Social Values In Leah Price Kingsolver's The Holy Bible

Moving forward into the daily life of the Congo, Leah comes to realize that the man does not have to be the sole provider in the family and this is especially evident in the Congolese household. Much to Leah’s surprise the woman is the main provider, she is responsible for bringing home the water, working in the manioc fields, and tending to the babies, and that opportunity is just about the same for everyone. For in the Congo Leah is discovering that she can “climb up trees just like the boys to hunt guavas…” (Kingsolver, 103) and no longer conform to the social norms of the “American way”. The Congo reveals to Leah that “social norms” are not laws she must follow, they are not even suggestions., they are merely just traditions that are

Her mission is to take her life and use it for the greater good of people and giving them what they deserve. Though her life is resembling the parable of the good samaritan in the book of Luke in The Holy Bible, Leah’s is being led by a new set of “rules”. As her new beginnings take charge, she finds herself feeling new emotions; romantic emotions, fighting emotions, and an overtaking amount of inspiration. This leads into the rest of Leah Price Ngemba’s life. Relieving herself of the constant struggle to gain acceptance, Leah takes a stand not only in her battle to hunt, but in the relationship with her father.( Kingsolver, 356) In the wake of her mother’s mass exodus from the Congo, Leah abandons her second chance at a modern life of dishwashers and running water to fulfill her new life ambitions in Africa. Starting this new life as a submissive wife to Anatole, taking action was practically in the vows of their marriage. From the moment Anatole reveals an interest in learning more and gives Leah a chance in this gender biased culture, he becomes a staple in her heart. He became her teacher and her student. Anatole allows Leah to shape her beliefs into her own thoughts by empowering her ideas and aspirations. He allows her to teach math at the beginning in his school and then once they move on into their married life she taught English. (Kingsolver, 280) Leah began flourishing and her ideas began to be oriented in Congolese beliefs rather

She can now see why her father was an advocate for the Christian religion. What Nathan Price in a twisted shape of faith believes to be true is that “Tata Jesus” could save everyone from perishing, but what he could never fathom is that aside from religion there is so much more that needs to be done in this area. This is how Leah develops an understanding for the point of view of Tata Kuvudundu and the villagers, the white man should never have a place of authority or trustworthiness because his teachings are not culturally accepted. This is the exact scenario Blake references in The Poison Tree, “ I was angry with my foe; I told it not, my wrath did grow” These men never were accepting of one another and their beliefs, so there was no level of respect between the two. Leah sees the bigger picture that there is no time for a faith conversion when men and women do not have a voice and political efficacy. Their voice is taken from them in the snap of fingers by world powers, and that is where Leah contrast her family. She sees that change is what is inevitable, and if she must endure a life without to give a life of equality to others that is exactly what she will do. By replacing each uncertain footstep on the Congolese ground with a new understanding of what life is all about, Leah’s psychological traits shift and then re-introduced through the use of