The Poisonwood Bible by Nathan Price

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Recommended: Features of post colonial theory in literature

The Poisonwood Bible is a book about a man named Nathan Price who takes his wife and four daughters on a mission into the Congo. All of their ups and downs are documented throughout the story. This novel was written by Barbara Kingsolver in 1998. This story was inspired from her own personal trip that her father took her on, to the Congo, where they lived without and water, electricity, and many other necessities. During the time period that this book was being written, a lot of feminist and post-colonial literature was being acknowledged. Feminist literature is both nonfiction and fiction that supports women by defending political, economic and social rights for women. Many works of feminist literature depict strong willed women who stand up for themselves and work their way into having equal rights with men. The Poisonwood Bible shows feminist literature characteristics by being narrated through the perspective of all females, portraying the women as the more hardworking figures, and by defending equal rights for women.
A feminist characteristic of this novel is that it is narrated through the voices of five women and no men. If Nathan had narrated the story, it may have shown all the great things he did with the Africans and all of his amazing experiences. With the female perspective, a violent man is shown whom puts his family in a lot of danger and the way that the girls really perceive men is displayed. The story reads, “Women are expected to wear just one style of garment and no other. But the men, now that is a course of different color” (44). By this, Rachel is explaining how the men in the Congo get to wear whatever they want to wear, whereas the women are segregated and made to wear the same thing every single day. ...

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... girl. These boys are not accustomed to obeying their own grandmothers. If long division is really so important to a young man’s success in the world, how could a pretty girl know anything about it? That is what they are thinking” (280). Afterwards, Leah goes on teaching with a strong front and demands respect from the boys because there is nothing wrong with a woman knowing more than a man. Through both of these examples, Leah is defending her rights as a woman and making sure that nothing holds her back from being equal to a man.
The Poisonwood Bible displays many characteristics or feminist writing. Kingsolver uses narrating as a strong front in the story by having it done by all females. She displays the women as the more dominant figures who can be independent and also has the characters stand up for their rights as women who deserve the same rights as men.

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