How Does Orleanna May Change Throughout The Novel

Orleanna’s third exile: Her family scattering after Ruth May’s death. Orleanna doesn’t see Leah or Rachel much after this point. Ruth May symbolizes Lumumba rather than an entire country; His loss was felt as heavily by the Congo as Ruth May’s death was felt by the Price family. When Ruth May died Orlanna began her return to America but only got there with one of her daughters. Keeping in mind that Orleanna represents the Congo, this brings up Rachel’s statement about how “ ... if you think about it, the Africans are running all over America right now, having riots for their civil rights and predominating the sports and popular-music industries.” (Kingsolver 619) This point of the novel references karma. People from all around the world tried

One such occasion was Ruth May’s own thoughts when she got malaria while Orleanna was ill. Ruth May wanted to watch over the Congo unobserved, which she figured she could do just as easily while dead. Ruth May mentioned how she would like to be the eyes of the forest, and she talked about how she imagined she would only feel safe when above the trees. Pastan’s “... / and a dozen new accidents / turn over in their sleep, / waiting to happen.” (18-20) describes how Orleanna felt both shortly after losing and long after she lost Ruth May, during the many times she spent reflecting and evaluating her life. Ruth May’s death is the shatter point of the novel where each character goes off in their own direction. Technically Nathan didn’t strike off in his own direction, he just got left behind. Nathan’s path was cemented when he first agreed to go to the

That if none of us confessed it, we could hold back the curse that was going to be our history.” (Kingsolver 438) regarding Ruth May’s death, and shortly afterward flew away from the Congo to another part of Africa with Eeben Axelroot. Adah went home to America with Orleanna, and Leah hopped back and forth between America and the Congo with her husband and children. After Ruth May’s death, Orleanna never saw her entire family together again until after her family shrank down by one living Nathan. After the exile of Nathan was confirmed to be permanently over, Orleanna went back to the Congo and met with all three of her surviving daughters. This part could expand on the meaning of the story as a whole in country-view as years later the Congo begins to join world relations again years after the incident of Lumumba’s death. However, the Congo only did so after killing off the remaining Americans in the Congo and when they did join the world relations they found other countries’ attitudes remained much unchanged from how they were back in Lumumba’s time. The main reason Orleanna went back to the Congo was to find Ruth May’s