Poisonwood Bible Analysis

The Poisonwood Bible is the story of the Price family and their journey in the Congo. The novel is told from the perspective of the daughters Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May. The family suffers because of their father Nathan Price’s selfishness. The villainous acts of Nathan result in the loss of a family member and the feeling of guilt bestowed among all of the characters.

This is apparent by the use of the character’s perspective about nature and the ultimate result it has upon them. This is in its most apparent shape when Orleanna says “We aimed for no more than to have dominion over every creature that moved upon the earth... Now you laugh, day and night, while you gnaw on my bones. But what else could we have thought? Only that it began and ended with us. What do we know, even now?” (Kingsolver 10). This quote by Orleanna about nature, shows the true power of it regarding the motifs of freedom and captivity. This is seen because of the fact that there is a progression and a change of thought that quickly evolves from the family and her thinking that they had the freedom to have dominion over nature, to she surrendering to nature and saying that she is captive forever because of nature that nature instead of being loving, betrayed her and is now seeking for the forgiveness of it. Another way this is seen it when Leah said “Its heavenly paradise in the Congo, and sometimes I want to live here forever,” (104). This extract from the novel at first glance may not seem like an important passage, but it is considering the fact that she feels that she has the motifs of freedom and love at her grasp as she feels free in the Congo and loves it. This ultimately will not last as their contrasting motifs will eventually kick in making her a prisoner of the Congo by her own merits keeping her captive in there for the rest of her life, while also betraying her because the land and the nature inside it made her lose her little sister. Finally, this connects to the thesis and the other paragraphs because of the fact that it shows this hope versus reality situation which is created when these motifs are combined, furthermore it shows the colorfulness of life in the book because of the fact that it shows the way

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.

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.

Throughout many novels different characters are sent to a new place to explore and find new things in life. An excellent example would be how the characters in the novel Poisonwood Bible explore a new lifestyle in the Congo. While they are there they have to learn how to adapt to a new life, and they try and teach the Congolese people how to worship the God, Jesus Christ. Even though the Congolese people may believe in different Gods, the Price family, especially Nathan feels that it is their duty to teach them different ways. Thus the poem We Grow Accustomed To The Dark by Emily Dickinson, is similar because it is talking about how people become accustomed to a different lifestyle just like the Price family did in the Poisonwood Bible. In

“The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbara Kingsolver inclusion of Orleanna’s guilt contributes to how not taking action is as bad as doing the act. Orleanna continuously disregarded the way she and her children were treated and was determined to ignore it by doing this, manifested leading to her living in misery for the rest of her life.

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 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

Whenever someone goes to a new place, they have to adapt to their surroundings and often times it causes changes in their behaviors. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is a novel about a pastor who takes his family to the Belgian Congo on a mission to spread his Christian beliefs to the Congolese. The mother and four daughters taken to the Congo were all affected by the Congo environment, which in turn lead to changes in their psychological and moral traits. The character that is affected the most by her new environment is Leah Price. She is affected by the Congolese culture and how they do things differently from Americans. Kingsolver portrays these changes in the character to show how after one has a life-changing experience, it may

Through Orleanna Price, the reader learns that upon marriage, Nathan was drafted for the war. While on the Philippine shore, his company fought their way into Luzon. After being struck in the head with a shell fragment, Nathan was spotted on the beach and picked up by a PT boat. It wasn’t until a few days later that Nathan learned that his fellow soldiers did not make it out alive. Orleanna states, “It would permanently curl one soldier’s heart like a piece of shoe leather” (196). Nathan’s guilt for surviving the war makes him fearless when placed in dangerous situations, such as life in the Congo. Not only does Nathan Price carry the burden of guilt throughout the novel, but Orleanna does as well. Upon the death of Ruth May, Orleanna carries the guilt of not guiding her daughters out of the Congo to safety. Orleanna states, “The substance of grief if not imaginary. It’s as real as rope or the absence of air, and like both those things it can kill. My body understood there was no safe place for me to be” (381). Through these words, Orleanna expresses to the reader that guilt can truly never be escaped. Its burden will follow you wherever you

LIST OF MAJOR EVENTS, SCENES, SPEECHES / SIGNIFICANT CONVERSATIONS Orleanna marries nathan (book 3, chapter 26) The prices enter Africa (Book 1 chapter 2) Nathan tries to grow his garden but fails (book 1 chapter 6) The underdowns evacuate Africa but Nathan refuses to leave(book 2 chapter 9) Leah participates in the hunt much against her father’s wishes and the chief's wishes.

In the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Nathan opposes the views of the entire village and the country. Although, Nathan's views conflict with African society, that doesn't stop him from trying to convert them. Nathan's brash behavior creates chaos and eventually splits his family apart. Nathans past and personality explain why he feels like the missionary work is essential in the Congo. Nathan’s case is symbolic of the colonization of Africa by the western culture.

As children develop, their attitude and perspective on viewpoints changes. They become more mature and aware of their situation and surroundings. In The Poisonwood Bible, Baptist pastor Nathan Price, his wife Orleanna, and daughters Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May travels to the Congo on a mission trip. Throughout the story, the children are exposed to the cultural differences of the Congo and their home state of Georgia, but because of Nathan’s focus on his pastoral duties while in the Congo, he does not present himself as a father figure for the daughters. Because of this, the daughters are left to mature and figure out their surroundings on their own which gives the story its core.

Barbara Kingsolver’s, The Poisonwood Bible, is a story about the lives of the Price Family women and how a year of missionary work while living in the Congo forever changed their lives. A very important aspect of the plot in The Poisonwood Bible is that the husband of the Price family, Nathan, is the entire reason for the story. His unyielding desire to become a missionary and carry out what he believed to be God’s work is what led to the families living in the Congo and destroying the bonds the Prices had with each other. Throughout the story Nathan Price is presented as an arrogant southern Baptist preacher with a twisted sense of his place in the world. Having no regard for women as anything but housewives with little intelligence, he is depicted as an abusive husband and father. Nathan Price is described as being a changed man from his younger days. Fighting in WWII had changed him for life.

Barbara Kingsolver was born in 1955, and she grew up in the farmlands of Kentucky. She has lived all over the world, including destinations such as the Canary Islands, Mexico, and South America. She currently lives in southwest Virginia. She was named one of the most important writers of the 20th century by Writer 's Digest. She also established the Bellwether prize for fiction, which helps new authors get recognized for their fantastic work.