The Poisonwood Bible Analysis

Book two is entitled “The Revelation” and the girls’ sections is entitled “The Things We Learned.” The Revelation was intended to mainly the Price family, excluding the father. The theme revelation has another definition: apocalypse. In the bible, the apocalypse leads to destruction and demise right before when God makes it a better place. In connection to the book, at this time the new prime minister, Patrice Lumumba was elected. This election set the stage for the independence movement in the Congo. In addition, Methuselah (the parrot) passes away as soon as he is freed, after being banned from liberation for most of his life. This foretells the destiny of Congo and the delicate independence they acquired. The Book of Revelation explains about how God’s creation encountered savagery and anguish so that it will become altered. The Belgian doctor who treats Ruth May for her broken arm has a little conflict with the Reverend. He prophesies that Congo will experience savagery and anguish if it changes to a self-determining state from a colony. In the Revelation section of the story, all the members of the Price family come to face a new sense of comprehension about the Congo’s culture, plants, animals and tradition. Throughout the book, the characters go through many hardships and success which permits them to learn

1. Barbara Kingsolver explores a quest in her novel “The Poisonwood Bible”. The criteria of a quest consist of a quester, a destination, a purpose, challenges, and reasons for the quest. In this instance the quester is Orlenna Price whom demonstrate guilt consistently. Orlenna is going there to accompany her husband, who is seeking to convert others. She feels guilty due to the death of her daughter and now that guilt remains as one of the challenges she faces. This is mostly transparent when she says “How do we aim to live with it?” (Kingsolver 9). Her guilt revolves around the destination to the Congo. Due to the Congo her one of her children survives. Now she has to deal with that challenge which is her guilt.

There is strong juxtaposition in The Poisonwood Bible when it comes to American versus Congolese culture. While Mama Mwanza is viewed as equal in the Congo for her disability, Adah is considered an outcast in American society because of her hemiplegia. Ruth May talks about Mama Mwanza’s disability as if it is something strange, yet she reveals that the people living in their village do not look at Mama Mwanza as any different from them. She says that “Why, they just don’t let on, like she was a regular person. Nobody bats their eye when she scoots by on her hands and goes on down to her field or the river to wash clothes with the other ladies that work down there every day.” The phrasing of this implies that the Price family looks at Mama Mwanza

During the beginning of the Price family’s arrival at the Congo, the family settles in an unfamiliar land of Kilanga and Nathan is being portrayed as the physical representation of the American perspective on the African people by creating conflict. Since the family is from Georgia, the surroundings and the atmosphere of

One of which, is proving her newfound independence by participating in the village hunt of Kilanga. Before her move to the Congo, an obedient Leah would have never done anything as rebellious as this because Nathan would not have allowed it. This is evident in his failed attempt to stop her, “”(). Leah is victorious, winning the hunt by the kill of a young male impala. A man named Tata Ndu steals her meat and leaves nothing but a leg for Leah because he is embarrassed at the fact a girl possesses enough skill to beat him. As a result, Leah feels disrespected and discriminated against. Though she may not realize it at the time, Leah now relates to the Congolese on a larger scale. Just as her meat was taken from her, the Price family poses a threat to forcibly replace Congolese culture with their own Christian ideology. This is similar to when the United States of America have the Congolese Prime Minister, Patrice Lumumba, assassinated. Leah feels responsible and bears all the guilt because she knows that her people killed their treasured leader. After experiencing both occasions of loss, Leah begins to see from the Congo’s perspective, rather than her father’s. At that moment, it is clear that Leah has changed for the better. From that point, she begins a mission of her own. Her sole purpose consisting of fighting for justice in the Congo, rather than converting it to Nathan’s treacherous view of Christianity. This she does by educating the Congolese as an elementary school teacher. In the fullness of time, Leah’s determination to justify portrays Kingsolver’s message to the reader. The Congo is mistreated by outside entities, and anyone who claims to care for the Congo, cares for the wrong

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.

