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An Engaging IntroductionThe beginning of Barbra Kingsolver’s novel A Poisonwood Bible, foreshadows the mood and

gives a background of the setting in order to aid in the introduction of the characters and their current conflicts. The dark tone the novel will have is introduced in the eyes of Orleanna Price who reflects on the past events in Africa. Though it is uncertain of who exactly Orleanna Price is, as the introduction goes on it is safe to assume she is the mother of a family who lived in Africa. She gives an eloquent description of Africa that would send chills down anyone’s bones. She describes the place as a dangerous terrain where death and life coincide to produce a place where mysteries lie deep within the forest. Kingsolver uses an oxymoron to better describe the feral wilderness of the African Congo, “This forest eats itself and lives forever”(Kingsolver 5). Not only does that sentence cause one to ponder the connotation, but it also foreshadows what might come along with helping set the scene for later parts in the book. The tone at the beginning of this book is dark and foreboding which not only introduces future problems in the Congo, but also helps to get insight into Kingsolver’s opinion about Africa. It seems as if Kingsolver views Africa as a magical place of mysteries and secrets as well as death despite all the vegetation. The mood is set by describing the after effects Africa had on Orleanna Price. Orleanna describes Africa’s influence on her by saying, “Or say I was afflicted with Africa like a bout of a rare disease, from which I have not managed a full recovery,” (Kingsolver 9). The comparison of Africa’s effect on Orleanna’s psyche to a horrendous disease is significant because Africa subjected so many “white foreigners” to new diseases which caused much pain and agony. Kingsley alludes to these early African adventures by mentioning Dr. Livingston who was one of the first people to penetrate and disappear in Africa. Orleanna smirks at Dr. Livingston and his disappearance because she refers back to her own rough time in Africa. This makes the prologue to the book even more engaging because in one sentence Kingsley uses mood, an allusion, and foreshadowing to preview upcoming themes and problems Orleanna’s family faces.

Transitioning from the dark, gloomy first chapter, Kingsley changes the setting to America in the 1950’s. The contrast from the wild African terrain to the advent of the age of imperialism displays an underlying theme about how materialistic America has become. Kingsley makes this theme clear in the first narrated portion by the daughter Leah Price who says, “We came from Bethlehem, Georgia bearing Betty Crocker cake mixes into the jungle…‘And heaven knows,’ our mother predicted, ‘they won’t have Betty Crocker in the Congo’” (Kingsolver 13). The dire need the family has for “worldly” possession displays how shameful America as a whole has become. People can read that sentence and feel ashamed of them selves at times when they too believed that a certain object was ever so important.

Another statement made by Kingsolver is the racial prejudices in America. With the setting being the 1950’s, the Price girls mention numerous times in passing about how African Americans were discriminated against. The girls do not take notice at all of the unethical discrimination; they just take it as nature’s way especially Rachel Price who is the most materialistic daughter. The theme’s importance amplifies as fellow white skinned people in Africa make the Price family feel awkward and embarrassed at their Georgia Southern accents. Leah Price demonstrates this by saying, “She caused me to feel embarrassed over our simple expressions and drawn-out vowels, when I’ve never before considered myself to have any accent, though naturally I’m aware we do sound worlds different from the Yanks on the radio and TV,” (Kingsolver 18). They symbolism of the accent parallels to the opinion of the African people because they themselves do not feel strange, but everyone else from “civilized” nations think they are not only strange, but wild and dangerous. Due to the emphasis on how the Price girls believe the Africans act, one can conclude that their opinions might eventually change once they spend time with them.

Kingsley also demonstrates her view on religion in the world by combing a satire on religion to the plot of the book. The family Kingsley creates is an extreme Baptist family whose life is ruled by the holy doctrine also known as the Holy Bible. The family is always referring to the Bible and live according to the standards. For example, the father constantly lectures the family about what the bible says they should live their life like. He asks Leah, “‘Leah,…why do you think the Lord gave us seeds to grow, instead of having our dinner just spring up out there on the ground like a bunch of field rocks?...Because Leah, the Lord helps those who help themselves’” (Kingsolver 36). The family explains life’s basic

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questions always through words of God and not by any other means. Kingsolver’s point in demonstrating this is to show how blind people can become when they allow the word of God to rule their everyday lives. The family’s religion blinds them to basic principles such as love and respect for one another no matter what religion and ethnicity. Through these powerful statements Kingsley incorporates in her novel along with the eloquence of her writing to set a specific tone, one already questions their lives and moral code they follow.

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The Contrast of Ideals and RealityAs the Price family spends more and more time in Africa, Kingsolver enables readers to discover

more about the ugly truths of society which correlates to Kingsolver point regarding various cultures. Kingsolver’s opinions on aspects of society are evident through her similes and allusions. One particular aspect of society Kingsolver makes a point off is male dominance in families. Ruth May Price describes the father’s leading role in their household by describing the one time the mother gave her opinion on a subject. She continues by explaining the severe consequences that would be initiated on any of the Price girls if they were outspoken about their opinion on a subject. To represent the severity of the consequences Kingsolver uses a simile, “The razor stop burns so bad, after you go to bed your legs still feel stripedy like a zebra horse” (Kingsolver 54). In this one simile, Kingsolver connects her point about male dominance in households with Africa and punishments in the 1950’s. Many people who were baby boomers and grew up in this time period are able to connect with that method of punishment which makes the simile effect intensify. Kingsolver describes the father’s personality through similes as well. The father’s violent passion for aiding in the Christian assimilation of the Congolese is demonstrated when Adah says, “The Reverend towered over the rickety alter, his firery crew cut bristling like a woodpecker’s cockade…The Reverend’s high-horse show of force,” (Kingsolver 68). Adah recognizes, along with many others, how dominant the Reverend Price is over not only the family, but the Christian community. It is probable that Kingsolver is somewhat of a feminist because she describes the harshness a patriarch can afflict on all females in a family. Kingsolver also uses a euphemism to illustrate how the Reverend recognizes this power and takes a full advantage of the fact that he can command so much obedience from such a large number of people. In a way this foreshadows future problems to come because with this commanding power he is only doing what he think God wants and not what the Congolese people actually need.

