Justice In The Poisonwood Bible

In the novel, The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, Leah Price is exposed to many cases of justice and injustice during her stay in the Congo. Leah’s understanding of justice grew as she grew older, and her search for justice was successful sometimes, but not enough to greatly affect the world around her. Leah’s search was very significant for the work as a whole, and was essential in conveying the main idea of the novel. Leah Price was her fathers’ most fond apprentice. Leah would believe anything that Nathan Price said, and would follow his every order as well as defend his thoughts and actions to the grave. As Leah became older and more mature, however, she was able to recognize that things were not all alright in the Congo, as well as in her own household. Leah became aware of the abuse passed from Nathan to the rest of the family. Thus began her search for justice. Leah was also able to spot the differences between life in America and life in the Congo. For example, when Leah learned that in rubber plantations the Belgian foreman would “cut off the workers’ hands if they hadn’t collected enough rubber by the end of the day,” she stated, “Could this be true of civilized white Christians?” (pg.144) She also quickly learned that she must adapt to the Congo, because it will not adapt to her. “In the …show more content…
Although not successful in spreading justice to the people around her, Leah was able to become aware of the injustices all around her and tried her best to acknowledge them and fix them, rather than ignore them. Barbara Kingsolver used this coming of age to slowly expose the reader to horrors of colonialism and the impacts it has on other countries, along with bringing attention to sexism and racism. By using relatable characters such as Leah, Kingsolver is able to connect with the reader and create a better understanding of these