Marked For Greatness

     Thomas C. Foster begins chapter 21, Marked for Greatness, by pointing out the importance of symbolism. A previous chapter, chapter 12, discussed symbolism in detail. In that chapter I was able to understand how wide of a range symbolism can pull from. An example Foster used to open chapter 21 was the idea of scoliosis. If an author goes out of his way to give a character scoliosis, there is most likely a reason, right? To give a character a defect, so to say, is not a simple task. Any detail an author gives about a character in chapter 2 he must remember in chapter 32 as well. By giving a character a scar, or a wound, the author is immediately pointing out that this character is different from the rest of the world. This should be our first clue towards the fact that he's probably marked for some sort of greatness. Why else would this random person have a random fact about him worth mentioning?
     It is important to keep in mind that scars or physical defects are not the only things that can be used to mark a character for greatness. In the novel, The Bean Trees, for example, the main character has witnessed a tragic incident that has scarred her for the rest of her life. Taylor, the main character, feels connected to a peer of hers named Newt, because she feels neither of them fit in. Newt's father died while Taylor and Newt were both in high school due to a tractor tire that exploded while the father was using it. Ever since that day Taylor has been frightened by tires. As she reaches the age that she can go out on her own, she decides to search for a new home. Somewhere along the way, a baby has been abandoned and Taylor ends up taking care of the little girl, whom she later names Turtle. Taylor notices that Turtle has been abused as a baby and decides to take care of Turtle and nurse her back to health. With this little information I have mentioned, we are immediately able to spot different things that leave Taylor as "marked for greatness." First of all, she is scared of tires but still decides to go on a road trip in her car to search for a new home. One day she was driving and her tire busted out of no where. She decides to pull over at a tire shop in Taylorville where she meets a lovely lady named Mattie. Mattie helps Taylor raise Turtle and also provides Taylor with a job at the tire shop. The fact that she was scared of tires but was able to get past that fear and help raise a baby is incredible. This implies that perhaps she will be able to help Turtle move on from being abused as a baby. Straight from the beginning we are able to see Taylor is marked for greatness through the story of Newt and his father. Every event in The Bean Trees could be marked down as symbolism for one reason or another. Thomas Foster did a great job of explaining how an author uses symbolism for marking a character with greatness.