Modern Day Families
Modern families, while they may contain a different amount of members, or members of a different race, than the stereotypical family, are still an amalgamated unit and have the same love for one another no matter how many people, or of what race certain people are, are in it. In Barbara Kingsolver's novel, the Bean Trees, this is proven many times, especially in the bond shared between Taylor, the novel's unlikely protagonist, and Turtle, the small Native American waif who is found by Taylor in a roadside diner. Taylor and Turtle, while their unity may be improbable, still function as a happy constituent, even though they go through many rough times, a case in point being when Turtle was molested in the park (p. 166, chapter 12). It proves that modern families can exist peacefully without having to have a male figure, or, in some cases, a female figure, to guide them. This essay will show many examples of how modern families need not the parental aid of a father figure.An example of the modern day families working well together is, like previously mentioned, the example of Taylor and Turtle
Throughout the book it is implied that to be in a modern family is not only a good thing, but is also more preferable to being in a normal, nuclear family. By showing these said 'normal families' in a somewhat derogatory light, such as the symbolic destruction of a so-called 'nuclear family' in the departure of Estevan and Esperanza from Turtle, the insinuation that modern families are by far stronger than regular families is almost too strong to deny. As well, it also seems to infer that by having two people in a relationship of the same sex, it might be beneficial to the child. As for the question posed earlier in the essay, a quote from the book seems sufficient: "Or a huge family, I suppose, waiting for some important news. They could all hold hands. (p. 229, chapter 17)". An additional aspect of modern families that is found in the book is that of interracial families, with children who are either a fully different race (Turtle), or if they are interracial themselves, an example of this being Dwayne Ray, who is half Hispanic and half Caucasian. These aspects are dealt with often in the book, with such things a
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Approximate Word count = 756
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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