Analyzing The Guilt In Barbara Kingsolver's The Eyes In The Trees

The seventh book of Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, The Eyes in the Trees, is narrated posthumously by the youngest Price daughter, Ruth May. This last section of the novel provides closure, both for the reader and for Ruth May's mother, Orleanna. In each of Orleanna's narratives, she expresses the massive amount of guilt that she feels about what happened to her family during their mission trip and about America's political interference in the Congo. In The Eyes in the Trees, Orleanna's last born encourages her to "walk forward into the light," (543) and forgive herself for what happened in the past.

The Eyes in the Trees begins by revisiting the novel's opening scene with a more omniscient view. The okapi that Orleanna scared away on page six ended up avoiding hunters and living for another year. Right behind her mother, young Ruth May kills a spider and trots away without remorse. Both characters changed the animals' lives, for better or for worse. Ruth May concludes that "every life is different because you passed this way and touched history," (538) implying that everyone is responsible for what happens in this world, that we all share accountability and guilt.
On the surface, Ruth May is forgiving her family for the events that led to her death, telling them "yes, you are all accomplices to the fall, and yes, we are gone forever...but I am no little beast and have no reason to judge," (537). The young daughter is also speaking to the United States as a whole, saying that the citizens must acknowledge that they contributed to the ruins that came from the coup in the Congo, but that they must not hold onto the guilt forever. This is a theme that Orleanna struggles with throughout the novel, and this section provides a sense of closure for