Admiration

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, and God's word of control, Nathan lives to have the same control that he preaches. The way Orleanna interprets his preaching angers him; anything a woman does is a sin in his eyes. Any source of joy his wife or children find is quickly erased with the excuse that it is a sin. With Nathan forcing his family to write verses from the Bible, he interprets any verse he wants in any way to fit what his beliefs are. Nathan's actions skew the novel in a whole new way, almost satirically. Rather than being a story supporting religion as I originally thought it would be considering the title, the novel makes fun of those who twist the Bible's words into their own beliefs, causing more harm than the "sin" did itself.