The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, is a bestselling novel about
a missionary family, the Prices, who in 1959 move from the U.S. state of Georgia
to the village of Kilanga in the Belgian Congo, close to the Kwilu River.
Plot Orleanna Price, the mother of the
family, narrates the introductory chapter in five of the novel's seven
sections. The narrative then alternates among the four daughters, with a slight
preference for the voice of the most outspoken one, Leah. The four girls
increasingly mature and develop differently as each adapts to African
village life and the political turmoil that overtakes the Belgian Congo in the
1960s. The Price family packs up their
belongings for their flight to the Congo, where they are going to spend a
majority of their lives as the family of a missionary. However, shortly before
leaving, they are informed that they are limited to 44 pounds of luggage per
person. The Southern Baptist Mission League suggests they solve this problem
by leaving for the airport wearing many layers of clothing, hiding household
items among the layers of clothes to lighten their luggage. This is the first
problem of many the Price family will face.
The Price girls, Rachel, Leah, Adah and Ruth May, and their father, Nathan,
attend their first church service in the village of Kilanga, and they realize how
different their culture is from that of the Congo. For example, 14-year-old Leah
helps her father plant a "demonstration garden", and it immediately receives
criticism from Mama Tataba, whom the family has engaged as a live-in helper.
Nathan tries to hold an impromptu Easter celebration in hopes of baptizing
numerous people, but he is not successful in baptizing even one, as the
river along the village, where he plans to hold the baptism, is infested with
crocodiles. Leah and her twin Adah begin to spy on
Eeben Axelroot, the pilot who conveyed the family to Kilanga, and Nathan tries
to convince Congolese men, one by one, to convert to Christianity. Meanwhile,
five-year-old Ruth May befriends the village children. She finds out about
Axelroot's business with the diamonds after breaking her arm.
After Mama Tataba departs, an orphan boy named Nelson becomes the family servant.
Nathan and Leah go to Leopoldville to witness what is going on with the
independence in the Congo. Methuselah dies, and Adah finds his feathers. Ruth
May becomes very sick and lies in bed for the majority of the day. Leah begins
to spend a lot of time with Anatole, Kilanga's teacher, discussing topics
such as justice and the Congo. Leah wants to participate in the hunt, which
upsets the village elders, as it would go against their custom, but she
eventually is allowed to participate and even hunts an antelope.
The girls all gather together in the morning to check out the chicken coop.
Inside they find footprints and a green mamba snake. A scream and gasp is heard
from Ruth May, who has been bitten by the snake. The girls watch her turn cold
and blue before she passes away. Orleanna becomes filled with guilt over
Ruth May's death. The rest of the sisters in the Price
family go through many different life changes: Adah dedicates herself to
getting a scientific education back home; Leah marries Anatole and they
start a family together; Rachel remains very self-centered, goes through a
string of marriages, and starts a business; and Nathan dies in his
unsuccessful mission. The story ends with a final chapter from
Ruth May reflecting on her sisters and mother attempting to visit her grave but
not being able to find it, and a woman telling them a place named Kilanga never
existed. She watches her sisters and her mother, and has seen how they have
matured; she has matured as well. Through her death, she finally is able
to understand the Congolese term muntu, which describes the concept of unity and
how all life is connected in some way. She understands that she is muntu, and a
part of all that is around her. Ruth May only wants her mother to understand the
concept and for her to move on. She asks for her mother to forgive herself and
not live with the guilt anymore. Major characters
The Prices Orleanna Price – Nathan's wife and the
mother of their four daughters. Born in Mississippi, she is deferential to her
husband but independent-minded Nathan Price – Orleanna's husband. An
evangelical minister and a World War II veteran from Georgia, determined to
"save Africa for Jesus". Rachel Price – the oldest Price girl;
blonde and self-centered, she is obsessed with her looks and American
consumer culture. Leah Price – Adah's tomboyish twin;
intelligent, self-confident, competitive, tenacious, and
compassionate. The most outspoken of the women, Leah is prone to dogmatism and
concerned with her own salvation. Adah Price – Leah's twin, hemiplegic
from birth. Silent but witty, she is brilliant in math and languages, but is
envious of her twin. She is also skeptical, sarcastic, envious, and prone
to self-pity. Ruth May Price – the youngest Price
girl; she is playful, independent, adventurous, perceptive, and
inquisitive. Other characters
The Underdowns – Belgian mission chiefs who welcome and send supplies to the
Prices. Eeben Axelroot – a corrupt South African
mercenary pilot. Anatole Ngemba – the village teacher; an
orphan, his fluency in English allows him to be an interpreter for Nathan's
sermons. Brother Fowles – a New Yorker; the
Prices' predecessor on the mission. Married to a local woman.
Mama Tataba – a village woman, formerly employed by Fowles, who works for the
Prices. Best known and celebrated for her prestigious quote 'You got to be
make hills.' Tata Ndu – the chief of Kilanga.
Tata Kuvudundu – the spiritual leader of the village.
Nelson – an orphaned village boy; he is Anatole's student who works for the
Prices. He is forced to sleep outside in the chicken coop.
Methuselah – a parrot left by Brother Fowles; it is excellent at imitating
human speech. Reception and awards
Writing in The New York Times, Michiko Kakutani called the book "powerful", but
said the social allegories were at times "heavy-handed".
The Guardian said the book was "remarkable not just for its story but
also for its narrative form." The Poisonwood Bible was selected for
Oprah's Book Club in 1999. Additionally that year, the book was a finalist for
the Pulitzer Prize in fiction. It won the 2000 Boeke Prize.
Plant Themes The Poisonwood Bible is commonly chosen
as a written text for students to study in various degrees of secondary and
tertiary schooling. The book contains direct and indirect extended metaphors
about nature and the forest, and although the extent of this is
controversial, this theme marks a prominent message in the book.
References External links
Barbara Kingsolver talks about The Poisonwood Bible on the BBC's World Book
Club See also
Congo Crisis Congo River
Democratic Republic of the Congo Patrice Lumumba