Leah: The Feminist Character Of Leah

Another questionably feminist character is Leah, Orleanna’s second born and Adah’s twin. Leah has the power to be a strong feminist, but parts of her life hinge on men. Her story starts with blindly following her father. She accepts every word he says as the gospel truth and never thinks about their consequences or challenges him. As her time in the Congo lengthens, Leah transforms into a stronger person and moves away from her father. She watches the Kingla women, who do not have the same restrictions she does. However, she does not realize that they are equals and she can do what they do. "In all our time in the Congo I'd been awestruck by what the ladies could carry [on their heads] but had never once tried it myself. What a revelation, that I could carry my own parcel like any woman here!" (390). Leah marvels at their strength but she is too dependent on men to realize that she too holds it. Leah is placing herself on a pedestal of weakness to think she is not capable because she is an American girl. This shows the mindset that women can unintentionally fall into. Values and restrictions can be placed on people without them ever realizing, making the feminist movement even more important. Not seeing Leah’s strength is no her fault; it is society’s. Leah’s unintentional support of the patriarchy furthers as she leaves her father's control for Anatole’s. “[Leah was] Wishing like hell we hadn’t come back from Atlanta. But …show more content…
The two themes build off each to enforce their messages and prove that each has of a lot of room to improve. The novel is set in the past, meaning that today, things can be different. People can accept and understand other cultures and women can stand alongside men as equals. The time is now for change, and as The Poisonwood Bible has shown, society’s expectations do not have to control lives