Arrogance In The Poisonwood Bible

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“Civilized” Arrogance The change in narrators in The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver conveys the theme of western arrogance through naiveté, malapropisms, and the change in mentality found in the various narrations of the characters. The naiveté of a child is infinite. The youngest Price child does not seem to grasp what is going on around her. Ruth May believes that her family is there to help the people of the Congo. She believes that they are superior, and since they are superior they must be doing what is best. She continues in her ignorance playing “Mother May I” telling the Congolese children what to do. Ruth May’s naiveté and blissful ignorance symbolizes that of the people living in western imperialist countries. The same

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