The Poisonwood Bible

“We are supposed to be calling the shots here, but it doesn’t look to me like we’re in charge of a thing, not even our own selves.” 

Rachel is the first to acknowledge that their family is unexpectedly out of their depth. Reverend Price has his own ideas of how their first day in Kilanga was meant to go, but his plans come to nothing as the Congolese people follow their own cultural norms. This reflects the Price family’s unpreparedness and lack of control over their situation. It also foreshadows Reverend Price’s ultimate failure as a missionary. Just as he is unable to take control of the natives’ welcome to have a calm prayer meeting, he is also unable to convince the Congolese people to abandon their gods.

“Everything that comes of morning undoes itself before nightfall: rooster walks back into the forest, fires die down, birds coo-coo-coo, sun sinks away, sky bleeds, passes out, goes dark, nothing exists. Ashes to ashes.” 

Adah’s silent observations of the jungle tie into the recurring theme of change. She describes the way that nature continues in much the same way on a macrolevel, even when the changes seem small on a microlevel. This quote also foreshadows the immediate undoing of the Congolese freedom from colonial powers: while they declare their independence, the government is quickly overthrown by the same powers from which the country had briefly considered itself free. This perspective also reflects Adah’s ultimate life philosophy: on the large scale, everything is equal, and the forces of life and death will be balanced naturally.

“I always believed any sin was easily rectified if only you let Jesus Christ into your heart, but here it gets complicated.”

Reverend Price tells Leah to pray for a man with two wives, but she is not sure what she should pray for since it does not seem right that either of his wives should be abandoned. She realizes that, so far, she has had a black and white worldview, believing that all problems had straightforward solutions, but now she sees that some situations are not so simple. This moment reflects the beginning of Leah’s development of her own worldview, separate from her father’s.

“But I’ll tell you what, gifted doesn’t count for a hill of beans in the Congo, where even somebody as smart as Nelson isn’t allowed to go to college any more than us Price girls are. According to the Underdowns, the Belgians are bent on protecting against independent thought on native ground.”

Leah’s realization that Nelson, despite his intellectual capabilities, will never have an education beyond the age of 12 marks her first brush with injustice. This is one more nail in the coffin of her naivete as she begins to understand that there are unjust practices and events in the world which she has no control over. This moment lays the foundations of her frustrations with injustice, particularly those suffered by the Congolese people, which become essential to her identity later. It also subtly shows the growing contrasts in her opinion versus her father’s, as he believes that both parties would be better served by repentance than education.

“Only God knows when our relief may arrive. But God does know. And in His benevolent service we will stay.” 

Reverend Price has been informed that he and his family are to leave the Congo due to the political instability associated with the impending Congolese independence. Despite the danger to his family, he insists that he knows best and that he will not run away like a “coward,” but he’ll stay until relief comes. When it is clear that the previously agreed upon relief will not arrive, he digs his heels in and declares that they will stay indefinitely. This statement marks the point of no return and leads to the eventual death of Ruth May and everything that follows.

“The guilty blame the damaged. Those of doubtful righteousness speak of cannibals, the unquestionably vile, the sinners and the damned. It makes everyone feel much better.” 

Adah describes the mindset of supporters of colonialism. They justify their actions by blaming the victims and casting them as irredeemable to soothe their own consciences. This relates to the pervasive motif of conquest and explains the foundations of the actions which affect the political landscape of the Congo and therefore the plot.

“Dundu is a kind of antelope. Or it is a small plant of the genus Veronia. Or a hill. Or a price you have to pay. So much depends on the tone of voice. One of these things is what our family has coming to us. Our Baptist ears from Georgia will never understand the difference.”

Adah explains the lexical ambiguity of the Kikongo language. Her statement that they will never hear the difference between these words emphasizes that the Price family will never be able to predict the nature of the “price” they pay for their ignorance. These statements foreshadow their shock at Ruth May’s death and support the idea that it is the price in question.

