The Bean Trees: Chapter Six

Barbara Kingsolver's
The Bean Trees
The Chaffey College Book 1999
CHAPTER SIX
"Valentine's Day"

Discussion Questions

What is the lesson Mattie teaches Taylor at the start of the chapter?
What has Taylor been hiding from Mattie?
What positive things happen when Taylor shares her feelings with Mattie?
Why has Lou Ann been hiding her true personality, feelings, and thoughts from Taylor?
What positive things happen when Lou Ann shares her feelings with Taylor?
What is Lou Ann's theory of friendship?
What is Taylor's theory of men? Is it a logical one? Why or why not?
How is Turtle like Lou Ann's cat?
What does Lou Ann read to Turtle and why?
How do Lou Ann and Taylor make up from their argument?
What is the card Taylor sends her mom? What is its significance?
Why is a chapter called "Valentine's Day" critical of men?
How does Lou Ann's appearance change during the talk with Taylor? What is the symbolism of her looking like Cleopatra?

Idioms, Slang, and Difficult Words

Cultural and Historical Allusions

Medical, Natural, and Geographic Allusions

Great Quotes

"The first killing frost of the winter came on Valentine's Day. Mattie's purple bean vines hung from the fence like long strips of beef jerky drying in the sun. It broke my heart to see that colorful jungle turned to black slime, especially on this day of all days when people everywhere were sending each other flowers, but it didn't faze Mattie. 'That's the cycle of life, Taylor,' she said. 'The old has to pass on before the new can come around.'" (77)
"I though of another one of Mama's sayings: 'Hogs go deaf at harvest time.' It meant that people would only hear what they wanted to hear." (87)
"'So one time when I was working in this motel one of the toilets leaked and I had to replace the flapper ball. Here's what it said on the package; I kept it till I knew it by heart: "Please Note. Parts are included for all installations, but no installation requires all of the parts." That's kind of my philosophy about men. I don't think there's an installation out there that could use all of my parts.'" (88)

The Author	Chapter One, "The One to Get Away"
Chapter Two, "New Year's Pig"	Chapter Three, "Jesus is Lord Used Tires"
Chapter Four, "Tug Fork Water"	Chapter Five, "Harmonious Space"
Chapter Six, "Valentine's Day"	Chapter Seven, "How They Eat in Heaven"
Chapter Eight, "The Miracle of Dog Doo Park"	Chapter Nine, "Ismene"
Chapter Ten, "The Bean Trees"	Chapter Eleven, "Dream Angels"
Chapter Twelve, "Into the Terrible Night"	Chapter Thirteen, "Night-Blooming Cereus"
Chapter Fourteen, "Guardian Saints"	Chapter Fifteen, "Lake O' the Cherokees"
Chapter Sixteen, "Soundness of Mind and Freedom of Will"	Chapter Seventeen, "Rhizobia"