The Poisonwood Bible Analysis and Commentary
Uploaded by JayJay on Dec 22, 2004
The Poisonwood Bible
Barbara Kingsolver's historical novel, The Poisonwood Bible, takes place during the Congo's struggle for independence and is narrated through Orleana, the wife of a fiery, cold-hearted missionary, and their four daughters. The story follows the fortunes of these four young Price sisters brought to the Congo by their father Nathan and his long-suffering wife Orleana. The mother struggles with hardships of their daily life and she is basically their leader. She scrambles to make ends meet and tries to protect her family from the terrors of the jungle. As they grow up, the sisters are defined by their changing attitudes toward Africa, their father, and each other. Each of their stories reveal the amazing forty-year saga that the Prices and the Congo share.
The author uses the garden as a symbol in her in literary work that emphasizes the meaning of the novel. It seems that as the Reverend Nathan Price struggles hopelessly with his non indigenous crops, he also struggles in his effort to plant the concept of Baptism in Kilanga. In several ways, gardens and gardening are symbolic. Nathan Price begins his mission to save the souls of the Kilangan children and at the same time spends his free moments attempting to cultivate a piece of land with seeds he brought from his home in Georgia. Kingsolver writes, "His devotion to (the garden's) progress was like his devotion to the church" (63). The connection is in that the seeds he plants are also like his speeches. It is clear that his methods of gardening had little use in the tropical forest. Therefore, his method of gardening resembles his method of religion. The small plot of land that he attempted to cultivate symbolizes the new land of Kilanga which he has intruded in. His failure in his garden is like his failure to his church. It is evident that his character is struggling to compete his the unforseen events and features of Africa. His attempt to adapt in terms of the garden is not easy and therefore exemplifies the family's hardship.
Orleana, the wife of Nathan Price is a victim of marriage and motherhood. She is a strong woman who finally achieves freedom and solitude after leaving her husband. The garden is also symbolic in her case. The...