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Significance Of Ruth May In The Poisonwood Bible

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In the novel “The Poisonwood Bible” author Barbara Kingsolver uses the Congo’s physical, cultural, and geographical surroundings to help shape the character Ruth May as an important, overall figure in the story. Her character impacted the lives of Kilinga but was also used as an important turning point for her mother as well. With that being said the character of Ruth May is made to be one of the most important throughout the book and helps mold the story into the literary merit worthy novel it is. In the novel, Ruth May is a five year old girl who moves to the Congo with her family on mission work. The author gives Ruth May’s character the personality of a adventurous, lovely and intelligent little girl who is able to keep up with the older …show more content…

It is no doubt that “The Poisonwood Bible” has some references to the actual Bible, and every character has its reference to a character in the Bible. Ruth May comes from the book of
Ruth. Culturally the Price’s are a deep belief in the Christian religion and that’s their reason for going to the congo in the first place. The character of Ruth May comes from the character Ruth in the Bible. In the book of Ruth when her family members die she chooses to stay by her step-mother's side. In the Poisonwood Bible, Ruth May is believed to be the most attached to her mother and needs the most attention from her. When her mother got sick and was bedridden for a while Ruth May choose to stay by her mother's side. Ruth in the Bible, she was a form of foreigner in a way. When the Price family moved to the Congo the people of Kalinga considered them as outsiders as well as the the Price family feeling out of place when they first arrived to the village. When first arriving to the Congo, Ruth May was worried about how she would fit in and if she would stand out as much to the people of the Kalinga village and would the lifestyle would be the same. It's safe to say that Ruth May was one of the most liked members of the

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