Analysis Of Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

“I had come to Arizona expecting an endless sea of sand dunes . . . But this desert was nothing like that. There were bushes and trees and weeds here, exactly the same as anywhere else, except that the colors were different and everything alive had thorns” (Kingsolver 217). This quote, from Barbara Kingsolver's, The Bean Trees, describes the Arizona landscape that is abounding in life even in the absence of water. Central to the novel, the theme of surviving in a harsh environment is intrinsic to plants as well as the people. Throughout the story, the characters must push beyond their previous limitations in order to take on the injustices around them. To create such dynamic characters, Kingsolver looked upon the knowledge and experiences of her own life. Her memories of divisions as an adolescent, college degree in biology, and political ties as a human rights activist all provided the foundation for her novel, The Bean Trees. Although she was born in 1955 in Annapolis, Maryland, Barbara Kingsolver spent the majority of her

As a self-proclaimed “human rights activist,” Kingsolver has used her writing as a means of communicating her platform to more people. “I only feel it's worth writing a book if I have something important to say” (Ryan). As a result, she instituted the Bellwether Prize in 1997 which has been given to authors of great literary distinction and has recognized his/her ability to change the world through fiction. According to Novels for Students her passion for human rights has influenced her writing in The Bean Trees as it strays away from being softened for fear of offending others and instead maintains a strong bias (The Bean Trees 27). Barbara Kingsolver does not take a quiet approach to vocalizing her ideologies; rather, she incorporates them in meaningful parts of the