Essay On The Poisonwood Bible

How do you describe the characteristics and requirements of a real “home”? In the Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, the outspoken and bold character known as Leah Price experiences a major rift between her family and former American homelife that leads her to transfer her obsessions over acceptance by her father to the conflict within the Congo and her lover, Anatole. Leah’s failure to receive the approval from her father through religious excellence and prestige along with the death of her youngest sister, Ruth May, led her to resent the ideals and oppressive hand that her father had implemented since her birth. Anatole’s evident acceptance and admiration of Leah’s individuality allowed Leah to feel fulfilled in her need for acceptance by a

However, she continues to excuse her obsessions with the pure intentions for God’s work and assistance. The way Leah mentioned that she wanted her devotion to exceed all others also shows Leah’s perception of the competition between her and the rest of her siblings. This mention of competition helps to further display that Leah is willing to endure the grueling heat of the african sun in order to gain the highest approval of her father. Her efforts to excel in the eyes of her father were intertwined with her motivation to succeed in the eyes of God in a variety of areas and actions. Along with gardening and cultivation, Leah strove to impress her father through her dedication to memorizing the Bible and all of her father’s ideals and religious beliefs. Her twin sister, Adah, even labeled Leah as Nathan’s “star pupil” in regards to her knowledge in the Bible. This helps to show the commitment Leah had to Nathan’s judgement and conservative ideals that marked those of the Congo as rotten and sinful in the eyes of God. Due to her dedication and choice to follow the ideas and footsteps of her father, Leah was unable to see the Congolese