Poisonwood Bible//Charlotte Finn

Charlotte Finn

The Poisonwood Bible is a historical fiction novel written by Barbara Kingsolver. This novel is the story of the Orleanna Price and her daughters as they follow Nathan Price, a local baptist preacher who takes his family all the way to the Congo to bring the Word of the Lord to the Africans. The general theme of the novel is gender roles and the role of missionaries in the Global South.

I enjoyed reading the book, and the underlying message of how the author felt about missionaries. Reading it was basically like reading a long sarcastic rant. It made me think about why Africans can be so hostile towards Americans. What right do Christians have to come to a foreign place and force their beliefs down other peoples’ throats and call it a good deed? I am very against trying forcing your own culture into a different place where it’s not wanted. Every human and society has its fundamental right to believe whatever it wants. No one should tell anyone else what to do. What disgusted me the most was seeing how Nathan Price thought of the Congolese. He thought they were simply too stupid to be saved by his God. He truly believed that God made poor and placed them in the Congo for a reason, because these people didn’t deserve anything better. This was difficult for me to read considering how opinionated I am.

The Price family couldn’t survive in the Congo. During the 1950s (the setting of the book), Congo saw a separation from Belgium and became its own independent state. This was a bad thing for the Americans in the Congo because officially Africans were in charge. Despite all warnings from other missionaries in the Congo, the Price family stayed even after they were no longer being sent money. The youngest daughter, Ruth May, gets bitten by a snake and passes away. This leaves Orleanna guilt ridden and terribly depressed. This event is so crucial to the plot because every single member of the family is completely changed by her death. Orleanna never forgives her husband for the rest of their unsuccessful marriage. The rest of the girls shape their lives around losing their sister. Ruth May is buried in Congolese soil. Nathan Price dies without ever converting anyone in the Congo.

My favorite character was Adah Price. She’s a twin who suffers from various birth defects. It turns out that against all odds, she’s actually a child genius. She dedicates herself to education and I admire for that. Her father is constantly putting her down and expressing his beliefs on how girls don’t deserve an education. The way she processes her thoughts is so unique to her and I enjoyed whenever the chapter was in her perspective.

Barbara Kingsolver wrote this novel using five different points of view, the perspective of Orleanna and her four daughters. Since the Price family is from Georgia, lots of southern slang is used. Since the family is in the Congo, lots of the local language is used.

I think this book is worth reading if you are interested in world views especially on Christian Americans. I happen to interested on the views of Americans in foreign lands. I would recommend this book because of how beautifully written it was.