The path of redemption and salvation presents itself with a different meaning for each character of The Poisonwood Bible. Their process of redeeming or deliverance from destruction shows itself in unique ways with all the characters. On a level it is the story of a family torn apart by the quest of “a man driven by guilt to save those unable to save themselves.” (Ender, Samantha) However after looking more closely at the characters within the family the realization that the children each represent multiple aspects of this “guilt driven man” and as the reader sees them change and grow the image of the changing points in his life. Barbara Kingsolver’s incorporation of multiple narrators provides more than enough evidence of the recurring themes of redemption and salvation while centrally focusing on the one person in the Price family who never speaks his story. In this paper, I will argue the personal salvation and redemption that Nathan Price struggles and ultimately fails to attain as he sets out into the Belgian Congo attempting to give them what he himself can never has, a chance.
The burden of guilt is something that everyone must overcome, but this is a burden that sometimes seems impossible to deal with. (Johnson, Kristina) As the story begins to unfold, the reader learns that Nathan is the only survivor of an expedition in war-torn Vietnam, and is attempting to “assuage his survivor’s guilt” by saving as many souls as he can. (Ergeton, Robin) He feels as though he is responsible for the death of his fallen comrades and should be punished for his life being spared due to an injury keeping him from losing his life. The only way for him to redeem himself for not dying like the rest of the soldiers is to save the souls of others...
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...olese. At some point his idea of redemption and what redemption actually is became two completely different things where his ideal is impossible to achieve.
Works Cited
Kingsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible. New York: Harpercollins, 1998. Print.
Ender, Samantha. "The Poisonwood Bible | Cultural Survival." The Poisonwood Bible | Cultural Survival. N.p., 26 Mar. 2010. Web. 13 Oct. 2012. .
"Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2012. .
Egerton, Robin. "A Literary Comparison: The Poisonwood Bible and The Historian." Suite101.com. N.p., 5 Aug. 2011. Web. 2 Nov. 2012.
Since its 1998 publication, The Poisonwood Bible has primarily been seen as a statement against American exceptionalism. Upon analyzing the novel it is obvious that subjects such as imperialism, religion, the burden of guilt, and the use of, or lack thereof, voices, contribute to multiple points and themes found in the novel. In Susan Strehle’s current article on American exceptionalism explicitly relating to The Poisonwood Bible, she manipulates the topics and themes found in the novel to support her opinion. Unlike Strehle’s one-sided view, multiple themes and motifs in The Poisonwood Bible combine to form a complex and involved plot, further developed by the use of symbolism and both internal and external conflicts of the characters.
In “The Poisonwood Bible,” Barbara Kingsolver illuminates on how a rift from one’s homeland and family can simultaneously bring agonizing isolation and an eye opening perspective on life through Leah Price’s character development. As a child exiled away to a foreign country, Leah faces the dysfunction and selfishness of her family that not only separates them from the Congolese, but from each other while she also learns to objectify against tyrants and embrace a new culture.
The Bible: The Old Testament. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. Ed. Sarah Lawall et al. Vol 1. 7th ed. New York: Norton, 1999. 47-97.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is a work of historical fiction. The novel is based the Congo in 1959, while it was still under Belgian control. Nathan Price is a southern Baptist preacher from Bethlehem, Georgia who uproots his family, consisting of wife and three daughters, and takes them on a mission trip to Kilanga. Orleanna Price, Nathan’s wife, narrates the beginning of each book within the novel. Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May rotate the narration throughout each book. Rachel is the oldest Price child, and high materialistic. She refuses to accept the ways of the Congo, believing that she is better than everyone simply because of where she had her start in life. Leah is the next oldest, and she is a self-proclaimed tomboy. She likes to climb trees and practically worships at the feet of her father. Adah is the handicapped one, with a physical deformity. However, this deformity does not limit her, instead making her the smartest of the Price girls. Ruth May is the baby of the family, and has not yet lost the childhood innocence that she views the world with. Barbara Kingsolver uses a very interesting narrative style in the novel, switching between four narrators between the ages of five and fifteen, who are all female. Kingsolver's use of multiple narrative perspectives serve to amplify life in the Congo during the early 1960s through characterization, religion, and politics.
Guilt is a powerful force in humans. It can be the factor that alters someone's life. On the other hand, forgiveness can be just as powerful. In The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, her characters-the Price family-travel to Africa on a religious mission. Throughout the novel, the concept of guilt and forgiveness is reflected on multiple occasions. Each character has a different experience with guilt and how it affects them in the end. By structuring The Poisonwood Bible to include five different narrators, Kingsolver highlights the unique guilt and forgiveness to each individual experiences as well expresses the similarities that all humans face with these complex emotions.
