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Poisonwood Bible Critique Essay

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Poisonwood Bible Critique Essay
Comp. II
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13 march 2013
The Poisonwood Bible
In life one comes to find that nothing is free. Everything has a price. Price also happens to be the last name of the family in the book “The Poisonwood Bible” by Barbra Kingsolver. This book is told through the eyes the four girls and their mother of the price family. Kingsolver shows the price these women paid to find their selves in the world through the neglecting of Nathan and the consequences of his decision.
Orellana is the abused and neglected wife of Nathan price. When she is dragged along by Nathan to go on a mission for the church. Nathan disregards how she feels by putting so much into his ministry to the African tribe. As time goes on she becomes further depressed and distant from her family. She finally pays the price of her child’s death when Ruth may is bitten by a serpent known as a “Black Mamba”. Orellana explains how after Ruth May died she felt the need to keep moving continually to keep the grief at bay. In her need to move she began to walk, and then just kept walking, with her girls following behind her. This leads to Leah’s price.
When the women go to leave, Leah becomes very ill and stays behind Anatole. As Anatole takes care of her she pays the price of never returning to America but gains the love of her life. In other words Anatole and Leah get married. A truth found in this is sometimes through pain and suffering something good comes in the end. Like Nathan and his conquest.
Nathan, the father of the price family and evangelist, continued his conquest of teaching the African people of Christianity and western customs even through the political trouble going on in the Congo. Through some of Anatole’s contacts he finds out that Nathan is still alive and continuing his mission. But the price Nathan paid to keep his place of “power” was the loss of his family and chance to return to America. He also gained the same alliance from his family and African people his

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