The Bean Trees characters

Also known as Marietta Greer

Appears from the start

A resourceful young woman from Pittman County, Kentucky, determined to avoid the early pregnancies and limited prospects she sees around her. After working in a hospital and saving for a car, she leaves home, adopts the name Taylor on the road, and expects to build a life without marriage or children.

Appears from the start

A very young Cherokee girl handed to Taylor by a desperate woman at a roadside stop in Oklahoma. She is silent, undernourished, and bears signs of severe abuse. Taylor names her for the powerful grip with which she holds on, despite having left Kentucky specifically to avoid becoming a mother.

First appears in chapter 2

A pregnant young woman from Kentucky living in Tucson. Anxious and given to imagining disasters, she has been abandoned by her husband, Angel, shortly before the birth of their son. She offers Taylor and Turtle a room, and the shared household becomes a source of stability for both women.

First appears in chapter 2

Lou Ann's husband, who lost part of a leg in an accident. Frustrated by dependence and by the course of his marriage, he leaves Lou Ann while she is pregnant and periodically reappears in her thoughts and plans.

First appears in chapter 2

Lou Ann and Angel's infant son, born after Angel has left. He grows up alongside Turtle in the improvised family Taylor and Lou Ann create.

First appears in chapter 3

The owner of Jesus Is Lord Used Tires in Tucson, where Taylor seeks help after her car develops tire trouble. Calm, capable, and generous, Mattie also grows vegetables behind the shop and offers practical aid to people whose safety depends on discretion.

First appears in chapter 5

An elderly, nearly blind neighbor who becomes part of Taylor and Lou Ann's circle. She navigates confidently with a cane and notices more than sighted people assume, helping care for the children without treating her blindness as helplessness.

First appears in chapter 5

Edna Poppy's outspoken housemate and frequent companion. Initially suspicious of unfamiliar customs and people, she nevertheless becomes part of the dependable neighborhood community around Taylor, Lou Ann, and the children.

First appears in chapter 7

A Guatemalan teacher living in Tucson under Mattie's protection after fleeing political persecution. Educated, courteous, and gifted with languages, he forms an easy friendship with Taylor while carrying the losses and danger of exile.

First appears in chapter 7

Estevan's wife and a refugee from Guatemala. Quiet and deeply distressed, she reacts strongly to Turtle, whose age and presence touch a grief she is not yet ready to explain.

First appears in chapter 11

A social worker who becomes involved after Turtle is attacked in a park. She explains that Taylor has no legal proof of guardianship and that the authorities may remove Turtle unless the child's status can be resolved.