A Life Changing Trip

What kind of person does it take to risk everything she has and take a chance that could change her life forever? It would be a chance that could affect her physically, mentally, and financially. Most people would keep what they had and had worked for rather than risking it all. In The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver, Taylor Greer took a journey to get away from the small-town Kentucky life that she has known forever. She drives west, not knowing where she is going, but that she has to get away. Throughout Taylor’s journey, Kingsolver showed how Taylor changed, grew, and thrived both physically and mentally as time progressed.

Taylor’s physical and mental journey began before she even left Kentucky. A trait that stayed with Taylor from the start to the finish of her journey was how independent she was. First of all, she grew up without a father, which caused her mother to have to work more so that she had enough money to support her and her daughter. Although she lacked time with her mom, the relationship was one of the strongest there is. After Taylor’s teacher advertised the job at the hospital, Taylor was convinced she was already not going to get it. Consequently, her mom told her she could do it and that she was better than all of the “candy-striper” girls that Taylor thought would get the job. The only people they had were each other so their focus on their family was more concentrated on each other, rather than a family of eight, who have eight people to concentrate on and give attention to. Taylor knew that she did not want to live the same life as her mother, so she got a job at a local hospital to help earn money. From the start of Taylor’s journey, she learned to make things happen. Taylor had a very...

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...tle as her daughter. This shows how focused and concentrated Taylor was at the task at hand.

In conclusion, the risks that Taylor took eventually did pay off in the end. Taylor’s risk did not include any job, large sums of money, or sentimental objects. What she did have to risk was her relationship with her mom who raised her from a very young age. Taylor thrived as a person and prospered mentally and physically. During her journey, it took time to thrive and develop in an unconventional situation. Who would have ever thought that someone could change so much in such a short time? Who cares how long it took Taylor to change as a person as long as her life and the lives of people around her were changed. By taking a journey, our views change, the things that we do not see in everyday life, or take time to see, suddenly become something we would notice.