Essay On The Poisonwood Bible

Words: 655
Pages: 3

Western culture has taken its place as a prominent power on a worldly scale in both colonization and occupation in numerous third world countries. When looking at the Western World, Africa is regarded as one of the most targeted regions for such invasions. The Poisonwood Bible is a serious spoken novel that illustrates the happenings of political turmoil that unravel during the 1960’s in the Congo. In the novel, a religious family travels to Africa in hopes of Christianizing individuals who already possess grounded beliefs and values. These people must choose to battle against or embrace this new culture that has overran their village. The events that take place showcase both personally and globally Barbara Kingsolver masterfully tells a tale …show more content…
He states, “Jesus Christ lost 11-56.” (Kingsolver 334). This quote contrasts voting in the states to voting in the Congo, for there are no speeches or campaigns, and voting solely encompasses beliefs and values. The American way of thinking is to exert our democracy upon other nations, for democracy is our symbol of a successful lifestyle. However, in this particular situation, the colonized uses this liberal government system against the colonizer.
Bhabha introduces his writing with a quote from Robert Southey asserting, “A remarkable peculiarity is that they (the English) always write the personal pronoun I with a capital letter…” (). Nathan feels as though he knows what is right for Africa, and continues to push the English religion and other ways of thinking upon the Congo. When he loses his superiority, he goes insane, losing the respect of the Congo people as long as the love of his family. The Price women initially see “Reverend” as an offering of charity, but underneath he is infused with corruption and poison. The Poisonwood Bible illustrates that Nathan Price pictures the people of the Congo as mere children, who need the guidance and strength of a “father figure” to show them the way to spiritual