Poverty In Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

People in Poverty Are More Appreciative
Poverty is a large problem in the world today; though this problem has many negative effects such as an increased crime rate; poorer health in later years of people who suffered in poverty and a lowered GDP (Holzer). Despite all the downsides, there is a small hint of people benefiting from being in poverty. Being in poverty can help people appreciate the little things in life; this is exactly the message that Barbara Kingsolver relays in her book The Bean Trees. The Bean Trees is a story set in 1970’s Kentucky and Arizona about Taylor, a young woman growing up and becoming independent who has been affected by poverty her entire life. As the story unfolds and Taylor’s character is developed it is shown
Kingsolver uses plot points to show that people in poverty are more appreciative of possessions than others. One such example of this is when Taylor tells an anecdote about a lady that she came across in the rising action of the book. “As I left to go back to work I saw the woman with the cardboard box, still in the living room. She was sorting through a handful of possessions she had laid out on the sofa - A black shirt, a small book bound in red vinyl, a framed photograph, a pair of baby's sneakers tired together by the laces - and carefully putting them back into the box." (Kingsolver 156). This plot detail illustrates that even though this lady had a lot less possessions than someone that wasn’t effected by poverty she seemed to care more for her belongings and appeared more thankful of them because of the way she treats them. An additional plot detail demonstrates the exact same thing. This was during dialogue between Estevan and Taylor; Taylor explained her hardships she had to face as a child just for a pair of jeans. "In the fall, the kids that lived in the country would pick walnuts to earn money for school clothes." (Kingsolver 146). This dialogue displays how hard Taylor had to work to get something others may take for granted such as a pair of jeans. Taylor as well as others who suffer from poverty are more
Most of the time Kingsolver uses subtle symbols and hidden meanings to convey her ideas. One such example of this is when Taylor is reading a book in the library to Turtle. “But this is the most interesting part: wisteria vines, like other legumes, often thrive in poor soil, the book said.”(Kingsolver 241). This use of symbolism comparing people to vines indicates that people in poor conditions are often the happiest because they make do with what they have and don’t need to have anything beyond their necessities. An additional way Kingsolver uses literary devices is by using anecdotes in the text such as this one where Taylor talks about her childhood. “When I was a child I had a set of paper dolls…. I played with those dolls in a desperate, loving way until their paper arms and heads disintegrated. I loved them in spite of the fact that their tight-knit little circle was as far beyond my reach as the football players' and cheerleaders' circle would be in later years." (Kingsolver 185). Here the author displays with literary devices such as an anecdote how loving and appreciative Taylor is for her dolls. By Saying that she played with them until they had disintegrated confirms that people in poverty are more appreciative because they care more for their belongings and try to use them to their full extent where as a financially stable person may have thrown the dolls