Another aspect of society that Kingsolver touches on is how society regards different types of people. Ruth May price is bamboozled by the fact that an African women with no legs can be regarded by the Congolese society as perfectly normal, but they are looked at like total weirdo’s. She notes, “To all the Congolese people, too, why they just don’t let on, like she was a regular person. Nobody bats their eye when she scoots by on her hands and goes on down to her field or the river to wash clothes with the other ladies…” (Kingsolver 52). Kingsolver is representing again the difference in cultures around the world. The Congolese find a platinum blond like Rachel more odd and bizarre then a woman who crawls around with no errands washing clothes and cooking for her family. Kingsolver’s point is that what is strange to some cultures is perfectly normal to others. These different opinions do not make someone a good or bad person which is why it is important to respect and be open towards foreign cultures.

Kingsolver also uses symbolism to foreshadow later aspects of the Price’s African mission with the Kilanga tribe. Ruth May notes how all thing white are gone. She says, “Anything that ever was white is not white here. That is not a color you see. Even a white flower opening up on a bush just looks doomed for this world,” (Kingsolver 50). The color white is usually a symbol for hope due to the white butterfly that was the last thing to come out of Pandora’s Box which represented hope for everyone. This lack of hope could either be foreshadowing the grim future for the Price family because of their skin tone or even maybe the never ending troubles for the African tribes. If the ladder, then Kingsolver could be symbolizing how foreigners have stunted the growth and peace for Africans by invading their culture and attempting to change their ancient lifestyles.

A final argument Kingsolver makes in the end of the first book in The Poisonwood Bible is ridiculousness of the Evangelical Baptist ways. Nathan Pierce with all seriousness describes the debate about the size of heaven at a Bible convention. The daughter Leah describes how she felt about this conversation by saying, “Inexplicably, he sounded put out with the men who brought their adding machines to the Bible convention, and possibly with the Bible itself. I felt extremely uneasy” (Kingsolver 78). The fact that a bunch of people can actually consider the size of heaven an extremely important biblical topic to discuss is pretty ludicrous to most people. This demonstrates out how extreme the family’s devotion to God is and how blinded it can make someone to things that really count in life such

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as love and family. Kingsolver intensifies the importance of her themes by giving examples in the Price girls’s lives that seem outlandish to readers, but represent the value Kingsolver’s themes truly have.

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Alluding to a ThemeBarbra Kingsolver uses many allusions in her novel A Poisonwood Bible as well as similes,

metaphors, and imagery to display underlying themes and set the tone. At the beginning of the second book, Leah Price compares their time in Africa to a classical biblical story. Leah notes, “In the beginning we were just about in the same boat as Adam and Eve” (Kingsolver 101). This allusion allows one to be able to recognize exactly how difficult it would be living with people of a completely different culture. The story of Adam and Eve is a common one whether or not one has been raised as a Christian. This better enables Kingsolver’s point to come across to an audience.

Other allusions used are not as beneficial to helping to point being made. Leah Price discusses how her mother made them all do school work in the Congo. In order to better describe how arduous this work was Leah says, “Each morning after breakfast and prayers she sat us down at the table and poked the backs of our heads with her index finger, bending us over our school books (and Ruth May her coloring, getting us in shape for Purgatory” (Kingsolver 104). What purgatory is exactly is not common knowledge which is why the subtle humor in this sentence is not as obvious as it should be. Though the humor is hidden so carefully, the allusion still does its point at explaining the mother’s love for these children as well as her desire to keep them ahead in school work.

Kingsolver’s similes and imagery help aide in her purpose of depicting a mystical African setting. She does this by taking a well known exotic animal and making it seem as though it is a newly found species. When Leah describes the animal known to be a chameleon and describes it by saying, “His bulging eye sockets swivel whichever way they please, and we love to get his eye sockets going so one looks up and the other down. He catches the grasshoppers we throw in his box by whipping out his tongue like a slingshot” (Kingsolver 106). The picture of the chameleon with its eyes rotating and its tongue catching bugs is easily pictured due to the imagery and simile. Even if a person had never seen one in their lifetime they would be able to visualize this little chameleon. This furthers Kingsolver’s point about how wild and mysterious Africa can be. There is an element of unknown buried within the heart of Africa’s secrets. This unknown aspect of the Congo could be foreshadowing future problems the Price family faces.

Kingsolver’s themes can also be seen through symbolism. One major symbol in this book is the poisonwood tree. Throughout this book the poisonwood tree has been referred to and the nasty, painful effects it has on a person who touches it like poison oak or ivy. Leah remarks about this tree when describing the useful things her new friend Pascal taught her. She says, “Our companionship consisted mainly of Pascal telling me the names for everything we saw and some things I hadn’t thought to look for. Bangala, for example, the poisonwood tree that was plaguing us all half to death” (Kingsolver 112). This symbol is quite clear throughout the whole text not only because of its appearance numerous times in the book, but also because it brings significance to the title. This symbol relates to one of the most major themes in this text. Kingsolver wants to make a point about all the negative effects religion can have. The pain associated with the poisonwood tree and the connotation a bible has, provides the fusion for her theme. In this quote, though, Kingsolver goes more in depth with explaining the theme. The significance of how the African boy knows how to avoid the tree refers to how Christians are totally blind to some practices that have negative outcomes.

