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It is my trade," he said. "I work for the bean family, and…

“It is my trade," he said. "I work for the bean family, and every day there are deaths among the beans, mostly from thirst. They shrivel and die, they go blind in their one black eye, and I put them in one of these tiny coffins. Beans, you know, are beautifully shaped, like a new church, like…” quote by Janet Frame
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““It is my trade," he said. "I work for the bean family, and every day there are deaths among the beans, mostly from thirst. They shrivel and die, they go blind in their one black eye, and I put them in one of these tiny coffins. Beans, you know, are beautifully shaped, like a new church, like modern architecture, like a planned city””

Janet Frame

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The narrator reflects on the fragile, almost sacred nature of beans, likening them to architecture and cities, highlighting the tension between life and death in mundane work.

In simple terms: Beans are fragile and beautiful, yet often die.

Key Takeaway

Respect the delicate balance of life.

Themes

fragility beauty life and death work metaphor

Mood

reflective melancholy

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • farming
  • culinary arts
  • teaching about nature
  • creative writing

Key Concepts

existentialism aesthetic appreciation

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do we find meaning in routine tasks?
  • What does the bean symbolize for you?
A Different Perspective

The quote may romanticize death, overlooking practical concerns.

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