Meals In Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible

Meals in literature often represent something bigger, bringing communities together in a form of communion. However, this is not the case; in The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, the meals are ironic they help to show discord and strife among the characters of the book. She uses meals to foreshadow future events, reveal the flaws of the characters, and as the book progresses, allows for the reader to see character development. In novel, Kingsolver twists the normal connotation of a meal and makes it ironic in order to demonstrate the discord and strife that is commonplace throughout the book that shows the lack of community between the Prices and those they interact with for most of the book.
Through the welcome feast that the Kilongese throw at the beginning of the book, Kingsolver creates an impression for the reader that perhaps the Prices will get along with the natives; however, she shatters that possibility with the meal that follows. This first meal of the book is extremely important because it acts as a harbinger of events and trends that will occur in the rest of the novel. Before the actual food is revealed, Kingsolver has Rachel

Kingsolver gives hints about Rachel’s future during the meal as well as Nathan’s and Leah’s: although she does not directly say it outright, her attitude during Brother Fowles’ visit seem slightly derogatory, such as “So back to the kitchen for Rachel the slave!” and “That goes without saying…given his marital situation” (246), with regards to the fact that Brother Fowles loves the Kilongese and their culture. This fact makes sense, because in the end Rachel ends up the most like her father of all of the daughters. Overall, the meal with Fowles helps to further foreshadow the future of the characters in the