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How Does Orleanna May Change Throughout The Novel

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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 …show more content…

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 …show more content…

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

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Ruth tells James about her past although she avoided and ran away from it for many years. She passed on her actions and reactions to her children, especially James, as she formed a family. James learning about his mother's past made him realize that he resembles Ruth in many ways. They both grieved on their own, but how they grieved was similar. Whether it was drugs or a bike ride, they both had their own way to run.

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This further expands on the meaning by showing the contrast of how little the Congolese care for others’ appearances when compared to the American view. The Congolese shared their view on appearances near the beginning of the novel when describing Mama Mwanza and Mama Nguza. The Americans think Orleanna became tainted while she was in the Congo. Even though Orleanna used to live in Bethlehem, the other residents of the town don’t view her the same way as they did before she went to the Congo. Adah even commented on their reception: “...welcome home the pitiful Prices!

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In the novel, The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, a missionary family travel to the African Congo during the 1960’s, in hopes of bringing enlightenment to the Congolese in terms of religion. The father, Nathan, believes wholeheartedly in his commitment, and this is ultimately his downfall when he fails to realize the damage that he is placing upon his family and onto the people living in Kilanga, and refuses to change the way he sees things. However, his wife, Orleanna, and her daughters, Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May, take the Congo in, and make the necessary changes in their lives, and they do this in order to survive with their new darkness that they are living in. Curiosity and acceptance help the ones with curious minds,

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