Gender-Prejudiced Violence: A Study of Resistance and Resolution in Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees

This Paper aims to bring out how people in our society experienced the violence concerning Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees (1988). Kingsolver is one of the most predominant writers in American literature. Most of her novels are considered as semi-autobiographical works. Kingsolver has intertwined the concept of Gender-based violence as in the characters of Turtle, Taylor Greer, Estevan, and Esperanza. Gender-based violence is one kind of violence that is directly caused by another person and brings consequences such as financial loss, and temporal and permanent effects on the body and psyche. In The Bean Trees, the protagonist Taylor Greer, is given a chance to bring out a healing life to Turtle. Estevan and Esperanza, who are the refugees of Guatemalan, are affected by domestic violence both physically and mentally. In addition to bringing gender equality into the research, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5) supplements with Taylor’s freedom and perseverance. It also discloses that how Kingsolver tackles the difficulties encountered by women, particularly single mothers, in a culture that frequently restricts their options. This research study is aimed at healing and aiding in the rectification of gender savagery.

Keywords: Gender Violence, Domestic Violence, and Turtle’s Resilience.