Survival in The Bean Trees Essay -- Barbara Kingsolver The Bean Trees

Survival in The Bean TreesIn 1859, Charles Darwin published his to the highest degree famous work, On the Origin of the Species by Means of Natural option (Encarta 96). This book explained Darwins system of natural selection, a process not impertinent separating the wheat from the chaff, where the least fit are eliminated, and only the fittest survive. An extension of this theory known as kindly Darwinism emerged in the late 19th century. Social Darwinists believed that heap, like animals and plants, compete for survival and, by extension, success in conduct (Encarta 96). Under this theory, the individuals who acquire the power and wealth are deemed the fittest, while those of dishonor economic and social levels are considered the least fit (Griffin Lecture). This appears to be a theory that Barbara Kingsolver sets proscribed to disprove in her novel The Bean Trees. In a review in The Womens Review of Books, Margaret Randall observes that this is a novel not about middle-cla ss America, but real middle America, the unemployed and underemployed, the people working fast-food joints or patching tires, Oklahoma Indians, young mothers left by wandering husbands or mothers who never had husbands (Randall 1). Ultimately, it is about survivors -- women such as Taylor Greer who sets out from Kentucky to begin a better keep and finds responsibility for another life Mattie whose survival is wrapped up in her role as deliverer to all in need who enter Jesus Is Lord employ Tires Lou Ann Ruiz who is afraid of life and in need of finding her strength and Esperanza whose babe was taken from her in a political struggle and who needs to find the will to live -- who pool their resources, both financial and emotional. These women have courage, image and each other, resou... ...nd in strength, and they do survive. Works CitedButler, Jack. She Hung the Moon and Plugged in All the Stars. The young York Times Book Review. April 10, 1988 15. FitzGerald, Karen. A Major immature Talent. Ms. XVI.10 (1988) 28. Griffin, Joan. Lecture. English 3230. Metropolitan State College, Denver. 7 Oct.1999. Gale Literary Databases Contemporary Authors. Barbara Kingsolver. 11 November 1999 3. http//www.galenet.com/servlet/GLD..&n=10&1 =d&NA=Kingsolver%2C+barbara Kingsolver, Barbara. The Bean Trees. New York HarperPerennial, 1992. Kingsolver, Barbara. Letter. Contemporary Literary Criticism Yearbook. Vol. 55. (1988) 68. Randall, Margaret. Human Comedy. The Womens Review of Books. V.8 (1988) 1. Social Darwinism. Microsoft Encarta96 Encyclopedia. CD ROM. Microsoft Corporation. 1995.