Summary for The Bean Trees – Flashcards

Taylor used to live in Pittman County, Kentucky where she was known as Missy. Newt Hardbine is introduced and the story about his father being killed by a tire blowing up is told. Taylor gets a job in a hospital where one day she saw Jolene, Newt's wife, come in because she was shot in the shoulder by Newt. Newt had also killed himself because of the abuse of his father. Taylor saves up enough money to buy a Volkswagen where she then leaves home so she doesn't get stuck with the rest of society. Taylor ends up in Taylorville so she decides to change her name from Missy to Taylor. Also, when Taylor was in Oklahoma, she gets handed a child who she realizes has been abused.

In this chapter, we meet Lou Ann and Angel. Lou Ann is pregnant and Angel has an amputated leg. They are having marriage troubles and one day Lou Ann goes out to get food, when she goes past Jesus is Lord Used Tires and Fanny Heaven. That Halloween, Lou Ann came home only to realize that Angel had left her with what he thought was his to claim.

In this chapter, Taylor decides to name the baby Turtle because of her strong grip. Taylor drives until she gets to Arizona, where she is so blown away buy its beauty that she decides to stay. She ends up at Jesus is Lord Tires because she blew out 2 tires. Here, Taylor meets Mattie, a friendly shop owner. Mattie gives them a tour and Taylor sees her garden with flowers and car parts. Taylor then tries to get a job at a hospital and is declined, but she soon meets Sandi who helps her get a job at Burger Derby.

Lou Ann's baby, Dwayne Ray, is born on the 1st of January. Lou Ann's mother and grandmother come to visit and Angel moves back in to give the appearance of a good marriage. While Angel is out, Lou Ann's grandmother gives her a coke bottle full of cloudy water from the Tug Fork River in Kentucky, for Dwayne Ray's baptism. Lou Ann was baptized with Tug Fork Water. When Angel comes home, he sees the bottle and pours it down the drain.

Taylor gets in an argument with her boss at Burger Derby and gets fired. She starts looking for ads for a roommate and finds two options. One of the options was to live with 3 girls and the other was to live with Lou Ann. Taylor and Lou Ann enjoy each others company so Taylor and Turtle move in with Lou Ann and Dwayne Ray.

It freezes on Valentine's Day in Tucson and Mattie asks Taylor to work for her. Taylor didn't really want to because of Newt's father's accident but Mattie convinces her. That night, Taylor realizes that she and Lou Ann are acting like an old married couple and asks Lou Ann to stop doing her favors. The two have some beers when Lou Ann realizes that she is drunk and tells Taylor that she never gets drunk because she's worried she will do something stupid. Taylor and Lou Ann spend the rest of the night talking and Lou Ann says that Angel would never listen to her talk.

In this chapter, Lou Ann, Mattie, and Taylor go to a beautiful creek for a picnic. Mattie invites two friends named Esperanza and Estevan as well. Esperanza keeps staring at Turtle because she looks like a child they knew back in Guatemala. On the way home, Turtle makes her first sound: a laugh. When they arrive back at Mattie's house, they go to the garden and Turtle says her first word: bean. In this chapter, Edna and Mrs. Parsons are introduced. They all watch Mattie's appearance on TV where she talks about human rights. At dinner, Estevan tells a story about how people eat in heaven and hell. He says that the people in hell starve because they have all this food, but very long spoons. They cannot get the food in their mouths. However, in heaven, Estevan says that they have the same food and spoons, but they feed each other. He feeds Turtle.

Taylor, Turtle, Lou Ann, and Dwayne Ray all go to a park one day. The women talk about men and Taylor says that her mother is remarrying. Lou Ann says that she would let Angel move back in if he wanted to. Later Taylor has a conversation with Estevan about Mattie's sanctuary. Taylor also decides to take Turtle to the doctor because of her abuse. The doctor tells Taylor that Turtle has something called "failure to thrive" but it is reversible. When Taylor gets back home the word "April" comes up in conversation. Turtle perks up and Lou Ann and Taylor realize that Turtle's real name is April.

