. Which ones stood out to you and what do they symbolize?
How is the link between rhizobia (the microscopic bugs that live in the roots of legumes) and wisteria vines ("bean trees") similar to the relationships that form between the women in the novel?
One of the novel's themes is the importance of community. Why is community valued? How does the novel tackle the relationship between individual and community needs?
How are the bonds between the women in the story different from those between men and women? How is Estevan different from the other male characters in the story?
How do the various social issues that Kingsolver presents in The Bean Trees affect the lives of the novel's characters? Which of the characters do you find the most inspiring?
One major motif in the novel is the arrogance of those who have power (whites, men, powerful nations, etc) and the harmful effects of their abuse of that power. What examples are there in the book of this abuse?
The Bean Trees deals with the theme of being an outsider. In what ways are various characters outsiders? What does this suggest about what it takes to be an insider? How does feeling like an outsider affect one’s life?
In many ways, the novel is “the education of Taylor Greer.” What does she learn about human suffering? And about love?