Chapter 12 Summary

Taylor has foolishly gambled the $50 she and Turtle found on their windshield and is without cash, so she calls Alice, who gets on a plane and comes to Las Vegas.

After Alice arrives, they go to the coffee shop in the airport to eat lunch. A waitress who dresses to look like a Barbie doll recognizes them from "The Oprah Winfrey" show. She claims to have the largest collection of Barbie-related items in the world.

Chapter 12 Analysis

Taylor's parenting skills are clearly derived from her own mother, Alice, the quintessential mother figure. She is reaching out now to help her daughter. Kingsolver introduces a comic-book character here, this Barbie who has transformed herself into the doll. She not only represents a value system that Kingsolver decries, she provides comic relief. It is no secret after reading this story that this author believes that...