The Poisonwood Bible Character Analysis

Imagine being ripped from the comfortable normalities of the sunbelt United States, to the desolate, malnourished Congo, where food is scarce and morals are low. Barbara Kingsolver spent years studying the Congo and their people in order to provide an accurate representation in her historical fiction piece, The Poisonwood Bible. In this novel, Leah Price is first described as a young, Christian woman. However, this description soon becomes distorted the longer the Price family remains in the Congo. Leah’s character traits shift as she becomes alienated from the rest of her family’s ideals. This is the effect of the death, famine, and disease that strike against the Price family during their stay. There is a strong connection between Leah and

Barbara Kingsolver describes the “shade of the peach tree” and “cool breeze” in order to provide a peaceful image of a homey, southern state. Although Leah soon develops into a dynamic character with her own thoughts and opinions, she was originally static and innocent. She was submissive and respectful to authoritative figures, similar to the Hebrew Le’ah in the Bible. In The Poisonwood Bible, Leah represents the United States’ ignorant nature. Approximately one hundred years after the Civil War, the United States also seemed to be at peace. They were naive to the obvious neglect of the African American people evident in the Jim Crow Laws, which would soon be abolished in the mid 1960’s. After Leah and her family arrived in the Congo, she describes the scene as “hot, arid...” and “wreaking with the smell of urine”. This depiction brings a stark contrast to the cool afternoons spent in her hometown. She had already began to experience the effect of what felt like exile from her native home. Immediately she notices the “naked and malnourished” men, women, and children. The effect of this first impression clouds her judgement and her psychological traits begin to deteriorate. At this point in the novel, Leah is beginning to develop into a very dynamic character. She is so used to following the rules without question and then she begins to doubt the ability of God to bring salvation to the Congo. Although it is considered very taboo to doubt God’s ability, this experience is important for Leah. As the United States were introduced to the issues taking place in the African country, Americans took a hands off approach to the matter, thinking that Belgium would be able to fix the situation. Africa in general was and still is a severely undeveloped continent. Belgium did not provide the aid necessary to help better the Congo. They provided the help necessary to