“Mother tries to explain to him day in and day out about how he is putting his own children in jeopardy of their lives, but he won’t even listen to his own wife, much less his mere eldest daughter.”

Rachel describes Orleanna’s attempts to persuade Reverend Price to recant his decision for them to stay in Kilanga. His refusal highlights the fixed nature of his priorities and that his family is decidedly lower than his pride. It also hints at the underlying misogyny and narcissism which form the basis of many of his decisions.

“But now every cell of me was married to Nathan’s plan. His magnificent will. This is how conquest occurs: one plan is always larger than the other.” 

Orleanna describes how her abusive marriage warped her perception of reality and prevented her from leaving him. She draws a comparison between this situation and the conquest of nations, declaring that the process is the same as the conquered’s agenda is subsumed by the agenda of the conqueror. This connection is a recurring motif, highlighting the dangers of colonialism.

“Leba, the gods you do not pay are the ones that can curse you best.” 

When Nelson explains about the local beliefs in curses, Leah responds with the Kikongo term Baka veh, which is literally translated “we don’t pay for that” and is used to convey disbelief (208). Nelson explains that her lack of belief does not preclude her from curses. This sentiment highlights the differences in cultures and religions between Leah and Nelson and foreshadows how the Price family’s ignorance leads to suffering.

“Not me, not me! My heart rejoiced at that, though I couldn’t say why.” 

Anatole brings news of the cessation of the Katanga province. When he explains that this province has the resources which the United States wants, Leah asks whether the US did something bad, using the word “we.” Anatole declares that she, herself, has not done anything bad. Leah rejoices in Anatole’s cognitive separation between her and the actions of the United States. This moment reflects Leah’s budding white guilt and her growing affection for Anatole, which one day leads to marriage and four children.

“The Congo is the Congo’s and ever has been.” 

Leah asks why the Americans are involved in the Congo’s political situation since the Congo previously “belonged to Belgium” (320), and this quote is Anatole’s answer. In addition to refuting the supremacy of colonial control, this statement foreshadows Anatole’s involvement in the political development of the Republic of Congo and Zaire.

“If his decision to keep us here in the Congo wasn’t right, then what else might he be wrong about? It has opened up in my heart a sickening world of doubts and possibilities, where before I had only faith in my father and love for the Lord. Without that rock of certainty underfoot, the Congo is a fearsome place to have to sink or swim.” 

Leah begins to question her father’s decision making, which leads her to further question her own worldview. Here, she continues to shed her naivete as a part of her coming-of-age character development arc. This moment marks the beginning of the unravelling of her hero-worship for her father and heralds her ultimate heel-turn realization regarding his work in the Congo.

“For certain, Mrs. Price, there are Christians and there are Christians.” 

Orleanna is dismayed to learn that Brother Fowles still receives a stipend from the American Baptist Foreign Mission Service. He describes the meaningful work done by members of that organization in medical relief and literacy, providing an implied contrast to her husband’s so-called evangelism. This declaration underscores the contrast between their differing views on their ostensibly shared religion, which is a prevailing theme throughout the novel.

“We’re branches grafted on this good tree, Mrs. Price. The great root of Africa sustains us.” 

Brother Fowles’ statement demonstrates his more accepting brand of Christianity. He urges Orleanna to consider that she, like himself, is an outsider who must adapt to the ways of the tree of Africa. In addition to providing a foil for Reverend Price’s own beliefs about Africa and his place in it, this statement serves as a subtle foundation for the growing theme of the difference in philosophical values between Moral Idealism and Moral Relativism.

“No, you shouldn’t. But you are here, so yes, you should be here. There are more words in the world than no and yes.” 

After the incident with the driver ants, Leah is distraught. She accuses Anatole of siding with the anti-white groups’ violence and says that he believes she and her family should not be in Africa. He succinctly explains that, in the larger scheme of his views on westerners, he believes that she and others like her do not belong in Africa. However, since she is present, he accepts her presence and personally appreciates it. This opinion is paradoxical and challenges Leah’s black and white worldview.

