The Poisonwood Bible Analysis

In literature, writers take different approaches in their narration in order to accurately convey their message. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, is a novel about the Prices, a religious family who moves from Georgia to Kilanga--a fictional village in the Belgian Congo. Their story, which parallels the western emergence into the post-colonial era, is told through multiple narrators: Nathan Price--the father and only male family member, 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 emblematizes the western exploitation of Africa and the dominion of the strong over the weak.
Orleanna Price states she was a jubilant teenager, until she married Nathan Price. She then turned into a slave for Nathan’s desires. As the novel advances, and Nathan’s madness becomes apparent, Orleanna feels the need to break from her passive bonds. It is not until the death of Ruth May that she obtains the courage to escape
Adah is a cynic who never fully experiences life, she constantly sees the world in its unfavorable state. “In the world, the carrying capacity for humans is limited. History holds all things in the balance, including large hopes and short lives.” (Page 527). Adah speaks little to nothing in the beginning of the novel because “When you do not speak, other people presume you to be deaf or feeble-minded and promptly make a show of their own limitations.” (Page 34) As Adah grows older, however, she loses some of her cynical viewpoint of the world. After nearly escaping death, and overcoming her handicap, Adah finds a new passion for life. Her voice throughout the novel is used to desensitize us--then surprise us. Leaving us censurable with our daily lives we have made into our comfort