ipl-logo

The Poisonwood Bible Character Analysis

490 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Touchy subjects on the poisonwood bible

Leah Price is a little girl who grows up in a strongly devout household that relocates to the Belgian Congo as missionaries in Barbara Kingsolver's novel The Poisonwood Bible. Leah's childhood in the Congo and exposure to African culture had a significant impact on how she developed psychologically and morally. Leah gains a strong sense of independence, a great affinity with the Congolese people and their difficulties, and a rejection of her father's fundamentalist religious beliefs as a result of her experiences. Leah's surroundings in the Congo physically influence her character by giving her a sense of independence, to start. She has no access to the comforts of her upbringing in the United States, so she must learn to adjust and become …show more content…

Leah forms a strong bond with the Congolese people and their culture, which stands in stark contrast to her father's limited perspectives on religion and civilization. Leah declares, "I love the people here. I love the way they act and think" (Kingsolver, 319). She becomes aware of the negative repercussions of her father's mission and Western influence on the African continent as a result of her empathy for the Congolese people. Last but not least, Leah's environment influences her morality by exposing her to the injustices and oppression experienced by the Congolese people. She personally witnesses the Belgian conquerors' exploitation of the Congolese people as well as the damaging effects of Western influence on the African continent. Leah's rejection of her father's fundamentalist religious views and his foolish attempts to force them on the Congolese people shapes her moral character. According to her, "he is incapable of seeing anything from any point of view but his own, and when challenged, he only becomes more stubborn and righteous" (Kingsolver, 391). Because Leah recognizes the value of cultural diversity and the necessity for acceptance and empathy for others, she rejects her father's

Show More
Related

Poisonwood Bible Character Analysis

296 Words | 2 Pages

The author of the book, Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver uses powerful imagery to demonstrate how Leah puts down Mama Tataba when she first meets her. She does this with one of the characters, Mama Tataba. When the characters first meet Mama Tataba, Leah described her as "a little jet-black woman. Her elbows stuck out like wings.

Read More

Analysis Of The Poisonwood Bible By Barbara Kingsolver

1066 Words | 5 Pages

The Poisonwood Bible is a novel by Barbara Kingsolver. It is set in the late 1950’s in a small village in the Congo where a fanatically religious man named Nathan Price forced his wife and four children on a mission trip to bring the word of God to the villagers of Kilanga. The story is told from the points of view of the Price women: The matriarch Orleanna, and her daughters Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May. While there are some issues with the writing style of The Poisonwood Bible, it tackles tough topics such as racial, gender, religious, and political inequality and tension through the voices of these five women in a completely real and relatable way that makes it a book not easily forgotten.

Read More

Sacrifice In The Poisonwood Bible

891 Words | 4 Pages

Leah’s tone of contempt towards her father is clear in the previous passage, and she also challenges the importance of the state of Ruth May’s soul, which shows a significant change in her earlier, more submissive and naïve, self. Her absolute belief in her father earlier in the novel is characterized when she says “His [Nathan’s] devotion to its [the garden’s] progress, like his

Read More

Character Analysis: The Poisonwood Bible

765 Words | 4 Pages

Henry Fisher Mrs. Hillesland AP English 11 11 December 2015 Strength in Numbers Skilled writers take different approaches in their narration to accurately convey their message. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, is a novel about the Prices, a religious family who moves from Georgia a village in the Congo. Their story, which parallels the western appearance into our current era, is told through multiple narrators: Orleanna—Nathan Price 's wife, and their four daughters--Rachel, Leah, Adah, Ruth May. Kingsolver wrote her novel through the eyes of the five Price women to constitute a parallel between the unrest in the Congo, and the Price family who is abused by Nathan. Therefore, he represents the western exploitation of Africa and

Read More

In The Lake Of The Woods Character Analysis

1047 Words | 5 Pages

Can mere mortals with hold magical abilities? In the Lake of The Woods, a mystery war novel written by Tim O’Brien, whose major theme is that not every problem has a solution, but may present a different outlook on the problem and aspects surrounding it. The main character, John Wade, uses magic to hide his manipulation and deception in order to put on a smiling face on a daily basis. As a result of wanting to carry on his deceit, he ventures into the political world, while putting his wife,Kathy Wade, through misery. Kathy hated the political life style and gatherings, in this degree she was secretly relieved when he was unable to become a U.S. Senator.

Read More

Rachel Saint A Star In The Jungle Summary

641 Words | 3 Pages

Janet and Geoff Benge’s Rachel Saint: A Star in the Jungle The Benges’ moral theme makes Rachel Saint: A Star in the Jungle a great book to read because it teaches the difficult life lesson of pursuing the difficult tasks when it is apparent that it is necessary. Growing up in a modest Christian home, Rachel Saint taught her younger brothers all about Christ. Rachel knew from a young age that she wanted to become a missionary, specifically the Auca tribe. Being unaccepting of foreign people and extremely violent, the Aucas scared many missionaries away from their tribe.