“The death of something living is the price of our own survival, and we pay it again and again. We have no choice. It is the one solemn promise every life on earth is born and bound to keep.” 

Adah’s declaration shows her growing voodoo-esque perspective on existence and respect for the balance between life and death. This same viewpoint eventually leads her to epidemiology in avoidance of the Hippocratic oath. It also reflects the concept of survivor’s guilt, which is a key theme.

“The whole world would change then, and nothing would ever be all right again. Not for our family. All the other people in the whole wide world might go on about their business, but for us it would never be normal again.” 

Rachel considers what will happen the moment they tell their mother that Ruth May is dead. After their arrival in Kilanga, this is the most significant turning point in the story, a fact which even self-centered Rachel observes. Her hints at the guilt the survivors will feel and references the difference in importance and perspective. While the rest of the world may not notice anything, the world according to the Price family is irrevocably changed.

“Fate sentenced Our Father to pay for those lives with the remainder of his, and he has spent it posturing desperately beneath the eyes of a God who will not forgive a debt.” 

After returning to Georgia, Adah learns the truth about her father’s experience in World War II. She realizes that the trauma and survivor’s guilt that he experienced led to his tyrannical behavior, recognizing it as a desperate attempt to justify his own existence. This quote acknowledges not only one of the most prevalent themes but also the root cause of the events of the novel; without this motivation, the Price family would never have gone to Africa in the first place.

“You just can’t assume that what’s right or wrong for us is the same as what was right or wrong for them.” 

In an argument with Rachel, Leah declares that one cannot apply a blanket statement of right and wrong to difference circumstances and cultures. This represents her adoption of Moral Relativism, rather than her youthful commitment to Moral Idealism. This contrast is one of the key themes of this novel and one of the most critical elements of Leah’s character development.

“All human odes are essentially one: ‘My life: what I stole from history, and how I live with it.’”

Adah visits her mother and, observing her frequent requests for forgiveness from the earth beneath her, declares that everyone tries to reinvent their own history to justify their complicity in the world’s evils. She considers this to be a fundamentally human desire and struggle. This assertion ties into the revisionism and guilt themes of the novel.

“There is not justice in this world. Father, forgive me wherever you are, but this world has brought one vile abomination after another down on the heads of the gentle, and I’ll not live to see the meek inherit anything. What there is in this world, I think, is a tendency for human errors to level themselves like water throughout their sphere of influence. That’s pretty much the whole of what I can say, looking back. There’s the possibility of balance. Unbearable burdens that the world somehow does bear with a certain grace.” 

Even Leah, who was once her father’s greatest supporter, has entirely disowned his worldview. She has lost all naivete and accepted the bitter truths of the world, namely the injustice and her inability to stop it. The hope she finds is not in God’s consistent rewarding of righteousness and righting of wrongs, but in the balance of nature on a macrolevel. While horrors may exist, there are times where they are inexplicably survived. This touches on the motif of religion, echoing the points of view developed by Adah and Ruth May’s spirit after her death, and it also presents the conclusion of Leah’s character arc.

“We are the balance of our damage and our transgressions. He was my father. I own half his genes, and all of his history. Believe this: the mistakes are part of the story. I am born of a man who believed he could tell nothing but the truth, while he set down for all time the Poisonwood Bible.” 

In keeping with favoring balance over revisionism, Adah acknowledges the impact of her father on her life. Despite loathing him to the point of regularly considering the prospect of patricide, part of Adah’s identity derives from his own genetic and social contributions, such as her stubbornness and contrarian tendencies. Adah ends her own character arc by accepting her father’s role in her development and owning her own sins, connecting her statement to the themes of guilt and forgiveness. She also refers to “The Poisonwood Bible” as her father’s version of Christianity, connecting to the theme of religion and offering an explanation of the novel’s title.