To put further emphasis on this theme, Kingsolver uses didactic to illustrate the lessons taught to the Price girls. Reverend Nathan Price gives the girls a moral lesson by saying, “‘Into Egypt…and every corner of the earth where his light…where his light has yet to fall…the emissaries of the Lord smote the sinners, who had come headless to the sight of God, heedless in their nakedness” (Kingsolver 27). This “lighthearted” lesson Nathan has preached to the church in the Congo as well as his daughters from the bible demonstrates the fear he inflicts through the bible. He does not discuss forgiveness or the human nature to commit sins; he only discusses severity of consequences. This fear inflicts affects his daughter’s way of thinking. They will come to believe that the slightest infraction will make them go to hell, when in reality, there is really more to life then just strictly following the bible. No person would want to teach their child good morals the way Nathan does which further demonstrates Kingsolver’s point about following the bible word for word.

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Similes have also enabled better character development. The daughter Ruth May’s character develops significantly when describing her discovery of the benefits of tree climbing. To sum up how beneficial this is to herself Ruth May notes, “I was like a green mamba snake. Poison. I could be right next to you and you wouldn’t even know it” (Kingsolver 124). Not only is this sentence an excellent conclusion to Ruth May’s chapter, it describes her character, illustrates the setting, and foreshadows future events to come. Ruth May’s character has progressed and now it is evident about how much she can get away because she is young and tiny. By comparing her to a snake it again helps illustrate the sinister aspects the African terrain has. The word poison reflects the effect of Ruth May’s spying in the trees as well as possible dangers for the Price family in the future. The foreshadowing in the sentence is more than just referring to potential dangers for the Price family. It can also be referring to what Ruth May might see up in the trees such as more Jimmy Crow boys or Belgium soldiers. This ending sentence could be the start on a new plot unraveling. Kingsolver can create a simple simile and give it so much power and so many various deductions can be made. Kingsolver’s mood darkens by her usage of similes and symbols as well as allusions and didactic which help demonstrate her theme regarding religion as well as foreshadowing the problems that Africa will face in the future.

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Historical AllusionsKingsolver incorporates numerous historical allusions in order to enhance not only the plot, but

themes throughout the book A Poisonwood Bible. In order to fully comprehend the plot it is necessary to have at least a little knowledge on historical events in the 1950’s if not more. For example, in a newspaper Rachel Price gets a hold of, there is information about events in the world that the Price family did not know due to their isolation in the heart of the African Congo. Rachel reviews the paper and notes, “I read the page they’d folded back: ‘Soviet Plan Moves Forward in Congo.’ It said Khrushchev wanted to take over the Belgian Congo and deprive the innocent savages of becoming a free society, as part of his plan for world domination” (Kingsolver 161). If one did not have a background in history it would be difficult to know fully what this meant. Not everyone would be able to know that the Soviet Leader Nikita Khrushchev was competing with the United State for world domination and they were both trying to assume leadership in various third world countries around the world in order to make them either Communist or democratic respectively. This information that is assumed in the text aides in the full understanding of the seriousness of this problem because not only does it demonstrate a potential Cold War threat but it also has the possibility to aide the rising Congolese in a fight for their freedom later in the novel.

Another example of these allusions that directly affects conflicts for the Price family to face in the future regards the decolonization of Africa. When the Underdowns explain the problems with Congo independence Kingsolver alludes to French decolonization. As Mr. Underdown explains the problem the Prices face with Congolese independence he says, “Last year when De Gualle gave independence to all the French colonies, the Belgians insisted this had nothing to do with us! No one even took the ferry across to Brazzville to watch the ceremony. The Belgians went on speaking of rule with a fatherly hand” (Kingsolver 165). One without an extensive background in history could get the literal meaning that other European colonies were being freed by their European dominators, but there is so much more to this piece of information which is not said. For example, the trend of decolonization after World War II by the European beneficiaries would be unknown as well as the fact that the Belgium Congo was the most brutally treated African colony which is why Belgium was reluctant to give it up. Though most people would think that this information in unnecessary it actually is not because this information aides in the full comprehension of one of Kingsolver’s themes. Kingsolver wants to illustrate the struggle Africa, especially the Congo, has gone through for independence as well as peace which was a concept unimaginable ever since the Europeans took over Africa for their own benefit.

Kingsolver explains the importance of this peace with eloquent imagery through the eyes of Adah Price. Adah Price describes independence by saying, “So much depends on the single red feather I saw when I stepped out of the latrine. It is early morning now, rooster-pink sky smoky air morning. Long shadows scissoring the road from here to anywhere. Independence Day. June thirtieth” (Kingsolver 185). This interpretation of what Independence Day represents is entirely unique. Her imagery of the morning seems to represent a rebirth of the Congo. The pink is similar to the pink of a newborn baby and the description of the shadows seem to represent the chaos that will still follow due to the mess the Congo government is in. Kingsolver also uses the red feather to symbolize the bloodshed that the Congo has gone through by the Belgians in order to get to where they are today: independent. The symbol of bloodshed could also foreshadow even more of a struggle for the Congo people in the future. Kingsolver always seems to use symbolism when she is describing something in an eloquent way. It appears that is how she highlights the important detail to enhance her theme.

Kingsolver also uses allusions to enhance characterization. While Orleanna Price reflects on the past and how she ended up so unhappy with her abusive husband historical knowledge is given to explain how and why Nathan Price became such a controlling and unloving person. Orleanna reflects by saying, “Nathan ‘s company died, to the man, on the Death March from Bataan” (Kingsolver 197). Kingsolver alludes to one of the most horrific genocides in World War II aside from the holocaust. The Bataan Death March is not known very well, but those who do know of understand why Nathan Price became such a terrible man. With all the killing the Japanese did when forcing the U.S. soldiers to march many miles, many suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which caused their personalities to change when they

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got back to the war. In Nathan’s case he became over obsessed with making sure God saw him in good light. Kingsolver uses many allusions to explain events which can be good or bad depending on how much one knows about history. One with a knowledgeable background in history is more able to obtain a better grasp of Kingsolver’s themes as well as problems faced by characters.

