Powell AP Lit

The prevalence of birds is widely seen throughout The Poisonwood Bible. Whether it be seen in the owls that eat souls or Methuselah, birds symbolize the Price family themselves. On page 158, Ruth May says that her "Mama says birds are going to be her death." Though said in the context of owls eating souls of the dead, Orleanna's quote seems to be more about Methuselah. After being trapped for years, the bird has lost the muscles, skills, and instinct needed to survive in the wild on its own, much like the Price family themselves: Orleanna especially. Though she grew up free and ready to take chanced, she fell victim to confinement when she met and married Nathan. Independent in her youth, Orleanna desired freedom despite the harsh grip Nathan now has on her actions, speech, and every other part of her life. She is forced into a housewife role that she did not desire or fit in, but continued to endure for the sake of her children. Orleanna is trapped, both by Nathan's ...

Adah's complex character is a central aspect of The Poisonwood Bible that I love. The flow of her writing, the symbolism she uses in such a gentle manner, and the figurative language that she uses to compare her internal struggles with those that are external all build her chapters into the pages I find myself excited to read and pick apart. On page 170, Adah writes that she would "go home and write whatever I liked about their insides," when she explains that she would want to be a doctor poet if she lives to adulthood. As someone who is constantly overlooked for her disability, it is fitting that she would discuss her fascination with their "insides." Adah just wants someone to actually take interest in her, and relates spiritual inside to physical inside. However, the way she words it is unsettling, marking this passage as one of my favorites. Adah uses language to accurately describe her interest in becoming a doctor poet, but in such a way that reflects her...

There is nothing that is correct about Nathan Price's ideology, but one part of The Poisonwood Bible that has taken me even more aback is when Nathan gets upset at Orleanna for admiring something. Considering Nathan's intense seriousness about religion and how God has created all things, it surprises me that he would get angry at Orleanna for admiring something, as he has said himself previously, that is God's creation. Nathan's need for anger overcomes his desire for his beliefs, feeling he must have power over something. Similarly, he uses his power as a man to retain his power as a man. Enforcing the stereotype that women are weak, Nathan baits Orleanna to play into the role of quiet housewife, and then belittles her so he feels powerful. This could come from his preaching itself; as he constantly explains how God controls everything, Nathan feels he must dedicate his entirety to live the same way. Feeling the guilt from the war, the supremacy men have over women, an...

A core motif of the book, racism plays an active roll in the characters' upbringing, thought processes, and interactions with the environment. Perhaps the earliest example is in Ruth May's first chapter when she discusses how, "God says the Africans are the Tribes of Ham." As her father is a preacher, it can be inferred that she has learned this from him and the ideas he projects onto his children. Ruth May explains that Ham was "the worst of Noah's three boys," a simple, child-like translation of the racism-infused stories her father has told her/her family to explain the world. By "explaining" black people in this way, Nathan retains the superiority he feels as a white person, while also integrating his beliefs into his children. Casual racism fills chapters of the novel, dwindling as the novel progresses when the children start encountering people from other walks of life and think for themselves. Only Adah, who does not support her father...

With The Poisonwood Bible 's structure that splits chapters into different characters' perspectives, it is difficult to discern if the author is trying to emphasize a "main character" that tells the core story/the least skewed version of the Price Family's experience in the Congo. One of the main aspects I love about this novel is the way the reader can tell the difference in voice for each character when they are narrating a chapter. Their voice reaches beyond the clichés of their character, such as Adah being quiet, and the author goes deeper by giving each character (besides Nathan who does not narrate) their own individual way of writing, such as Adah's use of metaphors language. With each chapter being different in the way it is written, determining if there is a central narrator becomes even more difficult. However, after reading through each character's perspective, I feel that Adah is the true storyteller of The Poisonwood Bible. Other than the her...