Leah's Meeting Anatole: Summary

After meeting Anatole, it wasn’t long until Leah left her Christian-based morals behind. She began to slowly stray away from her Christian beliefs and began conforming to the same beliefs as Congolese people. Leah had always been a tomboy, so it wasn’t very hard for her to transition from her former Christian beliefs to the nature-based beliefs. The Congolese people believed in nature and that their god can be found in anything, including inanimate objects such as trees, plants, and rocks.

When Leah and Anatole got married and started making a family, she was much like the typical Congolese woman; she was a stay-at-home mom and made sure everything was done around the house. For example, they make sure that the family has fire wood, water,
This opened Leah’s eyes to what the Congolese people experienced on a daily basis. This ignited a fire in her to fight for the Congolese people and for justice later on in the book. Leaving the luxuries of America is hard, but staying in the Congo and making a difference in your family, lifestyle, and the cultural norms must be rewarding. Leah Price learned a lot about the Congo and has benefited greatly from the new cultures and techniques she studied while she lived there. Leah discovered who she was, what she stood for, and how she was going to make a difference in the Congolese people. She decided that she would not live in the shadow of her father any longer and she would no longer let him or her religion dictate her any longer. It is an understatement to say that Leah went through tremendous change during her stay in the Congo. She changed in her actions, thoughts, religious views, and perspective of life. This change allowed Leah to be more open minded to the cultures around her. To Leah, her father was viewed as a false prophet. He was a false prophet because he made her think that the social status of the Congo was changing and that God was with them on this mission trip. Orleanna, Leah’s mother, taught her how to be a mother in the Congo. The daily duties of a typical Congolese woman include housekeeping, taking care of children, and making sure all of the meals are prepared on
After she came to conclusion that her father did not really care about her, she decided that she did not want any part of him anymore. This caused a dramatic change in her spiritual life. She no longer wanted to abide by the rules and teachings of Christianity. She began observing the same nature gods that the other people from the Congo believed. Once she broadened her spectrum of religion, it was easy for her to adapt to these new teachings because she loved nature. Leah was a tomboy and loved spending time outside admiring the trees, plants, flowers, and animals. Her father ruined her walk with Jesus and almost immediately Anatole opened the door to introduce Leah to what he stood for and what he believed in. As discussed earlier, this intrigued Leah. As The Poisonwood Bible continued, she was hungry to learn more and more about the Congolese culture and how she could impact that country in a good way. This is one of the ways in which Leah developed a strong, independent personality throughout her journey in the Congo. All of these changes make Leah one of the most complex characters in The Poisonwood