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Teaching while PreachingThroughout A Poisonwood Bible by Barbra Kingsolver there are lessons and customs taught to

the reader. One such lesson taught in this book is taught by perhaps the sweetest and most innocent of all the Price girls, Ruth May. She says, “Everybody is nice sometimes and Baby Jesus says love everybody no matter how you really do feel” (Kingsolver 215). Religious lessons such as this are taught throughout the book. These lessons not only enhance the characterization of the Price by demonstrating how the view all matters moral, but they also help illustrate to the audience that there are good lessons to be learned such as what Ruth May said, and lessons that blind people who are overly religious and interpret the literal meaning of the bible.

Another strange form of didactic in Kingsolver’s novel is Congolese customs that are learned by the Price family. Nelson explains one of these customs to Leah, “He shook his head with conviction. ‘Any woman who has baza should take the two babies to the forest after they are born and leave them there. She takes them fast, right away. That is very very necessary…What god would not be furious at a mother who kept such babies?’” (Kingsolver 211). This usage of didactic is not exactly intended to be used as a lesson to learn, but more of a way of demonstrating the cultural differences around the world. It still teaches a lesson, but not exactly a lesson needed to be learned by American culture. This does help demonstrate Kingsolver’s point through regarding the differences between cultures around the world. She is not illustrating a biased view on superior cultures by putting this piece of didactic in the text though because she has numerous examples of the wrongs of American culture as demonstrated by Nathan Price. Kingsolver is merely trying to demonstrate that beliefs in various societies around the world have their rights and their wrongs.

Kingsolver has also begun to characterize the Price daughter Rachel more by using allusions. Up until now Rachel’s character has been quite flat. All she did in Africa was complain, and pamper herself while everyone else worked hard. Rachel decides to take charge and to demonstrate the frustration among the other sisters Leah says, “‘She never lifted a finger around here and now all of a sudden she is the Little Red Hen?’” (Kingsolver 221). Adah agrees and writes “True enough. Having Rachel in charge was very much as if Mrs. Donna Reed from television suddenly showed up to be your mother. It had to be an act. Soon she would take off her apron and turn into someone who didn’t give a hoot about your general welfare” (Kingsolver 221-222). The allusions not only help to better demonstrate the aggravation by Leah and Adah with Rachel’s kitchen coup but also remind of old time children’s stories and enhance the setting of the 1950’s. Knowing the story of the Little Red Hen aides in a better understanding of Rachel’s newfound martyrdom because the story relates to flour and making bread which is exactly what Rachel was setting out to do: make bread for the family. The other allusion in the simile Adah uses to describe Rachel command aides in the setting because with the African terrain all around them is the easy to forget time period of the 1950’s. The other key to the Donna Reed show is that because it is a show in the 1950’s many readers can relate to it who were born in that time. Kingsolver’s usage of using allusions that the general audience can relate to is a unique tool to further engage one who is reading the text.

Kingsolver also uses symbolism to aide in the foreshadowing of a character’s fate. With Ruth May dazed with a mysterious sickness her fate is unknown. Ruth May reflects about herself and her current state by saying, “All those black faces in the black night a-looking at me. They want me to come and play. But you can’t say the words out loud at night” (Kingsolver 237). The literal interpretation of these black faces would the African children who, previously in the text, were playing with Ruth May Price. This can be interpreted as Ruth’s desire to play with the African children but her inability due to her current state with some sickness. These black faces can also be interpreted as a symbol that foreshadows death for the beloved Ruth May Price. It seems as if Kingsolver places this symbol into the novel in order to compel readers to think more deeply at what could the fate possibly be of Ruth May Price. It is know, thanks to Orleanna Price’s reflection on her time in Africa, that one of her children will die in Africa. This previous piece of foreshadowing is what makes the symbolism of these black faces so significant because they could mean the end of Ruth May Price. Kingsolver’s symbolism has been intertwined so gracefully into this novel along with her allusion, and didactic that her themes are able to come across to their full extent.

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Kingsolver’s Method of DescriptionA trend in Barbra Kingsolver’s novel, A Poisonwood Bible, is descriptions and comparisons

through similes and metaphors. One such time many of these similes are used is when describing Rachel’s dilemma of Tata Ndu wanting her for a wife. In order to describe Rachel, Adah says, “The tallest being Rachel, at five feet six inches and the full benefit of Miss America posture…” (Kingsolver 261). This simple metaphor packs plenty of description. By “Miss America posture” one can conclude not only stunning blond bombshell looks, but also grace, poise, excellent posture, and a sweet all-around charming smile. Because most people have seen or at least heard of the materialistic ways of the Miss America pageants, Kingsolver’s characterization of Rachel to be a symbol the materialistic world is magnified.

In the realm, of the same conflict regarding Rachel Price and Tata Ndu, another comparison is used, but through the usage of a simile instead of a metaphor. To illustrate the proposal crisis within the Price family, Adah recalls what her mother, Orleanna Price, says regarding the practice of bigamy, “Well, I just don’t understand. You make it sound like she’s an accessory he needs to go with an outfit” (Kingsolver 263). What is unique about this simile is that it relates to Rachel’s interests involving makeup, jewelry, and accessories. This simile also puts into terms how the Christian Price family feels about having more than wife. Kingsolver’s theme about the differences of cultures around the world is exemplified in this simile because to this tribe in the Congo it is not a custom that is frowned upon. To other cultures around the world, such as tribes in the Amazon, having more than one wife is not seen as cruelty because women can live together and raise children together. Also, men are supposed to have undying respect for each wife so not one is left alone. To them it is a way of respecting women, unlike how Christians and other religions feel about this practice which illustrates Kingsolver’s view on the respecting of various cultures around the world.

