Mellin AP Lit

The cover of the novel is bright orange with a yellow circle as a sun and a silhouette of a tall tree. Orange is a color often used to represent autumn or the transition from summer to autumn. In this case, orange symbolizes change. The Price’s transition from America to Africa, from bellies full to bellies empty, from unity to separation. The yellow sun represents the African belief system not in a certain God, but in His creations. The sun allows for life, a very precious gift in the Congo, and thus something to be worshipped. Lastly, the tree. The tree is a very special symbol in “The Poisonwood Bible” as it is the narrator’s point of view. Before Ruth May dies, she says, “If I die I will disappear and I know where I’ll come back. I’ll be right up there in the tree, same color, same everything. I will look down on you. But you won’t see me.” (273). Therefore, the tree represents the main character and protagonist’s safety and intentional invisibility. The cover overall signifies t

At the very end of the novel, we discover that the narrator of “The Poisonwood Bible” was Ruth May, the youngest child who had died in Book Four. She is communicating to us from her “safe space” at the top of a tall tree in the Congo - able to see everything - which allows for an omniscient point of view, showing nearly all sides of every conflict. If Ruth May had not been the narrator, the story would be riddled with bias but since she died young and naive, she could only tell the narrative objectively and simply. For example, if Nathan had been the narrator, he probably would make the reader sympathize with his innate need to baptize all the African children; if Rachel were the narrator, the story would be all about her problems with Eeben Axelroot and missing out on her teenage years; if Adah were the narrator, half of the novel would be written backwards; and so on. 

The villain, in my opinion, in “The Poisonwood Bible” is Nathan Price, husband of Orleanna Price and father of Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May Price. Early in the novel, he is depicted as a kind soul - almost a God-like figure - with a selfless mission to bring God and Christianity to the poor people of the Congo. However, we later find out that he is abusive to his wife and children as they are seen in his eyes as obstacles to his approval from God (as they represent his inability of self-discipline in sexual matters). He also consistently endangers their lives by extending their stay in the disease-ridden Congo. With the other four members of the family proving to be the protagonists and Nathan showing his lack of care for them, he is ultimately determined to be the villain.

The diction in “The Poisonwood Bible” contributes immensely to the character identities that Kingsolver sets out to create. Many times color is used to represent the current mood of certain characters or even their personalities. For example, in the introduction of the novel, the colors yellow, green, and white are used to represent the Price family’s affluence, at least in comparison to the Africans they were about to meet. The colors yellow and green can be seen as a subtle allusion to wealth, yellow pointing to gold and green pointing to cash. The color white can represent two ideas: the color of their skin and/or their extreme naivety. Kingsolver even, in a forthright nature, names the materialistic family the “Price” family, can it get more obvious than that? 

If I were to write a six-word-story as a substitute for Barbara Kingsolver’s “The Poisonwood Bible,” it would read as follows: white affluent family assimilates to Africa. The novel begins with the introduction of the Price family, especially noting both their strong belief in God and their addiction to the classic American materialistic lifestyle. Throughout their mission trip in the Congo, most of the Price family begins to doubt Christianity and seemingly converts to the belief in God’s creations, like the sun and fruits. In addition, the Price family becomes relieved of their addiction to material things as they understand that mere survival is a greater issue than having a mirror or even access to somewhat tasteful foods. Moreover, some members of the family learn the local language(s) and Leah even ended up married to an African man. Overall, the novel is a story of five people from Georgia learning that there is more to life than God and mirrors.