Barbara Kingsolver is the author of many well-written pieces of literature including The Poisonwood Bible. This novel explores the beauty and hardships that exist in the Belgian Congo in 1959. Told by the wife and four daughters of a fierce Baptist, Nathan Price, Kingsolver clearly captures the realities this family and mission went through during their move to the Congo. The four daughters were raised in Atlanta Georgia in the 1950’s therefore entering the Congo with preconceived racial beliefs, and a very different way of life than they would soon experience. Throughout The Poisonwood Bible Kingsolver explores the importance and impact of faith, and a religion based on your own private beliefs.
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
Lastly, the most important quote of The Poisonwood Bible is, “Jesus is Poisonwood” (pg.490, spoken by Leah Price). Leah here says her opinion about her taught religion. She sees things differently. Leah believes that her religion was not correct. The incorrect lessons now comes to the chaos that happened in different parts of the world. No one knew that a simple opinion would come to impact
The actions of our ancestors precede us thus making it impossible to change the impact they imprint on our lives. Whether it be acts of heroics or conflict that lead to destruction, everyone is marked by their predecessors at birth. This is Leah Price’s burden. Leah, a character from the novel The Poisonwood Bible whose father seeks to revolutionize the Congo. From the first step off the plane his actions had already affected her reputation to the native people. At the beginning she accepts this status that is placed on her by her father and blindly follows his every step. She admires his ideal of justice of a white man civilizing the Congo and she steals from this. Her theory of justice ,the one of bringing the barbaric Congo on its knees
To begin with, the dual narratives of the text here present a unique mixture of chronology and perspective. Moreover, noteworthy is also McBride’s usage of the rhetorical strategy of alternate chapters and parallelism. This can be seen when McBride remarkably places related chapters together to juxtapose the life of his mother and that of himself. This allows one to observe the parallelism in the two lives; and perhaps more importantly, understand the significance Ruth’s life has had on McBride. For example, McBride places the chapters “Shul” and “School” next to each other. Here, both Ruth and James are struggling and are trying to fit in but are rejected due to racial and social conflicts. Another example is, “The New Testament” and “The Old Testament.” Both of these chapters revolve around the embarrassment Ruth and James feel for their circumstances. In “The Ne...
The novel The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver depicts religion in an aberrant way. Nathan Price is a character from the novel who is married to Orleanna Price and is the father of Leah, Adah, Rachel, and Ruth May. Nathan Price is a preacher from Georgia in the United States and decides upon himself to take his family to the Congo on a mission. Thus leaving the family with no option to stay or go, already revealing the tension between the family and presenting their character relations. In Barbara Kingsolver’s novel The Poisonwood Bible she uses characterization, character motives, and the theme of repetition to convey her interpretation of religion.
Throughout a lifetime, many things are gained; experience, wisdom, knowledge, as well as a sure sense of self. But along with all these great things come regret, guilt, and shame of past events. Everyone deals with these in different ways, sometimes turning to religion and denial as coping mechanisms. In the novel The Poisonwood Bible, By Barbara Kingsolver, each member of the Price family deals with a personal guilt either gained while on their mission in the Congo or long before. This novel exemplifies the different types of guilt the Price family experienced throughout their stay in the Congo, and shows various means of reconciliation and forgiveness as the guilt is absolved.
Saul Bellow is known as one of the most influential and important writers in the post World War II era and has won numerous awards for his work including the Pulitzer Prize, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the Nobel Prize for literature. One of Bellow's famous short stories, "A Father-to-Be" follows a single day in the life of a young scientist, Rogin, who is starting to feel pressure from his fiancee, Joan, and the stress of marriage and possibly fatherhood. "The Gonzaga Manuscripts" is another short story of Bellows that is examined by many critics. The story tracks the expedition of an American scholar, Charles Feiler, who is in search for the works of a Spanish poet, Gonzaga. To find the poems would be an act of deliverance in Feiler's mind and he believes bringing that little part of Gonzaga to the world would be an act of hope the world needs.A final example of Bellow's short stories is "Looking for Mr. Green". The tale outlines the first day on the job for a relief check delivery man, George Grebe and his struggle in finding his first receiver in a Chicago ghetto. In Saul Bellow's critically acclaimed novella, Seize the Day, which includes three short stories, Bellow explores the central theme of the protagonist's fight against the unpredictable conflicts of life and the search for transcendence and truth.
"Open Book Newsletter No. 1: The Bible and Western Literature by Peter J. Leithart January, 1991." Biblical Horizons » No. 1: The Bible and Western Literature. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2014.