Another usage of comparison is the metaphor Ruth May uses to describe herself and her current state due to the Malaria. Ruth May concludes her section by saying, “If I die I will disappear and I know where I’ll come back. I’ll be right up there in the tree, same color, same everything. I will look down on you. But you won’t see me” (Kingsolver 273). A metaphor such as this is entirely unique in its own. While it is comparing he to a chameleon such as the one she found and adopted as a pet it also sets a grim mood. Though the usage of “fading” could definitely describe a chameleon, Ruth May could also be referring to the green Mamba snake that hides in trees. Ruth May has talked about this snake before so there must be some significance to either the snake or the chameleon later in the text. This also refers back to the time she was spying in the tree when the soldiers came by. Kingsolver incorporates mood into this metaphor because even though Ruth May can be comparing herself to a chameleon or a snake it is mainly describing her disappearing from the earth. Another unique twist to this metaphor is that it hints to reincarnation which is not a Baptist belief because they take the literal interpretation of the bible and refuse to have any free thinking along the terms of the heaven and hell. This is also alluding to the satire in Kingsolver’s novel because the Price family is such a devout Baptist family that it is strange that Ruth May would even think that about what will happen to her if she dies. Maybe this thinking of reincarnation is allowed for Ruth May due to her young age and innocence. If this is so it demonstrates of wise children can be at their young age compared to the craziness adults can become when it comes to a certain belief such as Nathan Price.

Kingsolver also uses similes to illustrate more of a theme than a comparison as an aid in better comprehension of the novel. One such example is when Leah is talking to Anatole about various subjects while both are trying to prepare for school the next day. When Leah talks about the frustration with her father she describes him by saying, “My father thinks the Congo is just lagging behind and he can help bring it up to snuff. Which is crazy. It’s like he’s trying to put rubber tires on a horse” (Kingsolver 284). Though this simile does describe Nathan Price the more important significance comes later when Leah notes Anatole’s confusion because he does not know what a horse is. She then changes her comparison of her father to trying to put “wheels on a goat”. Kingsolver is trying to demonstrate again her them of differences in various cultures. Due to different climates and different wildlife cultures vary. That does not necessarily mean one is better than the other; they are only different. Kingsolver’s similes and

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metaphors seem to always have more than one purpose but one purpose is usually more important in demonstrating her theme than another.

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Incorporating MoodIn this section of the book the mood becomes darker and more ere as the plot moves from

comical cultural differences to serious rival conflicts. One such example of this mood is when Orleanna Price describes what she thinks went on among the rich, powerful men who want to benefit from the Congo’s resources. She says, “While they talk of labor and foreign currency their hunger moves apart from the gentlemanly conversation with a will of its won, licking at the edges of the map on the table, dividing it between them” (Kingsolver 317). The imagery in the sentence is dark foreboding. The comparison of these people to hungry animals enables it to have a greater effect because Kingsolver is relating it to the dark, hungry animals in Africa. The usage of the word hunger makes these people seem so uncivilized and uncaring that they would do anything to benefit despite how many people they knock down in their path. Another theme of Kingsolver’s is also incorporated into this section. Previous to this sentence, the men described to be so hungry for profits in the Congo are Belgian and American. This demonstrates Kingsolver’s point about how it was the “more civilized nations” that essentially brought the downfall and destruction and war among Africa, and especially the Congo. Kingsolver wants to compare this destruction caused by Americans and Europeans to the destruction the Price family is causing to the Congo village they are in. The Price family thinks they are doing everyone there a favor by converting them to another faith, but essentially they are just causing divisions and uncertainties to the innocent families. Just like the Prices, European nations masked their greed for the benefits of imperialism by giving them “white man” information but in the end it caused more chaos and destruction.

To intensify her point and the mood, Kingsolver later uses a simile to describe these hungry men. Orleanna says, “African names roll apart like the heads of dried flowers crushed idly between thumb and forfinger—Ngoma, Mukenge, Mulele, Kasavubu, Lumumba. They crumple to dust on the carpet” (Kingsolver 317). The dark mood escalates in this simile because it displays the “hungry men’s” lack of concern for Congo people who have tried to make life better for their nation. The people such as the well written about Lumumba in Kingsolver’s books have sacrificed lots to improve the nation but in the end they are killed out of greed. The significance of the second sentence which is a metaphor is that they are forgotten because they simply vanish while the foreign leaders take control for their own benefit. Dust on a carpet is quickly forgotten as it vanishes within the tiny fibers. While this has nothing to do directly with the Price family it also demonstrates the rising conflict the Price family will have to face to escape the Congo.

To help demonstrate the mood of a new conflict the Price family faces Kingsolver uses more than just a simile. The long drought that is affecting the African village makes food even scarcer after the terrible swarm of lion ants. Leah describes the plants by saying, “The great old kapoks and baobabs that shaded our village ached and groaned in their branches. They seemed more like old people than plants” (Kingsolver 328). Kingsolver incorporates personification, imagery, and a simile into this to help illustrate the serious problem that a drought brings. The aching and groaning describes the agony of not only the plants to the lack of water, but also the village of people who are suffering from the lack of fruits from the trees as well as the lack of livestock who are dying. The comparison of old people to these giant trees represents the age and wisdom these threes have and also the death the drought can bring.

