Poisonwood Bible Essay

Nathan Price’s real goal for going to the Congo was to baptize all the villagers in the area. This, however, was relentlessly being opposed by many villagers because of the incident where a crocodile ate a young girl in the same river Nathan was going to baptize the people in. Although opposed, Nathan remained unwavering in his goals. This causes many villagers to hate him and change their opinion of him, his family, and

The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbra Kingsolver, draws the reader into the chaotic African Congo, where the Price family is dragged into on a mission of God, to help the unsaved souls of this “wasteland”. Leader of the missionary family, Nathan Price is a man who is bent on eternal salvation for all the people of the Congo –whether they want it or not– and will not quit in his mission, regardless the consequences. Price is a volatile man, as Kingsolver points out by Nathans’ religious fervor, apparent sexist attitude, and belligerent nature.

In The Poisonwood Bible, written by Barbara Kingsolver, the aspect of biblical allusion is clearly present throughout the majority of the novel. For example, one of the most conspicuous allusions to the Bible is the way that Kingsolver has purposely named some of the main characters in her book after different people and images in the Bible. Kingsolver uses this biblical allusion to develop important themes, events, and characters in her novel. Kingsolver makes references to the Bible by tying in and creating similarities between important events and themes in the Bible and important events and themes in her novel.

In The Poisonwood Bible, symbolism is widely explored to allude to and explore ideas in a nonliteral sense, Methuselah, a parrot left behind and adopted by the Price family, is an example of this. Throughout the novel, his role as a symbol of the Congo is examined.

Ruth May Price, the youngest of the Price children, has no real perception of religion because she is so young, but her father scares her enough to follow along with it. Ruth May says, “I told Leah that means the new soul of Africa, and he’s gone to jail and Jesus is real mad about it (Kingsolver 124),” when talking about the elected official, Patrice Lumumba. Patrice Lumumba often spoke of the gospel, so Nathan supported him, which in turn means that his opinion has an impression on Ruth May; although she doesn’t necessarily knows what that means herself, the fear of getting beat is greater than the urge to understand between what is right and what is wrong. One of the middle children, Adah, has a different opinion. Because the left

Kingsolver begins the novel with intense, vivid imagery, allowing the reader to fully engulfed in the environment, questioning where such a place exists. Kingsolver’s use of magical realism intertwines reality with fiction as she constructs the setting of the wild Congo. “Every space is filled with life: delicate, poisonous frogs war painted like skeletons, clutched in copulation, secreting their precious eggs onto dripping leaves” (1). Rich literature is woven into every sentence, loaded with foreshadowing and symbolism that the reader can only truly comprehend when the novel is over. The idiosyncratic character of the first opening pages continued to draw the reader back. Every time the opening is read again it had a different meaning depending on where the reader is in the book, and what connections have been are made.

35th President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy once said “We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda; it is a form of truth” (John). Though the art medium of writing, Barbara Kingsolver sheds light on the toxic reality of propaganda and its effects. She does this through the ostentatious character of Nathan Price, a religious zealot placed in Kilanga on a mission to spread Christianity. He represents a poisoned mind, corrupted by the beliefs of his government. In Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, Nathan Price’s despotic personality is the result of exposure to American propaganda and government prior to his years in the Congo.

The way that you develop and discover yourself and your personal attributes is largely impacted by the environment you grow up in, as shown in The Poisonwood Bible. Each member of the Price family reacts differently to their being thrown into a completely new location, culture, and livelihood; the maturation path of each child varies drastically from the others, and their exposure to the Congo impacts each of them in a different way, which we observe through each character’s language and behavior in the book. The stylistic formatting, tone, and figurative language used in Leah Price’s narratives in The Poisonwood Bible change as she grows, and the maturation of her physical structure and overall mentality correlate to her development in language throughout the story. Leah enters the Congo as a religious, rule-following adolescent from the suburbs of Bethlehem, Georgia, but as time passes and she becomes accustomed to the land, Leah begins to develop in ways that were once unforeseen by her and her family.

