Nathan Price In Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible

Throughout the whole novel, Mr. Price acts very selfishly. The stressful move to Africa did not relieve his self-centered ways. He moved his family across the Atlantic Ocean and into a very different lifestyle than the one in which they had currently been living. This was a very conceited act. Not only is Nathan greedy, he is also stubborn as a mule. “It’s hard to imagine a mortal man more unwilling to change his course than Nathan Price” (Page 96). This is a problem for the entire family. His headstrong personality puts his family in a lot of situations they would have liked to avoid. The women in his life always seem to be the last thing on his mind. Whether it is the fact that he embarasses them or puts them in danger, it does not seem to matter to him.

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.

Emily Dickinson once stated “saying nothing...sometimes says the most”. This is very true in Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible when Adah chooses to keep silent and not waste her days speaking about pointless things. She only speaks when she absolutely has to, which is not often. Maybe she only stayed mute because of Emily Dickinson’s opinion, but she also stayed silent because she thought it was funny and out of spite for her bleak prognosis from doctors. People think she is strange for doing this,but most assume her silence is due to her hemiplegia, as the doctors diagnosed. Her silence is a feature of her “slant”, or her entire identity (439). Adah also has other significant features of her personality, such as sarcasm and her love of palindromes. In The Poisonwood Bible, Adah Price’s syntax and diction aid in creating her odd characterization.

Since the beginning of slavery, leaders called on their faith to justify the immoral actions of the slave trade. These strong preachers for their communities’ strategically defined the meanings of scriptures to sway members into the ideals of North vs. South. Richard Furman and John G. Fee are historical activists using scripture to inform the community of their views. Both figures, arguments juxtaposed reveal the stark differences in their interpretations of the connection between human nature and scripture.

From the time people are born to their last moments of childhood, they invest in an object of security, something to keep them safe, something to always be there. The true mark of adulthood comes from abandoning this security item to walk forward without any weight. Just like all people, Leah in Barbara Kingsolver’s “The Poisonwood Bible” was no different. Leah spent her whole life clinging on to her father, Nathan, and as a result, she was blinded to what truly mattered to her. The loving presence of a family could not be seen behind his controlling ways. Her dependence on him kept herself from realizing whom she actually cared about. Moreover, the reliance on Nathan meant her actions were truly not her own. Rather

The novel The Poisonwood Bible begins with a narrative directive that grasps the reader’s attention. It suggests everything that is about to occur can only be witnessed by the people of Africa. Portraying a hint that something is going to happen to their family that leads them to ruins. I believe the “you” Orleanna is speaking to is the daughter that she lost in Congo as she introduces herself as “Southern Baptist by marriage, mother of children living and dead” (Kingsolver 7). This reveals the biggest disaster that occured during their time in Congo. Orleanna speaks from a time in the future to further enhance the feeling of guilt. She feels that she helped her husband accomplish his ungodly actions while failing to properly take care of her children. Kingsolver uses traits to differentiate the voices of each sister, which allows the reader to single handedly pick them out in a crowd if needed. Ruth May is exhibited as a child by the manipulation of grammar to make her sound more childlike. Kingsolver uses high sophistication to develop Adah’s voice making her one of the most intelligent of the four sisters which is ironic considering her decision to remain silent. Leah is blunt and straightforward reflecting her true nature. Lasly Rachel reflects her snobbish and conceited attitude through her short sentences. Adah Price’s voice is the most compelling to me for her large span of vocabulary and simply her injury. Reading her chapters are the most interesting based off of

First of all, power corrupts the best of us, the ones we thought would never be corrupted. For example, the tender woman in Douglass’ narrative the one who fed the hungry

A story that still sticks with me from the book was when a young girl pinched the man and he responded with, “Ouch, have you lost your mind?” The girl responded, “That did not hurt you, you can’t feel” (Thurman). She looked at him as if he was not human, like he was not capable of feeling pain. I wonder if it was from so many stories like this that African Americans didn’t think whites were capable of love. This girl’s worldview effected on how she treated a person. Multiple factors play into worldview and how one defines a human.

In The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, the setting, Congo, presents the reader with plethora of foreshadowing, analogies, and anthropomorphism. Through literary devices, Congo showcases emotions, ideas, and personality to create another character and add another dimension to Price family’s story. In the beginning of the story, Congo speaks its pessimistic view on the Price family’s mission through analogy. When the Price family arrives at Congo, one of the first things Nathan tries to teach is his farming technique.