Kingsolver also incorporates mood to describe a simple method of survival among the Africans: hunting. Through the eyes of the materialistic Rachel Price the description of hunting is dark and gruesome, “Lambs to the slaughter. We were, or the animals were, I don’t even know who I feel sorry for the most…The villagers transformed into brutish creatures before my very eyes with their hungry mouths gaping wide. My own sister…eagerly skinned a poor little antelope, starting out by slitting its belly and peeling back the skin over its back with horrible ripping sounds” (Kingsovler 351). Kingsolver is describing a different kind of hunger as opposed to the “hungry men” earlier described. The mood is still the same. It gives the sense of rage that one feels when they are feeling a hunger of some sort. Rachel is describing how it can turn anyone into a totally different person, such as Leah, when they feel the need to satisfy this hunger. Though it is obvious that during a drought anyone would be hungry and to the necessary job of hunting and skinning an animal to cook, the more important part of these sentences is the comparison to the hunger of the greedy people who want the Congo’s minerals all for themselves. This

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relates back to the theme about what greed and hunger can do to a person and the severe consequences it can have. This description of the desire on Leah’s part to take part in the man’s job could possible be foreshadowing some severe consequences among the village people later. Nevertheless, whatever Kingsolver is describing, whether it be the hunger of the village due to a drought or the hunger of rich powerful men, the mood can darken the picture to better represent her theme.

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Displaying ChangesKingsolver utilizes similes and personification to not only display the mood, but to also display a

changing in character. One such character that changes is Reverend Nathan Price. Rachel notes his new views of Leah, “Father informed her that God showed no mercy upon those who flouted their elders, and that he, Reverend Price, had washed his hands of her moral education. He said this in the plainest everyday voice, as if discussing that the dog had gotten into the garbage again. He stated that Leah was a shameful and inadequate vessel for God’s will…” (Kingsolver 356). This simile demonstrates the changes Nathan underwent in the Congo. At first he was fiery with the Price girls about living up to God’s moral standards and then he just simply gives up. This illustrates though how little love he has for his girls. He preaches about loving everyone and living up to the will of God, but he does the number one frowned upon thing a parent can do regarding their children: give up on them. This again demonstrates the satire Kingsolver has intertwined within her novel. The one person in the novel who is supposed to be the most knowledgeable about God’s love and being the best person one could possibly be the one the most abusive and unloving among the entire family and African village. Even though this quote demonstrates how Nathan Price changes because he looses his fire among his family, he is still a flat character because he never really realizes his wife and children’s needs and desires. He forever will remain ignorant to the people who desperately needed his love.

To further her religious theme, Kingsolver uses personification to demonstrate how everyone is human and will commit some sort of sin in their life. When Leah is discussing the day she killed an antelope and the problems that arouse she describes what she did with her antelope by saying, “I should turn the other cheek. But the sin of pride took hold of me with a fierce grip. I picked up the whole bleeding leg and threw it at Gbenye…” (Kingsolver 353). Despite the fact that Leah did the wrong thing, one still feels sympathy for her because it is most likely what anyone would do in her situation. The personification used really illustrates the power that the mind has when it comes to strong feelings such as pride. This also can refer back to Adam and Eve with temptation because Leah was so tempted to make show off her killings even though she knew it would make matters worse.

To enhance mood, Kingsolver uses similes and elaborate Imager which causes suspense and exhilaration. On such example is when the Price children and Nelson discover the snake in the chicken hut. Adah recollects this and says, “Nest, eggs, and hens were all one package, wrapped in a vivid, slender twine of brilliant green. It was so pretty, so elaborately basket-basket woven among hen and egg, we did not at first understand what we saw” (Kingsolver 361). The piece of imagery strikes fear and curiosity at the same time. The image of the snake aids in further enhancing the setting of Africa. It illustrates how fear and beauty can be same thing. Kingsolver compares the snake to a basket to help further aid in the visualization of the snake wrapped all around the hen and egg. This elaborate imagery and metaphor enhance the dark mood regarding the dangers that are approaching the Price family.

Once Ruth May is gone the gloomy mood casts more of a shadow over the Price family and especially the mother. To better illustrate her agony and the looming question about how she has distributed her love among her four daughters Orleanna says, “But the last one: the baby who trails her scent like a flag of surrender through your life when there will be no more coming after—oh, that’s love by a different name” (Kingsolver 382). Sympathy is felt for her because almost everyone knows how it feels to loose a loved one. This simile makes one realize how Orleanna Price loves Ruth May. She loves them all the same but the last child is her last chance to enjoy parenthood as all the others grow up. The baby is her last chance to teach and coddle her child. This intensifies the sad mood after the loss of Ruth May.

The effects on the other Price girls are just the same. They all feel resentment and pain and place the guilt on themselves. Kingsolver illustrates this through Leah Price as she reflects on Ruth May’s death, “I had particular thoughts weighing on me that I badly need to tell [Anatole]…And that we’d strewn ashes on the floor like Daniel, capturing the six-toed footprints, which I had not mentioned to anybody” (Kingsolver 391). Leah compares the plan the original to plan regarding the trap to Daniel and the Lions cage. By alluding to this Kingsolver incorporates the religious views of Leah still despite what her father says. She also displays sadness because unlike Daniel’s success in the Lion’s cage, there was

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misery and Ruth May dies. This helps display the mood and the guilt which better exemplifies Kingsolver’s point about how culture clashes can lead to disastrous consequences.

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From Similes to StatementsKingsolver makes even more statements as the Price girls split up through similes and allegory

which also intensifies the dark mood. One such event is when Leah is in the mission with the French speaking nuns. While discussing the state of the Congo Leah says, “‘I’m sure the Congolese heard it every day for a hundred years while they had to forebear the Belgians. No they finally get a fighting chance, and we’re sitting here watching it get born dead. Like that baby born blue out of that woman with tetanus this morning’” (Kingsolver 420). The simile used relates the problem with the Congo in general to the actual problems the people in Africa face such as death and poverty. Still born babies are so common due to the lack of nutrition the mothers are getting. This allegory helps one better comprehend the sadness that goes on in Africa. The destruction that goes on is just so common that there is little time to grieve for one loss because another can happen soon after.

