The Poisonwood Bible: A Short Story

Oh foolish people, who killed my Nag!” She loved Nag as much as a cobra could love anyone. Darzee’s wife flew to Nagaina and said “the boy broke my leg with a rock” When Darzee’s wife said this, all Nag had to say was, “Well! Then it may be some consolation to you to know when I’m done with you, I’ll settle accounts with the boy.”

Miss Emily’s father dies, she finds a suitor, and buys poison, then shuts herself and her

Caroline catches a fatal scarlet fever as a consequence of caring for Elizabeth. When Elizabeth catches the scarlet fever against the family’s advice and aware of her likely death she still sacrifices herself, something that Victor never does for any of his family members. As part of her dying wish she asks Elizabeth: “you must supply my place to my youngest children. Alas! I regret that I am taken from you; and, happy and beloved as I have been, it is not hard to quit you all?

The culture and practices of their time avoided them any critical analysis of their status in the society. In fact, even when slaves started revolts and violent riots, there actions where only confined to that single occasion. Overall, there was no bigger picture in their eyes on the brutality of slavery. The conditions and the cultural understanding of that time were so clear-cut and strong on the idea of blackness and slavery, that most slaves probably even believed that they were racially inferior to the white master and that their role in the society was to serve. Mostly because the wonderful ideas of civil disobedience brought by Rosa Parks in 1955 where far from the slaves in the plantations, who lived centuries before the declaration of human rights and the abolition of slavery.

The killer almost killed her by using a snake with a vent that lead to her room. Some clues embedded in the story is the whistling which was how the killer guided the snake. Another one is the safe door slamming shut which was how the killer killed the snake. “The Adventure of the Speckled Band has good examples of classic mysteries because it kept me interested and wanting to read more.

The motive behind her deeds has deep roots in the susceptibilities of the society she lives in. There is a tangible social tension and an innate inequality, which sweepingly grows into sexism, racism, and other -ism based discrimination. What is even more problematic is that such issues are left unspoken - there is no open discussion about their rightness and the consequences of spreading rumours or isolating the women from the social and political life. That is why it is safe to assume that one of the reasons Abigail Williams falsely accuses so many people without showing any signs of guilt or remorse is her outspoken resentment towards Salem and its residents. Since the beginning of the play she has been notorious because of the village rumors about her provocative and quite manipulative behavior.

One of their neighbors recounts how the abuse began only a month into their marriage. He also expresses that Sykes should consider he lucky to have a woman like Delia. Sykes always make fun and make her wife scared of snake as Delia has a phobia of snake and Sykes brought a snake to make her scared, Exactly when Sykes returns later during the evening, he finds no matches left to light the candles. As he blunders about put negligent, the harmful snake snack him.

What is intriguing, is the fact that she mentions a desire to kill her own mother two more times – first, in the chapel, when the mother could not sit still. Twyla describes this moment, saying: “all I could think of was that she really needed to be killed”, she repeats that a moment later, when it turns out that her mother did not bring anything for a lunch. Twyla reflects once again: “I could have killed her.” She is also not empathic to other 's suffering. Twyla is not concerned with the woman who is mute and works in the kitchen, Maggie, who is being humiliated by the older

The snake kills both Julia Stoner and Dr. Roylott. The snake brings death and the crime into the house and the story but it also brings the poetic justice into the story. The snake does not appear until the very end of the story, besides the one exclamation of Julia right before her death: “Oh, my God! Helen! It was the band!

Individually the symbols offer a well-developed message; however, the multiple meanings contradict, because the different meanings mean opposite ideas. For example, Hester will forever be seen as an adulterer and a steward. These are two opposite concepts, especially in Puritan Society, because a steward helps and an adulterer sins. As the scarlet letter changes through the novel, the symbol contradicts Hester's image and her role in society. Hester is scarred with her sin and the punishment from the Puritans.

Janie’s life changed she spent her money and her time once Tea Cake had gotten sick to the point where he could not even drink water. Situations like this show how a strong marriage is supposed to work because in your loved ones time of need that’s when it is most important to be by their side. Janie never left Tea Cakes side although he attempted to murder her resulting in his death she always remained faithful and a good wife. Janie clearly believes the terms “In Sickness and In Health, Till Death Do Us Part” showing the basis of a strong marriage. Things like this are very important in today’s society giving references to the way life is because as it has also been stated by another famous author/poet “Life Ain’t No Crystal Stair”.

Kingsolver heavily uses hyperbole when speaking from Rachel’s perspective and includes blame as a theme to add personality to characters throughout the book. It is easy to discern Rachel’s voice from the other sisters due to her voice and the way she processes thoughts and emotions. Rachel overexaggerates nearly everything, causing her to be rarely satisfied and constantly discontent with the world around her but never blaming herself for any misfortunes. By describing Leah as “the cause of all our problems,” (Kingsolver, 335) you can see her need to displace any blame away from herself or a predicament’s true factors and onto one set person in the same dramatic way she does anything. A similar attitude can be seen throughout the Price family,

“But I did become sadder, and sadness gets boring after a while, for the sad person and for everyone around them.” Sadly, this quote exemplifies Rachel's negative feelings towards herself and the people who abandoned her in her time of need. Later in the story, the effects of her depression on her personal relationships can be observed. “Sometimes I catch myself trying to remember the last time I had meaningful physical contact with another person, just a hug or a heartfelt squeeze of my hand, and my heart twitches.” Isolation is a major theme in the novel.

A Poisonwood Bible When describing Patrice Lumumba, Barbara Kingsolver uses complementary wording that makes the reader like him, or at least respect him. The Belgian doctor puts a cast on Ruth May’s arm on page 149 and calls Lumumba “the new soul of Africa”, which introduces Lumumba to the reader as a positive idea. When Leah sees Lumumba on pages 221-222, he’s described as “a thin, distinguished man” and that “when he stood to speak, everyone’s mouth shut... Even the birds seemed taken aback”. This portrayal makes him appear smart and scholarly and the reader is partial to him.

The title, The Poisonwood Bible, is an excellent title for the plot of this book. “Tata Jesus is bangala” (331), which has two different meaning because bangala means precious and also the poisonwood tree. Reverend Price says this phrase at the end of every sermon, but he mispronounces the word bangala so that it means poisonwood tree. So the locals think he is saying “Jesus is the poisonwood tree” instead of “Jesus is precious.” This makes the title very important because it makes the Congolese not want to know God because they think He is poisonwood.