Barbara Kingsolver Case

Barbara Kingsolver once said, I wrote The Bean Trees because Steinbeck wrote Cannery Row." The novel, Cannery Row, crowded with various anecdotes, chases the ambitions of Mack and his group of eccentric men. However, the story incorporates little plot,nstead, John Steinbeck is more interested in the community as a group. The meager town of Monterey, California conserves its sentimental value of fellowship and team effort. Although, the Row is established as a sluggish town, in reality its commoners are a bunch of warm-hearted fools. Mack and the boys live rich, innovational lives, yet are a bunch of unemployed misfits, who aid one another in difficult situations. Similarly, in The Bean Trees, distant individuals with diverse experiences, despite their power in society, come together, creating a loving and supporting family. Barbara Kingsolver was inspired to write The Bean Trees, because of her admiration for Cannery Row's fellowship and prospering community; throughout the two novels, community and the character's support for one another during hardship, leads them to success.

Mack, the leader of a reckless and erratic gang, through collaboration, brings the boys together into a sense of friendship and community; in The Bean Trees, Kingsolver's strong willed, group of women, develop into a similar relationship. Throughout Cannery Row, the group's individual responsibilities, for example, Eddie's part-time job, Gay's "magic" in mechanics, and Mack's innovative personality, helps them survive by the help of one another, and adds success to their ambitions, like giving Doc a party. They independently work toward one goal, but in unison. The devotion, as well as teamwork to "give him (Doc) one hell of a party," becomes the number one priority, however, being unemployed, it is practically impossible. (p.28) Nevertheless, their teamwork allows the party not to be a success, but a reality. Similarly, Taylor, a spirited heroine of Kingsolver's novel, begins to sympathize with illegal immigrants of Mattie's sanctuary, who has "gone more than she was these days, ‘bird watching."(p.213) In other words, she has been looking for immigrants in need of a "safe house". (p.213) Mattie's charitable beliefs allows her to sacrifice her life for these unfortunate immigrants to survive. Throughout, The Bean Trees, Taylor's love, Lou Ann's care, and Mattie's hospitality helps support one another, as a community, like Cannery Row's ambitious gang: Mack and the boys.

Dora's and Doc's generosity, as well as their help towards unfortunate families, provides for the community's poor people; in The Bean Trees, Taylor undertakes a risky travel for Estevan and Esperanza's sake, like any "family" member would. Dora, a well respected madam, pays the grocery bills of many families, helps the sick along with Doc, and