To further the importance of her allegory and her theme regarding Africa, Kingsolver again uses a simile but this time to describe more the government in the Congo. Leah describes her first hand view of the problems in Congolese government by saying, “But everything has turned around so fast, like a magician’s trick: foreign hands moved behind the curtain and one white King was replaced with another. Only the face that shows is black” (Kingsolver 433). The Congo government is filled with corruption and that can be explained by the simile used to describe the speed of power change in the Congo. The more important aspect of this sentence is the “white King”. The symbolism Kingsolver uses helps demonstrate how the U.S. and Belgian governments are trying “establish” free elections, but in reality they are just trying to benefit the most from the valuable minerals in the Congo by placing their own person at the head of the government who they can control. In this book the puppet is Mobutu who is creating a Congo that was worse than before. The allegory embedded within her novel describes Mobutu as a typical dictator who takes all the wealth for himself, and leaves the rest of the Congo with no freedom, fear and destitution. Kingsolver describes the severity of Mobutu’s regime in the eyes of Leah, Anatole, and the village they are working in. Leah notes, “We tell our coworkers that a mere lack of funds mustn’t discourage our hopes. We know that to criticize Mobutu, even in private, is to risk having your head cracked open like a nut, which naturally would discourage one’s hopes entirely” (Kingsolver 434). This simile is almost like a euphemism because it takes a matter as severe as resisting a dictatorship and the consequences and compares it to a nut in order to spare the reader the gruesome, but acknowledged, details. This demonstrates how much fear and hardship the people of the Congo still face because of the greedy powerful people in the U.S. and Belgium. The Congo is being run by someone who only cares about the safety of his regime which is unlikely due to the failure of all the other ones, such as Lumumbata’s.

To further describe the poverty in the eyes to the Congo people Kingsolver uses an analogy. The analogy is in the eyes of Leah Price, the sister who is actually witnessing everything first hand. She describes the conditions she and her family are living in by saying, “We have manioc and yams to fill our bellies, but protein is scarcer than diamonds” (Kingsolver 436). The comparison to the lack of substantial food to the new scarcity of diamonds in the Congo is a unique one. The diamonds found in the Congo was the cause of all this cause of all this destruction and mayhem, and one of the severe effects was the worsening conditions for the Congolese. As the diamond deposits become depleted, there is no need for the powerful whites to take over the government. This statement provides a glimmer of hope that the Congo will be left alone even though it illustrates the malnourishment the people in Africa are facing.

In contrast to all this destruction and poverty, Kingsolver reverts back to Rachel. Rachel, now living with the elite whites of South Africa, describes her new life, ‘It is my girlfriends here in Joburg that have taught me how to give parties, keep a close eye on the help, and just overall make a graceful transition to wifehood and adulteration…we girls stick together like birds of a feather…” (Kingsolver 405). Rachel demonstrates the materialistic world in which poverty and illness are scarce. The transition from this to South Africa illustrates how there are more important things in the world than parties, girlfriends, and maids. The contrast of this cheerful mood represented in Rachel’s account of her life post-Congo to the dark and dangerous mood within the heart of the Congo helps portray Kingsolver’s theme

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that people should be more aware and helpful to people suffering somewhere else instead of being totally engrossed in worldly items such as clothes and social status.

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The Price Girls Displaying the Passage of TimeKingsolver displays the separation and changes each Price sister face to help illustrate the passage

of time within their lives and in the Congo. Leah gives a first hand experience of the Congo because of her family’s struggle there. Her husband Anatole explains the problems in the Congo in the form of an analogy. He explains it by saying, “Like a princess in a story, Congo was born too rich for her own good and attracted attention far and wide from men who desire to rob her blind. The United States has now become the husband of Zaire’s economy, and not a very nice one. Exploitive and condescending, in the name of steering her clear of the moral decline inevitable to her nature” (Kingsolver 456). This analogy help one comprehend exactly what is going on in the Congo because it sums up the details into a nice, brief summary. It also has a more important meaning. Fairy tales usually give little children hope of a happily ever after because the prince and the princess always end up living the perfect life in the end without any problems. This twist on the average fairy tale displays the lack of hope throughout the Congo. This is obvious because as the book reaches its close there is a wonder about whether or not Zaire will ever be able to run itself on its own without the unwanted assistance of countries such as the U.S. who are only in it for profit.

Leah further describes the hardships the people in the Congo are facing by giving her experiences of teaching American children who are in the Congo while their parents work on a construction project to benefit the Congo. She describes the unnatural grunge of the place she teaches and the horrible children she taught, “The compound was like a prison, all pavement and block, enclosed by razor wire. And like any prisoners, these kids fought with anything sharp they could find. They mocked my style of dress and called me ‘Mrs. Gumbo’, (Kingsolver 457). This cruel treatment by the American children demonstrates the attitude the Americans have towards the African culture; which illustrates how America has raised their children without any respect to other cultures less fortunate. The description of the school not only gives one an accurate example of what the prisons were like in Zaire, but also could potentially foreshadow what might happen to Anatole because of his desire for a free, independent Congo.

Kingsolver later touches more on how cultures view other cultures unlike their own. After Anatole is sent to prison, Leah is mostly alone. She describes how other people in the village view her without her African husband near her by saying, “Now, husbandless in this new neighborhood, my skin, glows like a bare bulb” (Kingsolver 472). This simile provides a picture that facilitates visually to help one comprehend exactly how Leah feels. Kingsolver is comparing Leah to a light bulb because both are white. Among the Africans Leah radiates because of the difference in skin pigment. She feels alone because even though she has been totally assimilated into the African culture, her skin color will always represent the pain and suffering the Congo has gone through on the expense of the Americans.

