In the “Poisonwood Bible”, by Barbara Kingsolver, there are particular elements of exile that drive Leah Price to finding her true self, each leading her further away from the previous exile status and closer to her true self. Such instances of exile are seen as a placeholder for the next instance in which she descends into her true self and departs from her “home”. For example, when she leaves America with her family, she knows little-to-nothing about what the Congo has-in-store for her. As she loses her connection with America, she begins to rely more on Nathan Price, her father, strengthening the bond that they already had, which only leads to the imminent exile that she must face next. Her father’s mischievous behavior creates numerous circumstances that test …show more content…
Leah is consistently inspired by Anatole’s strong spirit, and often looks up to him as a role-model; this is similar to how the rest of Africa looks up to the Congo as an example of how they should fight for their independence. Throughout the last quarter of the novel, Anatole is continually going to jail/prison for his protesting and claims that he will never give up. Leah is eventually separated from her family when the family leaves Nathan, shortly after ruth May’s death. Once she leaves her “home again, she turns to Anatole for her provider. He accepts the responsibility of taking care of Leah and eventually the two conceive a child, and eventually have even more children. With the occasional disappearance of Anatole - he goes to jail all the time - Leah becomes an independent, responsible parent and provides for their children’s needs to the best of her ability. She now has people relying on her instead of vice-versa. This is a major turning point within Leah’s journey and almost consolidates the journey’s end, although her story still