Read More

Growth And Change In Octavia Butler's The Parable Of The Sower

1902 Words | 8 Pages

For instance “Determined to create a better world beyond her walled‐off cul‐de‐sac, Lauren eventually leads several characters of diverse races, genders, and ages on a quest to establish a community in the spirit of Earthseed—a religion Lauren crafts in the wake of a world literally on fire” (Hill). Butler demonstrates how Lauren is uniquely qualified to lead Earthseed to become a widespread religious movement due to the convergence of her gender, race, and disability. In many ways, Lauren's position as a Black woman in such a violent world makes her extremely vulnerable. ’’ Earthseed deifies the cosmic pervasiveness of change with a simple statement: “God is Change” (Morris). However, because of this vulnerability, Lauren is better able to understand the value of interdependence and community, which improves her ability to reach out to others and convert them to Earthseed.

Read More

Llewellyn Moss Character Analysis

665 Words | 3 Pages

After reading the entire novel it is easy for readers to grasp the fact that Llewellyn Moss is a very dynamic character. At many different times in the novel Moss use some characteristics that contradict some of his other characteristics. In the very first chapter readers get their first description of Moss, and this is also where readers develop their first impression of him. From what is said about Moss in the first chapter readers are able to form their own opinion about what kind of person he is. For example, when Moss was in the desert and he shot the deer but did not kill it “He leaned [over] and spat.

Read More

Nathan Price Character Analysis

994 Words | 4 Pages

From Georgia to the Belgian Congo, a white southern missionary family during the late 1950’s moved to Africa with the hopes of exposing the native people to the Christian way of life. Throughout the novel, the Price family is met with many obstacles while trying to learn this new culture in which they were surrounded. Many of the obstacles were directly due to their ignorance of the country. A character in the novel, Leah Price, was faced with the challenge of following her father’s will but also assimilating to the people of Congo. Leah was the older twin, and a young, free-spirited, passionate girl who once worshipped her father and believed in his philosophy.

Read More

As Simple As Snow By Gregory Galloway Character Analysis

1795 Words | 8 Pages

Literature 1 Michael Arroyo August 28, 2015 4th Period “As Simple As Snow” by Gregory Galloway “As Simple as Snow” is a mystery novel made in 2005 that may confuse people’s minds with all the art, magic, codes, and love while reading. As a teen age boy who wants to find the secrets his girlfriend who left behind all these mysteries after her odd disappearance. It also tells about the lost gothic girl, Anna Cayne, who meets the young high-school aged narrator. Throughout the postcards, a shortwave radio, various CDs, and many other irregular interest.

Read More

Under The Feet Of Jesus Character Analysis

658 Words | 3 Pages

In Helena Maria Viramontes’ novel, Under the Feet of Jesus, Estrella starts off as angsty and confused, but then shifts to a state of contentment and understanding, caused by life experiences. These character traits are revealed through the selection of detail, figurative language, and tone. Initially, Estrella is immediately characterized as “very angry” when she finds Perfecto’s “foreign” toolbox. She uses a tone of confusion that illustrates her unfamiliarity with the objects in the tool box by using words such as “funny-shaped”, and using a simile comparing her confusion with the tools to the alphabet which Estrella “could not decipher”.

Read More

Into The Woods Character Analysis

1519 Words | 7 Pages

According to Victor and Edith Turner, a liminoid pilgrimage is a “[rite] of transition marked by three phases: separation, limen or margin, and aggregation” (p. 2). In Stephen Sondheim's Into The Woods, all of the characters go to the woods and take part in those same three phases outlined by the Turners. They learn lessons on their journey and come out as changed people that barely resemble the characters in the traditional stories. In this way, Into The Woods is the musical liminoid pilgrimage of classic storybook characters.

Read More

Lord Ruthven Character Analysis

1221 Words | 5 Pages

As his name suggests, Lord Ruthven is of a noble birth, which already contrasts with the original idea that vampirism only affected the lowborn. Furthermore, Polidori states that the antagonist was “more remarkable for his singularities, than his rank” (The Vampyre and Other Tales of Macabre, p3), thus surrounding the character with mystery and providing it with more depth. Ruthven’s dangerous nature is also clearly stated at the beginning, as “the light laughter of the fair only attracted his attention, that he might by a look quell it, and throw fear into those breasts where thoughtlessness reigned” (p3). This single sentence tells us numerous things about the antagonist. Firstly, it shows Ruthven’s destructive influence on his surroundings,

Read More

The Book Of Negroes Character Analysis

1520 Words | 7 Pages

The Glorious Gifts The skills that one learns while young will become precious survival tools in the place that one lives. The Book of Negroes is a novel written by Lawrence Hill, who introduces his protagonist, Aminata, an eleven-year-old girl who becomes a slave. Different from some other slaves, Aminata knows two different languages and is a skilled midwife. After she travels to North America, she learns how to read and write in English.

Read More

The Golden Compass Character Analysis

1206 Words | 5 Pages

We build relationships throughout our lives, whether it be family or friends. However, do we understand them? In the Golden Compass, Lyra is the nucleus of an atom. Everyone and everything around Lyra makes her who she is.

Read More

More about The Poisonwood Bible Character Analysis

Open Document