Poisonwood Devices

In our English class, we are currently reading The Poisonwood Bible, written by Barbara Kingsolver. The novel documents the experience of a Baptist missionary family that travels to the Congo. Kingsolver masterfully crafts the language of the book with strategically chosen narrators' perspectives, astute metaphors and other literary devices. While reading, I found myself paying particular attention to the character of Nathan, the preacher and the family's father.

Despite never narrating the book, Nathan, is an incredibly well-developed character. Regarding his conversion efforts, Nathan is stubborn, close-minded and ignorant. The people of Kilanga view religion pragmatically and worship the "luckiest god(s)." Nathan does not understand this and becomes confused and belligerent when he loses members of his congregation. Another example of his disconnection with the natives is his determination to baptize them in the river. He goes on for a long while before he is finally told that there are alligators in the river. Aside from his ignorance, Nathan cannot free himself from the mindset that the Congolese have to be "saved." This superiority complex prevents real understanding from taking place and creates a barrier between him and the natives.

A little context: As a soldier in WWII, Nathan was wounded and sent to a hospital before the Bataan Death March inn the Philippines where each and every man in his company died. His guilt caused him to completely and entirely devote his life to missionary efforts. Nathan separates himself emotionally from his family and rules over his wife and daughters in an oppressive, dictatorial and violent fashion. He allows no one to speak their mind except for himself. Nathan exploits his family to help continue his missionary efforts, with no regard to their well-being at all. This can be seen clearly in his decision for the family to stay after the Belgians give the Congo its independence. Masquerading as a benevolent father teaching Christian values, Nathan creates a horribly repressive atmosphere for the family that draws symapthy from the reader.

Nathan's ignorant, tyrannical and exploitive character very much personifies the European role in the African colonial experience. Under the guise of "civilizing" the Africans, countries like France, Belgium, Portugal, etc. went in and exploited their people and resources. This extended metaphor/personification is key to the message of the novel. While it is generally understood that the Western colonization of Africa was not a good thing, Kingsolver vividly portrays the horrors involved by condensing the experience into one family. The reader is able to connect emotionally to the mother and daughters of the Price family and thus, connect emotionally to the reprehensible colonial experience of Africa.