The Bean Trees: Notes on Chapter 14

"Guardian Saints"

St. Christopher, Christian patron saint of refugees http://www.stjudeshop.com/resources/StJudeShop/images/products/processed/S-1514-24.zoom.a.jpg

I chose a new name for myself too, when I left home...we all have that in common (Kingsolver 204).

Identity: name-changing may be part of one's attempt to move away from an identity or an attempt at assimilation. Taylor's given name "Marietta" is the name of the town in Georgia in which she was conceived. After the father abandons them, her mother's left "barefoot and pregnant." Estevan and Esperanza adopt Spanish names (and Steven and Hope later) to blend in with the communities in southwest North America. Their Mayan Indian names were such that "You couldn't even pronounce them."


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