Esperanza tried to kill herself so she is taken to the clinic (where they don't require papers) while Taylor and Estevan stay home. Taylor is angry with Esperanza because Taylor assumed that Esperanza had a good life and had no reason to try to do this. This is when Estevan tries to tell Taylor that they had a daughter named Ismene and she was taken in a neighborhood raid in Guatemala. Esperanza and Estevan chose to save 20 other people instead of their daughter. Taylor cries and compares them to paper dolls.

Lou Ann returns from a reunion with Angels family. Taylor and Lou Ann go to a park with the kids when Turtle sees wisteria on a tree and says "bean trees". Later Taylor goes to the grocery store where she sees Edna Poppy. This is when Taylor realizes that Edna is blind. After that, Taylor goes to see Esperanza, but she wont talk so Taylor talks the whole time. Lou Ann and Taylor also talk about Fanny Heaven.

Lou Ann gets a job at the Red Hot Mama's salsa factory and she loves it there. One night, Lou Ann and Taylor were discussing fears. Lou Ann reveals that she is terrified of death. She says that after Dwayne Ray was born, she had a dream that an angel came to tell her that Dwayne Ray wont live to see the year 2000. Lou Ann also says that she used to play a game with her brother where they would look into the future and she would never try to look to far because she was worried she would she herself dead. Angel sent a package to Lou Ann with gifts for herself and Dwayne Ray saying that he wants her and Dwayne Ray to move in with him. Esperanza and Estevan are also at risk of being deported. This makes Taylor very sad because she feels like she is losing everyone.

Mattie takes Taylor, Esperanza, and Estevan into the desert when it is about to rain and she talks about the Native American New Year. When the four get home, they realize something terrible has happened. Edna Poppy was in the park with Turtle when a man tried to attack Turtle. Because Edna is blind, she couldn't see the person but she swung her cane and hit something. Turtle's expression was blank just like it was in Oklahoma. Luckily Turtle was not molested. The police came to talk to everyone and Taylor has a hard time dealing with all this information so she helps Mrs. Parsons get a bird out of the house. Lou Ann yells at Taylor for not dealing with the situation.

Taylor finds out that since she has no legal claim to Turtle, she can't keep her. Lou Ann is angry that Taylor doesn't want to try her hardest to keep Turtle. Taylor decides that she will go to Oklahoma to try and get legal advice for Turtle, and that she will also take Estevan and Esperanza to a sanctuary there. The night before she leaves, Mrs. Parsons invites everyone over to watch the cereus that only blooms once a year. It is a good omen.

Estevan and Esperanza claim Turtle as theirs when they reach the border of the state because Taylor stuttered when asked. Taylor becomes slightly jealous, especially when Turtle calls Esperanza "ma". Esperanza shows Turtle her St. Christopher medallion while continuing to play with her. Taylor could swear that she heard Esperanza call Turtle Ismene. Unfortunately, Taylor had no luck in finding Turtle's relatives so the group decides to go on vacation in Lake o' the Cherokees.

Taylor feels like the odd one out in Cherokee Nation and becomes worried when Turtle looks out of the window at a cemetery and says "mama". The group has a picnic when Turtle buries her doll and says "mama" again. Taylor now realizes that Turtle is reenacting her mothers burial. At the end of the chapter, Esperanza and Estevan say that they will do Taylor a favor.

Esperanza and Estevan pose as Turtle's biological parents and sign the documents for Taylor to adopt Turtle. Esperanza starts crying and Taylor realizes that Esperanza is not acting. Esperanza gives Turtle her St. Christopher medallion and says that she knows Taylor will take care of her. Esperanza seems relieved and happy.

Taylor says goodbye to Estevan and Esperanza. Estevan kisses Taylor and she is sad because she has lost her love. Taylor gets the official adoption papers so Turtle is now legally hers. Turtle sees a picture of wisteria vines and calls them bean trees again. They learn that wisteria survive and thrive with the help of a small bug called rhizobia. This gets compared to Taylor, Turtle, and all their friends around them. They could survive on their own, but are better together. Lou Ann says on the phone that she is not planning on going back to Angel. Instead, she got a new boyfriend, but isn't moving in because she considers Taylor and Turtle her family. The two then head back to Tucson.