Summer Reading Notes
The Poisonwood Bible

Plot: The Price family goes to the Congo because the dad is a preacher and they are going to be a missionary family. They learn the hard way that Africa is much more different than  their comfortable life in Georgia, and failure to adapt well enough results in the death of a daughter, which isn't an uncommon occurrence there, anyway.

Nathan: He's a selfish man who doesn't love his family or anyone else. He doesn't even seem to love himself. I don't think he loves God, either, he fears him. Nathan's past is a big factor in the way he acts and that plays a moderate role in the book. As time goes on, he becomes disillusioned with everything that happens, especially with he death of Ruth May, and stays long after his family leaves him so that he can continue to bring salvation to societies that didn't grow up with a religion.

Orleanna: She cares about her children, and her husband (until he goes totally wacko). She hurts for Nathan, because she knew him when he was different and loved her, so she sees him from a completely different point of view than her children. She's very timid, it seems like, because she won't really stand up to her husband and do what's best for her kids.

Rachel: She reminds me of me. She's very materialistic and wants things that remind her of home, and honestly I think she has more common sense than the rest of the family. She doesn't want to be in Africa at all, she wants to go home which is a good way of thinking because of how dangerous the Congo was, even before it was in a war. I don't really know why she decided to stay in Africa after all they went through, even if she was in Johannesburg, because I would've been on the first flight back to America.

Leah: Leah is way too attached to her dad. She doesn't realize that he doesn't love her and probably never will, so she's a total suck up and only wants to make him happy and proud of her. She's the most open minded in the family,  next to Adah, because she stuck it out in Africa and learned to live there for the rest of her life and even married a black man, which was weird back then. Leah's a good person but I really don't like her character and I'm not sure why.

Adah: Adah is my favorite character. She makes fun of people in her own way and they have no idea, which is hilarious. She's good at seeing things the way no one else does, and she sort of plays mind games with herself. I think it has to do with her disability. She takes her experiences in Africa to heart and goes on to become a doctor, and studies some of the diseases that are common in Africa.

Ruth May: She sees everything with the simplicity of a child. Nothing is complicated to her, she even got to the African children to play with her, something her sisters had a lot of trouble with. I think she resembles the only innocent thing in a country that is entirely corrupt and dangerous. Death is a normality there, no matter who it is that dies, and she provides a break from that reality.

Kingsolver uses very colorful language and descriptive passages to show the reader what the land looks like. It is as beautiful as it is deadly, and she did a good job conveying that. She uses symbolism, too. I think the snake that bit Ruth May symbolized all of the bad people trying to take over the Congo and Ruth May was the symbol for the good people who got run over by those who were rising up to take control of the country.