Though not prohibiting slavery, it warns slaveholders to manage their lesser men with an upmost vigilance recalling that they themselves are similarly suppressed by an even higher being. Nevertheless, Christian slave holders are deemed to be most unusually cruel. They alter the bible’s teachings in order to support their own practices. “Religion of the South is a mere covering for the most horrid crimes,—a justifier of the most appalling barbarity,—a sanctifier of the most hateful frauds… [It is the] dark shelter under, which the foulest, grossest, and most infernal deeds of slaveholders find their strongest protection” (Douglas, 117). By conjuring the most abstruse interpretations of Christian teachings, they justify their actions thus allowing for their purposeful ignorance. During his bondage under Captain Auld, Frederick Douglas observes his master consoling “religious sanction for his cruelty” (Douglas, 98). When he relentlessly whips a lame young woman and then exhibits her lacerated nude body for countless hours, he justifies his bloody deed with the Scripture quote: “He that knoweth his master’s will, and doeth it not, shall be beaten with many stripes” (Douglas, 99). This girl’s supposed disobedience, however, actually proves to be helplessness, as she is impaired with the inefficacy of her hands which were burnt in a fire. Captain Auld finds religious vindications promoting his punishment of the girl’s inabilities while,

In The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingslayer shows that differences in values and appearance between Africans and the Western world causes cultural arrogance and slavery of the ‘inferior’ race of Africa. There are many other themes depicted in the novel, but this is a main theme that occurs throughout the entire story. The Price family gets thrown into the unstable Congo and the women, not including close-minded Rachel or preadolescent Ruth May, learn how they were wrong about being above Africans. Kingslayer uses the Price family to show how white people misinterpreted Africans and change from feeling ‘superior’ to feeling guilty about what they did to their country.

gives insight on how slavery negatively affected slaves and slaveholders. The “poison of irresponsible power” that the slaveholders have, can turn innocent people into dehumanizing, power hungry devils (Douglass 39). Douglass shares these experiences with us by using profound characterization,and flashbacks throughout his book.

Over many centuries power has been obtained in many ways, in stories, novels, and even films. However, there are three main components that shows up again and again. Some have gained power through gender, race, or social class. Harper Lee’s novel To Kill A Mockingbird demonstrates many things as they relate to power. In the book Mayella expresses power when she accuses a black man of raping her, when really her father is abusing her.

Cleverly, Gaines addresses the concerns of change, menace of ignorance and the role of religion in the South during James’s encounter with the preacher and college student in the dentist’s waiting room. Gaines introduces a college student, likewise known as “that boy with that book,” a character foreshadowing the emerging transformation in American society as more people have the opportunity to pursue education (5). Equally important is the preacher. Though his skin color remains conceal, it is infer he is a man of color seeing the office “is where most of the colored people come” (5). In contrast to the student, the preacher represents an earlier generation of Black males that affirms the social norm and exercise religion as a means of peacefully avoiding confrontation. One of the dilemmas facing society is people lack questioning of White authority. Obeying white people is an idea express for an extensive amount of time. In a way, any idea of repulsing suppression is obstruct due to the fear of a developing society. According to the student, everything should be questioned, “every stripe, every star, every words spoken” (5). The student protests against the preacher, “you believe in God because a man told you to believe in God… a white man told you to believe in God... and why… to keep you ignorant so he can keep his feet on your neck” (6). As long as the preacher continues to believe in God, he is indeed a victim to white male suppression. Moreover, the student explains to the preacher, “as long as you listen to what your heart tells

It is crucial for students in American history and literature classes to continue studying the harsh realities of slavery and how something so vile was sustained for hundreds of years. In order to ensure slavery does not happen again, people must be aware of the causes in the first place. In present-day America, it is easy to assume that individuals are above enslaving others, but, in Douglass’ narrative, he describes how having too much power results in corruption, regardless of an individual’s morals. “That cheerful eye, under the influence of slavery, soon became red with rage; that voice, made all of sweet accord, changed to one of harsh and horrid discord; and that angelic face gave place to that of a demon” (Douglass 960). Fredrick Douglass saw firsthand the changes that took place within Mrs. Auld, his owner, when she was given absolute authority over him. Prior to having this control over another human, Mrs. Auld was a compassionate individual. However, she began abusing her power and acting out in cruel ways towards Douglass once she realized that she could. This is not to say that Mrs. Auld was an immoral person; but rather, she, like any other human, fell victim to the corruption that ensues once given absolute power. Students today must understand the implications and dangers of a single person having absolute authority. They must understand that, when given this kind of power, their morals and judgement would be compromised. This one of the main factors that allowed slavery to continue for so long in the United States with little sympathy for those enslaved. By reading Douglass’ point of view as a slave, the reader is transported into his time, into his shoes; readings such as these provide the kind of insight necessary to avoid repeating this dark part of American