in Turtle’s dream so that she can talk much with Turtle. “Whoever she was talking to in her dream, she told them a whole lot more than she’d ever told me. I would
have paid good money to be in that dream.” 182.
f. Caring
Besides loving, Taylor is also a caring woman. She cares about Turtle’s need; for example, she buys a book for Turtle. ” I decided that after work I would
go down to one of Sandi’s New To You toy stores and find a book for Turtle.” 79. Although Turtle’s first sound is only a laugh, but it makes Taylor feels much
relieve. “Knowing that Turtle’s first uttered sound was a laugh brought me no end of relief.” 96. Moreover, due to her care to Turtle, Taylor plans to make a navy-
bean soup every time she speaks a new word. I had originally planned to make navy-bean soup, in celebration of
Turtle’s first word, but by the end of the week she had said so many new words I couldn’t have fit them all in Hungarian goulash. She seemed to
have a one-track vocabulary, like Lou Ann’s hypochondriac mother-in- law, though fortunately Turtle’s ran to vegetables instead of diseases.
100
Taylor also brings Turtle to a doctor to check her health. Taylor really cares about Turtle’s health both physically and mentally. “The reason I brought her in is I’m
concerned about some stuff that happened to her awhile ago. She wasn’t taken care of very well.” 122.
Taylor does not only care about Turtle, but also all people around her; for instance, Lou Ann, Estevan and Esperanza. Lou Ann’s husband leaves her and her
son a few days before Taylor moves to her house. One day, her husband comes
home and asks for divorce. Taylor, who cares about her best friend, encourages Lou Ann.
“He said there would be papers to sign for the divorce,” Lou Ann said. “So what’s the problem, exactly?” I didn’t mean to be unkind. I really
didn’t know. “Well, to be honest, I don’t think it much matters what you do. It probably
doesn’t make any difference what kind of a divorce you get, or even if you get one at all. The man is gone, honey. If he stops sending checks I don’t
imagine there’s anything to be done, not if he’s out riding the range in God’s country. I guess you’ll have to look for a job, sooner or later.” 126
Taylor encourages Lou Ann and asks her to find a job because she will need some money for her life and Dwayne Ray, her son.
When Estevan comes to Taylor’s house as Esperanza tries to suicide but then she is brought by Mattie to the clinic, Taylor shows her care to him. She
knows that it must be hard for him facing the reality. “Can I get you something? Did you eat?” I opened the refrigerator door,
but he waved it shut. “At least a beer, then,” I said. I opened two beers and set one on the table in front of him. From my earliest memory, times of
crisis seemed to end up with women in the kitchen preparing food for men. “I can see right now that I’m going to do one of two things here,” I told
Estevan. “Either shove food at you, or run off at the mouth. When I get nervous I fall back on good solid female traditions.” 132
She tries to encourage Estevan though she does not know what she should say. After Esperanza goes back to Mattie’s house, Taylor gets into her room only
to see her condition. She finds Esperanza sitting in a chair and looking at the window. When Taylor comes, she gets up and offers her chair to Taylor; and she
sits on the bed. Esperanza does not say anything. She just smiles or nods her head, staring at her hands at the same time. “Esperanza kept staring at her empty hands.
I wished I had something to put in them, something that would be wonderful for her to look at.” 148. Taylor wants to give something to make her happy.
Taylor then encourages Esperanza to never give up, like her name, Esperanza, which means ‘hope’. Taylor wants her to hope that she will get better
than before. “I guess the main thing I came up here to tell you is, I don’t know how
you go on, but I really hope you’ll keep doing it. That you won’t give up esperanza
. I thought of that last night. Esperanza is all you get, no second chances. What you have to do is try and think of reasons to stick it out.”
She had tears in her eyes, but that seemed better somehow than nothing at all. “It’s terrible to lose somebody,” I said, “I mean, I don’t know
firsthand, but I can imagine it must be. But it’s also true that some people never have anybody to lose, and I think that’s got to be so much worse.”
148
Taylor is a loving woman; she is also caring to other people around her. She wants them all are always happy.
B. Taylor’s Motivation in Adopting the Indian Child
