People are recognized for accomplishments every day ranging from an award as large as an Oscar, to as small as a "good job" on top of your english paper. Being recognized for something builds strength and confidence in what you do. The main character of The Bean Trees, Missy "Taylor" Greer, doesn't think that recognition is that big of a deal. She probably did get recognized for some accomplishment during her life. She just didn't express it vaguely.

Missy Greer, who changed her name to Taylor early in the book, was in high school in the beginning of the book, still fragile, young, and innocent. As the book progressed she became more mature and more responsible.

Maddie doesn't seem to make any journey in the book. That is probably because she has already grown up and experienced what the younger characters are experiencing. She has both feet solid on the earth and knows what to do and how to do it. She knows the consequences and the benefits of he life. Even though she helps illegal aliens, she still has a respectable job and a backup plan. If she didn't have her side business, then Esperenza and Estaphan would have never entered the realms of the book. Estaphan and Esperenza are important characters because they get so close to the main character, Taylor and Turtle.

Another character who grows up a lot is Turtle. When Taylor receives her she is about 3 she can hardly talk and she didn't do much. She progresses throughout the book as Taylor raises her in a better fashion than her real parents would have. She learns how to walk and talk from Taylor. She still has memories of her mother when she died. That is why she kept burying her dolls. She used that to symbolize that her mother was buried when she was very young.

Characters such as Taylor and Lou Ann change a lot. Their journey takes them from teenage life to almost full adult hood. They both go from being unsupported to being fully functional at the end of the novel. Taylor explains her first few jobs and how she felt the teenage issues of pregnancy change her beliefs along the way of her life.

Some of the smaller characters even took journeys of their own. Characters such as Angel made journeys in a smaller manor. His journey wasn't exactly pleasant, but still categorizes as a journey. He changed his life by leaving his wife Lou

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1121
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)