Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Traditionally,
American society has defined “family” as “nuclear family”—a father,
a mother, and children living together. The biological mother is
often viewed as the natural caregiver, and the father is viewed
as the provider. How does this novel ask us to rethink our definition
of family and how does it suggest alternative role models in place
of or in addition to the biological mother?
2. What is the
relationship between religion and spirituality in this novel? What
role do the conspicuous signs of commercialized religious belief
(Jesus Is Lord Used Tires and the sign reading
1-
800-the
lord) play in establishing the novel's moral code?
3. To what extent
does the novel define home in terms of geographic setting? In terms
of people?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Questions of legality surface
many times in this novel. How does the novel regard the law? If
the law cannot act as an authority, what dictates right and wrong
in its place?
2. Compare the experiences of
Esperanza and Estevan, who are of the Mayan people, to the experiences
of Turtle, and the Cherokee people in general.
3. Think of the bird imagery
in this novel. What do the birds symbolize? How are different kinds
of birds used to represent different ideas?
4. The Bean Trees is
a novel about refugees. Identify the characters in the novel who
have left or been driven from their homelands. What differentiates
their experiences, and what commonalities bind them together?
5. What is the significance
of the many different forms of violence referred to in this novel?
