“Snapping Beans” by Lisa Parker is a narrative poem depicting a college-age girl and her relationship with her grandmother. Through an interaction about the speaker’s college experience, readers learn of the vast differences between the two women’s lives.
The relationship between the two women appears loving and tender. One example of this is in lines 21-23 where the speaker describes how her grandmother touches her face: “She reached the leather of her hand / over the bowl and cupped / my quivering chin” (Parker, line 21-23). Nonetheless, despite the affection between them, they are clearly living in very different worlds, as is evident from the text. The speaker tells her grandmother very little about her college experience; presumably she does not wish to upset her.
The speaker is struggling to adjust to college life, and her description of her classmates implies that she is around people who are very different to her and to what she is used to: “that my friends wore nose rings and wrote poetry / about sex, about alcoholism, about Buddha” (Parker, line 32-33). Conversely, the speaker’s grandmother appears traditional and religious, as seen in line 6: “Grandma hummed ‘What a Friend we have in Jesus’” (Parker, line 6).
The physical setting of the poem is also important in drawing contrast between the worlds of the two women. Sitting out on the porch, surrounded by cornfields, the speaker and her grandmother appear to be in a quiet, open space. This seems to be directly opposite of the speaker’s stressful experience of college.
Lisa Parker’s poem thoughtfully handles sensitive themes including growing up, growing apart from loved ones, and the changing nature of personal relationships.
Works Cited
Parker, Lisa. “Snapping Beans.” This Gone Place. Motes. 2010. Print.
