The Poisonwood Bible Character Analysis

One of the first words children learn to say is “daddy.” This is one of the earliest signs that fathers play extremely large and important roles in their children’s lives. Part of the father’s role that can make or break the relationship with his child is the expression of fatherly love. Reuben Land of Peace like a River receives a constant stream of affection from his dad Jeremiah. In fact, the righteous Jeremiah Land is a near-perfect example of pure, fatherly love and even more so an example of God’s love for His children. Jeremiah isn’t just a tender father to Reuben; he treats his other children Swede and Davy with the same passion he shows Reuben. No matter the trouble the children get into nor the mistakes they make, Jeremiah is always

Rachel Price is a beautiful young girl who joins her family on a one year mission trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is a girl who likes herself a little too much. She is completely vain and self-conscious. Rachel is constantly worried about her appearance, as most teenage girls are in the United States. She brings along with her a mirror just to keep in touch with herself. Her vanity makes it hard for her to connect to the people of the Congo. In the Republic of Congo, the natives are dressed in whatever they can get or make. Rachel does not see the difference. In The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, Rachel Price experiences ? which prevent her from being able to learn some lessons in the Congo and cause her to be physically

Can mere mortals with hold magical abilities? In the Lake of The Woods, a mystery war novel written by Tim O’Brien, whose major theme is that not every problem has a solution, but may present a different outlook on the problem and aspects surrounding it. The main character, John Wade, uses magic to hide his manipulation and deception in order to put on a smiling face on a daily basis. As a result of wanting to carry on his deceit, he ventures into the political world, while putting his wife,Kathy Wade, through misery. Kathy hated the political life style and gatherings, in this degree she was secretly relieved when he was unable to become a U.S. Senator. As an attempt to mend the breaking bonds between them, they decide to go to their cabin near Lake of The Woods, in Minnesota. Their stay was going great, until one morning John awoke only to find out that Kathy was gone, nowhere to be seen. The author, Tim O’Brien got a majority of his inspiration from what he experienced in the Vietnam War. Tim O’Brien uses symbolism to reveal the hidden aspects of life. The symbols he used were magic, the idea that one plus one equals zero and uncertainty.

In Barbara Kingsolver’s work, The Poisonwood Bible, Nathan Price is a character which responds to injustice in some significant way. Out of all the other characters, Nathan is the one who responds the most to an act of injustice by going on a campaign halfway around the world to somehow repay his obligation to God. He plans to do this by spreading Christianity, or at least his version of Christianity, to the native people of the Congo. The whole reason for him doing this is that he believes being wounded and leaving battle right before the rest of his company dies is an act of injustice and feels as if though he should have died there with his men. Nathan feels like he is a failure and is guilty for not dying with his brothers on the battlefield.

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. Nathan never realizes that he mispronounces these words, so his version of the Bible is poisonous to the locals because of all the mispronunciations.

The concept The Poisonwood Bible is trying to bring to recognition is that there are always multiple perspectives to any story. The usage of several narrators allows one to see the same story from different points of views that all differ. It also displays how storytelling is a reflection of a person’s experiences and lives, because one’s experiences shape their perspectives or biases. For example, Adah’s more analytical perspective allows her to analyze situations life presents to her in a deeper level such as her ideas on the circle of life and Africa. This perspective allows her to be successful in her career field as well. Contrary to this, Rachael’s cocky and shallow perspective does not allow her to analyze situations from a deep perspective. For example, she is always thinking short term, such as when she brags about how she had several husbands. Her attitude, does allow her to be successful in her business. It does nothing to better her character, though, causing her to be the most uneducated and naive of the three. The usage of multiple narrators could symbolize the fact that the situation in the Congo also has multiple perspectives and is a complicated web, as life is.

In the novel, The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, a missionary family travel to the African Congo during the 1960’s, in hopes of bringing enlightenment to the Congolese in terms of religion. The father, Nathan, believes wholeheartedly in his commitment, and this is ultimately his downfall when he fails to realize the damage that he is placing upon his family and onto the people living in Kilanga, and refuses to change the way he sees things. However, his wife, Orleanna, and her daughters, Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May, take the Congo in, and make the necessary changes in their lives, and they do this in order to survive with their new darkness that they are living in. Curiosity and acceptance help the ones with curious minds,

“Your life is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life” Steve Jobs. People spend most of their life to try to blend into society and try to fit in. People are always worried about what there actions will make people think about them. One example of this would be Stephen, he goes through a large amount of change, and learns not to fit in, and to be himself. In the book, The Eleventh Plague, Stephan’s conflicts, changes, and interactions with other characters helps him learn to help others in need.

Throughout one’s life, many circumstances take place that will change the individual forever. In Contending Forces, written by Pauline Hopkins, the author states, “And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” The character of Orleanna Price in The Poisonwood Bible undergoes sharp changes throughout her journey from a quiet home in Bethlehem, Georgia to the new, unpredictable environment of the Congo. Orleanna alters from a woman who involves herself in the Georgian church community frequently to a woman whose only concern is surviving dangerous and chaotic events the African Congo beholds. Her character’s feelings toward her husband, Nathan Price, wane in terms of

In Helena Maria Viramontes’ novel, Under the Feet of Jesus, Estrella starts off as angsty and confused, but then shifts to a state of contentment and understanding, caused by life experiences. These character traits are revealed through the selection of detail, figurative language, and tone.

Skilled writers take different approaches in their narration to accurately convey their message. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, is a novel about the Prices, a religious family who moves from Georgia a village in the Congo. Their story, which parallels the western appearance into our current era, is told through multiple narrators: 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 represents the western exploitation of Africa and

East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, reflects the complexities in father/son relationships. The connection between a father and his son is vital to their development. The novel explores the impact of these relations is immense. The central allusion of the novel is comparing several characters to Cain and Abel, who were formed through their attempted relationship with their father-like figure, God. They struggled and vied for the attention, love, and respect of God, which subconsciously influenced their actions and thoughts. Cain ended up murdering Abel out of envy of his favorable position, and that conflict is reflected through Charles and Adam Trask, and later Adam’s children Caleb and Aaron. The characters struggle with the notions of good and evil. Timshel is a repeating theme. The concept is the biblical depiction of the internal strife between good and evil that lies in each character.

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry is a play which contains many different obstacles that the characters face. One character, Beneatha, faces an obstacle that is out of her control. This obstacle is gender inequality. Throughout A Raisin in the Sun, gender inequality is experienced by Beneatha and reflects the struggles women faced in the 1950s.

“As Simple as Snow” is a mystery novel made in 2005 that may confuse people’s minds with all the art, magic, codes, and love while reading. As a teen age boy who wants to find the secrets his girlfriend who left behind all these mysteries after her odd disappearance. It also tells about the lost gothic girl, Anna Cayne, who meets the young high-school aged narrator. Throughout the postcards, a shortwave radio, various CDs, and many other irregular interest. After all that they loved each other but a week before Valentine’s Day she suddenly disappeared out of nowhere. If Gregory didn’t know what was happening the reader would be able to break through

Martin Luther King, Jr once said that, “the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” This quote stands true to the the novel, “Running the Rift.” as the themes deal with the challenges that Jean Patrick and Rwanda face during the controversy of the genocide. The themes and metaphors Naomi Benaron crafts into the novel, deepen the story of Jean Patrick and the tangle of the Rwandan genocide. Running saliently reoccurs from page to page of the novel and geology and physics add creative metaphors to “Running the Rift”. The theme of running tumps geology and physics as it operates in the book’s title, the characters, political aspects, setting,