Later when the Price sisters meet up, they discuss the changes that have gone one around them since they were all in Africa together. When discussing the death of their father, they realize that his death parallels to the death of a king in a biblical story. Adah recalls the story and says, “The King of Kings aroused the anger of Antiochus against the rascal…her ordered them to death in the way that was customary there. For there is a tower there…they push a man guilty of such sacrilege or notorious for other crimes to destruction” (Kingsolver 487). This didactic in Kingsolver’s novel not only provides one with a lesson from the bible, but also aids in the enhancement of the uniqueness of Nathan Price’s death. It is ironic that he would die in a way similar to a biblical story and one that ends with “So this will be the end” (Kingsolver 487) because his death is what ended his hope of baptizing the children of the Congo. It also illustrates Kingsolver’s theme that religion is not necessarily the best form of morals that should govern someone’s life. To add some lighthearted notes throughout the novel, Kingsolver uses diction to lighten the mood of Nathan Price’s death. While the Price girls are discussing the rumors Leah says, “The tales got wilder and wilder as the years went by. That he’d had five wives who all left him, for example’…’Father the Baptist Bigamist’” (Kingsolver 488). This didactic lightens the mood of the miserable happenings in the Congo because of the irony. The idea of their father practicing bigamy is outrageous due to his strict adherence to the bible. What is more important is the fact that this is about the only thing all the girls can discuss together without arguing which demonstrates the passage of time. All the girls have changed and gone their separate directions. Each ones personality is so different that

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various points of view regarding the Congo can be given in Kingsolver’s novel. This leaves the book open for interpretation about the question of Africa to the reader based on his or her own experiences and opinions, just like the Price girls.

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Ending it offAs Kingsolver concludes her novel, A Poisonwood Bible, each of the Price girl’s lives wind down

as well as the fate of the Congo. Barbra Kingsolver continues to express the misery that Mobutu inflicts on the people in the Congo. Leah describes another move her family makes by saying, “So we quietly plant out hopes out here in the jungle, just a few kilometers from the Angolann border, at the end of an awful road where Mobutu’s spies won’t often risk their fancy cars” (Kingsolver 500). This imagery illustrates how little there is to hope for because of how much destruction the people have faced. They are forced to travel to a far off location in the country in order to procure their own safety. This further demonstrates Kingsolver’s point regarding the government in the Congo. The government is so corrupt that they spend all the money that the hard-working people pay in taxes (which is usually their crops) to lavish the small upper class and the secret police.

Leah later reflects on the past as her sisters also do. While reflecting on old words in the African language she has learned she realizes the importance of the word Nzole which can refer to marriage. She says, “As precious as the first potatoes of the season, small sweet like Georgia peanuts,” (Kingsolver 505). This reflection on how precious that binding is refers to her own marriage. Out of all the misery she has faced she is still happy because of her husband Anatole. It also illustrates her nostalgia for the life in Georgia. This recollection of the past and what she has is important for the conclusion of the novel because it illustrates the good and bad in every situation. The sweet potatoes s symbolize all the strife Leah and her family have gone through such as their scarcity of food whereas the Georgia peanuts represent the “carefree” world where there are said to be no problems which is false because even in the United States, Leah’s family has faced some problems such as discrimination. Both reflect back on her own life and how even though they have been through tough times, they have each other as a family and that is what is important.

What Leah Price has learned is much different than what Rachel Price learned. Rachel’s views and values shaped her in a much different way. At fifty she still values Americanism and materialism and expresses relief when the television comes to South Africa, “When we finally got TV here, for a long while they ran Dick Clark and the American Bandstand…” (Kingsolver 512). This demonstrates how since the beginning of the journey Africa her views have not changed which makes her a static character. Her alluding to the old show that was on her television illustrates her dislike for primitive cultures. There is one way she has changed is in her ethics and morals. Before she was a dutiful daughter who followed the teachings of the bible and the ways of her father and later in her life, she let go all of these morals. She says, “I’m afraid all those childhood lessons in holiness slid off me like hot butter off the griddle” (Kingsolver 515). This simile illustrates how she learned in Africa to fend for herself to keep herself alive instead of caring for everybody else as well as herself. While the other sisters took something more meaningful out of Africa, Rachel realizes what it takes to survive and make it to the top. She sums up her values she learned throughout her life by saying, “So that’s my advice. Let others do the pushing and shoving, and you just ride along. In the end, the neck you save will be your own. Perhaps I sound un-christain, but let’s face it…this is not a Christain kind of place” (Kingsolver 517). Rachel’s view helped Kingsolver illustrate her theme about how materialistic and uncaring Americans can be. Rachel has not care in the world about people dying and starving to death outside her hotel’s door; she only cares about herself and her business. Through this, one’s eyes can open up to how important it is to care about issues in the world.

Adah experiences alter her in a unique way. She has forever been a strange deformed person with a limp until she was cured. With Adah being around the mother and her medical degree, she realizes another aspect of the mysteries of Africa. Adah discovers the importance of the long time battle between mankind and the viruses that hurt them so much. She alludes to Adam and Eve to describe the importance of these viruses. She says, “Now I understand, God is not just rooting for the dollies. We and or vermin all blossomed together out of the same humid soil in the Great Rift valley, and so no one is really winning…If you could…rise up out of your own beloved skin and appraise ant, human, and virus as equally resourceful beings, you might admire the accord they have all stuck in Africa” (Kingsolver 529). By personifying these various organisms in Africa, Adah realizes that all are there to do a certain job and

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they balance out the world there; with out one there would be too many of another. As the daughter the most closely linked to the Price girl’s grieving mother when they all went their separate ways, Kingsolver is trying to not only amend Ruth May’s death, but also help to illustrate how there is an importance in everything in the world no matter what horrible things it can bring.

Each Price girl learned something different through their experiences in Africa. They were all able to cope with the death of Ruth May differently. Each one’s experiences aid in explanation of Kingsolver’s many themes she want the world to realize such as loving each other no matter what culture the are and not only realizing but assisting cultures where calamities happen almost every day.