Child Abuse In Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees

225 Words1 Pages
A stable home life can cause a child to flourish emotionally and gain security. The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver includes the life of a young girl named Turtle, who previously experiences physically abuse in her household, leading her to be fearful and distrustful of others. She is taken in by Missy, who nurtures and shows her a stable household. After Turtle’s first visit to the doctor, the doctor says to Missy, “‘Sometimes in an environment of physical or emotional deprivation a child will simply stop growing, although certain internal maturation does continue. It’s a condition we call failure to thrive’ ‘But she’s thriving now. I ought to know, I buy her clothes.’ ‘Well, yes, of course. The condition is completely reversible.’” (Kingsolver