The Bean Trees CHAPTER 3 "Jesus is Lord Used Tires"
Visitors Since 8/10/99
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As you read Chapter 3 . . .
1) Contrast the attitude to bugs of the stange man at the abandoned gas station and that of Mattie. What does this contrast reveal about Mattie's character?
2) Note all the images associated with Mattie and her shop. What connotations do many of these images have--all the flowers, Jesus, the bunny mug, etc.? What does Mattie's shop suggest about her character?
3) Consider the types of people Taylor describes living downtown. How does society judge these groups? Do the artistic people and the homeless people get along? What does Taylor's experience in the art gallery tell us about the relationship of the various groups?
4) Note other signs of how social and economic status is unequal and troubled in America presented in this chapter. Consider the contrast between the unwed, minimum-wage employed mothers and the shopping mothers at Kid Central Station. Consider also the contrast between poor Kentucky and the wealthy racing community of Kentucky.
Non-representational Art
A 1957 Thunderbird Secretariat winning the Kentucky Derby in 1973, also the1973 Triple Crown winner Tarantula |
Cultural and Historical Allusions Links last verified 5/14/03
Page numbers from the large-sized paperback edition
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Go to Fall 1999, English 450, 8 a.m. |