Erik Titus Shuet AP English Literature, Block2 22 September 2014 Leah’s Discovery Conflict is a of one’s life that is nearly inevitable in modern society. One common form of conflict resides within family life. In The Poisonwood Bible, the bestselling book by Barbara Kingsolver, the Price family is followed closely throughout their controversial migration to the Belgian Congo from the U.S. state of Georgia. Nathan Price is an evangelical Christian who brings his wife and his three daughters on a mission to the Congolese village of Kilanga in 1959. The affiliation of Nathan and his oldest daughter Leah is the most profound of all, their relationship is soon changed when Leah realizes Nathan’s true being. Leah is the only female of the family …show more content…
In this passage Leah is internally punishing herself for not proving herself by “correctly” answering Nathan’s question. This shows the reader that Leah is simply living to please her father by the sheer fact that she thinks this way. She is not her own person but merely father’s daughter. This quote also shows the reader what Nathan thinks of his fourteen year old daughter. Nathan is treating Leah like a student, a mere deciple learning the ways of the Lord. He speaks to Leah as if she is not really his daughter but as if she is a grand audience. He takes pride in his work and only his work, he doesn’t see that his daughter needs a father not a school teacher. Unfortunately Leah doesn’t understand yet that the trail and error she will go through to impress her father will not pay off. The first time that the reader can clearly see how Nathan and Leah’s conflict affects her outlook on life is in about halfway through the novel in the third book The Judges. After the new leader of the Congo is elected and the Belgium people are evicted, Nathan refuses to let any family member leave Kilanga despite the growing illnesses of his wife Orleanna and his youngest daughter Ruth Mae. The Price family funds begin to dwindle, and once Orleanna gets better Leah begins to question her father’s …show more content…
She begins to think for herself and question all of Nathan’s logic and ethics throughout the novel thus far. She is just beginning to realize the selfishness that Nathan has portrayed through the duration of their trip. Leah is now seeing how she blindly followed in her father’s footsteps and how wrong she could be for doing so. One final time that the reader can see how the conflict between Leah and Nathan affects Leah and the novel as a whole is in book four of the novel entitled Bel and the Serpant. The church that Nathan had been preaching at took a vote on whether or not Christianity would be practiced there, and the religion was declined. During this time Kilanga fell into a deep drought with food and supplies running low. The Congolese people decided to partake in a massacre of animals lured by fire. Leah now uncaring of what her father thinks asks to join along: ‘Leah,’ he said, ‘who is the master of this house?’ ‘You are!’ she screamed at him… ‘So…you agree with Tata Ndu and the witch doctor.’ Father sucked in his breath. ‘They agree with me. It’s nonsense for you to hunt with the men. You’re only causing trouble, and I forbid it.’ Leah slung her bow over her shoulder. ‘I’m going with the men and that’s final.’ (p.