Barbara Kingsolver uses the motif of mother-child relationships to accentuate the value of parenting in her novel, The Bean Trees. Main character Taylor Greer drives across the country in search of a bigger direction than small town country life. Her biggest fear was becoming barefoot and pregnant in Kentucky with no future prospects. Realizing she needed to find an escape, she buys a car and takes off in search of a new world. In the process of her transcontinental voyage, she becomes the caretaker of a young Indian child that redefines and expands her thoughts on parenting and family. This youngster came as a complete surprise to Taylor, who was left in shock and ousted 9 months of priming for the toddler. Finding solitude in a new town,