The Bean Trees: Notes on Chapter 2

"New Year's Pig"

Lou Ann Ruiz lived in Tucson, but thought of herself as just an ordinary Kentuckian a long way from home (Kingsolver 24).

NARRATION: Did you notice the shift in point-of-view? The first chapter was from Taylor's perspective, 1st person narration. Here, in Chapter 2, the narration turns to 3rd person.


Feeding a girl is like feeding a New Year's pig. All that work. In the end, it goes to some other family (Kingsolver 32).

Chinese idiom: reinforces male ascendancy in Chinese culture.

You never knew what kind of thing could be down there under the water (Kingsolver 35).

ARCHETYPAL FEARS: Lou Ann (and Taylor) are out on there own facing a lot of unknowns.

Click here for more note on chapter 2.

Images:

Water Bug: http://www.racheldecoste.ca/i/chinese_new_year_pig.jpg