The novel The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver centered around a missionary family in the Congo. The patriarch of the family, Nathan Price tries to convert the villagers living in Kilanga while his family struggles with the culture shock of moving from Georgia to Africa. Kingsolver’s use of different narrators--cycling through the four daughters and the mother--made the story more nuanced and fully developed the characterization of the Price family. Nathan’s obsession and ultimate downfall was a highlight of the book, especially as it was seen from a variety of perspectives. The reader first discovers Nathan’s erratic behavior through the eyes of the second eldest daughter Adah who never had a good relationship with

Barbara Kingsolver is the author of many well-written pieces of literature including The Poisonwood Bible. This novel explores the beauty and hardships that exist in the Belgian Congo in 1959. Told by the wife and four daughters of a fierce Baptist, Nathan Price, Kingsolver clearly captures the realities this family and mission went through during their move to the Congo. The four daughters were raised in Atlanta Georgia in the 1950’s therefore entering the Congo with preconceived racial beliefs, and a very different way of life than they would soon experience. Throughout The Poisonwood Bible Kingsolver explores the importance and impact of faith, and a religion based on your own private beliefs.

The Poisonwood Bible is a book about a man named Nathan Price who takes his wife and four daughters on a mission into the Congo. All of their ups and downs are documented throughout the story. This novel was written by Barbara Kingsolver in 1998. This story was inspired from her own personal trip that her father took her on, to the Congo, where they lived without and water, electricity, and many other necessities. During the time period that this book was being written, a lot of feminist and post-colonial literature was being acknowledged. Feminist literature is both nonfiction and fiction that supports women by defending political, economic and social rights for women. Many works of feminist literature depict strong willed women who

Throughout a lifetime, many things are gained; experience, wisdom, knowledge, as well as a sure sense of self. But along with all these great things come regret, guilt, and shame of past events. Everyone deals with these in different ways, sometimes turning to religion and denial as coping mechanisms. In the novel The Poisonwood Bible, By Barbara Kingsolver, each member of the Price family deals with a personal guilt either gained while on their mission in the Congo or long before. This novel exemplifies the different types of guilt the Price family experienced throughout their stay in the Congo, and shows various means of reconciliation and forgiveness as the guilt is absolved.

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.

In The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver uses symbolism within her characters to portray the insidious nature of Western civilization asserting their ideals and politics into the post-colonial African Congo, undercut with a description of the events of the time.

Opinions, self-assurance, and knowledge – these aspects of one’s character constantly develop throughout one’s lifetime. In some cases, opinions shift from one end of the spectrum to the opposite end of the spectrum, while the knowledge gained from the world guides one to become more self-assured. In The Poisonwood Bible, Leah, the daughter of a passionate preacher, gains several unfamiliar experiences after moving to Congo such as the peoples’ way of life and insight on what the Africans think about her family. Throughout The Poisonwood Bible, Kingsolver thoughtfully uses textual features such as figurative language, syntax, and tone to show how Leah’s character gradually progresses from a blinded worshiper who wants nothing more than to follow in her father’s footsteps to an individualistic young woman who strives to live a life without her father’s influence. To begin the novel, Kingsolver establishes Leah’s beliefs by utilizing different forms of figurative language.

This can be read as a religious allegory because it talks about the Baptist missionaries. They had to deal with the rejection from the Congolese people. The Congolese people rejected the religion and the Price family since they were white. The Price family also had to deal with the same diseases and situations as the people of the Congo. They had to sleep with mosquito nets or the mosquitos would have eaten them alive. Some of the Prices (Leah, Adah and Orleanna) almost got eaten by

Each and every conscious moment during this time period was devoted to the service of becoming a servant to the Lord just as her father has done. This righteous pursuit of divine wisdom will become a flaw to God’s plan. Violently pursuing her father instead of the Lord reveals the hypocrisy of her pre-Congo beginnings showing that Leah was not at all striving for the image of Jesus, but instead an accepted clone of her father. This scenario is seen in two ways, one as the reflection of a father and daughter relationship and two as a direct reflection of society. Since the Poisonwood Bible is a political allegory, Leah’s actions and ideals are seen as a comparison to the United States. This quest for independence is being molded by the influence of outside forces, for example Great Britain’s influence in the setup of government in the United States, which shows that even though this country knows what they want they also want what is comfortable. Leah wants her father’s acceptance and guidance in the United States because that is how a child learns right from wrong. This is also how a child develops their political ideologies and beliefs. Leah bases her ideas not only off her Father, but also his teachings of the Bible. She knows that for her to have a secure life she must follow the teachings her father gives. While living her years in the United States, Leah is very dependent on her Father’s actions in order to shape her own.