Bean Trees

The book The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver, is a novel about the struggle of a woman, Taylor, who is trying to find out who she is. In this book, there are many characters that live harsh lives in which they have to struggle both physically and emotionally in order to survive. Barbara Kingsolver pulls the reader into the troubles and joys of experiences they might not otherwise know, such as life as a refugee, the everyday struggle to survive, and the world of child abuse and adoption.
Kingsolver takes a look at the world of refugees escaping political oppression, and makes the reader feel sympathetic towards them. Kingsolver shows the reader how refugees are only in the United States because they want to stay alive. Estevan and Esperanza, a couple from Guatemala, are in the U.S. for that exact reason. At the end of the book, Estevan is explaining to Taylor how he wishes he could be back in his homeland enjoying freedom and having a family, “Don’t think of us here fo...