The Poisonwood Bible is a novel written by Barbara Kingsolver that takes place in 1950’s New Orleans and the Congo of Africa. This story written in 1998 in reflection of imperialism, The Poisonwood Bible, is a political allegory. The Price family is the center of attention, each member having a specific role in the story as well as the political allegory about the imperialism and colonization of the Congo and other third world countries of the time. The mother Orleanna is an intellectual women for her time, the 50’s where women were supposed to be obedient to their husbands, and has a distinct voice. Barbara Kingsolver creates a specific voice for Orleanna Price to serve the purpose of being the advisory

The clash of the West and Africa entails foreign situations that society must face. The Poisonwood Bible, written by Barbara Kingsolver reflects on the impact of foreign situations on how it molds the way a society develops. In the novel, children are led by the missionary father, Nathan into the Congo, where they face the task of conversion. A molding of society is evident with the Price children, in their faith and their attitudes toward the Congolese. The way each child faces their faith is distinct and molds the person they will become. This sense of identity is impacted by the father and his obsession with God and the oppression of the Congo, creating an evident “evil” the children must overcome. Universally, in any situation people face, their faith evolves and changes the way they

There are many different narrators throughout the book and Kingsolver found a way to characterize each sister individually. Rachel’s chapters always have her privileged self complaining and comparing her life in Georgia to her life in Africa now. She continually states wanting to go back home. Adah, on the other hand, explains her current situation but adds her disbelief of God and or her speculations, which adds an interesting approach because she is the daughter of a priest and of a family who is doing missionary work, so you would think she would be full of christianity. Adah, is a thinker and her disability

Women are not often given the chance to tell a story from their perspective, especially not in literature written in the 20th century, as most books were dominated by the over barring voices of a singular male narrator. The Poisonwood Bible utilizes five female narrators, setting it apart from other books as it creates five different voices all telling the same story, all teaching the same lessons. In The Poisonwood Bible, written by Barbara Kingsolver, Rachel's voice is used to demonstrate the difficulties in adapting to a culture that differs from one an individual is initially raised in.

Although there are many instances of small rebellion, the most altering is when Leah’s desire to hunt among Congolese brethren is forbidden by her father. Hunting is not seen as a probable skill a woman can succeed in therefore it insults her father tremendously. Despite his disapproval, Leah follows her heart advocating her self-worth. Leah succeeds on her hunt, killing her “first game...a young male impala” which allows her to find her strengths beyond her Father’s solitude (page number). Her victory proves to instill a new image in Leah of her foreseen potential. Not only does Leah of herself in hunting, but she discovers her skills in teaching. In Leah’s enlightenment of herself, Anatole propels her potential in both attribute’s with encouragement in her

She is a snobby, whining girl with incorrect vocabulary. We get this feel of Rachel from the style in which her point of view is written. For example she said “executrate’” instead of ‘execute’, “autography” instead of autobiography, and “precipitation” instead of ‘participation’. When Rachel goes back into the house to try to salvage one ‘important’ thing, she says; "Not my clothes, there wasn’t time, and not the Bible-it didn’t seem worth saving at that moment, so help me God. It had to be my mirror.” We as readers conclude that Rachel is a girl who cares more about her appearance, than she does for her education; she revolves around herself and is ignorant of the rest of the world. However, readers acknowledge that Rachel is the only character in the novel to truly understand that the Price family did not belong in the Congo. She asserts from the very beginning that her father wouldn't succeed in changing the natives, instead acknowledging that the Congo would change the family instead.

As a young teenager graduating high school, Leymah Gbowee had an unwavering faith in God and a bright outlook on life. Gbowee believed God heard all of her prayers and would grant all of her wishes:, “A feeling of safety enveloped me. God was good. I knew He heard all my prayers” (Gbowee 3). As the war started to reach near Gbowee’s hometown, she started to witness the true horrors that were being done to the people of Liberia. Fear overtook her life as she beheld all the destruction and death, and her belief in God diminished with each day. “ I was afraid, especially at night, but I also got more angry. They say God responds to our prayers but